The Character of God

The Character of God
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An extensive listing of heroes of faith is found in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. The faith referred to in this chapter is not just the faith we receive from God's Word; it is actually the demonstration or acts of faith seen in the lives of the men and women mentioned. Faith is not only inward; faith demands action. James said faith without works (or corresponding actions) is dead. What good is it to have faith if you do not go out and do something with that faith?

Hebrews 11:1-2:

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it (faith), the elders (mature ones) obtained a good report.

The "good report" spoken of in these verses is not just a good report among men; it is also a good report from God. We live in two worlds. The moment we received Jesus as Savior we were recognized by and approved of God. However, there comes a time when God wants us to step out of that faith and do things for the people around us. He wants people to see through our outward actions the faith that is on the inside of you. That is what is meant by "a good report."

Hebrews 11:3-6:

Through faith we understand that the ages were arranged by the (spoken) word of God, so that the things which are seen (these acts of faith mentioned in the verses to come) were not made out of things which do appear. Verses 4-6. By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness (divine approval) that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and by it he being dead yet speaketh. By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God (or approaches God) must believe that he is (exists) and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

It is not enough to know the Lord or to know about Him, and it is not enough to be in His family. His desire is that we diligently seek Him because He desires to reward us in this life and in eternity which is to come.

Hebrews 11:7:

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became the heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

Notice, Noah was warned of things not yet seen. The reason it took such faith for Noah to build the ark is no one had ever seen rain. Before the time of Noah, the earth was actually watered by a mist.

Genesis 2:4-6 says, "These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, and every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground."

When God told Noah it would rain on the earth, Noah had never seen rain. That is why it took a tremendous act of faith to build the ark. Every race we see today came from Noah and his three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Why did God send the flood? Many say because iniquity was on the earth. This is true, but Genesis 3: 15 is the first prophecy in the Word concerning the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. God said, "I will put a division between you (Satan) and the woman."

First Timothy says the reason God put a division between Satan and the woman was the woman was beguiled--deceived. In fact, when the Lord came to her, she told the truth. Man knew what he was doing when he sinned and when God first came to Adam and asked, "Why have you done this?" Adam replied, "Don't look at me; it's her fault." When Eve partook of the fruit, she was deceived into it; but when she handed it to Adam, he had a clear-cut choice. He knew what she had done and with all of his will he partook of it. Therefore, the responsibility was on him. Even though the woman was in the transgression, she was not held responsible for it because she was deceived. That is the reason God says in verse 15, “I will put a division between you (Satan) and the woman, and between thy seed (the fallen seed of man) and her seed, and it (the seed) that shall pass through her shall crush your head and thou shalt crush his heel.”

Again, this passage says, "Thou shalt crush his heel." This means there would be momentary victories by Satan on the seed of the woman, but the eventual defeat would come by the Lord Jesus Christ when He would literally crush the head of Satan. When Jesus went to the cross, He spent three days and three nights in the heart of the earth and He took principalities and powers and spoiled them and made a show of them openly and triumphed over them in it. When Jesus arose from the dead, He conquered him (Satan) who had the power of death. The work of the cross is substitution. It was not God who went to the cross; it was Jesus and His humanity who went to the cross. This prophecy is speaking of the fact that Jesus would come through the seed of the woman. This is the prophecy concerning the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. Through the virgin birth, Jesus escaped the seed of man. The seed of man is what perverts and brings the death sentence upon man.

Jesus came to reverse what Adam had done in this earth. Everybody who is born into this earth is born a slave and slaves cannot free slaves. Everyone born into this earth has been born through the seed of man. This makes them unqualified to redeem mankind. What are a slave's wages? Nothing. Therefore, they have nothing with which to purchase mankind. You have to be born a free man to purchase and redeem mankind. Jesus was born a free man. There is redemption in only one name, and that name is Jesus. There is only one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. Glory to God!

Genesis, chapter 6 recounts one of Satan's attempts on the lineage of the Lord Jesus. This is one of the most controversial chapters in all the Bible.

Genesis 6:1-4:

And it came to pass when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the Lord said, My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh; yet his days shall be a hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

This occurred shortly after the time of Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel. Verse 2 says, “The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair (beautiful) and they took them wives of all that they chose" The phrase "the sons of God" is where the discrepancy lies. Who were "the sons of God" who took the "daughters of men" and made wives of them?” This term, "the sons of God" is found only four times the entire Old Testament.

Job 1:6 says, "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them." What is actually being described in this verse is a scene from heaven. The term "sons of God" is referring to angels.

Job 38:5-7 says, “Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the cornerstone thereof; When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”

God is speaking of the creation of the universe in this verse. Did you know the angels rejoiced when God created the universe? This term is different in the New Testament. When you find the term "son of God," (singular) in the New Testament, it is a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ. When you find the reference "sons of God," (plural) it is a reference to the believers--to those of us who are the sons of God. In the Old Testament, believers were not the children of God. The book of Hebrews tells us that they were servants in the house of God.

Genesis 6:2 says again, "The sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were beautiful, and they took them wives of all that they chose." There is really no way around it, the "sons of God" in this verse is a reference to angels. Second Peter, chapter 2 describes the fall of Satan and the angels that fell with him. Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14 also describe the fall of Lucifer. Lucifer tried to rise up and revolt against God; this is actually where the first sin began. Revelation 12 says a third of the angels fell with Satan. Until this time, angels had never seen rebellion - they did not know what rebellion was. To follow Lucifer was to follow God. To follow God was to follow Lucifer because what God spoke Lucifer spoke. But there came a day when Lucifer and God became divided and the angels were required to make a decision. Free-will always demands something. To have a free will is to have a choice. The day Lucifer rebelled, all of the angels were given a choice; one third of the angels freely chose to follow Lucifer.

Some people teach demons are fallen angels, but the Word of God proves they could not be demons. First, from time to time people have seen demons through the gift of discerning of spirits. Those who have seen demons will tell you demons do not look like angels. Next, angels have never had a body to desire one. Why would angels constantly seek to be inside a body (as demons do) if they have never had one. Apparently at one time or another, demons had bodies. Also, angels have the ability to come into this natural world and appear as natural man. The book of Hebrews tells us to beware when we entertain strangers because many have entertained angels unaware. Angels appeared to men throughout the Old Testament. They appeared to Abraham. They also appeared in Sodom and Gomorrah to deliver Lot and his family. The people did not recognize the angels. In fact, they thought they were such handsome and interesting men they wanted to have sex with them. Fallen angels had the ability to appear in this natural world just as Satan does.

Second Peter 2:4-5 tells us what happened to the fallen angels: "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; and spared not the old world (the world before the flood) but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly."

The Greek word for "hell" is the word "Tartarus." It is the only time this word appears in the New Testament indicating there is a special compartment under the earth where the fallen angels are still bound.

Jude 6-7 says, "The angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire."

In Sodom and Gomorrah they went after strange flesh; and the strange flesh they went after was that of animals--bestiality. They were committing fornication with animals. The angels also went after strange flesh; but the strange flesh the angles went after was the "daughters of men." Just as man has crossed over into animals, so the fallen angles crossed over and took to them wives of men on this earth.

The Bible is not the only place where Tartarus is mentioned. Tartarus is also found in Greek mythology. It was located under the earth and was the place where the heroes were kept. Greek mythology divided all of the species into three classification: gods, heroes, and men. Tartarus was said to be a place so far under the earth it was as far under the earth as the earth was under the heaven. It was said in mythology to be a place where if you dropped a stone, it took nine days to get to Tartarus. Tartarus was a place surrounded by a ring of fire, or literally, a river of fire. The river of fire was called Flegalon. The gods who sinned were cast into Tartarus and were bound one year for every day it took a stone to fall. Thus they were bound for nine years before they could be released.

Genesis 6:1 again says, "And it came to pass when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God (fallen angels) saw the daughters of men that they were beautiful and they took them wives of all which they chose."

The word "wives" is plural. Each angel took many wives. In Greek mythology, heroes always had a god for a father and a human mother. The children were always called the super-heroes. Before the time of the flood, the whole earth had become perverted with a super race; a super race of men who were also gods. The Bible and most of the literature of the ancient world bring out the fact there was a time when gods took women of this earth and their offspring were called heroes. Listen to me, all mythology is not false. There is a certain amount of truth weaved into all of it, but the truth seems so exaggerated most people dismiss it. That is why it is called mythology.

Genesis 6:3-4:

And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man. There were giants in the earth in those days, and also after that when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, (literally "they became super-human men before the time of the flood"), men of renown.

The word "giant" is the Hebrew word "Nephilim," which means "fallen ones." Did you ever wonder where the giants in Canaan came from after the flood? When the spies went into Canaan, they said, "We are as grasshoppers in their sight." After the time of Noah, angels once again,like in the time of Sodom and Gomorrah, took the women of men to be their wives. That is why God cast them into Tartarus. He wanted to prevent the corruption of all flesh, as at the time of the flood.

Deuteronomy 3:11 says, "For only Og, king of Bashan, remained of the remnant of giants; behold his bedstead was a bedstead of iron; is it not in Rabbath of the Children of Ammon? Nine cubits was the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man."

King Og was eighteen and a half feet long and eight feet, four inches wide. Og was a perversion. He was the result of the breeding together of angels and the women of the earth at that time. Apparently there was no salvation for these super-human giants--"heroes."

When the flood hit, the canopy surrounding the earth came crashing in. Only Noah and his family survived. When Noah left the ark, God set a symbol in the sky of the covenant He had with man. It was a rainbow. Isn't it interesting that the rainbow appeared? It had never have appeared before because the sun could shine through. But suddenly, when the canopy was gone and the rain was diminishing, God set a bow in the clouds to let them know He would never destroy this earth again by water. Hallelujah!

Bob Yandian

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