Friday, 8/9/19 – Tough Question

Can fallen angels be redeemed?

The story is told of famous comedian of yesteryear W.C. Fields (1880-1946) who though never a religious man was found more than once in his letter years thumbing through his Bible. This being quite uncharacteristic of him a friend once asked Fields what he was doing. Fields witty yet poignant reply, “Looking for loopholes, my friend. Looking for loopholes.”

But of course there are no loopholes. Scripture is clear: “Each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment” (Heb. 9:27 – NLT) Very dire news indeed! But the gospel message is also clear: “For this is how God loved the world: He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17 – NLT).

And as Paul writes, “This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: ‘Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…’” (1 Tim. 1:15). Christ is mankind’s only Saviour: “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12). Apart from Christ, “there is no longer any sacrifice…There is only the terrible expectation of God’s judgment and the raging fire that will consume his enemies.” (Hen. 10:26-27 – NLT).

Fallen angels cannot be redeemed simply because they have no Redeemer. “God so loved the world that he sent His Son”…. i.e. God acted to extend grace to mankind, not angelkind. Fallen angels have no Saviour, thus no means of atonement, no conviction of the Holy Spirit, no age of Grace in which to repent and no hope of an eternal kingdom for their rebellion took place within that realm.

In Hebrews we read “If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God” (Heb 10:26-27).

The heavenly host had always full knowledge of the truth, for they had their existence in the presence of it. For them there is no sacrifice for their rebellion. They bear the full guilt of it. Now this “fearful expectation” is theirs and it drives their ever more frantic activity as we near the end of this age.

Against this fact how precious indeed it is that in our case “The Lord … is patient… not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9).

In Revelation 2 we read of God’s message to the church in Thyatira. God noted their several good qualities but also pointed out to them one glaring error: they were allowing a woman among their numbers to lead other members into deep sin. “You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food sacrificed to idols.” (Rev. 2:20).

“I have given her time to repent of her immorality,” the message continues, “but she is unwilling. So I will cast her on a bed of suffering, and I will make those who commit adultery with her suffer intensely, unless they repent of her ways. I will strike her children dead…” (v.21-23a)

At present God has given us a time to repent. “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever” (Gen. 6:3). “Now is the day of salvation,” warns scripture (2 Cor. 6:2). “…do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?” (Rom. 2:4). “…We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God,” pleads Paul (2 Cor. 5:20).

Soon that time to repent will be over for mankind, and there are no “loopholes.”

Surrender to Christ today… and then,

Press on…

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