Would you please explain Revelation 5:8-10?

In the book of Revelation, John is transported “in the spirit” to God’s throne in heaven, from where he observes events which will take place shortly in heaven and on earth. The passage in Revelation 5:8-10 describes what John sees in heaven; it reads in the New King James Bible:

“(Verse 8) Now when He [the Lamb, Jesus Christ] had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. (Verse 9) And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals; For you were slain, And have redeemed us to God by your blood Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, (Verse 10) And have made us kings and priests to our God, And we shall reign on the earth.'”

As we explain in our free booklets, “Angels, Demons and the Spirit World,” the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders are angelic beings in heaven:

“The Bible speaks about ‘four living creatures’ in the book of Revelation that appear before the throne of God. Although their description is, to an extent, similar to that of seraphim, there are nevertheless distinctions, implying that these angelic beings belong to a separate category or order. Revelation 4:6–9 explains that they have six wings, and that all of them look different. One looks like a lion, one looks like a calf, one looks like a flying eagle, and one has the face of a man. In addition, they have voices of thunder (Revelation 6:1) and they carry out God’s Will by directing other angels (compare Revelation 15:7)…

“The book of Revelation also speaks about twenty-four high-ranking spirit beings within the angelic realm, called the ‘twenty-four elders.’ They are in heaven, clothed in white robes, wearing crowns of gold on their heads and sitting on twenty-four thrones before the throne of God, whom they worship and serve (Revelation 4:4, 10–11). The high rank of the ‘four living creatures’ and the ‘twenty-four elders’ is expressed in Revelation 5:11: ‘Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne [of God and the Lamb, Jesus Christ], the living creatures, and the elders…’ (Compare, too, Revelation 7:11.).”

But are these angelic beings saying in Revelation 5:8-10 that Christ redeemed THEM by His blood, and that He made THEM kings and priests, and that THEY shall reign on earth?

If so, wouldn’t this statement contradict many other passages in the Bible? For instance, please note that God will not give the world tomorrow to angels, but to man. Hebrews 2:5-6 states: “For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels. But one testified in a certain place, saying, ‘What is MAN that you are mindful of HIM…?'” In addition, we read that man will judge the world AND angels (1 Corinthians 6:2-3).

Finally, please remember that Christ did not die for angels, but for man, by becoming a human being (Hebrews 2:14-16). Since the penalty for man’s sins is death (Romans 6:23), Christ died for man and thereby paid the penalty of human sin. He became a man (John 1:14), to die for man’s sins, so that man could become members of the God Family (1 John 3:1-2; 1 Corinthians 15:49).

Angels are spirit beings who cannot die (Luke 20:35-36) –and since the penalty for the sin of rebellious angels (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6) is not eternal death, but first the “everlasting [Gehenna] fire” (compare Matthew 25:41; see also Revelation 20:10) and finally the “blackness of darkness forever” (Jude 13), Christ’s death as a man would not have paid for their sin, and His shed blood would not have redeemed them to God. In addition, there is no indication whatsoever that the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders had been SINNING angels and that they had to be REDEEMED by Christ–by His blood or otherwise.

There might be different explanations for the passage in Revelation 5:8-10. We must always recognize, to begin with, that the Bible does not contradict itself; so any apparent contradiction must be evaluated and understood in the light of the principle of harmonizing all Scriptures (John 10:35).

(1) The first possible explanation is that the passage in Revelation 5:8-10 was mistranslated.

Notice how the New International Version renders the passage, beginning with verse 9:

“(Verse 9) And they sang a new song: ‘You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased MEN for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. (Verse 10) You have made THEM to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and THEY will reign on the earth.'”

This translation is adopted by the overwhelming majority of renditions. Very similar are the renderings of the Revised Standard Version; the New Revised Standard Version; the Living Bible; the Revised English Bible; the New American Bible; the New Jerusalem Bible; the Amplified Bible; Phillips; the Moffatt Bible; and many German translations, including the German Elberfelder Bible; the German Neue Evangelische Uebertragung; the Zuercher Bible; the Menge Bible; the revised Luther Bible; and the German Schlachter Bible.

Following those translations, the answer to the potential conflict of Revelation 5:8-10 with other Scriptural passages would be obvious. There would not be any conflict at all. Rather, according to these renditions, the angelic beings sang a song to God, in which they reiterated the fact that Christ died for MAN to redeem THEM, and that redeemed and converted MEN made IMMORTAL–the “saints”–would rule on this earth as a kingdom of priests.

(2) Not everybody agrees with this alternate rendering.

(a) Some claim that even though in verse 10, the correct words are, “them” and “they,” rather than “us” and “we” (i.e., that Christ made THEM–MEN–kings and priests, and THEY shall reign on earth), they maintain that in verse 9, the correct translation is “us,” not “them” (stating that Christ redeemed “us”–ANGELS–to God, based on the understanding that the angels are singing the new song.) Translations which prefer these renderings are Lamsa; the Analytical Literal Translation; and the Margin of the New King James Bible.

However, several translations, including the annotation in the New Revised Standard Version; the Zuercher Bible; the Menge Bible and the Elberfelder Bible, maintain that the word “us” in verse 9 was supplied by the translator and is not found in the original; and that verses 9 and 10 should be rendered as follows (adopted from the New Revised Standard Version and its annotation):

“… by your blood you ransomed for God from every tribe and language and people and nation; you have made them to be a kingdom and priests serving our God, and they will reign on earth…”…” (Compare also Vincent’s Word Studies and the annotation by the Ryrie Study Bible).

(b) Other translations render the passage in Revelation 5:8-10 in the way, as quoted from the New King James Version at the beginning of this article; that is, that the message of the new song states in essence: “Christ has redeemed US with His blood, and WE will reign, as kings and priests, on the earth.” Additional translations which render the passage in such a way include the Authorized Version; the Englishman’s Greek New Testament, giving the Greek Text of Stephens 1550; and the old German Luther Bible.

(3) Although the overwhelming majority supports the view that the words should be rendered correctly in the “third,” and not in the “first” person, would the rendering in the first person, as used in the Authorized Version or the New King James Bible, among a few others, in fact contradict other Scriptural passages? There would be clearly a contradiction if (sinning) angels were saying of themselves that THEY were redeemed by the blood of Christ and that THEY would become kings and priests, ruling this earth; on the other hand, what if the rendering in the first person would be correct, but it would not be the angels that SING?

Notice carefully that Revelation 5:8 introduced the new song in the way that the angels (four living creatures and twenty-four elders) fell down before the Lamb, having a harp, and golden bowls of incense, “which are the prayers of the SAINTS.” Verse 9 continues: “And THEY sang a new song…” Grammatically and contextually (in the original Greek, there is no punctuation and segmentation into verses), the phrase, “They sang a new song,” at the beginning of verse 9, could refer to the end of verse 8; that is, to the “saints” in “… prayers of the saints.” Viewing it this way, it is the SAINTS–not the angels–who are singing this new song.

This understanding would also be in harmony with the fact that Revelation 14:1-5 speaks of 144,000 redeemed saints, who have harps and sing a new song. It says in Revelation 14:3 that these saints who were redeemed from among men (compare verse 4) are singing a new song before the four living creatures and the elders; in other words, before the same angelic beings that are mentioned in Revelation 5:8. We state the following about the 144,000 redeemed saints in chapter 17 of our booklet, “Is That in The Bible? The Mysteries of the Book of Revelation”:

“144,000 servants of God are mentioned in Revelation 14:1–5. They are depicted standing with Christ on Mount Zion, here on earth. The time setting is after Christ’s return. They sing a new song, a song that reaches God’s throne in heaven (verse 3), as do our prayers today (compare Revelation 5:8; 8:2–5). God has found no fault in them (Revelation 14:5). This description reminds us of Christ’s message to the angel of Philadelphia (compare Revelation 3:7–12).”

In conclusion, the Bible does not contradict itself. The teaching of the Holy Scriptures is clear: Christ died for man; it is men–not angels–who will inherit the kingdom of God; and men made immortal will rule on this earth as kings and priests.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

Does the Bible teach character development in angels?

In our last Q&A, we discussed the fact that God is creating His holy and righteous character in man, as it is His purpose to reproduce Himself in man–to enlarge His God Family through man. The same cannot be said about angels.

There is no indication in Scripture that it is–or has ever been–God’s purpose to enlarge the Family of God–presently consisting of God the Father and God the Son, Jesus Christ–through angels. Rather, angels are created beings; they are all “ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14).

God tells us that He “has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels” (Hebrews 2:5); rather, this potential is given to man (verses 6-9). And so, we read that Christ did not take on the nature of angels, but He took on the nature of man (Hebrews 2:16; compare Authorized Version and margin of New King James Bible), to be made like His brethren in everything (verse 17), so that His brethren could be made like Him in everything. As we point out in our booklet, “The Gospel of the Kingdom of God,” Jesus Christ–who was God since all eternity–became man, to make it possible for man to become God.

None of this can be said about angels. They are not to become God–in fact, we read that man–made immortal–will judge or rule over angels. A mighty and powerful angel had to tell John twice not to worship him, stating: “See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the word of the book. Worship God” (Revelation 22:9; compare Revelation 19:10). But we also read that true Christians, made immortal, will be worshipped–and that with Christ’s approval–so they will be GOD at that time (Revelation 3:9).

And still, the Bible indicates character development in angels. Again, NOT for the purpose of becoming members of the God Family in a literal sense. But, we need to realize that God created angels with free moral agency–as men are free moral agents–and that every free moral agent has the power of choice. He has to DECIDE whether or not to accept and live by the truth. And the Bible tells us that about one-third of the angels whom God had created, DECIDED to SIN–while the remaining two-thirds of the angels DECIDED NOT to SIN (compare Revelation 12:4).

We discussed in a previous Q&A that the great archangel and cherub Lucifer sinned–and that his name was changed to Satan, which means, “adversary.” We also pointed out that the angels under his control likewise sinned and are known today as “demons.” We showed that Lucifer and his demons attempted a coup to throw God off His throne in heaven; but that they were defeated by God’s righteous angels and thrown back to this earth.

Herbert W. Armstrong, the late Pastor General of the Worldwide Church of God, wrote the following in, “The Incredible Human Potential,” copyright 1978:

“Lucifer was a super being of awesome, majestic beauty, dazzling brightness, supreme knowledge, wisdom and power — perfect as God created him! But God of necessity created in him the power of choice and decision, or he could not have been a being of individuality and character…

“This superb spirit being filled up the sum total of wisdom, perfection and beauty. He was the supreme pinnacle, the masterpiece, of God’s creation, as an individually created being, the greatest one in the almighty power of God to create! The tragic thing is that he rebelled against his Maker!…

“He had complete knowledge, understanding and wisdom. But he also was given full powers of reasoning, thinking, making decisions, making his choice. And, with all this foreknowledge — even of results and consequences — this superb being, the highest that even God could create by fiat, turned to rebellion against his Maker — against the way that produces every good.”

We read that Lucifer was perfect when he was created–until iniquity, lawlessness or sin was found in him. God did not create him with iniquity–but because Lucifer was a free moral agent, he DECIDED to ALLOW sin to enter his life. Ezekiel 28:14-17 says about Lucifer: “You were the anointed cherub who covers… You were PERFECT in your ways from the day you were created, TILL iniquity was found IN YOU… You BECAME filled with violence within, And you SINNED… Your HEART WAS LIFTED UP because of your beauty; You CORRUPTED your wisdom for the sake of your splendor…”

As mentioned, the angels under Lucifer’s control followed his bad example and participated in his coup. 2 Peter 2:4 states: “For God did not spare the angels WHO SINNED, but cast them down to hell [tartaros in Greek; a state or condition of darkness, rather than a place] and delivered them into [spiritual] chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment…” Compare, too, Jude 6.

The question might be asked whether the “character development” in all created spirit beings is complete–and whether it was completed at the time when one-third of the angels decided to sin, and two-thirds decided to stay loyal to God. In other words, is it possible that some of the angels could still sin and some of the demons could still repent?

Please note the following excerpts from our booklet, Angels, Demons and the Spirit World:

“When reading about angelic warfare with demons, we might ask ourselves the question: ‘Why does God let these spiritual battles go on?’… We have already discussed the fact that a full one-third of God’s angels sinned in times past, thus becoming demons. God did not prevent them from sinning. He created them as free moral agents and He knew that they could sin…

“Angels were created as free moral agents. God wants them to make a final decision as to whether to sin or to live in righteousness. We know that the angels sinned when they followed Satan. What we don’t know is whether all of them committed the unpardonable sin; in other words, whether or not some of them can still repent. We also don’t know whether all of the angels who did not follow Satan thereby made the irrevocable decision to always stay loyal to God…

“We are told in 1 Peter 3:19–20: ‘… by which [the Spirit] also he [Christ] went and preached unto the spirits in prison; Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water’ (Authorized Version).

“The correct understanding of this passage is that Jesus Christ preached to the spirits in prison—the demons—at the time of Noah, when God was about to protect Noah from destruction. Christ used this example to show that the demons who had sinned ‘sometime’—before the creation of man—were still awaiting their judgment.

“Why did Christ preach to the demons? Was the only purpose to announce to them what they already knew, that they would be punished in the future? Or, was it done in order to bring some of them to repentance so that they could be spared from punishment?

“Proverbs 16:2 tells us that ‘the LORD weighs the spirits.’ If the fate of all spirit beings—good and bad—is sealed, why would God still weigh the spirits?

“We are also told, in 1 Corinthians 6:3, that we will judge angels. This judgment might include demons who are called ‘angels’ in Revelation 12:7. ‘Judgment’ can mean ‘condemnation.’ ‘Judgment’ can also refer to a process of judging, leading, guiding and directing, which requires time, until at the end of the process, the verdict is pronounced. Is the Bible telling us that we are to judge demons, not only in the sense of condemning them for what they did, but also for the purpose of trying to lead some of them to repentance?…

“The Bible sometimes refers to the angels who followed God as being ‘holy.’ This does not necessarily mean that they cannot sin. We who are called by God today are considered ‘holy’ (1 Peter 2:9). Still, we do sin from time to time. ONLY God CANNOT sin. The Bible does not say that the angels who did not follow Satan, could not sin anymore. Since God cannot sin, we have to become God, higher than the angels, to guarantee that we, too, will not sin anymore as born-again members of the God Family. This is why God is in the process of reproducing Himself, through man, not through angels…

“Paul makes this alarming comment in Galatians 1:8: ‘But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.’ Apparently, Paul felt it might be possible that an ‘angel from heaven’ could sin, by preaching a wrong gospel message…

“Does God allow spiritual battles between angels and demons to go on in order to allow character-building, either good or bad? Actions prove where one’s heart is. An angel who consistently and tenaciously fights for God, and against demons, will not be easily persuaded to deny God and to sin, while a demon who consistently and tenaciously fights against God will not easily repent and accept God and His way of life… Perhaps God is still testing His angels and the demons to see which of the angels might not yet have made a final commitment never to sin, and which of the demons might not yet have made a final commitment to never repent…

“God may not be done yet in determining the ultimate fate of all of His created spirit beings. As free moral agents, they too need to come to the point where their character has been formed and will not change. This has undoubtedly already occurred in many cases, but there might be other cases where God is still testing the spirits to see exactly where they stand.”

In conclusion, as free moral agents, both angels and men must choose to obey God. This requires time. While most created spirit beings have undoubtedly irrevocably decided never to sin or never to repent–so that they have acquired either good or bad character–there could still be those whose character development is not yet complete.

It is clear from Scripture that Satan and most demons are not interested in developing righteous character–they are not able to do so. It is also apparent that most holy angels are not interested in turning from God–in fact, they, too, might not be able to do so. Once spirit beings make an irrevocable decision never to sin or never to repent, they cannot change, as they are unwilling to change. Then, their character development–either for the good or the bad–will have been completed. For instance, as we pointed out in our last Q&A, God, who has always been perfect and righteous character, CANNOT sin, as His perfect WILL and His very nature are opposed to sinning. There was never a time when God’s character needed development–it was always perfect, righteous and good. But as we said, it is possible that some angels or demons may still have to reach the point of making their final irrevocable decision–their character development may still be ongoing towards a final resolution.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

Two Ways of Living

We are celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles 2006. We are experiencing a foretaste of how the world will be like in a few years from now–a world of peace and truth and love. If we make it into God’s kingdom, we will be teaching God’s Way of Life to the world. We will be educating misguided people about how to live. Do we practice today what we are to preach to others tomorrow?

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What It Will Be Like to Be God

How will it be like for us, when we are born-again members of the Family of God? When we are Spirit beings, unable to die or to sin, and no longer subject to physical limitations? What exactly does our future hold? Why is our potential worth striving and fighting for?

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Are angels or demons able to have sexual relationships with women and produce human offspring?

Absolutely not! God’s Word is very clear that such a possibility simply does not exist.

First
of all, let us remember that God made animals and humans according to
their kind (Genesis 1:21, 24-28). Animals can only reproduce other
animals, according to their kind (two dogs can produce another dog, but
they can’t produce a horse or a bird), and men can only produce humans
(they can’t produce animals). Since men and angels belong to a
different “kind,” it is impossible for that reason alone, that they
could produce human offspring.

In addition, as created spirit
beings, angels or fallen angels (demons) do not reproduce sexually or
by any other means. Jesus made this very clear. He said in Luke
20:34-36 that the “sons of this age,” i.e. human beings who live today,
“marry and are given in marriage.” One of the purposes of marriage is
reproduction, as well as having a sexual relationship (compare Genesis
1:28; 2:24). Married couples are to become “one flesh”–including
sexually. That is the reason why it is wrong to have sexual
relationships with a prostitute (1 Corinthians 6:16, 18). But
Christ told us that those who are worthy to attain the resurrection to
eternal life, will not marry or be given in marriage, but they will be,
in THAT sense, equal to angels. They will be OVER angels in authority
and essence (1 Corinthians 6:3; Hebrews 2:5-8), being children of GOD,
not of angels, but they will be EQUAL to angels in the sense that they
will no longer “marry”–physically–and engage in sexual activities. If
we want to accept Christ’s saying, it is obvious that angels (including
fallen angels) CANNOT have sexual relationships with humans and produce
human offspring.

Some quote Genesis 6:4 for the false idea that
angels married women and produced human offspring prior to the flood.
However, this interpretation is totally erroneous and must be rejected.
In Genesis 6:1-4, the context shows that sexual intercourse and
reproduction strictly through humans is described. We read:

“Now
it came to pass when MEN began to multiply on the face of the earth,
and daughters were born to them, that the SONS OF GOD saw the daughters
of MEN, that they were beautiful; and they took WIVES for themselves of
all WHOM THEY CHOSE. And the LORD said, ‘My Spirit shall not strive
with MAN forever, for he is indeed FLESH; yet his days shall be one
hundred and twenty years.’ There were giants (lit. mighty ones) on the
earth in those days, and also afterward, when the SONS OF GOD came to
the daughters of MEN and THEY BORE CHILDREN to THEM. Those were the
mighty MEN who were of old, men of renown.”

Although it is true
that in rare instances, “sons of God” can refer to angels (compare Job
1:6-8; 2:1), it refers most of the time to human beings (compare
Malachi 1:6; 2:10; Luke 3:38; Romans 8:14; Revelation 21:7). This is
also the case in Genesis 6. God decided to destroy sinful
men–flesh–not angels. We read that all flesh and every MAN died in
the flood (Genesis 7:21-23). Because of this, some commentaries point
out that the term “sons of God” might, in this instance, refer to the
“godly line of Seth” (compare Ryrie Study Bible). Halley’s Bible
Handbook allows for the possibility that the “sons of God” were
“leaders in Sethite families who intermarried with godless descendants
of Cain. These abnormal marriages… filled the earth with corruption
and violence.”

Even though the “sons of God” (human beings)
belonged to the line of Seth, and might have worshipped the true God
(compare Genesis 4:26), they took for themselves whatever women they
wanted–including those who did not believe in and worship the true God
(compare God’s warning in Malachi 2:15 and in 1 Corinthians 7:39; 2
Corinthians 6:14). The consequence was that “the wickedness of man was
great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart
was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5).

The Commentary of
Jamieson, Faussett and Brown agrees that Genesis 6 refers strictly to
human marriages, stating: “‘the sons of God saw the daughters of
men’–by the former is meant the family of Seth, who were professedly
religious; by the latter, the descendants of apostate Cain. Mixed
marriages between parties of opposite principles and practice were
necessarily sources of extensive corruption. The women, irreligious
themselves, would as wives and mothers exert an influence fatal to the
existence of religion in their household, and consequently the people
of that later age sank to the lowest depravity.”

Matthew Henry
agrees with this explanation: “The sons of God (that is, the professors
of religion) married the daughters of men, that is, those that were
profane, and strangers to God and godliness. The posterity of Seth did
not keep by themselves, as they ought to have done. They intermingled
themselves with the excommunicated race of Cain.”

Similar the
Soncino Commentary, identifying the “sons of God” as “the sons of
princes and judges,” referring to the fact that the word “Elohim” (in
“sons of God” or “Elohim”) always implies rulership and can refer to
human judges (compare Exodus 4:16; 7:1). It goes on to say that “thus
the very men who should have defended justice openly committed
violence” and that they took wives “by force,” including those “married
to others.”

The New Bible Commentary: Revised agrees with the
conclusion that Genesis 6 describes sexual relationships between human
beings only, but gives a slightly different meaning of the passage.
They point out that “‘the sons of God’ could be translated ‘the sons of
the gods.’ Ancient texts attest to an ideology of divine kingship;
human kings were called sons of various gods. This blasphemous cult was
a culmination of the Cainite name-lust… ‘daughters of men’ are the
daughters of men in general. By ‘such of them as they chose,’ polygamy
is meant…”

Based on the Biblical evidence, it is abundantly
clear that Genesis 6 does NOT teach at all that angels or demons had
sexual intercourse with women and produced human offspring.

Some
refer to a passage in Genesis 3:15, for the concept that Satan and his
demons can produce human offspring. However, this passage does not
allow for such an understanding. In Genesis 3:15, God speaks to Satan,
after he had tempted Eve to sin, stating: “And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall
bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”

The reference
here is to Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the “Seed of a woman,” and to the
human beings who would be under the influence of Satan the devil–his
“seed.” Christ, born of a woman, would nullify Satan’s power over man.
Satan bruised Christ’s heel, causing Him to suffer and to be put to
death, but Christ conquered death through the resurrection (Hebrews
2:14-15). He overcame Satan and will ultimately replace him, when He
returns. “Satan’s seed” refers to human beings in general who are still
under Satan’s sway. Satan, as the god and ruler of this world, has
deceived the whole world. Humans follow him, and they are called in the
Bible “children of the devil” (John 8:44; compare Matthew 13:38). They
are not the LITERAL physical offspring of Satan, of course, but his
spiritual seed. Once we accept God’s way of life and receive God’s Holy
Spirit, we become begotten children of God (1 John 3:1-2)–but again,
not in the sense that we are the LITERAL physical offspring of God, but
we are His spiritual seed. The ONLY one who was LITERALLY physically
begotten by God the Father, through the Holy Spirit, was Jesus Christ
(Luke 1:30-35)–that is why He is called the “ONLY-begotten Son” (John
1:18; 1 John 4:9).

The Ryrie Study Bible explains Genesis 3:15 in
this way: “‘between thy seed’ (the spiritual descendants of Satan, cf.
John 8:44; Eph. 2:2) ‘and her seed’ (those who are in the family of
God)… An individual from among the woman’s seed, namely Christ, will
deal a death blow to Satan’s ‘head’ at the cross [and His subsequent
resurrection from the dead], while Satan (‘thou’) would ‘bruise
Christ’s heel’ (cause Him to suffer).”

Even though the woman’s
“seed” might very well include the “family of God”–that is, converted
Christians–it is nevertheless true that the most obvious reference is
to Jesus Christ. As Halley’s Bible Handbook points out: “Here… is
God’s prophecy that His Creation of Man would yet prove to be
successful, through the ‘seed of the Woman.’ This is the Bible’s first
hint of a Coming Redeemer. The use of ‘He’ (15) shows that One Person
is meant. There has been only ONE descendant of Eve who was born of
Woman without being begotten of Man.”

In conclusion, the idea
that angels or demons can produce human offspring is a dangerous and
wrong concept. It has inspired Hollywood’s movie writers to produce
some terrible and demonic pieces, such as “Rosemary’s Baby.” But many
ARE deceived today, thinking that such a diabolic act might be possible.

For more information on the world of angels and demons, please read our free booklet, “Angels, Demons and the Spirit World.”

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

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