The First “church split” Those of us who have been abused by a Jezebel and consequently hurt in a church setting can take courage from the fact that the first “church split” happened in heaven. Before the creation of man, in the glories of heaven, there came a time of great rebellion. And war broke out in heaven; Micheal and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out , that serpent of old, called the devil and satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Revelations 12:7-9) Before satan was called by that name, he was known as Lucifer. In Hebrew, Lucifer is Helel Ben Shachar. The name Helel literally came from the Hebrew root word halal, which means praise and worship. The term Ben Shachar means “son of the dawn” or “son of the morning,” which is another phrase we see in reference to Lucifer. This Hebrew name implies that Lucifer was the chief worship leader in heaven. Yet Lucifer coveted the throne and power of God. Although he was endowed with great gifts of leadership, creativity and music, it was not enough. Why? He was full of jealousy and ambition—even in a perfect heaven. Because of this, Lucifer led one third of the angels in a rebellion against God’s authority. What a deceiver! He was able to convince angels who sat in the resplendent glory of God to believe that they would win a war against their creator. God Loves Unity and Hates Division God puts a high premium on unity and hates division. Starting with his rebellion, Lucifer has always striven to bring division. After he fell, he was no longer referred to as Lucifer, but as Satan or the devil. The name Satan means “one who opposes” or “the adversary.” No wonder when you experience a confrontation with someone who is in agreement with darkness, you can sense that opposing power—that evil that emboldens those who disregard divine order and normalcy so they can fulfill their own desires. The name devil means “slanderer.” One meaning of slander is to put oneself between two others in order to divide them. The devil attempts to put himself between God and the people He has created. Adam and Eve succumbed to the devil’s lies, and the war of deception has continued ever since. Satan’s goal is also to put something between people to divide them. This satanic strategy is always at work to divide church bodies, marriages and godly relationships. Just as the enemy is always trying to put himself between us and bring division, the Lord is always trying to put Himself in the midst of us and bring unity. He wants to put His Spirit, His presence and His cross among us to unite us into one Body, His Church, Paul urged us, Now I plead you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. (1 Corinthians 1:10) (Confronting Jezebel)
Posted on: Tue, 13 Aug 2013 00:15:19 +0000
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