One way to talk about angels is to compare them with us since angel and man are both special creations of God who will one day serve and worship God together in heaven forever. While angel and man are both eternal spirits we get to heaven by different paths. God made both man and angel to serve him in heaven and for fellowship. God didn’t want his creatures to be slaves or robots so he created man and angel both with the free will to decide whether or not to serve God. Angels and men are distinct persons each with their own personalities. As individuals each man and each angel has their own intelligence, will, emotions and spirit. Angels are superior to us. Angels are stronger than us, smarter than us and swifter than us but this is only temporary while the spirit of man is in his physical body. Man and angel are both eternal spirit beings and once man gets to heaven we’ll be more on par with the angels. In fact, Scripture says we’ll be above the angels in heaven and we’ll be a judge over them.
Let’s review what we’ve previously discussed about the state of man. At conception the Holy Spirit gives each new human life just beginning a piece of God, an eternal spirit. We know life begins a conception when we look at the life of Jesus. The Holy Spirit was actually Jesus’ father. The Holy Spirit supernaturally provided the male half of the chromosomes needed to fertilize Mary’s egg and make a human being. At the same time the Spirit of Jesus entered the new embryo. Do you really believe the Holy Spirit visited Mary a second time later in her pregnancy to add the Spirit of Jesus when her growing fetus had reached the point where it qualified as a “life”? Not a chance. If it were so the Bible would have told us. To die in our place on the cross Jesus had to be fully human and that means he had to be conceived and born the same way all human beings are. Jesus didn’t receive any special favors. The only difference with Jesus was the Holy Spirit replaced the male in the birth equation. What you see with Jesus is the same way it happens with us. Jesus’ Spirit arrived at conception which proves ours does too. Life begins at conception and God’s Word confirms it.
At the exact instant of conception we’re granted immortality because we receive an eternal spirit from God. Think about that for a moment! We cannot die! Our physical bodies will grow old and die but our spirit is eternal. God gave us a physical body and placed us on this earth for a reason. Our brief human life is our “testing time, ” our probation period to see if we’ll choose to serve God or Satan. God is giving us a chance to exercise the free will he has given us. God’s Word was provided as a guide so we can seek out God and make the right decision. What good would it do for God to test us without telling us the rules by which we are to be tested? The unborn and children up to the age of decision are innocent and therefore if they die God in his mercy grants them eternal life.
The age of decision, when we’re old enough to make a decision about God, varies with everyone but it’s usually around the age of twelve as it was for me. I know some people who were saved at age eight or nine. It all depends on the maturity of the individual. Only God knows when that time is for each person. What we can be sure of is everyone’s probation period ends at the same time which is when we die. Anyone who accepts Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior before they die is given eternal life in heaven by a merciful God. Anyone who rejects Jesus outright or fails to make a decision about God before they die then their sins remain with them and they’ll go to hell when they die. They’ll be judged on the last day by Jesus and sentenced to the lake of fire for all eternity. A hundred billion years is just a blink of the eyes in eternity.
So with human beings God is dealing with us all individually on an ongoing basis. Everyone has their own personal journey through life with their birth, probation period, decision whether to serve God or not and their death. Angels, on the other hand, have a totally different experience. Angels were created by God before creation. God made all the angels at one time fully formed and their number is fixed. The Bible tells us there are too many angels to count but God knows the exact number of angels he made and God knows each angel by name. As a created being like man, the angels were also give the free will to choose whether or not to serve God. The angels had their own probation period which started when they were created and ended when every angel had to decide whether to continue to serve God or go with Satan. That time was when the war in heaven occurred. With angels having been given a free will the war in heaven was inevitable. There was no other possibility. It was inevitable some angels would choose not to serve God and then what? To disobey God is a sin and sin is not allowed in heaven. The fallen angels were not going to leave heaven voluntarily so of course the fight was on.
Satan led the rebellion in heaven alongside a third of the angels. When these fallen angels were defeated God expelled them out of heaven and threw them to the earth where we know them as demons. Demons are here in the hundreds of millions. Once all the angels in heaven made their free will decision to serve God their choice was locked in by God. The free will option was removed from the angels so that angels can no longer change their minds. God made the angels currently in heaven, “not able to sin.” We don’t have to worry about another rebellion in heaven. In like manner, God made the fallen angels, “not able not to sin.” The wages of sin is eternal death so why aren’t the demons already in the lake of fire and brimstone God made for them? The answer is, they will be. God is using them temporarily on earth to test man before they are sent to their ultimate fate.
I used to worry all the time about going to heaven. I knew I was going to heaven but I didn’t think I was good enough to stay once I got there. I think a lot of people feel that way. I was thinking about it from my perspective and not God’s. It’s not about us and what we do or what we deserve. It’s all about Jesus and what he did for us on the cross. It’s about God’s love, mercy and grace toward his beloved children. I was also afraid that after I got to heaven they would discover I was there by mistake and send me straight to hell. I thought I’d slip up and start sinning again and that would be it. One mistake and I’d be shipped out of heaven. All that fear and worry was for nothing. Salvation unto eternal life by God’s grace is final. Once your name goes into the book of life it can’t be removed. God doesn’t make mistakes. God doesn’t change his mind. The Bible says God is unchangeable, and so he is. God knows we’re all unworthy of heaven on our own and that’s the point. Salvation is a free gift of God by his grace because he loves us that much. God loves us more than we’ll ever know this side of heaven. God loves dispensing mercy and grace.
Eternal life is not earned, there’s no way it can be. Eternal life is a precious gift of God for our faith in Jesus. I know I’m repeating myself but it’s really important. God doesn’t make mistakes and God never changes his mind. If you’re in heaven you’re meant to be there and you’re never going to leave. God made you and chose you to be in heaven with him before he laid the foundation of the world. You’re the equal of everyone in heaven and Jesus is expecting to see you there. Hold your head up high because you belong there. Praise God for his love, mercy and grace! If you’re in heaven you’ve made it through you probation period. You passed the test. So has every other person you meet. Every angel you encounter has passed his test too or he wouldn’t be in heaven. Rejoice together all you saved souls!
We don’t ever have to worry about sinning in heaven because God will lock in our decision to serve God once we get to heaven by making us, “not able to sin,” just like he did for the angels. On the one hand God promises believers they can live with him in heaven forever while on the other hand God also says sin is not allowed in heaven. If we were allowed to go to heaven and sin God couldn’t keep both promises. If we sinned in heaven God would have to throw us out but how could he if he promised to keep us in heaven? God’s Word would be broken if he threw us out of heaven or if he let us stay. The only way for God to ensure his Word is fulfilled is to make sure we can’t sin in heaven in the first place. There is no other choice. That’s easy for God to do since with God nothing is impossible.