“Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“‘In the pride of your heart
you say, “I am a god;
I sit on the throne of a god
in the heart of the seas.”
But you are a mere mortal and not a god,
though you think you are as wise as a god.Ezekiel 28:2
“‘You were the seal of perfection,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
You were in Eden,
the garden of God;
every precious stone adorned you:
carnelian, chrysolite and emerald,
topaz, onyx and jasper,
lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl.
Your settings and mountings were made of gold;
on the day you were created they were prepared.
You were anointed as a guardian cherub,
for so I ordained you.
You were on the holy mount of God;
you walked among the fiery stones. Ezekiel 28:12b-14
In the verses above God is addressing two beings at the same time. He is speaking to the King of Tyre who has rebelled and is controlled by Satan, and to Satan himself who was the first rebel and the first to put himself in place of God.
This is exactly how humanity came to the place of sin and the dire need for a Savior to Redeem us.
In the following verses we find Satan starting a new rebellion, appealing to human pride that he shares in wanting to take the place of God. He tempts Adam and Eve by telling them they can become LIKE GOD.
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:1-5.
Humanity did not learn its lesson in the Garden of Eden. We are still full of pride and foolishness, demanding to be our own God and proclaiming we alone know what is right and wrong according to our own desires. This is the path of sin and rebellion that separates us from God, and ultimately that separation will lead to Hell.
God created us to become part of His family. To deliver us from our own foolishness and deadly choice to become our own God. Jesus came to earth to first of all show us what God is like. God is a kind, generous, loving and forgiving Being. Jesus helped, healed, fed, taught, and loved humanity. He presented us with God’s nature and He did it with humility as an example to us.
After Jesus showed us God’s Nature. He went further, He paid the price for our rebellion and healed the breach between us and God by sacrificing Himself to atone for our sin. Yet the choice is up to us. Will you receive the Gift of Salvation from Jesus, or will you stay joined at the hip with Satan, being your own God and receiving the price for that kind of arrogance and rebellion?
And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever. Revelation 20:10
Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:15
There is only One God. And there is only One Savior–Jesus Christ. If you live your life trying to play God and reject the One True God you have an unthinkable destination awaiting you. The Good News is that Hell was not made for you. You have a destiny awaiting you in Heaven. All you need to do is quit trying to be your own God and let the Real One guide you to a destiny of blessings and bliss beyond imagining. It begins with humility, admitting that we need the True God in our life, both to save and deliver us from our sin and rebellion. Jesus offers this freely, though it has cost Him much to deliver us from ourselves.
Prayer: Dear Lord, it will take an eternity to praise and thank You for what You have done for us. Warn us by Your Spirit when we start “playing God”, and guide us back to the path of pleasing You. Amen.
