Divine Council

Generational Blessings and Curses

Ken

Are children blessed or cursed because of the conduct of their parents? Every godly parent certainly hopes for blessing upon their children, just as we do not like to think we can inherit curses from previous generations. But, isn’t inheriting a constitutionally sinful nature consistent with the sins of the parents being visited upon the children? No, not actually, because if we can argue before God we are sinners because of our parents, then we could also plead we are righteous because of our parents. And, since neither is true, then we need another basis to evaluate Generational Blessings and Curses. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him” (Ezekiel 18:20 KJV). 

What is a blessing but good will being pronounced upon another, which is considerable, if you are being blessed by God? “And God blessed [male and female humanity], and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth” (Genesis 1:28). Happiness is the blessing of producing successive generations of promised godly children. “Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate” (Psalm 127:5). Likewise, what is a curse but ill will being pronounced upon another, of which Satan’s ill will pales in comparison to God’s wrath? “But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear Him, which after He hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear Him” (Luke 12:5). Sadness and hopelessness are only byproducts for anyone, whom God has cursed. “24 And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. 25 But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. 26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence” (16:24-26). 

The Original Blessing for Obedience to God’s command was, “And God blessed them, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion” (Genesis 1:28), which was contrasted to the Original Curse for Disobedience to the LORD’s command, “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (2:16-17). Both blessing and cursing would be passed on to successive generations of obedient and disobedient ones. Remember, this is a Spiritual Passing Down, not necessarily tied to physical proximity associated with interaction between parents and children. Why? Because this is God’s promised blessing or cursing, which of interest, can be countered by a change in obedience to disobedience or the reverse. 

Viewing the genealogies of Genesis, the godly offspring of one parent became increasingly more consequential and less random, when successive generations duplicated the obedience of previous generations and strengthened the probability of godliness in future generations. Is this only chance randomness forced into a Generational Blessing in retrospect? But, the genealogy of Adam to Christ indicates a Generational Blessing, which illustrates the truth of a Spiritual Passing Down from one generation to the next. “So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations” (Matthew 1:17). Unbroken sinlessness for 42 generations? No, but the Eyes of God followed a pattern of good for 42 generations, where only His opinion really matters, that this proves the truth of Generational Blessings. “4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep My commandments” (Exodus 20:4-6). And so, Generational Curses are as real as Generational Blessings.

Q: If under the New Covenant, the legal curse was removed by Christ — “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree” (Galatians 3:13) — then, how can a Generational Curse still exist? 

A: Because humanity’s sin occasioned the Curse, God will not remove it until He has accomplished all the good it must accomplish for humanity’s benefit, i.e., “Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life” (Genesis 3:17). A Generational Curse still affects the Body of Christ, while we are in the flesh and until the Curse has been lifted at the New Heavens and New Earth as we proceed into Eternity. “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away” (Revelation 21:4). “And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him” (22:3). 

Explaining the Curse

First, a curse is passed on through personal disobedience, i.e, Moral Depravity, which is the act of sinning. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). 

Second, a curse is precipitated through the transmission of our decaying physical constitution, i.e., Physical Depravity, which is not sin itself, but the occasion for sinning. “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12). 

Third, Christ’s death on the Cross redeemed us from our Personal Curse of not having kept the Law of Love, cp., Galatians 3:13. “Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them” (Galatians 3:10). 

Fourth, redemption from our Personal Curse came through repenting and believing Christ. “In whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:14). 

Fifth, deliverance from our Generational Curse comes from repenting of the Corporate Sins of our fathers (Daniel 9:5-6), which has nothing to do with our personal acceptance by God, but everything to do with clearing our Adversary’s accusations against us (Job 1:9-11; 2:4-5), which hinders our Paraklete’s ability to deliver us (Daniel 10:12-14) in the Divine Council (Psalm 82:1 ESV). “20 And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. 21 And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him. 22 And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And He said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so” (1Kings 22:20-22 KJV). 

Sixth, why does the Almighty allow this Supernatural “Wickedness in High Places” (Ephesians 6:12), sometimes even addressing it in conjunction with His Divine Council (Psalm 82:1 ESV), or sometimes addressing it in scenes of the Courts of Heaven (Daniel 7:9-10)? It becomes apparent the Almighty’s vast scale of time, resources, and His own Son, though they are given for His Beloved Israel and His Son’s Bride the Church, His Glory and Faithfulness to Himself must take precedence over everything (Romans 11:36; 1Peter 5:11; 2Peter 3:18; Revelation 1:6). “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11).

Seventh, so long as there is a curse, then we will have our adversary the devil prowling about to devour us (1Peter 5:8), except during the Millennium where he is imprisoned in the Abyss (Revelation 20:3) after which he is released, deceives the nations, defeated, then eternally damned to the Lake of Fire (20:10) — excising the last bit of poison of rebellion against the Most High God. Then, it will be said, “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life” (Revelation 21:27). Thus, the High and Lofty One That Inhabiteth Eternity will secure the holiness and happiness of His Dwelling Place and those that dwell with Him, forever and ever. 

A Little Bird Told Me

Ken

Speaking maliciously of a king or powerful rich person has repercussions. “Curse not the king, no not in thy thought; and curse not the rich in thy bedchamber: for a bird of the air shall carry the voice, and that which hath wings shall tell the matter” (Ecclesiastes 10:20 KJV). Simply testifying of evil conduct is not so much implied, as speaking maliciously with intent to harm, and certainly not “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). “A little bird told me” would more be like gossip, for obvious political purposes, when speaking of a person of power. Moses wrote, “Thou shalt not revile the gods [Hebrew, elohim, as in lesser gods of the Divine Council, Psalm 82:1 ESV ], nor curse the ruler of thy people” (Exodus 22:28). Even the archangel Michael refused to speak boastfully against the devil from the Unseen Realm, but carefully watched his heart and directed his speech. “Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee” (Jude 1:9). Paul vilified Ananias the high priest for ordering him to be struck, contrary to the law, for simply speaking the truth. When informed his words were directed against a high priest, Paul respectfully replied, “I wist [knew] not, brethren, that he was the high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people” (Acts 23:5). He quoted again Moses, closing the circle of the argument, especially dealing with the powerful but lesser gods of the Unseen Realm, we need to be like Michael the archangel, by humbly resisting the devil “and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). LORD, we know You have already won the game, so we know how we play the game is the only thing of importance. Help us to remember to watch always our heart, that none can ever tattle on us, ‘A little bird told me.’ May our hearts stay pure in the midst of the political posturing and wrangling, of others. In Jesus’ name, we pray, for “Thou God seest me” (Genesis 16:13). Amen. 

Blindness of the Church (Part 1)

Ken

All of history has been building up to today, when the Church faces the god of this world and the minions of his demonic horde, long ignored in western biblical exposition. Jewish rabbis would rejoice to find the difficult passages to interpret because then they would have the most opportunity for discovery. “Open Thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law” (Psalm 119:18 KJV). We will either lose our faith or go mad, if we continue to seek solutions without elevating our thinking about the Scriptures. Genesis is the beginning of most of our misunderstandings that only multiply throughout Scripture. Without debating six literal days of creation or Noah’s worldwide flood carving the Grand Canyon, trouble appears in Genesis 6, where the “sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown” (Genesis 6:4 KJV). In the OT, benai elohim, “sons of God” (6:4) always refers to angelic beings (Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7). Angels (also called elohim, Psalm 82:1,6) who “kept not their first estate” (Jude 1:6) produced an unnatural, ungodly hybrid known as Nephilim. “The Nephilim [KJV, giants] were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown” (Genesis 6:4 ESV). The significance of this ungodly hybridization manifests itself throughout Scripture, e.g., Goliath; but ultimately, it will demonstrate itself in the fulfillment of Bible prophecy concerning the Antichrist. Already, the Church has been blinded concerning this because it has been mired in establishing the First Truths of the doctrines of Christ. “1 Therefore leaving the principles [Greek, archē, elementary instructions, first truths] of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, 2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment” (Hebrews 6:1-2). More about this later. LORD, grant us the gift of a willing heart to remove our blindness about what You are about to do in fulfillment of Prophecy. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

For more information on the Nephilim, see our book, Understanding Spiritual Warfare.

Is Satan Really The God Of This World?

Ken

As much as it might not sound right or feel good, Scripture labels satan as a god, but certainly not as Almighty God, the Creator of all. “In whom the god of this world [satan] hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2Corinthians 4:4 KJV). Remember how Asaph described the heavenly scene? “God [Hebrew, elohim, singular] has taken His place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods [Hebrew, elohim, plural] He holds judgment” (Psalms 82:1 ESV). Jesus referred to Psalm 82:6-7 defending His claim to be the Son of God in John 10:34-36. But, Asaph noted, unlike the Almighty “like men you [the created, lesser gods or angels] shall die, and fall like any prince” (82:7). LORD, we worship You alone as the Almighty, the High and Lofty One That Inhabiteth Eternity. There is none like You. May we not be frightened by the god of this world. Preserve us from his devices. Give us of Your Word, that we may resist him, as Jesus did in the wilderness. There are “gods many and lords many” (1Corinthians 8:5 KJV), but only one Almighty. Establish Your throne in our hearts, and we look forward to You judging this wicked liar and usurper with his just deserts in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:10). Bring this to past. Return quickly, deliver Your people, and judge Your enemies. In Jesus’ almighty name, we pray. Amen and amen. 

Michael Fought Against the Dragon (Revelation 12:7-8)

Ken

War will be fought in Heaven between Michael and the dragon. Michael, the archangel (Jude 1:9) designated as the ruler or prince of Israel (Daniel 12:1) will direct his forces against the dragon and his angels. One can only wonder what warfare between supernatural-angelic-beings-who-cannot-physically-die looks like. “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven” (Revelation 12:7-8 KJV). In the satan’s [literally, adversary] battle with Michael over the body of Moses, Michael won by uttering, “The LORD rebuke thee” (Jude 1:9) to the devil. Michael did not embellish his language with impious speech, even at the devil. “Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing [Greek, blasphēmia, blasphemous, e.g., filthy swear words] accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee” (Jude 1:9). For Michael, prevailing over the devil was delivering the Almighty’s judgment that the satan no longer had the right to place an accusation against the saints in the Courts of Heaven before the Divine Council. This has been his customary practice as witnessed by his accusation of Job (1:6-12; 2:1-7). Michael’s power in battle is his certainty: (1) of the Almighty’s ability to kill, then “cast into hell” (Luke 12:5), and (2) of the finality of the Second Death, where even “death and hell were cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:14). LORD, may we be as bold as Michael, not fearing mortal death, because we have been given immortal life. In Jesus’ name, amen. 

Divine Council Retrospective

Ken

Since early 2022, when I became familiar with Dr. Michael S. Heiser’s scholarly book, The Unseen Realm (2015), I have attempted to synthesize his Divine Council perspective with my Christian worldview. As a lifelong reader of the KJV, I’d never heard the expression “divine council,” since Psalm 82:1 was translated as “congregation” (KJV) not “divine council” (ESV). “God [Hebrew, elohim, singular] has taken His place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods [Hebrew, elohim, plural] He holds judgment” (Psalm 82:1 ESV). Multiple gods? Yes, but only one Almighty God. Heiser’s title The Unseen Realm and the Divine Council perspective allowed me to rethink my understanding of what takes place in the heavenlies — building a better foundation. For example, in Spiritual Warfare, notice how Paul links our struggles with the heavenlies. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12 KJV). Another example, in Divine Healing, observe how an evil angel or “messenger [Greek, aggelos, angel] of Satan” (2Corinthians 12:7) is linked with a “thorn in the flesh” (12:7) and the struggle for healing. And still another example, in Prayer and Intercession, how can we avoid connecting the Courts of Heaven with Yahweh’s Divine Council? “Put Me in remembrance; Let us contend together; State your case, that you may be acquitted” (Isaiah 43:26 NKJV). We may differ, ignore, or misunderstand the Unseen Realm, but its concepts still affect us in our Supernatural Religion. 

Jesus Wants You Well

Ken

C.S. Lovett, a retired USAF chaplain, wrote, “I do not mean to imply that God doesn’t use sickness… But the point is — He [God] doesn’t SEND sickness,” in his classic book, Jesus Wants You Well (1973). Growing up in the early 1970’s in evangelical, fundamental, Bible preaching churches, I remember being introduced to the writings of Dr. Lovett’s Personal Christianity by a blessed, fervent church friend. Lovett got it right, and he disagreed with conventional wisdom on 2Corinthians 12:7-10 about Paul’s thorn in the flesh. The devil wants us sick, since the “thorn in the flesh” (2Corinthians 12:7 KJV) was a “messenger [Greek, aggelos, angel] of Satan [Greek, satan, adversary]” (12:7) sent by God to “buffet” (12:7) Paul — and us. An evil angel of Satan was allowed to torment Paul, like Jesus was “led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil” (Matthew 4:1). The Father no more wanted Jesus to be tempted to make Jesus sin, any more than He wanted Paul to be buffeted to make him perpetually ill. Sure, we are to “glory in [our] infirmities” (12:9) for “when I am weak, then am I strong” (12:10) in the mean time; but, it is the devil buffeting with the sickness. Jesus came to heal and deliver us from the sickness, unless we have hidden issues allowing the adversary to successfully accuse us to prevent our healing. “When the even was come, they brought unto Him many that were possessed with devils: and He cast out the spirits with His word, and healed all that were sick: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias [Isaiah] the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses” (Matthew 8:16-17; compare Isaiah 53:4-5). Our response to being buffeted is to glory in our infirmities, thus strengthening us spiritually, but not simply to give in to sickness. Brothers and sisters, Jesus wants us well. Let the Holy Spirit persuade you what you should believe.

Our Jōb Moment

Ken

Our Jōb moment of why me is more common to man than we think. We are our Sovereign God’s possession to do with us as He pleases, but like David, we had rather fall into God’s hands than the hands of the enemy. “And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let us fall now into the hand of the LORD; for His mercies are great: and let me not fall into the hand of man” (2Samuel 24:14 KJV). In the end, Job quit defending his own righteousness and began acknowledging God can do what He thinks best. “I know that You can do all things; no purpose of Yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2 NET). At the beginning, Jehovah had acknowledged Job as “none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth [turns away from] evil” (1:8). God has a higher opinion of you than you think. He is willing to preserve us from day to day temptations. “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer [allow] you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it” (1Corinthians 10:13 KJV). He taught us to pray, “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:13 KJV). We are His children, and our Father knows best. Let us remember He is the High King of Heaven, acting in the best interests of His Kingdom, but He remembers our frame as dust. O LORD, be merciful to Your children, “Nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt” (26:39). Amen and amen.

Elon Musk on Mars

Ken

Elon Musk would like to go to Mars and make us a multi-planetary species. Not just digital payments through PayPal, electric cars through Tesla, solar panels through SolarCity, internet communications through StarLink, or payloads to the International Space Station, but eventually, he is targeting the moon and Mars through SpaceX. Can he do it? The greater question is, Will God let him? If it serves God’s purpose, of course Elon Musk could do it. When the Almighty quelled the last great earthly rebellion against Himself at the Tower of Babel, He said, “Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech” (Genesis 11:6-7 KJV). Yahweh’s Divine Council chose to thwart the Tower of Babel because He was laying out the future of the supernatural spiritual warfare between Himself and His adversary. What would the world be like, if we only had one language? Either it would be like Heaven, or more likely Hell. A promise for the godly: “Surely the wrath of man shall praise Thee: the remainder of wrath shalt Thou restrain” (Psalm 76:10 KJV). LORD, may Thy Kingdom come and Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven. Amen and amen.

Why Me?

Ken

Why me? Why am I suffering? Why did God choose Job to be the Poster Child for Suffering? Job may not have said it that way, but felt it. Yahweh already answered that question, even before Job asked it, in a conversation with the Enemy. “And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth [hates] evil” (Job 1:8 KJV). The LORD is not afraid to refine us, even at the Adversary’s suggestion. “None like him” (1:8) indicates Job was the best the Almighty had “in the earth” (1:8). Job was “perfect” (1:8) in heart, which is the only perfection possible for any created being. He was “upright” (1:8) because he did right. He feared God more than the Adversary, where well trained troops are more afraid of disappointing their drill sergeant than they fear the enemy. He hated evil. Job’s testing proved: (1) “All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2Timothy 3:12 KJV), (2) Suffering makes the greatest impression on us in a teachable moment, for even Jesus in His humanity “learned He obedience by the things which He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8 KJV), (3) In suffering’s refinement, “He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10 KJV), (4) Yahweh’s conversation with the satan demonstrates there really is an Unseen Realm of Spiritual Warfare, where “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12 KJV). May Yahweh be magnified as He helps us, and we help each other, in our suffering to come forth as gold. Amen and amen.