Introduction 

In the beginning (Genesis 1), the Supreme Spiritual Being created the heavenly and earthly realms. He made other spiritual beings – also known as sons of God, His divine council, lesser gods – to inhabit the heavens and to rule from there over times and seasons.

The Creator made sea creatures for the chaotic waters, birds for the sky, and creepy- crawlies and other animals to inhabit the land. Finally, He made Humanity to rule over the land and sea creatures and to extend His garden- like order of Eden into the rest of the jungle on Earth. In the end, the people of God will replace the sons of God. (This posting is for those readers who understand the Bible is not meant to be a scientifically or historically accurate record of Creation. It is literary, not literal.)

Sons of God, His Divine Council

The spiritual beings the Creator made constitute His heavenly court, His divine council. Some follow their assigned paths across the sky to mark the passage of time and the coming of the seasons and feast days. Some He sends as messengers (angelos) to His people on significant occasions: Gideon, the parents of Samson, Hagar, Daniel, Mary the mother of Jesus. The King delegated some gods to rule over the nations/ ethnos (Deuteronomy 32:8-9).

These last were supposed to point rebellious Gentiles/ nations back to surrender to the King. Instead, they rebelled and took to themselves the worship, trust, and obedience due to God Almighty. They oppressed the people of their nations (Psalm 82).

The King of Heaven and Earth kept for His own management the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He delivered them from slavery and death under the reign of the gods of Egypt and the rule of Pharaoh. He made a treaty with the tribes of Israel, making them the people of His Kingdom.

Yahweh gave the Israelites His Law/ torah/ instructions how to live under His wise and righteous reign. They were supposed to entice the Gentiles back to surrender to His rule over their lives (Isaiah 2:3, Micah 4:2).

Judicial Work of Jesus and His Body

Yahweh’s chosen people rebelled against Him and oppressed the weak and poor among them. He sent them into exile and brought them under the oppression of Greek and Roman rulers. Their religious leaders oppressed the people with religious rules in an effort to bring about the coming of Messiah to throw out the Romans and to bring back the reign of Yahweh (Daniel 7)

When God’s Anointed One did come, “his own did not receive him” (John 1:11). That time, Jesus came to overthrow the sons of God, the principalities and powers that oppressed the people of Israel. He came to die on the Cross. In doing so, God’s Anointed took on Himself all the guilt and shame deserved by Humanity. Being innocent of rebellion against God, Jesus broke the reign of the principalities and powers who put Him to death (Colossians 2:15). By rising from the dead, Jesus broke the reign of Death over every human who believes in Him (John 11:28).

When He returned to Heaven, Jesus sat down on the throne of the Creator. “From thence, He will come to judge the living and the dead.” (Apostles’ Creed) The thing is, Jesus has taken into His own Body all who believe (Colossians 1:24). We have become His Bride, His Ecclesia. Paul wrote that, as the new sons of God, we will judge angels/ the old sons of God/ the principalities and powers/ the divine council (1 Corinthians 6:3). 

As His Ecclesia, we are meant to reign in the heavenlies and on the Earth. We are supposed to attack the strongholds of the powers of darkness and enforce Jesus’ disarming of them. We are to bring God’s will into all the world and return people and nations to trust and obedience in King Jesus.

Replacement Theology

In the end (Revelation 21), God’s light will fill the whole Earth. There will be no darkness. The sun, moon, and stars will fall, to be replaced by the Ecclesia. God’s people will “shine forth like the Sun” (Matthew 13:13).

As His Bride, as His Ecclesia – His governing body on the Earth, we will judge the spiritual beings. We will use His wisdom and authority (John 5:19).