The Divine Council




"God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment..."
-Psalm 82:1 (English Standard Version)

I recently read a book recommended by a colleague of mine called The Unseen Realm by Michael S. Heiser where he delves into this mysterious yet present 'divine assembly' or council.

It sort of blew my mind a bit.

Why? Well, I've not really looked that closely at this supernatural realm where God exists as well as other divine beings. Sure, I know of angels, demons, and of course, satan/the accuser, etc. but there seems to be much more to it. The Ancient Near East cultures had at least a belief in this collection of divine beings. For the ancient Hebrew Israelites, Yahweh was the ruler supreme with complete authority.

For me, even though I'm still wrestling with this idea, I can see how this would relate to the 'spiritual warfare' that Paul speaks of at the end of the letter to the Ephesians. If Yahweh gave both supernatural and natural beings free will, that would open the door to both realms having conflicts.

As Heiser wrote,
"One of these attributes is freedom—free will that reveals itself in decision-making. If humanity had not been created with genuine freedom, representation of God would have been impossible. Humans would not mirror their Maker. They could not accurately image him. God is no robot. We are reflections of a free Being, not a cosmic automaton.

Heiser, Michael S.. The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible (p. 59). Lexham Press. Kindle Edition.

So I will continue to think and pray on this 'unseen' realm as it were and consider how I can honor Paul's mandate to stand firm with all of the armor of God available, trusting Jesus for ultimate, final victory!

10 Finally, be strengthened in the Lord and in the strength of his power. 11 Clothe yourselves with the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand against the schemes[u] of the devil. 12 For our struggle[v] is not against flesh and blood,[w] but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness,[x] against the spiritual forces[y] of evil in the heavens.[z]
-Ephesians 6:10-12 NET



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