Read Rise of the Fallen Online
Authors: Chuck Black
So the L
ORD
said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” (Genesis 6:7)
But Noah found grace in the eyes of the L
ORD
. This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. (Genesis 6:8–9)
The second judgment will be by fire, but it is important to remember that God’s wrath is not appointed for those who love Him, but for the wicked and evildoers of the world. We must share the love of God with all who are willing so that they may be spared the second judgment.
We cannot begin to fathom the impact a face-to-face encounter with God will have on us. Our best insight into such an event is by reading about the reactions of others who have experienced it. Consider words like, “Fear came upon me, and trembling” (Job 4:14), “Woe is me, for I am undone!” (Isaiah 6:5), and “I fell at His feet as dead” (Revelation 1:17). The reason for such responses is a sense of extreme holiness and power. The words in this chapter are lifted straight out of the book of Revelation when John gets a glorious glimpse of the worship of God in heaven.
The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4:8)
It is perfectly ironic that man has devised a theory that eliminates God and evolves man when actually the exact opposite occurs. The further a person gets from God, the more wisdom and knowledge slip away and sin begins to rule. Submitting to evil ultimately will make us “less human.” Essentially we devolve without God; we don’t evolve. The Bible explains this in Romans 1 and in Titus 1.
To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work. (Titus 1:15–16)
The droxans, devolved demons, described in this chapter are purely speculative. But if submitting to abject evil creates rapists, pedophiles, serial killers, and terrorists, we can only imagine what it might do to a demon. Contrary to living without God, living with God brings wisdom and understanding as proclaimed in Proverbs.
The fear of the L
ORD
is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10)
The concept of guardian angels is old and appealing. Although we know very little about the reality of such an order of angels, Jesus certainly inspired such contemplation when He talked about the children who wanted to be near Him.
Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 18:10)
In the days of Noah, the people had distanced themselves so far from God that they were apathetic toward Him and completely ignorant of the impending doom. Jesus gives the world a very dramatic parallel warning when the disciples ask Him about the end times. Jesus’ warning in Matthew 24 seems more pertinent today than at any other time in the past two thousand years.
For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. (Matthew 24:38–39)
Unlike the rest of the world, those who know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior have been given the game plan and will not be surprised when it happens. We will be prepared just as Noah was.
In the world today, words like
righteousness, salvation
, and
judgment
are not popular words. In fact, in many circles these words have a negative connotation. It was probably very much the same, if not worse, in the days of Noah. Second Peter 2:5 calls Noah “a preacher of righteousness.” Noah didn’t just live a life that honored God; he preached and tried to persuade the world of the truth of God. God has commissioned us to do the same.
And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.” (Mark 16:15–16)
It is important to note that the special treatment of water in regard to the Fallen is purely speculative and has no basis in a literal interpretation of Scripture. Liberty was taken in regard to water and its effects on the demons because of the inferences throughout Scripture of those who hunger and thirst but are not satisfied because they do not know God. Jesus is the only one who can satisfy spiritual hunger and thirst, something the demons will never know.
It shall even be as when a hungry man dreams, and look—he eats; but he awakes, and his soul is still empty; or as when a thirsty man dreams, and look—he drinks; but he awakes, and indeed he is faint, and his soul still craves: so the multitude of all the nations shall be, who fight against Mount Zion. (Isaiah 29:8)
And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.” (John 6:35)
The reference to Hades containing no water is inferred from the rich man’s statement about asking Abraham to have Lazarus dip his finger in water to cool his tongue.
Then 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.” (Luke 16:24)
In this chapter, we learn that Validus played a part in binding four angels to the bottom of the Euphrates River. We don’t know the actual story behind the four angels who are being reserved to execute judgment on the earth, but they must be very powerful and very evil. In Revelation, we learn that these four angels will be responsible for killing one-third of mankind. If that happened today, nearly 2.4 billion people would die at their hands.
Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind. (Revelation 9:13–15)
As with the Genesis Accord, there is no literal interpretation of Scripture that would allow one to believe an agreement like the Noahidic Accord existed. This speculative and fictional aspect is derived from subtle inferences in the Bible and observation. The Noahidic Accord is simply to give the book a construct for the remainder of the story.
Hebrews 13:2 says that some people have “entertained angels” without knowing it. When the spiritual world intersects the physical world, it is a strange event. Something unseen and untouchable suddenly appears and becomes very real … very physical. Speculation about the science of such a translation is fascinating. How it happens is quite a mystery, but angels apparently have the ability to do it at will and with such skill that humans would never suspect them.
Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. (Hebrews 13:2)
One day all who believe in Jesus will be translated to the spiritual realm just as Enoch was when he walked with God.
By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God. (Hebrews 11:5,
KJV)
Nothing strikes at the heart like betrayal. When Validus faces Niturni in battle for the first time, it is evidence of the completion of Niturni’s betrayal. You can imagine the sadness of Jesus when He discovered in Judas’s heart a willingness and desire to betray Him. Betrayal is one of Satan’s sharpest weapons, for it cuts deep.
And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him. (John 13:2)
We can be grateful that we serve a God who will never betray us. His faithfulness is incomparable. Even when we are not faithful to Him, He remains faithful to us.
Therefore know that the L
ORD
your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments. (Deuteronomy 7:9)
Throughout the Bible there is a truth that rings true from Genesis to Revelation. It is a truth that brings great inspiration to all, from the lowliest to the highest. God doesn’t look on the outward appearance of a man or a woman but on their heart, and with one heart perfectly aligned with God, miracles are accomplished. It is the stuff of valiant legends, for out of the meekest of men and women, heroes arise because God will use them for His great purposes.
But the L
ORD
said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the L
ORD
does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the L
ORD
looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7)
For the eyes of the L
ORD
run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. (2 Chronicles 16:9,
KJV
)
These two chapters take liberty with history to create a confrontation between Eber, the great-grandson of Shem, and Nimrod, the grandson of Ham. There are legends that portray such a meeting between Nimrod and Abraham, but in both cases, there is no biblical basis for such an event occurring. We do know that Nimrod was a man who had great power and influence. He built many cities, and one of them was Babel, the city that stood in defiance to God.
Cush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the L
ORD
; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the L
ORD
.” And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. (Genesis 10:8–10)
At Babel, humanity was divided because God confused the languages of men. There are different theological views as to why Eber named his son Peleg, which means “to be divided,” but the more accepted view is that the earth was divided because of language. Since this is a fictional account, this is not necessarily an endorsement of this view.
To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided. (Genesis 10:25)
Validus and Tren deal with an issue that could be a hindrance to their working together on the mission. There are typically three ways we deal with conflict. The first is to be passive and avoid the conflict, but that only causes the problem
to fester and become worse over time. The second is to be angry and aggressive, but that only creates greater conflict and often destroys relationships. The third is the biblical way. Scripture gives us clear guidelines on how to deal with conflict.
Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that “by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.” (Matthew 18:15–16)
Ironically, if we deal with conflict in a humble and biblical way, stronger relationships can be the result, just as is the case with Validus and Tren.
Persimus reminds Validus of Niturni’s wise words of insight as to God’s ways. He tells Validus, “It is through the least that God often works the most.” This is evident through the story of Gideon.
So he said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” And the L
ORD
said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.” (Judges 6:15–16)
God is a champion of the lowly, for they are the ones who often have a heart of humility through which God can work. Then when great things happen, it is God who receives the glory and not man.
For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the
things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. (1 Corinthians 1:26–29)