Michael-Grams: M-G: 12.12.17, Therefore So Run, Part 2 of 3

The greatest distances for Satan to cross would be from any point on earth to heaven, which is outside of our universe and back. It is the great distances of stars and galaxies in terms of light-years that begs the question of how God’s angels are able to go back and forth between heaven and earth in a timely, practical manner given the calculations of the observable universe, “the edge,” to be ~13.8 billion light-years in every direction, assuming the earth is at the center of the universe.

Current thinking is that the expanse of the universe is far larger than what can be observed which is a safe and reasonable assumption! Different models are used in projecting the size of the universe. One model suggests that the universe is seven times larger than what is known. This means that the universe could be 7 trillion light-years across.1

Based upon the creation account and what has been observed, the universe is seemingly infinite in scope but not “infinite in extent,” nor is it timeless based upon the time of creation at six solar days (Gn 1:31). Creationists are not contending the distances of the stars, per se; the universe is amazingly vast. But to maintain that for light to reach the earth from those immense differences would substantiate the claim that the earth is billions of years old. This assumption is based on the theory of uniformitarianism which states that the same processes observed today were the same processes billions of years ago. This theory is rejected by creationists.

The Creator could have, indeed, originally bridged those light distances during the creation of the stars on the fourth day (Gn 1:16). Adam was created two days later after the sun, moon, and stars were created (Gn 1:17-19). On his very first night, he would have seen the decay-less stars only two days old in a way no other human could have witnessed it other than Eve; they observed a pristine universe untouched by the dynamics of the curse. As you know with the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, everything changed in creation (cf. Rom 8:22).

For argument’s sake, let’s go back to the theory that the edge of the observable universe is ~13.8 billion light-years in every direction. Heaven, the place of God’s abode, preceded creation, meaning that it was/is outside of the observable or unobservable edge of creation itself. The distance between heaven and earth is at least 13.8 billion light-years, but I am thinking far beyond that!

Consider what Jacob saw, while traveling to Padan Aram to find a wife from the household of his mother’s brother, Laban, in a dream; he saw a stairway reaching into heaven while resting his head on a rock one night in Bethel (Gn 28:17, 19, House of God),

“Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder [Heb, sullām, occurring only here] was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it” (Gn 28:12).

Note that God doesn’t use this ladder or stairway to ascend or descend, for He “stood above it” (cf. Gn 28:13). What was the object lesson of the ladder? God doesn’t use it because He doesn’t need it, and the angels certainly do not need it either given their ability to travel great distances with thought-like speed (cf. Jn 1:51). How do you express what really is going on with the angels going up and down the ladder for someone, who was born ~2005 B.C., to conceptualize what we are talking about! “Come on, Jacob! You mean to tell me you don’t know anything about the theory concerning wormholes for interspace travel or the angels with thought-like speed?!” Reader, how do you explain Ezekiel’s “wheels” (Ezek 1:15ff)?

This ladder or stairway may have been incorporated in the vision to aid in Jacob’s understanding of the world around him of what Yahweh was communicating to him in Gn 28:13-15. He essentially reiterated His commitment made to Abraham and Isaac and now to Jacob. This is often referred to as the Abrahamic Covenant, which is unconditional by nature, meaning this promise was unilateral or based solely on God for its fulfillment, unlike a bilateral conditional covenant. In the vision, Jacob could be reassured that God and His angels were connected and committed to assisting the son of Isaac, the grandson of Abraham. When Jacob awakened from his dream, he was afraid and in awe (Gn 28:16-17)!

This thought-like speed of “I think: I’m there,” has a limitation. Though Satan has the run of creation, He or his demon followers do not drop by heaven at their convenience or discretion (cf. Job 1:6; 2:1). Thought-like speed is controversial because currently it is popularly believed nothing travels faster than light in a vacuum – 186,282 mps or 670,616,629 mph,2 and thought-like speed is considered virtual, not reality. How do you measure instantaneous in mph anyway? Spirit beings, however, are not bound by the physical world, but I am also speculating on the mode. Whether it is thought-like or not, there is a way, known only to God, angels, and demons that circumvents unimaginable distances in a practical way. It is some kind of “shortcut.”

So, if you are still having trouble wrapping your mind around this; you're not alone. Allow me to help you in this regard. Consider God with His attribute of omnipresence, He is everywhere all there no matter what part of the universe you pick out. Pick out ten thousand points at one time, and He is all there; a million points and God is everywhere there. Yahweh is not a force but a Person! Since the way angels and demons move around from point to point cannot be identified, I choose to go with them traveling about with thought-like speed that does not hinder them to be anywhere in short order. They scoot like nobody’s business, and that’s the point. We will have to wait and see in glory how they do it.

When we read that Satan was among the sons of God (angels) for a debriefing (Job 1:6), with the verb “came,” we need to remind ourselves that they came from various parts of the earth to heaven which is supposedly greater than 13.8 billion light-years away, perhaps trillions! They assembled somewhere in order to “present themselves before the LORD.” The only part of the debriefing we are privy to was Yahweh inquiring about Lucifer’s recent activities. God is all-knowing or omniscient. He knew what Satan was up to before he headed up. This is a filtered report that purposely by inspiration dismissed the breakdown of Satan’s debriefing which includes all activities and the accusation session (cf. Rev 12:10). If angels can descend to earth and ascend to heaven, it is obvious it will not take them billions of light-years to travel between the two! When angels and demons span the universe, it is ostensibly faster than light.

The distance between heaven and the edge of the universe is unknown. The light-years to heaven (light travels in one year ~186,000 miles per second x 31,536,000 seconds in a year or roughly 6 trillion miles) are unknown given that heaven is beyond our universe in eternity. Man’s advanced technological probes will never reach the edge of the universe nor discover heaven.

With a rock for a pillow, Jacob dreamed of a ladder that reached the very heights of heaven and saw angels ascending and descending upon it. Moses was writing this story via inspiration in the way Jacob conceptualized the imageries in his dream (Gn 28:10-19). Now here is some insight into the miraculous nature of inspiration; Moses wasn't even born yet; Jacob was 480 years older than Moses (Jacob's DOB: ~2005 B.C. and Moses' DOB: ~1525 B.C.), but the Holy Spirit who is eternal and all-knowing was there and superintended the writing of Jacob’s dream through Moses. I wonder how Jacob would have described in his own words if he had gotten a vision of an El Al Israeli 747 airbus flying over the desert?

God employed images and words within the framework of Jacob's understanding of the physical world around him, and so he does with us of Satan's travels, “going to and from on the earth” rather than expressing it in terms of an incomprehensible technology of God. God is not telling us how fast demons and angels are getting around, but we know that they are traveling at an extraordinary rate of speed in order to cross the vast lifelessness of space between heaven and earth. Do you remember Yahweh's question to Satan in the book of Job?

“From where did you come” (Job 1:7a)?

As we have often seen in Scripture, when God asked a question, He did not need to be informed of anything because He is omniscient or all-knowing. A request for an update from God is primarily for the purpose of bringing self-realization and a reminder of the greatness of God to the mind of the one being queried.

For Adam, when God asked of his whereabouts, it was a “what is wrong with this picture kind of question” (Gn 3:9)? God knew Adam was hiding from Him (Gn 3:10). For Satan, the question of where have you been in Job 1:7a was a question revealed to him just how inferior his ability to get around compared to God’s attribute of omnipresence. Satan is a creature; God is the Creator. It is a reminder to Satan that God is unique and unlike any in His creation (cf. Isa 14:14). Since such questions are part of the Holy Writ, they are also for the benefit of the human reader of Scripture as well (cf. Rom 15:4). I'm sure there may be other reasons, but these three reasons come to the forefront when God asks a question to His creation: self-realization, the sovereignty of God, and an illustration for the benefit of God’s people.

Satan answered Yahweh’s question about his activities and whereabouts,

“From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it” (Job 1:7b).

As powerful as he was, Lucifer, a.k.a., Satan, could only be in one place at any given time, and that is why God created angels with the ability to traverse the immensity of the universe with great rapidity. Satan was “walking back and forth” on the earth, but he literally got around with thought-like speed?

Apparently, Lucifer and his fallen angels retained their former angelic skills. It looks as if Satan is everywhere on planet earth, but unlike God, he cannot be in two places simultaneously any more than the angels of heaven; God can be everywhere all there all the time. God gives each one of His children His fullest attention though He may be, for instance, in a meeting with the angels and Satan! Without a doubt, the ability of angels and demons to travel through space is far more effective than the inferior speed of light of ~186,282 mph. <><