We’ve all seen it in the media – whether in books, movies, or television – our protagonist(s) are reaching the climax of their saga only to be betrayed by one (or more) closest to them. Let me show a couple of notable examples.
Boromir from The Fellowship of the Ring
In both examples, we see someone or a group of people, who helped out our heroes for most of their time and even built a trusting relationship with them, only to have them turn at a crucial moment.
In Star Wars, Sith Lord Palpatine manipulated the Imperial Stormtroopers to work with him to undermine the Jedi and try to take them out. And in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Boromir was one of the nine chosen to help Frodo destroy the One Ring. He swore to aid and protect Frodo on his quest, but he was seduced by the power of the Ring. That desire for power took hold of Boromir’s heart and caused him to betray the person he swore to protect.
When these betrayals happened, how did the others feel? How would you feel if someone close to you betrayed you? I’d be devastated, angry, and deeply sad. You’d most likely feel similarly. Now, let’s think about this spiritually.
The First Cut is the Deepest
In the very beginning, God created the heavens and the earth – all things visible and invisible.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
Genesis 1:1, Colossians 1:16
So, God not only created the physical world, but the spiritual one as well. In the spiritual world, God created the angels. Everything God makes is good. Since God also loves His creation, He gives it free will. God wants His creation to love and serve Him out of sincere love and faithfulness (Proverbs 16:6) – that goes for us as believers and also the angels. Did you know God was betrayed?
One of God’s angels turned their back on His creator. I’m sure you could guess who, but let’s go to Scripture
You were the signet of perfection,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
You were in Eden, the garden of God;
every precious stone was your covering,…Ezekiel 28:12-13
You were an anointed guardian cherub.
I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God;
in the midst of the stones of fire you walked.
You were blameless in your ways
from the day you were created,
till unrighteousness was found in you.Ezekiel 28:14-15
How you are fallen from heaven,
O Day Star, son of Dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground,
you who laid the nations low!
You said in your heart,
I will ascend to heaven;
above the stars of GodIsaiah 14:12-13
If you read these passages carefully, who [in the Bible] do they speak of? It’s Satan, the devil. The devil was once a holy spirit created by God – an archangel nonetheless. But the spirit that became Satan, the devil, grew proud and wanted to be higher than God, who is the Creator. Not only Satan, but other angels betrayed God and left His side. We can see this from these next verses.
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;
2 Peter 2:4
And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day
Jude 1:6
God’s own angels who are meant to do His will (Psalms 103:20-21) went against God and were kicked out of Heaven. How would you feel if someone close to you betrayed you and left? Let’s say you and your best friend started a business. Over time that business grew and became a very successful company. Then one day, your co-founder and friend suddenly staged a coup d’etat and took the business right from under you. I’m sure you’d be deeply hurt, angry, and sad. Imagine how God felt when the devil betrayed and left him with other angels, and then stole God’s creation from him by deceiving Adam.
What Does It Mean to Betray God?
In the Bible, God gives us His Word which gives life to our spirits. He wants His people to follow His commands so they can receive blessings and be with God. But because of sin and the devil, God’s people leave His Word time after time.
We see betrayal happen in the spiritual world, but it also happens in the physical world. From the time of Genesis, we see how God’s people betrayed Him in each generation. Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command to not eat from the Tree of Good and Evil (Gen. 2:17, 3:1-6); the Israelites made a golden calf and worshiped it while Moses was on Mount Sinai receive the Law from God (Exodus 32); King Solomon built temples to gentile gods and worshiped them (1 Kings 11:1-8); and at the first coming, Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot – one of his own 12 disciples Jesus himself chose (Luke 22:3-6). The thing is, it’s not something like suddenly saying, “I don’t believe in God,” after going to church your whole life. No, it’s a bit deeper than that.
For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.
Hebrews 6:4-6
This passage in Hebrews describes those who’ve come to understand the revealed word – how the prophecies of the Bible have been fulfilled – and then falling away. Those who have fallen away after understanding the truth of the Bible cannot come back. They are like the dogs and pigs Jesus talks about in Matthew 7:6. In this passage, Jesus isn’t talking about literal animals, but people who once learned the Word of God and then fell away, and also try to lead others astray though false teachings and lies. The Apostle Peter also gives us more insight into those who betray God.
For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. What the true proverb says has happened to them: “The dog returns to its own vomit, and the sow, after washing herself, returns to wallow in the mire.”
2 Peter 2:20-22
I don’t know about you, but after reading these verses, I don’t want to end up like these people. Betraying God, leaving His Word, means we are leaving the source of eternal life. If we leave that source, what is our end? We will be judged by God and His Word (John 12:48, Revelation 20:12-14).
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
Hebrews 10:31
What Does This Mean for Us Today?
Satan betrayed God and also got others to follow him. It’s sad, really, that God’s own creations thought they could do better on their own – that they didn’t believe in God’s word of promise. They cut themselves off from the source of life and died – physically and spiritually.
Why is this important for us? Well, 1 Corinthians 10 says,
Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.
1 Corinthians 10:11
We, as believers today, must learn from these events and people so we don’t repeat their mistakes. God and Jesus have promised us eternal life both in spirit and in flesh (John 11:25-26), yet those who leave the Word and go against God cannot share in this promise when it’s fulfilled. If we begin to follow our own thoughts or another person’s interpretation of the Bible instead of what God reveals through His Word, would we be those who stay close to God’s side or would we be leaving God’s side?
There is no way back if we turn away. And if you are not with God, then whom are you with if you betray God? Heaven is where God and Jesus are. If we truly want to go to Heaven, then we should do our very best to understand what it means if we leave God, Jesus, and the Word.
I hope and pray you can come to understand the truth of God’s Word, believe in it, and keep what it says. Even when things become difficult, we must not let go of God or the Word. Let us not commit a spiritual “Order 66” or betrayal like Boromir but study the Word and obey it. How can we do that? You can by studying God’s word through the one whom God sent and the place he is at. I encourage you to begin a study with us so you can remain close to God’s side and enter heaven.
Written by Kenny
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