Learning About The Permissive Will Of God

Everything was going great for Job and his family. His children celebrated life and Papa Job prayed for them. But ominous things awaited.

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. The LORD said to Satan, "From where have you come?" Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it." And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?" Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face." And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand." So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD. - Job 1:6-12 ESV

There are a number of difficulties with this passage from the ancient book of Job.

1. What or where is the setting for this story? 
2. Who are the "sons of God"? 
3. Since when does "Satan" get to come along to present himself before the LORD, especially since in other parts of Scripture we read that he was cast out of heaven (Luke 10:18; Rev. 12:7-9; 20:2). 

We will deal with the first two questions today and take up the second in detail in the next post. 

Who are the sons of God? 
Normally a son refers to a physically descended child:

"The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. - Gen. 5:4 ESV

However, the word can refer to both male and female children:

Job 8:4: "If your children (same Hebrew word: beni) have sinned against him. . ." - Job 8:4 ESV

Sons can also refer to members of a nation or group: "... I will stir up your sons, O Zion, against your sons, O Greece, and wield you like a warrior's sword. - Zec 9:13 ESV

Jar of Quotes

Thus when the book of Job uses the phrase sons of God it refers to the group or class of mighty beings we know as the angels. Read how the LORD rebukes Job out of the whirlwind:

"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements--surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? - Job 38:4-7 ESV

The sons are sons of Elohim (Hebrew) in this passage. Elohim is not always translated as God. So see Psalm 89 where sons of Elohim (Hebrew) is translated as heavenly beings or the sons of the mighty. 

• For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD? Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD, -   89:6 ESV. The HCSB and NET all translate the phrase as the heavenly beings. 
• NKJV, ASV, YLT, DBY and NASB all translate the phrase as the sons of the mighty 
• In Num 25:2 elohim is translated as gods:"These invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods (elohim), and the people ate and bowed down to their gods (elohim). - Num 25:2 ESV 

Translation of elohim depends upon the context. Thus the various translations quoted above suggest a class of heavenly, mighty beings, sometimes mistaken for gods. These mighty ones are also known in Hebrew as the malakim, the messengers or in Greek as the angeloi. The point is that the phrase sons of God in Job 1 likely refers to the heavenly beings, the mighty ones, the angels. It does not suggest that they are descendants of God, i.e. sons of God. To be  sure the Creator of heaven and the earth is known as ELOHIM, as we read in the first verse of Scripture:  "In the beginning, ELOHIM created the heavens and the earth," Gen. 1:1, etc. Certainly the angels did not create the universe. In the Genesis vv. the noun Elohim refers to the Almighty, the Maker of all things visible and invisible. But in other contexts the noun Elohim  refers to that class of mighty beings we know as the messengers, the malakim or more commonly by the Greek translation, the angels.

So we begin a study of the mystery known as the permissive will of God. We read in Job 1 how He gathered the mighty ones, the angelic hosts, the elohim, before Him who is THE ELOHIM and we learn how the LORD allowed even Satan, the Adversary, the leader of the rebels among the elohim, to challenge the LORD to allow him to test Job's faith.

We struggle with why the LORD allows these mighty, but evil, angels to continue their rebellion. That is a topic for the next blog. For now the most direct answer is that He allows Satan and his host to test our faith and to teach us to mature in faith. In His prayer Our LORD Jesus teaches us to pray: Deliver us from the evil one (Matt. 6:13) And in faith we know that He will for He permits such tests for our good (Rom. 8:28).

But more about that the next time.

Does Your Church Have An Angel?

Does your church have an angel?

Several times I've been told by members of one or the other congregation I served as pastor that they saw an angel standing next to me as I preached. How would you take that remark? True? Active imagination? Listen to John writing in the Revelation:

Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, ... As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches. - Rev 1:12, 20 ESV

What is this talk about the mystery? What is a mystery? In the Bible mysteries are generally secrets known only to the initiated. They refer to some hidden counsel or purpose of men or they hide the secret counsels of God, counsels the ungodly will never know. These mysteries are often within a saying of the Bible or seen in a vision or a dream. Listen:

And he (Jesus) answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. - Mat 13:11 ESV

Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. - Rom 11:25 ESV

Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages - Rom 16:25 ESV 

Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, - 1Co 15:51 ESV 

But back to the angels of the seven churches. The word angel doesn't necessarily refer to those wondrous spirits who sang and shouted when the LORD laid the foundation of the earth (Job 38:4-7). The word can simply refer to a messenger. John the Baptist was the messenger / angel who prepared the way for Christ's coming:

As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, "Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, - Mar 1:2 ESV 

Could it be that what is written in the next chapters about each individual church is actually addressed first to the pastors or overseers of those churches? That's the frequent application of this mystery. However, nowhere in the NT is the word angel ever used to point to an under-shepherd, a pastor. David A Huston agrees. He believes that the words of Rev. 2-3 are written directly to the members of the congregations, because the local assemblies founded by the apostles were led by teams of men called overseers, not by single pastors.

On the other hand, the word angel is used some 60 times in Revelation to speak about one of these great spirits. Sam Storms discusses a few other options, but finally takes the view that the LORD—through John—is addressing the guardian angels of these seven churches. He doesn't know why Jesus would do so, however, and ends up leaving the identity of these angels still a mystery.

There is a parallel in Daniel's prophecy about a strange man who comes to him to tell him of the angelic princes of Persia and Israel.

Then he said to me, "Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes (Dan.13:1), came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia, and came to make you understand what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come." - Dan 10:12-14 ESV

Later in the Revelation we will see and hear about seven angels with seven trumpets or seven plagues or seven bowls of the wrath of God (Rev. 8:2; 15:1; 16:1).  Are they the same seven spoken about here? We'll deal with that later. For now, back to the question of guardian angels of local churches. We hear that little children have angels (Matt. 18:10). Indeed the apostles had guardian angels. Peter's angel got him out of prison (Acts 12:5-15). So if individuals have angels, why not whole assemblies or churches of believers? This brings us back to the question about who is being addressed in the following chapters, the angels or the entire congregation? Certainly the members of the church are held responsible. Why then are the letters address to the various angels of the churches?

Perhaps we are back to viewing the angels as the supervisors, the pastors of the seven churches. To come to that conclusion consider the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the OT. The prophet Haggai is called the angel  or messenger of the LORD.

καὶ εἶπεν Αγγαιος ὁ ἄγγελος κυρίου τῷ λαῷ ἐγώ εἰμι μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν λέγει κύριος  - Hag 1:13 LXX = Then Haggai, the messenger (angel) of the LORD, spoke to the people with the LORD's message, "I am with you, declares the LORD." - Hag 1:13 ESV

Luther Poellot, in his 1962 commentary, says that in the Bible we read about God sending angels as messengers to men, but He never uses men to send messages to angels!

Conclusion: the letters are written to those holding the prophetic office, the shepherds of the seven congregations. They are the messengers who are to convey the messages to their congregants, messages containing both warnings (Law) and words of comfort (Gospel). These same messages can be applied to congregations of believers in our day. We'll talk about that as we open them up.

Philadelphia, Brotherly Love Meets Angels

William Penn

In 1681, King Charles II of England gave English entrepreneur and early Quaker William Penn a large piece of his newly acquired American land to repay a debt owed to Admiral Sir William Penn, Penn's father. This land included present-day Pennsylvania and Delaware, though the claim as written would create a bloody conflict with Maryland (dubbed Cresap's War) over the land grant already owned by Lord Baltimore.

Penn put together a colonial expedition and fleet, which set out for America in the middle of the following summer. Penn, sailing in the vanguard, first set foot on American soil at the colony at New Castle, Delaware.[2] An orderly change of government ensued. As was normal in an age used to the privileges and prerogatives of aristocracy and which antedated nationalism: the colonists pledged allegiance to Penn as their new Proprietor. The first general assembly was soon held in the colony.

Afterwards, Penn journeyed up the river and founded Philadelphia with a core group of accompanying Quakers and others seeking religious freedom on lands he purchased from the local chieftains of the Lenape or Delaware nation.[3] This began a long period of peaceful co-operation between the colony and the Delaware, in contrast to the frictions between the tribe and the Swedish and Dutch colonists.[4]

The Iriquois Indians called Philadephia Tganadaęˀgo:wah "Big town lying there." Penn chose the name from the Biblical Greek because it means brotherly love. Though a high and noble ideal, Penn's Quaker beliefs did not guarantee that brotherly love would continue. As outlined in the wikipedia history quoted above, there were many frictions between the peace-loving colonists and Indian tribes to the west. 

We've been walking with the writer of the letter to the Hebrews over these past several months. We are now in the final chapter of this very important link between the Old and New Testaments. The chapter begins by urging love between brothers and sisters and then says, 

"Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares." - Hebrews 13:2 ESV

That sentence has intrigued many. It points, of course, to the two angels who accompanied Jesus (Angel of the LORD) who visited Abraham and Sarah, promising that they were about to become parents even in their old age (Gen. 18:1-10). The two angels went on to rescue Lot and his family from the doomed cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. We also hear of our LORD's visit to Manoah, a man of the tribe of Dan and his wife. They also were childless (Judges 13:1-25).  They became the parents of the powerful, but flawed judge Samson. 

What are we to conclude about these examples of angelic visitation? I wouldn't take this too far. It is enough to remember that God's love includes all men, even strangers. That love motivates us to reach out to all regardless. Yet it is interesting to note that angels do accompany us on our journey and that these wonderful beings are able to assume human form. Now don't ask me what that means. How that is possible the Scriptures do not say, only that they can and do. 

Kinda fun, though, to imagine that the stranger you're entertaining could be an angel. Of course, the word angel can mean simply "messenger" and so the writer may be telling us that by entertaining strangers we may be welcoming ordinary people with an extraordinary message just for us. The big point is that we continue the ancient practice of welcoming into our midst those in need of food and shelter even though they are strangers to us. Many churches make a practice of doing this quite regularly. And they are to be commended indeed. 

So Easy To Drift Away

CNN reports that salvage of the Costa Concordia has begun. The question: Will the ship stay in one piece during the righting. Giant hollow boxes have been attached to the side of the ship, seen in this CNN photo of May 27, 2013. The plan is to eventually haul the vessel upright and then attempt to re-float it with the aid of the compart-ments pictured here. As you may recall, the giant cruise ship ran aground and tipped over in January, 2012, killing 32 of the 4,200 people on board.

In July, 2013 five members of the ship's crew were convicted of multiple manslaughter and causing personal injury. The ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, is being tried separately on charges of multiple manslaughter in the wreck and abandoning of his ship. The charges are that the captain deviated from the ship's computer-programmed route, claiming that he was familiar with the local seabed. When the ship hit a reef, causing the engine room to be flooded, he did nothing to contact the nearby harbour for help but tried to resume the original course, before a U-turn back to Giglio. Why did he not pay attention? Why did he deviate from what he knew was the correct route? These questions will be argued  before the court.

A similar question is raised by the Hebrews writer in light of what he wrote in the first chapter about God's revelation in Christ. He has spoken clearly, unequivocally. Therefore . . .

we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will. - Hebrews 2:1-4 ESV 

What was this "message declared by angels" that proved to be reliable? Paul writes about the law given to Moses on Mt. Sinai (Exodus 20:1-26, etc.),

Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. - Gal 3:19 ESV 

Stephen makes the same point in his indictment of the Jews. Of them he says,

"You stiff-necked people, uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do you. Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who announced beforehand the coming of the Righteous One, whom you have now betrayed and murdered, you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it." - Acts 7:51-53 ESV 

 Do you see the points Paul and Stephen are making? In previous times God gave to Israel the law, summarized in the ten commandments. The purpose was to demonstrate to them how they failed to keep covenant with Him, even though they claimed to be children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (whose new name was Israel). In turn the law was given to Moses on the mount by God's angels or messengers. Moses then delivered it to Israel in the wilderness after God had rescued them from slavery in Egypt. But they ignored it, disobeyed and failed to trust in God and in His promises. Consequently they learned that God's commands must be obeyed or you will have to suffer the consequences. That first generation led by Moses perished in the desert. They did not enter the promised land. They ignored God's Word. They let it slip away. They did not obey. Their bones were all left in the wilderness. They never came to the Promised Land.

Other prophets tried again and again to call later generations back to God. They spoke about the coming of the Messiah who would accept responsibility for their sins, bearing the sin of many and making intercession for the transgressors (Isaiah 53:1-12). But, says Stephen, you persecuted the prophets and now you have betrayed and murdered the Righteous One promised by the prophets, the One sent to be your Savior.

Hebrews makes the same points. Jesus has come as God's Word in these last days. God has spoken again, but not through prophets or angels this time. He has rather spoken directly, decisively and clearly through His Son. Jesus is God's Son. He completed His work on the cross, rose on the third day and now rules over all things at the Father's right hand.

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it (Hebrews 2:1 ESV). 

It is oh so easy to drift away, as did the captain of the Costa Concordia. Reports indicate that he was talking on the telephone to an old friend when the disaster occurred. It is oh so easy to let things slip, to turn your attention to many, many other things, to neglect what is given. As a result you and those who look to you as a model or leader will do the same. And ultimately both you and they will lose this great salvation.

More on this next time.

Angels, God's Servants On Our Behalf

As  I said in my previous blog, the writer to the Hebrews concludes the first chapter with a sentence of comfort and encouragement about angels.

Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? - Hbr 1:14 ESV

In other words, their work is to serve us who are chosen to inherit salvation, the resurrection of the dead and the new heavens and earth.

I'm sure you realize that the word angel means simply messenger. So we read, for instance,

And Jacob sent messengers (mal'akim)  before him to Esau his brother in the land of Seir, the country of Edom, - Gen 32:3 ESV

Moses sent messengers (mal'akim) from Kadesh to the king of Edom: "Thus says your brother Israel: You know all the hardship that we have met: - Num 20:14 ESV 

Even the elements and storms are called God's messengers.

He makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire. - Psa 104:4 ESV

Before His incarnation, as I have frequently written, the LORD Jesus Himself appeared as the Angel of the LORD. There are many examples in the OT. All in all The angel of the LORD in the Bible occurs 56 times and the angel of God occurs 10 times. He appears to Abraham, Hagar, Isaac, Jacob, Manoah and his wife, Moses, Joshua and many others.

• But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." - Gen 22:11 ESV

• And the angel of the LORD appeared to him (Moses) in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. - Exd 3:2 ESV

• Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face. And the angel of the LORD said to him, "Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me. - Num 22:31-32 ESV

• And Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, "What is your name, so that, when your words come true, we may honor you?" - Jdg 13:17 ESV

• And that night the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. - 2Ki 19:35 ESV

• The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them. - Psa 34:7 ESV

• And the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. - Isa 37:36 ESV

If you have questions about how it can be that the term the angel of the LORD could refer to Jesus, read my blog: JESUS—Angel of the LORD and God's Right Hand Man Is At Our Right Hand. I concluded that study with these words:

This Angel, this Messenger of the LORD is the same One who came among us in flesh and blood to endure our shame and deliver us from eternal death. Like the sacred bread set week by week before the LORD, Jesus is present to feed us with His own body and blood. Taste and see. The LORD is good, kind and rich. He will indeed deliver each one of us who trusts Him.

The ministering spirits the Hebrews writer speaks about however are not men sent as messengers, nor are they to be confused with Jesus, the Angel of the LORD. They are the heavenly host that praised God and announced the birth of Jesus.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" - Luk 2:13-14 ESV

They are spirit beings of great power. Exactly what that means we do not know. They can and do appear in human form from time to time. As noted earlier, they appeared with the Angel of the LORD to visit with Abraham and again at Lot's door in Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:1-28). They number in the thousands upon thousands, as David wrote,

The chariots of God are twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them; Sinai is now in the sanctuary. - Psa 68:17 ESV

The significant fact for us, however, is not what or how many they are. The important truth is that they are ministering spirits sent out to serve us who believe and trust in Jesus. So we read in the Psalms that

. . . he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. - Psa 91:11-13 ESV

Wherever you go, whatever you do, when you walk in faith, you have nothing to fear. The LORD's angels are with you. Find in that great promise comfort and encouragement. That is their ministry, their service and as they perform it, they rejoice.

Its All About Jesus. We Have No Other Message

In reminding us that God's Son is superior to the angels, the writer to the Hebrews quotes seven OT passages as proof. Two of them are about angels, the others are about Jesus and His glory (Hebrews 1:5-13 ESV)

Consider how he quotes Psalm 2 and then refers to Psalm 89:3-4, 26-27

For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my Son, today I have begotten you"? Or again, "I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son"? - Hebrews 1:5 ESV

In the second Psalm he sees Jesus firmly established on Zion, the holy city of Jerusalem. In his eyes the whole story of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection was foreshadowed in this psalm. The apostles Peter and John ascribed the psalm to David in their prayer after they were released by the Jewish rulers (Acts 4:24-26). But they insisted that David wrote about Jesus. And even though the Sanhedrin forbad them to speak or teach about Jesus, they would continue to do so.

"Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard." - Acts 4:19-20 ESV

This then is the major point of the entire letter to the Hebrews—and a lesson for all of us who call ourselves Christian. The entire Scripture, Old and New Testaments, is about Jesus! He is the eternally begotten Son, sent by His Father to set us free from the power of sin and the devil. We must speak about Him. He is the center of our message. We have no other. Jesus Himself declared,

You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, - John 5:39 ESV

Yes, we have nothing else to teach, nothing else to preach, nothing else to talk about if we do not preach and teach about Jesus, God's Son. Everything flows from and back to this message about Jesus and His cross.

The angels are mighty beings, but none of them compares in glory, majesty and power to God's Son. This, as you may know, was a huge point of controversy in the history of the church. It still is among some, like Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Muslims and others who claim to honor Jesus, but deny His deity, deny that He is God's eternal Son.

The Nicene Creed addressed this question with what they prayed was a clear statement about Jesus being God.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.

The Messiah promised in the OT is Jesus! He is no mere creature. He is the eternal Son of God. His entrance into this world of men was through the blessed Virgin Mary, but His conception was not through the normal means of the union of a man and his wife. It was rather by the wondrous working of the Holy Spirit. He who was begotten in the Father's endless Day, has humbled Himself to now become one with us.

Here then is the mystery and wonder of Jesus, the Messiah, the Christ. He is both God's Son and the Son of Man. Yes, He was and remains truly a man crucified under Pontius Pilate. He did indeed suffer and die on that Roman cross on that hill near the outskirts of Jerusalem. He was indeed buried in the grave loaned to him by Joseph of Arimathea. But He rose from the dead on the third day after His death and now rules in and over all things as Creator and Redeemer.

But of the Son he says, "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions." And, "You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; - Hebrews 1:8-10 ESV

He concludes this first chapter with a final reference to the ministry of the angels. We'll take a one more look at that ministry next time before moving on.

Angels, God's Servants And Ours

Angels remain a favorite topic of interest around the world. I have written about them many times in this blog, e.g.

• Who are the angels? 
• The dark side of all the talk about angels 
• What is an angel anyway? 
• Jesus, Angel of the Lord 
• A glimpse of glory

The writer to the Hebrews begins his letter by reminding us that Jesus is

"as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs"(Hebr. 1:4).   

Jesus' name, LORD (YHWH), is

"the name that is above every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus is LORD, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:9-11)

Angels, however, are great and wondrous beings. They are mentioned throughout the Bible. Already in the days of Abraham we read of two of them accompanying the LORD Himself to visit Abraham to announce that Abraham and Sarah are to finally have a son. Together with the LORD Himself they appear as three men standing at the door of Abraham's tent in the heat of the day (Gen.18:1-16).

In the referenced blogs listed above you may learn more about angels, those wondrous beings through whom the LORD governs the world. In Holy Scripture we learn that they are not mere humans who have died and gone to heaven, etc., but are powerful spirits through whom the LORD governs the world. They

• excel in strength, Ps. 103:20
• are God's ministers - Ps. 104:4 
• serve the Ancient of Days - Dan. 7:10  
• are holy and sinless - Matt. 25:31 
• surround God's throne - Rev. 5:11 

Billy Graham has written an excellent books about them, published first in 1975 and now republished as

• Angels: Ringing Assurance That We Are Not Alone

As Graham points out, angels never lost their original glory and spiritual relationship with God. They do not share our sinfulness—nor our need of redemption. One thing they cannot do: testify personally to the salvation God achieved by grace, the salvation we receive through faith in Jesus Christ.

Nor does the Holy Spirit indwell angels as He does redeemed people. The Holy Spirit lives in the hearts of all believers already on the earth to perform His unique ministry of making them inwardly holy even while they live here below, shaping and conforming them into the image of God.

Dr. Graham has much more to teach in his book. Read it yourself, but heed the warning of the writer to the Hebrews. Angels are not to be worshipped. Some have had such a tendency. Paul wrote about this in his letter to the Colossians (Col. 2:18). This is precisely what the rebel angels would have us do (Matt. 4:8-10). But the holy angels will not permit it:

And the angel said to me, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb." And he said to me, "These are the true words of God." Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!" For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. - Rev 19:9-10 ESV

This week we'll take another look at the angels, as revealed in the Bible and especially in the words of the Hebrews writer. We are comforted by knowing that we are all served by these spirits. More next time.

Permit The LORD To Deliver You

As noted in my previous post, the devil has a multitude of weapons with which to tempt and lead us away from faith and trust in God and into misbelief, despair and eternal death. This is why the LORD Jesus instructs us to pray and to pray specifically, "deliver us from the evil one" (Matt. 6:13). The challenge is for us to allow the LORD to do the delivering, as indeed He always will. A Biblical story from 2 Kings 18-19 serves to illustrate this important fact about our prayers for deliverance. 

Hezekiah was a descendant of Israel's great King David and reigned over Judah toward the end of the 8th century B.C., during the time when the Assyrian empire was consolidating its control of Palestine and Syria. In spite of his father's pledged loyalty to Assyria, King Hezekiah led a rebellion against the Assyrians and gained the support of the Egyptians. Of course, Assyria under King Sennacherib (705-681 B.C.) returned to retake Judah. Sennacherib finally put down the rebellion in 701 B.C., overrunning Judah and taking 46 of its walled cities. 

Hezekiah sought to spare Jerusalem from capture by paying a heavy tribute of gold and silver to the Assyrians. This was in vain. The Assyrians demanded unconditional surrender and moved on the city. This is where the story really picks up. Sennacherib's emissaries came to Jerusalem, threatening Hezekiah and the people in the city, mocking their trust in the LORD, the God of Israel: 

And the Rabshakeh said to Hezekiah's emissaries, "Say to Hezekiah, 'Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: On what do you rest this trust of yours? Do you think that mere words are strategy and power for war? In whom do you now trust, that you have rebelled against me? Behold, you are trusting now in Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. . . Come now, make a wager with my master the king of Assyria: I will give you two thousand horses, if you are able on your part to set riders on them. How then can you repulse a single captain among the least of my master's servants, when you trust in Egypt for chariots and for horsemen? Moreover, is it without the LORD that I have come up against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it! . . . "Thus says the king (Sennacherib): ‘Do not let Hezekiah deceive you, for he will not be able to deliver you out of my hand. Do not let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord by saying, The LORD will surely deliver us, and this city will not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria’" - 2Ki 18:19-29 ESV

This taunt was Sennacherib's fatal mistake. It is always Satan's error and one we must take to heart again and again. Temptations to doubt, to follow the desires of our sinful hearts or the wishes of the sinful world will always come. We will be attacked. We cannot fight them alone. In that hour remember again the Apostle's instructions to put on the full armor: truth, righteousness, Gospel of peace, faith, salvation and the Word of God (Eph. 6:11-12). When the LORD arises to battle the devil must flee. And then remember this story as an illustration of what the LORD is able to do. 

By challenging the Lord of all creation, the Assyrian king found himself like an ant challenging an elephant. God's comforting words to King Hezekiah through the prophet Isaiah were these: 

"Say to your master, 'Thus says the LORD: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled me. Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.'" - 2Ki 19:6-7 ESV

King Hezekiah prayed fervently for the LORD to deliver them. The LORD spoke further through Isaiah: 

"Whom have you mocked and reviled? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes to the heights? Against the Holy One of Israel! . . . "Have you not heard that I determined it long ago? I planned from days of old what now I bring to pass, that you should turn fortified cities into heaps of ruins . . . But I know your sitting down and your going out and coming in, and your raging against me. Because you have raged against me and your complacency has come into my ears, I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth, and I will turn you back on the way by which you came. . . . By the way that he came, by the same he (Sennacherib) shall return, and he shall not come into this city, declares the LORD. - 2Ki 19:22, 25, 27-28, 33 ESV

That night, an angel of the Lord struck down 185,000 in the Assyrian camp. Jerusalem was spared. The Assyrians had to retreat. When Sennacherib returned home to Nineveh, as he was worshiping in the house of the Assyrian god of agriculture, Nisroch, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, struck him down with the sword and escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his place. - 2Ki 19:37 ESV

As we have seen, the LORD permits Satan and his forces to attack us. He puts us to the test. Will we or will we not put our entire trust in Him? If we learn to do that, then Satan and his forces will be defeated. The LORD Jesus taught us that when the devil attacked him in the wilderness at the beginning of his public ministry (Matt. 4:1-11)

Then Jesus said to him, "Be gone, Satan! For it is written, "'You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.'" Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him. - Mat 4:10-11 ESV

We have the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. We have the shield of faith and we have the sure promises of our LORD, promises that Satan sought to twist and misuse when he tempted Jesus. 

For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. - Psa 91:11-12 ESV

Join The Angel Choirs To Praise The NAME

Currently I am reading Dr Michael Ward's The Narnia Code, his fascinating book about the secret third level meaning of C.S. Lewis Chronicles of Narnia. He explains his discovery in even more detail in his original work, Planet Narnia. I highly recommend that you read at least his FAQ on his website even if you do not read either of his two books. 

One of the things—among many others—that fascinated me was this quote, 

In pre-coperican times, Christians believed (as we still believe) that God ruled the universe. But as Lewis explains in The Discarded Image, medieval Christians believed that, in addition to man, God has made spirits of various kinds, sometimes called gods, deities, intelligences, or angels, to have authority under Him. Today, Christians often talk about angels but tend to avoid using the word gods,  assuming that it can refer only to "pagan gods." However, the Bible itself sometimes uses the word gods without referring to something occultic or evil. The most obvious place is in John 10:34-36, where Jesus quotes Psalm 82:6 ("Is it not written in your law, 'I said, you are gods'?)

 Medieval Christians believed that not only had God created these various spirits, but that He had put seven of them in charge of the seven planets. Each planet was governed by its own god or angel, who in turn ruled over a different day of the week.

He then goes on to point out that the seven days of our week are each named after one of the so-called seven planets, with each planet governed by its own god or angel. 

• Saturn rules Satur-day
• Sun rules Sun-day
• Moon rules Mon-day
• Mars rules Tues-day (the Norse equivalent is Tyr or Tiw)
• Mercury rules Wednes-day (the Norse equivalent is Woden)
• Jupiter rules Thurs-day (the Norse equivalent is Thor)
• Venus rules Fri-day (the Norse equivalent is Freya or Frigg)

Our planet Earth also has a god or angel who was put in charge, but this ruling spirit rebelled and led a whole cohort of other angels to join him. For this he was cast out of heaven and confined to the earth (Luke 10:18; 1 John 3:8; Rev. 9:1; 12:7-8) Of him the Apostle Paul writes, 

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world (aion) has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. - 2Cr 4:3-4 ESV

Jesus confronted the ruler of this world on a high mountain and resisted this ruler's temptation.

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, "All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me." - Mat 4:8-9 ESV

Interestingly, Jesus did not deny that the devil has such power. What he resisted was the temptation to kneel before this fallen angel and worship him, for the clear command is to worship the LORD alone (Deut. 6:13-14).

The Apostle John records other comments by the LORD Jesus about this world's ruler.

Now is the judgment of this world (kosmos); now will the ruler of this world (kosmos) be cast out. ... "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them." - John 12:31, 40 ESV

 What does all this suggest? That we need to take another look at how we view what we now call space or the universe, usually portrayed as a cold, dark, lifeless expanse of mere energy and light that expands ever outward since the Big Bang. But it is not at all as lifeless and empty of created beings as we are currently taught by our wise men—otherwise known as scientists and astro-physicists. It is teeming with spirits and life. The LORD challenges Job with this question,

"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? - Job 38:4-7 ESV

Who are these morning stars that sang together on the days of creation? Who are these sons of God who shouted for joy? They are His angels, His messengers. These great spirits inhabit the universe and many other spirits fill the earth, controlling its winds and waves and storms—and many other events, as the Psalm says,

He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind; he makes his messengers (Mal'akim) winds, his ministers (Sharathim) a flaming fire. - Psa 104:3-4 ESV

We miss them and their singing. We are not even aware of it, because their songs surround us. It is so much a part of our life that we do not hear their songs ever praising and giving glory to The Name! I invite you to join C.S. Lewis and those who love his writings to  acknowledge the presence of a countless multitude of great spirits, angels, cherubim and seraphim praising The Name in the stars and planets of the heavens above. And on the earth learn again of the magic and hear again the singing of sprites, nymphs, elves, fauns, faeries, gnomes, ogres, trolls and dryads in the winds and clouds, the streams, waterfalls and lakes, the mountains and forests.

The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. - Psa 19:1-4 NLT

As reborn children of God join the singing of this countless multitude to hallow and praise The Name that is above every name in the vast heavens beyond and on the earth, our home. Our Father in the heavens, hallowed be Your Name! 

Demonic Oppression

"I don't know what's gotten into her!" Ever hear that phrase? Its the complaint of a mom about her disobedient daughter. But the mom probably doesn't mean what another mom of long ago meant when she cried to Jesus, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon" (Matt. 15:22).

Oppressed by a demon? What does that mean? Is there actually such a thing as a demon? The original text actually reads like this: "my daughter is miserably demonized." In other words, we're dealing with a verb (daimonizomai), not a noun. Some being she called a daimon was doing bad things to her daughter. We can be fairly certain that she was not well informed by the Hebrew Scriptures, but rather had picked up ideas from the Greek culture that pervaded her country—and maybe some ideas from her Jewish neighbors. After all, she did know about Jesus. She called him Lord, Son of David.

At any rate according to Greek thinking there are a variety of beings between God and man called daimons. Supposedly some were capable of good and others of evil. They seem to be the same as the messengers (mal'akim) we read about in the Old Testament (angels in the Greek translation). For the moment I shall ignore the many passages that speak about the angel of the LORD, whom many interpreters, myself included, believe refers to the pre-incarnate Christ (1 Cor. 10:1-9; Exod. 3:2, 14:9, 20:16; Judg. 2:1-4, etc.) But other than the many angel of the LORD references we read of other angels.

• And he (Elijah) lay down and slept under a broom tree. And behold, an angel touched him and said to him, "Arise and eat." - 1Ki 19:5 ESV

• Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set aside the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God. - Dan 3:28 ESV

I will not offer here an entire teaching about angels and demons. Suffice it to say that some of the angelic beings have rebelled (Jude 6). They remain in darkness about the LORD's plans and ways. They are led by a chief variously known as Satan or Azazel, etc. It was this powerful being that tempted Jesus at the outset of his public ministry. My previous blogs referred to this three-fold temptation (Matt. 4:1-11). Besides being attacked indirectly by Satan all through his ministry, Jesus came across many others who are demonized, as was this woman's daughter. We're not told in any detail what this demon had done to her. We know from other accounts what demons did to others, e.g.

• And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. - Mat 8:28 ESV
• As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him. - Mat 9:32 ESV
• Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw. - Mat 12:22 ESV
• And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. - Mat 17:18 ESV

The goal of these evil forces is to bring suffering and pain and eternal bondage to evil. We saw how Satan worked to lead Jesus down this path. Based upon these passages we may expect demon oppression to come in the form of

• physical illness, such as blindness, self-mutilation, addictions and a variety of other illnesses. 

• spiritual rebellion, hatred and anger toward God, embracing false religions, the rejection of common morality, leading to such things as lying, cheating and murder. 

• emotional upheaval and confusion, such as outbursts of anger, depression and hopelessness.

Of course we must be very cautious about labeling every physical illness or emotional problem as demonic oppression. Jesus did not, nor should we. However, we must acknowledge the presence of these beings and be prepared to call upon our Lord in prayer to drive them out.

In my next post I will say more about the difference between demonic oppression and being actually possessed by a demon.

The Bible's Weird Worldview

We all dream, but most of the time we forget our dreams as soon as the day begins.  Isaac Watts' hymn "O God, Our Help In Ages Past" describes it well.

Time, like an ever-rolling stream,
Soon bears us all away;
We fly forgotten as a dream
Dies at the op'ning day. 

There are, however, some dreams that keep coming back. We all know of them. In one of my recurring dreams I have left my college classes for the day and want to go home. However, to do that I must find my car. But I have no idea where I left it. It has to be somewhere around, but I cannot find it. The buildings are unfamiliar. The streets lead to places I've never seen before. And on top of that I don't even remember what kind of car I was driving. It is all very frightening and confusing until I awaken and realize it was just a dream.

Just a dream? I wonder. What does it mean? Is there a meaning to my dreams? And what about the people or creatures I encounter in those dreams?

Forget it, says our modern world. "Dreams represent a world of imagery in which our darkest fears, deepest secrets, and most passionate fantasies break out from the unconscious mind and only at this time become present to our own consciousness." 

Dreams certainly cannot amount to any encounter with a reality, a spirit world if you will, beyond that which I experience with my senses while I am awake. That cannot be, because there is no such world. The only reality is that which we can measure and approach through our rational minds. Yes, we humans have an unconscious mind, but it is still my mind. It is not my spirit or soul encountering another world beyond what we can see, feel, taste, touch and smell.

Or at least so it seems while we are awake. But then I read, for instance, this strange passage—one among many in the Bible—about the birth of Jesus.

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. - Mat 1:18-25 ESV

"An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream . . ." What's this Angel? Messenger? In a dream? Prophets foretelling events 600 years before they happen? The Lord speaking? And then Joseph waking up and making a dramatic decision to go ahead with the marriage and take Mary into his home—in spite of the fact that she was carrying a baby that was not his! "For that which is conceived in her is from the (what?) Holy Spirit." What could that possibly mean? Virgin birth? Now you're really pushing things. And Joseph knew nothing about three persons and yet one God. God with us? In a baby? What could that possibly mean? And yet—and yet—he "did as the angel of the Lord commanded . . ." Weird or at best strange that a man would make such a momentous decision on the basis of a dream.

Oh boy, now this 21st century Christian is in trouble, because he has just encountered a way of thinking—or is it a reality?—quite different from the one dominating our culture. Does God send messages from the other side? Are there really angelic messengers? Do prophets really see into a future guided by the hand of God? And what about my dreams? Do angels—or demons for that matter—really come to me or at me when I'm dreaming? Should I be afraid or should I expect it? And how will I know for certain that it is not merely some of my "darkest fears, deepest secrets, and most passionate fantasies" breaking out from my unconscious mind to present themselves in the form of images and stories to my consciousness?

I think we need to spend some time pondering just how very different the Bible's worldview is from that dominating our 21st century scientific, rational world. Stay with me. We'll give it a shot in the next several postings.

Who Are The Angels?

All through the first five books of Moses we encounter the Angel of the LORD, whom we identified as Jesus before His incarnation through the Virgin Mary. This same Angel of the LORD went before Israel on its journey to the Promised Land and guided them as they conquered and settled into it. But where were these other angels we hear so much about today?

A search in a concordance for the word 'angel', malak in the Hebrew, brings up 213 matches in 196 verses. For example, when the Angel of the LORD appeared to Abraham by the oaks of Mamre, He was accompanied by two other men, says the text—or so they appeared to be. After the LORD made it clear that Sarah would have a baby, He also argued with Abraham about His plans to destroy Sodom. The LORD promised to spare the city if there were but 10 righteous believers in it. But there were not (Gen.18:1-33).

So in the next chapter we read of the two angels coming to Lot's house to warn him to get his family out of town, because they were going to blow it up. Lot's two daughters were about to be married, but their fiancés merely laughed at the thought. So the only ones to get out safely were Lot, his wife and their two daughters. And we all know what happened to Mrs. Lot as she looked back (Gen. 19:26).

Conclusions:

• The Angel of the LORD was accompanied by two other angels—angel = malak in Hebrew and simply means a messenger, whether angelic or human (Judges 6:35; 1 Sam.19:14); hence the Greek word angelos and our English word angel. The malakim often carry messages from the LORD to various chosen believers.

And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, "I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. - Gen 28:12-13 ESV

• Angels are not to be messed with. They have powers far beyond any of us. The Angel of the LORD (Jesus) is, of course, all powerful. His angelic messengers also have great delegated powers to destroy and protect human life and habitations.

And that night the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. - 2Ki 19:35 ESV

So the LORD sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning until the appointed time. And there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men. And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, "It is enough; now stay your hand." And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. - 2Sa 24:15-16 ESV 

After these things and these acts of faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and encamped against the fortified cities, thinking to win them for himself. . . Then Hezekiah the king and Isaiah the prophet, the son of Amoz, prayed because of this and cried to heaven. And the LORD sent an angel, who cut off all the mighty warriors and commanders and officers in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he came into the house of his god, some of his own sons struck him down there with the sword. - 2Ch 32:21 ESV

• But what are the angels? They surely aren't human even though they can appear as men. Should we call them 'shape shifters'? Writers make up all sorts of fictional things about these great beings. I once read an article by Jay Alfred in which he claims that angels have bodies composed of "magnetic plasma." Magnetic plasma generates electro-magnetic fields and is a good conductor of electricity and radiator of electromagnetic waves. That's why angels emit light, he says. Like fluorescent lamps, their bodies interact with the energy particles in the environment causing light. He goes on with what sounds like a very scientific understanding, but he is only guessing, based, I suppose, on Biblical descriptions of angels like the following.

Above him stood the seraphim (shining ones). Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. - Isa 6:2 ESV 

(The serpents that bit rebellious Israel in the wilderness were also called seraphim, probably because of the sense of fire and burning that resulted. The word more likely means bright or shining—cf. chariots of fire, 2 Kings 2:11). 

As I looked, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, and a great cloud, with brightness around it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, as it were gleaming metal. And from the midst of it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had a human likeness . . . .  — Ezekiel 1:4-5 ESV

There is much more to be said about these great beings. That must wait for another day. For now be comforted by the promises of Psalm 91.

Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place-- the Most High, who is my refuge no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. - Psa 91:9-12 ESV

JESUS - Angel Of The LORD

We're taking a quick walk through some of the Biblical teachings about angels and the rebel angels known as demons. Today we go a little further into the narrative.

After the serpent in the garden the next angel we come upon may not be an angel at all. He is called the angel of the LORD. He shows himself to Hagar, the Egyptian servant woman Sarai gave to Abram when it seemed Sarai herself was unable to conceive. But then when Hagar became pregnant, Sarai couldn't deal with it and insisted that Abram get rid of her.

But Abram said to Sarai, "Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please." Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her. 

The angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. And he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?" 

She said, "I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai." 

The angel of the LORD said to her, "Return to your mistress and submit to her." The angel of the LORD also said to her, "I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude." And the angel of the LORD said to her, "Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has listened to your affliction. He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen." 

So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, "You are a God of seeing," for she said, "Truly here I have seen him who looks after me." Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; it lies between Kadesh and Bered. - Gen 16:3-16 ESV

Did you catch it? "So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, 'You are a God of seeing' . . . I have seen him who looks after me." Did she mean that the angel was the LORD? It sure sounds like it.

The next time we encounter this mysterious angel of the LORD is at the very moment that Abraham is about to slaughter his son Isaac in obedience to the LORD.

But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I."  

He said, "Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me." 

And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, "The LORD will provide"; as it is said to this day, "On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided."  

And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, "By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice." - Gen 22:1-18 ESV

There it is again, "By myself I have sworn . . .I will surely bless you . . ." What's an angel doing swearing by himself and blessing? Only the LORD may so speak and do.

And then we have Jacob. After successful marriages to Rachel and Leah and becoming a wealthy man, he headed back to where he had grown up, knowing he would have to deal with his estranged brother Esau. The night before the two brothers met Jacob had a wrestling match with some strange man all through the night. In the morning the man who wouldn't reveal his name left Jacob with his hip out of joint and a blessing that only the LORD could give—a new name, Israel (the one who wrestled with God). Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying,

"For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered." - Gen 32:30 ESV

And so it goes, again and again and again in the Old Testament. The angel of the LORD occurs 56 times and the angel of God occurs 10 times. He appears to Abraham, Hagar, Isaac, Jacob, Manoah and his wife, Moses, Joshua and many others.

Jewish Rabbis have long been puzzled by this. Since they deny the deity of Christ Jesus they are forced to conclude that the angel of the LORD is probably Michael, the chief or arch-angel. But Christians from early on have taken the angel of the LORD to be none other than the second Person of the Holy Trinity, through whom all things were created and who came once and for all to unite Himself with all mankind as Jesus, Son of Mary and Son of God (John 1:1-14). 

In other words, the angel of the LORD was the LORD Himself, the One whose name was and is so revered that Israel of old would not speak it. Instead of putting vowels to the four-lettered name by which He revealed Himself to Moses, YHWH, they would speak only the name that now appears in English translations, the LORD. The Apostle Paul clears up the mystery quite succinctly. 

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is LORD and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. - Rom 10:9 ESV 

Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says "Jesus is accursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is LORD" except in the Holy Spirit. - 1Cor 12:3 ESV 

 Christians from New Testament times to the present believe the Word. Across the ages, from Adam to Abraham, Moses and on to the present, God was at work in Christ. Through His mysterious and wondrous plan He reconciled the world to Himself (2 Cor. 5:14-21). The Angel of the LORD was none other than the God of the Covenant, the One we now identify as YAHWEH, the name above all others, YAHWEH SAVIOR (Jesus). And now, at the name JESUS every knee in heaven, on earth and under the earth must bow in obedience and love and "every tongue confess that Jesus MESSIAH (Christ) is LORD, to the glory of God the Father." - Phil. 2:5-11 ESV

We'll look some more at angels next time. If you're interested in an in depth look at the whole question of angels, check into the following resources:

• The Lutheran Difference: Angels and Demons by Armand Boehme - their beginning, who and what they are, their ranks and number and what they do.
• All About Angels by Jill Hartman - an informative look at the biblical teachings about these servants and messengers of God, with an emphasis on how His grace and providence are demonstrated through these beings.
• This Present Darkness and Piercing the Darkness by Frank Peretti - two novels about angels and demons at work in a small town, based in part upon Ephesians 6:10-20.
• The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis - letters between a senior demon and his junior 

apprentice, dealing with moral questions about evil, temptation, repentance and grace.

We Will Not Be Married In Heaven

Today I promised to comment upon Christ's teaching that in the age to come we will not be married. Here's what He said as recorded in Matthew:

The same day Sadducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection, and they asked him a question, saying, "Teacher, Moses said, 'If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and raise up children for his brother.'

Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no children left his wife to his brother. So too the second and third, down to the seventh. After them all, the woman died. In the resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had her."

But Jesus answered them, "You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven." (Matthew 22:23-30; see also Mark 12:25)

The Missouri Synod's study of Human Sexuality: A Theological Perspective reminds us that marriage remains an earthly order. St. Paul discusses this in 1 Corinthians 7 as he cautions believers to deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it.

"For the present form of this world is passing away" (1 Cor. 7:31).  

I wrote about this in an earlier blog and concluded with these words: 

So where is all this going? Simply here. In the resurrection the mystery will be completed (Ephesians 5:18-33). In the new creation all of us will joyfully and willingly have only Jesus as our LORD and God. We will completely love, honor and serve Him and in so doing we will honor His Father (John 14:9-14). Marriage in this age is a type of Christ's union with His body, the church, His bride. He came to earth to unite us to Himself. We are made to be one with Him, His flesh and bone, but were separated from Him by our sinful nature (Pss. 51:5; 58:3). We have now come with Him from the "deep sleep" of His death into a new life of oneness with Him. We are bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh. And when He returns the wonder of that gift will be fully realized. 

We have here but a glimpse of what that fullness will mean. On that day we will be like the angels, ever rejoicing together in His presence and power forever. We will certainly know one another in heaven. We will not miss our marriages nor pine away for their loss as do some widows in this age. Something more wondrous awaits us all, as we are bonded to our heavenly Husband and His Father and to one another in ways never before possible, even in marriage. 

In the next blog we'll begin a discussion of the three purposes of marriage. 

We Never Go Alone

I started today thinking about angels. I got into this when I read Psalm 72:6 describing our Lord Jesus, the ultimate Son of David, both God and Man, as rain that falls on the mown grass. Since I grew up on a farm the smell of newly mown hay, especially when a soft rain falls upon it, came at once to mind. As I write the sweet, fresh smell of mown grass remains with me.


Anyway, that got me to thinking about growing things and especially now that the trees, grasses and flowers around me are all coming back to life. Springtime has come to Spring, Texas where I live. I love this time of the year. Not only are the plants coming alive, but many of the animals are giving birth. Life is springing forth.


What part do the angels, those unseen spirit-messengers, play in all this wonder? Several Bible verses come to mind, but I focus upon but one today:  Psalm 104:4 - He makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire.


The Hebrew for wind is ruakh, a word that can indeed refer to wind or air, but also to the inner impulses or dispositions of one's ruakh or spirit, resulting in courage, anger or patience. So Ecclesiastes 7:9 tells us not to be hasty in our ruakh to be angry. Does that also mean that angels who are ruakh, can influence our ruakh?


There's an interesting story told by the prophet Micaiah in 2 Chronicles 18:18-22 about the Lord sending a spirit (ruakh) from the host of heaven to be a lying spirit in the mouth of Israel's King Ahab's prophets. As a result, his prophets told him to go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, a city controlled by the Aramean kingdom of Damascus. Ahab died in that battle from an arrow wound. Thus God's judgment came upon him because of his unbelief, but the deception was carried out by an angelic spirit influencing the spirits of Ahab's advisors.


That makes me wonder about the multitudinous and many faceted tasks of God's angelic messengers. How deeply they are involved in the goings on of this world. Ponder it yourself. They can—and do—influence and control the thoughts of men, both evil and good. They shut the mouths of the lions when Daniel was thrown into the lion's den (Daniel 6:22). An angel brought the enslaved children of Israel out of Egypt (Numbers 20:16).


How comforting and empowering it is to know that as we walk in the paths laid out for us by our Lord, He gives his angels the command to guard us in all our ways (Psalm 91:11-13). Our ways refers not only to the outward journeys we take, but also to the decisions we make to go on those journeys, inward or outward. So we join the psalmist to pray "Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth" (Psalm 86:11). As we go, we each have a guardian angel commanded by our Lord to accompany us. We walk not alone.  

A Glimpse of Glory

Christmas approaches. In the United States we have a little controversy going on about how it should be celebrated and by whom. I'm receiving emails urging me to urge my friends to pray for our country, because it is in grave danger of becoming thoroughly and completely secular. Well, for the moment I choose not to worry about such things and prefer rather to focus upon what happened on that night that Jesus was born—whenever that was. And with that focus I shall meditate upon what that means to you and me.

Here are the words from St. Luke 2:9—


"An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified."


I'm quite amazed by what it means that this angel, this messenger from the Lord God, appeared to the shepherds. Where did he come from? And how did he get there? After he (she, it—they have no sexuality) delivered his message, he and the others disappeared. Luke writes that they left them and went into heaven (Luke 2:15).


Don't ask me what that fully means, please. I can make some guesses as C.S. Lewis does in his writings and as do many others. Lewis speaks in the same way as modern sci-fi writers do about multi-dimensions and other universes. He calls them countries and implies that when we "get to heaven" we will discover the real Houston or the real Chicago or the real United States or the heavenly Jerusalem or wherever you are from. What we experience now is but a shadow of what is to come (check out Hebrews 8:1-5 and Hebrews 12:22-29). The angels live in that reality. We are yet in the valley of the shadow (Psalm 23).


The Apostle Paul points to our sharing in that same reality when he writes,


"But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body" (Philippians 3:20-21).


In that glorious day when our Savior returns we will share in that final, definitive, complete and most real glory known now by the angels. The shepherds had a glimpse of it—for a moment. 

Glory to God in the Highest

In anticipation of the celebration of Christ's birth our little congregation last Sunday invited the children to briefly portray Mary, Joseph and the holy Child lying in the manger with the angels praising God and shepherds kneeling while we sang verses from familiar hymns. It was a live nativity scene so common in this season.


All that got me to thinking—again—about angels coming from heaven and their presence in our lives. And, since I'm rather hung up with exploring the theological and philosophical roots of Nazism and WW II, I found myself turning over the teachings of Madam Blavatsky. Along with her, of course, came bouncing in all the stuff of Eastern theology: Hinduism and Buddhism, karma, etc. And along with that came the crazy background of the so-called Aryan race, Lemuria, Atlantis, giants and supermen. What a mess of jumbled thoughts. How shall I sort through it all and help you since you stumbled upon this article today?

I'd like humbly to suggest that we briefly ponder the actual text about the angels in the Gospel of Luke. Here it is (Luke 2:8-15):


⁸And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. ¹⁰And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹²And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
 ¹⁴ "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" ¹⁵When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us."


We could get into a huge argument, I suppose, about the reality of heaven and angels and a God who laid out plans for all this to happen from the very moment He created what we call the universe. But I won't do that. Instead I shall simply ask,


What if it really, really happened?
What if there are angels who can and do appear quite suddenly in the lives of simple people?
What if these strange messengers can indeed come and go to somewhere not that far away, some place called heaven?
What if God is pleased with those who kneel before the Child in adoration?
What if the Child truly brings peace to troubled hearts on earth?
What if the LORD wants us all to join those angels with Him in heaven forever?


I believe that the answer to all those questions is yes, it is true. And in spite of all those other jumbled thoughts, all that craziness stuff that men and women have taught, this is what God has revealed. And I invite you to join me in again this Christmas in affirming its truth.