My Treasured Possession

Last Sunday, following my Bible class, a lady came up to ask what it means that the devil can appear as an angel of light. In particular, she wondered about those folks who have had a near-death experience of light shining as they moved away from their bodies. Were they, she asked, really seeing the glories of heaven or were they possibly being deceived by the devil appearing to them as an angel or messenger of light (2 Corinthians 11:13-15)?


Good question. I shared with her what one Christian woman whom I served said about her near-death experience. She was convinced she had gone to heaven after a swift journey through a tunnel of blazing light. She was greeted by relatives and was ready to go with them when she heard a voice calling her back. As a result of this, she was completely unafraid of death now. She knew she would be with Jesus and her family when she died.


I also shared with my Bible class questioner that Satan can indeed deceive us into thinking he bears a message of light and understanding. In the context of the passage about Satan appearing as an angel of light the Apostle speaks about false workmen who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. The world is full of such messengers.


The Old Testament lesson for next Sunday, the final Sunday in the Church Year, is from Malachi 3:13-18 and speaks to this question. The writer of this prophecy is not identified. Across the centuries people have come up with many guesses. For now, we'll let that pass. It is enough to know that Malachi was the last of the prophets before Christ's coming and that the title of his book means simply "My Messenger," with the 'My' referring to God.


The LORD is gravely concerned about the empty faith and the total disobedience of so many of those who claim to be God's people, says Malachi. But this will not be allowed forever. A Day of judgment is coming. On that Day the Book of Remembrance will be opened (Malachi 3:16-18). This reminds me of that day when the Children of Israel finally left the wilderness for good and passed over the dried up Jordan riverbed into the promised land. On that day the LORD commanded the priests to take twelve boulders and pile them on the river's edge where the priests and levites stepped out on to the land. The writer says, "And they are there to this day" as stones of remembrance (Joshua 4:1-11). The stones were there to remind the people of how the LORD had graciously brought them from slavery to this beautiful land. They were his treasured possession. That's what the LORD loved to call His people, His treasured possession (Exodus 19:5; Deuteronomy 7:6; 14:2).


Is that not a beautiful image—treasured possession? We all have treasured possessions. Sometimes they are pieces of jewelry, like a wedding ring or a special painting received from one who loves you. Some treasured possessions are photographs and family letters, preserved in books or on electronic recording devices. Here the LORD speaks not about things, but about people. They are His children, His family, His beloved and His treasured possessions. He has purchased them, not with gold and silver, but with His holy and precious blood (Ephesians 2:12-14). His newborn children fear and love Him. They esteem His name above all names. He loves them. They love Him. And their names are recorded in the LORD's book of remembrance.


Now back to the question my Bible class student asked about the ability of the devil to appear as an angel of light. He does indeed, especially as he fosters the false teaching that suggests there is no distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between God's children and those who despise and disobey Him (Malachi 3:18). The LORD makes it very clear. There is a distinction. 

"But the LORD said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book" (Exodus 32:33). 

If you fear death or believe yourself close to death, do not overlook the distinction, but know also that Jesus is our righteousness. He is the One who has provided for us the all atoning sacrifice accepted by the heavenly Father (1 John 2:1-2). Put your trust in Him. Follow His ways and when the Book of Remembrance is opened, your name will be read out as one of the LORD's precious possessions. 

What Peculiar People We Are

What is a heritage? And what is this heritage that I want us to reclaim? If Heritage is in the name, both of this Blog and of my upcoming e-zine, it needs some clarification. At least it would be good for me to understand what that means. Then, perhaps I can help you to understand it as well.

My online dictionary gives the following definitions:

A heritage is property that is or may be inherited, an inheritance. These can be valued objects or qualities, such as cultural traditions, unspoiled countryside, and historic buildings that have been passed down from previous generations: the richness of our diverse cultural heritage.

I recall that when my mother died my sister and I were going through her things. This led to a discussion of what my sister wanted of Mother's possessions and what I wanted. One of the things I kept and later passed on to my son was a maplewood table, chairs and hutch. That particular table and chairs have recycled back to us and are now in our vacation home in colorado. I suppose that when my wife and I join the company of the saints, there will be things our children will want to pass on to their children or keep for themselves. In a very real sense, we have started to think of our vacation home as our family heritage.

But going on. In speaking of heritage we can talk about a sense of history, as of a plant variety not hybridized with another. One example of this would be old-fashioned, heritage roses. Why there's even an organization devoted to preserving heritage roses established just twenty years ago. They call themselves the Heritage Rose Foundation.


Finally, the word heritage has a somewhat outmoded and archaic sense to it. It can refer to a special or individual possession or an allotted portion. So the people of Israel were taught to think of themselves as God's chosen people. The basic example of this is recorded in Deuteronomy 7 where Moses tells them that they are a "holy people unto the LORD thy God ...chosen ...to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth." That could get to you, especially if you begin to think of yourselves as better than others. However, the LORD doesn't permit that kind of thinking, especially since He wants them to know He chose them because of the promises He made to their forefather Abraham and because He is a God of grace and love.

Archaic or not, that's what I see this e-zine and this Blog being about. We Christians also consider ourselves to be chosen people, do we not? It was the Apostle Peter himself who called us believers in Christ God's chosen people. The old King James Version translation of the 1 Peter 2 text also says we Christians are a peculiar people. I've often felt that way about Christians. We are a peculiar lot, very peculiar at times. However, I later learned that peculiar in the sense used by the KJV refers to something or someone you have gone out of your way to possess, so it or she is particularly yours and no one else's. Maybe one ought to think of all the trouble, time and money a young man spent in courting his wife. Now they belong to one another and to no one else.

It is this sense of who we are, this sense of being special, chosen and, yes, peculiar that I seek to reclaim in all its ramifications. Once you know that this is your heritage, then many things about how you live, how you see yourself and how you view the world follow.