Angels Ministering.

(Excerpt)

THE ANGELS ARE MINISTERING SPIRITS TO THE CHILDREN OF GOD

"Angel" signifies messenger. The Union Bible Dictionary, under the word "angel," says: "The original word, both in the Hebrew and Greek, means messenger, and is so translated. Matt. 11:10." We learn from the Scriptures that it is the office of the angels to oversee the works of God, especially the cause of God in this earth; to watch over His children, minister to their wants, and defend them from their adversary, the devil. As there is "an innumerable company of angels," some of them are always before the throne of God, to go at His command.

Says John: "I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne." Rev. 5:11. David says: "The Lord hath prepared His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom ruleth overall. Bless the Lord, ye His angels, that excel in strength, that do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His word. Bless ye the Lord, all ye His hosts; ye ministers of His, that do His pleasure. Bless the Lord, all His works in all places of His dominion." Ps.

103:19-22. 

Here it is declared that God hath His throne in the heavens; the angels are represented as waiting before Him, ready to go at His pleasure as messengers to all parts of his dominions. We have here a scene presented similar to that which we would behold in the court of an earthly monarch. The king sits upon his throne, with his officers and servants around him. Messengers are constantly being received by him from the different parts of his dominions. When he determines what is needful to be done, he dispatches a trusty messenger to perform it in his name. He also has officers in different parts of his kingdom, who faithfully report to him the state of things in their several districts. Thus the king is able to attend to the wants of his subjects, and to oversee their actions, in all parts of the dominion, however large it may be. And thus it is that the Lord employs His servants, the angels. He always works by means, or agents. The angels are His officers, or messengers, whom He has appointed to have charge of this earth. They watch over His people, and minister to their wants. They bear the prayers of the saints up before the Lord, and come again to answer them, according to His directions. The proof of this is abundant. Thus Paul says: "To which of the angels said He at any time, Sit on My right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" Heb. 1:13, 14.

This is a direct confirmation of the position above taken. Upon this subject David says, "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them." Ps. 34:7. 

This grand truth is beautifully illustrated in Jacob's dream. As he was traveling alone in the wilderness, he lay down upon the ground at night to sleep. "And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it." Gen. 28:12. This dream was given to teach Jacob that the angels are constantly passing between heaven and earth. And this is just as true now as it was then. 

We have another illustration of this truth in the history of Daniel. He was mourning over the sad state of the people who were captives under the king of Persia. For three whole weeks he fasted, and prayed to God to open the way for his people to return to their own land. At the end of this time an angel came to him and said: "Fear not, Daniel; for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days; but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes [the first of the chief princes, Hebrew], came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia." Dan. 10:12, 13. 

As soon as Daniel began to pray, God sent an angel to perform his request. The angel went to the Persian court, and sought to influence the king to further the work which had already been commenced in behalf of his people and city. The king seems to have been opposed to this, and the angel was not able to prevail with him. At last the chief of the angels united with him, and they were successful. No man in the Persian court saw those angels. The king himself was not aware of their presence, or of their influence upon him; yet they brought him to do just what he had not been inclined to do. 

This is the way in which the angels co-operate with God's children in their efforts for the conversion of souls. Our hearts are moved to pray for a son, a companion, or a friend. God sends an angel to impress the heart and trouble the mind of the subject of our prayers. Or we are in distress; we cry to God, and He sends an angel to deliver us; nor are they slow in coming. See an instance in Dan 9:21-23: "Whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me  about the time of the evening oblation. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to show thee."

When the prophet began his prayer, Gabriel was in heaven; but before he ceased he was at his side. Ezekiel, describing the rapidity of their movements, says they "ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning." Eze. 1:14.

So when God hears the cries of His children, He immediately sends an angel from His throne, to answer their prayers and to relieve their wants. This is very comforting to the child of God. We find a very remarkable instance of this recorded in Acts 12: "Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quarternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. Peter therefore was kept in prison; but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains; and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison. And he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did, and he said unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision. When they were past the first and second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord; and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him. And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent His angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews." Acts 12:1-11.

Here all the power of the king was arrayed against a few helpless Christians. James he had already killed. Peter was strictly guarded in prison, awaiting his execution. To make escape or rescue impossible, he was bound with chains, between two soldiers, several others being placed to assist them. He was put into an inner prison, from which it was impossible to escape, except by passing these guards and breaking an iron gate. What did Peter's friends do? bribe the guard? Overpower the soldiers? or break into the prison?-No; they went to God in earnest prayer. "But prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him." 

God heard their prayers, granted their request, and sent an angel to deliver Peter. Simply by his touch the chains fell from Peter's hands. The guards became senseless, the iron gate swung open, and the child of God was saved. Cannot Christians trust in such a God as this? Are not his angels ready and able to deliver them from all their foes? It is truly as the Psalmist says, "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them." Ps. 34:7.

Many other instances are recorded in the Bible where God has sent His angels to minister to His children. They are so numerous that we can barely refer the reader to a few of the most interesting of them. Does Abraham send his servant on an important mission? He says to him, "The Lord . . . shall send His angel before thee." Gen. 24:7. Does Jacob bless his children at his death? He says, "The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads." Gen. 48:16. Does the Lord direct the Israelites to go into the land of Canaan? He says to them, "Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared." Ex. 23:20. Is Elijah about to perish in the wilderness? "Then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head." 1 Kings 19:5, 6. Is Daniel to be delivered out of the lions' den? He says, "My God has sent His angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me." Dan. 6:22. Is the gospel to be opened to the Gentiles? An angel is sent to Cornelius, and also to Peter, to accomplish the work. Acts 10. Is Paul's life in danger? An angel of God stands by his side to assure him of safety. Acts 27:23. 

What more shall we say? Time would fail us to mention a tithe of such instances where the angels of God are directly mentioned as having acted an important part in the affairs of men. If this was so in the times when the Bible was written, is it not so now? If not, why?

Angels: Their Nature and Ministry

 (Excerpt - for continuing study) Revised by J.H. Waggoner.  1891 by Pacific Press Publishing Co.)

Satan An Angel.

 The unseen world of God's angels. 

We know God's angels had all the facts, all the truth, without any lies at all whatsoever. They lived in a world PRIOR to sin's inception. They were created sinless beings. They existed in perfect harmony without any dissent. 

The facts the Bible gives us are these-

The angel who became Satan was called the Day Star, son of the morning, Lucifer. 

Isa 14:12  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!  

Also said of Satan aka Lucifer - son of the morning- 

Eze 28:14  Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 

Eze 28:15  Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. 

- He was the ANNOINTED CHERUB that COVERETH.

- He was on the HOLY MOUNTAIN OF GOD

- He was PERFECT from the day he was CREATED

- Iniquity was found in Him.

Being anointed means - being consecrated to God's service. The garments of Aaron's sons was priests working in the tabernacle of God were anointed. (Ex. 29:29) 

Aaron and his sons were consecrated as priests to God, being anointed. (Ex. 28:41)

Kings were anointed to do God's will by serving over the people of God. (1 Sam. 15:1)

An anointed angel- Lucifer.  An anointed cherub that covereth.

We know this about covering angels-

Exo 25:18  And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat.  Exo 25:19  And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof.  Exo 25:20  And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, COVERING the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. Exo 25:21  And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.  Exo 25:22  And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel. 

These two gold covering cherubs were placed over the mercy seat where GOD WOULD MEET WITH the High Priest! They were that CLOSE to God. 

We know the temple on earth was made from the example of the heavenly temple- where GOD really sits! Lucifer was THAT close to GOD! 

So, why? Why did He sin? Why was he the first being ever to turn from God, His Creator? He KNEW that God was the Creator, that he was a created being- and as such NOT able to be the Creator! He knew this! So why? The turning from loving God to putting SELF first, this was the thought that sprang into Lucifer's mind, instead of turning from it- it was embraced.  The 'I' became all important. 

Isa 14:12  How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 

Isa 14:13  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 

Isa 14:14  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High

Lucifer said….in his heart… I will ascend to heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God…I will be like the MOST HIGH.  I…I…I…  he no longer had thoughts outside of his own interests.

Self. Lucifer turned his focus to himself. 

What is OUR biggest failing, selfishness, self-serving, self-importance, self over others, self over God - self…self…self.  When God is our focus, our life, we give up our self… our self has to die daily.

Luk 9:23  And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me

Taking up a cross daily means….  The cross is the symbol of death, the cross is what Christ died upon. When we take up a cross what are we to do with that cross- play with it? Is the cross a toy we carry about for amusement? The cross is SACRIFICE. If we are put on a cross against our wills we are sacrificed by others. If we take up our own cross we are sacrificing ourselves, we are denying self for God!

This is what Lucifer chose, self over God, no self sacrificing. As soon as he had the first thought focused towards his own importance, he grasped hold of that thought and encouraged that thought and turned from God.

Sin.   Satan loved self- not God, not others, but self.  And today we are encouraged to focus on ourselves all the time in so many ways! God HELP US!  Please, help us to take up our cross! Help us to DENY SELF, every single day! Help us, Lord, help us! Let the ministering angels help us, let the Holy Spirit help us, help us, keep us from EVIL Father God, keep us from EVIL- all through Jesus Christ our LORD and SAVIOR! AMEN!!!!!!!

(Excerpt) Angels- 

8. THEIR WORK IN THE GOSPEL

The angels of God take a deep interest in all the work of their Commander, the Son of God. Theirs is a service of love; in whatsoever He delights, in that they delight. He spent years of suffering on earth, and laid down His life for the salvation of man. How deeply, then, must their feelings be enlisted in behalf of man, and in the work of the gospel! Though the work of preaching the gospel is not committed to them, they have an important part to act in aiding the minister in his work.

Look at the case of Cornelius. He was a conscientious, God-fearing man. The Lord had respect to his prayers and his alms. But he was ignorant of the name of Jesus of Nazareth. An angel was sent to move him, to send for the apostle of Christ. Then the angel went to Peter to prepare his mind to go on this mission, for Cornelius was a Gentile. With the way thus opened, the work was easily accomplished. But how different would have been the result if the angel had not taken a part! 

By this we are led to believe that many times the success of the minister is due to the part that angels act in preparing the way, that the hearts of the people may be reached. And often, no doubt, the failure of the minister to accomplish any good in the conversion of souls is owing to the fact that he went out in his own strength, ready to take the glory of the work to himself, and angels have been grieved away, and he has had 

no help from Heaven.

 

The angels spoken of in the book of Revelation are generally supposed to be symbols, and not real angels; especially the angels of Rev. 14:6-12, because the work of proclaiming the everlasting gospel is said to be committed to them. But we do not think that such a conclusion is necessary. The Son of man is, in the same chapter, represented as reaping the harvest of the earth, while, in fact, the reapers are the angels. Matt. 13:39. But the work is done under his immediate direction and supervision, for "He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect." Matt. 24:31. Therefore it is very properly called His work, and so of these angels. The work of unfolding the things contained in the prophecy of Daniel, especially concerning the atonement and the sacrifice of the Messiah, was committed to the angel Gabriel. Dan. 8:13-17; 9:20-27. To the same angel it was given to foretell the birth of John the

Baptist, and of the Messiah. Luke 1:11-19, 26-33. 

All the teachings of the Scriptures justify the belief that the messages of Rev. 14:6-12 are committed to angels, who move upon the hearts of the servants of God to search the sure word of prophecy, where these things are made known, and open the way for their work among the people. It were very unreasonable to conclude that God commits the work of these messages to men, who are to proclaim them in their own strength, and according to their own wisdom, without immediate help from heaven. No one who has carefully examined the Bible on the work of the ministry, can believe this. 

The gifts of God's Spirit are for the work of the ministry, for the perfecting of the saints. Eph. 4:8, 11, 12. "Not by might, nor by power, but my Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts." Zech. 4:6. According to the Scriptures, the Lord's ordinary method of assisting men in their work is by means of the angels, who by His Spirit bring to earth the blessings of Heaven.

Angels: Their Nature and Ministry

 (Excerpt - for continuing study) Revised by J.H. Waggoner.  1891 by Pacific Press Publishing Co.)

Rev 14:6  And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, 

Rev 14:7  Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. 

Rev 14:8  And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication. 

Rev 14:9  And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 

Rev 14:10  The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 

Rev 14:11  And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. 

Rev 14:12  Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus. 

Mat 13:39  The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

Mat 24:31  And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 

Dan 8:13  Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? 

Dan 8:14  And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. 

Dan 8:15  And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man. 

Dan 8:16  And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision. 

Dan 8:17  So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision. 

Dan 9:20  And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God; 

Dan 9:21  Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. 

Dan 9:22  And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. 

Dan 9:23  At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision. 

Dan 9:24  Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 

Dan 9:25  Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 

Dan 9:26  And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 

Dan 9:27  And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. 

Luk 1:11  And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 

Luk 1:12  And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 

Luk 1:13  But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 

Luk 1:14  And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. 

Luk 1:15  For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. 

Luk 1:16  And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 

Luk 1:17  And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. 

Luk 1:18  And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. 

Luk 1:19  And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.

Luk 1:26  And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 

Luk 1:27  To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 

Luk 1:28  And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 

Luk 1:29  And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 

Luk 1:30  And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 

Luk 1:31  And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 

Luk 1:32  He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 

Luk 1:33  And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 

Choosing to Serve.

 

Discussing angels because we need to know their reality. We dismiss them out of hand and rarely think about them. Oh, many think of their dead loved ones and call them angels, but we know through Biblical fact and truth that that can't be true. Not a single loved one turns into an angel, angels are beings created by God prior to the creation of human beings. Satan himself was a created angel whose pride reared up and he allowed it to corrupt him completely. No dead human being has ever turned into a real angel. I say 'real' angel because I call my little cat an angel- but ONLY as a term of endearment, NOT that I think she's an angel of God's, she's not and never will be.  

As I stated above, we rarely think of God's angels in their all their truth, in all their reality. 

Heb 1:10  And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: 

Heb 1:11  They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; 

Heb 1:12  And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. 

Heb 1:13  But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? 

Heb 1:14  Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? 

To which of the angels….. SAID THE LORD at any time….

Stop there for a moment. The Lord in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth- yes, the very earth we live upon. The heavens are the works of the Lord's hands. All that, earth and heavens are perishing, growing old, wearing out.. And they all shall be changed. The earth and the heavens will be changed! The Lord will never change! This very Lord did NOT say to ANY of the angels to sit on the right hand of God.  Not a single angel was ever told to be a God with the three God's- God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. No angel was ever created to become a god, to grow into being a god. We as human being were NEVER created to be gods, to become gods in and of ourselves. We have our LORD and SAVIOR as our God who died as our GOD to give us salvation, to be sons and daughters of God, but NEVER to ever take the place of GOD- not God the Father, not Got the Son and Not God the Holy Spirit!

We're discussing angels… and the verse reads- 'to which of the angels said he (the Lord) at any time, sit on my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool?'  The answer we know is to NONE of the angels were those word ever spoken. Angels are not dead humans and angels are NOT gods. Angels have their own order- 'they are ALL ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.'

God's angels are created being that minister to us! 

Satan would have us believe that this somehow makes angels servant in the sense of they are our slaves, as if their purpose in serving God is to minister to those who will belong to God, is somehow a bad thing. That they are chained in serve, forced to do God's bidding. LIES! LIES! LIES!

We only think that way because Satan has corrupted us into beings that force others into servitude. And don't get me wrong here, I mean what I just said. Satan has corrupted US as a whole. We think very little of others being forced to serve others. Wait? Am I talking slavery? That's been abolished right, except for third world, underground, black market scum, illegal slavery? Slavery exists all around us in many forms and I don't say that to take away from the awful slavery men and women have endured in various ethnic groups throughout time. The Hebrew slaves under the Pharoah's of Egypt. The many slaves in societies throughout time, the African slavery brought to the United States and condoned for hundreds of years, the Irish slaves, the Indian slaves… and so on. Other countries besides the United States have had slaves for years and years. Slavery is an awful thing no matter where, no matter when, no matter who is enslaved. God enslaves NO ONE for His service. To serve God is a CHOICE freely made. Satan would have mankind believe otherwise, Satan lies.

One third of created angelic beings allowed themselves to choose not to serve God freely. God did not force them to remain with Him when they made that choice. They were always free to leave God's service, always. He did not chain them to Him, He did not force them to stay, He did not coerce them into agreeing to serve Him. They were FREE to rebel, they were FREE to leave, they were FREE to choose who they wanted to serve, if not God. That one third of the angels chose to leave God's service and aligned themselves with another angel that designated himself as their leader, as their god to be worshiped, as their powerful dignitary.  Two-thirds willingly chose to stay with God, to serve God, to do God's will forever without end. 

Those two-thirds of all the created angelic host chose to remain God's and in doing so, chose to be ministering beings towards the created human beings who also choose to belong to God. Freely, lovingly, the angels of God desire to help those who love their God as they love God. 

More on angels tomorrow- by the grace of our LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST!

All through the love of God our Father! By the Holy Spirit! 

AMEN!!!!!!!

*******

(Excerpt)

7. THE DIFFERENT ORDERS OF ANGELS

Wherever the handiwork of God is seen, we behold the most perfect order and harmony. From the smallest blade of grass to the largest planet in the starry heavens, the most complete order is manifest. God is emphatically a God of order. 

It is an old and true proverb that order is Heaven's first law. It is only where sin has left its footprints, where the trail of the old serpent is seen, and where the wicked bear rule, that we find insubordination, disorder, and confusion. 

That "in union there is strength" is a self-evident truth, as well as an established maxim. This can be secured only by law and order. Then do not nature and reason teach us that the angels must be subject to law and order in all their doings, and that there must be different grades among them, as there are in every society of men, in the army, etc. That this is the case the Bible seems to teach. 

Speaking of the coming of Christ, it says, "And the armies which were in heaven followed Him upon white horses." Rev. 19:14. 

Here we see that Jesus (the Archangel, 1 Thess. 4:16; John 5:26-29), 

(((1Th 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first

Joh 5:26  For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; 

Joh 5:27  And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. 

Joh 5:28  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 

Joh 5:29  And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. ))))

Here we see that Jesus (the Archangel, 1 Thess. 4:16; John 5:26-29), the Son of God, who stands at the head, is the Commander-in-chief of the angelic armies. The same is again expressed in Rev. 12:7: "And there was war in heaven; Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels." 

God has given to Christ the command of all his armies. Thus Paul says: "Wherefore God hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Phil. 2:9-11.

Now if the angels are marshaled in armies, and are subject to a chief Commander, it is necessarily implied that there are also subordinate commanders, and captains of smaller divisions. We often read in the Bible of seraphim (Isa. 6:1-6), of cherubim (Eze. 10:1), etc., of dominions, of principalities, of powers, etc. (Col. 1:16). All these, we conclude, are different orders of angels. We may further conclude that each company is subject to its

commander, and he to one higher, till we reach the Commander-in-chief, the Son of God. Thus all things go on in union and order, and the entire universe of God, except within the influence of Satan's rebellion, is preserved in the most perfect harmony. In all God's works we see harmony in diversity, and higher and lower grades. Why should it not be so among the angels? That it is so is both reasonable and scriptural.

(((Isa 6:1  In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 

Isa 6:2  Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. 

Isa 6:3  And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. 

Isa 6:4  And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. 

Isa 6:5  Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. 

Isa 6:6  Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar

Eze 10:1  Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne. 

Col 1:16  For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him))))

Angels: Their Nature and Ministry

 (Excerpt - for continuing study) Revised by J.H. Waggoner.  1891 by Pacific Press Publishing Co.)

Stranger Angels.

 Angels- can appear unassuming as well as glorious, and frighteningly awe-inspiring.

Jesus says this--

Heb 13:2  Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares

Angels unassuming. 

Mat 25:35  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 

Mat 25:36  Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 

Mat 25:37  Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 

Mat 25:38  When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 

Mat 25:39  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 

Mat 25:40  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 

Mat 25:41  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 

Mat 25:42  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 

Mat 25:43  I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 

Mat 25:44  Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 

Mat 25:45  Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. 

 

Angels of God give us opportunities to share the love of others, the love that comes from the Lord.  Don't wait for a mysterious generous spirit to take over you causing you to love others when in truth you are wary of others. From as far back as I can remember and that's 53 years at this moment, I've been very shy. My shyness is a trait I was born with. This trait of mine makes it hard for me to be outgoing towards others. To top it off I have an extreme tendency towards panic attacks, and this contributes to my preference of the familiar, which doesn't include interacting with strangers. You could say the cards are stacked against me when it comes to helping others such as Jesus described above. I can only imagine how an outgoing person could react to others in the scenarios given. Easy or difficult, we are all called to love others in deed not just in theory, in word, in ideas. In actuality we are called to serve-

-the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, the prisoners. 

Our world is filled with these, filled! Are we serving them?

Angels can give us opportunities to serve, but they aren't going to appear with a flaming sword indicating that we are serving angels.

The thing we need to remember here is that we CAN'T know when a stranger is an angel or human, and we shouldn't differentiate between them- we can't. We shouldn't want to. We should not want to serve a stranger angel above a human stranger, we should be always serving knowing this is God's will - angel or no.  God wants this! God would have us know that our being servants is a REAL thing, a very REAL thing.

Please, Lord, help us be the servants you would have us be. Please.

All through Jesus Christ our Lord, our Savior! Now and forever, Amen!

(Excerpt)

6. THEIR EXALTED CHARACTER AND SURPASSING GLORY

When sin entered into the world, God's glory was withdrawn, and a dark pall of gloom was spread over it; God no more talked with man. We have only a few fading flowers, a few bright spots, to remind us of the departed glory. Even the angels have but seldom been seen by mortals. The most lovely objects that we behold are marred with deformity and tarnished with decay. Hence we can have but slight conceptions of the surpassing loveliness and glory of the heavenly beings. A few times a rift has been made in the clouds, through which some  privileged ones have been permitted to behold a few rays of the glory of heaven. And then these have been so overwhelmed by it that they feared that they should die. Thus the prophet Isaiah, upon having a view of heaven, exclaimed, "Woe is me! for I am undone; . . . for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." Isa. 6:5.

As Moses came down from the mount where he had been with the Lord for forty days, his face so shone with the reflected glory of God, that the Israelites in fear avoided him. Ex. 34:29, 30. 

How bright and glorious, then, must be the angels who dwell in the immediate presence of the Almighty! Some of the rays of this light and glory encircle them as they visit this world. Thus, when the angel came to Peter in the prison, it is said, "And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison." Acts 12:7. 

Of the angel who appeared at the tomb of our Saviour it is said, "His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow." Matt. 28:3. 

And Daniel thus describes the appearance of an angel who came to him: "Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz; his body also war like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in color to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude." Dan. 10:5, 6.

Let the reader consider for a moment what majesty and glory are here described. The most gorgeously-appareled monarch would appear mean in comparison. No wonder that Daniel says of the men who were with him, "A great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves." Verse 7. And so exceedingly glorious was the angel that came to John upon Patmos, that the apostle fell down to worship him, supposing that it must be the Lord Himself. Rev. 22:8.

 From these facts we can form some conception of the surpassing glory of the holy angels.

Of the might and power of the angels, the Bible also speaks in the strongest terms. John says: "A mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea." Rev. 18:21. 

The Psalmist speaks of those who remained loyal to God, as "angels, that excel in strength." Ps. 103:20. 

When the angel came to call Christ from the tomb, he made the earth to quake, and the soldiers fell like dead men before him. Matt. 28:3, 4. 

The angels move with the velocity of lightning. Ezekiel says that they "ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning." Eze. 1:14. 

And Daniel says that Gabriel flew from heaven to the earth while he was praying. Dan. 9:21. 

The angels also have control over the elements. Thus when the king of Babylon caused the furnace to be heated very hot, and the three Hebrews to be cast into it, the angel of the Lord came, and stood and walked unharmed in the midst of the fire. Not only so, but he protected those men of God so that their garments were not even scorched.

Dan. 3:19-27. The angels also control the wild beasts. This we see in the case of Daniel being thrown into the den of lions. Those ferocious beasts became as harmless as lambs. The angel of God was there. Dan. 6:22. 

Again, heavy bars are drawn from the bolted door, and the massive iron gate flies open at the command of the angel, when a child of God is to be delivered. Acts 12. 

Thus we see that all the elements of nature, and men, and beasts, are subject to the control of angels.

Angels: Their Nature and Ministry

 (Excerpt - for continuing study) Revised by J.H. Waggoner.  1891 by Pacific Press Publishing Co.)

Earth Has An Expiration Date.

 Trapped. No way out. No help to be seen. Can you imagine how this must feel? Elisha's servant felt this way. Elisha and his servant were sleeping and when the servant woke up he went and spied out the land. To his dismay there were enemy horses and chariots all around the entire city surrounding them. With fear filling him to his very core he cried out to Elisha, asking what they were going to do.  Elisha wasn't fearful at all, why? Read the following… 

2Ki 6:15-17  And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha. 

… FEAR NOT for they that be with US are MORE than they that be with THEM. 

Yet, the servant couldn't see ANYONE on their side, let alone MORE than those that were surrounding the city! Then Elisha PRAYED and asked the LORD to open the servants eyes so he could see.  When the young man's eyes were opened it did indeed see that the MOUNTAIN was full of horses and chariots of FIRE all around Elisha! What a vision to have, what a blessing to see the unseen.

We often feel alone, defeated, demoralized, despairing, ready to scream in frustration as we walk our Christian walk. We, like the servant of Elisha, have no clue what we are going to do in our awful, seemingly unsurmountable circumstances. We long to see the unseen army of angels on our side. We have to walk by faith, not by sight. We have to take God's word into our hearts. God's word is written for US, for our learning! We need to believe in God's word.  Elisha had an army of angels to protect him and his servant. We have angels to protect us as well! We have ministering spirits as we are those who are going to inherit salvation, and those ministering to us are angels, real angels.

Does this mean that in every situation we will be miraculously helped- that we won't go through awful times, horrific trials, nightmarish tribulations? NO! A very resounding NO, it doesn't mean this at all. It means that we have angels on our side and as God wills, and if we aren't meant to endure the trial, we will be given supernatural help. It means that most of our trials and tribulations are refining us in ways we can't comprehend, preparing us for God's kingdom as we hold fast to God in spite of Satan trying his hardest to rip our faith in God from us. We will do a lot of suffering now, but joy will come.

People often wonder how anyone would believe in God after they go through horrific situations, and that person of God will tell them that we live in a Satan ruled world, and God is in control of our eternal life and this is why. We understand that in this world there are going to be lots of nightmares, lots of them, but we also know that in the world to come there will be NONE, not a single nightmare. We know the world to come is for ETERNITY, while this world has an expiration date stamped on it. Knowing these truths, we know that angels are here to comfort us and see us through the trials, to keep us from the despair as they minister to us God's truth. 

May we belong to God when this world expires. May the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be ours now and forever! Al through HIS LOVE!

AMEN!!!!!!!

*******

(Excerpt)

5. NUMBER OF THE ANGELS

The definite number of the holy angels is not given in the Scriptures, yet there are declarations from which we may form an idea of the vastness of this host of God. Jesus said: "Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He shall presently give Me more than twelve legions of angels?" Matt. 26:53. 

John, as he had a view of heaven, the glory and majesty of God, and the vast host of angels worshiping before the throne, spoke of their great numbers thus: "And the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands Of thousands." Rev. 5:11. 

Bengel, in his Gnomon, translates this, "Myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands." He adds the following excellent note: "A myriad consists of ten thousand; myriads, if only two of them are meant, make twenty thousand; a thousand taken twice, makes two thousands. But there are myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, i. e., the myriads are multiplied with each other, and, likewise, the thousands. In order to more easily conceive the meaning, it could be imagined thus: Here is a regiment consisting of ten thousand angels; then there would be ten thousand such regiments, and this not only once, but at least twice. In the same way are thousands to be taken thousand-fold; that is to say, if one counts a thousand angels to one body, then there are of such bodies of thousands (in the plural) at least two thousand bodies. The myriads make two hundred millions, and the thousands two million, a Vast throng!"

While this gives some idea of the greatness of the throng, it is by no means certain that the computation is nearly large enough. Instead of being simply two myriads, as the plural must contain, it may mean many more, which would enormously swell the aggregate. And all these were only those whom John saw worshiping around the throne at one time. We have no language in which to express the number of the heavenly family; we can have no conception of the number. The Bible declares that they are the messengers of God to carry out His will, and it is reasonable to believe that they are His messengers to other worlds. On a clear night view the stars, consider the millions

in the milky way, and remember that each one is a sun, with a whole system of worlds revolving around it, and consider that the angels are God's messengers to all parts of His dominions, to all these countless worlds, and then we shall best be able to appreciate the words of Paul, that there is "an innumerable company of angels." Heb. 12:22.

Angels: Their Nature and Ministry

 (Excerpt - for continuing study) Revised by J.H. Waggoner.  1891 by Pacific Press Publishing Co.)

Heir of Salvation- Angel Ministered.

 The following excerpt from an article on Angels is truly fascinating to study.

The gist of it is the angels have material bodies, they are beings with forms, and yet they aren't always visible to us. Just because they aren't visible to us does not make them formless.  

Seen one moment, gone the next- to our sight, not to reality of their existing.

The article excerpt brings up water as being unseen as it evaporates into vapor and we can't see it any longer. Ice, steam all forms of water but not all the same to our sight at all times. I find this fascinating I really do.

We are going to be like the angels after Christ comes to take us to heaven with Him, but we will NOT become angels. We will have some of their attributes. We will have a spiritual form as well as flesh. Christ had flesh and bones after His resurrection, He never lost that flesh and bones, but it was changed. We will be changed, our flesh and bones, our bodies will be changed but we will still have forms, not willowy wisps of air. Our forms will be like those of angels in that sense we will no longer have any of the attributes that cause death. We will be altered as our bodies take on incorruption and immortality. 

We will NOT be the same when we become immortal in Christ! We don't know exactly how or what will all take place but we know it will be our NEW reality, our NEW existence.

Angels are beings. There are individual angels. Each angel has a name of its own. Every angel is a ministering angel to help those who will inherit eternal life. 

Heb 1:13  But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? 

Heb 1:14  Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? 

Heirs of salvation. Are YOU an heir of salvation? I pray I am, all through the grace, the mercy, the forgiveness, the love of my SAVIOR who died so I could be an heir of salvation!

As an heir of salvation I CAN KNOW that I have angels ministering for me! I don't know how, I don't know in every instant it's happening, I just know that the Lord has angels that ministered to Him and every heir of salvation has ministering angels as well. We must trust in this truth. These very real beings are in our everyday lives. Angels are a blessing to us, may we comprehend their reality. 

(Excerpt)

Angels: Their Nature and Ministry

 (Excerpt - for continuing study) Revised by J.H. Waggoner.  1891 by Pacific Press Publishing Co.)

4. ANGELS ARE REAL BEINGS

The angels of God are not mere incorporeal phantoms, as is generally taught. They are real personal beings, possessing form and substance. The tendency of investigation, in the present day, is toward Spiritualism; there is, on almost every hand, a needless and very unreasonable prejudice existing against the idea that all created beings must be material. The Spiritualistic view is not at all the theory of the Scriptures.

On this point J. H. Kurtz, doctor of theology, has some just remarks in "Bibel and Astronomie," chap. 4, sec. 14, on 1 Cor. 15:40. He says; "We cannot conceive of a creature without a body, because everything created can only as creature live, act, and exist in space and time, and it is bodily form alone which binds the creature to space and time." "If we conceive of the angels as being ever so spiritual and heavenly, ever so exalted over the obnoxious laws of our bodily form, over the hindrances of our grosser substance, still they are creatures, and must, as such, pay the tribute of bodily form, be this ever so ethereal, fine, and incomprehensible to our senses." "Therefore in creation, bodily form is the condition of all existence."

To the same intent Zeller's Bible Dictionary, art. "Angels," says: "They are not without body, as we cannot very easily conceive of any creature without bodily form; but they have a higher, finer, ethereal bodily form, which is according to the heavenly world system to which they belong."

The same idea is taught in many instances where the angels are mentioned in the Scriptures. Isaiah describes them as possessing a face, feet, wings, etc.: I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphim; each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly . " Isa. 6:1, 2. Ezekiel also describes them in a similar manner. Of the cherubim he says: "And their whole body [margin, "Heb ., flesh"], and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and their wheels, were full of eyes," etc . The whole description indicates an actual bodily existence-a body having hands, feet, wings, etc. In Gen. 18:1-8 we read: "And the Lord appeared unto him [Abraham] in the plains of Mamre; and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day, and he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him; and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, and said, My lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant; let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree; and I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on; for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said. And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hastened to dress it. And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat."

Here it is said that they did eat the food which Abraham prepared for them. That they were angels, we learn from what follows: "And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom; and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way." Two of them went on to Sodom. "And there came two angels to Sodom at evening; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom; and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; and he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat." Gen. 19:1-3.

Here those who met Abraham are called angels. They are represented as having hands and feet; and it is said they did eat material food, which shows that they were material beings. It seems, also, that angels have food expressly prepared for their use. David says: "Though he had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, and had rained down manna upon them to eat, and given them of the corn of heaven. Man did 'eat angels' food." Ps. 78:23-25. Manna is here called the grain of heaven, and the food of angels. Therefore, angels do eat food, and are material beings. We could not imagine that immaterial beings should eat material food, such as the manna which God sent from heaven.

This idea is further sustained by the fact that Jesus, after His resurrection, had flesh and did eat. At His appearing to His disciples, He said: "Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; handle Me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have." Luke 24:36-43.

But Jesus is the first fruits, the example of the saints in the resurrection. He ate with His disciples; and so He promised them that they shall eat and drink with Him in His kingdom. See Matt. 26:29; Luke 12:37; 22:16, 18, 29, 30. And speaking of the new earth, where the immortal saints shall dwell, the Lord says; "From one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me." Isa. 66:23. The saints will be called flesh in the kingdom of God. And as Christ is, and the immortal saints will be, material, so also we conclude that the angels are material beings.

In the history of Balaam we have an interesting incident bearing upon this point. Thus we read: "And God's anger was kindled because he went; and the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand, and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field; and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way." "Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand." Num. 22:22-31. The angel appeared to Balaam with a sword drawn in his hand. 

Spiritualists tell us that the angel created his body and the sword, for the occasion, out of the materials which surrounded him, making it appear like a body and a sword when there was none. Then the angel really deceived Balaam, leading him to think that he had a body and a sword when he had none; and the record deceives the reader in the same manner. But it will be observed that the record says, "Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel," and not that the angel created an appearance that might be seen. 

As soon as Balaam's eyes were opened, he saw the angel. The idea is conveyed clearly that the angel was just the same before Balaam saw him as he was afterwards. This is further evident from the fact that the beast could see the angel, while Balaam could not see him. With regard to this occurrence, one of  two things is true, either the angel had a material form before the eyes of Balaam were opened so that he could see him, or the dumb brute saw an immaterial spirit. The last will scarcely be claimed; therefore it must be acknowledged that the angel was there in his own bodily form before Balaam saw him. An objector says, "If the angels are material, how can it be that they can be present and be seen at one moment, and not seen the next moment, while occupying the same position?" It is not correct to claim that all matter can be seen. Air is material, but its presence is not detected by the eye, though it is by other senses. Much of the prejudice upon this subject arises from not duly considering the almost infinite diversity of forms under which matter may appear.

Here it is a ball of mud, and there it is a fine gold watch. Both are material, but how different! Here is a piece of ice, and there is a jet of the hottest steam. Each seems to be exactly the opposite of the other; yet they are only different conditions of the same matter. One is water frozen; the other is water highly heated. So some matter we see in a gross form, and some most exquisitely organized. Still it is all matter, and the same matter may be visible at one time and invisible at another, as is the case of water converted into steam and dissolved in the air.

An objection is raised on the fact that angels are called spirits. Heb. 1:13, 14. But there is no just ground for the objection. The saints will have bodies after their resurrection, yet they will be spiritual bodies. "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body." 1 Cor. 15:44. On this point Dr. V. Baader, Anthropolog. Schr. , remarks: "A spirit without body is also, according to the Scriptures, simply a shadow, and in this sense the Scriptures are all the way through materialistic, in opposition to the spiritualism of the moderns; only they place imperishable matter everywhere in contrast with the perishable matter."

And so also Rudolph, in Die Lehre Vom Menschen, says: "The Holy Scriptures do not know of any formless being or life." These remarks are truthful, as every careful reader has perceived. Not a text in the Bible can be produced which teaches the existence of a formless or immaterial being.

(to be continued…)

Let Me Sleep

 Why do you want me to witness your pain?

Why do you want me to see every hurt?

Why is it important to you that I agonize with you?

I can't understand why.

To see your grief, watching every single tear fall, why?

Your pain would be my pain. 

I would ache in the very core of my being to see you suffer.

My heart would break if I had to see all the agonies of life heaped upon you, upon your children, upon their children…

You say things like- I'm glad they are no longer suffering, 

Yet you say I am where I can see you, watch over you, and see you suffer.

What horrific pain it would be to watch and not be able to help.

To see your every action, to witness every step.

To watch you draw near to danger over and over, and never be able to stop you.

How can I not suffer terribly to see you suffer terribly. 

I would need to be made of stone to watch without my heart breaking over and over again. 

Tell me how I could smile as you cry? 

Convince me of the happiness I feel when you live in pain?

Shout out that I am at peace, all the while I see you at war.

Why do you want me to witness your life as it marches on towards death?

Why must you place me as one viewing it all, just so you can believe I know how much you love me?

How do you find comfort knowing I see your anguish every day? 

I am given no reprieve from the tortures of life if I must watch yours. 

I would rather endure my own endless pain than have to see you suffer, unable to stop any of your pain.

But I can no longer hide, if you believe I am a witness, then I do endure endless pain as I am forced to see yours.

Why, I ask, can't you imagine me at peace, unable to see, unable to know the agonies of the life you have left to live?

Does it sadden you to know I'm missing the joys of your life so much that you think I should endure the pain just to witness the joy?

How is this different from life?

How is this better than life?

How is this not something much worse?

How can you call it heaven?

Tell me, do you want to watch your loved ones suffer- is that your idea of joy in heaven? 

Is that your idea of a better place? 

The ultimate viewing box uncensored in any way for all those I love.

I get to see it all, and by all, I mean all.

You cannot pause heaven's view at will.

If you seek comfort from me when you hurt, I hurt to have to comfort, I hurt because you hurt.

And you call that joy.

And you call that happiness.

And you call that peace.

And you call that love.

For me to be able to see it all is evil.

I am not the Creator.

I am not the Redeemer.

I am not the Father God.

I am not able to endure, I am not given the power of God to know the end from the beginning.

I do NOT become a god!

What if…

What if I have to watch you slip from God's embrace into Satan's claws, and I can do nothing but watch as you are forever taken from me?

Let me sleep.

Let me be at peace.

Let me rest now.

Find your comfort in knowing I know nothing.

Find your comfort in knowing the next thing I will know is my Savior waking me from my sleep, calling me to be with Him- and with you as you join us on that great day of Jesus' return for all His children!

Let me sleep.

Do not keep me awake.

Let me sleep.

I knew you loved me.

God has you, look to Him, not me.

I am at peace. 

I trusted God to keep you, and He will.

Let me sleep now, knowing my God has you.

Let me sleep in peace.

Let me know nothing - peace.

Let me sleep undisturbed by the lives that continue on after I'm gone.

Let me sleep.

Ecc_9:5  For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing

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(Excerpt)

2. ANGELS ARE NOT THE SPIRITS OF THE DEAD

We cannot admit that the spirits of dead men ever come back to communicate with the living. And we affirm, upon the authority of the Holy Bible, that they know nothing concerning their friends here or of what is done in this world. Thus Job says: "Thou destroyest the hope of man. Thou prevailest forever against him, and he passeth [i. e., dies]; thou changest his countenance, and sendest him away. His sons come to honor, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them." Chap. 14:1-21.

This testimony shows that after a man dies he has no knowledge of what befalls his friends here. It plainly contradicts the idea that our dead friends become our guardian angels, watching over us, sympathizing with us in our sorrows, and rejoicing with us in our prosperity. It plainly declares that after a man is dead he knows nothing of what befalls his children in this world. Here is Another testimony still more decisive; "For the living know that they shall die; but the dead know not anything. . . . Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun." Eccl. 9:5, 6.

This text declares positively that the dead know nothing concerning things in this life. They have no part in anything that takes place under the sun. So says the word of the Lord, and so we believe. Indeed, it would be the source of the keenest anguish to a mother, after death, to see her children left destitute, abused, and led into crime and to degradation, as orphan children frequently are. How much of a heaven would this be to her? What good could result from consciousness in heaven under such circumstances? But there is neither reason nor revelation to support such a theory. Spiritualism is one of the greatest schemes that Satan ever devised for the deception and destruction of the human family. It is based upon the supposition that all the spirits who communicate are the spirits of the dead. We propose, therefore, to enter into a Bible investigation of this subject.

3. THE HEAVENLY FAMILY

"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named." Eph . 3:14, 15. By this we learn that there is a family in heaven.

Who compose that family? Not the spirits of our dead friends, but the holy angels who were created in heaven before man was made upon the earth. We read in many places of the angels in heaven. Thus in Rev. 5:11: "And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands."

Spiritualists claim that these angels are the souls of the departed ones who once lived on this earth. As a man cannot die till he is created, of course if angels are only the souls of dead men, there could have been no angels until after the sixth day of creation; no, not even then until one or more men had died. But angels did exist before man was created, or even the foundations of the world were laid. If this be proved, the theory above named, that angels are the spirits of dead men, must fall to the ground.

In Gen. 3:24 we read that God placed cherubim to guard the way of the tree of life when Adam and Eve were driven out of the garden. Cherubim are a high order of angels. This was before any man had died; therefore they were not the souls of dead men. The word of the Lord to Job was: "Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" Job 38:3-7. 

By this we see that when God laid the foundations of the earth, the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy. This proves that the heavenly family did exist before man was created; therefore they are not disembodied spirits.

Furthermore, men and angels are not of the same nature. Thus, the Psalmist says: "What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that Thou visitest him? for Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels." Ps. 8:4, 5. 

Speaking of Christ, Paul says: "For verily He took not on Him the nature of angels; but He took on Him the seed of Abraham." Heb. 2:16. Then in their very nature angels are different from men, and of course are not men. 

But does not the Bible say that at the resurrection we shall become angels?-It does not. Jesus says that the saints shall be equal to the angels, in that they can die no more.  Luke 20:36. But this does not intimate that angels and men are of the same nature.

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Angels: Their Nature and Ministry

 (Excerpt - for continuing study) Revised by J.H. Waggoner.  1891 by Pacific Press Publishing Co.)