Various Scripture - Angels

Isaiah 6:1-7 

2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called out to another and said,

“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts,

The whole earth is full of His glory.”

Message: The Seraphim Worship our Holy God

What the Lord is Saying: God fights for His people through the angelic host. In Joshua is seen "the commander of the army of the Lord" - pre-incarnate Son of God in Joshua 5:13-15. The Greek word for "angel" (angelos) is more often used than the Greek word for "sin" (hamartia). Little known though about angels, yet God shows us they are key players in the outworking of His purposes. Isaiah 6:1-7 gives us much information though. Seraphim worship the Lord. They have wings. They are in a distinct class of their own. They focus on worshipping the Lord alone. They can be an example to me. 

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Revelation 4

8 And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.”

Message: The Living Creatures around the Throne of God

What the Lord is Saying: Revelation has much to say about angelic beings. In Revelation 4, angels are also present worshipping God in heaven. Unlike Isaiah though they do not cover their eyes. This could be a metaphor or image as is common in Revelation. Worship must be of first importance in our lives. Worship is a big focus clearly in heaven. 

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Daniel 12:1

“Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued."

Message: Unseen Warriors

What the Lord is Saying: Angels act in creation and do things, but we should not be too active in our imagination of what angels are like as scripture does not reveal much. Angels are involved in stories of God, but they seem to be secondary in their importance. Angels are active in miracles as in Matthew 28:1-10 they rolled the stone away form the tomb of Jesus. Angels have also been assigned to nations and territories as in Daniel 12:1. Angels and Demons have fought. Angels go to battle for believers as recorded in Hebrews 1:13-14. 

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Luke 1:5-38

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.

Message: Messengers of God

What the Lord is Saying: The word of angel in the Greek, angelos, also takes on the idea of carrying a message. At the birth of Jesus, the angel Gabriel was given this message to announce the birth of John the Baptist to Zechariah and the birth of the Savior to Mary (Luke 1:5-38). The appearance of angels to people is rare as when it happens it solicits great fear in people. Thus, angels are messengers of God, though Jesus remains the greatest messenger of God.

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Summary: We can learn from angels, but we must be careful not to imagine too much what they are like and focus what we know: they are models to us on worshipping God and bringing forth the message of God to people.   

 

Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's.

John 12:27-30 - Hearing a Voice from Heaven

John 12:27-30

27 “Now My soul has become troubled; and what shall I say, ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. 28 Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came out of heaven: “I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.” 29 So the crowd of people who stood by and heard it were saying that it had thundered; others were saying, “An angel has spoken to Him.” 30 Jesus answered and said, “This voice has not come for My sake, but for your sakes.

Message: Hearing a Voice from Heaven

Time: John most likely wrote between A.D. 85 and 90. John's purpose in writing was, "that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name (John 20:31)." 

What the Lord is Saying: In the Open Bible, starting with verse 23, it has given a heading of "The Messiah Teaches" from verse 23 to the end of the chapter, verse 50. So this is an interesting discourse that Jesus is giving now and John has witnessed and wrote down for us to read. Verse 20 mentions Greeks coming to worship Jesus and so the words now from Jesus seem to be a response to this. 

In verse 27-30 Jesus almost is talking to Himself and others are witnessing. In verse 23, He has mentioned "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified." John Gill (1697-1771, pastor beginning in 1719 for 51 years in Southwark (oldest district of London)) mentions this: 

that the son of man should be glorified; by rising from the dead, ascending to heaven, sitting at the right hand of God, and from thence pouring forth the Spirit upon his disciples, who should go and preach the Gospel to the Gentiles, as well as Jews; and which would issue in the conversion of many of them, and so in his glory, of which the coming of these Greeks was an earnest. 

In verse 27 is Jesus' honest reflection on this moment, anticipating the death that is coming. Though this is His destiny, He still struggles with it. He is "troubled." He wants to be saved from this hour. He is completely man, exhibiting the challenges that man faces when he is approaching something difficult. He is troubled about facing the judgment of God. The Christian has a peace about this judgment for believing in Jesus an trusting Him alone for their salvation. Often we will say that God might look at us and ask us why He should let us into heaven and we would respond because we are trusting in the blood of Jesus alone. Our hope is that at that moment our works will not be judged and yet I think we need to still hold onto some sort of fear for this judgment. We still should fear God.

Following these statements, Jesus still he sees His purpose and knows that the Father will be glorified. And then a voice from heaven speaks out confirming this - confirming that this is the intended outcome and goal of Jesus. God the Father speaks to the history of mankind in the statement, "I have both glorified it and will glorify it again." 

People heard the voice from heaven. And Jesus confirms that all that will transpire, his death, will be for the sake of all of them. All that Jesus will do and the Father's purpose is for the sake of mankind. 

Tabletalk makes this last statement in the devotion for today (July 9, 2018) - "God reveals (v. 28) that the cross will mark a new era in His dealings with His people, assuring them of their salvation." This is an interesting statement and it seems to be saying that 'a new era' is a new dispensation which is a new order at a particular time. And that order is people will be assured of their salvation. Why? Because Jesus will have achieved the defeat of death that all prior had been looking forward to His doing. So perhaps those in the past held onto a promise but now going forward people will be able to hold onto the actual event - the death, burial and resurrection event - as providing each person now complete assurance of their salvation. 

Summary: Jesus admits he is troubled about future judgment before God and yet God has a purpose for people, to give them assurance and Jesus submits to this. 

Promise: God is willing to go above and beyond in making Himself clear to us. 

Prayer: O God, thank you for the peace that is found in You and the honesty that you speak to me about what you experience, troubled about God's judgment and possibly death. But sometimes God we must go through these things that are tough. Help me to stay focused on the future and good things that You will do even when I don't understand it at the time. 

Note: If you are interested in other studies/devotions, check out my index of Bible Study's. 

Nehemiah 9:6 - Providential Preservation

Nehemiah 9:6
You alone are the Lord.
You have made the heavens,
The heaven of heavens with all their host,
The earth and all that is on it,
The seas and all that is in them.
You give life to all of them
And the heavenly host bows down before You.

Message: Providential Preservation

Time: Nehemiah is the author and written from a first-person perspective. We meet him as an adult serving in the Persian royal court as the personal cupbearer to King Artaxerxes. It opens in the Persian city of Susa in the year 444 BC and concludes around 430 BC. Most of the book centers on events in Jerusalem. He was a layman not a priest and his life is a study on leadership. He gave God the credit for his successes.

What the Lord is Saying:

Sovereignty is the doctrine that God controls all that occurs in His creation. God works all things according to the counsel of His will. All things take place as He has planned, decreed, or ordained them. The way that God works all things is in the works of creation and providence (Westminster Shorter Catechism 8). He created the heavens and the earth. He created all things out of nothing. We are His creation.

In addition to His creation God provides. Nothing happens by chance. Often in life, we use the word providing to denote things that we like that we receive. We have no problem receiving good things in life, but the notion that God provides the uncomfortable situations, the difficulties, the trials of life seems absent from our thinking for why would suffering be at the hand of God? Yet, we can see multiple times how trials teach us about ourselves and also about our need to trust God.

Again going back to WSC 11 we see that God’s works of providence are, his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions. Thus, the divine work of providence can be divided into divine preservation and divine governance.

To say that there is divine preservation is to record the idea that He sustains the existence of all created things. In essence, we need each other. Everything we see is His creation - nature, animals, land, sea. They all testify of who He is and yet they are all here to support one another. We need creation to live and sustain life. We need the food from creation to support one another and the animals. The sun lights our days. All of creation is dependent on one another and so God preserves it all for us, for His purposes.

Creation also cannot exist apart from God. Nehemiah 9:6 states - You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them. God gives life to all of them. Evolution and atheism try so hard to show that their is no life-giver, no one that sustains life, but rather life evolves and remains on its own. Yet, to me, it seems that his creation order gives this impression. The continual regeneration of one form to another is seen, but the mystery remains often why one form ends and when it does. We praise God for new life, for beginnings, but we often don't for ends.

Psalm 145:15-16 records - The eyes of all look to You, and You give them their food in due time.
You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. We sit at the table and thank God for the food He has given, for the shelter he has provided, for the job he has given, for the clothes we have on our backs - we want to remain thankful to him. There is danger in thinking this providence comes about because of our hard work alone.

Promise: As Martin Luther states, whatever "is in heaven and upon the earth, is daily given preserved, and kept for us by God"; thus, "it is our duty to love, praise, and thank Him for it without ceasing."

Prayer: Lord, as I take the time to examine creation, it reminds me Lord that You are creator. Lord, I see again that You provide everything that I see. Forgive me for thinking often that I am in control of outcomes. What a danger I have in my life to see what I produce and want to give myself the glory. Keep my eyes looking to You. Thank you for the earth and all that is in it. You give life to all that we see. You are giver and taker, but always for your purpose. We need you to carry on life. I need to keep returning to You in all things because I get so easily distracted.


Note: I follow the readings from the Tabletalk Magazine devotional, though I am a little behind and working through 2017 devotionals. 2017 is a study of key biblical doctrines with March being about the sovereign providence of God and looking at how the Bible reveals His control over all things.

Mark 13:27-31 - Within A Generation

Mark 13:27-31
27 And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.
28 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.31 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

Message: Within A Generation

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word 'immediately' used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying:

Preface - Jesus is speaking of the future as he delivers what is now been called the Olivet Discourse. The language here can be difficult at times to comprehend, as far as exactly the events that Jesus is predicting and their timing. Up to this point much has been thought to occur by AD 70 which is the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and then the wiping out of the Jewish Nation and how it will be replaced with the Gospel Church following Christ's substitution death on the Cross at Calvary. 

Perhaps the best way to interpret the previous passage - 13:24-26 is to say that it is simply the change from one era to another. Figurative, apocalyptic language is being used and often this language refers to falls of empires in the Bible and beginnings of new empires. So rather than thinking that in verse 26 it states that Jesus is coming in the clouds and this means His Second Coming it refers to him coming as the Messiah and the Jewish nation understanding this, for the first time. Jesus has come. Jesus is here. God to the earth. God to the whole world. Thus the destruction of the Jewish temple in AD 70 meant that the times of the Jews ended. Jesus told them to flee from Jerusalem immediately and thus flee from what they have known all along. And now salvation will come to all, but namely the Gentiles realizing that Salvation has come to the Jews. But Jesus has been stating and sort of judging the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem for not allowing the Gentiles to be welcomed into the temple. His death on the cross forces this to occur and the destruction of the temple is another way that it ushers in a new era.

And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven. This is perhaps that now that Jerusalem is broken up, churches will be formed and planted among the Gentiles, to the uttermost parts of the earth, the globe.

He then brings up the fig tree again. He came upon the fig tree as He entered Jerusalem, and seeing its leaves he expected fruit, but in fact saw none, so he cursed the fig tree for not bearing fruit. But now He brings a different message from the fig tree. The messages here is as soon as the disciples perceived the signs of Christ's coming, they were to learn that he was close at hand, as certainly as the ripening fruit of the fig tree showed that summer was at hand. And then this statement this generation will not pass away until all these things take place speaks to the fact that this Olivet Discourse is fulfilled in this generation, thus by AD 70 and the passage seems to signify events that are taking place now. The temple will be destroyed and then the church will be sent out from Jerusalem, to the earth. All would be fulfilled in the 1st century.

Then Jesus provides the strongest language stating that his words, his mission, his plan is not temporary, but eternal. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. He utters his divine authority here. Cambridge Bible Commentary states - But as we look across the centuries we see how it has been realized. His words have passed into laws, they have passed into doctrines, they have passed into proverbs, they have passed into consolations, but they have never “passed away.” What human teacher ever dared to claim an eternity for his words?

Summary - This has been a difficult text at times, but the Olivet Discourse predicts a time that is coming and Jesus is wanting to ease the minds of his disciples and followers. They are not to be frightened, but confident in the future. His message is not temporal. It will go forth to the ends of the earth. His gospel message will be proclaimed and churches will be planted. Man-made institutions will pass away but His Truth, His Words will never pass away.

Promise: We are to take the gospel to all peoples.

Prayer: Lord, I try to learn and study these truths somewhat quickly, in a morning right now and yet Your Words speak of eternity and Your plan forever. You Lord are on the throne and I can always trust in You and depend on You. Continue to help me encourage others and be a light in people's lives. Thank you for the promise of Your kingdom. Continue to give me understanding of your words as I read them and illuminate me. 

Mark 1:12-13 - Tempted in the Wilderness

Mark 1:12-13
12 Immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness.13 And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him.

Message: Tempted in the Wilderness

Time: Mark's personal connection with Peter gave him the source material for this book. This book was composed probably between AD 57 and AD 59. It's a book that is on the move, leading to the cross. 39 times is the word immediately used. Mark reveals Jesus as God's servant, reaching into the lives of people and effecting physical and circumstantial change.

What the Lord is Saying:

Immediately after being baptized the Spirit impelled or drove Him to go out in the wilderness. It wasn't that Jesus didn't want to go there, but he was led by the Spirit. This expresses to me the work of the Spirit not only in Jesus' life, but also in my life. Mark uses a stronger word than Matthew and Luke. But, the idea is the Spirit led Him. I think it could probably be described many times in my own life that the Spirit has led me. In the mall there were times when the Spirit did indeed led my friend and to specific people. As I looked previously in verse 8 about being baptized by the Spirit, I saw that the Spirit convicts people of sin, enlightens and teaches, comforts in the absence of Jesus, and changes hearts. The Spirit is present in my life. As I train myself daily for Godliness (I Timothy 4:7), the Spirit leads me and directs me to paths I need to take.

Here, Jesus is taken into the wilderness And He was in the wilderness for forty days being tempted by Satan. 

• Israel was tempted for 40 years in the same wilderness (Deuteronomy 8:1-2)
• Moses, the representative of Israel, spent 40 days on Mount Sinai at a critical point in his ministry (Exodus 24:15-18)
• Elijah, a representative old covenant prophet, stayed 40 days in the wilderness (I Kings 19:1-8)

Thus, Jesus' time in the wilderness, 40 days, is a parallel to the history of Israel.

Jesus was tempted by Satan. It is interesting that Mark is brief in his description of this temptation. Matthew gives us much more detail. While Mark is brief, he must have been intentional. He mentions that Jesus was with the wild beasts and the angels were ministering to him. Thus, it was Satan tempting with wild beasts and the angels were present. It could be that he had left Nazareth for the first time when he came to be baptized and now he was being tempted with wild beasts. He was in an unfamiliar place. His senses were being assaulted from every dimension. Yet, he was not alone. God provided angels to minister to him.

These verses, in a simple manner, are a reminder that even in the midst of temptation, God is there and we don't go it alone. We have help. There is a temptation to provide all of the details of the other gospels, but I somewhat want to understand Mark's telling, almost as if I don't have the other descriptions from the other gospels. Just looking at this from Mark, the Spirit led, Satan tempted, the angels ministered. To me, it is a great reminder that despite the temptations and wild beasts, the angels ministered to Jesus. It could have been that the temptation period lasted for a period, with wild beasts present, and afterwards, recovery occurred by the angels ministering to him.

Promise: In this description there is no mention of sin. There is no mention of failure. The specifics, maybe are not necessary. It was clearly difficult, but I think Mark wants to show that Jesus is not alone. He is led and the angels minister to him. God provides everything he needed in this difficult circumstance.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the brief description that Mark provides that actually still has an abundance of information. You Lord are present. You provide me what I need in difficult circumstances as you provided Jesus' what he needs. Remind me more of this. Always remind me that I am not alone through life's difficulties. Please remind my children of this as well. More and more I hear of people needing substances, such as drugs of different types, to deal with the anxieties present in this world. But, Lord you are there. Help them to surrender to you, and may the Spirit of God be present in their lives and the angels be active in ministering to them, helping them stay afoot.

Zechariah 4

Message: A lamp stand and 2 olive trees.

Time: Written during the building of the temple -- 520-516BC

What the Lord is Saying: What is the significance of these visions? They obviously serve multiple purposes. Each vision depicts something that is to be communicated. But, there is also an overall message.

(1) There is a confirmation that Zechariah or the angel has been sent by the Lord. Zechariah and what he hears and learns can be accepted because it comes from the Lord. "Then you will know that the Lord of Heaven's Armies has sent me."

(2)  The Lord takes great joy in the work of His people. "the Lord rejoices to see the work begin."

(3) The Lord wants to be praised. He is the author and we are to praise the author. "May God bless it! May God bless it!

Now in this story, there are two things that are seen in the vision. Both times the angel is startled or maybe even puzzled as to why Zechariah doesn't understand their meanings. Obviously, the situation at hand is the building of the temple.

(1) A solid gold lamp stand. This represents the Lord's strength and force which is His Spirit. When His Spirit, nothing stands in its way.  The people need to realize that God is there with them, giving them His strength to build the temple.

(2) Two olive trees. This represents two heavenly beings that stand guard in the court. Perhaps Revelaton 11:3-12 answers who these two beings are, standing guard.

Promise: The Lord is protecting us at all times. O if we would just see this and take confidence in this. And believe Him.

Ezekiel 11

Message: (1) The wicked counselors or leaders of Israel get their sentence; (2) The Jews in exile get hope.

Time: The Spirit takes Ezekiel to the east gate of the temple.

What the Lord is Saying: 
(1) The leaders are wicked and not allowing the people to build houses stating they are melt in a melting pot, but the Lord through Ezekiel lets these individuals know that they brought on the injustice for these people. And while he is speaking, one of the leaders suddenly die and the others wonder if they are next, though we don't know why the leader died as it could have been natural.
(2) A message goes out to the Jews that are scattered and they are reminded that the Lord will be their sanctuary and there is hope in their future. This will return to the land and remove the images they have worshiped instead of God in their life. God will give them a new heart. But, those that long for these vile images will receive bad outcomes. Their sins will be repaid for.

Problem/Promise: Leaders are held to a higher standard. The Lord will restore His people.

Ezekiel 10

Message: The Glory of the Lord leaves the temple. The glory of Israel was over them.

Time: Ezekiel sees a vision of the glory of the Lord, departing. 

What the Lord is Saying: Ezekiel sees some sort of vision of the glory of the Lord. He sees the angels and is told to take a handful of burning coals and scatter them over the city. From what I've seen so far in Ezekiel, he is receiving pictures of the judgment that is coming on Israel and Judah by the Chaldeans. Man thinks this judgment is coming from men, but it needs to be clear that this is the judgment from God worked out through men. And in no way does this mean that the men that are carrying it out are somehow holy. God uses what he wants to judge.

But, it is clear her that the Lord is at work. The angels had four faces, an ox, a human face, a lion face and the face of an eagle. Each of these forms obviously represented something. 

The glory of the Lord is seen leaving the temple. God is leaving these people by way of a chariot. This is significant. His presence is departing from them. 

Promise: The Lord carries out his plans. People think they know everything about God and try to keep God under wraps, but the Lord can move away from people. We must always trust in Him and surrender to Him.

Jesus Calling: February 1

Follow Me one step at a time. That is all I require of you. In fact, that is the only way to move through this space/time world. You see huge mountains looming, and you start wondering how you're going to scale those heights. Meanwhile, because you're not looking where you're going, you stumble on the easy path where I am leading you now. As I help you get back on your feet, you tell Me how worried you are about the cliffs up ahead. But you don't know what will happen today, much less tomorrow. Our path may take an abrupt turn, leading you away from those mountains. There may be an easier way up the mountains than is visible from this distance. If I do lead you up the cliffs, I will equip you thoroughly for that strenuous climb. I will even give My angels charge over you, to preserve you in all your ways.
     Keep your mind on the present journey, enjoying My Presence. Walk by faith, not by sight, trusting Me to open up the way before you.

Psalm 18:29
English Standard Version
For by you I can run against a troop,
and by my God I can leap over a wall.

Psalm 91:11-12
Amplified Version
For he will give His angels (especial) charge over you 
to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service]. 
They shall bear you up on their hands,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.

2 Corinthians 5:7
New King James Version
for we walk by faith, not by sight.

My Prayer
Lord, don't let me be far from you, but help me to concentrate and focus on You each step. Keep me under Your control. Lord, I want to be ready for what is before me and that means that instead of focusing on what is ahead, I focus on You. I keep my focus on the High Road and let you define my walk. Don't let me get bogged down in what I see, but rather focus on Faith and living and walking by faith, not by sight. Lord, I admit that is really hard. Sometimes I think it would be easier if I was blind, literally, because then I would be forced to be led. Yet, my guess is, I would still think I am in control. Yet this is the picture I want in my life, to be blind and led by You.

Don't let me get ahead of myself. I do need to think about the big picture in decisions and even child rearing, but help me to not be stressed by future events that are completely uncertain. I can trust You for those outcomes. I can trust You; no, really, I can do it. Don't let me get sidetracked from today that I miss opportunities you have given me to talk to people about You and remind them that You are all we need.

Note: The devotion and scriptures are from author Sarah Young. If you haven't already, please purchase the book and support the author. 

Also, bookmark https://bibletags.blogspot.com/2019/06/jesus-calling-366-days.html to have an easy link to the entire year of these entries.

Hebrews 2:16

For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham.
(Hebrews 2:16 ESV)

To help means to take hold of one as by the hand. Mr 8:23 ("he took the blind man by the hand"), Ac 23:19 ("the tribune took him by the hand"), Lu 9:47 ("Jesus took a child and put him by his side") all give the picture of the actual person taking someone by the hand, to aid them, to come alongside. Jesus comes to our aid, not to the aid of angels. To redeem man, it was necessary for him to be a man. Yes, he is speaking to descendants of Abraham, but he is not excluding the entire human race; he is at this moment speaking to one of his children, but that doesn't mean he excludes the others.

Hebrews 2:9

But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.
(Hebrews 2:9 ESV)

The dominion given to man was instead completely fulfilled in Jesus. How could someone who suffered and died be considered higher than angels? His position to man was one of submission and following his death he was immediately crowned with glory and honor and this crowning or exalting was because He suffered. God's grace (His favor, His benevolence) was given for everyone, by Jesus dying, experiencing death, tasting that which is most unpleasant.

Hebrews 2:7; Psalm 8:5

You made him for a little while lower than the angels;
you have crowned him with glory and honor,
(Hebrews 2:7 ESV)

God made man inferior in rank to the angels, but exalted him almost to their rank. God has bestowed honor on man's nature. Elevated honor conferred on human nature. The author later applies to Jesus. Jesus took exaltation to a greater level.