Friday, September 27, 2013

Angels watching over me...

Have you ever been in someones home and seen the feminine looking angel figurines? Have you ever seen the bumper stickers with the phrase I've got angels watching over me and it has a angel in a long flowing garment with a dainty smile on her face?

I am reading through the Old Testament and there are several passages that show angels interacting with humans and from what I can tell they are far from what we portray them as. Let me show you a couple of examples.

II Samuel 24:15-17  - 15 So the Lord sent a pestilence on Israel from the morning until the appointed time. And there died of the people from Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men. 16 And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among the people, “It is enough; now stay your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17 Then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Behold, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand be against me and against my father's house.”

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

Revelation 12:7,8 - 7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.

Now sure, not all passages about angels are of them killing people but if I needed an angel to look out for me or to be my guardian angel I think I would want one of these on my side. Angels are also portrayed as messengers or helpers:

Luke 1:26-33  - 26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Matthew 4:11 Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.

I guess my point in all of this is the total misrepresentation of angels is just one piece of scripture and truth that gets distorted time and time again. More important than the truth about angels getting distorted is the truth about Christ being distorted. Christ was not just a good man, Christ was not just a good teacher, Christ was not just a mythological figure like Zeus or Hermes. Christ was God in the flesh.

John 8:58,59  - 58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59 So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.

John 14:8,9 - 8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

So why did he do it, why did God come to earth in the person of Jesus?

John 3:16,17 - 16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

It was his love for you and me. He did for us what we could never do for ourselves. Christ came to earth and lived a perfect life and offered himself as a sacrifice to please a Holy God. The adversary, Satan, wants to do nothing more than distort this truth. Don't fall for the lies and deception.

John 17:17 - 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

We will not get the truth from the world we will only get it from God's word. Who are you listening to?

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