Advent Day 3
Psalm 89:5-8 ESV
Luke 1 (Gabriel was Archangel)
Daniel 8:15-17 ESV
Daniel 9:20-23 ESV
Psalm 148:1-5 ESV
John 1:1-3 ESV
Luke 1:26-28 ESV
Psalm 91:1 ESV
I’m not sure if the commercialization of angels is a good thing or a bad thing. Some experts believe any attention is good for the purpose of knowing or being known.
According to the dictionary definition there is a huge difference between notoriety (being famous for some bad quality) and being notable (remarkable and worthy of attention). In other words, Angels are notable but they do not have notoriety. There is nothing evil or bad about God’s Angels.
The world doesn’t always tell scriptural truth about Angels. We need to understand that Angels are not good and worthy humans who attained a higher status.
According to Psalm 89:5-8 angels are heavenly beings:
“Let the heavens praise your wonders, O Lord, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones!
For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord,
a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him?
O Lord God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O Lord, with your faithfulness all around you?”
In Luke 1, the Angel Gabriel is an archangel. This New Testament account of the archangel Gabriel was not the first time the Angel appeared. The Angel Gabriel appeared to Daniel in the lion’s den in Daniel 8:15-17, “When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it. And behold, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. And I heard a man's voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” So he came near where I stood. And when he came, I was frightened and fell on my face. But he said to me, “Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end.”
Again, Gabriel appeared in Daniel 9:20-23, “While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the Lord my God for the holy hill of my God, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, “O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision.”
In scripture one of the tasks Angels do is to deliver messages from God.
According to Psalm 148:1-5 angels were created when God specifically commanded it:
“Praise the Lord!Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights!
Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts!
Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars!
Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
Let them praise the name of the Lord! For he commanded and they were created.”
More specifically John 1:1-3 tells us, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
Through the Word, all things were made. The Word was God and in John 1:14 we receive further clarification, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
Jesus dwelt among us and through Jesus (the Word) we have seen the glory of God.
Luke 1:26-28 tells us, “In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”
It was the Angel Gabriel who delivered the message to the Virgin Mary that she had found favor with God and the Lord God was WITH her. Angels are sent to deliver messages.
We know from Psalm 91:1 that God sent (and sends) angels, “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.”
The heavenly beings or Angels are also sent to guard us in all our ways.
The Angel Gabriel, an Archangel who delivered the message to the Virgin Mary also possessed the capability to guard Mary and the Holy Child.
I’ve said it before, and will probably say again that Billy Graham’s book, God’s Secret Agents had a huge impact on my theology and practice for life. I read it when it first came out in 1975. I was 22 years old. Because of scripture and aided by Dr. Graham’s book, my eyes were opened to God’s angels all around us. Dr. Graham wrote, “If we had open spiritual eyes we would see not only a world filled with evil spirits and powers--but also powerful angels with drawn swords, set for our defense."
The next time you are afraid and need a guard, or you need to hear a message from God, you may receive a visit from one of God’s messengers. They surround you (believers) day and night. They are God's Army.
Spiritual Practice: Angels ALL Around
Take a moment to thank God for His Army...your protecting Angels.
In God, Deborah
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