“Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” Hebrews 1:14
Majestic angels with glittering halos top our trees on Christmas Day. Chubby, small-winged cherubs aim darts of love on Valentine’s Day. And we hope that a guardian angel keeps watch over us every day. But are these ideas imaginary or real?
A bit of both. Angels are definitely bona-fide beings, but our notions of how they look and what they do could use a bit of biblical refining. To begin with, you were never an angel (even if your mama said you were), and you are never going to be one. Before God formed the earth or us, He created angels—powerful creatures made of a higher order than man(Ps. 8:5) whose name, “messengers,” describes their function. Angels are God’s special agents who carry out His will and implement His purpose. Their ability and authority comes only from God and is only for God.
Angels do not reproduce(Matthew 22:30), they will never die(Luke 20:36), and they don’t have halos. “Thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times thousand” of angels exist(Rev. 5:11), but only two are named in the Bible. Gabriel, “man of God,” appears four times (twice to Daniel, once to Zechariah, and once to Jesus’ mother, Mary) to give an explanation or make an announcement. Michael, “who is like God?” is the archangel who protects and defends Israel(Daniel 12:1, Rev. 12:7-9) and who fussed with Satan over the body of Moses(Jude 1:9).
Angels are not all the same. Different roles and rankings are implied, and besides archangel, two more are specifically mentioned, cherubim and seraphim. Cherubim are a far cry from the precious, plump imps portrayed in art and movies. They are four-winged, four-faced creatures (Ezekiel 1) who proclaim and protect God’s glorious presence. Cherub guarded the Garden of Eden after Adam’s fall, and golden figures in their shape covered the ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies. The six-winged seraphim Isaiah saw hovering above God’s throne cover their faces and feet in reverence and continually call to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty”(Is. 6:1-4).
But though angels declare God’s glory, they can only observe God’s grace. The story of redemption is theirs to exclaim but not experience, for while many angels rebelled and fell, no salvation is offered for their sin. The lake of fire was prepared for the devil and his angels(Matt. 25:41), and “the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home—these God has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day”(Jude 1:6). Peter tells us that “even angels long to look into” the great news of the gospel which we have heard(1 Peter 1:12).
Such is not written to scare us to death but to wake us to life and to worship of our awesome God. While angels should be respected and admired, they are not the ones to be venerated. When John was shown the revelation of the end times and the new creation, he “fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to him, but the angel said, “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you…all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!”(Rev. 22:9) God is the one who sovereignly carries out His will in our lives, and He sends His angels to help us and serve us. “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?”(Hebrews 1:14)
Angels shut the mouths of Daniel’s lions and opened the doors of Peter’s prison. They protected David, nourished Elijah, and comforted Paul. They took care of Jesus after His wilderness temptation and strengthened Him in the garden of Gethsemane. And when Jesus rose from the dead, an angel rolled back the tomb’s stone and sat on top of it. Since that time, story after story has been told by God’s children of His protection and provision by creatures who appeared as people but who could only have been angels. We should not be surprised, for Hebrews reminds us, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it”(Heb. 13:2).
Since the angels of God’s little ones always see His face in heaven(Matt. 18:10), we can be sure He will send them to earth when we need them. Don’t look for an angel around every corner, but when someone shows up to help, thank God and think twice.
You never know.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
The Strong Force
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” Hebrews 1:3
“Opposites attract and likes repel.” What is sometimes true between the sexes is always true in science. Atoms exist because the positively-charged protons of the nucleus attract the negatively-charged electrons which whiz around it. But if “likes repel” and the protons huddled in the nucleus have the same positive charge, why don’t all atoms and, consequently, all of the universe blow apart? Let me not bore or mislead you with my diminutive understanding of particle theory; just know this: within the very tiny nucleus of each atom, a powerful force exists which supersedes the intense electromagnetic force of the repelling protons. Physicists appropriately call this force “strong force,” but the interactions and behavior of the teeny-tiny quarks and gluons (as in “glue on”) which are essential in strong force are yet to be fully understood—by some. Others have gotten it for a while. “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all thing by his powerful word”(Heb. 1:3).
On the smallest level and the largest, Jesus holds it all together. All that exists is sustained by His powerful word. Because He says so, it is and we are. “By him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible or invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him…and in him all things hold together”(Colossians 1:16-17).
Scientists can study and theorize, explain and expound, but the crux of the matter, and of matter itself, is a God powerful enough to create, strong enough to sustain, and loving enough to save. The crux of the matter is the cross.
When you feel as though you’re falling apart, you don’t have to hold yourself together.
Jesus already is.
“Opposites attract and likes repel.” What is sometimes true between the sexes is always true in science. Atoms exist because the positively-charged protons of the nucleus attract the negatively-charged electrons which whiz around it. But if “likes repel” and the protons huddled in the nucleus have the same positive charge, why don’t all atoms and, consequently, all of the universe blow apart? Let me not bore or mislead you with my diminutive understanding of particle theory; just know this: within the very tiny nucleus of each atom, a powerful force exists which supersedes the intense electromagnetic force of the repelling protons. Physicists appropriately call this force “strong force,” but the interactions and behavior of the teeny-tiny quarks and gluons (as in “glue on”) which are essential in strong force are yet to be fully understood—by some. Others have gotten it for a while. “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all thing by his powerful word”(Heb. 1:3).
On the smallest level and the largest, Jesus holds it all together. All that exists is sustained by His powerful word. Because He says so, it is and we are. “By him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible or invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him…and in him all things hold together”(Colossians 1:16-17).
Scientists can study and theorize, explain and expound, but the crux of the matter, and of matter itself, is a God powerful enough to create, strong enough to sustain, and loving enough to save. The crux of the matter is the cross.
When you feel as though you’re falling apart, you don’t have to hold yourself together.
Jesus already is.
Jesus Who?
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being.” Hebrews 1:3
Hebrews begins with a bang—God has spoken and we should listen. But who exactly did the talking? The first few chapters make sure we get that one right from the get-go. “In these last days God has spoken to us through his Son.” When God wanted to get His message of grace to earth, He brought it Himself. He didn’t send an angel (the contrasts in verses 5-14 make that undeniably clear); the Father sent His Son.
He came as man, for He had to be made like us “in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest…and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people”(Heb 2:17-18). He came as God. “But about the Son he [the Father] says, ‘Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever…He also says, ‘In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth’”(Heb 1:8,10). If the Father says the Son is God, no other opinion or evidence is needed. Case closed.
If I seem to be belaboring the point, I am, because eternity hinges on the correct answer to the question of “Who is Jesus?” We need to know and be able to say so. For two thousand years people have debated, doubted, or denied His divinity, but Hebrews confirms that in Jesus the second Person of our Three-in-One God arrived in our world. “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being”(Heb 1:3). Jesus is the Father’s heavenly glory shining brightly on earth. He is the exact expression of the nature and essence of God. Just as the sun glowing in the sky does not merely give off energy but is energy, Jesus is not merely a result of God, He is God. He is the identical image of God, made from the same substance and splendor. In other words, Jesus is not an imitation; He’s the real deal—the divine deal, and because of who He is, we can be confident in what He did.
Jesus is way above the angels, and He’s much more than a mere mortal. Jesus is God wrapped in skin—divinity merged with humanity—and the reason He came with two hands and two feet was so they could be pierced for you.
Hebrews begins with a bang—God has spoken and we should listen. But who exactly did the talking? The first few chapters make sure we get that one right from the get-go. “In these last days God has spoken to us through his Son.” When God wanted to get His message of grace to earth, He brought it Himself. He didn’t send an angel (the contrasts in verses 5-14 make that undeniably clear); the Father sent His Son.
He came as man, for He had to be made like us “in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest…and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people”(Heb 2:17-18). He came as God. “But about the Son he [the Father] says, ‘Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever…He also says, ‘In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth’”(Heb 1:8,10). If the Father says the Son is God, no other opinion or evidence is needed. Case closed.
If I seem to be belaboring the point, I am, because eternity hinges on the correct answer to the question of “Who is Jesus?” We need to know and be able to say so. For two thousand years people have debated, doubted, or denied His divinity, but Hebrews confirms that in Jesus the second Person of our Three-in-One God arrived in our world. “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being”(Heb 1:3). Jesus is the Father’s heavenly glory shining brightly on earth. He is the exact expression of the nature and essence of God. Just as the sun glowing in the sky does not merely give off energy but is energy, Jesus is not merely a result of God, He is God. He is the identical image of God, made from the same substance and splendor. In other words, Jesus is not an imitation; He’s the real deal—the divine deal, and because of who He is, we can be confident in what He did.
Jesus is way above the angels, and He’s much more than a mere mortal. Jesus is God wrapped in skin—divinity merged with humanity—and the reason He came with two hands and two feet was so they could be pierced for you.
Dive Time
“In these last days, God has spoken to us by his Son.” Hebrews 1:1
My earliest memory of Hebrews is lost in a daydream.
Staying focused for five consecutive nights during summer revival was hard enough, but paying attention at the weekday morning services was nigh to impossible. One year I never even made it past the first verse.
The preacher’s voice boomed the scripture through the thick southern air, “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets…” Surely those words held deep significance for King James and his counterparts, but to my nine year old mind God was scuba diving on a sunny day. And off I went.
Several years later I read the same passage in a more contemporary version and thought, “So that’s what God and that guy were trying to say!” “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son”(Hebrews 1:1-2). God wasn’t diving; He was divulging—who He is and what He is up to. In the past, i.e. BC, God sent His word to His people through His prophets. He did this for thousands of years in numerous ways. Moses held stone tablets. David composed songs. Isaiah gave his kids strange names. Jeremiah smashed jars and wrote on scrolls. Ezekiel lay on his left side for over a year then turned on his right for forty extra days. Daniel interpreted dreams. Hosea married a prostitute. And Malachi delivered oracles. Many centuries. Many messages. Many methods. But now…
“But in these last days, [i.e. AD,] he has spoken to us by his Son.” No more word pictures or implied examples are needed. God has shown up and spoken up in Jesus. What Jesus said and what Jesus did give us a complete revelation of our Heavenly Father. The book of Hebrews helps us understand why Jesus came as He did, why He did what He did, and what we are to do because of what He did. Many practices and policies of the Old Testament which cause us to wonder “Why?” or “What?” make sense and have more meaning due to their explanation in Hebrews. If I had to describe Hebrews in one word, I would say “Helpful.”
We don’t know who wrote these helpful words. Some think Paul is the author. Others pick Apollos. Who wrote the book doesn’t matter; what is written is what’s important. And who reads it and believes it. For the next few weeks, that would be us. Hebrews is long, but hopefully we won’t get lost. And somewhere along the way, I’m certain that God will use His helpful words in Hebrews to help us grasp His love and grace more than we ever have before.
So grab your mask and fins, and let’s dive deep.
Maybe God’s into scuba after all, and the Son is certainly shining!
My earliest memory of Hebrews is lost in a daydream.
Staying focused for five consecutive nights during summer revival was hard enough, but paying attention at the weekday morning services was nigh to impossible. One year I never even made it past the first verse.
The preacher’s voice boomed the scripture through the thick southern air, “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets…” Surely those words held deep significance for King James and his counterparts, but to my nine year old mind God was scuba diving on a sunny day. And off I went.
Several years later I read the same passage in a more contemporary version and thought, “So that’s what God and that guy were trying to say!” “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son”(Hebrews 1:1-2). God wasn’t diving; He was divulging—who He is and what He is up to. In the past, i.e. BC, God sent His word to His people through His prophets. He did this for thousands of years in numerous ways. Moses held stone tablets. David composed songs. Isaiah gave his kids strange names. Jeremiah smashed jars and wrote on scrolls. Ezekiel lay on his left side for over a year then turned on his right for forty extra days. Daniel interpreted dreams. Hosea married a prostitute. And Malachi delivered oracles. Many centuries. Many messages. Many methods. But now…
“But in these last days, [i.e. AD,] he has spoken to us by his Son.” No more word pictures or implied examples are needed. God has shown up and spoken up in Jesus. What Jesus said and what Jesus did give us a complete revelation of our Heavenly Father. The book of Hebrews helps us understand why Jesus came as He did, why He did what He did, and what we are to do because of what He did. Many practices and policies of the Old Testament which cause us to wonder “Why?” or “What?” make sense and have more meaning due to their explanation in Hebrews. If I had to describe Hebrews in one word, I would say “Helpful.”
We don’t know who wrote these helpful words. Some think Paul is the author. Others pick Apollos. Who wrote the book doesn’t matter; what is written is what’s important. And who reads it and believes it. For the next few weeks, that would be us. Hebrews is long, but hopefully we won’t get lost. And somewhere along the way, I’m certain that God will use His helpful words in Hebrews to help us grasp His love and grace more than we ever have before.
So grab your mask and fins, and let’s dive deep.
Maybe God’s into scuba after all, and the Son is certainly shining!
Believe
“The Ninevites believed God.” Jonah 3:5
God spoke, and the people of Nineveh believed. Short. Simple. And how it should be. They didn’t debate or dawdle. They didn’t get second opinions or investigate other options. They straight-up and straight-out took God at His word. Their belief translated immediately into action. The king stepped off his thrown and sat down in the dust. He decreed a fast and commanded, “Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence.” To show they were serious, “all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.” The people’s sincerity went beyond skipping a few meals and donning itchy clothes; they were sincerely sorry and repented. Their certainty of God’s word caused a change in their ways.
The Ninevites’ belief was more than a state of mind; it was a state of will. Their knowledge of God may have been small, but their belief was big—big enough to make a difference in them and big enough to make a difference to God. “When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring up on them the destruction he had threatened.”
Belief is huge. Way huge. What we believe and who we believe makes all the difference—now and forever. Belief in God’s Word is the filter and framework we need for our culture’s continual barrage of information and for our constant choice of action. Before, and better than, you believe anything else, believe the Bible. Its stories of creation, resurrection, and redemption may sound crazy, but they’re true. Step off the throne and sit down in the dust. The One who has spoken is not an egotistical liar but the everlasting Lord. If you want to know what to do with and how to deal with all that others say, you must first know and believe what He says. Thankfully, you need not wait for a visiting prophet to bring a message from the Lord. God’s words are in black and white for us to treasure and to trust—to believe. Short. Simple. And how it should be.
Take God at His Word.
He will always keep it.
God spoke, and the people of Nineveh believed. Short. Simple. And how it should be. They didn’t debate or dawdle. They didn’t get second opinions or investigate other options. They straight-up and straight-out took God at His word. Their belief translated immediately into action. The king stepped off his thrown and sat down in the dust. He decreed a fast and commanded, “Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence.” To show they were serious, “all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth.” The people’s sincerity went beyond skipping a few meals and donning itchy clothes; they were sincerely sorry and repented. Their certainty of God’s word caused a change in their ways.
The Ninevites’ belief was more than a state of mind; it was a state of will. Their knowledge of God may have been small, but their belief was big—big enough to make a difference in them and big enough to make a difference to God. “When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring up on them the destruction he had threatened.”
Belief is huge. Way huge. What we believe and who we believe makes all the difference—now and forever. Belief in God’s Word is the filter and framework we need for our culture’s continual barrage of information and for our constant choice of action. Before, and better than, you believe anything else, believe the Bible. Its stories of creation, resurrection, and redemption may sound crazy, but they’re true. Step off the throne and sit down in the dust. The One who has spoken is not an egotistical liar but the everlasting Lord. If you want to know what to do with and how to deal with all that others say, you must first know and believe what He says. Thankfully, you need not wait for a visiting prophet to bring a message from the Lord. God’s words are in black and white for us to treasure and to trust—to believe. Short. Simple. And how it should be.
Take God at His Word.
He will always keep it.
Days of Grace
“Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.” Jonah 3:4
We find the number forty in the Bible more than most. The flood’s deluge lasted forty days. Jacob was embalmed for forty days. Moses visited with God on Mt. Sinai for forty days. The spies surveyed the Promised Land for forty days. Goliath taunted Israel’s army for forty days. Satan tempted Jesus for forty days. Between the resurrection and ascension, Jesus appeared to the disciples for forty days. And Jonah proclaimed that Nineveh had forty days before God brought them down.
Bad storms and big fish behind him, “Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh…He proclaimed: ‘Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.’”
Why wait the forty days? Why not announce doom and instantly bring destruction? Nineveh’s sins surely warranted the sentence. Their idolatry was outrageous, their cruelty famous. The people were guilty with no hope of innocence, and God would have been perfectly just in sending immediate punishment. Why the delay?
Grace.
The word keeps recurring due to its abundance. God didn’t need forty days to decide Nineveh’s penalty. He wasn’t debating or doubting His verdict. His plans were complete and prepared. The days in between the announcement and the annihilation were a display of God’s patience and a gift of His mercy. Though Nineveh deserved no grace period, God gave them more than a month—enough time for fakes to be found out and skeptics to come around.
“The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance”(2 Peter 3:9). God gives us time so we will turn—away from our wrong to His righteousness. God waits so we will see His way. He holds back so we will come back.
We don’t always understand such grace. We would have scorched Sodom long before God sent burning sulfur. We would have sent the rumbling, grumbling Israelites back to slavery in Egypt a couple of months into the trip. We would have brought David to slingshot Goliath somewhere around day six. When we are the ones calling for justice, God can’t move fast enough. But when we stand with our judgment just before us, we want time to stand still.
One day it did. “Around noon the sky turned dark…and the sun stopped shining”(Luke 23:44).
God is not slow. He is grace.
Receive (and rejoice) without delay.
We find the number forty in the Bible more than most. The flood’s deluge lasted forty days. Jacob was embalmed for forty days. Moses visited with God on Mt. Sinai for forty days. The spies surveyed the Promised Land for forty days. Goliath taunted Israel’s army for forty days. Satan tempted Jesus for forty days. Between the resurrection and ascension, Jesus appeared to the disciples for forty days. And Jonah proclaimed that Nineveh had forty days before God brought them down.
Bad storms and big fish behind him, “Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh…He proclaimed: ‘Forty more days and Nineveh will be overthrown.’”
Why wait the forty days? Why not announce doom and instantly bring destruction? Nineveh’s sins surely warranted the sentence. Their idolatry was outrageous, their cruelty famous. The people were guilty with no hope of innocence, and God would have been perfectly just in sending immediate punishment. Why the delay?
Grace.
The word keeps recurring due to its abundance. God didn’t need forty days to decide Nineveh’s penalty. He wasn’t debating or doubting His verdict. His plans were complete and prepared. The days in between the announcement and the annihilation were a display of God’s patience and a gift of His mercy. Though Nineveh deserved no grace period, God gave them more than a month—enough time for fakes to be found out and skeptics to come around.
“The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance”(2 Peter 3:9). God gives us time so we will turn—away from our wrong to His righteousness. God waits so we will see His way. He holds back so we will come back.
We don’t always understand such grace. We would have scorched Sodom long before God sent burning sulfur. We would have sent the rumbling, grumbling Israelites back to slavery in Egypt a couple of months into the trip. We would have brought David to slingshot Goliath somewhere around day six. When we are the ones calling for justice, God can’t move fast enough. But when we stand with our judgment just before us, we want time to stand still.
One day it did. “Around noon the sky turned dark…and the sun stopped shining”(Luke 23:44).
God is not slow. He is grace.
Receive (and rejoice) without delay.
The Divine Do-Over
“And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry ground.” Jonah 2:10
After three days and three nights even the fish couldn’t stomach Jonah any longer, but the upchuck came at God’s command. “And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry ground.” Jonah landed on the sand messy and smelly but alive and appreciative. Never had the air felt so fresh. Never had the sun been so bright. And never had God seemed so real.
But what would He say now? The Almighty certainly had Jonah’s full attention and could fill his ear with pointed reminders of Jonah’s mess-ups and mutiny. But God didn’t guilt Jonah with a lecture or shame him with his past. He simply repeated the initial order. “Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.’ Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh.”
Do-overs are divine. They arrive as gifts of mercy to be cherished and grasped. If grace grants you a second shot, do it well and do it right. Don’t repeat your sins of the past, but don’t live in fear that your failures dictate your future. The do-over isn’t given to remind you of what you weren’t, but to reveal what you can be—and who God is.
If God made a whale barf up a prophet on a beach, He should have no problem rearranging your life as He desires. And when He does provide a duplicate duty (after you’ve botched the first task), do what He says and stick to His plan. The God of heaven and earth, of sizable fish and sinful prophets, knows what is best—always.
If God grants you a do-over, embrace the grace and obey.
You might not smell so good, but a second chance is always sweet.
After three days and three nights even the fish couldn’t stomach Jonah any longer, but the upchuck came at God’s command. “And the Lord commanded the fish, and it vomited Jonah onto dry ground.” Jonah landed on the sand messy and smelly but alive and appreciative. Never had the air felt so fresh. Never had the sun been so bright. And never had God seemed so real.
But what would He say now? The Almighty certainly had Jonah’s full attention and could fill his ear with pointed reminders of Jonah’s mess-ups and mutiny. But God didn’t guilt Jonah with a lecture or shame him with his past. He simply repeated the initial order. “Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: ‘Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.’ Jonah obeyed the word of the Lord and went to Nineveh.”
Do-overs are divine. They arrive as gifts of mercy to be cherished and grasped. If grace grants you a second shot, do it well and do it right. Don’t repeat your sins of the past, but don’t live in fear that your failures dictate your future. The do-over isn’t given to remind you of what you weren’t, but to reveal what you can be—and who God is.
If God made a whale barf up a prophet on a beach, He should have no problem rearranging your life as He desires. And when He does provide a duplicate duty (after you’ve botched the first task), do what He says and stick to His plan. The God of heaven and earth, of sizable fish and sinful prophets, knows what is best—always.
If God grants you a do-over, embrace the grace and obey.
You might not smell so good, but a second chance is always sweet.
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