elizabethprata

Angels, angels, and more angels!

Posted on December 17, 2024December 17, 2024 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

This is a great sermon during this Advent season about angels called “The Ministry of Angels”. The pastor began by saying how many times angels are sung about in our traditional Christmas Carols. If you stop to think about it, they really are mentioned a lot.

Hark, the herald angels sing:
Hark! the herald angels sing, Glory to the newborn King

All is Well:
All is well, all is well, Angels and men rejoice

It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
It came upon the midnight clear,
that glorious song of old,
from angels bending near the earth
to touch their harps of gold:

The First Noel
The first Noel the angel did say
was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay,

Silent night
with the angels let us sing
“Alleluia” to our King:
“Christ the Savior is born!

O come all ye faithful
Sing, choirs of angels; sing in exultation;
sing, all ye citizens of heav’n above!

O holy night
Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!

Angels, we have heard on high
Angels we have heard on high, Sweetly singing o’er the plains,

Angels from the realms of glory
Angels from the realms of glory, wing your flight o’er all the earth;
ye who sang creation’s story now proclaim Messiah’s birth:

The study of angels in formal doctrine studies is called Angelology. It is one of the fundamental doctrines usually listed by most theologians in systematic theology. These doctrines are-

Theology Proper. Doctrine of God the Father.
Christology. Doctrine of Christ.
Pneumatology. The study of the Holy Spirit
Bibliology. Doctrine of the Bible.
Anthropology. Doctrine of Man.
Angelology. Doctrine of Angels.
Hamartiology. Doctrine of sin.
Soteriology. Doctrine of salvation.
Ecclesiology. Doctrine of the Church.
Eschatology. Doctrine of Last Things.
Soteriology. The study of salvation.
Cosmology – The study of creation

Angelology is a fascinating study, and there is much in the Bible about angels. But like most doctrines, it can and often is twisted by the unstable. It is a target for fringe theologians who spout fanciful theories and supposed visions. As Phil Johnson has said, “Few biblical topics have provoked more wild speculation and fruitless debate than the topic of angels.”

Because of this I am providing what I have found to be safe and solid material on angels for further study. After listening to the sermon I linked above, there are other great resources that explore the facts about these incredible beings.

By Gustave Doré, Elijah nourished by an angel, 1866

John MacArthur has several pieces about the different ministries of angels, including angel armies, (Angels: God’s Invisible Army, Part 1 with other parts after this), entertaining angels (Ever Met an Angel?), Angelic Messengers, and others. Search for angels at gty.org.

Phil Johnson wrote an essay at Ligonier called Angels: Messengers and Ministers of God.

Martyn Lloyd-Jones preached two sermons on angels in his Great Doctrines series. One is called Good Angels. Sadly, there is no recording of his subsequent lecture titled “The Devil and the Fallen Angels” but there is a transcript you can read which I uploaded for the public. Here is the link to the transcribed sermon The Devil and the Fallen Angels by Lloyd-Jones.

Randy Alcorn, author of the book ‘Heaven’, has several articles about angels at his website. How Do We Know That Seraphim and Cherubim Are Angels? He also answered this question In Their Own Realm, Do Angels Have Physicality?

“The Last Angel,” painted by Nicholas Roerich in 1912, is a powerful, symbolic artwork depicting the Archangel Michael, often interpreted as a premonition of impending war and destruction, with imagery inspired by the Book of Revelation, where the “last angel” is described as a fearsome figure heralding the end times; it showcases Michael as a warrior angel with a spear and shield, surrounded by flames, echoing Byzantine artistic traditions.

Pastor at First Baptist Church of Jackson in Jackson, Alabama, Philip McDuffie said, “Christians should have a healthy fascination with angels. These disembodied, spiritual beings are remarkable. They have extraordinary power and amazing intelligence. They are so radiant with the glory of God that godly men foolishly feel the need to bow down and worship them (Rev. 22:8-9). They appear all throughout the Bible, especially at major redemptive events. You will find them in the Garden of Eden, with the Patriarchs, with Moses, Joshua, and David, at Mount Sinai, all throughout the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, in the Acts of the Apostles, and at the consummation of all things.”

McDuffie says that Spurgeon was also fascinated with angels, and had a few thoughts on these beings grounded in scripture but launching from there into the mildly speculative. His and Spurgeon’s thoughts are here: Spurgeon’s Angelology: A Speculative Thought.

In this sermon, Charles Spurgeon discusses the angels who ministered to Jesus after His temptation in the wilderness. Satan departing, angels ministering

RC Sproul preached a two-part series simply called Angels.

Now here’s a little debate for you: do angels sing? I wrote about this a few years ago. Despite the hymns and carols noting that angels sing this or that, there is very little scriptural evidence that they do sing. But no scriptural evidence claiming they unequivocally do not sing. Hmmm.

GotQuestions: Do Angels Sing?

The End Time: Do Angels Sing? In which I look at the stances of some theologians who believe they do or do not, as well as offer some food for thought.

In the end, lest we fall guilty of what Phil Johnson said above, that we engage in wild speculation or fruitless debate, let me end here with a link to a page listing scriptures in which angels are mentioned, and it says there are 499 scriptures (but 25 are noted here).

Enjoy! Angels are fascinating and never forget, we will meet them one day!

Advent: Thirty Days of Jesus, Day 16, Kingdom of Darkness to Light

Posted on December 17, 2024December 17, 2024 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

People who are unsaved have no idea that they live in the kingdom of darkness. They believe all is well and go on with their lives, suppressing the truth in unrighteousness. Once a person is given the grace of becoming aware of their sin, and the spirit of repentance is bestowed upon them, their eyes are opened to the reality of their pitiful state. Without Jesus, there is no hope. All is dark, because HE is the Light.

Further Reading

Has Satan been given dominion over the earth until Jesus returns? If so, why was he given this authority?

Grace Gems: Deliverance from the power of darkness
What is the power of darkness, and how God delivers us from it. The Apostle speaks of “the power of darkness.” I shall, therefore, with God’s blessing, explain first what “darkness” is, and then enter into the meaning of the expression “the power of darkness.”

advent, theology

Advent, Thirty Days of Jesus: Day 15- The Gift of Eternal Life

Posted on December 16, 2024December 16, 2024 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Today is a pause for a moment in the progression of verses showing the Life of Jesus from inception to second coming, in order to ponder the incredible gift of eternal life his work from manger to ascension gives us. Christmas means many things. Today let’s think about His eternality.

Jesus is the Son of God.
Jesus is God.
Jesus co-existed in eternity with God, perfectly self-sufficient and satisfied with His communion with the other two persons of the God-head.

But God…loved us and He sent His Son Jesus to seek and save the lost, enacting this magnificent plan of the sacrifice, the cross, the resurrection- the Gospel.

Jesus was and is and is to come. He existed before time and He will be living after time ends. His incarnation and life on earth, death, and resurrection means He will be bringing his people into eternity with Him, to live as co-heirs of all there is. Angels aren’t eternal, they had a moment when they didn’t exist but then were created. Humans aren’t eternal either, we have a moment when our own creation begins (Adam then Eve, then all of us formed in the womb by the hand of God.)

The verse today affirms these truths. Jesus said “Before Abraham was, I AM.” I am, meaning He is always in the present. All of those who are in Christ Jesus are also given the gift of eternity…to be with Him, to dwell with Him in joyous worship, to serve Him forever.

Continue reading →

advent, theology

Advent, Thirty Days of Jesus: Day 14, Propitiation

Posted on December 15, 2024December 15, 2024 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Propitiation. A hard word to pronounce…and a hard word to understand, but we have to try, since the verse says this is the reason God sent His son.

An offering that turns away the wrath of God directed against sin. According to the NT, God has provided the offering that removes the divine wrath, for in love the Father sent the Son to be the propitiation (or atoning sacrifice) for human sin (1 John 4:10). Source: Pocket dictionary of theological terms (1996).

by which it becomes consistent with his character and government to pardon and bless the sinner. The propitiation does not procure his love or make him loving; it only renders it consistent for him to exercise his love towards sinners. In Easton’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary. (1893)

The Easton’s definition uses the word ‘consistent’. God is able to do anything but it would not be consistent with His holy character to abandon his promise to punish wrongdoers for their sin. He could turn away His wrath by deciding to do so, but it would destroy His perfectly just nature to be inconsistent. No, God is consistent, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8). “For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed“. (Malachi 3:6).

So He sent His Son to be that sacrifice and absorb God’s wrath for our sins, though Christ was sinless.

thirty days of jesus day 14 propitiation

Further Reading

GotQuestions: What is Propitiation?
The word propitiation carries the basic idea of appeasement or satisfaction, specifically toward God. Propitiation is a two-part act that involves appeasing the wrath of an offended person and being reconciled to him.

Ligonier Ministries: What Do Expiation and Propitiation Mean?
Let’s think about what these words mean, then, beginning with the word expiation. The prefix ex means “out of” or “from,” so expiation has to do with removing something or taking something away. In biblical terms, it has to do with taking away guilt through the payment of a penalty or the offering of an atonement. By contrast, propitiation has to do with the object of the expiation.

Bible Hub Topical Bible- Propitiation
That by which God is rendered propitious, i.e., by which it becomes consistent with his character and government to pardon and bless the sinner. The propitiation does not procure his love or make him loving; it only renders it consistent for him to execise his love towards sinners.

theology

A benefit to knowing God? RELIEF

Posted on December 14, 2024December 14, 2024 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Before I was saved I obsessively sought a foundation, a structure, a plan, an order… I chronicled all my life’s daily events, hoping a pattern would emerge. None did. But I felt due to the world’s creation being so orderly, so regular- like the stars in their course, the tides, regularity of seasons, there HAD to be some external composition to it. I was relieved God found me and revealed Himself to me, through His word. THERE is order. See these two Advent verses 700 years apart!

Of all the boons and benefits being saved gives the Christian, and there are so many to list, I include massive relief to know there IS order in the world, it was not banged into existence, life has a point to it all, there is structure underlying the seeming chaos, life continues after death and we can peek at the other side. It’s God. Order, structure, a plan, it’s HIM! What a joy to know Him!

Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will name Him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)

Now all this took place so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled: “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN WILL CONCEIVE AND GIVE BIRTH TO A SON, AND THEY SHALL NAME HIM IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.” (Matthew 1:22-23).

theology, thirty Days of Jesus

Advent, Thirty Days of Jesus: Day 13, God is pleased with His Son

Posted on December 14, 2024December 14, 2024 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

From Day 12-16 we are looking at verses that focus on Jesus as The Son. Yesterday we read the scripture from John 3:16, how God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son. Today we read how God was pleased with His Son whom He sent.

Jesus has been incarnated and ill-treated. (Herod’s aim to wipe Him out caused the cataclysmic genocide of all children in the region under the age of two).

While growing up, Jesus was obedient in all things to his earthly parents. God was pleased with this. Now is the time where Jesus emerges on mission to seek and save the lost. He is baptized by John.

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon Him; and a voice came from the heavens: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:9-11).

Just think, a nexus point on earth where all three Persons of the Trinity were congregated, initiating the extraordinary plan of God to save His people.

And so begins the most incredible period of time on earth there ever was.

thirty days of jesus day 13

Further Reading

Gill’s Exposition: God is pleased
in whom I am well pleased. Jehovah the Father took infinite delight and pleasure in him as his own Son, who lay in his bosom before all worlds; and was well pleased with him in his office relation, and capacity: he was both well pleased in him as his Son, and delighted in him as his servant, Isaiah 42:1 he was pleased with his assumption of human nature; with his whole obedience to the law; and with his bearing the penalty and curse of it, in the room and stead of his people: he was well pleased with and for his righteousness, sacrifice and atonement; whereby his law was fulfilled, and his justice satisfied. God is not only well pleased in, and with his Son, but with all his people, as considered in him; in him he loves them, takes delight in them, is pacified towards them, and graciously accepts of them.

Ligonier devotional (2-min read) The Baptism of Christ
Matthew 3:13–17 records our Lord’s baptism by John in the Jordan River, and as we read the account we can relate to John’s confusion. In verse 14, John essentially asks Jesus why He needs to be baptized. Actually, John wanted to deny baptism to Him, and we have to admit that John was not entirely off-base.

John MacArthur sermon: The Commissioning of the King
as we come to Matthew 3:13, we read the words, “Then cometh Jesus.” And really, for the first time, the Lord Jesus appears upon the stage. Up until this time it has been preparatory. Matthew has been commenting on various elements in the beginnings of Jesus: His birth, the things surrounding His birth, His forerunner, etc. But now, finally, Jesus steps onto the stage. Jesus takes the place of prominence.

theology

Advent, Thirty Days of Jesus: Day 12, The Son!

Posted on December 13, 2024 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

We’ve flowed through the first section of this series, in looking at verses that prophesy Jesus’ coming, His arrival, and His early life.

Starting today, from Day 12-16 we will look at verses that focus on Jesus as The Son.

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Further Reading

Ligonier: What does ‘the world’ mean in John 3:16?
Understanding how undeserving the world is of God’s love is the key to John 3:16. Only then will we appreciate the unexpected gift that God gives. This point was well made many years ago by the esteemed theologian Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield. In his sermon “God’s Immeasurable Love,” Warfield probes the meaning of the term “world” (Greek kosmos) in John 3:16 in order to plumb the depths of God’s love. What is the meaning of “world” in this passage?

Ligonier: John 3:16 and man’s ability to choose God
It is ironic that in the same chapter, indeed in the same context, in which our Lord teaches the utter necessity of rebirth to even see the kingdom, let alone choose it, non-Reformed views find one of their main proof texts to argue that fallen man retains a small island of ability to choose Christ. It is John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” What does this famous verse teach about fallen man’s ability to choose Christ? The answer…

Crosswalk: Why John 3:16 should be more than a slogan
For many people John 3:16 reads like a Hallmark card sent from God. In fact, when some Christians speak of the Gospel they use a play on the words of the Hallmark corporate slogan: “God cared enough to send His very best.” But John 3:16 is not a message of sentiment. When God sent His Son into the world, He was not having an emotional response to the tragedy of sin.

Spurgeon: Devotional on John 3:16, His Love, His Gift, His Son
This text is a polestar, for it has guided more souls to salvation than any other Scripture. It is among promises what the Great Bear is among constellations. Several words in it shine with peculiar brilliance…

theology, thirty Days of Jesus

Advent, Thirty Days of Jesus: Day 11, He was obedient

Posted on December 12, 2024December 12, 2024 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

With today’s post, we’ve flowed through the first section of this series, in looking at verses that prophesy Jesus’ coming, His arrival, and His early life.

Starting tomorrow, from Day 12-16 we will look at verses that focus on Jesus as The Son.

From Day 17-26, verses will focus on the preeminence of the Son, His works, and Ministry.

Days 27-36, His resurrection, ascension, and return.

Yes, there are more than 30 verses, lol. There’s a postlude.

Coffman’s Commentaries on the Bible

The precocious wisdom of the boy Jesus, and his certain consciousness of his unique relationship to the Father in heaven, were not looked upon by Jesus as sufficient to his earthly mission; he recognized himself still to be a child. The hour of his emergence as the world’s Saviour would be awaited by him until some sure indication of the Father’s will informed him that “his hour” had come. In the meanwhile, he would not disgrace himself as a child prodigy. He manifested the noblest quality of youth, that of loving submission to his earthly parents.

Further Reading

Answers in Genesis: Christ’s Obedience to the Father
Jesus honors the authority of His Father through complete obedience. A very clear but seldom pondered truth of the New Testament is that Christ’s entire life and ministry were orchestrated by His Father and that Jesus was careful to carry out every detail according to the will of His Father. “Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come . . . to do thy will, O God’” (Hebrews 10:7).

advent, theology

Advent: Thirty Days of Jesus, Day 10- the Boy Jesus at the Temple

Posted on December 11, 2024 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

The Bible is intentionally blank where Jesus’ boyhood is concerned. After His birth, the Bible is silent on what Jesus was doing. We know is He lived in Galilee. We know as a child, not a baby, He was taken by his parents to Egypt, to flee Herod’s rage. And now suddenly He is 12 years old and in the Temple.

With Him are wisdom and might; To Him belong counsel and understanding (Job 12:13).

Other than the Magi’s visit to the child, this alone stands out as the sole incident recorded in the Bible about Jesus childhood, or even adulthood before the first Miracle at Cana. Since the Holy Spirit chose to include this single event in the boy Jesus’ life, it bears study.

Further Reading:

The Day Jesus Went AWOL
Second, in this account are recorded the very first words of our Lord Jesus. Naturally, no words were recorded from the birth and infancy of Christ. Many of our Lord’s words were recorded from His later ministry. But the words of our Lord in this text are His first recorded words, and very important words they are indeed.

Twelve-year-old Jesus goes to the Temple
After the host of witnesses to Jesus in Luke 1:5–2:40, Jesus now speaks for himself for the first time. This is the literary climax of Luke’s initial section and shows the sense of mission and self-awareness Jesus possesses. Jesus has a unique relationship to God and a clear sense of his calling, one that transcends his relationship to his earthly parents.

The Son of God at twelve years old
This is the only story in the gospels about Jesus between his infancy and his public ministry as a man. Some have argued that the story is a legend created by the early church to fill in some of the gaps in their knowledge of Jesus’ life. What shall we say to this claim?

theology, thirty Days of Jesus

Advent- Thirty Days of Jesus: Day 9, The Child Grew

Posted on December 10, 2024 by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

We are still in the section of verses from the Bible depicting the prophecy of Jesus’ coming, His arrival, and His early life before ministry. With two more days after today to go, then we shift into looking at Jesus Himself, His earthly ministry, and the different aspects of Himself that He displayed.

John MacArthur preached on Jesus’ brother James in a sermon called James: The Brother of Our Lord. In it, JMac discusses the early home life of Jesus and contrasts it to the rest of Jesus’ siblings. From the siblings’ point of view, especially the focus of James, what was it like to grow up with literally a perfect brother? The venerable theologian proposes this:

“I don’t know how many times Joseph and Mary said this, but they must have said it more than they ought to, “Why can’t you be like your brother?” which doesn’t really help either.”

LOL.

There are not many verses recounting the childhood and pre-ministry life of Jesus, but there are a few. Here is one:

thirty days of jesus day 9 — Photo by Samuel Zeller on Unsplash

Further Reading

What happened during Jesus’ childhood?
Other than Luke 2:41–52, the Bible does not tell us anything about Jesus’ youth. From this incident we do know certain things about Jesus’ childhood. First, He was the son of parents* who were devout in their religious observances. As required in the law, Joseph and Mary made the yearly pilgrimage to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. When Jesus was 12 years old, they brought Him along on the trip to celebrate the Feast with them. Luke paints a picture of a typical boy in a typical family of that day.

Why doesn’t the Bible say much about Jesus childhood?
Both Matthew and Luke speak about the birth and infancy of Jesus, but share little concerning other details of His early life. Why not?

The boyhood of Jesus
Although the boy Jesus was gifted with a wisdom far beyond His years — a wisdom which was His because He was the Son of God, yet He lived much as other boys lived, doing the tasks that were given Him by His parents and being subject to them in all things.

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