Posted in grace

The incomparable riches of His grace

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Scroll to bottom after photo for mini-library suggestions of books on grace.

What are these incomparable riches of God’s grace?

First, Christ Jesus.

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:4-7).

As we are saved, we step from dead flesh to life eternal. From enemy sinner to forgiven friend. From object of wrath to recipient of grace.

He is GREAT!!

He manifested Himself as man, servant, no less, so that He could live a life full of the same temptations we experience, can you imagine that? “Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.” (Hebrews 2:18)

GRACE!!

As our High Priest, when we confess to Him, He understands! Thoroughly, bodily, intimately. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15).

GRACE!!

Another example of the incomparable riches of His grace is “The Promise of the Holy Spirit” –“On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7:37-39).

We are given the grace of Spirit within us and as a result have eternal security of our salvation all the days of our life. Incomparable grace!

“He set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (2 Corinthians 1:22)

What is to come is MORE GRACE!!

When you think of Jesus and what He has done for us and continues to do, don’t you just get weak in the knees? Doesn’t your heart faint with love? He saved us so that He could shower us with His grace. “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.” (1 Peter 5:10) He is the God of all grace, and He chose to shower us with the riches of that incomparable grace.

Don’t forget to remind each other of these things. Encourage one another. Repeat your testimonies. Share verses, laugh with joy at our Great Savior, who is of all Grace. All is well because Christ Jesus has risen and dwells in His heaven. All of us in Him are testimonies of His grace, and that is all joy.

EPrata photos

Some Suggestions for Books on Grace:

Fundamentals of the Faith: 13 Lessons to Grow in the Grace and Knowledge of Jesus Christ, foreword by John MacArthur

John Bunyan and the Grace of Fearing God, Joel R. Beeke

The Glory of Grace, Lewis Allen

Christian Freedom (Grace Essentials), Samuel Bolton

Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners: A Brief Relation of the Exceeding Mercy of God in Christ to His Poor Servant John Bunyan, John Bunyan

All of Grace: An Earnest Word with Those Who Are Seeking Salvation by the Lord Jesus Christ, C. H. Spurgeon

Dark Clouds, Deep Mercy: Discovering the Grace of Lament, Mark Vroegop

Grace Transforming, Philip Graham Ryken

The Grace of Repentance, Sinclair B. Ferguson

Grace Defined and Defended: What a 400-Year-Old Confession Teaches Us about Sin, Salvation, and the Sovereignty of God, Kevin DeYoung

Transforming Grace: Living Confidently in God’s Unfailing Love, Jerry Bridges

Posted in abraham, end time, prophecy, remember lot's wife

Abraham’s altars and the lesson for us

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

EPrata photo

Genesis is such an amazing book of the Bible. In re-reading Genesis 12, I was again astounded by the depth and complexity of human history and our relationship with God. Genesis 12 is the famous chapter in which God called Abram (later name changed to Abraham) and made a significant promise:

I will make you a great nation; … I will bless those who bless you. And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Gen 12:2a & 3a)

You can be sure that the promise of God is solid, and that we are seeing the curse of nations who curse Israel beginning before our eyes. In verse 7 of Genesis 12, “Then the LORD appeared to Abram,” God appeared to Abraham. In my interpretation he appeared as the Son (Jesus said in John 8:58,”Before Abraham was, I AM.” He was quoting God speaking to Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3:14). God appeared to Abram! Think on that for a moment. The El-Shaddai, the I AM, the ALMIGHTY, appeared to a man, walked with him, spoke to him, comforted him, and commanded him. It is a shuddering thought to ponder the gravity of those moments. That gravity was not lost on Abraham, who built altars to Him all over the Land wherever he went. Abraham did not build houses for himself, he built altars to God.

Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD. So Abram journeyed, going on still toward the South.

Abraham built altars right away, to mark his obedience to the LORD, and to sacrifice and worship. When Abraham came back from Egypt, “to the place of the altar which he had made there at first. And there Abram called on the name of the LORD.” (Genesis 13:3-4) which is another way of saying worship and sacrifice. When Abraham and Lot had separated and Abram moved to the region of Hebron, he “built an altar there to the Lord” (Genesis 13:18).

EPrata photo

Abraham corresponded with the LORD by building altars for worship. Building an altar is an intentional, physical act. Worshiping on front of an altar is an intentional, physical act. When Abraham returned from Egypt, Abraham saw the altar he had originally made and ‘called on the name of the LORD’ in worship and thanks. In this case, the altar was a reminder of his relationship with the great I AM.

We do not need to build altars in these New Testament times, but we do need to be as dedicated and as intentional as Abraham in our relationship with God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit. You note that when Abraham and Lot separated, there was no mention of Lot building an altar to the LORD.

EPrata photo

Lot was with Abraham when Abraham got the calling from God (Genesis 12:5) and was with Abraham throughout the blessing of his peoples’ increase. Lot saw God working in his family’s life. He reaped the blessings of Abraham’s obedience. But Lot did not build an altar. And from the biblical record we see how the distance between man and God can slowly grow when we fail to consistently correspond with the LORD.

Lot crept toward Sodom, closer and closer he pitched his tent, until he was finally living inside the city with all its sin and perversity. Though the sins of the city grieved Lot greatly (2 Peter 2:6-8) Lot did not build an altar. And in the end, Lot lost his city, his possessions, his family, his wife, (“Remember Lot’s wife” Luke 17:32) and sin fell upon his daughters, who lay with their father in perverse sin.

We do not build altars … but we pray. Our part of the correspondence between ourselves and God/Jesus/Holy Spirit is maintained through prayer, corporate worship, and fellowship in the body of the believers. Is your heart an altar to I AM? Do you pray constantly? Do you worship in faith and obedience, as Abraham did? No? Remember Lot’s wife.

Sequester a place where you pray, erect a wall around the dedicated time you pray, build an altar of prayer in your life and you will be blessed by the presence of the I AM Himself!!! He is with you, lo, even to the end of the age.

Posted in angels, lloyd-jones

Great Biblical Doctrines: The Good Angels

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Martyn Lloyd-Jones (MLJ) preached through an incredible series called “The Great Doctrines of God.” You can listen to them here. The companion sermon to The Good Angels (The Bad Angels) is unfortunately not recorded, but you can read a transcript of that sermon on fallen angels from MLJ, here.

Listening to his sermon on the good angels gave me such encouragement. I always find that thinking of, reading about, or listening to any piece which exalts the majesty of God is in itself great encouragement. And why not? All good things come from God and thus, He is the source of encouragement.

“Guido Reni’s Michael (in Santa Maria della Concezione church, Rome, 1636) tramples Satan. Public domain

Lloyd-Jones’s sermon brought out so many great points. The red type from here on are MLJ’s words.

“Let me ask a question at this point: How often have you heard either a sermon or an address on the biblical doctrine of the angels? How often have you considered this doctrine or meditated upon it? I ask those questions in order that I may ask another: Why is it that we tend to neglect certain parts of the biblical revelation? Why is it that even as evangelical people we seem to be content with the minimum of doctrine? Why are we only interested in the doctrine of salvation? It more and more seems to me that we rob ourselves of a wealth of truth because we do not isolate these doctrines and hold them up for our study and contemplation.”

I’ll summarize in very bare bones fashion what Dr Lloyd-Jones preached on:

Jesus made all the angels. There are thousands upon thousands of them. (Luke 2:13, Rev. 5:11). He made every one a unique individual. He did this before He created the world. (Colossians 1:16).

Angels never die. They were created, but won’t die. They came into existence by Jesus at a certain point, but their existence will never end. And what about those cherubim (e.g. Psalm. 99:1; Ezekiel 10:1–22) and seraphim (Isaiah 6:2)?

They dwell in the presence of God, as we will one day. Don’t forget about the cherubim standing guard at the eastern entrance to the Garden of Eden with his flaming sword going every which way. Dr Lloyd-Jones wondered if he would be there also to welcome us when the Garden is re-opened at the resurrection. They are incredible beings.

The Annunciation, by Leonardo da Vinci. Public domain

MLJ said, “I think that there is profound significance in that; the flaming sword is to prevent man from entering back again into Paradise. He can never go back on his own. There is only one way back, and it is the way that has been opened by the Lord Jesus Christ.”

He spent some time developing the hierarchy of angelic orders and the distribution of work. From archangels on down, he revealed truth after truth. His take on it was fascinating, delving deep into the bible and unearthing gem after gem. He briefly mentioned the hierarchy/division of the bad angels but only touched on it since this sermon was only about the good angels.

And that, of course, leads us in turn to the next question which is: Are there orders among the angels? Are they all identical? Are they equal in power and in authority, or have they orders and ranks? It seems quite clear that there is a division both in status and in work.

Angel appears to Zacharias in the Temple. Book illustration for Scenes from the main histories of the Old and New Testament. The Hague by Pieter de Hondt, 1728. Public domain

And that brings us to the whole question of their power. The Bible is explicit about this—they are very great in power. We are told of the mighty angels, that they excel in strength‘ (Ps. 103:20). Their power is undoubtedly greater than human power; they are not only superior in dignity and in status, they are also undoubtedly superior in power.

Salvation is such an incredible, holy act, and the angels long to look into it.

Then there is something else that the angels are very busy about. I never read this next point without having a still more glorious understanding of my salvation. We are told that they spend a good deal of their time in looking into this question of our salvation. Let me give you my authority. Peter, in talking about our salvation says, ‘which things the angels desire to look into’ (1 Peter 1:12). It is something so marvellous, and so wonderful, that these created angelic spirits, who have always spent their eternity in the presence of God, are, as it were, looking on at this thing which is most astonishing to them, and which surpasses everything else.

Then the next thing we are told about them is this—let us bear it in mind always—they not only behold the face of God, they are not only looking into salvation, but they are looking at us. …the Scripture teaches that when Christians meet together, and when they gather together in prayer, then the angels of God are present…”

If you read Revelation you realize just how much the angels participate in bringing judgment. They are instruments of God’s will and participate in it. They gave the law. They reveal God’s purposes. They bring messages from God. When not directly performing a task, they stand at attention, adoring God, worshiping Him, looking into salvation. They are busy. And one of the ways they are busy is that they minister to God’s own people.

“But again I would say that the most comforting, and the most wonderful aspect of this teaching is what we are told in the Scriptures of the way in which God uses the angels to bless and to care for His own people: Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth [called forth] to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?‘ (Heb. 1:14). What, after all, is the greatest function of the angels? It is to minister to you and to me—to minister to the heirs of salvation.”

Chris Koelle, The Book of Revelation Graphic Novel Source

We find that the angels protect us. They also give us guidance. They cheer us and to give us comfort and consolation. Angels fight on behalf of God. (Elisha’s servant was given a sight of this). They deliver us from situations (Peter was led from jail by an angel). They are tremendous beings. Of course, Dr. Lloyd-Jones developed each of those points He ended with this glorious, glorious testament to the level of care that God gives His children:

But there is something more which I trust will give great comfort and consolation to many people who may perhaps have been thinking with fear and dread of the end of their life in this world—afraid of the physical aspect of death. But we need not be, for we read in Luke 16:22–3…

…when we come to die they will be there to receive our spirit and to take us to Paradise. That is the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. Never again, Christian people, imagine that when you come to die you will be going into some awful loneliness as a disembodied spirit to an unknown world. Not at all. The angels of God will be there to receive you, and to conduct you, and to take you to be with the Lord in Paradise. What a wonderful thing!

Oh, indeed it is wonderful! God made the uncountable stars and named them all. He made the innumerable angels and named them too. The doctrine of angels is an amazing doctrine.

Angel rolled the stone from the tomb- Alexander Ivanov. Public domain

Shame on us Christian people that we neglect the doctrine of the angels, that we do not read our Scriptures thoroughly and wholly. …

…”Let us take hold of the biblical teaching. Let us not rob ourselves as we do. Let us look into this great Word and receive it as it is, and we shall find things that will amaze us, and fill us with a still greater sense of wonder as we come to know our marvellous God and His wondrous love towards us.”

Amen! Please take some time to listen to the sermon. Of course, just the few quotes here do not even come close to comparing the full impact of this terrific sermon and hearing about the doctrine of angels.

Posted in theology

How to Be Countercultural

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

“Pride Month” is over now, thank goodness. All during the month of June we were bombarded on social media and elsewhere with perverse and disgusting depictions of the perversity that sinful people love but that God hates. (Romans 1:31-32)

Whenever I was scrolling and came across one of those depictions, I averted my eyes, ground my teeth, asked God “How long O Lord?!” and went on. Seeing those pictures and clips upset me, especially when there were children in them or bystanding as they do when a parade passes. A parade of perversity.

I’m on Twitter a lot. Twitter (now ridiculously named ‘X’) is owned by Elon Musk, the billionaire. He tweeted something the other day that caught my attention.

I realized how much of a relief it was when I did come across a photo that simply was beautiful, or happy, or displaying nature in all God’s glory. Yes, I decided, I will make a practice of posting a few things each day that are simply beautiful. I figured if I was relieved seeing such nice things, other people may be too. I’ve been burdened by the ugliness of the perversity and sin captured in these photos and videos. Let’s push back and show either great art, design beauty, or nature in all its wonder.

THAT now got me thinking about photographs in general. I’m an educator and many of my colleagues are on Facebook. Summer time is fun time. I love seeing their summer vacation photos. I love seeing the anniversary celebration photos. I got to thinking about their pictures. It makes me happy to see my friends happy. It gives me joy to see a marriage thrive long-term.

And that is the crux. It’s the reverse of the Pride pics. If it makes me, a Christian, happy to see God’s working in families and marriages, visual depictions of a couple’s blessing of children or a marriage succeeding under His ordinance and guidance, it must grind the sinner’s gears to see them. As much as I am grieved with glimpsing on social media during Pride Month overweight men strutting around in bondage gear, it must grind satan to see displays of flourishing families frolicking at the beach or couples praising God for a wonderful marriage.

Amazing these days that a mom and her child and her husband as nuclear family, happy in the Lord, is revolutionary in these perverse days.

Normal family life is now counter-cultural. Stop and think about that for a second. It really is. You think that posting happy family photos is a negligible act, or an incidental moment. Frivolous, really. It’s not.

It’s actually an act of war.

The simple act of posting family photos of a nuclear family with a married biological mom and a dad is a poke in the eye to satan.

Whether you knew it or not when you posted that photo or video, the effect is countercultural. It’s a revolutionary push back against ugliness. And sin is ugly. Grace and godliness is needed. THAT is the real beauty.

You do not need to be a skilled rhetorician to show Christ in your life. You don’t need to always take a combative stance. You don’t need to win debates. If that is not your style, that’s fine. Simply posting a photo of your family with a caption of how much you love motherhood, or an anniversary picture with a praise for your husband, will have the same impact, or more, than all the above. Even better, attach a pertinent verse to it as well.

So post your photos that show a moral life under God- the wedding pics, anniversary photos, clips of the kids, being a mom or a dad, choosing motherhood, happy in the Lord. They are not incidental pics nor are they frivolous. They are revolutionary. Sad to say that showing a nuclear family with a dad, mom, and happy children, with the adults thriving in their complementary roles, is now considered extremist.

So, DO IT.

Further Resources

Beauty and the Best, RC Sproul

The Beauty of our God, RC Sproul

Should Christians Be Countercultural?

Posted in angels, gabriel, Michael, tribulation

Back to Basics: All about Angels

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Angels are mentioned almost three hundred times in the Bible. Let’s look at who these created beings are and what they do for God. This essay will be divided into three sections. First, we’ll have a very brief overview in looking at what angels do and who they are, from scripture. I say very brief because the subject is so deep that one essay, or even a dozen essays, can’t do it justice.

In the second section there will be some fast facts and trivia.

In the third section at the end I’ll look at some weighty matters concerning angels.

Section 1: Overview

The Bible says that “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) Since God has always existed, ‘the beginning means’ the beginning of what He wants to reveal to us. Job 38:4-7 says that when God did that work, the angels praised Him by shouting with joy. So the angels already were created by God when God created the worlds. We do not know how long before, but they were blessed spectators to the Creation.

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4-7)

“Sons of God” is a term sometimes used to describe angels. (Job 1:6, Genesis 6:2). Angels then, were created before the foundation of the world was laid, but the point is, they are created beings. They have intellect, will, and emotions. They are a higher order than humans. (Hebrews 2:7). They are spirit beings that sometimes take on a body likeness when they come to earth. And they do come to earth. (Genesis 32:24, Hebrews 13:2).

In Genesis 18:2, Abraham saw three ‘men’ approaching him but in the next verse Abraham immediately bowed and called one of them Lord. Though they were in the form of men, Abraham knew they were not of this world. One of them was a pre-incarnate visitation of Jesus, of course. Sometimes an angel appears and they do not look like men but they do look like they are from glory. (Matthew 28:2-4). Usually in those cases where even their full stature and countenance is hidden, the men and women viewing them still fall down.

They serve us by obeying God. They praise and honor God in His temple (Revelation 4:8; Hebrews 12:22) bring messages, (Luke 1:19, Daniel 10:11), minister to us, (Hebrews 1:14), fight for God against the forces of evil, (2 Kings 6:17).

Or not, as the case may be. Angels rebelled in heaven and a third of the angels sided with satan. (Revelation 12:4). These became the demons. They attempt to thwart God and His people. They may seem to be temporarily successful but of course they are not in any sense victorious over God. His plan reigns supreme. All that happens to those who love God He turns to the good for His glory.

Easton’s Bible Dictionary explains more eloquently. Click on the link FMI

“But its distinctive application is to certain heavenly intelligences whom God employs in carrying on his government of the world. The name does not denote their nature but their office as messengers.

(1.) The existence and orders of angelic beings can only be discovered from the Scriptures. Although the Bible does not treat of this subject specially, yet there are numerous incidental details that furnish us with ample information. Their personal existence is plainly implied in such passages as Genesis 16:7, 10, 11; Judges 13:1-21; Matthew 28:2-5; Hebrews 1:4, etc.

 These superior beings are very numerous. “Thousand thousands,” etc. (Dan. 7:10; Matthew 26:53; Luke 2:13; Hebrews 12:22, 23). They are also spoken of as of different ranks in dignity and power (Zechariah 1:9, 11; Dan. 10:13; 12:1; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Jude 1:9; Ephesians 1:21; Colossians 1:16).

 (2.) As to their nature, they are spirits (Hebrews 1:14), like the soul of man, but not incorporeal. Such expressions as “like the angels” (Luke 20:36), and the fact that whenever angels appeared to man it was always in a human form (Genesis 18:2; 19:1, 10; Luke 24:4; Acts 1:10), and the titles that are applied to them (“sons of God, ” Job 1:6; 38:7; Dan. 3:25; Comp. 28) and to men (Luke 3:38), seem all to indicate some resemblance between them and the human race. Imperfection is ascribed to them as creatures (Job 4:18; Matthew 24:36; 1 Peter 1:12). As finite creatures they may fall under temptation; and accordingly we read of “fallen angels.”

FMI: Sermon by Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Common and Special Grace, Ephesians 6:10-13, “examples of special grace in Scripture; the ministry of angels.“

FMI: Sermon by Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Good Angels

Note: Even though the audio to MLJ’s part 2 on angels is lost, for now at least, the companion lecture to Good Angels, titled “‘The Devil and the Fallen Angels'” can be read at this link. (start on p 78).

Trivia question: Who are the only named angels in the Bible? Answer below.

Fast Fact: Angels that rebelled will not be redeemed. Their condemnation is fixed. (Matthew 25:41)

Fast Fact: Humans do not turn into angels when we get to heaven. Angels and humans are separate orders of beings in creation. Angels are angels and humans are humans. Forever.

Cherubim is a class of angel who guarded the way back to the tree of life with a flaming sword. (Genesis 3:24)

Peter was freed from prison by an angel. Even locks and prison bars cannot stop angels from ministering to us, when God sends them! (Acts 12:4-8)

An angel announced the birth of Samson. (Judges 13:1-7,24)

Food for thought: If sometimes we entertain angels unaware, and a third of them sided with Lucifer and turned into unholy demons, then there is a 1-in-3 chance that when an angel visits us he is an unholy demon. (Genesis 6:1-2). However the good news is that they obey God and do His bidding within limits. (Job 1:12, 2 Chronicles 18:21)

Do angels marry? Not in heaven. (Mark 12:25). But the rebellious ones did on earth. (Genesis 6:1). That’s why they are in chains awaiting judgment. (Jude 1:6; 2 Peter 2:4)

Trivia answer: The named angels in the Bible are Gabriel, Michael, Lucifer, and perhaps also Apollyon/Abaddon of Revelation 9:11.

Angels in the Bible are potent beings with incredible power. Did you know that the Law was given to Moses by angels?

“you who received the law as delivered by angels and did not keep it.” (Acts 7:53),

“Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.“(Galatians 3:19)

Deuteronomy 33:2 mentions that He came to give the Law with myriads and ten thousands of His holy ones. Angels by the side of God as He delivered the Law! Incredible!

How powerful are angels? This was astounding to me when I read it. I studied the book of Revelation. It becomes terribly obvious that angels are the means that God uses to deliver judgment.

Begin with Chapter 5:2,

“Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?”

The word loud in this verse is from megas, meaning ‘in the widest sense’, large, great. It’s where we get ‘mega’ from. Mighty is from a word meaning powerful in the physical sense.

“Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, 12saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” (Revelation 5:11-12)

Angels hold back the wind and rise with the sun. They proclaim praise, render judgment, and fulfill God’s wishes.

“After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, that no wind might blow on earth or sea or against any tree. Then I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called with a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm earth and sea, 3saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” (Revelation 7:1-3)

How about this powerful scene with angels from Revelation 8:1-5

When the Lamb opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. 2Then I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them. 3And another angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer, and he was given much incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar before the throne, 4and the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel. 5Then the angel took the censer and filled it with fire from the altar and threw it on the earth, and there were peals of thunder, rumblings,a flashes of lightning, and an earthquake.”

Cherubs? NO! Flying babies? Never! They are holy and powerful! Skim through Revelation to see the massive amount of angelic intercession in the affairs of men during the Tribulation. I could quote many more instances but if I did, I’d essentially be repeating the entire book of Revelation. John MacArthur sums it up

“Angels, you know, have played very prominent roles already in Revelation. The four horsemen that we saw in chapter 6 were called by angels, the seven trumpets were blown by angels, Satan and demons were defeated by angels, the seven bowls will be poured out by angels, Armageddon is announced by an angel, Satan and demons are bound by an angel, and here is another angel. And this angel comes out of the temple in heaven and he also has a sharp sickle.” This is the angel that reaps the earth.

Matthew 13:39 says that angels reap at the end of the age:

“and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.” (Matthew 13:39)

Once you’ve read through, then ask the Spirit to heighten your awareness of the holy work of angels in the Bible. They are mentioned quite often, and as you read through the book you’re reading through, you will notice their works. Even the demons are powerful. The fallen ones are still called majesties and those false teachers who unwisely mock and deride them are themselves awaiting judgment. (2 Peter 2:10-11). Even Archangel Michael dare not bring an accusation against satan but instead said simply, “The Lord rebuke you!” (Jude 1:9).

Not that we worship angels, (Revelation 22:9) but be aware of their powerful work for our Holy God. Just as we are instruments of His plan used to bring Him glory, so are angels. Yet they have supernatural powers and dwell in the very temple of heaven.

Further Reading:

Angels, a 2-part free lecture series from RC Sproul

What does the Bible say about angels?

Martyn Lloyd Jones, A sermon on the doctrine of Good Angels

Other entries in Back to Basics Series:

Back to Basics: What is a miracle?

Back to Basics: Who is Satan?

Back to Basics: What is Justification?

Back to Basics: What does it mean to be born again?

Posted in angel, end time, entertain angels unaware, prophecy, satan

About entertaining angels unawares

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

It’s High Summer here in the US now. It’s vacation week for many people, and there’s a holiday coming up. I’m going to re-post some angel essays I’ve done in the past. So, it’s Angel week here on the blog!

Chris Koelle, illustrator The Angel speaking with John on Patmos

Angels figure very, very prominently in the NT. People don’t really know this, or they overlook angels in the Bible. But once you see how often they are out and about, you can’t unsee it. At the other end of the scale, some are so preoccupied with angels they nearly fall into angel worship.

Once you start studying angels, you realize how frequently they are mentioned in the New Testament. And as for the nativity story, make many appearances! So let’s get to know these incredible beings better.

Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (Hebrews 13:2 KJV)

From the Bible, we know that God created angels. (Colossians 1:16-17). We know that angels interact with humans at the behest of God. (Luke 1:26-38). They deliver messages. (Daniel 9:20-23). They fight for territory. (Daniel 10:20). They guard humans (Matthew 18:10) and report to God on the actions of children, anyway (Matt. 18:1-14) and perhaps to individually minister to adult Christians also (Hebrews 1:14).

cherubim, mosaic, Mont Sainte-Odile, Alsace, France

Angels are divided into hierarchies and troops,  including both good and evil angels, and special categories such as cherubim, seraphim, and the archangel. They are invisible. (2 Kings 6:17). They look like men sometimes, (Genesis 18:1-2) and other times they look like glory (Matthew 28:2-4) and other times they look like metal and lightning (Daniel 10:5-6) and still there are other angels who look completely unusual and beyond description (Revelation 4:6-8). [For the record, with one debatable exception, angels are not biblically described as having any wings]

Surely, it is a blessing that there is a class of created being whom God uses for His glory and for our help. It is a blessing also to think that we may entertain one of them at some point in our lives!

It is not well for us to miss the opportunity of the presence, the conversation, and the prayers of the good. The influence of such guests in a family is worth more than it costs to entertain them. ~Barnes’ Notes

But do not forget, there is another class of angels. There was a rebellion in heaven, and the highest angel, one created to guard the throne itself, tried to vault himself above God and was kicked out of heaven for it. His name is Lucifer, whose title is now the devil, adversary, satan. And even though a third of the multitudes of angels lived with God, and saw His glory and knew His heart, Lucifer was apparently so convincing that they sided with him against God, and so they were kicked out too. (Revelation 12:3-4,9)

Not everything supernatural is from God! If you entertain angels unawares, it may be a good angel sent to minister to you. Or it may be a fallen angel, sent by satan to thwart you, deceive you, or hinder you. (also 1 Tim 4:1-3; 2 Cor.11:13-15) “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15).

In this we must be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Barnes’ Notes again:

If there is danger that we may sometimes receive those of an opposite character. yet it is not wise on account of such possible danger, to lose the opportunity of entertaining those whose presence would be a blessing.

If you are reading this whether you are a Christian or a non-believer, be aware that deceit comes in a guise wrapped in a beautiful package. Fallen angels would look just like the glorious angels, as stated above in the Corinthians verse. If you are a Christian, you should be praying daily to receive wisdom, and it will be given to you without reproach.

You should be in the Word daily so that you will know the truth from a lie. Without His help, you are at the mercy of an adversary who can and does ‘appear to us unawares’ and always for the purpose of destroying us!

NOT EVERYTHING SUPERNATURAL IS FROM GOD!

Angels might surround you unawares, and it surely would be a blessing to discover in the hereafter that you’d entertained a Holy Angel!

Posted in theology

The Simple Man vs. the Philosopher

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

I was finishing my book by Scottish Puritan, James Durham, The Scandal of False Teaching. I love the minds of the Puritans, deep thinkers, and as a result, it was an excellent book.

Anyway, in the book the author related a story from old church history. There was a man named Tyrannius Rufinus, born around 345AD in Italy. He died around 410/411. He was a Roman priest, writer, theologian, and translator of Greek theological works into Latin at a time when knowledge of Greek was declining in the West, says Encyclopedia Britannica. Rufinus is known for translating Eusebius’ works from Greek to Latin. When Rufinus completed the translation of Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History, Rufinus went on and added two more chapters of church history where Eusebius left off. Those were books 10 and 11.

In book 10, chapter 3, Rufinus related a story about the doings during the Council of Nicea and a certain event that happened there.

Durham said that back in the days of the Council of Nicea, there were debates and talks. There came a climax of a showdown between a simple man and a skilled philosopher. Note: a dialectician is a person skilled in philosophical debate.

By Bloemaert, Frederick, From: 1614-1669

The story goes like this, from Rufinus:

Now we may learn how much power there is in simplicity of faith from what is reported to have happened there. For when the zeal of the religious emperor had brought together priests of God from all over the earth, rumor of the event gathered as well philosophers and dialecticians of great renown and fame.

One of them who was celebrated for his ability in dialectic used to hold ardent debates each day with our bishops, men likewise by no means unskilled in the art of disputation, and there resulted a magnificent display for the learned and educated men who gathered to listen.

Nor could the philosopher be cornered or trapped in any way by anyone, for he met the questions proposed with such rhetorical skill that whenever he seemed most firmly trapped, he escaped like a slippery snake.

Icon depicting Constantine the Great, accompanied by the bishops of the First Council of Nicaea 325

But that God might show that the kingdom of God is based upon power rather than speech, one of the confessors, a man of the simplest character who knew only Christ Jesus and him crucified, was present with the other bishops in attendance.

When he saw the philosopher insulting our people and proudly displaying his skill in dialectic, he asked everyone for a chance to exchange a few words with the philosopher. But our people, who knew only the man’s simplicity and lack of skill in speech, feared that they might be put to shame in case his holy simplicity became a source of laughter to the clever.

But the elder insisted and he began his discourse in this way: “In the name of Jesus Christ, O philosopher,” he said, “listen to the truth. There is one God who made heaven and earth, who gave breath to man whom he had formed from the mud of the earth and who created everything what is seen and what is not seen with the power of his word and established it with the sanctification of his spirit.

This word and wisdom whom we call Son took pity on the errors of humankind was born of a virgin, by suffering death freed us from everlasting death and by his resurrection conferred on us eternal life. Him we await as the judge to come of all that we do. Do you believe that this is so, O philosopher?”

But he as though he had nothing whatever that he could say in opposition to this so astonished was he at the power of what had been said could only reply to it all that he thought that it was so, and that what had been said was the only truth.

Then the elder said, “If you believe that this is so, arise, follow me to the church and receive the seal of this faith.”

The philosopher turning to his disciples and to those who had gathered to listen said “Listen, O learned men: so long as it was words with which I had to deal, I set words against words and what was said I refuted with my rhetoric. But when power rather than words came out of the mouth of the speaker, words could not withstand power nor could man oppose God. And therefore if any one of you was able to feel in what was said what I felt, let him believe in Christ and follow this old man in whom God has spoken.” And thus the philosopher became a Christian and rejoiced at last to have been vanquished.

Source Rufinus, Ecclesiastical History, Book 10, ch 3; Excerpt on the First Council of Nicaea, published in year 402-403.

Now, the First Council at Nicea ended in the year 325 and the translation and addendum by Rufinus was published in 402. As with any history that’s separated by such a gap of years, the Bible being the exception, there may be embellishments or errors. Maybe it happened that way, and maybe it didn’t. It doesn’t matter.

Yet it is true, “but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong,” says 1 Corinthians 1:27. The power is not in our delivery, the power is in the word of God energized by the Spirit.

Don’t be hesitant to share God’s truth, no matter how faltering or stuttering you believe you are, (Moses, anyone?) God will use you in some capacity or another.

Paul said, “and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power“, 1 Corinthians 2:4

Posted in theology

Burning Man vs. Burning Bush

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

Burning Man is coming up next month.

From Wikipedia: “Burning Man is a week-long large-scale desert event focused on “community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance” held annually in the western United States. The event’s name comes from its culminating ceremony: the symbolic burning of a large wooden effigy, referred to as the Man, that occurs on the penultimate night.” On the very last night they burn down “The Temple”.

A lot of people go.

When it’s described as ‘large scale’, they mean it. It’s huge. It is THE biggest festival not just in the US but in the world in terms of acreage. (Glastonbury is smaller in acreage but bigger in daily attendance.) Burning Man is the orange semicircle.

Source Reddit. Festival Size Comparison

The event started at its current location in the Black Rock Desert in 1991. It is a free for all, free expression, art, ‘radical inclusion’ type of deal. There are art installations, dance, music, self-expression, and of course, a temple, because pagan man must worship something. The event lasts 9 days, and there is a blistering desert heat, lung killing dust, and a long walk to the portapotties. So why do upwards of 80,000 people attend?

By Christopher Michel – BURNING MAN 2010, CC BY 2.0. This reminds me of scenes from the post-apocalyptic movie series Mad Max.
Mad Max: Fury Road

They go for the self-expression. Some see it as a sanctuary from the constraining world with its rules and expectations. Some attend because they want to shed their persona and experiment with drugs or sex. The event IS clothing optional, after all. In the days before cell phones, more attendees appeared in various states of undress, but afterward when cell phone photography and video-ing became common, fewer people walk around exposed or totally naked. Go figure.

In other words, they go because of sin. Sin is attractive.

In 2001 or 2002 or so, I wanted to go. I wanted to go pretty bad. It was before I was saved. I thought that Burning Man was the epitome of a lifestyle of freedom that the world prevented. I wanted to see if an alternative lifestyle of ‘acceptance’ of any walk of life, race, lifestyle, art, music, or expression was possible. I was looking for freedom, freedom from what, I didn’t know. Yet.

What I was looking for was Burning Bush, not Burning Man.

Then the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not being consumed. (Exodus 3:2).

Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”  (Exodus 3:5).

King Solomon wrote Ecclesiastes to show us that pursuits, lifestyles, and worship is pointless (futility, vanity) if God isn’t at the center of it. Any pursuit of anything- music, art, self-expression, without God is vain. Same with any kind of worship or reverence. What is one reverencing if they go to the Burning Man festival’s “Temple”? One’s self. And a “free lifestyle” just usually means sexuality of one kind or another. The pursuit of the ‘something’ is never satisfied. Why? It’s all circular. You come back to yourself, and the self is unholy, unrighteous, and unfulfilled without God.

To be satisfied in life, to attain freedom, we must transcend self. The only way to do that is through Jesus.

Burning Man is a sacrificial ritual concocted by man, for man, and in the end, futile. Such rituals have been a part of the sinful world since the beginning, starting with The Golden Calf. Asherah. Nehushtan. Celtic Fire Festivals. Slavic ritual Marzanna. Portuguese Caretos Festival. Et cetera and so on ad nauseum.

All things are wearisome; No one can tell it. The eye is not satisfied with seeing, Nor is the ear filled with hearing. (Ecclesiastes 1:8)

In December 2003/January 2004, I became saved. What I had been looking for was holiness, purity, righteousness, and justice. In Exodus 3:5 it is the first time holy or holiness is referenced in relation to God. God told Moses to remove his sandals and not to approach closer, because the Bush was holy ground. By contrast, Moses was not holy and neither was the ground, apart from the bush.

Fire is used throughout the Bible to represent God’s purifying effect. At Burning Man they light the man and the temple to consume it. But with God He IS the fire and HE consumes.

for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:29).

I’m grateful that Jesus decided to save me. Through His grace, I am being purified, refined by the holy fire of His word, daily. It was a good trade, the Burning Man for Burning Bush. The Man is burned every year to cinders and must be rebuilt. With God, his love, and care is eternal and His flame never goes out.

Posted in theology

Journaling? Or Chronicling?

Posted on by elizabethprata

By Elizabeth Prata

I was at a friend’s house for dinner. There were 3 of us ladies there, 70 something, 60 something, 30’s almost. We got to talking about diaries and journaling.

I’d said I bought a diary at a thrift store that was written by a teenager in 1931. Nearly 100 years old, it was an insight into the daily life of a high schooler in a time of depression, rural poverty, and a long ago era. It was a fascinating read. She rarely mentioned her family. It was almost entirely about cliques, social life, other girls, popularity, and fun events. Just like a 15 year old girl might write about today!

Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash

But that got us talking about journaling in general.

If I remember correctly we agreed that journaling in the form of a diary, i.e. putting pen to paper and writing down all our thoughts and feelings, wouldn’t be that great use of time in our opinion. Why would we be writing this stuff down? Just for ourselves? With a risk of adult children reading it after we’d passed away? To do naval gazing instead of gazing at the One who is our North Star? Too much introspection leads to self-centeredness. We should deny ourselves and look to Him.

I remember the movie The Bridges of Madison County with Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood. Meryl was nominated for an Academy Award for lead Actress. It won lots of other awards and reaped a high ticket gate. It was essentially an apologetic and a affirmation of the ‘healthiness’ or the ‘necessity’ for adultery. It came out in 1992. The adulteress passed away, keeping her secret to the grave, except her adult kids read it and instead of being outraged learning that mom had cheated on their father, they were moved. Actually knowing this helped each of them in their own marriages. Oy. Adultery is not a healer, it’s a divider.

Anyway, even if the thoughts written down weren’t some deep sin, who wants to read their mom’s opinions on Aunt Tillie’s hat or whether she liked some recipe her sister made her try….or something.

I think it was safe to say that diary, bare-all writing wasn’t for us.

I know that “Bible art journaling” is (or was?) a thing. In my opinion, God’s pure and holy word doesn’t need enhancements. And we, having the sin-nature, don’t need distractions competing with God’s word.

Taking notes during a sermon, that’s good. We all agreed we take notes in some form or another, whether meticulously or just jotting down a Bible verse reference or a word or two.

I commented that I chronicle. I don’t journal, Bible art journal, or even prayer journal. I DO chronicle. I have a planner that goes from June to June. So I am leafing thru it today (June 28) as I plan on setting it aside to bring my next planner up on deck for July 1, and I discover all the books I’d read. I start listing them. I had thought I had only read 4 or 5 books, so I was disappointed with myself. But I didn’t need to be sad, I’d read 26 books, which was my goal! 11 theology books, 2 professional books, 6 non-fiction and 7 fiction, a nice spread. Also rediscovered some dishes to make I’d forgotten about, and more. Chronicling can be useful.

I tor the calendar pages out of my June 2023 to June 2024 planner

I’d jotted down when I was out sick from school, my trip to Lake Rabun, the movies I’d seen or TV shows I’d forgotten about. When my last dentist appointment was, or the great score at the thrift store. Prayer list. Books I’m reading.

Below is the list of the books I read this past year. The Harry Potter #2 I didn’t finish and neither did I finish I Couldn’t Care Less (a noir detective novel from the 1940s). The most enjoyable books on the list were Grann’s The Wager, The Art Thief (make sure you get the book by Finkel, there’s another one named the same that’s dull as dishwater), and most of the stories in Nine Tomorrows. For the theology books I enjoyed the Sproul bio, and Scandal of False Teaching, as well as Taming the Fingers.

THEOLOGY
Good Grief: A Companion for Every Loss by Granger E. Westberg
R.C. Sproul: Defender of the Reformed Faith by Nate Pickowicz
Forensic Faith: A Homicide Detective Makes the Case for a More Reasonable, Evidential Christian Faith J. Warner Wallace
Taming the Fingers: Heavenly Wisdom for Social Media by Jeff Johnson
The Art of Self-Discipline – John MacArthur
The American Puritans – Dustin Benge and Nate Pickowicz
Benedictions and Doxologies – HB Charles
The Scandal of False Teaching – James Durham
Communication and Conflict Resolution – Stuart Scott
From Pride to Humility: A Biblical Perspective – Stuart Scott
This Outside Life: Finding God in the Heart of Nature – by Laurie Kehler

PROFESSIONAL
Shifting the Balance: 6 Ways to Bring the Science of Reading into the Balanced Literacy Classroom by Jan Burkins, Kari Yates
Teaching with Poverty in Mind: What Being Poor Does to Kids’ Brains and What Schools Can Do About It, by Eric Jensen

NON-FICTION
The Devil and Sherlock Holmes – David Grann
The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel
The Wager – David Grann
James Herriot, Best of – James Herriot
Mt. Everest Reconnaissance Mission – by Eric Shipton
The Ultimate Guide for the Avid Indoorsman: Life Is Better in Here by John Driver

FICTION
It Couldn’t Matter Less – by Peter Cheyney
Winter Birds – Jamie Turner
The Sweet Everlasting – by Judson Mitcham
Nine Tomorrows – Isaac Asimov
Harry Potter #1 – JK Rowling
Harry Potter #2 – JK Rowling
The Associate – John Grisham

Do you journal? Prayer journal? Keep a diary? Jot notes during sermons or lectures? Do Bible art in your journal? Do Bible crafts in an art sketchbook?

There are all different ways to process the theological content we take in. How do you?