Re: Stress, worry, fear etc & the Christian

Now let's look at the next passage and bit of devotional:

2 Peter 1:5-7 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.

Quote:

You have inherited the Divine nature, says Peter (v. 4), now screw your attention down and form habits, give diligence, concentrate. “Add” means all that character means. No man is born either naturally or supernaturally with character; he has to make character. Nor are we born with habits; we have to form habits on the basis of the new life God has put into us.

Everything this devotional and the passage says, confirms what we were just talking about. Now though I'd like to take it one step further and really break down that passage to show you again that this is really something God expects of us.

The passage above starts out by saying "for this very reason" we are to do these things. What reason is that? Let's look at it in context to find out:

2 Peter 1:3-11 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

Did you get that??? God has given us everything we need so that we can live godly lives here and now. Where do we find these things? We find it "through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness".!!! And where do we get that knowledge? Has it been magically planted in our sub consciousness? Of course not! He has given it to us in His Word! Not only that however, but this says that when we study His Word and learn it and really know it, then we can actually "participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires." In other words we are changed to be more and more like Him and enabled to live a godly life without the corruption of the evil thoughts and emotions caused by the world! An intimate full knowledge of Jesus and His Word is the source of our growth and spiritual power!

Then what does it say:

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness;

Faith is given to us by God, but once He has given that to us, He wants us to do certain things to support that faith. The word translated "add" actually means to "support" or even to "finance" something. He is telling us to put all we are and have into supporting our faith. We are not to ignore it and think that it's going to be fine left to it's own devices. Just as a plant needs water, as our bodies need food, so our faith needs certain things to support it so that it will be nourished and grow strong.

The first thing we're told to support our faith with is "goodness". The word translated "goodness" means literally moral excellency or virtue. In other words, it's not enough to just have the head knowledge of our faith, but we must also obey and live our faith.

Next we're told:

and to goodness, knowledge;

This isn't talking about worldly knowledge or intellectual pursuits. This is talking about spiritual knowledge. Now where do we get such knowledge from? Yes, again, from God's Word! This is why I say over and over again that just "reading" God's word isn't enough. We have to study it, and reflect on it, and most of all ask God to give us wisdom to understand it.

Then:

and to knowledge, self-control;

Self control! How often have we talked about that? It is by using self control that we take our thoughts captive and bring them into obedience to Christ! Now what's the main thing that we always find when we're dealing with taking our thoughts captive? It takes time, it takes practice and we can't give up. Oh Satan would just love it if we'd give up and he's going to encourage us to, so what do we need to use-the very next thing on the list:

and to self-control, perseverance;

We are told over and over in His Word to persevere. Being a Christian isn't easy, and anyone who ever said it was, didn't know what they were talking about! It requires work, self control and perseverance on our part. Thankfully we have the Lord to help us and to enable us to be victorious! Remember, we're not doing this on our own...we are using the self control and we are persevering because we are working together with God. This is a partnership. we are not alone! Not only that, but He tells us that we are "yoked together" like a team of horses would be. A yoke is a device used to link two animals together so that they will walk in step with each other. Jesus tells us that's how we are with Him when we are working on these things. But He also says that He is carrying the larger load, which is why we can be victorious!

Ok, then what do we add next:

and to perseverance, godliness;

Again, as we do these things we are being changed to be more and more like Him. We are nurturing our relationship with Him and we are becoming mature in Christ. This all leads to godliness, just as James says.

James 1:4 Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Next we add:

and to godliness, brotherly kindness;

This too should begin to come naturally as we've worked on things. This isn't talking about how we feel toward others, it's talking about our actions. This is more having concern for others needs. Again it's acting our our faith and being obedient to God.

Finally we're told:

and to brotherly kindness, love.

The word translated "love" here is the agape type love. We are to love others the way God loves us. We aren't to just love those who are lovable, but to love even those who aren't. This is what God did for us when He sent Jesus. For when He sent Jesus, we were still sinners, we were His enemies. But because He loved us anyway, He sent Jesus and we were saved. Now He tells us that we are to strive to love others in this same way.

Now before we all start to say how impossible this is, let's remember again that we aren't doing this alone, we're doing it in partnership with God and He will enable us to be successful. I have to tell you though that before we are successful, we must first obey. In other words, we must put forth the effort to obey Him before He makes it possible for us to succeed. Obedience always comes before understanding and before success or victory.

To end this, I'd like to have us read the rest of that passage to find out why God wants us to have these qualities in ourselves:

For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins. Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

I don't want to make this any longer then it already is, so we can talk about this final part tomorrow.

Read the whole study here

Re: Stress, worry, fear etc & the Christian

Today I'd like to talk about the last two devotionals I posted here. Let's look at them closely because they show again why it's so important for us to bring our thoughts and emotions under our control and that God expects us to do so. I'm hoping that by posting these tid bits here that you all will know that this whole bringing every thought into captivity isn't just something I made up, or that I'm the only one "preaching" it. (although I'll admit that I didn't know others did until I read them myself; but discovering that all the great teachers of old as well as those we hold in high regard now, all preach it, was a great confirmation to me.)

John 15:4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

Quote:

The Spirit of Jesus is put into me by the Atonement, then I have to construct with patience the way of thinking that is exactly in accordance with my Lord. God will not make me think like Jesus, I have to do it myself; I have to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. “Abide in Me”— in intellectual matters, in money matters, in every one of the matters that make human life what it is. It is not a bandbox life.

The above verse and bit of the devotional is telling us what we've said before. God is not going to magically turn you into something that you're not. Before we were saved, we formed habits and formed our characters by the things we thought about. It's a lot like a computer and that current saying, "If you input garbage, you're going to output garbage." Or as the Bible says:

Proverbs 23:7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he

When we are born again, God gives us a wonderful new nature. I remember the moment I was born again...I remember thinking that I felt "brand new" and so I was. It's like getting a fresh start. God wipes away all your past and says, "Ok, now you can start over and make something new that's good". So along with our eternal salvation, God gives us the chance to start over fresh and make our lives what they should be instead of what they were.

Like any good parent, He doesn't do the work for us though. Instead, He gives us the tools to use and the directions on how to use them. (they're all found in His Word, the Bible) Again, like a good parent, when He sees that we are not doing what He asks of us, then He disciplines us and He allows us to experience the consequences of our actions (or more likely, our"inaction" to use the tools He's given us.)

Over and over and over we are told to "abide" in Jesus, to "remain" in Him, to "hold to" His teachings. What does that mean? All of these are talking about our relationship with Him once we're saved. We need to nurture that relationship and grow it, and this is where so many of us fall down. Jesus is to be the focus of our lives, not something boxed away and pulled out when we think we need Him. Everything we think, do, and say should be focused on Him. There is only one way we can do that, and that's through constantly being in communion with Him.

Now please tell me how, if we are constantly in communion with Him, we can have thoughts of worry, doubt, fear, depression, etc? We can't! So it's really easy to see how much work we have to do on our relationship with Him, but how much of those kinds of thoughts and emotions we have to deal with on a day to day basis.

Now don't start to get down on yourself if you find your relationship with Him needs a lot of work. We've all been in that place at one time or another--every one of the apostles has been in that place at one time. This is where we learn to work out our salvation.

Philippians 2:12-13 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

No, that does not mean that we work "for" our salvation, but rather that we work as partners with God to change our lives into the kind of godly life He intended for us to have. God enables us to do this and He works with us to do it, but He will not do it for us. As the Bible Knowledge Commentary says, "Divine enablement and human responsibility are involved in doing God's work in us". It is our responsibility to obey God and use the tools He gives us. He enables us to do it, and then gives those tools divine power to change us and help us. But we first must obey and use them.

I'm going to end this here and finish this in my next post so that those who don't want to do it all at once will have a place to stop so they can absorb what's been said so far.

Read the whole study here

Re: Stress,worry,fear etc & the Christian

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I wanted to talk a little more about why it's so important for us to study the Bible; and I DO mean study, not just "read" it.  First let me quote a bit from that devotional I posted before:

[QUOTE]What next?

Determine to know more than others. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. John 13:17.

If you do not cut the moorings, God will have to break them by a storm and send you out. Launch all on God, go out on the great swelling tide of His purpose, and you will get your eyes open. If you believe in Jesus, you are not to spend all your time in the smooth waters just inside the harbour bar, full of delight, but always moored; you have to get out through the harbour bar into the great deeps of God and begin to know for yourself, begin to have spiritual discernment.[/QUOTE]

I cannot begin to tell you how many times throughout both the old and new Testaments that God tells us to know His Word, to teach it to our children, to discuss it with each other, etc.  He tells us it is to always be on our minds and in our hearts.  There is simply no way to get around the fact that God's number one requirement or command to us after we are saved (besides spending time talking with Him) is to read and study His Word.  There is nothing more important then this is, other then spending time with Him talking to Him, but that should be done while we are studying His Word too, not just separately.

I've heard people ask if it's so important, then what about people who live in the third world countries where Bibles aren't available.  (Isn't it amazing how easily we can come up with excuses to not do something we're supposed to?  The Lord will provide for them, and give them what they need.  But just as in the parable of the Talents, God gives to each of us a different amount.  Those of us living in the US could be considered like the man to whom He gave 5 Talents, while someone living in desperately poor country could be considered like the man He gave one talent to.  The question isn't why we got more or they got less, the question is what are we going to do with what we have?  Will we be like the one that doubled what the Lord gave him, or will we take what He's given us (His Word) and bury it?

Those who do not read, study and reflect on His Word are doing exactly that.  They are burying the tremendous treasure they've been given as a gift by Him. 

God's Word isn't just another book, and we don't read it just to accumulate knowledge.  When we read and study His Word, and ask His help in understanding, it deepens our relationship with Him, and it changes us on the inside, making us more and more like Him every day.  I'm not talking about changes that we make ourselves, like you might do when reading a "self help" book.  No, these are changes made to us by God to conform us to His image.

So when we study His Word daily, it brings us into a deeper, closer relationship with Him, it strengthens us for whatever we have to face that day, like an immunization shot.  It teaches us about God's Ways so that we will know what he expects of us, as well as know when we are going off the path.  It trains us and equips us both for our life here and now and for our future life throughout eternity.  Most importantly too, God's Word feeds the new nature that He gave us at our salvation.  Without this spiritual food, our new nature becomes weak and impotent, but when we feed it ever day from God's Word, it becomes stronger and more capable and able to fend off the attacks of the enemy!  It renews our minds each day giving us all we need so that we can discern what God's Will for us is, and enabling us to grow in grace. 

Here are some verses for you to reflect on but after I post them I just want to add one final thing about this.

Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Deuteronomy 8:3 He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.

2 Timothy 3:15-17 and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

2 Peter 3:18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen.

Romans 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

When we study God's Word, we see lives or ordinary people totally transformed.  We see how powerful God is and how He has worked in their lives.  I know that when I read about all this a long long time ago, that I wanted that power in me.  I didn't want to just be changed, I wanted to be transformed!  Just as it says in the verse above from Romans, that transformation comes from renewing our minds every day and that only comes from reading, studying, and reflecting on God's Word in communion with Him every day!  And with that last thought let me include a few more verses to reflect on this weekend:

1 Corinthians 4:20 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power.

Ephesians 3:16-21 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

2 Corinthians 3:18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Read the whole study here

Re: Stress,worry,fear etc & the Christian

This morning, I asked the Lord how I could show you just how very important learning all of this is and lo and behold this was today's devotional which I think makes a perfect jumping off point for us:

What next?

Determine to know more than others. If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. John 13:17.

If you do not cut the moorings, God will have to break them by a storm and send you out. Launch all on God, go out on the great swelling tide of His purpose, and you will get your eyes open. If you believe in Jesus, you are not to spend all your time in the smooth waters just inside the harbour bar, full of delight, but always moored; you have to get out through the harbour bar into the great deeps of God and begin to know for yourself, begin to have spiritual discernment.

When you know you should do a thing, and do it, immediately you know more. Revise where you have become ‘stodgy’ spiritually, and you will find it goes back to a point where there was something you knew you should do, but you did not do it because there seemed no immediate call to, and now you have no perception, no discernment; at a time of crisis you are spiritually distracted instead of spiritually self-possessed. It is a dangerous thing to refuse to go on knowing.

The counterfeit of obedience is a state of mind in which you work up occasions to sacrifice yourself; ardour is mistaken for discernment. It is easier to sacrifice yourself than to fulfil your spiritual destiny, which is stated in Romans 12:1-2. It is a great deal better to fulfil the purpose of God in your life by discerning His will than to perform great acts of self-sacrifice. “To obey is better than sacrifice.” Beware of harking back to what you were once when God wants you to be something you have never been. “If any man will do . . ., he shall know . . . .”

Chambers, O. (1993, c1935). My utmost for his highest : Selections for the year (June 8). Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers.

You know, for many who have been born again, there are several words they really don't want to hear about, and not many pastors preach about these things today for that very reason. We've all been taught that salvation is a free gift from God with no strings attached, and so it is. When we hear a pastor or anyone start to preach about being obedient to God, the first thought many of us have is "that's being legalistic and I don't have to pay attention to this". So even those pastors who do dare to preach the whole bible, are often tuned out as soon as they utter that nasty word, "obey".

Obedience isn't about being legalistic however, or at least it need not be. Obedience is only legalistic when you are following a command because you think that by doing so you'll get into heaven and by not doing so, you won't.

For those who are born again though, obedience is a matter of love, of wanting to please our Lord. We obey Him because we recognize all He has done for us, and count it a very small service we can do Him in return because we love Him. Let's see too what Jesus says about obedience:

John 15:1-8 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

John 15:9-14 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command.

Let me just say that He is not saying that if we don't obey Him that we will lose our salvation, He is simply saying that if we are abiding in Him we will obey Him. It is only when we are not abiding in Him that we don't obey Him. By abiding in Him I'm referring to being in constant communion with Him; living for Him rather then ourselves; to cleave, cling, remain with Him all the time, not just on Sundays and not just when we open our bibles. I have to laugh because I checked the dictionary definition of the word and one of the synonyms was "to hang out with". While that's kind of funny on the one hand, it's also a very accurate description of what abiding in Him means for us.

So as long as we're "hanging out with" Jesus, our joy will be complete and we will be obedient, not because we "have to" but because we want to. It's only when we are separated from Him, when we've pushed Him off into some corner of our mind where we can ignore Him (or try to anyway) that obedience becomes a dirty word.

What I'd like to discuss for a bit is how and why our obedience is so important and just what God expects from us once we're saved as well as what He expects from us once He has given us the knowledge we need to do His Will in something, like overcoming these negative thoughts and feelings. I think you can see without too much effort how by being obedient and abiding in Him we can't fail to make use of the tools He has given us to overcome these negative thoughts and feelings. The reason I say that is because the more we make use of those tools He's given us, the more we will be abiding in Him, and the more we abide in Him, the more we will automatically make use of these tools.

We'll talk some more about this tomorrow. Please feel free to ask any questions you might have though, either on this or on any part of this study. If you're having trouble with something, please let me know so that I can try and help you ok?

Read the whole study here

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Stress,worry,fear etc & the Christian

God’s say-so

He hath said . . . so that we may boldly say . . . Hebrews 13:5-6.

My say-so is to be built on God’s say-so. God says—“I will never leave thee,” then I can with good courage say—“The Lord is my helper, I will not fear”—I will not be haunted by apprehension. This does not mean that I will not be tempted to fear, but I will remember God’s say-so. I will be full of courage, like a child ‘bucking himself up’ to reach the standard his father wants. Faith in many a one falters when the apprehensions come, they forget the meaning of God’s say-so, forget to take a deep breath spiritually. The only way to get the dread taken out of us is to listen to God’s say-so.

What are you dreading? You are not a coward about it, you are going to face it, but there is a feeling of dread. When there is nothing and no one to help you, say—‘But the Lord is my Helper, this second, in my present outlook.’ Are you learning to say things after listening to God, or are you saying things and trying to make God’s word fit in?

Get hold of the Father’s say-so, and then say with good courage —“I will not fear.” It does not matter what evil or wrong may be in the way, He has said—“I will never leave thee.”

Frailty is another thing that gets in between God’s say-so and ours. When we realize how feeble we are in facing difficulties, the difficulties become like giants, we become like grasshoppers, and God becomes a nonentity. Remember God’s say-so—“I will in no wise fail you.” Have we learned to sing after hearing God’s key-note? Are we always possessed with the courage to say—“The Lord is my helper,” or are we succumbing?

Chambers, O. (1993, c1935). My utmost for his highest : Selections for the year (June 5). Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers.

Re: Stress,worry,fear etc & the Christian

OK, I give up! I don't think God wants us to "leave" this study yet. Now that I think of it, it really is the foundation of everything for when we are saved, God gives us this new nature, but we MUST work with it to renew our minds daily, constantly, or it does us no good and we don't grow. So let me post one of today's devotionals and then I'll come back and write some more later after I've prayed. Oh and please check out the thread in Christian Chat about what we should think about!

The never-failing God

For He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Hebrews 13:5.

What line does my thought take? Does it turn to what God says or to what I fear? Am I learning to say not what God says, but to say something after I have heard what He says? “He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.”

“I will in no wise fail thee”—not for all my sin and selfishness and stubbornness and waywardness. Have I really let God say to me that He will never fail me? If I have listened to this say-so of God’s, then let me listen again.

“Neither will I in any wise forsake thee.” Sometimes it is not difficulty that makes me think God will forsake me, but drudgery. There is no Hill Difficulty to climb, no vision given, nothing wonderful or beautiful, just the commonplace day in and day out—can I hear God’s say-so in these things?

We have the idea that God is going to do some exceptional thing, that He is preparing and fitting us for some extraordinary thing by and by, but as we go on in grace we find that God is glorifying Himself here and now, in the present minute. If we have God’s say-so behind us, the most amazing strength comes, and we learn to sing in the ordinary days and ways.

Chambers, O. (1993, c1935). My utmost for his highest : Selections for the year (June 4). Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers.

Re: Stress,worry,fear etc & the Christian

here's another one for today.... somehow I get the feeling God wants to keep us at this!


What are you haunted by?

What man is he that feareth the Lord? Psalm 25:12.

What are you haunted by? You will say—‘By nothing,’ but we are all haunted by something, generally by ourselves, or, if we are Christians, by our experience. The Psalmist says we are to be haunted by God. The abiding consciousness of the life is to be God, not thinking about Him. The whole of our life inside and out is to be absolutely haunted by the presence of God. A child’s consciousness is so mother-haunted that although the child is not consciously thinking of its mother, yet when calamity arises, the relationship that abides is that of the mother. So we are to live and move and have our being in God, to look at everything in relation to God, because the abiding consciousness of God pushes itself to the front all the time.

If we are haunted by God, nothing else can get in, no cares, no tribulation, no anxieties. We see now why Our Lord so emphasized the sin of worry. How can we dare be so utterly unbelieving when God is round about us? To be haunted by God is to have an effective barricade against all the onslaughts of the enemy.

“His soul shall dwell at ease.” In tribulation, misunderstanding, slander, in the midst of all these things, if our life is hid with Christ in God, He will keep us at ease. We rob ourselves of the marvellous revelation of this abiding companionship of God. “God is our Refuge”—nothing can come through that shelter.

Chambers, O. (1993, c1935). My utmost for his highest : Selections for the year (June 2). Grand Rapids, MI: Discovery House Publishers.

Re: Stress,worry,fear etc & the Christian

I have to add today's devotional for this study:

“Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee.”
— Psalm 55:22

Care, even though exercised upon legitimate objects, if carried to excess, has in it the nature of sin. The precept to avoid anxious care is earnestly inculcated by our Saviour, again and again; it is reiterated by the apostles; and it is one which cannot be neglected without involving transgression: for the very essence of anxious care is the imagining that we are wiser than God, and the thrusting ourselves into his place to do for him that which he has undertaken to do for us. We attempt to think of that which we fancy he will forget; we labour to take upon ourselves our weary burden, as if he were unable or unwilling to take it for us.

Now this disobedience to his plain precept, this unbelief in his Word, this presumption in intruding upon his province, is all sinful. Yet more than this, anxious care often leads to acts of sin. He who cannot calmly leave his affairs in God’s hand, but will carry his own burden, is very likely to be tempted to use wrong means to help himself. This sin leads to a forsaking of God as our counsellor, and resorting instead to human wisdom. This is going to the “broken cistern” instead of to the “fountain;” a sin which was laid against Israel of old.

Anxiety makes us doubt God’s lovingkindness, and thus our love to him grows cold; we feel mistrust, and thus grieve the Spirit of God, so that our prayers become hindered, our consistent example marred, and our life one of self-seeking. Thus want of confidence in God leads us to wander far from him; but if through simple faith in his promise, we cast each burden as it comes upon him, and are “careful for nothing” because he undertakes to care for us, it will keep us close to him, and strengthen us against much temptation. “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee.”

Spurgeon, C. H. (2006). Morning and evening : Daily readings (Complete and unabridged; New modern edition.) (May 26 AM). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers.

This is a command:

Matthew 6:25-34 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Philippians 4:6-9 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

1 Peter 5:7 Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

Here are some more verses about this:

Psalm 37:5-7 Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him;

Isaiah 50:10 Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the word of his servant? Let him who walks in the dark, who has no light, trust in the name of the Lord and rely on his God.
Psalm 16:8-9 I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will rest secure,

Psalm 34:4-5 I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.

Psalm 56:3-4 When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

This is what worry, anxiety etc do to us:

Matthew 13:22-23 The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Don't let Satan win!

Re: We often see God as like our human Father

What I was reading in the Bible this morning is a wonderful example of one of the differences between God and some earthly parents:

It was the story of how David sinned first by continuing to watch Bathsheba while she bathed, then by having sex with her and then by having her husband killed. When the prophet told him about his sin, he confessed his sin to the Lord and repented of it.

God caused the illegitimate child Bathsheba bore him to die as discipline. Do you know what David did? Before the child died, he prayed and fasted hoping the Lord would change His mind. I can imagine his heartbreak! But when the child died on the 7th day, this is what David did:

2 Samuel 12:20 Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate.

His servants were surprised at his actions and asked him why he was acting this way when he'd been so desperate for the last 7 days. Here's what he said to them:

2 Samuel 12:22-23 He answered, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, ‘Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.’ But now that he is dead, why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me.”

This is one of the verses in the OT that show us that God takes all babies and children below the age of accountability to heaven. David knew that one day he would see his child again!

So only after worshiping God did David comfort his wife and then get on with his life. Worshiping the Lord was the first thing he did after making himself presentable to be in the Lord's presence.

Even though God had just disciplined David for some very, very serious sins, did God continue to rub David's nose in it? No! Did God warn him over and over not to do it again? No! Did he bring it up later to remind David of how terrible he was/is? No, He didn't! Instead, God blessed David!

2 Samuel 12:24-25 Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and he went to her and lay with her. She gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. The Lord loved him; and because the Lord loved him, he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah.

The birth of Solomon—the first surviving son of David’s union with Bathsheba—is evidence of God’s ability to bring about good in spite of our sin. Since God knew the end from the beginning, He was not stymied by David’s sin.

The Open Bible

She bare him a son … Solomon. The name means “peace” and was probably given with reference to the inner peace that David and Bathsheba could have before God now that the sin had been confessed. The Lord loved him. This shows the approval of God upon this child. He sent refers to God’s commissioning Nathan to give assurance to David with the divinely given name Jedidiah, which means, in current idiom, “God’s little lover.” The word from which the name was derived (Heb dōd) is from babytalk, and was assumed to express love. David’s own name may be from the same word. KJV Bible commentary.

How awesome is that???

see study on FH

Re: Angels (4)

At this point at least I am only taking information that is in the Bible and not information from either the Apocrypha or the Pseudepigrapha. As far as I am concerned while it will be fun to see what's in those books too, the information from them isn't reliable like the information in God's Word is. So I will always let you know if the info isn't from the Bible so we can tell the difference from what's certain and what's just conjecture and myth.

The Bible teaches that there are three groups of angels:
1. those that have not fallen, the "good angels"
2. the fallen angels that are free
3. the fallen angels that are bound or captive

We know that God's angels, those that never fell from His Grace, are well organized and all have specific jobs. It would seem from verses such as the one in Ephesians that Satan has organized his fallen angels in much the same way.

I have numerous books in my library that discuss angels and it seems that there is some difference of opinion on just which ranks are higher etc. and also whether or not Cherubim and Seraphim are angels or not. Most seem to think that they are at least a type of angel.

Now Let me quote a bit from this book about their organization for us:

Organized Structure in the Angelic Realm (Col. 1:16). There is an organized structure in the angelic realm. Profoundly influential in humanity’s history, angels are involved according to their designated ranks. Though opinion differs as to the placement of angelic offices, it is clear that the angelic host are part of a highly organized world of angel beings.

For example, Daniel 10:13 shows that warring angels have a chief prince, Michael, who is also called an archangel, that is, one who rules over others. Seraphim and cherubim seem to be of a slightly lower rank, just ahead of ministering spirits (Heb. 1:14). However, it may also be that the seraphim and cherubim fill a leadership role in worship while Michael leads the warring angels.

As to the dark angels, Ephesians 6:12 offers insight into the ranks of the evil angelic realm: principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places.

From the information the Bible gives, we can see that the angelic realm is a distinctly structured society with different levels of authority or power endowed to each according to God’s creative order.
Hayford's Bible handbook.

Let's look at some of the things angels do or are in charge of:

Some seem to be in charge of specific nations, in particularly Israel:

Daniel 10:12-13 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.

Daniel 10:20-21 So he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come; but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince.

Daniel 12:1 “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered.

So we can see from this that Gabriel and Michael have been assigned authority over angels who administer God's affairs for Israel and Michael is the head of all of them.

Satan imitates everything God does as we know and he has therefore set up his own high ranking demons (fallen angels that are free) to positions of authority over the nations. (the prince of Persia was a high ranking demon assigned to Persia)

These verses show us too that there is a lot going on in the heavenlies that we're totally unaware of! This battle went on for 3 weeks before Michael came to help Gabriel!

So we know from this that there are angels in charge of nations and and governmental policies etc, both good and evil.

The bible calls Michael and archangel and he is the ONLY archangel that the bible names as one. (That doesn't mean that there aren't other archangels, that only means that we can only verify for sure that Michael is an archangel and we cannot verify any others) His mission or job is to protect Israel. We know there are "chief princes" among the good and fallen angels and that Michael is also one of those as they are the highest ranking angels as far as we can see. "Ruling angels" are also mentioned but nothing else is said of them. They may be the same as what we've just been discussing. Here's the verse that mentions them:

Ephesians 3:10-11 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Since we've mostly talked about Michael here lets see what else the Bible says about him:

Here we see that apparently Satan had designs on Moses's body but Michael intervened, which would be in keeping with his position as defender of Israel.

Jude 9 But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

In the next passages we see Michael will wage war against Satan and his demons during the Tribulation on Israel's behalf.

Revelation 12:7-9 And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

I think I'll end this here for today as I don't want to get things all confused.

Join us for the Angels Study here!

Re: Angels (3)

Now here's a verse that just caught my eye:

1 Corinthians 11:10 For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head.

Now why didn't I ever notice that before??? here are some cross references and what one of the commentaries says about this:

1 Corinthians 4:9 For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men.

Ephesians 3:10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,

1 Timothy 5:21 I charge you, in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism.

Psalm 103:20-21 Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.

Paul offered a third reason why womanly insubordination in the church should not exist. Angels were spectators of the church (4:9; Eph. 3:10; 1 Tim. 5:21; cf. Ps. 103:20-21). For a woman to exercise her freedom to participate in the church without the head covering, the sign of her authority (exousia, a liberating term; cf. 1 Cor. 7:37; 8:9; 9:4-6, 12, 18), would be to bring the wisdom of God (Eph. 3:10) into disrepute.

Other (but less acceptable) explanations have been suggested for the words because of the “angels”: (a) evil angels lusted after the women in the Corinthian congregation; (b) angels are messengers, that is, pastors; (c) good angels learn from women; (d) good angels are an example of subordination; (e) good angels would be tempted by a woman’s insubordination.

The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures

because of the angels—who are present at our Christian assemblies (compare Ps 138:1, “gods,” that is, angels), and delight in the orderly subordination of the several ranks of God’s worshippers in their respective places, the outward demeanor and dress of the latter being indicative of that inward humility which angels know to be most pleasing to their common Lord (1Co 4:9; Eph 3:10; Ec 5:6). Hammond quotes Chrysostom, “Thou standest with angels; thou singest with them; thou hymnest with them; and yet dost thou stand laughing?” Bengel explains, “As the angels are in relation to God, so the woman is in relation to man. God’s face is uncovered; angels in His presence are veiled (Is 6:2). Man’s face is uncovered; woman in His presence is to be veiled. For her not to be so, would, by its indecorousness, offend the angels (Mt 18:10, 31). She, by her weakness, especially needs their ministry; she ought, therefore, to be the more careful not to offend them.” A commentary, critical and explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments.

Head Coverings for Women Type of Covering Description

Headband (Heb. shabis)
Probably a head ornament or front-band of gold or silver (Is. 3:18, 20; v. 18, “scarves” in NKJV).

Headdress (Heb. pe˒er)
Ornamental head covering worn by wealthy women, probably wound about the head (Is. 3:20; Ezek. 24:17). Also used to describe the garland of the bridegroom or turban worn by men as well as the cap worn by priests (Is. 61:10; Ezek. 24:17, 23; 44:18).

Head covering (Gk. peribolaios, lit. “covering”)
First Corinthians probably refers to some kind of hair covering—perhaps even a shawl.

The wearing of long, loose hair by an adulteress confirms that such would be considered shameful (Num. 5:18).

The importance of the covering seems to be twofold: to show clear distinction between the sexes and to affirm publicly a wife’s commitment to her husband’s leadership (1 Cor. 11:2–16).

This custom may have been especially important to the Corinthians because of the pagan and immoral influence around them.

Veil (Heb. tsaciph)
Rebekah put on a veil when she approached Issac before her marriage, perhaps as a sign of her betrothal. The veil was to be removed at the time of marriage (Gen. 24:65).

Tamar used the veil to trick Judah (Gen. 38:14, 19).
(Heb. redid)

The veil-like, thin garment was probably for summer (Song 5:7; Is. 3:23).
(Heb. tsamah)

This face veil (lit. “locks”) was probably ornamental, perhaps a long train of adornment for women of high social standing (Song 4:1, 3; 6:7; Is. 47:2). (Heb. mispachoth)

This covering (probably a cap fitting close to the head) is associated with the activities of false prophetesses (Ezek. 13:18, 21).

Full veiling does not seem to be part of the Old Testament culture. However, head coverings were important to women in biblical days. They not only offered protection from the elements but also served as symbols of modesty and, for a married woman, as a token of her commitment to her husband.

The theological principle of divine order remains unchanged even though its specific manifestations, such as a woman’s covering her head in Corinth, may differ from place to place and culture to culture (see chart, Theological Foundations for Headship). This order was evident in the chronological sequence of creation (1 Cor. 11:8, 9). Furthermore, woman was man’s “glory” (v. 7). This concept refers to the act of “manifesting or pointing to the role of another. ” The woman, who pointed to the man, was to be covered in the presence of God; while man, who pointed to God, was not. The practice was also followed “because of the angels” (v. 10). Paul reasoned that angels, the most submissive of all creatures, would be offended by non-compliance. Furthermore, God had provided a natural analogy that emphasized the appropriateness of the head covering: “Nature” favors women over men in the provision of hair on the head (vv. 13–15). Finally, Paul appealed to the universality of Christian practice (v. 16). The principle of headship was important, and its symbol was to be observed in all the churches.

Theological Foundations for Headship
The priority of Adam’s creation. Gen. 2:7
The use of the name “Adam” for the entire race. Gen. 2:20
The investiture of Adam with authority prior to Eve’s creation. Gen. 2:15
The assignment to the man of the responsibility for provision and protection. Gen. 2:15–17
The responsibility of the man in naming the animals. Gen. 2:20
The designation of the woman as the man’s helper. Gen. 2:18, 20
The naming of the woman by the man. Gen. 2:23; 3:20
The recognition of the man as leader and spokesman. Gen. 3:9; 11
Woman's study Bible

OK, LOL I got off track but I couldn't resist! I figured if I didn't include the veil stuff someone would ask about it lol

Interesting though that the angels are involved in so much isn't it! Do you think it means that the angels are even involved with us here at Fresh Hope????

Join us for the Angels Study here!

Re Angels

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pathwalker There are seven Archangels that I am curious about, they are, Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Phaeul, Zarachiel, and Simiel. I know that the two most talked about Archangels in the Bible are Michael and Gabriel, where in the Bible are the other 5 mentioned? Besides Satan, are there any Archangels that were bad angels?

Mark, this is what I found in a quick search in my bible library for you:

There are only three named individual angels in the Bible, Gabriel, Michael, and Satan. Michael, who always appears in connection with Israel, is the only named “archangel.” or ruling angel. His function appears to be that of protecting God’s chosen people in some special way. According to Rev. 12:7–9, he will be successful in defeating Satan during the tribulation period. The handbook to Bible study : With a guide to the Scofield study system.


Angels who are prominent individuals.

(1) Michael (Dan. 10:13; 12:1; Jude 9). The name Michael means “who is like God?” and identifies the only one classified as an archangel in Scripture. Michael is the defender of Israel who will wage war on behalf of Israel against Satan and his hordes in the Tribulation (Rev. 12:7–9). Michael also disputed with Satan about the body of Moses, but Michael refrained from judgment, leaving that to God (Jude 9). Jehovah’s Witnesses and some Christians identify Michael as Christ; this view, however, would suggest Christ has less authority than Satan, which is untenable.

(2) Gabriel(Dan. 9:21; Luke 1:26). His name means “man of God” or “God is strong.” “Gabriel seems to be God’s special messenger of His kingdom program in each of the four times he appears in the Bible record.… He reveals and interprets God’s purpose and program concerning Messiah and His kingdom to the prophets and people of Israel.” In a highly significant passage, Gabriel explained the events of the seventy weeks for Israel (Dan. 9:21–27). In Luke 1:26–27 Gabriel told Mary that the One born to her would be great and rule on the throne of David. In Daniel 8:15–16 Gabriel explained to Daniel the succeeding kingdoms of Medo-Persia and Greece as well as the untimely death of Alexander the Great. Gabriel also announced the birth of John the Baptist to Zacharias (Luke 1:11–20).

(3) Lucifer (Isa. 14:12) means “shining one” or “star of the morning.” He may have been the wisest and most beautiful of all God’s created beings who was originally placed in a position of authority over the cherubim surrounding the throne of God. (See additional discussion under “Origin and Nature of Satan.” )

The Moody handbook of theology

Ra´phael (the divine healer). According to Jewish tradition, Raphael was one of the four angels which stood round the throne of God—Michael, Uriel, Gabriel, Raphael.

Smith's Bible dictionary

An angel (2 Esd. 4:1-11). Uriel served as a guide to Enoch in the upper heavens (1 Enoch 19-22) and was one of the four angels of the Presence (cf. 1 Enoch 9:1).

Harper's Bible dictionary.



2 Esdras 4:1-11 And the angel that was sent unto me, whose name was Uriel, gave me an answer, And said, Thy heart hath gone to far in this world, and thinkest thou to comprehend the way of the most High? Then said I, Yea, my lord. And he answered me, and said, I am sent to shew thee three ways, and to set forth three similitudes before thee: Whereof if thou canst declare me one, I will shew thee also the way that thou desirest to see, and I shall shew thee from whence the wicked heart cometh. And I said, Tell on, my lord. Then said he unto me, Go thy way, weigh me the weight of the fire, or measure me the blast of the wind, or call me again the day that is past. Then answered I and said, What man is able to do that, that thou shouldest ask such things of me? And he said unto me, If I should ask thee how great dwellings are in the midst of the sea, or how many springs are in the beginning of the deep, or how many springs are above the firmament, or which are the outgoings of paradise: Peradventure thou wouldest say unto me, I never went down into the deep, nor as yet into hell, neither did I ever climb up into heaven. Nevertheless now have I asked thee but only of the fire and wind, and of the day wherethrough thou hast passed, and of things from which thou canst not be separated, and yet canst thou give me no answer of them. He said moreover unto me, Thine own things, and such as are grown up with thee, canst thou not know; How should thy vessel then be able to comprehend the way of the Highest, and, the world being now outwardly corrupted to understand the corruption that is evident in my sight?

Quote:

Phaeul, Zarachiel, and Simiel.

Mark, so far I haven't been able to find any references to these three "archangels" anywhere. They are most definitely NOT in the Bible though, not even in the Catholic bible! I will keep looking however. I don't give up easily LOL

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jillian Cindy , only Michael and Gabriel are mentioned in the Bible. I don't know where the other names come from . Possibly from the Catholic Bible translation and from literature. Christian Answers has a very good article on Angels. Below is just one thing of the angels that it talks about. But has a whole article on Angels . Very informative and interesting. Check out their site. I have it on my favorites list. I love this site. We don't know whether every angel carries out the same tasks, or whether some of them specialize in certain areas. The Bible does speak about classes of angelic beings like cherubim (Ezekiel 1) and seraphim (Isaiah 6). We also know the names of two notable angels: Michael (Daniel 10:13; Jude 9) and Gabriel (Daniel 9:21; Luke 1:19,26). The unnamed angels who appear most often in Scripture carry out a variety of tasks—all designed to serve God… Worship and praise - This is the main activity portrayed in heaven (Isaiah 6:1-3; Revelation 4-5). Revealing - They serve as messengers to communicate God's will to men. They helped reveal the law to Moses (Acts 7:52-53), and served as the carriers of much of the material in Daniel, and Revelation. Guiding - Angels gave instructions to Joseph about the birth of Jesus (Matthew 1-2), to the women at the tomb, to Philip (Acts 8:26), and to Cornelius (Acts 10:1-8). Providing - God has used angels to provide physical needs such as food for Hagar (Genesis 21:17-20), Elijah (1 Kings 19:6), and Christ after His temptation (Matthew 4:11). Protecting - Keeping God's people out of physical danger, as in the cases of Daniel and the lions, and his three friends in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3 and 6). Delivering - Getting God's people out of danger once they're in it. Angels released the apostles from prison in Acts 5, and repeated the process for Peter in Acts 12. Strengthening and encouraging - Angels strengthened Jesus after His temptation (Matt 4:11), encouraged the apostles to keep preaching after releasing them from prison (Acts 5:19-20), and told Paul that everyone on his ship would survive the impending shipwreck (Acts 27:23-25). Answering prayer - God often uses angels as His means of answering the prayers of His people (Daniel 9:20-24; 10:10-12; Acts 12:1-17). Caring for believers at the moment of death - In the story of Lazarus and the rich man, we read that angels carried the spirit of Lazarus to “Abraham's bosom” when he died (Luke 16:22). Author: Dr. John Bechtle. http://www.christiananswers.net/q-acb/acb-t005.html

Yes that is a good site! I was shocked when I checked my bible library and saw what a HUGE amount of information there is in it on angels! It's going to be a fun study that's for sure!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pathwalker In Revelations 16:1-17- 1And I heard a great voice out of the temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth. 2And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image. 3And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea. 4And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. 5And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. 6For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. 7And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments. 8And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. 9And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory. 10And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, 11And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds. 12And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. 13And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. 15Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. 16And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. 17And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. The Bible talks about seven angels, do we know who are the seven angels? After reviewing Pastor Richards Study on Rev 16 I see that these are not the Archangels.

No, they aren't archangels, and we aren't told their names. They are as far as we're told just seven of the vast numbers of angels that serve the Lord. I will keep my eyes open however to see if I can find any more specific info on these particular angels, but I kind of doubt if I will...

OK, let me go study a bit and then I'll be back and post the next part for us!

 

Join us for the Angels Study here!