part two Ministry of Angels

MINISTRY OF ANGELS
PART II

Matthew 24:29-31   29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

This is how angels will perform at the coming of Jesus in the gathering of Gods elect.

They will come at the same time Jesus appears in the clouds. Each angel will be assigned to the job of raising the body of one of the saints.

This is the resurrection of the righteous dead to meet Jesus in the air.

The false Arc angel Lucifer the history and future.

In the beginning Lucifer who is now called Satan was a sinless and righteous being.

God says He was perfect in his ways from the day he was created, until iniquity was found in him.

Ezekiel 28:15   15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

Ezekiel 28:17   17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

Some where the will of God had become distasteful to Satan.

He wanted to exalt his throne above the stars of God, as to be like the most High..

Isaiah 14: 12-15   12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

God in His eternal plan had reserved this exaltation for His son Jesus not for Lucifer.

It was given to Jesus alone to sit with the Father in his throne.

Revelation 3:21   21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.

Lucifer though ‘vice regent’ was destined to hold a lesser position.

But as it turned out he was not satisfied with this.

When it became evident that he was not to have the supreme position, he saw his ambitions thwarted, or down grated to third place. It was this that prompted his rebellion.

The question I have is how Lucifer hoped to be successful in challenging God for his throne…

Obviously, the devils rebellion was not born on the impulse of the moment, but rather had to be a calculated plan.
But the reason for its eventual failure was because God had foreseen the entrance of evil into the universe and had prepared a plan in advance to counteract it.
It was the divine plan of redemption.

So when Lucifer painted a glowing prospect to the angels that they would be as gods, as he did to Eve, Makers of their own destiny. They left their first home and followed him.

So it came to pass that one third of the angels elected to follow Lucifer.

God had not been taken by surprise that sin had entered His universe.

It was a matter of unspeakable sorrow and grief to Him, but there was nothing he could do to prevent it.

God however had knowledge which the devil did not have. He foresaw the extent of the rebellion.

He knew that although Satan would disrupt His plan, Satan could not prevent it from eventually succeeding.

There was one thing that God held in reserve, not even the angels knew.

God had a grand plan of salvation through his Son Jesus Christ. Not even the righteous angels knew about it.

1 Peter 1:12   12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

1Peter 1: 19-20   19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

Jesus Himself would become flesh, and die in the sinners place.

At Calvary the devils legal authority was stripped from him, and has no further power over the believer.

Ephesians 6:12   12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

We have good angels to fight for us but we also have evil angels whom we must fight against.

Prevailing intercessory prayer will hamper Satan and his wicked plans.

If necessary it will bring angelic forces on the scene as occurred in the days of Daniel.

How important is the ministry of intercession or intercessory Prayer?

There was a time in Israel’s history God could not find and intercessor to pray for Jerusalem, so he had to allow judgment to fall on the land.
Ezekiel 22:29-31   29 The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery, and have vexed the poor and needy: yea, they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully.
30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.
31 Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God.

The land of Israel became overrun by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar and the children of Israel went into a 70 year captivity.

Until He could raise up Daniel for his prayer of intercession.

Daniels vision from God
Daniel 10:10-13   10 And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands.
11 And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.
12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.
13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.

So when will this great battle in the heavenlies be ended?

Revelation 12: 7-10   And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Michael and his angels will come forth and fight against Satan and later his fallen angels will together be cast out of their positions in the heavenlies: Which is the second heaven, above Earth.

They were first forced out of the third heaven where God is, when Satan rebelled. Down to the second heaven which is above earth.

During the tribulation at the time of the rapture, Satan and his angels will then be forced down to earth from the second heaven where they will be permitted to continue their operations for a little season during the great tribulation.

 Michael and the angels are the celestial agents used in the defeat and casting down of the devil and his hosts.

It is interesting to note they overcame him, “Satan” by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony.

God is calling for men and women who will be prayer warriors in this great battle of the ages called the “end times”.

When victory comes, as it surely will, the prayer warriors will have an important part in Satan’s defeat.

Pray and stay close to God and your angels. 






Ministry of Angels Part One

Ministry of Angels Part One

The angels that are guarding us.

Psalms 91:11   11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

The bible teaches that a guardian angel watches over every human being that is born into this world.

Hebrews 1:13-14   13 But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?
14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?   

Child-like Faith


I.       Weekly Scripture: “So faith comes from hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the [preaching of the] message concerning Christ.” (Romans 10:17 AMP)
A.    Many times this verse is quoted from the King James Version, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”  
A.    The Amplified gives us a bit more precise information. It isn’t just any word. Hearing what the Word says about the grace, power and authority that we have through Jesus is what causes faith to come.
B.     Focus this week on the fact that Jesus is the one who does everything, our job is to ask for it to be here on Earth.
II.     (CH 9) Pastor Durham teaches us the “child-like faith” opens Heaven. (Matthew 2:18-24) We need to ask ourselves, “How does a child act?”
A.    A child knows that all things come from Mom and Dad.
1.     One of the first things I had to teach my children is how not to constantly ask for things when they are in a store. It gets real annoying when you continually hear, “Can I have candy… can I have chips… can I have new shoes…” Even before they have complete sentences, children ask, for “some” or “more” instinctually.
a.     We need to be unafraid of asking God for things.
B.    Children are persistent: if they don’t get it the first time, they ask again and again until you tell them to stop asking. If Mom says no, they will ask Dad (unless you put consequences in place…)
1.     “Ask and keep on asking and it will be given to you; seek and keep on seeking and you will find; knock and keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7)
C.    A child will ask for a new bike or a pony without ever considering where these items will come from. They really don’t want to know, all they need to know is that it comes from Mom and Dad. As kids grow older, many will begin to reason these things out, but small children who know that their parents love them, like the one Jesus sat in His lap, just ask and expect that Mom and Dad will be able to get if for them.
1.     This is one of the reasons why we give testimony and listen to the testimony of others about what Jesus has done. This way we have examples of what God has done with others so that faith for the same thing can come to us.
a.     God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34, Romans 2:11) What He does for one, He will do for another, because we are all covered by the same blood of Jesus and that is what He sees, His Son, Jesus.
b.     Can you do anything better than what Jesus did? No one can. This is why we all look the same to God. Jesus is perfection and that is what God is looking at when He sees us through the sacrifice of Jesus.
2.     This is one of the reasons we are not to forsake the assembling together of believers, so that we can share what God is doing and each be encouraged by it. (Hebrews 10:25)
D.   Children fear their parents as God instructs us to fear Him, “Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God;” (Deuteronomy 10:20 King James)
1.     The Amplified version gives a more insight: “You shall fear [and worship] the Lord your God [with awe-filled reverence and profound respect];”
a.     One of the most typical words that refer to the fear of God is “yirah” and can have several different meanings including: awe, wonder, amazement, mystery, astonishment, gratitude and worship.
b.     We should fear the wrath of God, because of His mightiness, but remember that wrath was poured out on Jesus, and we have taken Him as our Savior from that wrath.
2.                 I remember the first time I blew a bubble with my gum in front of my kids. They were so amazed… how did I make that happen from the gum!
a.     This is what the Word is talking about when we “fear” God, but to a much greater degree. Our response when we think about God with childlike amazement at how great He is compared to what we know of the world should make us tremble at His greatness.
E.    Little Children love to spend time with their parents. They want to do EVERYTHING with them.
1.     God has sent the Holy Spirit to us, to walk with us each and every moment of the day. He is just waiting for us to acknowledge Him, then He will move in greater and greater measure in our lives.
a.     “In all your ways know and acknowledge and recognize Him, And He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way]” (Proverbs 3:6 AMP)
III.  (Ch 10) Durham states God loves us and gives us all good things (James 1:17) and that we have an enemy (Satan, that old Dragon) who is the one who brings bad things in our lives.
A.    God is always the same
1.     Jesus Christ is [eternally changeless, always] the same yesterday and today and forever.
B.    We take refuge in Him where we find protection.
1.     “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will remain secure and rest in the shadow of the Almighty [whose power no enemy can withstand]” (Psalms 91:1-2)
C.    Sin gives Satan an opportunity to bring charges against us in the courts of Heaven so that he has a right to send bad things into our lives.
1.                                      “Be angry [at sin—at immorality, at injustice, at ungodly behavior], yet do not sin; do not let your anger [cause you shame, nor allow it to] last until the sun goes down. And do not give the devil an opportunity [to lead you into sin by holding a grudge, or nurturing anger, or harboring resentment, or cultivating bitterness]” (Ephesians 4:26-27 AMP)
2.                                       “Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)
a.                          The word “enemy” in the original Greek is “antididos” meaning “one who brings a law suit.
b.                          Jesus is referred to as our “advocate” meaning our legal representative (Hebrews 12:24, 1 John 2:2)
c.                           God is called our Judge (Hebrews 4:5, Dan 7:10)
3.                                      We have already won all the cases, because we have been covered by the blood. However, just like here on Earth, if no one shows us, the accuser wins.
4.                                      This is why we “plead the blood.” In court you plead guilty or not guilty, we plead, “Because of the blood of Jesus all cases in Heaven against us must be dismissed.” (1 John 2:2)
5.                                      God sent me a dream one night to reinforce that this is how it works in Heaven: A group of us arrived by boat at a cute little town. Many of us took shelter in a local inn, others chose to camp in a tent. As soon as the sun went down, everyone in the town when straight to bed. Our group stayed up chatting and joking.

I wondered outside where lampposts were stationed at regular intervals. I saw a little great blob-ish monster slither over to a post and it slid up to the top. At first I was concerned that it would attack, but all it did was watch as I hurried to where a couple had put up a tent and were singing by the campfire.

Morning came and we prepared to leave. As be marched toward the beach, a police officer approached. “Hold up a minute,” he said, “There are a few charges you must see to before you go.”

“What charges?” I asked, “We were told the stay was free?”

Flipping open a pad of paper he began to read a list of ridiculous charges, “Talking after sunset, walking after sundown, singing after sunset…” and so on.

As he gave the total price on these items, I knew the few coins we had in the boat would never be enough and told the officer so. “You will have to appear before the Judge in the morning to see if you can get them dismissed,” he informed me.

The officer escorted us back to the inn and I noticed an area set apart by a chain-linked fence. It was full of worn and tired looking people locked inside. It was a shabby looking compound with rundown buildings. I knew that this is where we would be if we couldn’t get the judge to dismiss those charges.
a.                          The small town is Earth
b.                          The Inn is our time here
c.                           The green monsters are demons sent to watch each and every one of us: they report to Satan in Heaven
d.                          The charges are charges, bogus cases, Satan files against us in Heaven
e.                           Unless we go before the Judge and “plead the blood” of Jesus over any cases against us, we are imprisoned by our sin
6.     This is why bad things happen to good people. They perish for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6). They don’t know they have cases against them and they don’t know they have to plead the blood. It gives Satan access to them.
7.     This verse confirms that Satan is in Heaven accusing us before God night and day and during the tribulation, he will be cast out of Heaven.
8.     Pastor Roland Buck confirmed this in his book Angels on Assignment when the Archangel Michael appeared to him and told him that for now God only lets him disperse buildups of Satan’s army, but the day is coming when God will let him kick Satan and every demon out of Heaven – no one knows the day or the hour but God, but he looks forward to it coming. Michael also told him that Satan puts charges against God’s people night and day and Satan doesn’t really comprehend that he has already lost those cases because of the blood of Jesus.
D.   Take time to ask the Holy Spirit to reveal if you have any of these in your heart. He is our helper, many times He is the only way we can get these out of our lives.
1.  “But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things.
IV.  (Ch 10)  Blessing others each and every day should be a habit for all Christians. It can be as easy as breathing if you will ask the Holy Spirit to help you. The following are some types of blessing
A.    Wishing someone well
B.    Giving someone heartfelt thanks
C.    Giving a gift
1.     Blessing someone by giving them a parking space even though you were there first
2.     Helping watch a neighbors kid
D.   Giving of our time to help others
1.     Opening a door for someone
2.     Carrying a heavy bag for someone
V.    Next Week: Read Chapters 10 & 11
A.    Don’t forget to invite the Holy Spirit to teach you
1.     JOHN 14:26 (NKJ) "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things…”

2.     Prayer: “Heavenly Father, I thank you for the Holy Spirit. Your word says that He is our Helper who will teach us all things. I ask, Holy Spirit, be with me as I read. Reveal Jesus to me. Show me what I You would have me know. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

THE FULLNESS OF GOD



John 1:1-5   In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

What does John mean by “the word”?

The word was a term used by theologians and philosophers, both Jews and Greeks in many different ways.

In Hebrew scripture, the Word was an agent of creation.

Psalms 33:6   By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

The source of Gods message to his people was through the prophets, and Gods law, His standard of holiness.

The Greek philosophy “the word” was the principle reason that governed the world.

While in Hebrew thought “the word” was another expression for God.

John’s description shows clearly that he is speaking of Jesus.

Jesus. A person who was known and loved, but at the same time was the creator of the universe.

John 1:10   10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.
The ultimate revelation of God is the living picture of God’s holiness, the one who holds all creation together.

Colossians 1: 17-19   17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;

John 1: 15-17   15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.

16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
After Christ came people could know God fully, because he became visible and tangible in Christ.

Christ Jesus is the perfect expression of God in the Human form.

Errors people make about Jesus are to minimize his humanity, or minimize his divinity. Jesus is both God and man.

Colossians 2:9-10  For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

In Christ Jesus the fullness of God lives in a human body, making Him the Godhead.

What this means is that all of God was in Jesus’ body: his human body.

When we have Jesus we have everything we need for salvation and righteous living.
This is one of the strongest statements about the divine nature of Jesus found in the bible.

Philippians 2:5-9   Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

John 1:1   In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Jesus is supreme over all creation: including the spirit world.
We as believers must believe in the deity of Jesus Christ.

If we don’t our Christian faith is hollow, misdirected and meaningless.

This is the central truth of Christianity. We must oppose those who say that Jesus was just a prophet, or a good teacher.

Galatians 4:4-5   But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

When the right time came God sent Jesus to earth to die for our sins and Gods timing is perfect.

Sometimes we wonder when God will respond to our prayers. He always responds at the right time.

As you impatiently wait, trust Gods judgment. Trust that he has your best interest in mind… always.

Ephesians 3:19-20   19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.
20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

This fullness is fully expressed only in Jesus Christ.

In union with Jesus, and through the empowering spirit, we are complete.

We have all the fullness of God available to us. We must appropriate “or set apart” that fullness through faith and through prayer as we live daily for Him.

Ephesians 4:11-13   11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

The Holy Spirit has given each Christian special gifts for building up the Church.

Of you don’t know what your gifts are, ask God to show you. As you begin to recognize your area of service, use your gifts to strengthen and encourage the church.

God has given His church “which means the body of Christ” an enormous responsibility to make disciples in every nation.

This involves preaching, teaching and yes bible studies.
As the body reaches its fullness of God we can accomplish more together than we could ever dream as being possible.


Working together we can express the fullness of God through his son Jesus Christ.