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.” (Ephesians 6:12)
Daniel, a handsome, intelligent young nobleman, grew up in Jerusalem. King Nebuchadnezzar conquered Judah and took him to Babylon. Instead of embracing the religion of his new country, he became closer to Jehovah than ever. To him, his Lord was more than a ceremonial deity. Living his life far from his homeland and the temple of God, he exhibited a genuine faith in God. (Daniel 1)
Ezekiel, a priest and prophet, also lived in Jerusalem then. Babylonians took him with a group to an area by a river. The people in his camp were musicians, and the captors wanted them to provide entertainment, but these broken-hearted songbirds could not sing. By the rivers of Babylon, they sat down and hung their harps in the willows. When they thought of Zion, they wept. (Psalm 137) But Ezekiel turned his eyes toward his Lord.
John, in a later age, was one of the twelve given to Christ by the Father. He had been close to Jesus. After the Lord ascended, their relationship changed. No longer walking the countryside with Jesus, he saw the Lord in a new way. Refusing to worship a wicked ruler and insisting on preaching the gospel, he was banished to Patmos, a remote island, where he turned his eyes toward his Lord.
What do these three men have in common? First, they were exiles that drew closer to the Lord. Also each received a message with a divine inspiration to write. Angels assisted the Lord in giving these men revelations of the unseen world of the kingdom of God. These three men recorded much of what we call the apocalypse, which means “the lifting of the veil” with an emphasis on the end times.
All books of the Bible show us God’s truths, which are beyond the understanding of ungodly men. Daniel, Ezekiel, and John were used especially to show the way that God works in the world we cannot see. Angels, the servants of His bidding, are all around us and are engaged in continuous activity important to the kingdom of God.
For more information, read June 25 in DO YOU KNOW HOW GOD LOVES YOU?
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Showing posts with label Daniel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Daniel. Show all posts
Friday, June 25, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
June 10, Who's watching you?
The Good and Evil Watchers
Do you ever have the feeling that you are being watched? You are. The eyes of the universe are upon you. Jacob’s ladder is a vivid picture of the multitude of angels all around. Daniel had a dream in which he saw “watchers and holy ones.” (Daniel 4: 13-18)
“And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.” (Genesis 28:10-12)
The vilest of the evil ones, Satan, is preoccupied with our thoughts. He sifts through our behavior to find our weaknesses. The Apostle Peter warned us: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." (I Peter 5:8)
The angels of heaven rejoice when we repent. They are more ready than a 9-1-1 operator for God’s call to assist us.
There is a constant battle on our behalf between them and the evil demons of the air. The good ultimately will win. What a joy it is to know that we are guarded! What a sobering thought to think that we are observed in our meanest actions!How we suddenly find ourselves struggling to break our swearing habits! How dull the lewd entertainments become! We don’t want to offend the heavenly watchers and the holy ones. We don’t want to give the evil watchers a toehold on our beings.
As amazing as this realization may be, it pales by comparison to the recognition that the God of all the Universe is seeing us. We need to pray that God, the Spirit dwelling in us, will make our emotions, our actions, and our thoughts things of value to honor Him.
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
Do you ever have the feeling that you are being watched? You are. The eyes of the universe are upon you. Jacob’s ladder is a vivid picture of the multitude of angels all around. Daniel had a dream in which he saw “watchers and holy ones.” (Daniel 4: 13-18)
“And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it.” (Genesis 28:10-12)
The vilest of the evil ones, Satan, is preoccupied with our thoughts. He sifts through our behavior to find our weaknesses. The Apostle Peter warned us: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour." (I Peter 5:8)
The angels of heaven rejoice when we repent. They are more ready than a 9-1-1 operator for God’s call to assist us.
There is a constant battle on our behalf between them and the evil demons of the air. The good ultimately will win. What a joy it is to know that we are guarded! What a sobering thought to think that we are observed in our meanest actions!How we suddenly find ourselves struggling to break our swearing habits! How dull the lewd entertainments become! We don’t want to offend the heavenly watchers and the holy ones. We don’t want to give the evil watchers a toehold on our beings.
As amazing as this realization may be, it pales by comparison to the recognition that the God of all the Universe is seeing us. We need to pray that God, the Spirit dwelling in us, will make our emotions, our actions, and our thoughts things of value to honor Him.
Visit Do You Know How God Loves You?
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