(320) – JESUS AND THE ANGELS

Jehovah, the King, ruled this present world where we live: “As I live, says the King, whose name is Jehovah of Armies” (Jer. 46:18). The Bible reveals that Jehovah is the king of this world: “For Jehovah Most High is awesome. He is a great King over all the earth” (Ps. 47:2). “God reigns over the nations. God sits on his holy throne” (Ps. 47:8). And Jehovah ruled through his ministers, the angels, of whom Jehovah says: “He makes his messengers winds; his servants flames of fire” (Ps. 104:4). How do we know that this text is speaking of the angels? Because the letter to the Hebrews says: “Of the angels he says, ‘Who makes his angels winds, and his servants a flame of fire’ (Heb. 1:7). The Old Testament speaks about the way this world is ruled: “Jehovah has established his throne in the heavens. His kingdom rules over all. Praise Jehovah, you angels of his, who are mighty in strength, who fulfill his word, obeying the voice of his word. Praise Jehovah, all you armies of his, you servants of his, who do his pleasure” (Ps. 103:19-21).

The prophet Daniel tells that, at the margins of the great river Hiddekel, a man dressed in fine linen came to him girded with a belt of pure gold of Uphaz. His body was like turquoise, and his face had the appearance of lightening, and the eyes like flaming torches (Dan. 10:4-6). It was an angel of Jehovah who said to him: “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; but, behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me: and I remained there with the kings of Persia” (Dan. 10:13). The angels were in war, and Michael went to the help of the men of eyes like fire clothed with the gold of Uphaz, who soon says to Daniel: “Do you know why I have come to you? Now I will return to fight with the prince of Persia. When I go forth, behold, the prince of Greece shall come. But I will tell you that which is inscribed in the writing of truth: and there is none who holds with me against these, but Michael your prince” (Dan. 10:20-21). Every nation and every kingdom has its prince, that is, his angel, who leads the wars to dominate and enslave men. And each angel reported to Jehovah, the lord of the armies who rules the wars and has the book where these wars are programmed (Num. 21:14).

Very well. The angels were never submissive to Jesus. Paul explains this phenomenon revealing that Jesus only became Lord of heavens and of earth after the resurrection. Let us read: “And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth” (Phil. 2:8-10). Now, those in heaven are the angels. If they were forced to bend their knees before Jesus, it is because previously they did not. The apostle Peter tells us that Jesus, after the resurrection, went to heaven and is sitting at the right hand of God, and the angels, the authorities, and the powers were submitted to him (1 Pet. 3:21-22).

How would the angels submit to Jesus, the humble carpenter, made lesser than them for the love of men condemned and subdued to the angels? One more time the letter to the Hebrews clarifies the issue: “But we see him who has been made a little lower than the angels, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God he should taste of death for everyone” (Heb. 2:9). And Jesus, born in the sinful flesh (Rom. 8:3), because he was lesser than the angels, he was not prince or savior: “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you killed, hanging him on a tree. God exalted him with his right hand to be a Prince and a Savior, to give repentance to Israel, and remission of sins” (Acts 5:30-31).

The mystery not revealed yet is when and how has Satan received all the kingdoms, if Jehovah is the king of the kings of this world, and has the angels submitted under his power? Satan declared it and Jesus did not deny it: “The devil, leading him up on a high mountain, showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. The devil said to him, ‘I will give you all this authority, and their glory, for it has been delivered to me; and I give it to whomever I want. If you therefore will worship before me, it will all be yours’” (Luke 4:5-7). When we read, “For he didn’t subject the world to come, of which we speak, to angels” (Heb. 2:5), this text makes it clear that this world, before Jesus Christ, was submitted and governed by angels, and the angels were not submitted to Jesus, because Jesus, the son of man, was a little lower than the angels. The future world of Heb. 2:5 is the same future world of the Jesus who declared: “But those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead” (Luke 20:35). This future world is the kingdom of God: “The law and the prophets were until John. From that time the Good News of the Kingdom of God is preached” (Luke 16:16).

How did the dispensation of the angels, ministers of Jehovah, come to the end? This was on of the objectives of the incarnation of the word: “Wiping out the handwriting in ordinances which was against us; and he has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross; having stripped the principalities and the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it” (Col. 2:14-15). And now the angels, filled with power, who governed this world and promoted wars, these angels, clothed in gold, whose bodies were like turquoise, faces with the appearance of lightening, and the eyes like flaming torches, now dethroned by Christ and submitted under his feet after the resurrection, are forced to adore him against their will, for it is written: “Again, when he brings in the firstborn into the world he says, ‘Let all the angels of God worship him’” (Heb. 1:6). The saints—with mercy, will judge them that judged men mercilessly, though: “Don’t you know that we will judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?” (1 Cor. 6:3). Jesus saves men from the powers of darkness and delivers the believers from the yoke of the law ordained by the angels, through grace (Acts 7:53; Gal. 3:19).

There is another unsolved mystery in our days. Christians go about seeking angels. This is equivalent to despising the Lord Jesus, who said: “Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20). And if the angels submitted themselves to Christ against his will, it is obvious that they will not support the Christians. Let those who have eyes see.

 

By Pastor Olavo Silveira Pereira

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