by Michael C Garrett
Michael C Garrett About
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Now, we have a wonderful place to live on this earth! And, if you want the
weather cooler, you can travel up north. And, if you want the weather
warmer, you can come down close to the equator. But, it’s always livable here.
Sustainable. And this was created by the One we now call Jesus Christ – the
Messiah. And, a lot of people don’t know that.
In the last chapter, we read a couple of verses from the Book of John chapter
1. For a review, notice verse 3.
“All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that
[does exist].”
And this is referring to Jesus.
Again, notice verse 10 –
“He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world
did not know Him.”
The world did not receive Him as the conquering King. In fact, the world –
the people in institutions in the world – wanted to torture Him to death. And
they did on a physical plane. But thankfully after THREE DAYS AND THREE
NIGHTS, He was resurrected. And now He lives eternally as our great Leader,
Friend, and Elder Brother!
We also read a few verses in the Book of Colossians chapter 1.
Notice verse 15 – all speaking about our Lord Jesus Christ.
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.”
Now, no one has ever seen God the Father. But, there are people in the Old
Testament as well as the New Testament who actually saw the One we now call Jesus! He was the first one that was resurrected from the dead and
allowed to become eternal. Now, for Him, He was returning back to His
previous state. All of us, we look forward to that time when we will become
eternal members of the family of God.
Verse 16 – “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that
are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or
principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.”
“Come Out of Her, My People”
And so, we’ve been trying to relay to you that we know institutions – and
many of us have known of them since we were teenagers – that say they are
followers of the LORD God, and yet they are very slow to recognize and to
appreciate the being we call Jesus. It’s very difficult for us to understand how
they got misguided. And there were at one time multiple thousands of people
who really got into that organization. And, to this very day – if you can find
a person who was around back in the 60s and 70s – they continue to think
the same way!
Here you are listening or reading from individuals that were allowed and
blessed to come out of some of that darkness. And we are extremely thankful!
That Jesus Christ had mercy upon us and has allowed us to understand
things far beyond what we knew back in 1968, 1973, or even 1986! Back many
decades ago.
This experience with my right big toe, and witnessing my toe healed. And,
having multiple doctors look me in the eyes, saying, “This is a miracle!” And
I fully agreed – I knew that this was a miracle! This whole experience has
really caused us to think even more about the greatness of Jesus! And we are
not ashamed of that name!
We spoke in the last chapter about people who are embarrassed to say the
name JESUS. Who have denied the name JESUS. And, we know people who
will barely say CHRIST. And there’s one person who we know that is a leader
of a church organization! But, he’s seemingly embarrassed by that name!
We’ll never understand it. But, we don’t want you to be in that category.
So maybe – it’s possible – that some of the people who once, or even now,
are a part of one of those organizations, we are trying to open up your mind
to see something much greater! And potentially much more beneficial. That there is true greatness involved with that name JESUS and with the future of
that name JESUS.
Over and over God’s living word talks about Jesus Christ is THE CREATOR.
He is the being we are supposed to be looking to. And, yes, we acknowledge
and respect the One called God the Father, or heavenly Father, or God
Almighty. But, the being who is working with human beings – past, present,
and future – is the One we now call Jesus Christ.
EVERYTHING REVOLVES AROUND JESUS CHRIST!
If you will, turn again to the Book of Romans chapter 11.
Verse 36 – “For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things to
whom be glory forever. Amen.”
Now, the writings of the Apostle Paul which were inspired by the hand of God
– which contains the largest part of the New Testament – the being he spoke
about all the time was JESUS. And so it’s obvious what and of whom God’s
living word is speaking! That is why it’s so difficult for us to understand how
these institutions of which we know became so dismissive of JESUS! They sort of just place Him on a shelf. And once a year at Passover He would
come down, they dust Him off, and then afterwards He would go up on the
shelf again.
The universe revolves, as it were, around Jesus. The earth – its past, present,
and future – revolves around Jesus. Our individual lives revolve around
Jesus.
So again, yes, we acknowledge and respect the One called God the Father.
But, we also know who He placed in charge. God the Father has made Jesus
Christ the head of the Body of Christ – the Church – the called and chosen
ones.
TO JESUS BE THE GLORY.
And, notice that the Apostle Paul ends this verse with the word Amen. It is a
word translated from Hebrew into both Greek and English. Our Lord Jesus
often used ‘amēn,’ translated ‘verily.’ In the Apostle John’s writings, it’s
always repeated ‘amēn, amēn,’ but not elsewhere. Luke does not use it, but
has it rendered ‘of a truth;’ thus Luke throws light on our Lord’s meaning of
Amen, meaning SO BE IT! A point of emphasis.
And I say this because I once heard a man who started telling his people, “You
should never say amen. It’s rude.” And, these are his words, “It’s like hanging
up on God!” O’ my! How far some people will go to come up with some
alternate theory, idea, or catchphrase, to make others think they know
what they’re talking about. Just stick to God’s living word – the Holy Bible!
We know multiple people who got hooked on the foolishness of others!
Let’s turn to 1st Corinthians chapter 8.
Verse 6 – notice that the Apostle Paul writes – “yet for us there is one God,
…” – speaking of the family of God, the Elohim as the Hebrew language calls
it.
“ … the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus
Christ, …”
So, one Lord – one Master, Jesus Christ.
“ … through whom are all things, and through whom we live.”
Jesus Christ is the same being – with a different name – that molded and
shaped Adam, and then created Eve, and began the process of the human
race. It all goes back to Jesus Christ.
We’re trying to get you to understand just how great this being truly is. And
not to be ashamed of Him or His name or His words. We’re pleading with
you – place your focus on Him!
If you are completely focused on Jesus Christ and His words, you will live for
all eternity. You will inherit eternal life. Now, we don’t know exactly when
that will happen, because, in the LORD God’s Plan, there are different stages.
But, we do know this – if you fail to wrap your mind, arms, and heart around
Jesus Christ, sooner or later you will die. And become eternally unconscious.
It is your choice.
You can become enamored with people and their politics, and their human
church leaders, or you can become enamored with Jesus the Messiah. The
Savior. Our physical and spiritual Savior.
‘the Commonwealth of Israel’
Turning a few pages over to chapter 10 of 1st Corinthians.
Verse 1 – this is a verse often read by us in the spring as you get near the
event that God’s living word calls The Passover, or The Lord’s Supper, or
Communion. God’s word refers to it in those multiple ways.
“Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be [ignorant] that all our fathers
were under the cloud, all passed through the sea.”
The Apostle Paul is talking about the children of Israel, as they were in the
process of escaping Egypt, with the Pharaoh's heart being hardened, deciding
to send his military to slaughter the people he had already agreed to release.
Well, the LORD God protected the children of Israel, making their way
through a portion of the Red Sea by a divine miracle where the LORD God –
the LORD God being the family of God; which at this time consists of God
the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ – to literally divide the waters, to dry
out the land, allowing them to walk from one side of the shore to the other.
And, as the Pharaoh's military was chasing after them, the LORD God
allowed the Red Sea to collapse in on this Pharaoh and his military,
destroying them! “I do not want you to be ignorant that all our fathers were
under the cloud, all passed through the sea.”
Verse 2 – “all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.”
Remember – the Red Sea literally, by the power of God, parted. And, there
was a wall of water on the left and right of them as they crossed from one
shore to the other on dry-shod. Above them was a mist. A type of a physical
baptism.
Verse 3 – “all ate the same spiritual food.”
Meaning, they all had a common meal.
Verse 4 – “and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that
spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.”
Again, we’re not wanting to dismiss God the Father – Almighty God. We’re
just telling you, He established a Plan that the being in charge of the Earth
and all of us (physically and spiritually) is the One we now call Jesus Christ.
That is how IMPORTANT He really is!
Notice Ephesians chapter 3.
Again, everywhere you look in God’s living word there is so much spiritual
food. My eye caught Ephesians 2:12 –
“that at that time you were without Christ, …”
Talking about a time before you knew the Word of God, the Truth of God,
and the Plan of God.
“ … being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel …”
Now, we have an online PDF book entitled “God’s Promises To Abraham.” We also have the first six chapters of this book in audio.There once was a people called Israel. And, we’re not talking about the small nation on the western edge of the Mediterranean Sea. That area is inhabited mainly by Jewish people. And yes, they were a part of the people called Israel. Now, you had Abraham – the father of the faithful. Isaac, Jacob – whose name was changed to Israel. And he had twelve sons – Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph, and Benjamin. And they became the descendants of that family – the people that we refer to historically as Israel.And those people had a chance that God would have been their God. He would have been their Defender and Protector. But, they didn’t want that! They wanted to be like the other nations around them. They wanted to be just like the next-door neighbors. And they, in effect, rejected the LORD God. And, in the end, the LORD God rejected them.Those people were eventually conquered, and taken into captivity. And the remnants of those people ended up scattered all over the earth. And some of those remnant people ended up in what we call England. And some of those people ended up coming to what we call the United States of America.So, the founding stock of the British and American people are descendants of the people of Israel. And, the Lord God has fulfilled some promises which He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – and his two sons Ephraim and Manasseh. And we here in this great nation are on the receiving end of those great blessings.Why is it that everybody wants to come to the USA!? Have you ever thought about that!? And, here is the other side: we have people at this moment in our nation – with many in high-status positions – who hate the USA! And, everything they say is against the USA! Criticizing our past, such as our founding documents. We have a Constitution thanks to our founding fathers. But, there are many people – many in high-status positions – who would like to rip up our Constitution and throw it in the garbage! And the left-libertarians continue to tell us how rotten America is, and systemically racist we are! And yet, all around the world, people are doing everything they can to come to America. This land which was blessed by the hand of God.Our conservative news has been extensively reporting on the fact that people are invading our southern border! And depending on what search engine you use on the Internet – it’s still millions! According to the Pew Research Center, our southwest border encounters increased to their highest recorded level in fiscal 2021. The Border Patrol reported 1,659,206 encounters with migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. 1 They are ILLEGAL and shouldn’t be here! But, we have an administration – and do you remember a few years ago there was a soon-to-be President who said of his administration, we are going to “fundamentally change America”! Do you remember that comment!? I hope you do.Well, the Vice President of that administration is now occupying the Oval Office! And it seems to us that he is – to the best of his ability – trying to “fundamentally change America”! Even the composition of America. And, we dare say, that if you could project into the future five decades, you would not recognize America! It will become a completely different creature.However, we do believe that in the end God Almighty and Jesus Christ will not allow that to happen. Because Jesus Himself, along with God Almighty, are going to return to this earth. Remember the word our Lord Jesus says in John 14 – “’ I will come again’”! All prophecy – and a huge chunk of God’s living word is prophecy – points to a time when the kingdom of God, the kingdom of Jesus Christ, is established on this earth! And no longer will human beings be in charge. And this wicked and totally confusing world will be straightened out! And it will finally become the paradise – the garden of Eden – it was always meant to be. So, things are going to continue to go downhill, but somewhere along the line, the Son will shine upon the earth!
So, returning again to 1st Corinthians 2:12, speaking about “the
commonwealth of Israel.”
The Apostle Paul saying – at some time, you church members were aliens
and strangers, but now you are a part of the commonwealth of Israel. So, the
LORD God still uses the term Israel – in Strong’s Concordance, look it up, it
says that this word Israel actually means, “he will rule as God.” 2 How
remarkable! As he said, “like a prince, you have power with God.” He’s
talking about spiritual Israel. So, anyone from any part of the world, any
language, any nationality, if they dedicate their life to Jesus and follow His
living word, can be a part of “the commonwealth of Israel.”
Notice Ephesians chapter 3 –
Verse 6 – “that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, …”
So, the LORD God has a Plan. A system. Throughout the history of mankind,
when God was to work with people, He first chose the people of Israel. And,
we’re not saying Jewish people only. We’re saying the TWELVE TRIBES
WHICH MADE UP THE NATION OF ISRAEL. He first worked with Israel,
and then He works with everyone else. And in God’s living word, those people
are called Gentiles – which simply means non-Israelite.
“ … of the same body, …”
Meaning, the Body of Christ – the Church.
“ … and partakers of His promise in Christ through the gospel [the good news
which we read of in this Book – the Holy Bible].”
Verse 7 – “of which I became a minister according to the gift of the grace of
God given to me by the effective working of His power.”
The Apostle Paul is saying – ‘I am a minister who is empowered by the hand
of God the Father and Jesus Christ.’
Verse 8 – “To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, that I should
preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.”
Paul carried a terrible guilt complex. He never could get over the fact that at
one time in his life, when his name was then Saul – who was dedicated to the
political structure of the Temple elite. Paul was likely destined to have
become the great high priest in Jerusalem. And, as he was pursuing that
career goal, he treated members of the Body of Christ horribly! He
persecuted them! And, as he says, “I persecuted this Way to the death,
binding and delivering into prisons both men and women.” There were true
believers who had their lives ended because of the work of the one we now
know of as the Apostle Paul.
Well, he got struck down by Jesus. And he was blinded. And, Paul had a
chance to “get his mind right.” Our Lord Jesus saw something in Saul. And
He knew that once He got his attention, and once He grants him His Spirit –
His mind – he would become a valuable tool to do the will of God. He ends
up becoming the human who writes a large portion of the New Testament.
So here he admits, he was “less than the least” of any member of
the Church. But in truth, under the direction of Jesus Christ, he became
possibly the most powerful leader to teach the people of God – the non-Israelites. And this is part of why he ends up in Italy. He also spent a lot of
time in Greece – which was Asia Minor at the time.
Now, who were preaching to the Israelites!? The Apostle Peter’s job was to
go and preach to the Israelites as they were scattered in different locations.
Verse 9 – “and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, …”
Friends, if you’re reading or listening to this series “To Jesus Be the Glory,”
you have access to understanding a mystery. A mystery of which most people
of the world do not understand. And in truth, at this present time, they
cannot understand it. This thing which is called the Truth of God, the
Knowledge of God, is only, AT THIS TIME, being shared with a relatively
few number of people. And somehow if you’re reading or listening to this
series – in one way or another – God Almighty and Jesus Christ are wanting
you to know things that most people do not know.
Indeed, think about all the so-called Christian churches – to be a Christian
as this world thinks of that term. Whether you’re talking about being
Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, or Episcopalian – or any one you want. If you’re
Catholic, all you need to do is show up at church once a week, go to the
confessional, partake in the Eucharist, and then you can go and do anything
you want. And, basically think anything you want. And the Protestants have
their own version of that.
But, how many of them know the real Jesus!? How many of them know the
true Plan of God!? How many of them truly know what’s going to happen in
the near future!? The majority of them have no idea. I have relatives, and if I
was to sit down with them and tell them what I am now saying to you, they
wouldn’t have a clue what I was saying. In fact, they would think I was looney
tunes! They might begin talking behind my back, saying, ‘We’ve got to get
Mike committed because he’s crazy!’ And, it’s not because my relatives are
bad people, it’s just simply because they have not been called to understand
the living Word of God, Truth of God, and Plan of God. And thanks to Jesus
and God Almighty we have been!
Thankfully, we have been blessed. And hopefully, through our voice – the
Owensboro Church of Jesus Christ and our affiliated churches – being
directed by Jesus Christ, you can be blessed. Blessed with the true knowledge
of the LORD God, the Holy Bible, the Plan of eternal life! And, we’re not
talking about going off to heaven and sitting on a cloud, and playing a harp
forever. And we’re not talking about sitting on that cloud and hoping that
maybe you can see God walk by someday and have His light shine upon you
– what some people call the beatific vision. No. We’re talking about knowing
God the Father. We’re talking about looking upon Jesus as your wonderfully
kind, strong, and caring Elder Brother. That same being that someday will
give you a hug! And, brethren, if we don’t mess up, that day will occur!
Again, verse 9 – “ … to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, …”
Not many people understand this mystery.
“ … which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created
all things through Jesus Christ.”
Once again – who is the Creator God!? It is the One we now call Jesus!
And, if you disrespect Him, and you ignore Him, and you’re embarrassed by
Him, and you’re ashamed of Him, and you deny Him, you have severed your
opportunity to have a part of eternal life. Please don’t do this!
WHY WOULD YOU DENY HIS NAME!?
If you would, turn to the Book of Revelation chapter 4.
And, notice verse 8, just to get
an idea – “The four living
creatures, …”
Now, the word beast translated
in the King James Version is just
a very poor translation. You
have a much better
understanding if you think of
this as being “living creatures.”
These are archangels. Beings
created by God Almighty and Jesus Christ for the purpose of serving the
LORD God – the family of God.
“ … each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do
not rest day or night, …”
So, they are just full of energy – like the Energizer Bunny! They don’t need
sleep, they just keep going, going, and going!
“ … saying: ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was, and is and is to
come!’
Now, just what does that mean!? The One we call Jesus Christ, for all intents
and purposes, is the God of the Old Testament! When the Prophet Moses was
interacting with God, he was interacting with the being which would be
eventually Jesus Christ. When Patriarch Abraham was interacting with God,
he was interacting with the being which would be eventually Jesus Christ. He
once was. And He is now – sitting at the right hand of God the Father at the
throne of God. And is to come. This same being, who dealt with Adam and
Eve, Moses, Abraham, and all the different prophets of God, who became
Jesus Christ, and then was horribly tortured and sacrificed, returning back
to the throne of God – is coming again to this Earth.
Verse 9 – “Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to
Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever.”
Talking about Jesus!
Verse 10 – “the twenty-four elders …”
Another category of super angelic beings that is near the throne of God. 3
“ … fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives
forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: 11) ‘You are
worthy, O Lord, …’”
They are speaking of Jesus!
“ … ‘ To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And
by Your will they exist and were created.’”
Now these mighty angelic beings have such greater power than our tiny
existence. Yet, they literally kneel in awe and reverent worship of the One we
now call Jesus Christ! If the angels are intelligent enough to worship Him,
should we as human beings!?
WHY WOULD YOU DENY HIS NAME!?
WHY WOULD YOU BE ASHAMED OF HIM!?
Why would you relegate Him to like the Buddha knickknack that many place
upon their shelf!? And every so often they dust this idol off and place new
candles around it! No. You should talk about Jesus Christ, and to Jesus
Christ – every day! You should actually hope and ask that God Almighty and
Jesus help you to create a condition in your mind where They are always on
your mind!
There’s a song popularized by the country singer Willie Nelsen, “Always On
My Mind.” You were always on my mind. Well, that actually would be the
ideal for all of us. That every waking moment – and even in our sleep – that
Jesus Christ would be on our minds and near our thoughts. This is the being
we want you to think about.
TO JESUS BE THE GLORY!
This is what these angelic beings say to the One we now know of as Jesus!
Let’s turn to the Book of Hebrews chapter 1.
Verse 1 - “God [the Greek word being Theos, meaning God the Father], who
at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the
prophets, …”
So, does the LORD God always speak directly to an individual!? No. This is
what we read right here. We are told that at various times and various places, the LORD God will relay a message through a human being that They have
commissioned and ordained to speak for Them. You can call him a prophet,
you can call him a minister. But this is what prophets and ministers are
supposed to do – they are supposed to convey the message of the LORD God.
So, why do these worldly church leaders deny Him!? Why do they not use
His name!? Or, they just use it sparingly – like you’re putting together a
recipe and it calls for just a dash of salt.
Verse 2 – “has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, …”
So, God Almighty has had His Son to directly relay to us the message He
wants us to know.
And continuing in verse 2 - “ … whom He has appointed heir of all things,
through whom also He made the worlds.”
So, how was the universe, the cosmos, the solar system, the Earth, matter,
energy – how did it all come about!? By the very hand of Jesus Christ!
“Now consider how great this [M]an was, …” – and is!
Verse 3 – “who being the brightness of His [God the Father’s] glory …” – truly
meaning that They are both on the same level. They are both bonafide
members of the family of God. “ … and the express image of His person, …”
Our Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father are two separate beings. But, They
are on the same page. They think the same thoughts. They share the same
emotions. They have the same ultimate Plan. They are completely simpatico
with each other.
“ … and upholding all things by the word of His power, …”
If Jesus speaks it, it will be done! If He directs it, it will happen!
He literally, at some point, said and commanded, ‘Mike’s right big toe is to
be healed!’ And, at that point, the bacteria were completely defeated. And in
just a short period of time, the exterior wound was gone! He spoke it, it
happened!
“ … when He had by Himself purged our sins, …”
So, who was on the cross having been tortured to death? Who saved us from
our sins? And, we’re not wanting to be disrespectful here – it was not God
the Father! Think about this! The One who did something that we might have
access to eternal life, that we might have all of our mistakes and our sins
washed away – is the One we now call Jesus.
WHY WOULD YOU NOT SAY HIS NAME!?
WHY WOULD YOU DENY HIS NAME!?
WHY WOULD YOU BE ASHAMED OF HIM!?
We just don’t understand why! We don’t understand the way some of these
people whom we know think!
Now, we could go back and read passages from Matthew and Mark. But, as
our Lord Jesus was very near death, dying on the cross, He cries out, ‘My
God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’ Do you remember those
passages!? Up to that point, Jesus had a direct connection with God the
Father. And, God the Father could supply all of the energy and strength that
Jesus needed. But in those final few moments that “power supply” – as an
analogy – was unplugged. And, within those final few moments, Jesus had to
bear that horrible burden all by Himself.
And now we say JESUS CHRIST THE SAVIOR!
We don’t say, ‘Jesus Christ the co-Savior.’ And, we don’t say, ‘well, Jesus
Christ and God the Father saved us from our sins.’ We don’t say, ‘God the
Father and Jesus Christ forgave our sins.’ He took it all on by Himself! No
help! So that we can now say that He is the King of kings and Lord of lords!
IT RESTS COMPLETELY ON THE SHOULDERS OF JESUS CHRIST!
And now has “ … sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.”
A reference to God the Father.
Our Lord Jesus Christ now sits on the throne of God, at the right hand of God
the Father. So, who is this Book of Hebrews going to be talking about!? It is
all going to be talking about JESUS CHRIST!
Now, in our understanding, this book was written by the Apostle Paul. He
never placed his name in it, but the style of the writing and the various clues,
there is little doubt that this was written by the Apostle Paul. But, notice it
was written to the Hebrews. It was sent to the people who had a Jewish
background. And who had a Jewish faith. And he’s trying to get them to
understand in very powerful and dramatic ways IT’S ALL ABOUT JESUS
CHRIST! He wanted these Jewish people to understand the greatness of
Jesus. And that’s why this letter initially was sent directly to them.
Now, thank Almighty God, we all get to share in it. And it’s in our Bible, so
we can all read it, study it, and benefit from it.
Verse 4 – still speaking of Jesus Christ – “having become so much better than
the angels, …”
So much more powerful. Compared to human beings – remember the old
Superman television show!? Many of our younger friends may not. The
introduction to the television show Superman, starring George Reeves:
Faster than a speeding bullet! More powerful than a locomotive! Able to leap
tall buildings in a single bound! Well, any angel compared to us – if an angel
was told to, he could stop a powerful locomotive! He could lift up the tallest
skyscraper – the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. They have great power! And they
serve the LORD God – the family of God. But, our Lord Jesus compared to
the angels, “having become so much better [or prominent] than the angels.”
“ … as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.”
We do not call an angel a savior. Angels are incapable of giving you eternal
life. Jesus Christ can! Yet, sadly, there are many people in some churches
that pray to saints. And in their mind, we think they believe that the saint sort
of became like an angel!?
In fact, not long ago, I was in a gymnasium for a volleyball match, and before
the game a prayer was said – and they were literally praying to different
saints! Which I thought was sad. There is no Saint Bernard (or whatever
name) who is sitting in heaven and can hear your prayers and usher them on
to God!
There are also people who pray to Mary. There are people who are obsessed
with the concept of Mary. Well, Mary was a wonderful human being. She was
chosen by the LORD God! Now – have you ever heard the expression “You
Can’t Choose Your Parents”!? Well, at one time in history, a future human
being got to pick His parents! And Jesus Christ chose Mary to be the woman
who would give birth to Him as a baby. Have you ever thought about this!?
And, certainly, our Lord Jesus also chose His human father. No one else has
ever been able to do that. Our Lord Jesus chose a most wonderful young
woman, but Mary is not divine! She certainly played a part in the powerful divine
plan, but she is not divine. In fact, Mary is not in heaven. She is just like everyone else who has lived and eventually died – she’s in her grave. And, for those
people who have their name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life – Mary’s name
is towards the top of the list. We’re sure that our Lord Jesus cannot wait until
He gets to talk to His human Mother again! We’re sure that our Lord Jesus
cannot wait until He gets to talk to His Stepfather again! As well as to all His
human brothers and sisters, cousins, and uncles! We’re sure that He’s
waiting with great anticipation for the moment when they will be resurrected.
And they too become eternal members of the family of God!
Verse 5 – “For to which of the angels did He ever say: ‘You are My Son, Today
I have begotten You’? And again: ‘I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be
to Me a Son’?”
No angel has received that kind of recognition or adoration. And this just tore
up Lucifer!
Now, in God’s living word, we only hear of three archangels. Lucifer,
Michael, and Gabriel. If there are more, we haven’t heard of them – and we’re
not speaking of any pseudepigrapha works which are not inspired by the
LORD God!
Lucifer had a big-time conniption fit way back in pre-history (cf. Genesis
1:2). And, if you don’t believe us, take a look at Earth’s Moon, and take
a look at all the damage that occurred! In fact, throughout the
universe, there is great damage! Caused by that rebellion. Think
about all the innumerable asteroids. All of these rocky, metallic, or icy bodies that inhabit what is called the asteroid belt. A region
in the Solar System centered on the Sun and roughly spanning
the space between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. There was at
one time another planet out there! But, it got caught up in this
battle. And it literally got shattered! Some scientists and non-scientists continue to advocate for the existence and destruction of
a Phaeton-like planet that existed between the orbits of Mars and
Jupiter. 4 And, ever-so-often an asteroid comes shooting through our
atmosphere! And, sometimes large chunks come shooting through the
atmosphere! Like the one which created the Barringer Crater just east of
Flagstaff, Arizona. The object that excavated the crater was a nickel-iron
meteorite about 160 ft. across, traveling at some 29,000 mph! 5
Yes, this great rebellion can be seen everywhere! And, we live with the
spiritual aftereffects to this day.
Continuing, verse 6 – “But when He again brings the firstborn into the world,
He says: ‘Let all the angels of God worship Him.’”
You know – when Jesus was being arrested along with the evening before He
was going to be tortured to death, at any moment He could have told His
angels, ‘Legion, come here and protect Me.’ The Roman guards who had
been assigned to the Jewish authorities, with their pugio – a type of dagger
that was used by Roman soldiers in the 1st century – could have been
completely eviscerated by His legion of angels! He could have done that. He
had the authority and the power. But, if our Lord Jesus would have done that,
we would never have had a Savior! But, because of what our Lord Jesus did, we have access to a Savior! And thanks be to Almighty God that we do! And
thanks be to Jesus that we do!
Verse 7 – “And of the angels He says: ‘Who makes His angels spirits And His
ministers a flame of fire.’”
It was Jesus Christ who created the angels! Why are they so loyal to Him!?
They owe their existence to the One we now call Jesus! Just like we owe our
existence to the same being! □
1 Gramlich, J., Scheller, A., What’s happening at the U.S.-Mexico border in 7 charts, Pew Research Center, 9 Nov.
2021. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
2 Israel, “he struggles with God [El]” Strong, James, The Strongest Concordance of the Bible, 21st-century ed. ISBN
978-0-310-23343-5 (hardcover), #3478, pg. 1513. It's traditionally been translated as "to wrestle," but the Alfred
Jones’ Dictionary of Old Testament Names denotes the translation as “he will be prince with God.”
3 Be sure to read or listen to our article Revelation – A Book of the Past and the Future (Part 3), in which we explain just who it
could be here sitting on the thrones.
4 Wikipedia contributors. "Phaeton (hypothetical planet)." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 8 May. 2023. Web. 11
Jul. 2023.
5 Wikipedia contributors. "Meteor Crater." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 11 Jul. 2023. Web. 11 Jul. 2023.
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