So for the Christian, knowing that we have our Lord dwelling within us (in the person of the Holy Spirit) and knowing that we are always protected in the hand of the Father, results in our assurance that we are never alone on this earth. Even when it appears as if the entire world has forsaken us, we know that our Lord will never turn from us. (Hebs 13:5)
However, there is another reason why we can rest assured we are never alone on this earth. In the little read book of Zechariah (and several other books of the Bible), we find that God has sent His ministering angels to oppose the forces of evil in this sinful world.
SCRIPTURES:
Zech 1:7-11 (KJV) 7) Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which [is] the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, 8) I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that [were] in the bottom; and behind him [were there] red horses, speckled, and white. 9) Then said I, O my lord, what [are] these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these [be]. 10) And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These [are they] whom the LORD hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth. 11) And they answered the angel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest.
Zech 6:1-8 (KJV) And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains [were] mountains of brass. 2) In the first chariot [were] red horses; and in the second chariot black horses; 3) And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses. 4) Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What [are] these, my lord? 5) And the angel answered and said unto me, These [are] the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth. 6) The black horses which [are] therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country. 7) And the bay went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth. 8)Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.
Dan 10:10-14 (KJV) 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. 14) Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision [is] for [many] days.
Ps 103:20-21 (KJV) 20) Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. 21) Bless ye the LORD, all [ye] his hosts; [ye] ministers of his, that do his pleasure.
Heb 1:7-14 (KJV) 7) And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire....... 14) Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
THE STUDY:
Twice in the book of Zechariah we find references to angels sent by God to minister to His people. The first reference is found in Zechariah 1:7-11...
7) Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which [is] the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,
8) I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that [were] in the bottom; and behind him [were there] red horses, speckled, and white.
9) Then said I, O my lord, what [are] these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these [be].
10) And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These [are they] whom the LORD hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth.
11)And they answered the angel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest.
Here we read of God's ministering angels described as a “man riding on a red horse” being followed by many other horsemen. The angel explains to Zechariah that “These [are they] whom the LORD hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth.” Please note that the phrase of walking to and fro through the earth is not only used to describe the ministry of God's angels, but also of the workings of Satan, the fallen angel opposed to the will and ways of God (Job 1:6-7, Job 2:1-2).
Why would the ministry of God's angels be similarly described with the workings of the chief fallen angel? I believe, it is to help us understand the correlation between God's angels and the angels working to oppose God. There work is similar yet in direct opposition to one another.
It is made clear throughout Scripture that there is a spiritual warfare taking place on this earth. This warfare involves the powers of darkness (Satan and other demons, as well as the other sinful forces in this world) versus the powers of light (The Lord, his angels and the powers that are working for good) (Eph 6:10-12, Col 2:13-15)
One of the great reasons that God sends His angels to work for Him on the earth is to intervene and hinder the workings of the powers of darkness. We can clearly see this in an account found in the Book of Daniel...
Dan 10:10-14 (KJV)
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.
14) Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision [is] for [many] days.
Please note that, here a messenger (perhaps an angel), sent from God to deliver a message to Daniel, is stopped by the “Prince of the Kingdom of Persia” a wicked King that was led by the powers of darkness. (Some believe this is a description for Satan himself). Anyway, do you notice how Michael, an angel from the Lord, was sent to intervene on behalf of God's messenger? This allowed the messenger to continue on his way and bring God's words to Daniel. This is a clear example of an angel of God intervening and helping mankind in the war against the powers of darkness.
Zechariah's other account of God sending His angels to aid man is found in Zech 6:1-8 (KJV)...
1) And I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, behold, there came four chariots out from between two mountains; and the mountains [were] mountains of brass.
2) In the first chariot [were] red horses; and in the second chariot black horses;
3) And in the third chariot white horses; and in the fourth chariot grisled and bay horses.
4) Then I answered and said unto the angel that talked with me, What [are] these, my lord?
5) And the angel answered and said unto me, These [are] the four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.
6) The black horses which [are] therein go forth into the north country; and the white go forth after them; and the grisled go forth toward the south country.
7) And the bay went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth.
8)Then cried he upon me, and spake unto me, saying, Behold, these that go toward the north country have quieted my spirit in the north country.
Here, we can see the Lord sending forth His angels to minster to man throughout the earth. The Lord says that His spirit had been quieted as a result of their ministry. What did the Lord mean by this statement? Ezekiel 16:42 helps us to understand what is meant by this phrase...
(42) So will I make my fury toward thee to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry.
According to this verse, to quiet the spirit of God is referring to dispensing His judgment against wrongdoing, thereby allowing his just, holy, righteous spirit to be at rest within Him.
Not only does He send His angels to protect and keep us, but also to punish those who are opposed to His people and His will for the earth. These are the two great reasons for the sending of His angels to earth. These two purposes are both mentioned in Hebrews...
Heb 1:7-14 (KJV)
7) And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.......
(14) Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
Here, His angels are described in two ways.... ministering spirits (ie those who care for his people) and ministers a flame of fire (ie those who execute his punishments upon those who are opposed to His people and His will)
Once we understand these two truths, other verses about His ministering spirits take on a more clear meaning for us all....
Ps 103:20-21 (KJV)
20) Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.
21) Bless ye the LORD, all [ye] his hosts; [ye] ministers of his, that do his pleasure.
For those who have been saved by God's grace, there is no reason to feel alone anymore... you have the indwelling Spirit within you, you have the Almighty God holding you in his hand... and you also have His ministering spirits sent throughout the earth to protect, care and control the situations surrounding you. You truly are not alone.
If you have not been saved by God's grace, look to him for your salvation. You too can then claim the blessed promise that you will never be alone.
If you have any questions about salvation, I have a tab available on my blog that gives in depth information on what salvation is and what you must do to be saved. Please click on this link for more information about salvation.
If you continue to have questions or concerns about your salvation, find a Bible-believing church in your area. The Pastor would be glad to share Christ and the way of salvation with you. If you feel more comfortable communicating through email, you are always welcome to email me at settledinheaven@gmail.com.
May the Lord bless you as you seek His truth.
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My maternal grandfather always reminded me when I was anxious about "all the mean people taking over the world": Remember, little miss, that we have 2/3 of the angels on our side; and the Devil only has 1/3 on his side." You wonderfully strengthening and comforting teach here today brought back so many memories of summertime Bible studies in the home of my maternal grandparents. How blessed am I, a child of the King!
ReplyDeleteGranbee,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing that wonderful story from your past. It sounds as if your Grandfather was a very sweet and Godly man. I'm so glad the posting brought this back to your memory and you saw fit to share it with us. Lord belss you.
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