Month: July 2019

The guardian angel according to Catholic beliefs, is the angel to whom God has given the mission to protect, guard and guide every man during his life on Earth to facilitate his ascension to Heaven, I like to think Jesus comes for us as well. Or rather He comes and His angels along wit Him.

I was reading some angel quotes, one I disagree with and I won’t quote the source is that God takes someone close to you because He needs another angel. He could create one, He did, He did not kill people to become angels. He created them.

i am always amazed that people think they become angels when they die. We will know as we are known, although that I the love chapter, 1 Corinthians 13 and refers to experiencing Christ fully when we are with Him, we know Him and He knows us and we will know each other.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes:

Music is well said to be the speech of angels. Thomas Carlyle ( a personal favorite )

In scripture whenever angels appeared there was always one main thing that is mentioned: ‘to fear not’. Sahne Callahan, Joy Through Presence

The angels of Heaven watch in amazement, as the King of the universe takes on the lowly form of a human, to save people that may or may not want to be saved. Rebecca Bryan, The Carols of Christmas

Apart from making the Father’s heart glad through your obedience and soul winning, the angels in Heaven and the entire inhabitants there rejoice over you because through you another lost soul has been found and rescued. Archbishop Gloria Grace, The Heartbeat of God

But from the beginning of the Bible until the end of the Bible many people had a visitation of an angel and they weren’t even apostles. Bill Vincent, Glory: Increasing God’s Presence

There are people in our lives who are like angels to us.” Catherine Pulsifer
Life

Every time you hear a bell ring, it means that some angel’s just got his wings.” It’s a Wonderful Life

and so many more, look them up and see what you like.

Have you heard the saying that when feathers appear angels are near? Well, they are. Now that is a common theme in card readings and the like, but I don’t suggest that. Angels are near to a believer in Christ because they are with His Spirit, and because God charged them over us.

Feathers are a good reminder of a verse like Psalm 91:4, He covers us with His feathers, not that God has feathers but the cherubim on the mercy seat do. We have even talked about pennies being a reminder of angels, being dropped to make us smile.

What else reminds you of angels? Besides Christmas and Bible stories, singing, choirs and art, there are figurines, paintings and statuary. Some of that I have already published should you care to scroll back.

There is the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park and the Resurrection Angel in a cemetery in Brooklyn, statuary is found there a lot, and is very beautiful, but also in parks and churches, monasteries and convents. Although they are monuments and are usually thought of in terms of death. Jesus has defeated death, pne with the power over death the devil and so do we. So why not enjoy the angels as the artwork they art?

Some are sold at nurseries along with flowers, and many are birdbaths. There are always little garden cherubs, that I prefer to gnomes or flamingos. So whatever your interest is in angels, whether collecting figurines like me, and I also have plates and dolls, and paintings, though not one like the museum, you might want to consider having that camera phone ready next time you go for a drive.

It just be that some angel unaware will be along and drop a ” feather ” or that you might see some of that spectacular statuary.

1870 by Félix François Barthélemy Genaille (French, 1826–1880)

What a glorious angel in flight. Is she on her way to look into salvation? Angels don’t have to be saved, they have never experienced being born again. Naturally, they were curious as to why the Lord implemented such a plan.

They knew Jesus. Why would He agree to give His life in order to redeem sinners? Fallen angels were not restored, and not the devil. People were created in His image, spirit. So were angels, He is the father of all spirits, whatever their rank.

Fallen angels lost their places. So angels knew better, they must remain obedient. Adam and Eve should have known better but they too had free will. Eve was deceived as many people are, in fact, we often deceive ourselves, sometimes even not believing God’s goodness. Adam was a willing sinner.

Thank God He loved us or would have had no choice. He willingly gave up a throne to come to earth and die in the most cruel way to give us a chance at salvation. No wonder angels are interested and are obeying the commands to watch over us.

God revealed to these prophets that their work was not for their own benefit, but for yours, as they spoke about those things which you have now heard from the messengers who announced the Good News by the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. These are things which even the angels would like to understand. I Peter 1:12

I’m giving you the Good News Version, it explains about the prophets and what the angels want to know but I like the phrases, desire to look into or catch a glimpse of.

https://biblehub.com/1_peter/1-12.htm

 

After promising to send an angel ahead, we get this, ” Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him. ” Exodus 23:21  I doubt most people have ever paid much attention to this, I did as an avid reader about angels, even wondered if had made my angel mad, when something went wrong, I knew God sent them to help. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

Now, there is a high possibility and even probability with this strong language that this angel is Jesus, look at the phrase, my name is in Him. Yahweh, Jehovah, Adonai, and more. You see, when God walked with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, it was Jesus. Why? Even John 1:1, tells us the answer. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.

So many times we see Jesus appearing in the Old Testament as the Angel of the Lord. He appeared to such people as Hagar, Sarah, Abraham, Jacob and Manoah and his wife Hazeleponi. And I really need to go through and see how many times it could be Jesus, although sometimes, it can be a literal angel, I am sure He is hidden in many places. This verse is in reference to taking the land of Canaan.

And why hidden? Well, Jesus is a treasure. You have to look for Him. He is in the story of Samson, when He tells Manoah and his wife about the child. She believed Him but her husband had to see for himself and though they would die when he did see him. He even asks His name, and the angel won’t say but says it is secret, which can translate from a Hebrew word as wonderful, and what is one of Jesus’ names in isaiah 9:6? Wonderful. I still sing a children’s song, called Isn’t He Wonderful? And He is, too.

So let’s look at it in context, Israel suffered some consequences. But we know Jesus was not angry at Sarah for laughing and denying it. When He talks to Abraham before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, He is hoping there will be some righteous people still there.

Jesus is full of mercy and grace, and God is slow to anger but you can do it or that verse would not contain a warning. It was such a high price He paid for us to ignore Him. We are not to grieve ourselves but have His joy, Nehemiah 8:10, and especially not the Spirit. Ephesians 4:30, it really does hurt Him when we neither lister or obey.

And we know Jesus ultimately, came as a child grew and was referred to as the second Adam. He gave His life for us a sacrifice once and for all, the very Son of God dying and paying the redemptive price for us. I’d say we don’t want to anger Him as angel of the Lord or the Lord, Himself, for He and the father are one, and three in one with the Holy Spirit whom He sent to live in the hearts of believers.

I don’t want to make Jesus mad and He has good plans for us, so let’s just thank Him and believe. I believe in angels, and the one who is over all of them, do you?

Beautiful angel, unaware,

Have you come in answer to prayer,

You could be Gabriel, with good news.

Bringing hope, as He is ours to choose.

Are you here for spring?

The resurrection morn?

Were you there at His birth?

Or announcing He was born?

Were you even there.

Seeing His head, bleeding from a thorn.

Are you here for summer, and fall,

Are you our warmth when winter winds howl?

With many angels, keeping us from the wicked one, so foul.

Beautiful angel unaware,

You are an answer to a prayer,

For He is risen, we are forgiven.

And you are here to share,

The blessings from God above,

Who sent us a Savior, His own Son,

The purest act of love,

A glorious gift is given, what a wonder He has done.

HIs peace,

Rebecca Jones

Here is another example of the price Jesus paid for us. He drank from the cup and defeated the enemy, so that we could be saved, have healing and angelic protection. He literally willed us an inheritance and left us His peace, John 14:27, as a gift.

He tasted death so the children would not know it’s sting if they turned to Him, and we are living in a day and  time when we could see His return, we may be a generation of believers who are alive a remaining to be caught up with Him, before the Second Coming.

No many how many times we read it or see a movie, we will never know what it was for Him to go through  all that mocking, scourging and being beaten, and they even plucked His beard.

And I know about thorns, just the small ones from my roses, I can only imagine some that were and inch or two and thick.wound tightly on His head. Shoved on by a solder, who would perhaps push Him over to a cross.

The love that help Him there is amazing. And I am so blessed to have the ability to relate His suffer and passion for people to you. If you do not know Jesus as Lord, please thing about today. He is coming soon. May you too, begin to feel His amazing love.

It is horrible to hear about the concentration camps, but furnace have been around and a punishment as far back ancient Bible times. Daniel and his friends went into Babylonian captivity, while Daniel had to face lions, later on, his friends went to the fiery furnace.

Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were of the tribe of Judah. The chief of the eunuchs gave them new names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.

While Daniel had a different calling, his friends were set up as rulers over Babylon, but were denounced because they refused to worship the false gods, or the image of the king on the plain of Dura. They refused vehemently saying even if He didn’t deliver them, they would not bow, so Nebuchadnezzar ordered it made seven times hotter. And in they went. It was so hot it killed the men who put them in. The king got up and asked had they not put in three men, because he was seeing four.

Now, some translations say he says the fourth was like the son of the gods, KJV says son of God, which is accurate from the Hebrew, and they are not bound as before, burned, scorched, or singed.  They did not even smell of smoke and as a non smoker that is something you pick up on clothes, especially.

Then he ordered that no one bother them or else trouble and praised the Most High God, El Elyon. So in this instance, I believe that  this is Jesus appearing as the Angel of the Lord again. Daniel also sees Him, as a man clothed in linen.

Daniel has the gift of interpreting dreams, and he has visions. People still do, but as always I urge readers to use caution as to who teaches you, but to let the Holy Spirit guide you. Daniel is a prophetic book, and some of his writing ties to Revelation and ancient history.

We also know the king went mad, he was giving God some glory and then started taking credit, he was out of his mind and ate grass before being restored and later on Darius puts an older Daniel in the lion’s den. Rebecca Jones

Calling all angels to our rescue. Any of us who need deliverance from danger or any problem any who are sick and need a touch from the Lord sent on angels wings or even from His own hand. This picture looks like He is commanding them. The centurion understood, he didn’t even want Jesus to come to his house, he didn’t feel worthy but understood authority. Jesus  honored his request and he is one of two people who are said to have had great faith. They were not Jewish.

When something goes wrong , we call 911 and we should but then there is Psalm 91:1, He that dwells in the secret place of the Almighty shall abide under the shadow of His wings. It is a reference to the mercy seat. And 91:11, For He will give his angels charge over us. So let’s call all the angels to our side, cancelling the enemy assignments.

The centurion, being a soldier in a tough Roman army understood that Jesus had authority, spiritual authority. He had that authority by the Holy Spirit, He gave us authority as a believer. He promised nothing, by any means would harm us. Luke 10:17. So we have His authority working for us as a believer, if a centurion and a Syrophoenician woman understood that, and she was asking for crumbs, certainly, He offers us more after the Gentiles were grafted into the covenant. We should be living so the Jews take notice.

We should be praying from His holy rest, know He has already been victorious for us. He was arrested and crucified in order to ransom our souls. And had Peter to put away his sword, he was saving him here and healed Malchus ear, Peter may have been  killed, and yet, he will deny knowing Him. He could have called legions of angels, possibly as many as 72,000. For our sake, He chose to die.

But He will call them out on of behalf, angels are said to be innumerable but like the stars I would imagine God knows each of them and calls them by name. In fact, His original command of, ” Light be! ” may be ongoing, there are so many unexplored galaxies, could He still be creating angels? People are still being born.

To me it was unclear if Jesus asked for angelic help after being tempted or in Gethsemane, He could have or else God just sent them as ministering spirits, Hebrews 1:14. Personally, I think God is so good, He sees what we need and will send it even if we don’t always ask. But it never hurts to ask Him to charge angels for us, and thank Him too.

I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers! Isaiah 65:24. Now that is some verse, and it could very well be included as a promise to us as descendants of Abraham, He answers before we finish, that is better than 911, but call them anyway He understands, Just remember, Psalm 91:1 and 91:11.

We need angel when we are weary, saints are being worn out everyday, but we have every bit of help we need by calling all angels. Thousands of them, innumerable, fallen ones are outnumbered two to one or more. And God’s phone number is Jeremiah 33:3, Call upon me and I will answer and show you mighty things you did not know.

Rebecca Jones

Lovely angel with a pearl,

Do you guard such a gate,

Or are you just a guardian,

To this girl.

Your beauty and grace are evident,

Though we can’t see your face.

Are your hiding, secretly watching,

From a silent place?

Or are just hovering over?

Waiting to appear?

Standing or sitting, with open wings,

You see so many things.

Or are you, perhaps, in flight.

Guarding me, both day and night.

I will know you, when I see you appear,

A lovely pearl earring in your ear.

Rebecca Jones, from the Allegory of Fame

An Allegory of Fame and an Allegory of Virtue, detail, by Elisabetta Sirani , 1638-1665. Wasn’t she super talented? Beginning her career at 17, she even taught women to paint, these two paintings are 1657. Here is a link to an interesting but short life, The paintings were at Sothebys.

https://biography.yourdictionary.com/elisabetta-sirani

 

There have been so many things going on again that I was impressed of the Lord to step up the teaching on angels. A few weeks ago, there was a suicide in a school, in a small town. It was the fourth in two years. Compare that to cities.

I have found myself writing about suicide more and more. It is a terrible spirit related to hopelessness, and some believers have been caught in its web as well, including a pastor. Even strong people of faith, have to guard against the enemy’s ruse, that it will never get better. Like children at school, the devil is a bully and a liar, he’s constantly throwing darts.

Parents, children, believers and we should pray for those who are not, to have the love of Jesus shown to them, we can all have angelic intervention. Angelic protection is a promise to Christians. My interest in angels drew a few arguments. Why didn’t they save this person or that?

I told the someone who asked this that perhaps no one was  praying for the child, of course the child had fallen from a hotel room window a number of stories. So, it is possible that a parent or guardian was distracted, or the window left open or any number of contributing factors. Angels caught the soul, even as the body fell. they do not just automatically intervene or they would rescue everyone, they follow the Word.

Much like those on 9/11 said a prayer, made the genuflection and leapt rather than burn, angels caught them, no matter what the news footage shows. Children are inundated with information more so now than ever and parents should be paying attention.

My best answer to children as to why people do these things, murder, crash planes, is that they don’t know Jesus. I was always careful as to what children saw  when I was caring for them.

One of the things we did was to take a map or some sort of paper with a picture of the school, and Christian parents were urged to take a drive around the school and pray. We drew red circles to cover it with the blood of Jesus, and asked that angels be assigned there, guardians, warriors, commanding ones. I pray for teachers too.

And churches are no exception, we have seen the synagogue shooting and the many churches and if you are in another country or know of missionaries somewhere you can do that for them. Whether on paper, which is good or a verbal agreement with two or three, He is there. At one church a security guard was able to stop a shooter.

Angels respond to God’s commands, and our prayers, He is listening. And everytime you start to worry remember that prayer and His promise. I have seen children under attack for years, I have some wonderful stories of intervention as well.  Plead that blood and know angels are there. Thank Him for protection. Fear is a terrible thing, and if you can’t trust children to God who can you trust? Prayers should be said over them, bless them. Teach them, and love them.

Angels are on assignment, they can go in Jesus name. Let’s not hinder them with doubt, or have them standing there with folded wings as we face danger alone.

detail Carl Bloch

Rebecca Jones