On Angel's Wings

I have been researching a lot of art and here is another wonderful painting by Rembrandt, what better story for Father’s Day that the angels visiting Abraham? As we know God promised Abraham that his descendants would be as many as the stars and only He can count them.

For a childless couple, who had left Ur and idol worship, been through Egypt, where Sarah was kidnapped by  the king and where Hagar enters the picture, it must still have appeared impossible to them and we know it’s not for God, we have the benefit of hindsight.

Even though a  change made His name father of many nations, Sarah decided to help God along and let him go to Hagar, not only allowing it, she insisted he father a child with the handmaiden, but that was not His promise. Isaac was the child of promise. And we know that caused problems later on, it is a cautionary tale to be sure.

Even so they are visited as depicted in the painting, by three angels. One of whom is the Angel of Lord, Jesus, Himself. He inquired of Sarah, and she prepares a meal. When she hears Him say that she will have a child when He returns the next year, she laughs. And even though she denies it to Him, He is not angry but says again she did.

Then He asks Abraham, His friend, as He refers to him if He should withhold what is about to happen. So Jesus proceeds to explain that Sodom and Gomorrah is about to be destroyed. And asks about the righteous, He wanted to save more people just like now, it was a time of grace, there was now law yet given.

But wicked people are paying the price everyday, when they have a savior before them and Jesus is still looking for the righteous. We are made righteous because as Galatians 3:13 says, He was cursed because cursed is every man that hangs from a tree. God imputed righteousness to  us and Jesus took our unrighteousness. Nothing was a fair exchange for Jesus, but He was willing to die in order to save souls and to give us access to His Father, as a believer we are crucified with Him, and heirs to salvation.

So as we celebrate Father’s Day, for earthy fathers or to remember them, what about our Heavenly Father, He deserves love and praise, for giving us the gift of eternal life. And if you don’t know Jesus or maybe, your father or sons don’t, it is a good day to get to know Him. He will love you like no one else can, like He kept a promise to Abraham, He keeps His promises and would love to visit you.

This pair of angels could be goodness and mercy but one has a book and the other a blooming branch of some kind. So, perhaps they represent Jews and Gentiles being grafted into the covenant. The book could represent the Lamb’s Book of Life and the branch, the rod of Aaron that budded in the Ark of the Covenant.

The colors of their close are close to the colors used in the temple. And of course, Jesus is now our High Priest and it is His blood on the mercy seat of our hearts, as it is in heaven.

The pair could be ministering spirits sent to inspire the Word of God to both Jew and Gentile, we should pray for His angels to be sent wherever they are need and to whomever. regardless of the faith or lack of, God can put angels into place we and situations, we might not even realize, and souls need salvation, and help from the heavenlies is not out of the question, nothing impossible for Him.

Like the angels, we can be the head and feet of Christ and demonstrate our Father’s love toward others, by offering a kind word or sharing the promises of His Word

Rebecca Jones

There is a story and poem about pennies from heaven, that they are dropped by an angel to make you smile or from a loved one. I don’t think they are necessarily dropped like that but nevertheless, the pennies are there and we find them, maybe the sun is shining on them and they are often found a coppery, small reminder, of little things.

I have also heard that God winks. He lists that as flattery, but if He does, it is not the untrusted and hush, hush, bribery. It is more of ” nice going ” or  ” I’m proud of you. ” A little, secret smile between Father and child.  A twinkling star, that to me, would be a God wink.

And the pennies, they too, whether dropped by angels or not, are good reminders that God cares for the little things. Sparrows, for instance. So what else would God like for us to remember. I wrote a poem about what angels do. So if they dropped you a penny today, what would it be?

A kind word? A special memory? The sweetness of song? The joy that comes from Jesus? Is it the blue sky after a storm, did angels breathe away the clouds? Is it a breeze? A dance? Or laughter? Angels do behold our father’s face and would know just how to cheer us up.

Is it a loving e-mail? Or something shared with a friend? Was it a kiss? Was it something totally unexpected, one of favorite word is serendipity, which means just that? Was it a bird singing or flowers blooming?

A bee? A butterfly? A hummingbird? I used to watch children on bug hunts and their admiration of slow moving snails in the garden. I too, was always amazed that God could make creature so large and also so small.

It might even make you feel slight or insignificant, a lilliputian, but that is not so. God counts stars, grains of sand, He know my hair color and every strand is numbered. He loves every dimple and every tiny wrinkle.

He is enamored with us to the point of giving us His Son, but we have to believe that he is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6, that is faith, believing what you don’t see yet. Resting in His promises.

So, I have had a double rainbow over my house. I have seen clouds that look like doves, angel, and wings, and I have found lots of pennies. But most of time our pennies from heaven aren’t really pennies at all, just any small reminders of our Heavenly Father’s love.

And if an angel drops a penny or a feather, that’s just even more of a reminder.

‘Twas the night of our dear Savior’s birth. A star was born to guide the wise men to the manger, I believe that was the very glory of God from heaven, if not a real star reflecting it. It was bolder and brighter and the magi had to know the heavens in order to follow it.

There were astronomers, God created the stars for signs and seasons, a calendar. It was Nimrod who polluted it with astrology and occult practices. The stars are meant  to be enjoyed and studied, they make up constellations and galaxies, and even the signs of the Zodiac had original meaning and one was discovered on a temple floor in Israel.

Take Virgo for instance, God was showing His plan of redemption. Even a serpent runs the length of it. The whole story is there. I once studied an book by Dr. D. James Kennedy, it gives a very detailed account of all the constellations, the Zodiac, and how it was meant to be interpreted.

Many cultures have interpreted their own stories, mythological and otherwise, but the original intent of them will remain the same, it was meant for signs and season and guide wise men. It tells the story of Christ from beginning to end, and beyond because there is no end. Only eternity.

Stars, die and glory departed but He gets the glory when we remain in His love. Stars are always being creation, God’s spoken word flung them into existence , and maybe there was a cosmic big bang as atomic energy exploded into galaxies that are still being formed.

He counts the stars and calls them all by name. Psalm 147:4, and every minute of everyday, a star is born.

Check out the Helix Nebula on my board, shot by the Hubble telescope, the Eye of God.

We have no idea what fruit Eve took and ate and gave to Adam, an apple is mentioned in some ancient Jewish text and so that’s where we get the idea. The Bible speaks of many fruits, even figs and pomegranates. There are a lot of theories. what was the forbidden fruit? We can’t really say with certainty.

Pomegranates were on the bottom the high priest’s robe, they have 638 seeds representing the many other laws than the Ten Commandments. And of course, Jesus cursed a fig tree because it  had leaves and no fruit.

And He is now our High Priest with commandment to love one another encompassing the rest.  Many people are like the fig tree, leaves but no fruit. Figs are a possibility  because they made their clothes from fig leaves. Other suggestions have been wheat and mushrooms, but basically it was just the disobedience that brought them the knowledge of evil.

Personally, I like the idea of the grape as it alludes to wine and communion, but that is not what we think of as a tree but a branch. I am the vine and you are the branches. The one who remains in Me, and I in him, will bear much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing. John 15:15 Berean

So an apple a day to keep not only the doctor but enemy away is good. Jesus wants to be the vine  and we, the branches. We are to bear fruit. we can’t without communion with Him, and I like taking Holy Communion, even at home. You just have to proclaim His death until He comes and remain repentant. His blood covered so much, and He is our bread from heaven.

In order to bear fruit  we have not be cut off from Him, as Adam and Eve were. Jesus came to restore Adam’s authority, and whatever fruit, which is peri in Hebrew, is nothing to worry about, only keeping Him first, we want His mind, who needs evil?

Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.…Matthew 7:17-19

Pier Francesco Mazzucchelli worked in Milan,  is is a detail from the painting of Christ in the Garden of  Gethsemane in 1612, He painted altarpieces, but also the Gifts of the Magi and the Beheading of John also a last Supper that is darker, more sepia than the DaVinci one we are familiar with. It is at the Met but not currently on display. He also painted Jacob wrestling the angel, which is likely a pre-incarnate Christ.

And while Gethsemane is in proximity to the Mount of Olives, it was far different than when He taught the Lord’s Prayer that day as a parable. Still an angel very much like this was was right behind Him, instead of a cross and a cup, she may have just offered Him the shade of her wings.

Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane (detail), c. 1612, Pier Francesco Mazzucchelli (Italian, 1573–1626).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pier_Francesco_Mazzucchelli

His peace, Rebecca Jones

Our Heavenly Father has commanded angels concerning us, Jesus asked us to love us like He did Him, and yes, I know He offer Him up, but we were crucified with them and we have new and eternal life. Jesus gave us salvation and so many benefits of it by His holy sacrifice. he was in effect all the offerings and truly took our place.

That is not to say we won’t have to trust Him, resist the enemy of the soul. To follow Jesus is to walk in His footsteps and He even had to rest and replenish the dunamis power of God, that you hear referred to as the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

He walked in the Spirit without measure, most of us will only have so much authority because we don’t listen and obey exactly like He did. But He is there for us in His grace and mercy, and He lets us rest  and refresh our spiritual gifts. We have to give Him the glory, we could never do anything in our own power.

God sent angels to minister to Jesus and He certainly will charge them over us. The Bible says after the devil left, angels ministered to Him. Of course He was resisting temptation and had fasted forty days and also in the garden, Jesus agonized like we probably never will. What a precious Lord.

If we find ourselves in spiritual battles we can ask God to send His angels, to fight for us and to minister to us. Renenber, the devil wanted Jesus to bow to him, offering Him the world. I have been told that was a lie, he didn’t own it because the earth is God’s and the fullness thereof. But he did have Adam’s authority over it from the fall, Jesus would later take those keys to death, hell and the grave after the crucifixion and return the authority of the believers.

Until He comes we must have communion with Him, literally and by the breaking of bread. Proclaiming His death until He comes and knowing He was the only worthy and acceptable offering and because of Him the Father accepts us and sends His angels.

This is a more recent painting of an angel ministering to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, but is free to use and in the public domain, I made it a screensaver. Rebecca Jones

The Sowing Angel, is a painting from 1860 by Armand Cambon. It is perfect to go along with our post about walking with the Father. The Word of God is sown into us and the enemy will get it out if we are not careful, It is hard to sow seeds and birds or in the spirit, demons, come along and eat them up.

God promises us one thing and then another happens, the sower sows the words but we must be good ground and not let him have it, the word is choked by thorns, or is on rocky ground, it can just be blown away.. Jesus even said f Himself, that a seed falls into the ground and dies and brings forth a harvest.

Whether it is seeds that are for crops or beautiful flowers that you can enjoy your walks through. There are things that will hinder that walk and keep them from growing. It is the same in the spiritual realm and we must be aware of our spiritual walk, keep our focus on Christ and not lose the words or promises sown in us. The Sowing Angel is a good reminder to do that.

Sowing angels are real angels, and also those with the message of the good news of the gospel of peace. And we all minister in many ways everyday, whether ministers or just believers. Is there anyone who is just a believer? And we should continue to sow and one day reap a harvest for His glory.

https://biblehub.com/esv/mark/4.htm

https://biblehub.com/niv/matthew/13.htm

Rebecca Jones

Abraham was honoring God, His Father, when he went to Mount Moriah, having been through all he had already with Sarah, Hagar and Ishmael, and now to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. He left for mountain saying he and the lad would be back. That is faith, the kind from Hebrews 11.

He had to believe that even if he sacrificed him, that God would raise Him up again, and even from ashes if necessary. That would be major faith and true beauty for ashes. Jesus’ body would have been thrown into a fire pit with the other criminals had there not been a tomb for Him.

The Bible say that God would not leave Him hell, in reference to that and the literal one where He took the keys of death, hell ,and the grave. Jesus was “consumed ” in a sense, and was all offerings in one and once and for all, to anyone who would believe including burnt offering. His blood is far above those sacrifices.

The binding of Isaac as it is called was a type of Christ, I also believe as many scholars, God never intended for him to be sacrificed. He was old enough to carry the wood, a type of cross. his name means laughter and it was Jesus as the Angel of the Lord, who heard Sarah laugh. When she denied it, He just restated that she did.

And we know that Jesus is our joy. so when the altar was built and Isaac asked about the offering. Abraham said God would provide the lamb. Perhaps, it was faith and it even prophetic, as Jesus was the Lamb of God. Notice it is a ram that was actually sacrificed.

Now we may not know the actual age of Isaac, but he was probably between about seven and teenaged or a very young man. He had to submit to  Abraham and let him tie his hands behind his back and lie on the altar.I have seen images or movies where he shields his eyes and draws back the knife, but just at that moment the Angel of the Lord out of heaven called to Abraham, and said:

“Abraham! Abraham!”

And Abraham answered, “Here I am, Lord.” Then the Angel of the Lord said: “Do not lay your hand upon your son. Do no harm to him. Now I know that you love God more than you love your only son, and that you are obedient to God, since you are ready to give up your son, your only son, to God.”

Was this angel of the Lord, Jesus as well? I believe it is possible for he knew already even then what he would come to do for us one day, and was not about to let Isaac die or be burned, but to let it show the faith of a patriarch, and the kind of faith that we can have. And He would not have had wings.

He really does give beauty for ashes, joy for mourning. Abraham and Isaac would have certainly been overjoyed. You can read the story in Genesis 22. And God can even restores ashes, He will call for the dead to be resurrected, and judge them.

We really have no idea of the suffering Jesus endured as He took our punishment, He honored His Father to let Him be ours as well.

This painting in in the Hermitage Museum in England. The Sacrifice of Isaac was painted by a 29 yr, old Rembrandt, in 1635. Similar images were found in the catacombs near the tombs or Christians.

I chose this kneeling angel to be the one who goes ahead of the servant to get Rebekah as Isaac’s wife.

The LORD, the God of heaven, who took me from my father’s house and from the land of my birth, and who spoke to me and who swore to me, saying, ‘To your descendants I will give this land,’ He will send His angel before you, and you will take a wife for my son from there. Genesis 24:7

Rebecca Jones

By the word of the Lord, we declare to you that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will be the first to rise. After that, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord.…1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

A lot of people talk about the end of the world but it will never end really, just the age. What a glorious thing for time to be no more and to be forever with the Lord. We are in a closer time than ever and for such a time as this, we are here writing and blogging and sharing the love of Jesus.

We want to make sure everyone knows and hears, He will give them every chance to believe He is Lord. But we are to watch and pray and be on guard against the enemy of our souls, that we may be in a place to be an effective witness of His power and glory, we have testimonies to share. Time may run out as we know it but there is an eternity.

Believers will spend it with the Lord and many will not die but be here when He comes for His church, before the terrible Tribulation, and the He will come and reign a thousand years after defeating the AntChrist, we want to be with Him,

The enemy knows his time is short, let’s make sure we know he is bound in our lives, we are covered by the blood of Jesus and His angels are there for us travelling at a speed even faster than light with His Spirit. This is a message I want out there. Not a frightening one but one of love.

If you don’t know Jesus as Lord, will you consider accepting Him? Eternity is too long a time to not enjoy His love and peace.

Rebecca Jones