The Rank and File of Archangels?

I don't presume to be an expert on Biblical issues. I just read the Bible. I've read it cover to cover straight thorough once and over the years in many other orders. My friend Sheila posted an interesting blog on her site regarding archangels and who Michael is. I wanted to weigh in with my opinion and almost put it in her comments. Then, I realized, I had a nice long post and decided to post a link to her post instead and put my response here. I hope she isn't offended. It is unintentional. Please realize this is my OPINION based solely on what I've read in the Bible and rationalized based on my experiences.

There appear to be several archangels mentioned in the Bible. The three known by name are Lucifer, Michael, and Gabriel. Based on the episodes they appear in, each holds a  different office although their rank may be the same. This is the way it is in any military organization. There are lots of generals of varying ranks. The top generals may hold the same rank but they have different positions within the military. Arch-angles are also God's messengers. If you compare the messages they deliver in the Bible, you will can get an idea of the difference in their positions.

Lucifer, of whom little is said in the Scriptures, appears to have held the highest office at one point. He also led the choirs of heaven and is purported to be the most beautiful creature in heaven. Pride in his position, his accomplishments and his beauty resulted in a rebellion in heaven that led to war and ultimately destroyed him. He exalted himself above God.

His position was one charged with the eternal worship and praise of the Creator. I suspect any messages he would have had to deliver would have been related to to praise and worship. Is it any wonder that he tries to prevent that very thing in human beings. Is it surprising he has warped and corrupted music! His goal is to prevent praise and worship of almighty God, the very thing he was in charge of, and to cause humanity to turn their praise and worship on things that insult God!

Michael appears to always have been in charge of the armies of God. He probably was the leader against Lucifer's rebellious army. He probably fought directly with Lucifer. Michael also appears to deliver specific kinds of messages. They tend to be related to his position as a leader of the holy armies and are often related to battles of one sort or another and the victory of God's armies.

Gabriel appears to deliver completely different types of messages. He usually delivers exciting, joyful news. Gabriel was the messenger who appeared to Mary to inform her she was pregnant with the Saviour of the world. Michael may deliver urgent, disturbing news, such as he did to Daniel.

The fact that Michael seems to now have the highest ranking office, at least in the minds of men, is not a mystery or surprising. As in any organization, when someone at the top is removed, the next highest ranking officer is moved up. Michael very likely took Lucifer's place as the highest ranking angel but his talents were not in leading the choirs. He was leader of the military. That is the logical conclusion based on the mentions of him in scripture.

The choirs still sing but their current leader appears to be an unknown. Perhaps for a reason. That position could never ever be held again by any creature willing to usurp God. As leader of the heavenly troops, Michael probably oversees this position closely. The potential for pride of life would be very great for the one in charge of eternal worship and praise.

The ranking order is not unsurprising either. In the beginning, God's priority was worship and praise first, defense of the kingdom second, and glad tidings third. Why glad tidings third? Before the rebellion, there was no one to send them to nor much need! The rebellion was before man was created. Heaven was all good.

Now it would seem His priority, after the traitorous Lucifer, has shifted slightly. Now, defense of the kingdom comes first and then, glad tidings. Eternal worship and praise will be the priority after Satan is defeated. We are, after all, at war.

Of course, debates can be held from now to eternity but relying solely on the Bible, I think there is enough evidence to support this view.

If you are interested in such things, the Book of Enoch is quite interesting. Much of it is confusing and difficult to read and understand but there are sections which are very interesting in regards to the rebellion in heaven and the angels, both faithful and fallen.

Thanks to Sheila for a thought provoking post.

Winds of Change? Winds of Destruction?

You know, we are hearing about how a change is coming and that "change" is what the nation needs to get us back on track and make us a great nation.

Well, I gotta tell you, I'm a bit skeptical. Change can be good but I thought we had a good country in 1975. My parents probably thought it was a great country in 1956. My grandparents probably thought it was the best country in the world in 1945. I still think it is a great country. Not because we have no problems but because we have always been able to step back and address the problems and even solve some of them. However, in the last twenty years I've watched us decline in every area that makes this nation great.

We are not just economically bankrupt as a country. We are morally and ethically bankrupt. This was a country found on ethics, moral principles and values. What we are spewing out, like vomit, is a host of unethical, immoral and vulgar creatures who have no qualms about walking over bodies to get where they want to go. Maybe they were always there but in the previous climate, they couldn't succeed. Now, they've spread, like a plague.

We have financial difficulty because government and corporations are blood suckers who want to reap as much financial gain as possible before they bail to an island in the Caribbean or some backwater where they can hide and live off the spoils of their corruption. Or retire on exorbitant government pensions while the electorate struggles to keep the lights on and the pantry filled.

Do I sound negative? I guess I woke up this morning without my special rose-colored glasses.

We have moral problems because the foundation our forefathers built this nation on have been removed and destroyed. Biblical principles are now out of style. The Psalmist ask the question: "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" Psalms 11:3

Here it the full context of this verse. And the answer to the question is provided! Something we seldom hear!

 1 In the LORD I put my trust;
         How can you say to my soul,
         “Flee as a bird to your mountain”?
 2 For look! The wicked bend their bow,
         They make ready their arrow on the string,
         That they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.
 3 If the foundations are destroyed,
         What can the righteous do?
        
 4 The LORD is in His holy temple,
         The LORD’s throne is in heaven;
         His eyes behold,
         His eyelids test the sons of men.
 5 The LORD tests the righteous,
         But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.
 6 Upon the wicked He will rain coals;
         Fire and brimstone and a burning wind
         Shall be the portion of their cup.
        
 7 For the LORD is righteous,
         He loves righteousness;
         His countenance beholds the upright

God don't like ugly either!

I can't stand listening to the news anymore. I can't stand reading the paper. I can't stand hearing the radio. I want to pack and move but it's everywhere! This is the land I was born in. This is the land I have loved with all my heart. This is the land my ancestors chose to come to for the opportunities and freedoms they knew waited here. We have turned it into a wasteland.

We've allowed corrupt government, corrupt executives, and corrupt immigrants to rape and pillage. We've given away our increase to disreputable nations who will stab us in the back at the first opportunity. We give away the finances of our citizens to those who have not worked for it, who aren't even here legally and those who despise us have only to hold out their hand and we fill them to over flowing. They promptly align with any country that despises us. Exactly how long do you think we can continue this before it all comes crashing down? Based on the economic events of the year, I'd say we've almost reached that point.

There is no economic plan, no war strategy, no political change, no politician who can fix all the problems. If you believe this, you are living under a delusion. Humanity cannot help itself. We prove it every morning the sun rises. If you believe in long earth creation, we've had more than 10,000 years to prove it. If you believe in short earth creation, we've had about 6,000 years. In terms of time, pick one, you've had long enough to learn the lessons needed to make this planet a better place. But you haven't. No one has.

We have made it a cesspool in many places, a growing cesspool. Nearly every major nation on earth is at war, taking war-like actions, or contemplating provoking a war. Look at the map if you don't believe me.

This is getting very negative and if you are a person who likes to think positively and look at the bright side, this isn't going to be any fun for you at all. There is no bright side in human solutions. I don't care how bright the smile, how silken the words, nor how attractive the mouth they come from, it can't be fixed by any amount of charisma. You can paint an outhouse a pretty color. It is still a dung heap.

There are those who will say, "Oh great, another fanatic." Yes I AM! I am fanatical about wanting to live in a righteous country where right and honor and character are the rule of the day and the law of the land. I am so very tired of this "poor little me", "the world treated me bad and owes me", "the world treated my ancestors bad and owes me", "the world doesn't appreciate me and owes me" crowds. I'm sick of the "I'm special because I'm from MARS" mentality. Book a flight on the next shuttle.

I'm sick of dictators who think it just to sell drugs and get rich while their own people wallow in poverty and who then condemn nations who actually purchase legitimate goods and services from them or will send aid in time of need.

I'm sick of arrogant politicians who spout lies as truth and false promises and then, put their own agendas into action once elected and who do not believe they are accountable to anyone for their actions. I'm sick of ignorant liberals who criticize anyone who prays or believes is justice and honor. I'm sick of conservatives who don't practice what they preach.

There is no cure on the planet for what is wrong with us.

It is hopeless if we rely on people. It is sort of like Alice says about guns. "Guns don't kill people. People kill people." Hello.....! People caused the problems. It is not our nature to fix anything. We are destructive by nature. Everything we touch we change the natural state of that thing. That is destructive by nature.

What kind of change is coming? Who will we follow? What do we stand for? We fall for anything. We follow the brightest star, until crash into it and burn to a crisp. We will go down screaming that we were right, despite the devouring flames.

The world was given answers long ago. We rejected them. All of history has pointed to this hour. I don't believe all religions are right. But I do believe all roads have lead to this place. All events have acted to create this time. People had options at any point in history to change the course of events, to build different roads, to construct right governments. But humanity is by nature self-serving. Me first! Those who truly do want to make a difference are trampled on the roads by the masses who do not care.

And yet, hope springs eternal in the hearts of believers. Always there is hope that someone will come who will bring peace, safety, honor, integrity, hope. Someone who will heal the nations and bring prosperity to the lands. Always human hearts seek rest from fear and chaos, from war and death. The eyes of the heart are always searching and their voices constantly whisper for someone to come who will shake the very foundations of the earth and restore order to the madness we have created. Evil lives and walks the highways and byways while we cower beneath our bed to see if a champion will arise and rescue us.

But will we recognize him? What qualities will we look for? What rule shall we measure him by? Will he look like us? Will he think like us? Will we seek one who is human, just like us?

Just like us? I hope not.

Another writer said this, "If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land" 2 Chronicles 7:14

If an entire planet acted on this one verse, what would happen? If half the planet acted, what would happen?

We may never know. I can promise you that the winds of change are blowing. Change is coming. I can't promise you what kind.

So, how will the story end? Depends on which way the wind is blowing. But there is a clue.

19 “But if you turn away and forsake My statutes and My commandments which I have set before you, and go and serve other gods, and worship them, 
20 then I will uproot them from My land which I have given them; and this house which I have sanctified for My name I will cast out of My sight, and will make it a proverb and a byword among all peoples.
21 “And as for this house, which is exalted, everyone who passes by it will be astonished and say, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land and this house?’
22 Then they will answer, ‘Because they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and embraced other gods, and worshiped them and served them; therefore He has brought all this calamity on them.’” 2 Chronicles 7:19-21

~The End~

Whose Yardstick Are You Using?

I am what the “Shrinks” call a perfectionist. Nothing is ever good enough to suit me (ask my family). For a perfectionist, no one and nothing ever measures up to his/her standards of good and right.  We carry a special yardstick to measure everything and everyone handed down to us by other perfectionists. We learn perfectionism; it's not innate. A perfectionist never sees the things that are going right in a situation. Instead, a perfectionist sees all the things that are wrong.  Put a perfectionist on a construction site and he won’t see how much progress made, but he will see how much is not done. Furthermore, he/she will use that yardstick to point out all the problems in the completed work.

Until a few years ago, I was unaware that I had serious problems with my own perfectionist tendencies. II didn’t believe I was a perfectionist. But the Lord knew. He began dealing with me through some research I was doing for a paper on, of all things, perfectionism, more specifically, religious perfectionism. I thought I had selected the topic, but maybe I didn’t. As the paper progressed, I didn’t like what I was discovering.

My studies included Jim Jones and David Koresh. Recognize the names? I found that at one point they both were very religious men, both with Pentecostal backgrounds. But they could never reach a place where they thought they could attain perfection as they perceived it, — they were never good enough to suit themselves. They moved from church to church, searching for perfection. In the end, they created their own religions to fit their perception of perfection. As you know, they failed and destroyed not only themselves but a great many other people as well.

Now most perfectionists do not become a Jones or a Koresh. However, the tendency to perfectionism appears to be strongest among religious people and we tend not to see it in ourselves. I wanted, no, I needed, to understand why this was so.

I discovered that somewhere along the way someone, probably a disillusioned perfectionist, concluded that we BECOME perfect by what we DO — our actions or our behavior make us perfect. Jones and Koresh turned to that belief with a vengeance.

I've spent most of my life trying to please everyone. The only person I never tried to please was ... me, because that was selfish, a sin, an imperfection. I discovered the all-consuming aspiration in my life was to BE PERFECT and to do that, I had to please everyone. My every thought, every action, every desire had to pass someone’s inspection, or I was worthless. I cared what people thought about me, to where what I thought about me was unimportant. And I was drowning in a sea of failure.  Why? Because it can’t be done. Human perfection is unattainable, at least, what humans perceive of as perfection is unattainable.

I was shattered by forces outside my control. All the years I had spent trying to do the right thing, say the right thing, look the right way, and think the right way were wasted. No matter how hard I had tried, I had failed. Someone ALWAYS complained. I never did or said the right thing. My appearance never measured up. I never looked the “right way”. And as to my thinking, well, everyone I meet thinks differently than I. I could not change what I was — HUMAN. I could not be perfect.

The primary definition of perfect is “without defect or blemish.” Therefore, anyone with even the slightest physical, mental, or emotional defect can never be perfect. We are all too fat, too skinny, too tall, too short, too stupid, too selfish, too lazy, too busy, too ugly, or too mean. Our teeth are too crooked, nose too crooked or long, our hair too curly, too straight, too short, or too long. Our feet are too big, or too flat. Our legs bow, our eyes cross, and our teeth buck. Our ears are too big and mouths are way too big. Never mind those spiritual defects.

Each time I have one of these “spiritual insights” into my nature, the impact of the discovery has devastated me.  This time I broke down and all I could say was “Lord, I’m sorry, I just can’t do it. I’ll never be good enough. No matter what I do, it is never enough.” I spent days crying and struggling with the revelation.

If you ever get to this point in your life, everything you thought was important means nothing when you measure it with the perfectionist yardstick. It still comes up short of perfect. From a child, I have heard the instruction on living a holy life. I have followed it to the best of my poor abilities and to the complaints of many. To other perfectionists, I have never been good enough. And as a true perfectionist, I can tell you I never met anyone I thought was good enough to go to heaven, especially me. Nuts, huh?

I heard someone ask, what if we get to heaven and find we are standing next to Paul? How will we ever measure up? Now a statement like that strikes terror into the heart of a true perfectionist. When I heard it, I felt an overwhelming sadness. Truly, there was no hope for me. I could never get to heaven if God measured me by Paul. My depression lasted for days. (You should know that perfectionist have self-esteem problems.)

I prayed, “Lord, I am not a Paul. I can’t be a Paul. I don’t know how. Tell me what to do.” For days, I prayed, but the old feelings of worthlessness were back. The voice of perfectionism is cruel and relentlessly taunts the perfectionist.

When I was pondering it one evening, a quiet voice whispered, “No Cindy, you can’t be another Paul. You can’t ever do the things Paul did. But I didn’t create you to be Paul. If I wanted a Paul, I could raise one up. If I wanted a Peter, I could make one. I created you to be uniquely YOU. I wanted you just as you are, capable of things only you can do. Paul couldn’t do the things you can do. I want you to do the things you can do, not the things Paul could do. And when you stand before me, I won't measure or compare you to Paul or anyone else. When you stand before me, I won’t see anyone but you. I won’t see anything but your heart, and it will be measured by mine.”

What am I saying here? I wonder about people who tell me how much they do and how good they are. Why are they telling me? And I wonder whose yardstick they are using. Mine? Theirs? Yours? Then I am reminded of Jesus’ words, “Be ye perfect, even as I am perfect.” Wow, that's some yardstick. I doubt any of us want to be measured by that one. Yet, that is the very measurement used.

So what did Jesus do that made him so perfect? If you think that what you wear is going to determine where you go, you’re in for a shock. Modesty is important, but we are going to be naked before the Almighty. And He'll look into our hearts before He looks into our closets. The Bible doesn’t tell me much about Jesus’ hair or clothes. Just as in Jesus’ day, today every religion had its own uniform.

The Bible tells me what he thought, how he acted (his attitude), where he went and with whom he associated. It tells me what he taught about living and dying. It tells me all about the heart of God but only precious little of the social life or what was fashionable during that time. I, and anyone else who studies this, have to depend on secular books to learn about most of the politics, fashion, and cultural practices of Jesus’ day.  Social anthropologists discovered this information from sources other than the Bible. And those sources are plentiful.

Many religious people equate perfection with what we do, where we go and what we wear. We even have scripture for it. “Without holiness, no man shall see the Lord.” We read a thousand things into those eight words. Holiness is about where we go, what we wear, and how we talk. Right? Well, while it's important, that isn’t correct.  This is one of those cases of an entire generation being taught something out of context. What it actually says is:

“Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;” Hebrews 12:14-15.

Follow peace with ALL MEN?  Root of bitterness? Defilement? What do they have to do with holiness? I can't be holy and bitter? No. I can't be at war with friends, neighbors, family, and church and still be holy? No. I can remain pure in my heart if I dress right, walk right and spit white, but spread gossip, spite, and strife in the church or on the job? NO. You can’t BE holy if you have bitterness and are not following the way of peace. Peace and holiness must go hand in hand or bitterness will spring up and defile us. As a result, we can’t see the Lord. That’s the WORD. Bitterness DEFILES, and bitterness arise because we have not followed both peace and holiness. And it defiles not only us, but those around us. Strife separates, divides, and destroys peace. Therefore, those who are bitter and estranged from others will not see God. Even if they never associate with anyone outside the church or cover themselves in a sack from head to foot!

Just think, it won’t matter if you never touch an alcoholic drink, tobacco, drugs, or used curse words. How you dress won’t matter. If you never looked at anything ungodly or participated in things considered ungodly by others. NONE OF IT WILL MATTER. A single flaw in your heart will mean you've wasted your time. If you join a convent and shun the entire world, you must still follow peace and holiness. Peace and holiness are a state of mind and heart, not a state of dress, place, or action.

James 3:2 states, “For in many things we offend all.  If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.”  We all offend.  Follow peace.

Colossians 3:14-15 says “... charity is the bond of perfectness ...” and to “... let the peace of God rule in your hearts ....”

Charity is the cement that holds it all together. In the dictionary, I found half a dozen definitions. But charity, in theology, it's defined as “The virtue defined as love directed first toward God but also toward oneself and one’s neighbors as objects of God’s love.” However, my favorite definition of charity is “Benevolence or generosity toward others. Indulgence or forbearance in judging others.” The synonym for charity is mercy. Astounding.

Now get out that yardstick you’ve been using and check the measurements again. Compare them with the perfect balance of God’s Word. Before you go measuring anyone by your yardstick, you better be sure it measures up with God’s.

“Thou shalt not have in thy bag diverse weights, a great and a small. Thou shalt not have in thine house divers measures, a great and a small. But thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have: that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.” Deut. 25:13-15  

No one is going to measure up to your expectations. You won’t measure up to your own expectations if you compare yourself with others. But we aren’t supposed to compare ourselves with others. Our example was Jesus and the slogan “what would Jesus do” better be more that a bracelet on your wrist or a pin in your lapel. His expectations are all that matter. His Word is the yardstick by which we all will be measured.