About this time every year my Mother would start singing an old english tune that she learned growing up. It went like this: “Christmas is coming the geese are getting fat would you please put a penny in the old mans hat. If you haven’t got a penny then a half penny will do if you haven’t got a penny then God bless you!”
That tune came to me today.
Where does time go? I mean, really?
An old friend used to say when you get over the hill, you start picking up speed. That sure is my experience.
It literally seems like last Christmas was yesterday, and we are running up on Thanksgiving. Holy Shmoakes!
If you are an atheist and received this message on your timeline, it was a random selection not made by us. You might want to order our book written by the Holy Spirit and directed for you and those of other faiths. It is titled:
“Why Jesus Ain’t Gonna Do Nothin!”
If you read it and you still reject the existence of God, at least you will know you have made an educated decision. Please do not curse God or us here. Just delete the message. I don’t care why you are an atheist. Accept our apologies for bothering you.
At the moment you exhale your last breath, you will face the consequences of your gamble. I would only ask you this: What would it cost you other than ego to accept Jesus?
Please measure that against the opposite. What would it cost you to reject Him? You do not want to know the answer to the latter.
There are only eight weeks until the day that we have chosen to celebrate the entrance of God into the earth. Every year, I like to do what I have referred to in the past as a series of advent teachings. The purpose is to do a thorough job of reporting the most astonishing and important event in human history.
It is important to know the angels and people that God selected to be involved in the most momentous moments of all time. This week we are going to look at one of the most essential participants, the angel Gabriel. To better understand him, we have included a teaching about angels for your enjoyment.
Every Christmas Eve, we go to church and hear a truncated version of the “Christmas Story,” which is not a story but a news report. It is limited to twenty-five or at the most a thirty-minute message.
Due to the demand for brevity, the story always starts in the middle of the event. Many of the most important messages and meanings are left out, leaving the hearer ignorant of the most critical ingredients of the most joyous moment in the history of the world.
The middle of the Story is Luke chapter two. You probably have it memorized. You have heard it every Christmas for your entire life as a follower of Jesus.
”In those days it occurred that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole Roman empire should be
registered. This was the first enrollment, and it was made when Quirinius was governor of Syria. And all the people were going to be registered, each to his own city or town.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house of David to be enrolled with Mary, who was his Fiancé and was about to become a mother. And while they were there, the time came for her delivery.”(Luke 2:1-6)
Great report and urgent to understand, but it is the middle, not the beginning. The beginning and most important part of the report is in the first chapter of Luke.
From now through Christmas, I am going to teach about the Angels and people that God chose to participate in this astonishing moment. I believe every single word of it. I am going to explain the chronology and happenings that are the core of this love-driven miracle of miracles.
At Christmas time, we adorn our tree with beautiful Women angels. They are also used for decorations and Christmas cards. There are no female angels.
Never once are angels described in the feminine tense.
Don’t throw out your pretty angels. Just know the truth. It is a mystery to me why the church never teaches about the design and purpose of the angels and our relationship with them. We need to know about them. They are our helpers and protectors. They are here to serve us.
Meet Gabriel The Messenger of God. Gabriel delivered personal messages from God to Zechariah, Mary, The Shepherds, and Joseph in the time of the birth of God’s earth suit.
How any of them did not die from fear instantly is beyond me. I believe that Zechariah did and that Gabriel brought him back to life. Here is a description of Michael that must also describe Gabriel; it is from Daniel, who was visited and spoken to, by both of them.
”I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a man clothed in linen whose loins were girded with pure gold of Uphaz.
(Uphaz is an area where Gold was found in abundance,)
His body was a golden luster like beryl (Beryl is an exquisite jewel, usually green. Emeralds are one form of Beryl. Other brilliant colors are beryl also.) His face had the appearance of lightning; his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and his feet like glowing polished bronze,and the sound of his words was like the noise of a multitude of people or the roaring of the sea!”.
Please remember this detailed description. It will help you get the magnitude of the appearance of Gabriel and the Heavenly host.
Some of the funniest scenes in the Bible revolve around messengers from God saying “fear not!” when they arrive. “Sorry, I already soiled my clothing!!!!!!”
Think about this, what would you do if you were going about your work and a being that fit the description you just read suddenly appeared?
More on Gabriel next week. I have written a description of angels here. If you are interested, continue. You will learn what angles are and are not. You will learn their purpose and how they came to be.
The Biblical Word Angel originated from the Greek word (Agellos), which means messenger. Much of what we know or think about Angels is man-made nonsense, so let’s shoot those Holy Cows right now.
Angels are not happy little fat babies!
Angels are not good people who died!
Angels are not female!
There are only three named angels in the Bible:
Gabriel, the personal messenger of God, Michael, the Arch Angel, and Lucifer, the fallen Angel, known now as satan, loathsome unwanted growth, old scratch, the evil one, etc.
Angels are created beings. They were created by God to serve Him, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and us. They are not humans!!!! They are ministering spirits.(Hebrews 1:14, Nehemiah 9:6, Psalm 148:1-5, Colossians 1:16)
Angels were created in the world that existed before this planet. They were created in the pre-Adamic age. They celebrated when the earth was created. (Job 38:4-7)
Angels are eternal. They do not die.
(Luke 20:36)
Angels do not marry or reproduce.
(Matthew 22:30)
Angels can appear as humans.
(Hebrews 13:2)
At a minimum, Angels are Dazzling in appearance!
(Matthew 28:1-5)
How do Angels look? Buckle your seatbelt! If you ever saw one, you would probably die from fear or at least soil your clothing. Here are a few descriptions beginning with
Michael the Arch Angel:
(Daniel 10:5-9)
Cherubim
(Ezekiel 1:4-14)
Seraphim
(Isaiah 6:1-6)
Throne Room Angels
(Revelations 4:6-8)
If you have ever heard the term cherub-like and thought of a fat little baby angel, if you believe cherubs are precious huggy things, please read Ezekiel 1:1-4.
There are an innumerable amount of Angels in the heavenly realm and here. There are Thousands and Thousands and Thousands of Thousands. They are described in numbers as myriad. (Matthew 26:53, Hebrews 12:22)
One-third of the angels in heaven rebelled with Lucifer against God; they believed as did he that they would become greater than God.
They were thrown out of heaven at the speed of light to the earth; most were burnt up in the re-entry to the earth. God called the evil one a heap of ashes because of that. All of them landed in Babylon, which became their base of operations. Babylon is modern-day Iran.(Revelations 12:7-9, Luke 10:18, Isaiah 14:12-14)
Angels are messengers:
In Exodus, they brought the law to Moses.
They told Mary about Jesus.
They told Zechariah about John
They provide guidance.
They told Joseph to flee with Jesus and Mary to Egypt.
They protect their masters.
They protected Daniel in the furnace and the lion’s den.
They deliver their masters from harm.
In Acts chapter 5 they delivered the Apostles from prison
In Acts chapter 12 they delivered Peter from prison
In Acts chapter 27, they rescued Paul from a shipwreck.
We can ask God to send as many Angels as we need! They are there to serve us in whatever our needs. But they can not help if they are not issued orders. (John 14:12, Matthew 26:53)
Angels are nobler than humans.(Daniel 9:21-23)(Daniel 10:10-14)
Angels are more intelligent than humans, but they are not omniscient or omnipotent(Samuel 14:20)(Matthew 24:36)
We rarely ever think about angels. We haven’t been taught that we have them ready and waiting to help us and to do our bidding. We have been taught all of the non-sense I taught of early on. The truth is that these unimaginably powerful beings are ready and at our disposal at any time.
Now you know that you have a limitless number of angels at your service and that even one angel could destroy the Chinese army. Now you know that angels are created to serve God, to deliver messages to us from the Holy Spirit, to protect us at all times, and to assist us in everything.
God wants us to USE THEM!! That is why He created them.
Be conscious that they are all around you. Make angels partners with you in everything you do.
Use your imagination!!!!! Believe that what you do not see is more real than what you do see. Listen to and absorb the WORDS of the Holy Spirit as spoken through Paul, our special messenger sent from God.
”So we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are unseen; for the visible things are temporary and subject to change, but the invisible things are everlasting and are of God. They are incapable of changing. They are imperishable.”(2Corinthians4:18)
Think about this how can the creation (the things that we can see with our natural eyes) be higher than the things that we can not see when the things that we can not see created everything that we do see? How can the creation be higher than the Creator?
Read, meditate on, and absorb in your heart these amazing Words from Paul, a man who nothing of microscopic things. Paul could know nothing of science unless God taught it to him in the person of the Holy Spirit.
”By faith(living in this present moment, celebrating joyfully the receipt of the blood guaranteed, great and precious promises of Jesus regardless of what we see, touch, taste, smell or hear) we understand that the worlds (universes, ages) were framed and created [formed, put in order, and equipped for their intended purpose] by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of visible things. (Hebrews 11:3)
Next week, we will teach about a “stiff-necked” High priest in the order of Aaron, the brother of Moses. Zechariah refused to believe the angel of God, Gabriel. It cost him dearly.
Friends, we cherish you. You are so overwhelmingly generous to us in your kind comments. You are bearing much fruit for Jesus when you share these teachings with Jesus. What you do is a mightly ministry. Just like you, many many many people listen to the Holy Spirit and know that the essence of God is Love, and so it is true of the Holy Spirit and Jesus.
They know that what they have been taught is not right. They know what the Holy Spirit has revealed to them, but they have never seen or heard the true Gospel of Jesus presented like this. When you share these messages with them, they are born again in joy.
You are blessing us tremendously with your 5,10, 15, and other offerings. It costs us money to reach so many people, and every offering is needed, appreciated, and tax-deductible.
To make an offering right now, click on the link below and follow the easy-breezy prompts. If you prefer to send a check, please make it to Throne of Grace and send it to the address below.
Christmas is coming. There is no better gift that you can possibly give a person than the truth about Jesus and His eternal Love.
Please order the book: “WHY JESUS AIN’T GONNA DO NOTHIN!” Read it from cover to cover — especially those of you who love and like our teachings. The book is about all the blood guaranteed promises that Jesus gave us as our inheritance. All we need do is Believe and Receive
Just like making an online offering, you can order the book by clicking this link. Please order early as supplies are limited, the closer we get to Christmas, and the delivery dates get longer.
HERE IS THE LINK:
KNOWJESUSKNOWGRACE.COM
Thanks and love to all of you,
Pastor Allen Fleming
Throne of Grace Ministries, Inc.
P.O.BOX 669153
Marietta, Georgia 30066
