Messengers of God

Throughout the Bible we read about messengers of God that communicated His plan to mankind in diverse incidences and venues.  The frequency of their appearances were many, such as, angels that spoke to shepherds in the field regarding the birth of Jesus Christ, and the angel that told Mary and Martha that the Lord had risen from the dead on the third day after being crucified on a cross.

Numerous manifestations of God, by means of messengers, have been recorded in the Bible.  On occasion He spoke to humans in out-of-the-ordinary ways such as a disembodied hand appearing and writing on the palace wall in the presence of several of people at a banquet hosted by Belshazzar, king of the Babylonians.  This story is found in the Book of Daniel (Old Testament), Chapter 5. 

The message read, “Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin,” which was interpreted by the visionary Daniel as meaning the end of the Babylonian kingdom was near in time.  That night, Belshazzar was killed and the Persians sacked the city.   

There is an intriguing story in Numbers (Old Testament), Chapter 22, Verses 21-39 where a donkey spoke to a man named Balaam.  This animal saved Balaam from certain death.  Whenever there was a purpose and message that God wanted to reveal to someone, He used whatever means He felt necessary to communicate the message. 

God also used dreams to tell of future happenings and prophets that were filled with His Spirit to make upcoming events known.  Angels were sent to warn Lot that Sodom and Gomorrah were going to be destroyed with fire from heaven, because of the people’s willful disregard for the statutes of God.  Their sin was a stench in His nostrils. 

Messengers and messages come in many different forms.  The greatest messenger ever given to mankind was Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God.  All in all, God loves us with a never ending love and desires that we commit ourselves to Him and remain obedient unto death, which bonds God’s promises in the Bible with an inner hope that we will spend eternity in heaven. 

This expectation is a result of the faithfulness of God to forgive sin, coupled with the wherewithal in lost sinners to say yes to Jesus when He knocks at their heart’s door.  What could be greater than becoming a child of God (those that have accepted Jesus as Lord)? 

(John 14:1-6), “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.”  vs.2 “In My Father’s house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you.  I go to prepare a place for you.”  vs.3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”  vs.4 “And where I go you know, and the way you know.”  vs.5 “Thomas said to Him, ‘Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?’ ” vs.6 “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.’ ”

Talk about messengers of God; have you ever stopped to consider the Angel of Death and the part he plays in the plan of God for our lives?  In every picture that I’ve seen, the Angel of Death is characterized having an evil-looking face, wearing a long, black-hooded robe, and carrying a crescent-shaped blade called a sickle:  a tool used for cutting down tall grasses and weeds.

I wonder if this angel is the same angel that casts sinners into the lake of fire after they have been rejected by God at the Judgment Seat in heaven, because of their sinful lifestyle, while on earth.

I do not believe that the Angel of Death is evil as portrayed in the movies or magazines.  He is God’s messenger and it is his responsibility to bring the reality of dying into alignment with scriptures.  It is our destiny that we shall all die unless taken by way of the rapture, which is the second coming of Jesus when He comes back to earth and receives all Christians unto Himself.

(Hebrews 9:27-28), “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,” vs.28 “so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.  To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”

Every person born of water (embryonic fluid) will die one time and then give an account to God for the things they did on earth.  Those that have been born of the Spirit (born again), having experienced the new birth through Jesus Christ, will not have to suffer everlasting punishment in hell.

Separation by death is always hard when we lose loved ones.  In that the Angel of Death is the messenger of God, I believe when our time comes that we must part this housing of flesh, God's messenger will lovingly, and with a smile, take our hand and lead us through the valley of the shadow of death into the presence of Almighty God.

(Psalm 116:15), “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.”

Is it strange that I would say the Angel of Death will have a smile on his face?  I think not.  He is smiling, because God is smiling.  All of heaven will rejoice as they did when one sinner repented of their sins, because a saint has crossed over into the place prepared for them.

Jesus will wipe away all tears, whereas, pain and suffering will be no more.  Perfect peace; perfect rest will be ours forevermore.  We need not fear what tomorrow may bring when we are secure in Christ today.

Though the ones left behind are deeply saddened when a loved one is taken, I am convinced that when born-again Believers pass from this life, they are rejoicing with the messenger of God as he leads them into the presence of their Savior.  That day is joy unspeakable and full of glory as they partake of their reward in heaven; all because they believed in the name of Jesus and accepted Him as Lord.

Those that die in their transgressions will hear the words of God, “I tell you I do not know you, where you are from.  Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity” (Luke 13:27).  That horrific day will be filled with regrets and screams for mercy as the angel sadly and without a smile takes them to their punishment for rejecting Jesus Christ as Lord.

(Luke 13:28), “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out.”

(Matthew 13:41-43), “The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness,” vs.42 “and will cast them into the furnace of fire.  There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”  vs.43 “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.  He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Jesus is our only means to inherit heaven and escape hell, because He is presently the Savior of lost souls.  But one day He will be Judge of those that turn their back on so great a salvation that God provided for all mankind—His Son.  Jesus died on a cross and paid the price for our sins.  We need only accept Him to be saved.

(John 3:16), “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”  vs.17 “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.  vs.18 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

Please listen to the words from this messenger of God by way of this writing, while there is yet time to repent of your sins if you need to do so.

Written by,

Papa Boyd