“Of the angels [God] says,
‘He makes his angels winds,
and his ministers a flame of fire.’
“But of the Son he says,
‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.’” [1]
Christmas is part of God’s divine plan to redeem His fallen creation. Behind the mad schemes of this fallen world stands the unseen God, always overseeing His creation, providing for His own people, guiding them with His unseen hand. Years ago, the American poet, James Russell Lowell, penned a great truth when he wrote,
“Truth forever on the scaffold, Wrong forever on the throne,—
Yet that scaffold sways the future, and, behind the dim unknown,
Standeth God within the shadow, keeping watch above his own.” [2]
You who attend New Beginnings with any measure of regularity will recognise these words as those we sing from time-to-time in the hymn, “Once to Every Man and Nation.”
The events that unfolded in an out-of-the-way province of the Roman Empire some two millennia past, were not incidental to God’s divine plan for His creation. Even before He created the universe and placed man on the earth, God planned for the events that we remember during this advent season.
The LORD God created all things by the power of His Word. The Psalmist observed,
“By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
and by the breath of his mouth all their host.”
[PSALM 33:6]
Shortly, the writer of this Letter to Hebrew Christians will pen words that encourage us in our faith, “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible” [HEBREWS 11:3].
The opening words of the Bible reveal the power residing in the voice of the Lord. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
“And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day” [GENESIS 1:1-5].
Throughout the Creation account that Moses penned is the repetition that the LORD God spoke, and what He commanded was what happened.
God spoke, and there was day and night.
God spoke, and the earth was surrounded by atmosphere.
God spoke, and the seas and the earth was segregated. From the ground, plants sprung up.
God spoke, and the universe came into existence.
God spoke, and birds and insects and fish populated the earth.
God spoke, and the animals that live in every clime were present.
The Living God needed only to speak, and what He commanded was! God does not require forethought or planning; His will is what is. We struggle with that because we imagine God is like us. However, we must never forget that we are created in the image of God; God is not created in the image of man. We cannot imagine the power of God, though as those who are redeemed and born from above into the Family of God, we can experience His power. The Psalmist wrote a paean of praise to the voice of the Lord. It reads like this:
“The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the LORD, over many waters.
The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
“The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a young wild ox.
“The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire.
The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;
the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
“The voice of the LORD makes the deer give birth
and strips the forests bare,
and in his temple all cry, ‘Glory!’”
[PSALM 29:3-9]
Peter informs those who read his first missive among the New Testament letters, “Preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’ And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God” [1 PETER 1:13-21].
What happened in a backwater province known to the Romans as Judea was earth shattering, though it is doubtful that any of the powerful of that ancient day recognised the events as life-altering at the time. Angels, those heavenly messengers of the Living God, were dispatched to communicate to selected individuals what God had done in sending His Son to be born as a babe. These messengers of the Holy One, didn’t go to the elite of the world to announce what God was doing, they were sent to shepherds, among the most humble occupations known to people in that day.
Thus, Mary’s story, communicated through Doctor Luke, tells of this divine birth announcement in these words. “In the [region around Bethlehem] there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, ‘Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.’ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
‘Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!’
“When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.’ And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them” [LUKE 2:8-20].
Imagine how exciting that must have been. Imagine how confusing the event was. Angels don’t announce the birth of a chid; and if they should announce a birth, wouldn’t we expect that they would go to the powerful of our world so that they could bring immediate change to the world. Shouldn’t the elite of our world be the first to know of the birth of someone so powerful, someone so great as God’s Son.
Perhaps one reason for confusion as the shepherds no doubt experienced is that they didn’t recognise the distinction between angels and the Son of God. In fairness, it appears to be a pretty overwhelming experience to be in the presence of an angel. When David and the elders of Israel saw the angel of the Lord with a drawn sword, all fell upon their faces [see 1 CHRONICLES 21:16]. Daniel, beloved of God and empowered to see what God was doing when others were oblivious, fell as though dead when the angel Gabriel appeared to him [see DANIEL 8:15-18]. John, the Revelator, fell down when he realised he was in the presence of one of the heavenly messengers [see REVELATION 19:9-10; 22:8]. If these, each recognised as beloved by God, responded to an angel by falling down in awe, then we should be humble in the knowledge that we would not be able to stand in the presence of one of God’s holy angels.
The text for this day emphasises a major distinction between Christ and the angels of God. Recognising the difference can become a source of strength and hope for God’s people. I invite you to join me in a pilgrimage that will lead us to a place before the throne of God. There, we can learn to worship; and in doing so, we will glorify the King of kings who is the Son of God.
ANGELS — “Of the angels [God] says,
‘He makes his angels winds,
and his ministers a flame of fire.’”
[HEBREWS 1:7]
Almost in passing, the writer of this Letter speaks of angels. He will speak of angels and their interaction with the saints again in this missive [e.g. HEBREWS 2:2; 13:2], but here the writer is putting to rest the very thought that the Son of God might be an angel, a powerful being created to serve the Father. This puts to an end that heresy that is bruited about among some cults that Jesus is an angel, or even that He is a demigod. Angels are heavenly ministers, divine messengers sent by the Living God to serve the people of God by declaring the message God would have His saints know.
God wants His people to know His will. How can the people of God do what is pleasing to the Lord if they do not know what He wills? Therefore, we frequently see God’s messengers delivering the message God wants people to hear. Consider a few examples of people who received divine messages from one of God’s holy messengers recorded in the Old Testament.
Jacob, the Deceiver, was fleeing to Paddan-aram, when near Haran he saw in a dream angels ascending and descending upon a ladder. The LORD spoke to him that night, but it was the angels which first drew his attention [see GENESIS 28:10 ff.]. Later, the angel of God advised Jacob so that he could build his wealth [see GENESIS 31:10-13]. Fleeing from Laban, and dreading the prospect of meeting Esau, Jacob again was met by the angels of God [see GENESIS 32:1-2].
You will no doubt recall the incident when God sent an angel to rebuke the Prophet Balaam. Balaam was determined to pursue his own will for his own profit rather than doing what the Lord commanded. The passage is somewhat extended, but it does provide insight into the fact that God’s angels are not always sweet tempered. Sometimes they are prepared to inflict punishment, even death!
“God’s anger was kindled because [Balaam] went [with the representatives of Balak], and the angel of the LORD took his stand in the way as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him. And the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand. And the donkey turned aside out of the road and went into the field. And Balaam struck the donkey, to turn her into the road. Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side. And when the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she pushed against the wall and pressed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So he struck her again. Then the angel of the LORD went ahead and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left. When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam. And Balaam’s anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, ‘What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?’ And Balaam said to the donkey, ‘Because you have made a fool of me. I wish I had a sword in my hand, for then I would kill you.’ And the donkey said to Balaam, ‘Am I not your donkey, on which you have ridden all your life long to this day? Is it my habit to treat you this way?’ And he said, ‘No.’
“Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face. And the angel of the LORD said to him, ‘Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me. The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live.’ Then Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, ‘I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the road against me. Now therefore, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back.’ And the angel of the LORD said to Balaam, ‘Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you.’ So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak” [NUMBERS 22:22-35].
A lop-eared, watery-eyed donkey had more perspicuity than did the prophet Balaam. The donkey refused to attempt to pass by the angel whom God sent. When at last Balaam’s eyes were opened, he saw the angel and was aware of the peril he had just dodged. Had the donkey not shown caution, Balaam would have been killed. The angel continued by providing specific directions for Balaam to follow.
Two other individuals who saw an angel who brought a message from the LORD, were the parents of Samson. We do not know the name of the mother of Samson, but we know that she was married to a man named Manoah. Samson’s mother appears to have possessed a good measure of common sense, but Manoah seems to have been somewhat dense. The account is recorded in the historical literature of the Old Testament. In the account provided in Judges, we read, “There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and had no children. And the angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, ‘Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines’” [JUDGES 13:2-7].
When the angel had left, the woman hurried to tell her husband what had happened, including the instructions that the man had delivered. Manoah had enough sense to pray, asking God to again send the man who had initially brought this message. His prayer was heard, and God again sent His angel.
The angel again came at a time when her husband was not with her. So, “The woman ran quickly and told her husband, ‘Behold, the man who came to me the other day has appeared to me.’ And Manoah arose and went after his wife and came to the man and said to him, ‘Are you the man who spoke to this woman?’ And he said, ‘I am.’ And Manoah said, ‘Now when your words come true, what is to be the child’s manner of life, and what is his mission?’ And the angel of the LORD said to Manoah, ‘ Of all that I said to the woman let her be careful. She may not eat of anything that comes from the vine, neither let her drink wine or strong drink, or eat any unclean thing. All that I commanded her let her observe’” [JUDGES 13:10-14].
Manoah was perceptive enough to realise that this was an angel. In fact, it appears to have been the preincarnate Christ, identified as the Angel of the LORD. When Manoah attempted to offer a burnt offering sacrifice, the heavenly being ascended in the flame of the offering. We read an interesting response of Manoah and his wife to what had occurred.
“Manoah knew that he was the angel of the LORD. And Manoah said to his wife, ‘We shall surely die, for we have seen God.’ But his wife said to him, ‘If the LORD had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and a grain offering at our hands, or shown us all these things, or now announced to us such things as these’” [JUDGES 13:21b-23].
The account concludes with the observation that the woman did bear a son, calling his name “Samson.” You will no doubt remember how this young man became a deliverer in Israel. The heavenly messenger brought good news and specific instruction for how the child was to live. That is what an angel does.
Let me turn attention to another individual who interacted with an angel. Daniel is recognised as a great man in the history of Israel. Daniel became aware that the time was rapidly approaching when Israel would return to Israel following Babylonian captivity. He had been reading the Scriptures, and knowing what was written, he began to pray. He writes, “I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the LORD my God and made confession” [DANIEL 9:3-4a].
Soon after he began praying, he had a heavenly visitor. He writes of that visit, noting, “While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my plea before the LORD my God for the holy hill of my God, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the first, came to me in swift flight at the time of the evening sacrifice. He made me understand” [DANIEL 9:20-22].
This was not the first time Daniel had encountered this angel, identified as Gabriel. In answer to a plea to understand a vision God had sent, Daniel received an earlier visit from Gabriel, recorded in DANIEL 8:15-26. After Daniel had been thrown into the den of lions, he was protected when the LORD sent an angel to shut the lions’ mouths [see DANIEL 6:21]. An angel from God would minister to Daniel on yet one other occasion, as recorded in DANIEL 10:2-12:13.
We must not fall into the trap of imagining that angels ministered to the saints of God only in the period long before the events recorded in the New Testament. We remember that an angel ministered to both Joseph and Mary. We read of the ministry of the angel of the Lord to Joseph in the Gospel of Matthew.
The account reads this way, “The birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel’
(which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus” [MATTHEW 1:18-25].
Joseph was convinced by an angel to accept Mary’s child as given by the Holy Spirit. Likewise, Mary was both informed by an angel and convinced by that angel to submit herself to the will of the Living God. “The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‘Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!’ But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’
“And Mary said to the angel, ‘How will this be, since I am a virgin?’
“And the angel answered her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.’ And Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.’ And the angel departed from her” [LUKE 1:26-38].
The period during the early days of the Faith witnessed multiple incidents of angels ministering to God’s people. On one occasion, note that an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors, releasing Peter and other Apostles [ACTS 5:19]. God sent an angel to direct Philip in his encounter with an Ethiopian official [ACTS 8:26 ff.]. An angel spoke to Cornelius [ACTS 10:4-7], directing him to send for Peter. On another occasion when Peter was jailed and awaiting execution, God sent an angel to deliver him from prison and from certain death [ACTS 12:6-11]. An angel struck down Herod [ACTS 12:23].
Let’s take a moment longer to look at events in the life of the Apostle to the Gentiles. Imperiled by a violent storm while in transit to Rome, Paul encouraged those on the ship with him, “Men, you should have listened to me and not have set sail from Crete and incurred this injury and loss. Yet now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For this very night there stood before me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ So take heart, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. But we must run aground on some island” [ACTS 27:21-26].
There are many other instances that were not recorded. How do we know this? We are told, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” [HEBREWS 13:2]. Imagine that! Is it possible that an angel has sat in your living room? Is it possible that you shared a coffee with an angel? It seems almost a certainty that seated among us at various times have been angels, divine messengers observing us or even delivering a message from the Master, and we were oblivious to their presence. God does not always identify the heavenly messengers with bright clothing and a shining appearance when He communicates His mind to His people.
We’ve read the words, but too often we dismiss them as somehow unimportant. Nevertheless, “We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
“For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking” [HEBREWS 2:1-5].
Powerful as angels are, and as important as they are to the unfolding plan of the Living God, they are not heirs of the world that shall shortly come. God never redeemed the angels; He sent His Son to redeem mankind, the creature that has fallen. The message impels us to think, even though more briefly than we might wish, of the world to come. Later in this same letter, the writer urges his readers to consider how they are dabbling in deep waters, though they seldom are capable of delving as deeply as they should.
He writes, “Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And this we will do if God permits. For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt” [HEBREWS 6:1-6].
We are redeemed for a purpose; as followers of the Christ, we have purpose. We are redeemed for God’s glory. Just as the Son of God was born, revealing the glory of the Living God, so in His death and resurrection we witness the glory of God displayed for mankind. God gives us a glimpse of His marvellous glory in the birth of His Son, creating in the heart of those who receive Him a longing to witness that eternal glory.
THE SON RULES — “But of the Son [God] says,
‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.’”
[HEBREWS 1:8-9]
Do not miss the fact that the focus of this text is the Son of God. In particular, the writer identifies the Son as God! This is a strong statement, very much in line with the challenge Jesus issued to Pharisees who had gathered together on one occasion in hopes of trapping Jesus in His words.
Recall that incident to which I’ve just alluded. It is found in MATTHEW 22:41-46. “While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question, saying, ‘What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?’ They said to him, ‘The son of David.’ He said to them, ‘How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying,
‘“The Lord said to my Lord,
‘Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet?”
“‘If then David calls him Lord, how is he his son?’ And no one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.’”
The Pharisees, much like modern social justice warriors, were confident in the validity of their own view. They confidently answered Jesus’ query, only to be hoisted by their own petard. Like so many who imagine they know the Word of God, they had read it repeatedly, memorising the minutiae contained therein, but without actually understanding what was written. Clearly, Scripture presents the Son of God as very God. Jesus demonstrated this truth in His exchange with the learned doctors of the Jewish faith, and the writer of the text before us today has done the same thing. If we accept the Scriptures as the Word of God, we cannot deny that Jesus is God.
At one point, the Psalmist compares the transient nature of the world, compared with the permanence of the Living God. He writes,
“How great are your works, O LORD!
Your thoughts are very deep!
The stupid man cannot know;
the fool cannot understand this:
that though the wicked sprout like grass
and all evildoers flourish,
they are doomed to destruction forever;
but you, O LORD, are on high forever.”
[PSALM 92:5-8]
Elsewhere, the Psalmist writes of the LORD,
“The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty;
the LORD is robed; he has put on strength as his belt.
Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
Your throne is established from of old;
you are from everlasting.”
[PSALM 93:1-2]
In our text the writer is unabashed in declaring that the Son reigns eternally. Christ the Lord reigns in Heaven. His throne is an eternal throne and He reigns forever. When John is delivering the Book we have received as the Revelation of Jesus Christ, he informs us that when an angel has delivered the final judgement announced by trumpets, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever” [REVELATION 11:15b], at this announcement, God’s holy people fall on their faces and worship the Living God.
Well might the people of God worship when we recognise the Christ as reigning forever and ever. Well might we who are redeemed worship as we shall in eternity. Then, we shall say,
“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
who is and who was,
for you have taken your great power
and begun to reign.
The nations raged,
but your wrath came,
and the time for the dead to be judged,
and for rewarding your servants, the prophets and saints,
and those who fear your name,
both small and great,
and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.”
[REVELATION 11:17-18]
Christ the Lord shall reign. Now, He reigns in our hearts. Now, He reigns over our lives. At last, He shall reign forever and ever. He was born a king, though He came to earth in the most humble of circumstances. Thus, we read, “It was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere,
‘What is man, that you are mindful of him,
or the son of man, that you care for him?
You made him for a little while lower than the angels;
you have crowned him with glory and honor,
putting everything in subjection under his feet.’
“In putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone” [HEBREWS 2:5-10].
Why would anyone refuse to receive the salvation Christ provides, except they have a wicked heart? Only our own fallen condition would keep us from worshipping this Saviour as Lord? At this time, the Son of God graciously calls to any who are willing to accept His invitation. With gracious words the Son of God invites you. “All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” [MATTHEW 11:27-30].
God calls, “Just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” [HEBREWS 9:27-28]. Amen. Amen, indeed.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2] James Russell Lowell, “The Present Crisis,” in Thomas R. Lounsbury (ed.), Yale Book of American Verse, 1912, cited in Augustus Hopkins Strong, American Poets and Their Theology (The Griffith and Rowland Press, Philadelphia; Boston; Chicago; St. Louis; Los Angeles; Toronto, 1916) 281
