THE LORD OF HOSTS
“For behold, He who forms mountains and creates the wind, who declares to man what his thought is, and makes the morning darkness, who treads on the high places of the earth, The Lord God of hosts is His name” (Amos 4:13).
‘Thus, says the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; besides Me there is no God. (Isaiah 44:6).
The Lord of Hosts is the Almighty God, the creator of the Heavens and the Earth and all the host of them (Genesis 2:1). He is a Warrior-God, a conquering King, with strong and victorious energy; mighty in battle with myriad armies of angels at His disposal; and the conductor of the beautiful orchestra that is the entirety of all creation. Every atom, every molecule, moves in accordance with His purposes and at His command. He sustains everything by His powerful word. One whose word is power, who rules amidst the armies of heaven and the inhabitants of earth, the captain of all the armies of heaven and earth. The unity of nature is the will of God; and that as the Commander issues His orders over all the field, so He speaks, and it is done.
Hannah, who was barren, called upon this aspect of God’s personhood (1Samuel 1 :11). She cried out to the one who can create something from nothing, to whom every cell and atom are called to attention. She knew that her hope lies only with the one whose voice the whole host of heavens and earth must obey. She understood that the command of the Lord of Armies will and must be executed.
By that title, ‘THE LORD OF HOSTS’, the prophets, and psalmists (Haggai 2:4, Malachi 3:17, Psalm 24:10) meant to express the universal dominion of God over the whole universe in all its battalions and sections, which they conceived of as one ranked army, obedient to the voice of the great General and Ruler of them all. This contemplates His righteousness and power over both spiritual and physical armies. God's attributes of sovereignty, omniscience & omnipotence are clearly implied by this majestic Name.
DOWNLOAD A FREE COPY OF THIS SERMON - https://mountzionblog.org/the-lord-of-hosts/
What “HOSTS” is HE LORD over?
Who is subject to His commands and orders? God is in complete command and total control of all HOSTS in the Heavens and the whole universe; there are no “troop movement”, so to speak, without His knowledge.
The HOSTS are categorized into 3 divisions:
? The Heavenly Host,
? The Earthly Host,
? The Satanic Host.
THE HEAVENLY HOST
This comprises of the following:
THE 24 ELDERS – They are spirits, a part of the created heavenly host of beings, which have been given positions of responsibility as advisers in the government of God through which He rules the universe. They sit upon twenty-four thrones before the Lord, clothed in white robes; with crowns of gold on their heads (Revelation 4:4).The 24 Elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created (Revelation 4:10). Similarly, the twenty-four elders are responsible for praising God in song, possibly in conducting vast choirs of angels; and carrying out God's answers to prayer (Revelation 5:8).
ARCHANGELS AND HEAVENLY PRINCES.
They are chief angel created by God, at the top of the angelic hierarchy in terms of power. They lead the other ranks of angels and have several purposes they fill, lining the Old and New Testament of Scripture.
ANGEL MICHAEL is mentioned several times in the book of Daniel (Daniel 10:13, 21, 12:1), once in Jude (Jude 1:9), and once in the book of Revelation (Revelation 12:7). Michael is an archangel.
In the book of Daniel, Michael is called a chief prince. In Jude, a dispute is recorded between Michael the archangel and the Devil over Moses' body. And in Revelation, Michael commands the hosts of the Lord against the forces of the dragon (Satan) in a war in heaven: "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven" (Revelation 12:7-8).
ANGEL GABRIEL appeared by name four times: twice to Daniel to interpret the meaning of his visions (Daniel 8-9), once to announce John the Baptist's birth to his father Zacharias (Luke 1:11-20), and once to announce the birth of Jesus to Mary (Luke 1:26-38).
These are the only two Archangels mentioned in the scripture.
CHERUBIM AND SERAPHIM
Cherubim and Seraphim are winged creatures that appear in Scripture and make their most memorable appearances in the visions of Ezekiel (1:4-28, 10:3-22), Isaiah (Isaiah 6:2-6), and John (Revelation 4:7). Although not specifically called angels, cherubim and seraphim are revealed as living creatures or heavenly beings whose primary purpose is to worship God at His throne.
Cherubim (also called cherubs) are revealed as powerful guards or attendants to the divine throne. God placed cherubims and a flaming sword at the garden of Eden to guard the way of the tree of life (Genesis 3:24). In the tabernacle and the temple, gold cherubim on the mercy seat signified the presence of God (Exodus 37:7-9; Numbers 7:89; Psalm 80:1).
In Ezekiel's vision, he saw cherubim as living creatures next to the throne of God, worshipping and serving Him. The cherubim had four faces: man, lion, ox and eagle, although Ezekiel 10:14 replaces the face of the ox with the face of a cherub. Each living creature possessed four wings, two of which covered their bodies, and two of which extended upward. They traveled on what appeared to be a "wheel in the middle of a wheel" (Ezekiel 1:16) and went in any direction with great speed like a flash of lightning. Their appearance was brilliant like fire and their wings made noise like a great waterfall. What was Ezekiel's reaction? He fell on his face, completely overtaken by the glory of the Lord.
Seraphim only appear in Isaiah's vision. Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on a throne, and Seraphims stood over the throne crying out, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory" (Isaiah 6:3).
Seraphim means the burning ones or flying serpents. They were like cherubim but had six wings, two of which covered their face, two of which covered their feet, and with two wings they flew. What was Isaiah's reaction? He said, "Woe is me...I am a man of unclean lips" (Isaiah 6:5). He saw his own inadequacy and sinfulness when he encountered the holiness of God! But then one of the seraphim touched Isaiah's lips with a live coal from the altar, and God gave Isaiah a message for the people of Judah.
THE ANGELS OF GOD
They are innumerable (Psalm 68:17; Daniel 7:9-10; Revelation 5:11), and God knows each of them by name (Isaiah 40:26)! The Bible refers to seven angels in the book of Revelation (Revelation 1:20, 3:1, 4:5, 8:2, and 10:7) who have been placed over the seven churches and carry out the seven judgments on the earth. The angels surround the throne of God (Isaiah 6:3,5; 1 Kings 22:19) and he sends them to protect His servants (2 Kings 6:17). These multitude of Angels worship and serve God, including serving as His heavenly army (2 Chronicles 18:18; Nehemiah 9:6).
“Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His heavenly hosts” (Psalm 148:2).
“The Lord has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all. Praise the Lord, you His angels, you mighty ones who do His bidding, who obey His word. Praise the Lord, all His heavenly hosts, you His servants who do His will.” (Psalm 103:19-21)
The Bible does not reveal an angelic hierarchy. God is the commander of His heavenly host (Isaiah 45:12). However, there are a few scriptures that infer delegated authority to some angels. Paul mentioned "elect angels" (I Timothy 5:21) and said that "one star differs from another star in glory" (I Corinthians 15:41), implying that each star (and each angel) is unique in glory and in position.
THE EXTRA- TERRESTRIAL HOST
They include the celestial bodies – the sun, the moon, the stars, the planets, the galaxies, and other unseen celestial bodies. They declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1). In Jeremiah 31:35, we see "the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar— the LORD of hosts is His name’. God has complete control and dominion over the celestial bodies (Joshua 10:12-13).
The Sun, the moon, stars, and planets are an army in the hands of God. As an army, each of the planets and stars operate under the great captain of that host, which is the SUN. In God’s host of the heavens, the Sun is captain, and the moon is the mercy seat. The moon controls the tides on earth, despite the distance of 230,000 miles separating the moon from the earth. And if the moon goes out of its position, the earth will be flooded once again by water as in Noah’s time. According to science, the moon is the 5th largest celestial body and in 27.3 days, the moon goes round the earth in perfect order.
The vast portion of the heavens is found to consist wholly of stars, crowded into immense clusters. The clusters comprise of variety and beautiful configuration of the stars. The acutest eye can discern in the whole heavens during the clearest night but cannot comprehend the number of stars in the portion of the Heaven." With bigger telescopes, more stars become visible, making counting impossible because of the amount of time it would take. Telescopes may not be able to view all the stars in a galaxy. It has been said that counting the stars in the Universe is like trying to count the number of sand grains on a beach on Earth (Jeremiah 33:22). A study by Yale astronomer Pieter van Dokkum just took the estimated number of stars in the universe—100,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, or 100 sextillions. (Source - The Estimated Number of Stars in the Universe Just Tripled by Andrew Moseman). God does marvelous things without number.
Isaiah writes that these heavenly bodies are temporary: “All the host of heaven shall rot away, and the skies roll up like a scroll. All their host shall fall, like leaves fall from the vine, like leaves falling from the fig tree” (Isaiah 34:4; Daniel 8:10).
1. THE HOST OF THE ATMOSPHERIC HEAVEN
• The Sky or Firmament (Genesis 1:7)
• The Birds (Matthew 6:26)
• Rain (Acts 14:17)
• Snow (Psalm 51:6-7)
• Dew (Genesis 27:27-28)
• Frost (Psalm 147:16)
• Wind (Psalm 135:7)
• Clouds (Nahum 1:3)
• Thunders (1 Samuel 2:10)
• Hail and Fire (Exodus 9:23)
• Hail/weapon (Psalm 78:47-48)
• Lightning (Exodus 19:16)
• Rainbow (Genesis 9:12-13)
• Tornadoes (1Kings 19:11)
The Lord of Hosts is the controller of the natural elements of wind, rain, thunder, and hail (Jeremiah 51:14-16).
“As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so, will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me” (Jeremiah 33:22).
"And beware not to lift up your eyes to heaven and see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, and be drawn away and worship them and serve them, those which the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven" (Deuteronomy 4:19).
2. THE EARTHLY HOST
“The earth is the Lord's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters” (Psalm 24:1-2).
The world belongs to God, together with all those who dwell within its borders. He is the great Creator and invisible Sustainer of the universe, and He is the One to Whom all the inhabitants of the earth belong. The earth was spoken into being by the word of His mouth, as the Spirit of God hovered over the darkness... on the face of the deep. No wonder the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy when earth's foundations were laid; the seas burst from the womb of the morning (Job 38:7-8) and the chains of the Pleiades were secured (Job 38:31).
EARTHLY CREATURES - Herbs and grass; fruit and trees; birds of the air, fish of the sea and every living creature are the host of the earth. God instructed them to be fruitful and multiply. He can summon them for His use as a weapon to punish man, to defend man and help man, all for the glory of God (Psalm 50:10-12).
HUMAN ARMIES - Surprisingly, the hosts God commands are not limited to plant, animals and other earthly creatures but also extend to human armies (Like the US Army, NATO forces, UN Military forces etc.). When David confronted Goliath in battle, he said, "I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel"(1 Samuel 17:45). The Israelites submitted to God's authority as their commander.
HEART OF OUR RULERS – “The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes” (Proverbs 21:1). God direct the hearts of Country leaders – The President, Kings, Prime Ministers; Religious Leaders - Pastors, Priests, Bishops, Imams; Educational leaders – Vice chancellors, Professors, Lecturers; and all leaders in other facet of life.
EARTHLY WEALTH - ‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the LORD of hosts (Haggai 2:8).
God, in the highest possible sense, has a right to the earth, and to all which it produces, everything which goes to “fill up” the world: animals, minerals, vegetables, people. All belong to God, and He has a right to claim them for His service, and to dispose of them as He pleases.
THE LORD OF HOSTS is the maker of all things (Jeremiah 10:16), including the earth, the people, and animals on it and gives them into the control of whomever he wishes (Jeremiah 27:4-5).
3. THE SATANIC HOSTS
The mastermind of the powers of darkness and evil angels is none other than Satan himself. "Then shall he [Jesus] say also unto them on the left hand, depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matthew 25:41).
Evil angels, however, are those who have fallen from their first estate (Jude 1:6) since the Creation. The Bible records several different times when angels fell to earth. Some have already fallen (Genesis 6:2; Amos 5:26; Revelation 12:4) and some will fall in the future (Revelation 6:13, 8:10-11, 9:1). Some of those fallen angels are currently imprisoned until God’s Day of judgment (I Peter 3:19-20; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6), while the remaining ones rule the realm of darkness with Satan. They, too, will face the wrath of God (Matthew 25:41)
It is Satan, the great dragon, who entices them (Revelation 12:4), perhaps with promises that they will be worshipped by men as gods or rule over an earthly kingdom. Fallen angels learn wickedness and become apprentices of their new master Satan.
Satan reigns over an aerial kingdom of hierarchies and spiritual powers, and a kingdom on earth in the world of men, and he governs by means of an organized government. The evil powers of the demonic realm have their hierarchical structure with offices and ranks, and are designated into Principalities, Powers, Rulers of the darkness and spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).
PRINCIPALITIES
They are powerful evil beings that have held their lofty positions of power and authority since ancient times — probably ever since the fall of Lucifer. Principalities and powers are not demons, they are fallen angels. Fallen angels have a much greater level of authority than demons. A prince rules over a principality. Prophet Daniel stated that the fallen angels, and angels from God are both called princes:
“But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia (Daniel 10:13).
The angel told Daniel that the prince (fallen angel) over Persia withstood him for 21 days. Then the angel stated that the prince Michael came to help him.
POWERS
This describes a lower, second-level group of evil beings — demon spirits — who have received delegated authority from Satan to carry out all manner of evil in whatever way they desire to do it. These evil forces are second in command in Satan’s dark kingdom. Powers are those that hold power within a kingdom, a principality, or even an empire. For example, a local power means to have the ability or capacity to act or do something effectively exerting control, influence, creating and enforcing laws or authority over a people or nation.
THE RULERS OF THE DARKNESS OF THIS WORLD
They are next in rank within the Dark Kingdom. They are directly under the Powers and work with them most of the time, although they can work directly with Satan or a Principality from time to time. The highest rank for a Ruler of Darkness is Prince or Princess but the highest rank a human being usually attains in the Dark Kingdom is that of Sub-Prince.
These Rulers of Darkness can be either demonic or human but are primarily spirit-possessed humans. By the time a human being reaches the level of promotion to a Ruler of Darkness, they are much more spirit than human.
The highest level of promotion for a human in the Dark Kingdom is in the Ruler of Darkness hierarchy as a Prince of Darkness. A Prince or Princess of Darkness is among the elite in the Dark Kingdom and has the privileges of a Power. This person often has several Sub-princes under them as Rulers of Darkness as well. Princes and Sub-princes are not all humans; they may also be evil spirits. There are few humans, however, whoever attain the rank of Prince; normally they will be a Sub-prince.
(Source – Words of Living God Facebook post)
SPIRITUAL HOSTS OF WICKEDNESS IN THE HEAVENLY PLACE
These evil spirits are sent forth to afflict humanity in bad, vile, malevolent, and vicious ways!
These evil forces use all kind of wicked weapons to afflict humans, sickness and diseases can be used to torment people. The case of the recent Corona - Virus outbreak in China (November 2019) that has spread to all parts of the World is an example.
Satan is so serious about doing damage to humans that he deals with demon spirits as though they are troops! He puts them in rank and file, gives them orders and assignments, and then sends them out like military soldiers who are committed to kill. Just as men in a human army are equipped and trained in their methods of destruction, so, too, are these demon spirits. And once these demons are trained and ready to start their assault, Satan sends them forth to do their devious work against human beings.
Satan uses all these evil forces in his attacks against mankind. Nevertheless, we believers have far more authority and power than the devil and his forces. You and I have the Greater One living within us! As a child of God, we are loaded with heaps and heaps of raw power, for the Church has no shortage of power, nor is it deficient in God-given authority. We have more power and more authority than all these evil forces combined!
Why should we not worry about these powers and principalities of evil? Because Christ has “disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it” (Colossians 2:15).We have no fear of any prince of darkness, no power of evil, and no fear of death since we’d be immediately with the Lord at death, no fear of angels (particularly fallen ones), no fear of principalities because Jesus has disarmed them, no fear of things to come, things in the past, or things present. In fact, no “height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39).
How do we fight against the powers of darkness? With the Armor of God. Our struggle is "not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12). Spiritual battles cannot be fought with fleshly (carnal) weapons. There are even some demons that only come out by prayer and fasting (Matthew 17:21).
Satan and all spiritual forces of evil were defeated at the cross (Colossians 2:14-15). These powers of wickedness were cast down to earth when Jesus was resurrected (Revelation 12). They tremble at the judgment prepared for them, and know that Jesus will be the one to carry out that judgment: "And behold, they [the devils] cried out, saying, what have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?" (Matthew 8:29; also see Luke 8:28-31). The final destiny of Satan and his angels is the lake of fire (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10). But meanwhile, the Devil is on earth, full of wrath, knowing his time is short.
Let us heed the call of Jesus and be dispatched into the dark world to preach the Gospel and to drive these evil forces from people’s lives. We must buckle down and begin to view ourselves as the troops of Jesus Christ!
Being organized and disciplined includes living a holy and consecrated life. There is no room for slackness in the life of a real Christian soldier. To deal with these forces that are being dispatched to destroy us and the world around us, it is required that we walk with God and listen to the voice of His Spirit. We must gird up the loins of our minds and fill our thoughts with the Word of God. Satan’s troops are serious — and if we’re not serious about our contest with them, it will only be a matter of time until they discover our weakness and strike with all their force to bring us down.
Determine to see yourself as a soldier in the army of God. Don’t allow anything to remain in your life that would hinder your fight of faith. Be disciplined, committed, and organized. Take advantage of all the weapons described in Ephesians 6:13-18. Then get ready to witness the awesome demonstration of God’s power in your life as you prevail against Satan’s rank and file!
THE LORD OF HOSTS PROTECT US
David could not defeat Goliath, he had no armor, no sword or weapon. God is not restricted by the size of the enemy or obstacle, but rather by the size of our faith. He fought for David and defeated Goliath (1 Samuel 17:41-52).
THE LORD OF HOSTS PRESERVE US
"As birds flying, so will the LORD of hosts defend Jerusalem; defending also he will deliver it; and passing over he will preserve it" (Isaiah 31:5). There are things that we face in this life that would take us out if it wasn’t for the preservation of the Lord of Host.
THE LORD OF HOSTS PRESENCE IS WITH US
"The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge." (Psalms 46:7).
"Glory and honour are in his presence; strength and gladness are in his place." (1 Chronicles 16:27)
".... I will never leave you, nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5)
THE LORD OF HOSTS WILL ALWAYS DELIVER US
"Thus saith the Lord of hosts; The children of Israel and the children of Judah were oppressed together: and all that took them captives held them fast; they refused to let them go. Their Redeemer is strong; the Lord of hosts is his name: he shall throughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land, and disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon." (Jeremiah 50:33-34)
Jesus said, Christ Himself said, “All authority in heaven and on earth is given unto me” (Matthew 28:18). Which means that all the heavenly hosts, the angels, are under His authority. Jesus, facing the cross, said to His disciples, “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53). Jesus said to Pilate, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above” (John 19:11).
“The LORD of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge (Psalm 46:7)”. Hosts are against us, but the Lord of hosts is with us. We dare not budge an inch, for the Lord Himself holds us in our place, and there we will abide forever.
The Lord rules the angels, the stars, the elements, and all the hosts of heaven; and the heaven of heavens are under his sway. The armies of men, though they know it not, are made to subserve His will. This Generalissimo of the forces of the land, and the Lord High Admiral of the seas, is on our side -- our august ally; woe unto those who fight against Him, for they shall fly like smoke before the wind when He gives the word to scatter them.
Being before us and with us, He will never withdraw His help. He cannot fail in Himself, and He will not fail toward us. He will continue to help us according to our need, even to the end. As He cannot fail us, so He will not forsake us. He will always be both able and willing to grant us strength and succor till fighting days are gone.
Let us not fear nor be dismayed; for the Lord of hosts will go down to the battle with us, will bear the brunt of the fight, and give us the victory (Deuteronomy 31:8).
Dearly beloved, are you facing an insurmountable obstacle and losing all hope of victory? Do you feel overwhelmed and powerless in your present circumstances? Then run into the Strong Tower of the LORD OF HOSTS (Proverbs 18:10), crying out to Him. "May Jehovah answer you in the day of trouble! May the NAME of the God of Jacob set you securely on high, some boast in chariots, and some in horses, but we will boast in the NAME of Jehovah, our God (Psalm 20:1). Our Redeemer, the LORD of HOSTS is His NAME, the Holy One of Israel. (Isaiah 47:4).
Our might lies in the Lord of Hosts (Zechariah 4:6-7). Let us seek His help; let us proceed with prayer and faith, and when we have done what our “hand finds to do,” let us wait upon the Lord for His blessing. He will providentially change the circumstances around us and work within us to change our heart and teach us to depend on Him.
As believers, we will someday inhabit heaven with God and the heavenly hosts. According to Hebrews 12:22, we have been called to the place where dwell “thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly.” When Jesus returns to earth to establish His kingdom, “the armies of heaven [will be] following him, riding on white horses, and dressed in fine linen, white and clean” (Revelation 19:14). The angelic army will be augmented by humans redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. We will not become angels, but we will be with them in glory.
"Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD OF HOSTS, the whole earth is full of His glory." (Isaiah 6:3)
O Lord of hosts, the King of glory, blessed is the man who trusts in You!
James Dina
james@mountzionblog.org
19th September 2020
https://mountzionblog.org/the-lord-of-hosts/
WORK CITED
"Exposition with Practical Observations on the book of Job" by JOSEPH CARYL
