DANIEL’S PRAYER #2
(Our responsibility to Angels)
Daniel 10:10 ¶ And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands. 11 And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling. 12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. 14 Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.
Daniel 10:19 And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me. 20 Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. 21 But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.
Before the Incarnation of the Eternal Son of God, no angel had ever seen God. Christ Jesus had to be “Manifest in the flesh” before he was ever “seen of angels!” 1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
The pavement under his feet was the ceiling above their heads. Ezekiel 1:26 And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.
Therefore the coming of the Lord God in human form brought a great change in the manner of God’s revelation. Hebrews 1:1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; 4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
1 John 1:1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; 2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) 3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
But just what is our responsibility to the angels in this last day of Christ’s Incarnation and accomplished redemption? The Apostle Paul addressed this matter in his letter to the Colossian believers. Colossians 2:18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, 19 And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.
To make overmuch of angels is therefore to enter into the emotionalism of inordinate affections regarding things vainly imagined but not seen. Thus substituting an emotional imagination in the place of the revelation by the Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;
And it requires one to also, not only turn from the Spirit, but to diminish ones attentiveness to Christ. For such emotional, ‘warm and fuzzy feelings’ exchange themselves for the true adoration and worship of our Lord! Therefore we must bring such inordinate thoughts “to the obedience of Christ.”
And this will also cause us to look at a very familiar verse in quite a different light. Hebrews 13:2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. For it seems that although the Lord has allowed some of his believers to offer hospitality to angels, he made sure that they did not know it, less they be distracted from “Looking unto Jesus.” Remember that it was due to John’s gazing with amazement at a thing supernatural that he was rebuked. Revelation 17:6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. 7 ¶ And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel?
Keep in mind that after the Lord brought his flesh down to its weakest point by fasting for forty days, one of Satan’s temptations was to attempt to direct inordinate thoughts to the matter of angels! But our Lord re-established his thoughts to only consider his responsibility to His Father. Luke 4:2 Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. 9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: 10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: 11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
And then we read that the angels did enter into this scene, but only in God’s proper order. Matthew 4:11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. Hebrews 1:13 But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? 14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
Our main responsibility to the angelic forces is to set forth the true gospel and to conduct ourselves properly as we walk in the spirit before them. Consider these verses: Ephesians 3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, The Lord’s true believers are entrusted with the responsibility of the manifestation concerning the “complicated, many-sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects.” (Amplified Bible)
1 Peter 1:12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. The angels are not afforded God’s wonderful, forgiving grace, as are humans. Immediately upon their sin, they are cast down. Jude 6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Therefore they must attend to God’s “good will towards men,” to ascertain what grace regards. Luke 2:12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
1 Corinthians 11:10 For this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels. This passage from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthian believers regards the ranking of Christ and male and female believers. It speaks not of worthiness, for (in Christ) there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28) Therefore walking in the Spirit in our assigned ranking is of a great important witness to the angelic forces.
Let us close with our often-used passage in Revelation chapter twelve. For it reveals that true salvation began upon Christ’s defeat of the fallen angel, who has become Satan, and of all his forces. And we know that this is a view of the spiritual warfare at the cross. Revelation 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
And this warfare was completed upon Christ’s victorious cry, “It is finished!” John 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
And having learned of grace from this witness, these angels shall know how to identify God’s true believers in order to gather them to Him at the end of the age! Matthew 24:31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. gb
