SEEN OF ANGELS
1 Timothy 3:14 ¶ These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly: 15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. 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.
We come again to this spiritually rich passage of scripture taken from the Apostle Paul’s letter to his spiritual son, Pastor Timothy. And we are to consider the second item which the apostle lists under the heading of the mystery of godliness. For it is only since God was manifest in the flesh, that he comes now, for the first time, to be Seen of Angels! For we read in those enlightening first two chapters of the Book of Hebrews, “And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.” (Hebrews 1:6)
And those first two Hebrew chapters concern themselves with the difference between the angels and the Eternal Son of God. For it was because there was no visible presentation of the Person of God at that time, that one of the highest in the order of angels determined to put himself forward as being like the Most High! And that is how there came to be the Devil! Isaiah 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
The scriptures speak of God’s invisibility. 1 Timothy 1:17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. 6:16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
Hebrews 11:27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
And that is where sin was conceived and first originated! It was brought forth into God’s pure creation from the heart of this glorious angel, determined to be a physical manifestation of the Invisible God! Ezekiel 28:14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. 16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
For it is the creature’s perception of God’s delay in revealing Himself that brings forth many ungodly deeds. Luke 12:45 But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; But the Apostle Peter rightly informs us that there is no ‘delay’ with God! 2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
For that which man defines as ‘delay’ is but the longsuffering of God in bringing in all of the elect souls! And the Apostle Paul states that God’s longsuffering and patience was necessary to bring us all to repentance. Romans 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? We must remember the Prophet Isaiah’s words: Isaiah 30:18 And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.
And as this attribute of God was manifest in Noah’s day, so it shall be in the days of the Lord’s return! 1 Peter 3:20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water. Luke 21:19 In your patience possess ye your souls. Hebrews 10:35 Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. 36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. 37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. James 5:7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
The Lord’s manifestation of Himself as a physical being is done so exclusively in the Incarnate Son! Colossians 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. 18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
And as previously stated, until God was manifest in the flesh, no angel had ever seen Him! They were not allowed to ascend up above the sapphire pavement to see Him upon his throne! Ezekiel 1:25 And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings. 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.
And ever those mysterious seraphim, created to stand in the very presence of God, had to use one-third of their winged power to shield their faces from the glory! They could not survive the immediate, unfiltered view of God in His pure glory without covering their faces! Isaiah 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
And we can read of this in Luke’s writings. For as soon as the one angel had announced, “ye shall find the babe,” the atmosphere was filled with a heavenly host crowding around, to witness God in His Incarnation. 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.
For the Apostle Peter informs us that neither the Old Testament prophets nor the angels had a clear understanding of these matters! 1 Peter 1:10 Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: 11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 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.
So how do the angels in this present day of gospel revelation come to more fully know of the Eternal Son of God? The answer is partially revealed in that last verse, just listed. For these things are more clearly reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven;
And we have this stated in the Apostle Paul’s writing to the church of Ephesus. Ephesians 3:8 Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; 9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: 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, 11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: 12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.
Take note: “the mystery, which from the beginning of the world had been hid in God.” Yet now those principalities and powers in heavenly places – the angelic beings – might have it revealed to them “by the church!” For as in Ezekiel 1:25 there was “a voice” from the throne, so now the voice of the gospel being preached in God’s true church is also instructing that multitude of the heavenly host who desire to know these things.
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