KINGDOM BIBLE STUDIES

"For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, WITH THE VOICE OF THE ARCHANGEL, and with the trump of God" (I Thes. 4:16).

For years the beautiful passage quoted above has intrigued me with its mystery. While the King James Version states that the Lord shall descend from heaven "with the voice of the archangel," that is not exactly the way it is in the original. The Greek uses the preposition EN meaning "in," and Young's Literal Translation correctly renders it, "Because the Lord Himself, IN a shout, IN the voice of a chief-messenger, and IN the trump of God, shall come down from heaven." The Lord does not come "with" the voice of the archangel, but "in" the voice of the archangel. If, therefore, we can know who the archangel is, and are able to recognize his voice, we will have assurance, not that the Lord is coming soon, but rather that He has come and is now present, for we shall have encountered Him in great power and glory in the place where He manifests - I-N THE VOICE OF THE ARCHANGEL!

We must first go back and learn who and what angels actually are. Babylon has told us a lot of fictions about storks bringing babies, and Santa scurrying down the chimney. We, for some peculiar reason, do not believe these tales. But most of us still think that angels are funny things with white nightgowns, bare feet, long flowing hair, voluptuous breasts and wings, beautiful sexless things who fly and flutter and flit here and there.

From every part of scripture come testimonies to the existence of angels. They trod the plains of Mamre, and sang over the fields of Bethlehem. One prepared the meal on the desert sands for Elijah; another led Peter out of prison; a third flashed through the storm to stand by the hammock where the apostle Paul was sleeping. An angel came to Zacharias and Elizabeth with the message that John the Baptist would be born. The angel Gabriel came to Mary in Nazareth and told her that she would conceive of the Holy Ghost and bring forth a Son who would be the Son of the Most High God. An angel warned Joseph. "And when they were departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph... saying, Arise, and take the young child and His mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy Him" (Mat. 2:13).

After Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, the Word says, "Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil" (Mat. 4:1). When all the severe testings had been accomplished, the record states, "Then the devil leaveth Him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto Him" (Mat. 4:11). God is not helpless in a corner somewhere, but His angels have been sent forth to take care of His people. "Now when the apostles had borne their testimony and preached the message of the Lord, they went back to Jerusalem, proclaiming the glad tidings to many villages of the Samaritans on the way. But an angel of the Lord said to Philip, Rise and proceed southward at midday on the road that runs from Jerusalem down to Gaza. This is the desert route. So he got up and went" (Acts 8:25-27). What was the purpose of the angel telling Philip to travel that particular road at that specific time? So he could meet the Ethiopian eunuch and introduce him to Jesus! In Gen. 24:7, God sent forth an angel to assist the servant of Abraham in securing a wife for Isaac. In Ex. 23:20 He sent "an angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared." He sent His angels to clear the way in the going forth out of Egypt. In Ps. 34:7, the Holy Spirit inspired David to write these words, "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them."

Now let us face some facts. We have listened to fairy tales much too long. In the first place we discover that the word "angel," instead of being a translation, is but an evasion, being the English form of the Greek word AGGELOS, which to the average person means nothing at all. The Greek word AGGELOS means nothing more than "messenger." And in every occurrence of the word "angel" in our Bibles, that is the word that should have been given. The word AGGELOS is simply a pure Greek word without any particular meaning except what we choose to give it, and people oftentimes have the notion that it means a man with wings, whereas, if a man did have wings, he has no muscles to move them - a most ridiculous thing! The wings mentioned in scripture are not represented as belonging to man and are just as mythical as the various winged gods of ancient Greek mythology. With the exception of the Cherubim and Seraphim, nothing is said about wings for either men or angels. The words are, "Clothed in shining garments," when referring to the young men who were the messengers at the tomb following the Christ's resurrection, and on the occasion of His ascension. But painters have given them wings, and poets have given them wings, and a great many people get their theology from the poets and painters, and that is the reason they blunder so.

Get the thought, now, that an angel is a messenger and read the word "angels," always with its proper translation, "messengers." The Greek word AGGELOS has just the direct meaning "messenger one sent with a message, the personal representative of the Sender. It does not identify any particular race or order of created beings. Anyone sent with a message is a messenger - an angel. If there had been Western Union messengers in Bible times they would have been called "Western Union Angels," for angel means messenger. It may mean a messenger from hell, or a messenger from heaven, or a messenger from some man on earth; any messenger sent by a king, or any other person, is in both the Hebrew and the Greek languages, an angel of that person, viz: a messenger. If sent by a human being, the messenger-angel was the personal representative of that one, in the message he was commissioned to bear. Lk. 7:18-28 speaks of the messengers of John the Baptist as angels and in verse 24 we read, "And when the messengers (angels) of John were departed..." These same messengers are called disciples in verse 18. If sent by God, the messenger-angel was the personal representative of God, in the message he was given to bear. In Lk. 7:27, John the Baptist is denominated as an angel: "Behold, I send My messenger (Gr: AGGELOS - angel) before Thy face..." The context always decides whose angel the messenger is. John was filled with the Holy Spirit, to bear a word of God, and accomplish a mission for the Anointed Messiah. In the anointing, the word, and mission, John was an angel of God, the greatest prophet born of women!

When we understand this truth, then we have no difficulty in understanding who the if "angels" of the Churches in the 2nd and 3rd chapters of the Revelation are because that word was commonly used in the early Church, as, "To the angel of the Church in Sardis, write...," "To the angel of the Church in Smyrna, write..." These angels of the Churches were merely God's messengers to those Churches, the MINISTERS who ministered to the saints. A messenger carries a message, and a messenger of God unto His people bears a SPIRITUAL MESSAGE, and is, therefore, a HEAVENLY ANGEL!

And now we go to the Word to learn something wonderful and exceptional about these creatures who have been described and even pictured so fantastically. And it is a fact completely missed by most Bible students and, I dare say, by ALL Bible scholars!

Abraham was once sitting, in the heat of the day, in his tent door. And he did not fall asleep and have a nightmare. But fully awake, in his right mind, he entertained some visitors. The Word says this: "And he lifted up his eyes, and looked, and lo, THREE MEN stood by him" (Gen. 18:2). Now we are not studying the book, "Alice in Wonderland." We are not reading about mock turtles, nor March hares, nor hobgoblins, nor ghosts, nor bug-a-boos. We are studying the fully inspired Word of God. And surely none of us are so simple that we need to go to a museum to learn what kind of a creature a man is. All of us are dumb on some subject; I will admit that much. But surely we are not so dumb that when we see a man walking down the street we mistake him for a monkey, or a fairy!

God's Word says that three "MEN" came to Abraham as he sat in his tent door. And there is only one race of beings on earth that is called "men." If we have not enough intelligence to know what kind of beings they are, then we most certainly have no business running loose, but need to be in a padded room where we will be cared for. Abraham entertained these three men who visited him. He hurried in to Mrs. Abraham and got her on the job baking cakes, and had a servant kill a calf. "And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set the tree, and they did eat" (Gen. 18:18). Reading on, in Gen. 18:16 we find the following, "And the MEN rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom." In verse 22 we read this, "And the MEN turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord."

That same evening, two of these three men arrived in Sodom. Lot met them, took them in, and gave them their supper. The men of Sodom also saw them, following which there was an unfortunate scene at Lot's house, a result of which was that "the MEN put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut the door" (Gen. 19:10). In verse 12 we read, "And the MEN said to Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: for we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it." Lot had no success trying to persuade his family to leave Sodom. He himself lingered as long as possible. And then in verse 16 we read, "And while he lingered, the MEN laid hold upon his hand." They forced him to leave, together with his wife and two daughters. And these men were God's messengers, His angels, who both delivered Lot and destroyed Sodom.

Jacob was quite a character, a very human sort of person. And one day he had a harrowing experience. He must face his brother Esau, who he had tricked and supplanted. He was afraid of losing his head. Esau was coming toward him with four hundred men. So Jacob figured it all out how to appease his brother's wrath. First he sent drove after drove of livestock as a present to his brother, then he sent his own herds and servants and family, but he stayed behind. Then that night, as Jacob remained alone on the other side of the river no doubt shivering in his boots, we read this, "And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a MAN with him until the breaking of the day" (Gen. 32:24). Quite a wrestling match, that!

In Judges 13 we read of a man by the name of Manoah, and his wife. God sent one of His messengers to them. And in verse 6 we read, "Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, a MAN of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible. In verse 8 we read, "Then Manoah entreated the Lord, and said, O my Lord, let the MAN of God which Thou didst send come again unto us." Then in verse 10 we read, "Behold the MAN hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other day. And Manoah arose, and went after his wife, and came to the MAN, and said unto him, Art thou the MAN that spakest unto the woman? And he said, I am. Here this angel of God admitted of being a man. "Art thou THE MAN ... I AM."

Daniel also had some rather startling experiences with God's messengers during his sojourn on earth. And in Dan. 9:21 we read this, "Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even THE MAN GABRIEL, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me." No, it was not the fairy Gabriel, not a nymph, nor a sybil, nor an elf; but "THE MAN GABRIEL." Oh, we have been told a lot of funny stories! But it is high time to awaken, time to begin to face facts! In Dan. 10:1-5 we find Daniel on a fast. And while on this three-weeks' fast, while beside the river Hiddekel, hemet another angel or messenger of God. Here is how he described him: "Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain MAN clothed in linen." In Daniel 10:21 Michael the archangel, or chief messenger, is called, "Michael your prince." I never heard of a prince among men being a funny sexless thing with wings! Did you? In the 12th chapter of Daniel we find some further experiences with God's angels; and in verses 6 and 7 they are called men. "The MAN clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river."

Turning now to the New Testament we find some further startling facts. Our Lord had arisen. And Mk. 16:5 tells us that, upon finding the stone rolled away from the tomb, the women entered. "And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a yong MAN sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment." Lk. 24:4 in recording the same event says, "Behold, two MEN stood by them in shining garments." Then our Lord ascended. As the disciples stood gazing into the sky, "Behold, two MEN stood by them in white apparel" (Acts 1:10).

Lastly in the book of Revelation we find the capstone as it were, two of the plainest of statements, which identify God's angels as men, two statements that no one but a blind man could miss or a nitwit misunderstand. In Rev. 18:21 we find a mighty angel talking to John, and reading on concerning this same mighty angel in Rev. 19:10, we find he himself stating concerning his identity, "Then I fell prostrate at his feet to worship, but he restrained me and said, Refrain! You must not do that! I am only another servant with you and your brethren who have accepted and hold the testimony borne by Jesus. Worship God!" John's brethren were all men. And further, in Rev. 21:9, one of the seven angels of Rev. 16:1 returns to John to show him some further truths. Then in Rev. 22:9 this same angel has this to say concerning himself. "I am thy fellowservant, and of THY BRETHREN THE PROPHETS." The prophets were all men. This angel was merely one of them who now was serving in a higher realm of spirit, but had appeared for a very special purpose while performing that higher service. An angel in scripture is never a woman - always a man. And finally, of the angel that showed John the glory of the Holy City which came down from God out of heaven, it is said, "He (the angel) measured its wall also, one hundred and forty-four cubits by a MAN'S measure (of a cubit from his elbow to his third finger tip) which IS THE MEASURE OF THE ANGEL" (Rev. 21:17, Amplified).

Whenever we find the word "angel" in our Bibles, it is a mere evasion which should be translated as "messenger." God's messengers, His angels, may be either men in the flesh, or the spirits of departed saints, or any other order of creature from above or beneath, who bears a message from God. Someone once wrote a book entitled, WHERE ARE THE DEAD? But he did not answer his own question. Neither he, nor any of his kind, are qualified to answer that question until they have learned their spiritual ABC's and break away from all the fables under which all of us were reared. Those whose bodies are asleep in Christ, those who are apprehended of the Lord, those who are called and chosen as a part of God's firstfruit company, those who are faithful - continue to serve, though veiled from our view except on rare occasions, when they may appear visibly to men still in the flesh.

In Old Testament times the Lord often appeared to men through the manifestation of "the angel of the Lord" (Jud. 6:20; II Sam. 24:16; I Kings 19:5-7). In Joshua 5, the children of Israel had just crossed over the Jordan and were ready to invade the promised land. There in full view of the new camp, stood the strong walls of Jericho. Joshua went out to look at the city; and he saw a man all armed coming toward him. Joshua walked boldly up to the man and said to him, "Are you on our side, or are you on the side of our adversaries?" If an angel were to tell believers today what this man told Joshua, they would probably be depressed, because this angel said, "Wrong on both counts! I'm not with your enemies, and I'm not part of your army. I'm part of another army, and I have come with orders from God. Standing all around me and behind me in great and mighty columns, are myriads of angels (messengers). You can't see them, Joshua, but there is a host of them, and I'M THEIR CAPTAIN!"

Then Joshua saw that he was the angel of the Lord; the Captain of the Lord's host; and Joshua, bowing down before him, said, "What word has my Lord unto His servant?" And the Captain of the Lord's host said to Joshua, "Take off your shoes from your feet, for it is holy ground where you are standing." Joshua did so, and the Lord said to him, "I have given you Jericho and its king and its mighty men of war; and I will destroy the city of Jericho before you." Then the angel of the Lord told Joshua the way in which the city should be taken; and Joshua went back to the camp of Gilgal and made ready to march as God commanded. During the next seven days all that was done was according to the word spoken by the angel of the Lord to Joshua. And you, dear reader, know the rest of the story!

Oh yes! God has an army, a great and strong and fearful army, and His army has a glorious and invincible Captain. In view of the many passages of scripture which speak of THE ARMY OF THE LORD, and their exploits to soon be revealed, this brings new meaning and depth to God's purposes in His people. "I have commanded My sanctified ones, I have also called My mighty ones...the Lord of hosts mustereth the host of the battle" (Isa. 13:3-4). "And the Lord shall utter His voice before His army: for His camp is very great: for He is strong that executeth His word: for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?" (Joel. 2:11).

I have stood in spirit and by the inspiration of the Almighty beheld the nations of the world and the peoples of all the earth. There is a bewildering and gigantic struggle going on between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of darkness - between Christ and antichrist - between truth and error - between righteousness and unrighteousness. The antichrist forces in nearly every phase of life have been going from one victory to another. Through deceit, delusion, and brazen wantonness they have weakened and destroyed almost all who have stood in the way of their conquest. No age in world history matches in crisis and tragedy, in the debacle of nations, in moral degeneracy, in godlessness, in the stamping out of individual liberty and freedom, in the germs of complete destruction of civilization and the planet, as the age in which we live. On any moral chart, on any graph of religious and spiritual decline, on any schematic delineation pin-pointing the loss of the last vestiges of that which stands high in righteousness, THIS AGE IS THE HOUR HORRENDOUS. In the spirit I have witnessed the various efforts of those laboring in opposition to the manifest darkness of this hour - and all these efforts combined are about as effective as a feather in the wind! Religious, social and political organizations, with their myriad programs, committees and movements struggle against the evils and corruption of this day - but I do not hesitate to tell you that all the carnal methods of denominations and governments are totally useless in this battle, and pitiful when contrasted with the order of the Kingdom of God into which we are now entering.

Ah, I have some good news for you, my friend: GOD HAS AN ARMY! And God's great army has a CAPTAIN! The plans are laid, the preparation is in progress, and the strategy is determined. Even now, a manifestation of the glory of God of world-wide dimensions is in the making. This is not a revival of evangelistic crusades, but the marching forth of the army of God in the power of the invincible weapons of the Holy Spirit. Already bright clouds are gathering on the horizon. The sky rivers are running full, and the manifestation of the sons of God is about to break forth upon the earth. This is the time to gird up your loins, O child of God, like Elijah of old, and run before the chariots. Let your heart be lifted high, for God is on the move, and this can be your hour of victory.

The Lord Jesus Himself is the Captain of His army, and it is none other than He who shall descend from heaven in a WAR CRY, in the VOICE OF THE ARCHANGEL, as Captain of the Lord's host! This points us to the time of great battle, the conflict of this dark age coming to its final climax, with the CAPTAIN OF THE HOST descending to lead His army of overcomers into battle. The sons of God shall go forth in the glorious age to come as the invincible ARMY OF THE LORD, strong and doing exploits, pressing the battle through the very gates of hell itself, until there be an ending to the reign of sin, death, and evil everywhere. The battle will rage, and the conflict will be tremendous and severe. But the Lord, the mighty Captain, shall descend into the midst of His sons, and will UTTER HIS VOICE BEFORE HIS ARMY, for His army is very great. He is coming in truth, in righteousness, in judgment, in mighty spirit power and in great glory, to press the battle to the finish right here on earth, bringing deliverance and restoration and redemption everywhere and to all men, praise His name! What a day! What a day! And the wonder of it all is that this day is even now breaking in the earth. The crisis hour in the history of the world has come, and God is not silent. Many who read these lines have heard the call to join this army - and have, in fact, been CONSCRIPTED and made keenly aware that the Lord's army is at this very moment in careful and diligent preparation.

The army of God is not something one enters into as a vocation, a way to make a living, etc. You cannot volunteer your services of your own free will, for GOD CHOOSES WHOM HE WILLS, and if you are chosen you can only respond in humility and holy brokenness, for it is a commission from God, not a calling self-assumed. Those who volunteer themselves to be messengers of God in the religious systems of this age are mere hirelings of Babylon, and will fall with the system in the hour of judgment.

An army speaks of combined strength, and as we are brought under the disciplines and training of the Father we go from strength to strength, built into a strong and effective people armed with His power within. "The Lord shall utter His voice before His army." "The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven in a shout, in the voice of the archangel." God's strong ones, His disciplined ones will have His voice to lead them on and back them up, preparing the way before them. God's elect is becoming the army of the Lord, His visible force to be manifested in the earth. You, my beloved, may not feel like you are a part of any conquering army today, because you measure your own strength by past experiences, previous performance, prior accomplishments, and self-made standards. But I say to you today, Despise not the day of the taxing rigors of "bootcamp," nor the exhausting drills imposed by your Commander, which seem to drain your strength and deplete your resources. HE does the calling, HE does the training, HE equips His own, until they are HIS INSTRUMENTS, and then it is HIS POWER manifested as He thrusts each into battle.

Undergirded and supported by the Voice of the Lord, now we can understand more when it says, "In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be AS GOD (Michael!), as the angel of the Lord before them" (Zech. 12:8). Those who have been growing stronger through their processings, and like David have learned to overcome their obstacles, they shall be AS GOD, maintaining the victory over all their difficulties and obstacles, OVERCOMING ALL THE WAY, trailblazing the way through every problem and power, that others might follow and be blessed thereby as well.

The Captain of the Lord's army is the same One who in the Old Testament times revealed Himself as "the angel (messenger) of the Lord." The angel of the Lord appeared to Hagar, spoke as though He were God, and was called God by her (Gen. 16:7-13). The Bible says that the angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in the burning bush, but then says that God Himself talked to Moses out of the bush (Ex. 3; Acts 7:30-38). The angel of the Lord appeared to Israel in Judges 2:1-5 and spoke as God. Judges 6:11-24 describes the appearance of the angel of the Lord to Gideon and then says the Lord looked on Gideon. The Deity of this unique "angel" is proved by the fact that He is identified as God (Gen. 16:7-13; 18:2-13; 22:1-18; Ex.-3:2-18; Jud. 2:1-5; 6:11-16); is recognized as God (Gen. 16:9-13; Jud. 6:22-24; 13:21-23; Gen. 32:24-30; Hos. 12:4); is also described in terms befitting the Deity alone (Ex. 3:5-14; Josh. 5:15); calls Himself God (Gen. 31:11-13; Ex. 3:2-14); receives worship (Josh. 5:14; Jud. 2:4); and finally speaks with divine authority (Jud. 2:1-5).

Recently, as I waited before the Lord, a precious and hidden truth began to be opened before the eyes of my understanding. The Spirit of God in His own singular way shined His light of revelation upon an incident in the life of Jesus. The Spirit brought to my attention, the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane on that horrendous night when the mob stormed into the solitude to arrest our Lord, and Jesus declared that He could call for TWELVE LEGIONS OF ANGELS to come to His rescue. But He refused to summon them because He was born to die for the sins of the world and the scriptures must be fulfilled.

I wondered why "twelve legions" when there were INNUMERABLE COMPANIES of messengers comprising the heavenly hosts (Heb. 12:22). If in the Spirit of God we can sound the fathomless depths of wisdom and knowledge that inspired our blessed Lord when He spoke of the "twelve legions" of messengers, I believe we shall have in our possession the explanation of things that have remained secret and have been hidden from our understanding for centuries. It is significant to note that "legion" is a MILITARY TERM, for in ancient Rome a legion was the largest single military division composed of several thousands of foot soldiers, with additional cavalry, under the command of a general. It should be clear, first of all, that when Jesus referred to twelve legions of angels that could be summoned to His defense, He was identifying THE ARMY OF GOD! These were messengers, mighty in power and glory, trained, disciplined, prepared, and equipped for the specific purpose of warfare - to bring deliverance! Then, too, it should be plain that since Jesus had the authority to command these "twelve legions," He Himself was THEIR GENERAL! Can we not see by this that Christ is revealing to us in simple terms that He Himself is "the angel of the Lord," the "Captain of the Lord's host," the COMMANDING GENERAL OF THE ARMY OF GOD! John the Revelator beheld with wonder the same truth when in spirit He saw the Christ riding on His white horse of conquest, as King of kings, and Lord of lords, followed by the royal armies of heaven.

Then I was made to know that the "twelve legions of angels" of which Jesus spoke are a symbol for the army of God. This knowledge stirred me tremendously. Think not, dear friend, that Jesus meant that He could call an exact number of angels, for the number of soldiers in a legion was not fixed - it could run anywhere from about 3,000 to more than 6,000 men. Twelve is a symbolical number, a perfect number, signifying PERFECTION OF GOVERNMENT, or GOVERNMENTAL PERFECTION. It is found as a multiple in all that has to do with RULE. Ed Vallowe, in his splendid book KEYS TO SCRIPTURE NUMERICS, has written: "This number, twelve, symbolizes God's perfect, divine accomplishment actively manifested. It shows a COMPLETENESS of a GROWTH or ADMINISTRATION. TWELVE marks GOVERNMENTAL PERFECTION and is used as the SIGNITURE of Israel. The number is used 187 times in the Bible. It is used 22 times in the book of Revelation. TWELVE is the number for GOVERNMENT BY DIVINE APPOINTMENT. Jesus said to His disciples, 'Verily, I say unto you, that ye which have followed Me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon TWELVE thrones, judging the TWELVE tribes of Israel' (Mat. 19:28). The TWELVE apostles shall sit upon their TWELVE thrones and judge and rule in connection with our Lord's rule upon His throne. They will occupy those TWELVE thrones by DIVINE APPOINTMENT.

"Gen. 17:20 states that Ishmael begat TWELVE princes, and in Num. 1:5-16 there are TWELVE princes named over the TWELVE tribes of Israel. 'And Solomon had TWELVE officers over all Israel, which provided victuals for the king and his household' (I Kings 4:7).

"There are TWELVE months in the year. The sun which RULES the day, and the moon and stars which GOVERN the night, do so by their passage through the TWELVE signs of the Zodiac which completes the great circle of the heavens of 360 degrees or divisions, and thus govern the year. Dr. Seiss, in his GOSPEL IN THE STARS, claims that the TWELVE signs of the Zodiac have been accepted by the astronomers throughout the centuries, and that none of them know where the mapping of the stars started. Some claim that it came from beyond the Flood. In the opinion of Dr. Seiss, it was revealed by the Lord to such men as Enoch and Noah. The TWELVE signs of the Zodiac were mentioned in the book of Job, the oldest book in the Bible. God said to Job, 'Can you direct the signs of the Zodiac?' (Job 38:32). (In the King James Translation the word Mazzaroth means 'The Twelve Signs'). Even the testimony of the stars is numerically in harmony with the Bible. No wonder the Psalmist said, 'The heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament showeth His handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge' (Ps. 19:1-2). (For more on the signs of the Zodiac, go THE HEAVENS DECLARE series linked below).

"In the book of Revelation we read of the woman with a crown of TWELVE stars, and that the New Jerusalem has TWELVE gates, and at the gates TWELVE angels; and it has TWELVE foundations, and in them the names of the TWELVE apostles of the Lamb; that its tree bears TWELVE manner of fruits; that it lieth foursquare and measures TWELVE thousand furlongs on a side, and that the height of the wall is 144 cubits, or 12 x 12, which symbolizes this truth - that there is nothing in God's city which is not PERFECTED GOVERNED.

"It is also significant that only TWELVE judges - who judged Israel - are recorded in the book of Judges. There are things more startling yet to come, before which the puny minds of men seem as nothing, and the greatness of our God eclipses all things else. In John 19:11 Jesus told Pilate that he could have no power, or authority against Him except it were given to him from above. This was expressed by TWELVE Greek words. Here is the AUTHORITY that comes from above. If it comes from above, then it is AUTHORITY that comes from God. These TWELVE Greek words which Jesus used in telling Pilate that he could have no power, or authority against Him, unless it came from ABOVE, is exactly the number that has been found to stand for DIVINE AUTHORITY" -end quote.

I believe that we can see by the above numerical symbolism that the TWELVE legions of angels are not only WARRING MESSENGERS, but RULING MESSENGERS as well. They are messengers by DIVINE APPOINTMENT, with DIVINE AUTHORITY AND POWER. But beyond this wonderful truth it will greatly aid our understanding and devotion when we see that to be a messenger of God identifies not only a function or service, but a STATE OF BEING as well; it is not just a "doing" but a "being." It is an undeniable fact that it is not what we say, but what we ARE that speaks most loudly to men. There is a three-fold dimension in the ministry of the messengers. (1) We receive the message from the Sender - God. (2) We become the message which we have received. (3) We deliver the message in a STATE OF BEING - THE MESSAGE PROCEEDS OUT OF OUR LIFE. It is time, beloved saints of God, that every man came to hear Christ personally, receiving from Him that message, that spiritual knowledge far beyond what can be taught by men. I have spent thirty-eight years of my calling as a teacher and preacher - a messenger (angel) of God - and if I have learned one lesson above all others through these long years, it is this: it is worthless, ineffective and absolutely futile to minister any word that has not been made SPIRIT AND LIFE WITHIN. Pilate inquired of Christ, "What is truth?" (Jn. 18:38). He would better have asked, "WHO" is truth, for truth is more than a "what," it is a "HIM," even Jesus Christ who IS - the Truth, the Life, the Way, the Door, the Shepherd, the Bread, etc. It is also written, "Thy Word is TRUTH..." But He is the living personification of the Word, so we still see truth in a PERSON. Always the message and the messenger must become ONE.

Only in the measure that He reveals Himself to us, and the revelation BECOMES IN US, do we have a message to declare unto others. Until the Word BECOMES IN US it is no better than a theory - a statement of principles which remain unproven and indemonstrable as fact. Suffice it to say, with Paul, we need to first be PARTAKER OF THE FRUITS, gaining a firsthand knowledge by experience of the things of God, then that "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" declare we unto you (I Jn. 1:1). The end is not just giving forth a message, but IN BECOMING THE MESSAGE by virtue of what you ARE. The ministry of the angel is the ministry of the messenger of THE WORD OF GOD, delivering THE MESSAGE OF GOD, not of preaching with words, with emphasis on utterances, but rather a manifestation of the thoughts, intents, purposes and will of God. The doing is the result of BEING, for having BECOME HIS MESSAGE, it follows that men will hear from God in the power and demonstration of the spirit, and not in the wisdom of men's words.

Christ comes IN the voice of the archangel. "The Voice of the Archangel" is another striking symbol of great import and significance. We have previously pointed out that angels are not, as commonly represented, beautiful creatures with wings. The word "angel" is not a translation of the Greek word AGGELOS at all, but merely an English transliteration of the Greek word, which means nothing to the average person. The doctrines taught concerning these angels are nothing short of popish ignorance and deception. AGGELOS means merely "a messenger," one possessing power and authority (II Pet. 2:11). Thus, the "archangel" is the CHIEF-MESSENGER. The word "archangel" is equivalent to "PRINCE OF MESSENGERS." And hence, the "voice of the archangel" means the voice or the message of one with supreme authority, the CHIEF-MESSENGER, or the P-R-I-N-C-E OF MESSENGERS. He comes I-N HIS MESSAGE, He comes AS THE MESSAGE, His very presence and word bring light and truth, encouragement and power, illuminating the minds of God's elect, leading them into the greater ministry which is coming upon the end of the age.

And who is this chief-messenger, this glorious Prince of Messengers, this PREEMINENT MESSAGE, this MESSAGE OF MESSAGES, this R-E-V-E-L-A-T-I-O-N  O-F  A-L-L  R-E-VE-L-A-T-I-O-N-S? With a mouth filled with praise, and a heart of thanksgiving, I answer: CHRIST JESUS OUR LORD! "The LORD HIMSELF shall descend from heaven IN the voice of the archangel." Praise HIS wonderful name!

Permit me to follow that question with another. How many "arch-angels" are there? Nearly all Christians will tell you that originally there were THREE ARCHANGELS: Michael, Gabriel, and Lucifer. So-called "orthodoxy" has long taught that Satan was, in the beginning, a high and beautiful archangel in heaven. The theologians and preachers recite over and over how Satan was originally "the anointed cherub that covereth... the most beautiful and wise and powerful of all God's creation!" This being was, so they say, the ruler and leader of the angelic hosts and apparently led them in their praise of God and shouts of joy... the greatest being God ever created, one who had unequaled strength, wisdom, beauty, privilege, and authority, and was next to God Himself. This blameless, perfect one, named Lucifer, was created without any form of evil and with the greatest intelligence of any created being. Then, we are told, this Lucifer, suddenly realizing how beautiful and intelligent he was, became inflated with power and pride and his heart was lifted up in rebellion against God. According to the story, Lucifer gathered one-third of the heavenly angels to his cause, mustering an army with which he planned to knock God off His throne and supplant himself as king and god of the universe - and there was war in heaven! Luckily, God won, cast Lucifer out of heaven, and he became, instead of an holy angel, the Devil that he is today.

It is nothing short of amazing that such a doctrine could have enjoyed such widespread acceptance in the light of the plain teachings of the scriptures on this subject. Any man who fails to discern between facts and fables, and who opposes or rebels against facts, is a fool. Fools manifest their true state by resisting or ignoring facts. Please remember, there is a world of difference between facts, beliefs, and fantasies. I believe the core of our natural earth is hot, perhaps molten. But no man knows anything about the true conditions down there. There is no possible way of ascertaining or demonstrating the truth or falsity of my belief. So it remains merely a belief: it may be true, or it may be false. On the other hand, if I thought our natural sun were made of red paint, that would be a fantasy, just a highly improbable or irrational idea of my own. But facts are altogether different. They are actualities, realities, whether they can be demonstrated as such or not. Ice is cold. That is a fact which can be demonstrated. The earth is round. That fact has through recent centuries been conclusively demonstrated. It is neither a belief or a fantasy. Fire burns; one must have air to breathe; these are facts, and, only fools will oppose or resist them. Now we are going to state some facts. Let us contrast what MEN say and believe with what GOD says!

Man says that long ago, before the first shimmering light dawned in God's creation, Satan was one of three archangels in heaven. But the Bible nowhere speaks of three archangels. The Bible nowhere calls Lucifer an archangel. There is not one scripture in the entire Bible wherein the mighty angel Gabriel is named an archangel. Furthermore, there is no instance in scripture where the word archangel appears in its plural form "archangel(s)." There is no plurality of archangels inferred anywhere in God's blessed Book. Our omniscient God has nowhere told us that there are more than one anchangel, or that there ever were two or three or more archangels. You will have to tear the Bible all to pieces if you teach that! It is an extra-Biblical teaching. It is now time to awake, time to leave the ignorance of the Dark Ages, and begin to face up to the truth. It is time to open wide our hearts to the spirit of wisdom and revelation from God.

Dear reader, whom do you choose to believe? God or ignorant men? Men say there are three archangels, but God declares in the plainest of language that there is only ONE. Jude, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, penned these meaningful words, "Yet Michael THE ARCHANGEL, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, Jehovah rebuke thee" (Jude 9). Michael is not spoken of very often in the scriptures, but when he is, it is most significant. According to Jude there is only ONE archangel; he uses the definite article: "the" archangel; and "the" archangel is named "Michael." Only one other passage of scripture mentions the archangel, and that is the verse which serves as our text for this message: "For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven in a shout, in THE VOICE OF THE ARCHANGEL..." That, precious friend of mine, is A-L-L the Bible has to say about archangels! Only two verses in the whole Bible! Incredible, isn't it, after all the fanciful tales and elaborate doctrinal theories we have been given! I have very little time, and less patience, for the kind of offensive ignorance which, because men will not hear what is written, misrepresents these and other plain statements of the Word of God. How we thank God with joy unspeakable and full of glory for the illumination of this, H-I-S  D-A-Y!

It should be clear to any thinking mind that by the very nature of the case the existence of more than one archangel would be an utter impossibility. The Greek word ARCHO (arch) is a political term which means "to be FIRST in political rank or power." F-I-R-S-T! Do you hear it? How can three angels be FIRST? It is a contradiction of terms; it is a linguistical and grammatical absurdity. It is like a nation having three kings, three presidents, or three prime ministers! It would be the same as saying that George Bush is THE president of the United States of America, and then adding, "but two other men are also 'THE' president, you know!" In Dan. 10:13 Michael's position is said to be "one of the chief princes," but as Dr. Young has pointed out in his rendering (Young's Literal Translation), the sentence should read, "FIRST of the chief heads." There are other "principalities and powers," but He is "far above all" of them (Eph. 1:21). Of Michael alone it is said, He is "The Angel" and "The Great Prince" and "The First" of the chief heads! (Dan. 12:1; 10:13).

In the book of Daniel "Michael" is expressly identified with the Messiah (Dan. 12:1). In Dan. 10:21 He is called, "Michael your prince." This personal pronoun "your" is of interest. The archangel is definitely a WARRIOR, and His name means "WHO IS LIKE GOD." He defends the celestial realms, exalting the glorious God, yet His ministry is wondrously on behalf of GOD'S PEOPLE. "At that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people..." (Dan. 12:1). Again, in I Thes. 4:16-17 the voice of the archangel is represented as the voice that awakens the dead. "And the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven... in the voice of the archangel ... and the dead in Christ shall rise first..." Significantly, Dan. 12:1-2 draws the same connection. "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people ... and many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth SHALL AWAKE..." And whose voice is it that quickens men and raises them out of the death realm into the life of God? None other than THE VOICE OF THE SON OF GOD! "Verily, verily I say unto you," Jesus asserted, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear THE VOICE OF THE SON OF GOD, and they that hear SHALL LIVE" (Jn. 5:25). The voice of the archangel, therefore, IS the voice of the Son of God!

Who are the dead? The scriptures reveal many dimensions of death, from the physical death of the body, with which we are all so familiar, to the dead in trespasses and sins, to the death of being carnally minded, on to the death of our self-life as we are "made conformable to His death." Thank God, HIS VOICE shall penetrate into all the realms and dimensions of death, for John continues, "Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which ALL that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation (judgment; process of correction)." There shall come an hour - that day, that age appointed - when ALL shall hear the VOICE and shall live, some made alive at once, others following the process of judgment, but ALL who hear His voice SHALL LIVE, and, blessed be God! ALL SHALL HEAR HIS VOICE.

At the present time we are living in the "now is" - "The hour is coming, and NOW IS" - when the firstfruits are being made alive, and "every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto Me" (Jn. 6:45). In due time ALL shall be taught of God, but for the present the emphasis is on the little flock, the firstfruits, - and THEY THAT HEAR DO LIVE. HIS VOICE is the revelation of HIS LIFE, and that is why He was able to say, "The WORDS that I speak unto you, they ARE SPIRIT, and they ARE LIFE" (Jn. 6:33). Because they are WORDS OF LIFE they produce life in all who hear them. if you HEAR them, you have to live! This is THE VOICE OF THE ARCHANGEL!

There can be no doubt about it - the title "archangel" signifies CHIEF MESSENGER and the question follows: WHO IS GOD'S CHIEF MESSENGER? Who else but our glorious Head - the Lord Jesus Christ! The name "Michael" means WHO IS LIKE GOD - an appropriate title for Him who is "the sole expression of the glory of God - the Light-being, the outraying of the divine - and He is the perfect imprint and very image of God's nature" (Heb. 1:3, Amplified). Certainly, the whole Christ body, all who are made ONE IN HIM, share this glory and image; but here we are speaking of the ministry of THE HEAD, the revelation of Christ to us, rather than the revelation of Christ through us. The voice of the archangel, the chief messenger, represents Christ's authority, command and life HIS LIVING WORD. This symbol, then, bespeaks of HIS HEADSHIP and represents Christ as coming in the glory of God as the military Leader, the Captain of the Lord's army, as the political Head, the KING of kings, and the LORD of lords!

Yes, the saints are the army of God, and Jesus Christ is the Captain of His army. "And He Himself existed before all things and in Him all things consist - cohere, are held together. HE also is the HEAD OF HIS BODY, the church; seeing He is THE BEGINNING, the First-born from among the dead, so that HE ALONE IN EVERYTHING AND IN EVERY RESPECT MIGHT OCCUPY THE C-H-I-E-F P-L-A-C-E - stand FIRST and be PRE-EMINENT" (Col. 1:17-18, Amplified). A brother has commented on this passage: "Because He is the IMAGE of the invisible God, therefore He becomes the Firstborn of every creature. The word "firstborn" used here is the Greek word PROTOTOKOS, a technical word speaking of priority to and sovereign over all creation. It does not mean that He is simply the first in a successive line of created beings, though some would like to so limit Him, and rob Him of His deity. John 1:3 declares that 'all things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made.' He antedates all created things, for He is uncreated, eternal, absolute Deity. And when He would bring forth form, He is the FIRST FORM of all forms, the uncaused First Cause. 'In Him was life, and the life was the light of men' (Jn. 1:4). He said, 'I form the light...' (Isa. 45:7), and HE IS THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD. Whatever the expression of life and light to man, HE is the first, the original expression, glorious" -Gospel Echoes.

Because He is the WORD which was with God in the beginning, and the WORD which was God, He is also the CHIEF MESSENGER, and the CHIEF MESSAGE, and therefore the HEAD of the whole MESSENGER COMPANY; HE is THE MESSAGE which has become OUR MESSAGE, and the message which WE ARE BECOMING, that in all He might have the pre-eminence. To be a message-messenger (angel) awaits the inward revelation of Christ, which results in His supremacy in our life. This alone enables us to declare His message - to proclaim the good tidings - to preach HIM. Many try to preach His Word, to teach His ways, to declare His virtues and excellencies, to extol His beauty and attributes, but only in the measures that He is formed and revealed IN us, can we truly speak forth to others. He must be REAL TO US, REAL I-N US, so that what flows out of us will be HIM, and then is fulfilled the scripture, "Lo, He cometh IN HOLY MYRIADS OF HIMSELF!" (Jude 14).

Then shall be heard the Lord Himself descending from heaven "IN the Voice of the Archangel!" Praise His wonderful name!

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