The Appearance Of Angels

From the beginning of the Old Testament history to its end – from Abraham to Daniel angel appearances tend to coincide with God’s revelation and rescue. So when angels burst onto the scene in Luke and Matthew, we know from the past Scriptures that God is up to something big, something miraculous and merciful.

In popular culture we have made angels have wings, halos, robes, and harps. They are seen flying to the rescue of humans in crisis and singing the praises of God. But what does the Bible say about the appearance of angels?

When angels are revealed to humans their appearances vary. On some occasions angels appear as normal males in a human body. This occurred with Abraham and Sarah in Genesis 18. In Hebrews 13:2 it makes references to entertaining angels without knowing it.

Every reference to angels in Scripture is in masculine gender. Hebrews 1:14 tells us that angels are spirit beings therefore assigning them a gender is pointless. But Scripture depicts angels as if they are male.

Some angelic appearances reveal a startling being. Angels ate found says “Do not be afraid,” to calm those to whom they appeared in Luke 1:11-13. In Luke 2 the shepherds saw angels singing to announce the birth of Jesus and they were afraid. The appearance of the angels at the tomb of Jesus caused Roman soldiers to become like dead men (Matthew 28:4).

On some occasions, angels are mentioned to have wings. This is true of the images of the cherub Moses was commanded to have made upon the ark of the covenant (Exodus 25:20) as well as the seraphim in Isaiah 6 and the creatures who appeared to Ezekiel.

One of the most detailed descriptions of what angels look like is given by Daniel in Daniel 10 5-6: “ I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a man clothed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like beryl (like precious stone), his face like the appearance of lightening, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude.

In general, angels do not have an essential physical form; the are spirits as described in Hebrews 1:14; “Ate they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?” Angels can clearly communicate in the language of those they serve as they share spoken messages in many situations. They even sang to the shepherds in Luke 2:13-14.

While we are not told exactly when angels were created, it is clear it took place before the creation of the earth. Job 38:4-7 states their creation was prior to the creation of the earth. The angels were created by Jesus (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16).

People do not become angels after death and angels do not become human. They ate as different from us as we are from animals. Angels are intelligent emotional beings and each has an individual personality.

Here are some Scriptures to reference to read about them:

  • Matthew 8: 29
  • 2 Corinthians 11:3
  • 1 Peter 1:12
  • Luke 2:13
  • James 2:19
  • Revelation 12:17
  • Luke 8:28-31
  • Timothy 2:26
  • Jude 6

Both good and evil angels are created being, they do not have limitless knowledge (Matthew 24:36. They cannot be everywhere at once, and they are not as powerful as God. Satan is still an angel and he not nowhere near as powerful as God. However, angels are much more powerful than human beings and they possess greater knowledge. Angels understand the Bible and the world, and they believe in the prophecies of God (James 2:19; Revelation 12:12). Even the fallen angels who hate God are not atheists; they know that God exists. Angels also understand humanity very well. They do not have to study the past, they have experienced it. There are a limited number of angels and they cannot reproduce. The angels created at the beginning of time are still with God, and the demons (evil angels) that at the beginning are still fallen.

This is just what I learned doing a complete Bible study on angels.

What Destroys Our Walk With God?

Have you fallen into bad spiritual habits? I know I have. It seems that the daily grind of modern society takes a toll on the way I want to live my life.

The fact is that God has equipped us with everything thing we need to live victoriously, but many people miss out on these things by falling into habits that disconnect them from God’s power, perspective and presence.

The first step to overcoming any habit or obstacle is to identify it. Give yourself a check up and prepare to transform your spiritual walk by recognizing some common enemies for spiritual growth.

  • Laziness -failing to do what’s right is just as bad as doing what’s wrong.
  • Old Habits -responding to Christ’s forgiveness means giving up our old ways.
  • Ignorance –acting like a believer is not en.
  • Irresponsibility -losing God’s love is impossible, but believers can miss out on the privileges of obedience.
  • Discouragement -persevering in our walk requires prayer.
  • Comparison -highlighting our own strengths while criticizing another’s weaknesses is ungodly.
  • Indifference -neglecting the needs of others ignores Jesus’s example.
  • Contempt –rejecting Jesus’s authority invites God’s judgement.

1. The habit of laziness: failing to do what’s right just as bad as doing what’s wrong.

Jesus told of a parable about a wealthy businessman who entrusted three employees with managing vast soles of money while he was away. The an amount of money was assigned to each employee which was determined by their capabilities. For example let’s say one was trusted with $ 500.000 another with $250.000 and the third with $100.000. When the business man returned from his trip two of them employees doubled their money, and each received the same praise from their boss, “Well done good and faithful servant, you were faithful over a few things. I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of the Lord” (Matthew 25:21-23). The third employee however neither gained money or lost money. He didn’t take any money for himself but gave an honest accounting when his boss returned . The man had buried the money and dug it up when his boss returned. To say the least his boss was not impressed. He called the employee ”wicked and lazy” and he turned the money over too e of his other employees (Matthew 25:26-28).

The amount of money given to each employee was not the point of this parable. Even the unprofitable employee was trusted with a lot of money while his boss was gone. The boss’s only concern was how each one handled the money given them. The two “good and faithful” employees received substantial amounts of money, but he commended them equally for their gains. Meanwhile the “wicked and lazy”assessment of the third employee was based on a lack of effort. The employee didn’t even deposit his money into a bank to earn interest.

This story illustrates our responsibility to take care of the Lord’s business while He is away. He entrusted the management of Hid affairs to each of us in varying amounts. One day, He will return and conduct an accounting of every resource He has given us – our health, our spiritual gifts, our reputation, our abilities, our time, our learning. Every resource we possess belongs to Him (Corinthians 6:29) In Jesus’s story it doesn’t matter how many resources we receive, what matters is how faithful we are with what He has given us.

2. The Habit of habits: Responding to Christ’s forgiveness means giving up your old ways.

In John 8:2-12, a woman who had been act of adultery was brought before Jesus by a group of religious leaders who were trying to trap Him. They tried to create a no-win situation that they would either put Jesus add odds with the laws of Rome or the Law of God. As the men pressed Him to judge the woman, Jesus stated that whoever was “without sin” should be the first one to stone her (The Laws in Rome at the time was that she be stoned to death). Realizing their trap had failed, the men left one by one.

When the religious leaders had left, Jesus asked her. “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you? She replied, “No one Lord.” Now there’s a detail here we need to understand. Earlier in the story, the men had called Jesus “Teacher,” but this woman called Him “Lord” while that may not sound important, but, 1 Corinthians 12:3 says that no one can call Jesus Lord, “except by the Holy Spirit.” So before this conversation, something had to have happened in the woman’s heart that caused her to understand who she was speaking to. That change of heart prompted Jesus’s response, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

Don’t miss the importance of this. Jesus did not tolerate her sin, He forgave her because she was repentant. 1 Samuel 16:7 says. “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” Only God can evaluate repentance. He examines our heart and gauges our sincerity before our actions have time to catch up with our words. Once we accept His forgiveness, it becomes our job to go and live a life that honors the One who has given us so much.

Repentance is not a one-time activity. Temptation exists all around us, so we must make a habits of searching our own heart for sin and turn away from it. 1 John 1:9 promises us, “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Once we have been washed clean by Jesus, and replace our sinful habits with virtuous habits we are able to start walking with God.

3. The habit of ignorance: Acting like a believer is not enough.

We are living in a world where outward conformity to religion is sometimes substituted for the genuine work of the Holy Spirit. It is possible to look and act like a believer, to talk and even sing like a believer and not be a believer. Some people spend a lot of time surrounded by believers without even really knowing who Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. The requirements of believing In Christ and living our life in Him are simple to understand but hard to live out.

Studying the Bible is one of the best ways to know what is expected of us. Jesus gave us a starting point when He said the most important commandment is to “love the Lord you heart with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). From there, it becomes our job to plummet into the Bible, every book, every chapter, and every verse of Scripture. Then armed with that knowledge, we must examine our hearts and test our devotion.

Another key to walking with God is the Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 13:5 says, “Examine yourselves to see if your faith is genuine. Test yourselves. Surely you know the Christ is among you, if not, you have failed the test of genuine faith.” One test of genuine faith is what I call the automatic sin alarm system. Do you have one of those? It’s sometimes called a conscience, and it is powered by the Holy Spirit. If the Spirit is in your heart, He is going to make it very difficult for you to be comfortable with anything that violates God’s Law.

Don’t settle for ignorance. Study the Bible and listen for the Holy Spirit as you commit your life to knowing the will of God. In society today so many have blocked the Holy Spirit out it’s in some it’s very hard to see that they have Him. But I reassure you He is in there somewhere.

4, The habit of irresponsibility: Losing God’s love is impossible, be many miss out on the privileges of obedience.

Jesus’s parable about the Prodigal Son has been called the crown and the pearl of all parables. In parable, God is portrayed as a loving father who yearns for Him son (us to return home). When they boy finally comes to his senses and returns to his fathers house, he receives compassion and forgiveness far beyond what he deserves. It’s a beautiful picture of how eager God is to forgive, but it also reminds us of the many blessings we give up and wander away from God (our Father).

We don’t have to waste our fortune on wild living to remove ourselves from God’s protective care. We place ourselves in peril when we are careless with everyday matters, like our words or our attitudes toward authority. I wasted so much time going through trial after trial and not learning hard lessons because I was stubborn and chose to not accept God forgiveness.. I urge you to let God into your life and start living with the blessings you were meant to experience.

Ecclesiastes 5:2 says, “Do not be rash with your mouth, and let your heart utter anything hastily before God.

Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake whether to the king as supreme, or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For this is the will of God that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.

1 Peter 2:13-15

Speaking and acting recklessly places us outside of God will and keeps Him covering us with His protection. That may be hard to accept, but it’s right there in the Bible. So think about what you actions say to the world about the God you serve. Do you honor God with self-control or do you give people something to talk about? Romans 5:17 says that Adam’s rebellion led to the death of many, but Christ’s obedience on the cross provided a way for everyone to come back home to the Father’s house “to triumph over sin and death.” One person’s actions can make a world of difference. Don’t stay stuck in the habit of irresponsibility, walk in the freedom that co es with spiritual discipline.

5. The habit of discouragement: persevering in a walk with God requires prayer.

If you even look at the news today, you’ll find reasons to be discouraged, but the Bible contains hope. God is in control. When Jesus was preparing for His death on the cross, He assured His disciples with these words, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may hav peace, in the world you will have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

How could Jesus expections disciples to “be a good cheer” when their hopes and the dreams were about to be nailed to the cross? Because Jesus already claimed the victory, and they knew the One in who they had placed their trust in (2 Timothy 1:12). They knew Him because they lived with Him, walked with Him, and talked with Him. We can know Jesus just as intimately by living with Him in our heart, walking according to His word, speaking to God through prayer and believing in the resurrection power that emptied Jesus’s tomb. He lives in every one of us just sometimes we have to dig a little deeper to find Him.

When we pray for something specific we need to ask according to faith and not what we see happening. They disciples failed the test when the underestimated the ability for one man’s lunch to feed 5000 people. Prayer is a matter of faith, it is trusting that God has the power and the desire to meet our needs regardless of things may seem to our eyes.

You may not get an instant answer. Sometimes God allows us to wait for His answer so that our faith can mature. Romans 8:25 says, “But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.” Rejoicing over an answered prayer is appropriate, but having the kind of spiritual maturity that allows God to trust us with an answered prayer is even more reason to rejoice. While we are wrapped us in the product, God is wrapped up with the process. He wants us to be the kind of people who can be trusted with answered prayers.

6, The habit of comparison: highlighting our own strengths while criticizing another’s weakness is ungodly.

The Pharisees made a career out of separating themselves from society. They thought they were better than everyone else, and they were co fused about how one is justified before God. In Luke 18, Jesus told story of two men a Pharisee and a tax collector who were praying in the temple. The Pharisee made a pretentious display of his prayer and used it to praise his own efforts, “God, thank You that I am not like other men the extortionate, the unjust, the adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I possess (Luke 18:11-12). Meanwhile, the tax collector begged the Lord, “God, be merciful to me a sinner” (Verse 13).

The Pharisee’s prayer gave no indication of his repentance. He thanked God for three sins that he did not comment, He thanked God for one man to whom he could not be compared, he thanked God for one man to who he could not be compared, and he thanked God for two good deeds that he continued to do. In contrast, the tax collector’s prayer mentioned only God and himself. Rather trying to impress God with good deeds, he pleaded for mercy and received it.

When we see someone caught up in sin, it is tempting to feel better about ourselves. But Jesus’s parable shows that these comparisons lead to pride and a false sense of godliness. We need God’s justification, not our own. None of us obey’s God law perfectly, which means we all fall short of His expectations (Romans 3:20).

7. The habit of indifference: neglecting the needs of others ignores Jesus’s example.

In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, a priest and a Levite discover a man that was half dead along a roadside. Preoccupied with there temple duties, they passed by him without even stopping. Later a Samaritan came along and viewed the man with compassion, he stopped to help (Luke 10:30-36). The priest and the Levite were involved in the service of God, but their actions revealed a failure to understand what it look like. Meanwhile the Samaritan, who wasn’t even allowed to enter the temple, demonstrated God’s love to the injured traveler.

Serving God requires putting the needs of others before your own. In Jesus’s parable, the Samaritan risked his safely to help the injured traveler, and delayed his own plans. Not stopping there, he would have allowed the man to die. But he let the travel ride his own animal, and then used his own resources to provide for the man’s needs. The Samaritan delivered kindness at great personal cost to himself.

Compassion means more than taking a passing interest in the needs of others. It requires us to enter into their suffering. Three times in the book of Matthew, Jesus is described as having compassion for the physical needs of the people surrounding Him. (Matthew 9:36; 14:14; 15:32), As far back as Genesis 16, God revealed Himself as El Roi, the God who sees, to a slave woman named HagarGenesis (Genesis 16:13-14). Serving El Roi means serving others with compassion.

The parable of a helpless, half-dead man reminds me of how humanity is lost to sin and doomed to death before God sent Jesus to be our deliverer -Our Good Samaritan.

God,who is rich in mercy because of His great love which He loved us, even when we were dead I. Trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved) and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceedingly riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:4-7

It is possible to be so busy about the work of the kingdom that we lose sight of hurting people all around us. But our goal as belies to love others like Christ loves us. Jesus came to this earth to serve (Matthew 20:28), and He often lavished His attention on outcasts, if we are serious about following His footsteps, we need to replace the habit of indifference with brotherly and sisterly kindness.

8. The habit of contempt: rejecting Jesus’s authority invites God’s judgement.

One day when Jesus was teaching in the temple. He told a parable about evil tenants who made an agreement with a vineyard owner to tend to the man’s crops while he was away. They agreed to pay the owner out of the owners proceeds, but later they refused to honor the agreement. Each time the owner said someone to collect his rent, the tenants would beat the messengers and sometimes kill them. Eventually they even killed the landlord’s beloved son. At the end of the parable, Jesus said the owner would “come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others” (Mark12:9).

Is it enough to make you never want to own rental property, but the story is an about the landlord and the tenants. It is about God‘s people. The owner of the Vineyard is god, then vineyard is Israel, the wicked can’t are religious leaders, and the mistreated servants are God’s prophets, the beloved son is Jesus Himself drawing from the passage in Isaiah 5, Jesus was warning the religious leaders of pending judgment – Israel and it’s related leaders had rejected gods messengers and we’re about to reject His Son.

There are religious people who claim to serve God while rejecting His lordship over their gifts and blessings. They want the benefits without the accountability. We reject the claims of Christ not because we misunderstand them, but because we understand them only do well. The parable of the evil tenant remind us what happens when we forget that we are custodians, not owners of what we have.

Loving God involves a lifestyle of obedience. God expects His vineyard His church to be an accepting, playful, forgiving, devoted, loving fellowship that’s built around Jesus Christ. When it becomes something else, we are in danger of the same judgment as the vinedressers.

The Hanukkah Story

The Hanukkah story reveals God’s steadfast character and allows us to activate victory in our lives.

The Hanukkah Story

This story:

  • Inspire you to stand firm in your faith
  • Allow you to see the miracles God is doing in this season
  • Equip you to resist the oppressive spirits that want to steal your freedom

Hanukkah is a historical holiday highlighting how God works miracles, and is celebrated by the Jewish people every year. More and more believers are starting to understand how this important holiday is part of their spiritual heritage too.

Many believers ask questions about Hanukkah, and here I will answer them.?.

What does Hanukkah mean?

Hanukkah, means “dedication, consecration, or inauguration” in Hebrew, It is known as the “Feast of Dedication” or the “Festival of Lights.”

This year Hanukkah 2022 is the Hebrew year 5783

Hanukkah begins this year on the evening of Sunday, December 18th And ends on the evening of Monday, December 26th. The festival has been celebrated throughout the world more than 2100 years.

What does Hanukkah celebrate?

The Hanukkah story celebrates the rededication of the holy temple and roots one in 165 BC. The temple was rededicated after the Maccabees defeated the army of the Greek Syrian ruler, Antiochus IV Epiphanies.

The war between the Maccabees and Anntiochus IV was known as the Maccabean war.

What is the story of Hanukkah?

Around 167 BC, did you wish people were living under a foreign power. A few generations before, the Greeks had come into power under Alexander the Great. He unified a common world under a Hellenistic culture.

After the death of Alexander the Great, there was a division of the empire. The Syrians p, or Seleucids as they were sometimes called, was one of the divisions that came under the of Antiochus IV Epiphanies.

Can you keep the Hellenistic culture alive, Antiochus enforced a policy that everyone in his region of control must submit to the Greek way of life and worship Greek gods and goddesses.

Antiochus outlawed the practice of Judaism at this when I against the “superior” way of life and values. He issued decrees forbidding the practice of the rituals of the log Moses and destroy copies of the Bible (The Torah).

Decrees remain against the absorbance of the Sabbath, the Feasts, and circumcision. Antiochus also set up an altar in the Jewish temple to the Greek god Zeus, with pork offerings. These acts desecrated the temple and sparked up the Maccabean revolt.

The revolt were led by the local high priest, Mattathias and his sons who became known as the Maccabees. The Maccabees were outnumbered and under supplied. They had to rely on the Lord to provide knowledge, wisdom and creativity to overcome.

After three and a half years of war, Antiochus’s army was defeated by Jewish forces.

What is the miracle of Hanukkah?

As you can imagine, the world that destruction in its path, and a desecrated Temple for the Jewish people to restore.

This is where the miracle of Hanukkah comes in. The Jewish people had to get rid of the Temple of idolatrous structures that the Syrians had left behind. They also had to restore the holy furnishings, one being the Temple Menorah, which symbolize the light of God.

But there was a problem…

They needed specially prepared oil to light the Menorah, buy only had enough oil for it to burn for one day. The priests knew it would at least take eight days for new oriole to be produced and prepared.

Moving forward in faith, they lit the Menorah and got to work preparing the next batch of oil. A miracle was witnessed as the Menorah burned past the first day and lasted eight days until the new oil was fully prepared.

The miraculously lit Menorah became known as the Hanukkiah. The Hanukkiah is a symbol of the miracle of the oil. Unlike the Temple Menorah Which is a 7 lamp, 6 branch candlelabra, The Hanukkiah has eight branches with a sham ash candle.

Did Jesus celebrate Hanukkah?

Jesus, the Light of the world, it’s recorded as being at the Temple in Jerusalem and walking is Solomon’s Porch during the Feast of Dedication:

“The Feast of Dedication (of the reconsecration of the temple) was is taking place in Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was walking in Solomons Porch in the temple area” (John 10:22-23).

Why celebrate Hanukkah as a believer?

As a son or daughter who has been grafted in to the family of God, the Hanukkah story is part of your story.

The Maccabees set out to take back what was their rightful heritage – the Holy Temple of God. They thought to restore it from a Greek culture back to a Hebraic mindset.

Likewise, as believers, we have an opportunity every year to clean up our temples (our lives, bodies) that have been tainted by the world of Hellenistic thanking.

We celebrate because Jesus is the Light of the world. Jesus leads us out of seemingly overwhelming odds and darkness into the light of victory. When we follow Jesus, we have a promise: he won’t walk in darkness but will have the light of life.

Then Jesus spoke to them… “ I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Lessons We Can Learn From Job In The Bible

Have you ever said “I hate my life?” Job said in Job 10:1 “I loathe my life”

We have all have bad days once in awhile, yet most of us won’t even come close what Job experienced when we utter those painful words. The account of Job tells us that Job was a good man who was afflicted with an unimaginable amount of suffering. Because of this most people shy away from the book of Job if want to have a pick me up. If you are one who avoids this book, you may be surprised to hear this but the book o Job can be encouraging. Reading this book got me through one of the darkest periods in my life.

There are a few lessons we can learn from the book of Job.

1. We will be tempted

You have blessed the work of his hands, and his livestock are spread over the land. But now put forth your hand and touch anything he has, and surly he will blaspheme you to your face.

Job 1:10-13

Satan believed that Job was righteous because he had too many blessings. In other words, it’s easy to love God when you’re crushing through life with no problems at all. Upon hearing Satan’s theory, God granted him power over Job and the trials began to flow. Job was tempted to lash out at the Lord (who wouldn’t be), but he resisted, especially in the midst of suffering.

2. .Everything we have is a gift from God

After being informed that his sons and daughters perished in a great storm, Job tore his cloak and cut off his hair. Falling down and bowing his head the grief stricken father responded with these words:

Naked I came forth from my mother’s womb and naked I shall go back again. The Lord gave and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord

Job 1:21

Recognizing that everything in life is a gift from God, Job passed the first test with flying colors. Don’t get to attached to material possessions or favorable circumstances. The Lord give and the Lord takes away. Learning to accept this will bring you much peace.

I honestly feel for Job here. If you’ve lost a child how would react? I know I would be crushed beyond repair if I lost both my children.

3. God allows suffering

Satan’s next plot in Job 2:7 was to afflict Job with severe boils from the “soles of his feet to the crown of his head.” As if that was not bad enough his wife wasn’t exactly supportive. Implying that these misfortunes were a punishment for some wrongdoings, she urged him to “curse God and die!” Job’s response? “We accept good things from God; and we not accept evil?” Job 2:10).

Amazingly, Job didn’t question God’s goodness or say anything sinful. Instead he accepted the fact that God sometimes allow us to suffer. If suffering notes you life, trust that it can bell you in some way.

In my life I have suffered horrible things, and I have even cursed and hated God. But now I praise Him for the strength I have. They are few experiences in life I cannot get through because of that strength.

4. It’s okay to cry out to God

Job says in job 3:11, “Why did I not perish at birth, come forth from the womb and expire?”

It’s perfectly acceptable to cry out to God when you are suffering. The book of Psalms is filled with many cries from King David. So go ahead and tell God what’s on your mind and heart. I promise He can take it.

5. Sometimes we are wrong

Remember that my life is like the wind; I shall not see happiness again.

Job 7:7

It might seem like our suffering will never end, but only God know what will happen; In this case Job was wrong. He would indeed see happiness again.

I have learned feeling are not facts. We may feel hopeless, but that doesn’t make it true,

6. God cares for all His creatures

Your handed have formed me and fashioned me; will you then turn and destroy me?

Job 10:8

At this point, Job is wallowing in self-pity. He may not have realized it, but he makes an important point. It would make no sense for God to create us and then provide for our needs. He takes care of the birds (Matthew 6:26) and they are not even created in his image and likeness. God will not abandon us.

7. Life isn’t fair

Why do the wicked survive, grow old, become mighty in power?

Job 21:7

He’s right. Sometimes life isn’t fair. One look at the crucifix will confirm it. The best thing to do is accept it and remember that there’s a bigger picture behind everything. This life is not all there is.

8 Look to the past

Oh, that I were as in the months past. In the days when God watched over me.

Job 29:2

We all think of the good times in the past and wish for them when we are suffering.

God was watching over Job, even though he didn’t realize it. When we hit a rough patch, look back and remember all the difficult situations that the Lord got you through. Doing so will restore our hope and remind us that God still is watching over you.

9. Sometimes God s silent

I cry out to you, but you do not answer me.

Job 30:20

In the first 37 chapters of this book, Job poured out his heart and soul and God said nothing. Sometimes the Lord is silent. Don’t stop speaking to Him. He eventually answered Job and He will answer us too… when the time is right.

Sometimes we feel like God has forgotten us, or is angry with us and He is giving us the silent treatment. It’s important that we do not stop talking and praying to Him.

10. God is God and I Am not!

Where were you when I founded the earth? Tell me if you have understanding.

Job 38:4

As the Creator of the universe, God really does know best. Give Him the benefit of the doubt. Job eventually learned his lesson.

In the end God gave Job twice as much as he had before the trials. Even though life can be difficult, there is happy ending awaiting us. It may not occur in this life, but it will happen in the next life if we do not give up. Keep crying the Lord. He will not desert you.

And, “the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than the earlier ones” – Job 42:12.

What’s The Significance Of The Number 7

Throughout the Bible, God often gives symbolic significance to mundane items or concepts. For example, in Genesis 9:12-16, God makes the rainbow the sign of His promise to Noah (and by extension, to all mankind) That He will not flood the whole earth again. God uses bread as a representation of Bis presence with His people Numbers 4:7); of the gift of eternal life (John 6:35); and of the broken body of Christ, sacrificed for our sins (Matthew 26:26). The rainbow and the bread are obvious symbols in scripture. Less obvious meaning seem to be attached to some numbers in the Bible, especially the number 7, which at times provides a special emphasis in the text.

The first use of the number 7, to the creation weekend genesis 1. God spent six days creating the heavens in the earth, and then rests on the 7th day. The 7th day was to be set apart and was a holy day of rest (Deuteronomy 5:12).

Right at the start of the Bible the number 7 is identified with something being “finished” or “complete.” From then on, the association continues, as 7 is often found in contacts involving completeness or divine perfection. So we see the command for the animals to be at least 7 days old before being used for sacrifices in ancient times (Exodus 22:30), The command for leprous Naaman to bathe in the Jordon River 7 times to effect complete cleansing (2 Kings 5:10), and to the command to Joshua to March around Jericho for 7 days (and on the 7th day to make 7 circuits) and for 7 priests to blow 7 shofars outside the city walls (Joshua 6:3-4). In these instances 7 signifies a completion of some kind: a divine mandate is fulfilled,

Interestingly, man was created on the sixth day of creation. Some passages in the Bible, the number 6 is associated with mankind. In Revelation 13-18 “The number of the beast” is called the “number of man.” That number is 666 (Revelation 3:23). If God’s number is 7, then man’s number is 6. Six always boss short of seven, just like “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Man it’s not God, just as 6 is not 7.

Series of seven things crop up often in the Bible. For example, we find seven pairs of each queen animal on Noah’s ark (Genesis 7:2); seven stems on the tabernacles lamp stand (Exodus 25:37); seven signs in John’s Gospel; seven things the Lord these in Proverbs 6:16; seven parables in Matthew 13; and seven woes in Matthew 23.

Multiples of 7 also figure into the biblical narrative: “seventy weeks” prophecy and Daniel 9:24 concerns 490 years (7 times 7 times 10). Jeremiah 29:10 predicted the Babylonian captivity that would last for 70 years (7 times 10). According to Leviticus 25:8, the Year of Jubilee was to begin after the passing of every 49th year (7 times 7).

Sometimes, the symbolism of the number 7 is a great comfort to us: Jesus is the seven-fold “I AM” in the gospel of John. Other times, it challenges us: Jesus told Peter to forgive a wrongdoer “seventy times seven” (Matthew 18 22). And then there are passages in which the number 7 is associated with God‘s judgment: the seven bowls of the great tribulation for example in Revelation 16:1, or gods warning to Israel in Leviticus 26:18.

Speaking of the book of Revelation, the number 7 if you use more than 50 times in a variety of contacts: there are seven letters seven churches in Asia and seven spirits before God’s throne (Revelation 1:4)). sevem golden lampstands (Revelation 1:16), seven seals of God judgment (Revelation 5:1), seven Angels rest seven shofars (Revelation 8:2). In all likelihood, the number 7 represents completeness or totality churches represent the completeness of the body of Christ: the 7 The seven churches represent the completeness of the body of Christ. The seven seals on the scroll represents the fullness of God‘s punishment of a simple earth, and so on. And, of course, the book of Revelation itself, with all its 7’s, is the capstone of God’s Word to man. With the complete book of Revelation, the Word was complete (Revelation 22:18).

In all, the number 7 is used in the Bible more than 700 times. If we also include the word related to seven times (terms like seven-fold or seventy or seven hundred), the count is higher. Of course, not every instance of the number 7 in the Bible carry deeper significance. Sometimes a7 is just a 7, and we must be cautious about attaching symbolic meaning to any text, especially which group here is not explicit about such meanings. However, there are times when it seems that God is communicating the idea of divine completeness, perfection, and wholeness by the means of the number 7.