Ministry Burnout In Action - Fear Drives And Leads To Burnout

Introduction:

    In our last post I laid out what burnout is by offering some definitions and descriptions here Growing Christian Resources: Identifying Ministry Burnout. In today's post I want to continue exploring this subject by considering the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 19 as an illustration of ministry burnout. What triggered his burnout? What did God do to help him reverse its effects? We will explore those questions in posts to follow. Today we want to start by considering how fear drives and leads to burnout. But first, the backstory to Elijah the prophet. 

Shouldering the weight of ministry growth and success while trying to keep close to God. 

    When King Solomon died in 931 b.c., his son Rehoboam became King in Jerusalem and over Israel. His reign became immediately controversial due to his decision to enact policies that were harsher than his father Solomon. Consequently, as God had warned Solomon prior, the kingdom of Israel would divide into two kingdoms. Ten of the twelve tribes would follow Jereboam son of Nebat to establish the Northern Kingdom of Israel or what was also referred to as "Ephraim" or simply "Israel to the North". Meanwhile, the tribes of Judah and the small tribe Benjamin remained with Solomon's son, Rehoboam, at Jerusalem, forming the Southern Kingdom of Judah. 

    We fast forward a century later. Several kings came and went in each respective portion of the divided monarchies of the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. Samaria became the capital of the Northern Kingdom. 

    King Omri, and his more familiar son Ahab would occupy Samaria's throne, introducing unprecedented idolatry and spiritual decline up to that point in the Northern and Southern Kingdoms. In roughly 850 b.c, God called a prophet named "Elijah". 

    Elijah was a prophet, miracle worker, and reformer. God's call and anointing of the Spirit upon his life made Elijah to be as a bright comet streaking across a dark sky. Not since the days of Moses and Samuel had such a prophet arisen. Ahab and his queen Jezebel were bent on promoting the worship of Baal and Asherah in Samaria and the Northern Kingdom. A clash between Elijah and this false religion was only a matter of time.

    Eventually the major occurred. The prophets of Baal, an idolatrous deity introduced by Jezebel into the Northern Kingdom, numbered 450. Elijah challenged them to a showdown to show Israel which deity was the true one in 1 Kings 18:20-46. 

    The pagan prophets cried out to Baal to no avail. Yahweh would answer from heaven with fire, consuming the altar and sacrifice built by Elijah. One of the greatest victories recorded occurred, solidifying Elijah as a prophet par excellence and proving Yahweh as the true and living God. Elijah had done the right thing, but soon he was going to experience wrong treatment.

    All of the activity and efforts by Elijah had increased over the prior three years. It accumulated to a victory, followed by Elijah himself crumbling under the threat from Jezebel for his life. It is upon entry to 1 Kings 19 that we pick up Elijah's burnout in action. 

Ministry burnout in action - fear is the fountain of burnout

    So, what happened to Elijah? How did he find himself fleeing for his life from the threats of a wicked queen whose false religion he had just confronted and defeated? 

Fear-based reaction. 1 Kings 19:1-3

    Notice what we read in 1 Kings 19:1-3 "Now Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, 'So may the gods do to me and even more, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.' 3 And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there." 

    Did you catch that little phrase in 1 Kings 19:3? "He was afraid". Fear is the mirror opposite of faith. Hebrews 11:1 reminds us about faith, "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the men of old gained approval." Faith operates on what is unseen by the five senses, trusts in God and His Word, and has confidence that God will work all things according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). If we were to characterized fear-based living, it is opposite of faith. It is the antithesis of what we see in Hebrews 11:1. We could characterize fear by playing it off as the opposite of the faith we read about in Hebrews 11:1, 

Fear is the substance of things despaired for, basing its evidence off of what can be seen.

    No doubt, Elijah had become wearied and harried in the frantic pace his ministry had taken. God was working through Elijah and no doubt the victory over the prophets of Baal proved itself as a high point in the entirety of the Old Testament narrative. Still, fear and its close allies - anxiety, doubt, and worry - had gripped Elijah. 

Fear is the fountain head of ministry burnout

    When fear rolls in like a fog in the midst of our fatigue and neglect of rest in the God who called us to do His will, we become vulnerable. Fear spawns anxiety, which is terror of things from my past; doubt, which is an unsettledness of whatever God is doing in the present; and worry, which is uncertainty about what lies ahead with an attempt to take control. 

    Why do I say fear is at the root or fountain of burnout? We're afraid of no longer being successful. We're afraid no one else is with us. Fear of rejection. Fear of hurt. We're afraid God has somehow forgotten us. We're scared that what we've done for God will result in consequences that will hurt us or others dear to us. 

    Fear comes from the enemy of our souls (2 Timothy 1:7; 1 Peter 5:8) and from the frailty of our flesh operating in faith that has been strained to its utmost limits. Such fear can cause us to keep doing more, since fear of rejection or terror of what others may say clouds our vision of what God has for us at the present. We will look in later posts about how Elijah's burnout unfolded and how God helped Him work through it.

Closing thoughts: Reflecting on Scriptures that remind you that God is with you.

    If you are a follower of Jesus Christ and are serving Him in any capacity, one of the greatest deceptions can be that God has somehow left you high and dry. We find God telling His people to not be afraid over 200x in the Bible. Simply reminding ourselves of who He is and what He has said in His Word can quell the fear that threatens to undo us. In the process of reading these Scriptures below, perhaps you'll acknowledge that you are burning out or heading in that direction. Recognizing the fears that hold us hostage can help us in the recovery process of ministry burnout. For now, let me close with the following Scriptures of comfort.

Matthew 14:27 "But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, 'Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”

Luke 12:32 "Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom."

John 16:33 "These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.”

2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline."

Hebrews 13:6 "so that we confidently say, 'The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid. What will man do to me?”

    In the next post I'll continue on with our look at Elijah's moment of burnout. We will consider how fatigued Elijah had become, and how fatigue in any sort of service to God and people can exacerbate circumstances that lead to burnout. Stay tuned!

Identifying Ministry Burnout

Introduction:

     When I was in my teens, one of my main chores at home was to take out the trash and put it into the burn barrel down behind our house. About every two weeks the barrel would get near full. My job then was to ignite the trash and tend to the fire as the contents turned to ash. I then had to use a garden hose to put out the fire once it was about finished. 

    I noticed after a few months of this bi-weekly cycle, rust would appear, followed by small and then larger holes around the perimeter of the barrel. At first, we ignored it, but then the holes got larger until the flames inside would emerge outside the barrel. The barrel became broken down due to it being "burned out". 

A personal example of experiencing ministry burnout

    Back in 2007 I was in the third year of my first pastorate. That year, I had literally taken no time off, not even on weekends. I was run ragged, yet I observed an old motto taught to me by older preachers, "I'd rather burn out than rust out". It sounded pretty courageous coming from a pulpit, yet I learned it wasn't a very healthy philosophy of ministry. Consequently, I experienced burn out and nearly ended up being rusted out. 

    If anything, I should had learned from the burn barrel chore, rust and holes on the inside form long before the evidence of burnout becomes known to all. I wish I could say 2007 was the only time I have experienced this condition. Sadly, too many in ministry (whether pastoring or serving in a volunteer capacity) can go for months and years, not even knowing they are "burned out". In this post I want us to identify this common experience and then examine it from the Biblical point of view.

What is "burnout"? 

    The term "burnout" was coined by psychologist Herbert Freudenberger in 1974. His 1980 best seller "Burnout - The High Cost of Achievement", is available online at Internet Archive here Burn-out : the high cost of high achievement : Freudenberger, Herbert J : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive. I don't agree with everything Dr. Freudenberger writes in the book, since his worldview is that of secular psychoanalysis. Nevertheless, there is enough of God's general revelation shining through his insights that at least shed light on this common condition. Freudenberger notes with insight the following,

"Somehow, there is a great contradiction between reality and the messages we have been receiving, and we end up confused. I believe it is this climate of confusion that has given rise to the phenomenon of burnout." 

     On page 13 of his book, Freudenberger defines burnout, 

"Burnout is someone in a state of fatigue or frustration brought about by devotion to a cause, way of life, or relationship that failed to produce the expected reward. Whenever the expectation level is dramatically opposed to reality and the person persists in trying to meet that expectation, trouble is on the way."

    As a Christian, the definition shows me why burnout comes about - we come to have the wrong goal in practice. In Christian ministry, if we aim at anything else but drawing nearer to Jesus Christ and being faithful regardless of the outcome, we will run the danger of becoming burned-out. As we will see later, there is a link between chronic worry and burnout. 

    Dr. Freudenbeger then suggests that one of the key contributors to increased burnout across society (remember, he wrote this book in 1980!) is the abandonment of the Judeo- Christian worldview! I was very surprised by what I read in context, since I knew the author himself was not sympathetic to Biblical Christianity. Nevertheless, he wrote with a candor that aimed at honest assessment. He wrote, 

"In a society where we have killed out gods, exorcised our ghosts, separated from our parents, and left our neighborhoods behind, we have little left to cling to. Against what restraints to we reinforce our standards. According to whose values do we plan our lives? The old rewards and punishments have disappeared. We have to rely on ourselves and ourselves alone."  

    Freudenberger expresses the problem in his book of the abandonment of moral standards as codified in the Ten Commandments. His diagnosis is spot-on, even though the ultimate solution he offers in the book isn't (relying on oneself and employing his suggestions, which are good on some levels, but ultimately rooted in the self-life). 

    His comments about "killing our gods" echoes the sentiment of the 19th century Atheistic Philosopher Friedrich Neitzsche who wrote that in the wake of abandonment of the Christian worldview, all standards of right and wrong are exchanged for a secular world where anything goes. The phenomenon of burnout certainly emerges in a world where we try to operate at a faster rate than we were meant to, ignoring the One who made us to experience life at a pace He set, not we ourselves. 

    If we got with his working definition of burnout, "Burnout is someone in a state of fatigue or frustration brought about by devotion to a cause, way of life, or relationship that failed to produce the expected reward", we can then proceed to address the diagnosis with a Biblical answer and analysis to help out those who are nearing it or who are there already. 

Characterizing burnout from a Christian worldview perspective.

    David P. Mann, who served as an Associate Professor of Christian Counseling at Ashland Theological Seminary at the time of his 2007 article "Preventing Ministry Burnout - A Health and Wellness Approach" in the Volume 39:1 of Ashland Theological Journal, took some of Freudenberger's insights on burnout and noted some characteristics of burnout to watch.

*Loss of creativity

*Enjoyment once present is now gone

*Frequent changing or quitting of ministry positions

*Vacillating between over involvement and disengagement

*Errors in judgment

*Emotional experiences of panic attacks, depression, feelings of meaninglessness, emptiness, mood swings, irritability, suicidal ideations. 

    Mann's analysis of the above prompted him to comment in his article, 

"many people in ministry find themselves practicing a propensity toward driven by the urgent (i.e. 'perceived needs of the ministry') at the expense of the necessary (that is, ordering our inner world in time of prayer and solitude). 

The link between worry and burnout

    We've noted what burnout is and what characterized burnout from a Christian worldview perspective. As I close out today's post, I want to end by noting the link between persistent worrying and burnout. 

    Over the last little while I've been preaching on worry from our ongoing Sunday morning study through Luke's Gospel. In that message I cite Christian author Paul David Tripp. He insightfully notes of worry and its causes, 

“Things that were not designed to give us peace and over which we have no control become our replacement Messiahs. We ask them to do for us what only God is able to do” [Ligonier Table Talk Magazine, January 2010, “Thinking Biblically About Worry”]. 

    His remarks sparked in me a realization of the connection between the phenomenon of worry and that of burnout. In both cases, we are aiming toward something other than faithfulness to God or drawing closer to God, making success or achievement some type of "replacement Messiah" that will make us feel better. 

    In the message on worry I find the term "preoccupation" a helpful onramp to better understanding what makes worry tick. As I have studied on the subject of "burnout", this idea of "preoccupation" accompanies the literature on the subject. 

    When we look at burn out in a Christian ministry context, we get so preoccupied with our service to God that we forget about the God whom we serve. It was years ago I read Oswald Chambers write that the number one competitor to our communion with God is our service to God. 

    As Jesus addresses this matter of the causes of worry in Luke 12:13-22, we can see how they contribute also to our burnout. We don't start out in any service area thinking we will burnout. Nevertheless, without being careful or aware, burnout creeps upon us just like worry. Notice the following causes of worry and see if they do not also contribute to the more chronic condition of burnout we have identified today.

1). Preoccupation with the tasks of life. (Luke 12:13-14)

    People in ministry burnout don't know when to put something down, let something go, or delegate something to another. We get so focused on outcomes we forget the people. In turn, we sometimes can get so consumed with pleasing people that we neglect the goal of bringing pleasure to God.

2). Preoccupation with the treasures of life. (Luke 12:15-20).

    Jesus tells a parable of a man who had a farm and crops to bring in from the field. He became so enamored by success that he proposed to tear down his current barns and build bigger ones so as to live off the wealth and to enjoy himself for the rest of his life. At the end of the parable in Luke 12:21, Jesus notes how the man was not rich toward God. Jesus then makes this statement to His disciples in Luke 12:22-23 

"And He said to His disciples, “For this reason I say to you, do not worry about your life, as to what you will eat; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. 23 For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing."

    The "treasure" in Christian ministry can often boil down to meeting a budgetary deadline or making sure a certain group of people are happy with me. The perception of "having it all together" and then getting the applause of others is another so-called treasure pursued by those who relentlessly worry and end up getting burned out. 

3). Pre-occupation with the self-life. 

    When I get preoccupied with myself, it’s as if I am practically thinking of life revolving around me and forgetting about God. I cut off the grace and power of God needed to keep everything in perspective. As Adrian Rogers once noted years ago, “worry is the mildest form of atheism”. So, think of these three streams feeding into the swamp we call worry and the larger pond we call "burnout": preoccupation with tasks, treasures, and self. 

   

What Is The Sin Unto Death? - A Study of 1 John 5:16-17

Introduction:

    I have taught one of our adult classes for the last several weeks in their study of the Apostle John's first letter. We have devoted time to chapter five for the whole month, noting how in that final chapter, John focuses on the doctrine of the new birth or regeneration (1 John 5:1-5), the testimony of the Holy Spirit (1 John 5:6-12), the main purpose for which John wrote his letter (1 John 5:13), and God's work in prayer (1 John 5:14-15). It is when we come to 1 John 5:16-17 that we encounter what I would classify as the most difficult passage in the entire book of 1 John. We read in 1 John 5:16-17,

"If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this. 17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death."

What is meant by "a sin leading to death"? 

     There have been a number of different interpretations given over the years regarding this particular matter of "a sin unto death". John is instructing his readers to "ask" or pray on behalf of a fellow Christian brother or sister whom they see in a repetitive sin (or perhaps with whom they're trying to help see). Near the end of 1 John 5:16, John gives a parenthetical statement which I'll translate from the Greek text,

"There is a sin unto death. I am not saying in regards to such a situation that he should pray." 

     John then closes out his parenthetical statement in 1 John 5:17,

"All lawlessness is sin. And there is sin that does not lead to death."

      John mentions two broad categories of sin, that which leads to death and that which does not. So how have commentators handled the second category of "sin that leads unto death"?

    Out of the various interpretations offered, two main ones are typically offered. One is that the "brother" is a professing Christian who has forsook Christ and is an apostate, never having been born again in saving faith (see 1 John 2:17). This view equates the "sin unto death" with the unpardonable sin mentioned by Jesus in Matthew 12:32 and Luke 12:8-12 or with those who deny Christ who once professed Him (1 John 2:17; Hebrews 6:1-8; Hebrews 10:26-31). 

      The second main category of interpretations regarding 1 John 5:16-17 and the "sin unto death" involves a genuine Christian who gets involved in a serious repetitive sin or commits a sin that God decrees as deserving physical death (Joshua 7:21-25;  Leviticus 10:1-2; Acts 5:8-10; 1 Corinthians 11:28-30). 

    Author Andrew David Nascelli has traced out the major interpretive options and the questions to ask when studying 1 John 5:16-17 in his article "The Sin unto Death" depicted below and from the link here The Sin unto Death - The Gospel Coalition. Nascelli puts his interpretation in bold type. I'll list his chart and then interact with it, noting where I agree and disagree with Nascelli with the aim of expounding the text of 1 John 5:16-17 and arriving at an understanding of the sin unto death. 

Interpretational Challenges	“sin not leading to death”	“sin that leads to death”
1. Identify the sinners.	Who is the “brother” committing it? (1) a believer (2) an unbeliever	Who is the sinner committing it? (1) a believer (2) an unbeliever (3) an apostate (a specific kind of unbeliever) (4) an unbeliever—especially an apostate
2. Identify life and death.	What is the “life” God will give those who commit it? (1) continued physical life (2) eternal life (when an unbeliever becomes a believer) (3) eternal life—that is, the future resurrection life God promises to sinful believers who repent (cf. 2:25) (4) confirmation that one has and will experience eternal life	What is the “death” God will give those who commit it? (1) physical death (2) eternal death
3. Identify the sin.	What is it? (1) an unintentional sin—like an OT sin for which a person could offer a sacrifice (e.g., Lev 4:1–3; Num 15:22–29) (2) a forgivable sin—e.g., a “venial” sin (relatively minor) (3) any sin a believer may commit	What is it? (1) a deliberate sin—committed “with a high hand” (e.g., Num 15:30–31) (2) an unforgivable sin—e.g., a “mortal” sin (specific sins such as adultery or murder) (3) the unforgivable sin (i.e., blasphemy against the Spirit) (4) any sin an unbeliever may commit––especially apostasy
4. Explain the advice on how to pray.	How do you pray for the brother committing it? (1) that God would enable the believer to repent (2) that God would enable the believer to repent and that God would not discipline the believer with physical death (3) that the unbeliever would repent and trust Jesus the Messiah and thus have eternal life	Why doesn’t John say that one should pray for the sinner committing it? (1) That’s not John’s main point as he illustrates what it means to pray according to God’s will (5:14–15). Sin that leads to death is an aside. John doesn’t forbid believers to pray for such sinners, but believers cannot pray for them with the same level of confidence as for believers who commit a sin not leading to death. (2) It is hopeless to pray for an apostate. Compare how the Lord commanded Jeremiah not to pray for Israel (Jer 7:16–18; 11:14; 14:11) and how Jesus did not pray for the world (John 17:9). (3) Believers should not pray for the dead.

 

    His above chart aids greatly in working through all the sorts of questions to ask when studying the passage. As I worked through his grid and worked through all the New Testament passages that use the Greek word "zoe" translated "life" in 1 John 5:16-17, I concluded the following from working through the four main areas he outlined.

1. Identify the sinners in 1 John 5:16-17. 

    I agreed with Nascelli that the brother committing sins not leading to death are true Christians. I differed with Nascelli on who the brother is committing the sin leading to death. I mainly viewed the brother who commits the sin leading unto death a believer (I don't rule out the possibility of Nascelli's conclusion that this is an unbeliever, which I'll unpack as we go further into this post). 

2. Identify life and death in 1 John 5:16-17.

    As for identifying the "life" and "death" mentioned in 1 John 5:16-17, I surveyed the 298 texts in the New Testament that feature the Greek word "zoe", translated "life". The standard reference Greek Lexicon "A Greek Lexicon of the Greek New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd edition (BDAG)", page 430-431, lists two general broad categories for which the word "zoe" describes, life in the physical sense and transcendent life (whether God's life or spiritual life). 

    As always, when we do word studies, we need to keep in mind not only the dictionary or lexicon definition of the word, but more importantly how the word is used in the Bible. 

    In what I found, this word is used to describe five major categories. Unsurprisingly, 265 instances or 90% describe "zoe" is referring to "spiritual life" or "a quality of life in a saving relationship with God. I can see why Nascelli opted for "life" and "death" having to do respectively with "eternal life" or "spiritual life" and "spiritual death". 

      However, I pressed on to note four other main categories in which this word "zoe" is found. On six occasions "zoe" refers to the Divine life of God Himself, including 1 John (John 1:4; 5:26; Ephesians 4:18; Hebrews 7:16; 1 John 1:1,2). In four places "zoe" or "life" speaks of the resurrected life the Christian will live in a glorified, resurrected body, sometimes called "eschatological life" (John 5:29; 6:54; Romans 11:15; James 1:12). 

    There were only two spots that I found that "zoe" could be rendered either way, one of which is our main text in 1 John 5:16-17. As I pressed on, I looked at the final category of passages in which our word "zoe" or "life" appear, discovering some 21 passages (7%) referring it as physical life or life lived in this world. 

    I had noted that there were two passages in my study that made it difficult to determine whether "zoe" or "life" is referring to physical life or spiritual life, 1 John 5:16-17 and Matthew 18:8-9. What I observed was that Jesus used this term in what seems to be two ways to refer to the spiritual life one enters upon in salvation (Matthew 18:8) and perhaps physical life upon which one is born into and from which the same person dies and suffers punishment in the Lake of fire (Matthew 18:9). 

    As I looped back to 1 John 5:16-17, I noted that even though John had used the term "zoe" to refer to spiritual life in the remainder of 1 John 5, yet it was not outside the realm of possibility for him to utilize "zoe" to refer to physical life, based upon the pattern I saw in Matthew 18:8-9. Therefore, I differed with Nascelli and opted to interpret "life" as physical life and "death" as physical death in 1 John 5:16-17.

3. Identify the sins in 1 John 5:16-17. 

    When it came to identifying the sin referred to by John as "the sin unto death", I reviewed Leviticus 4:1-3 and Numbers 15:22-29, which list out the categories of unintentional sins which would equate with those sins not unto death. I agreed with Nascelli that these qualify as any sin a Christian may commit (i.e. "sin not leading to death").

    I then read Numbers 15:30-31 that speaks on the subject of sins committed with a high hand or what we could equate as "sins leading to death". I differed with Nascelli, who saw the "sin unto death" as committed only by a professing unbeliever who apostatizes. I would say I partially may agree with him on this point. 

     Nevertheless, I tend to lean more toward the "sin unto death" being committed by a genuine Christian, at which point God brings about the Christian's physical death in order to preserve the salvation of his or her soul (Acts 5:1-8; 1 Corinthians 11:28-30). I see this especially in the cases of the man of God who disobeyed God in 1 Kings 13:1-26 and possibly Achan in Joshua 7:19-24). 

    We're not told what the specific sin of "sin unto death" is, however, we can discern from the above cross-references that it is any sin which when committed, if left unchecked, could hypothetically lead to the eternal damnation of the genuine Christian, which of course is a manifest impossibility, since God has promised to preserve all his saints unto the end (John 10:28-29; Jude 1:24-25). Thus, physical death to a Christian who "crosses the line" with God appears to be in view. However, I don't rule out this passage being applicable to unbelievers as well.

    Certain reputable commentators have suggested that the difficulty in having certainty over whether the sin unto death is committed by a believer or unbelievers might be resolved by admitting that the Apostle John is issuing this as a warning to both. W.A. Criswell, famed pastor of the First Baptist Church in Dallas for over fifty years, made this remark in a sermon called "The Sin Unto Death" here The Sin Unto Death – W. A. Criswell Sermon Library

"Now, what I have done is, in reading the Scripture and studying it to the best of my ability, I believe I’ve come to the conclusion that it refers to both; the “death” refers to physical death – there is sin unto physical death – then there is sin unto eternal death.  I find that in the beginning – both of them.  The Lord God said to our first parents, “In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” [Genesis 2:17]."

    Pastor John MacArthur, who recently passed and also pastored his church for the same length of time preached from 1 John 5:16-17, drawing this wise observation,

"I don’t have any way to determine which. Both are true. Which one John has in mind, he doesn’t make clear. But I know this: There is a time when people fully and finally reject the gospel."

      Being that the Apostle John is addressing genuine Christians and those who only profess faith, it may very well be he is warning both believer and unbeliever alike to not cross the line with God when it comes to sin, with the emphasis placed on warning the Christian not to take sin too lightly.

4. Explain advice on how to pray for those who may have committed "the sin leading to death." 

    One final point to note, namely how ought we to pray for people who enter into "a sin unto death". Nascelli thinks we only have clarity to pray for those who have not committed a sin leading to death. I would agree with Nascelli on that observation, however I would add that since we cannot know for certain when a Christian (or an unbeliever for that matter) has "crossed the line with God", it is incumbent on us to pray for their repentance and to trust God to either show mercy or to execute His just dealings. 

    There were times in the Old Testament where God told prophets either not to pray for persons too far gone or that their prayers would be of no effect for such persons that went too far in their sinful rebellion (Jeremiah 7:16; 11:14; 14:11; 18:18-21; Hosea 4:17; 12:14). Nevertheless, those prophets had specific insight from God about the people who had crossed that line with the Lord. We today do not possess the insight of prophetic divine inspiration, thus in our prayers for those whom we fear seem far too gone - especially a fellow Christian. John MacArthur and Richard Mayhew give this wise counsel in their Systematic Theology,

"If a Christian is under church discipline, believers in the church should not pray for the consequences to be removed until the sinner repents, with the goal that this person will repent, the church delivers him or her over to Satan's realm."

Closing thoughts

    In today's post we studied the meaning of the term "sin unto death" in 1 John 5:16-17 with the view of attempting to discern its meaning. We noted that this sin is likely referring to physical death that can occur to a genuine Christian who commits a sin that would otherwise bring their soul into jeopardy. We also found that we should not rule out the possibility that John is also applying this warning to unbelievers who professed Christ at one point but then "walked away" or apostatized from their faith. Whether this sin in 1 John 5:16-17 is equated with the "unpardonable sin" Jesus mentions in Matthew 12:33 and Luke 12:8-12, although we did not explore that in detail, this author would likely distinguish the two sins, leaving the "unpardonable sin" to be something committed by unbelievers only who attribute the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan. 

    We also noted that since we cannot know for certain who has committed "a sin unto death" (or who may very well be close to it), it is wise to pray for their repentance, to pray for their great discomfort that could lead to their repentance, and to trust God whether He mercifully leads them to repentance or physically brings about their death. Finally, 1 John 5:16-17 serves as a warning to us all to never take sin too lightly and to give thanks to God for how often He is merciful to us in Jesus Christ, and that we ought to confess our sins to Him who is just and faithful to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9). 

How Jonah the Prophet is a Type of Jesus' Death and Resurrection - Introducing Types And Typology

Introduction:

      In my preaching through Luke's Gospel, a curious comparison is mentioned by Jesus where He compares Jonah the Prophet to himself in Luke 11:29-30. How Jesus does this is by a special type of comparison we find in the Bible called a "type". Theologian Vern Poythress defines this term type as "a symbol that points to fulfillment". 

    To illustrate this idea, not too long ago I was watching some street workers here in town off-loading a couple of mysterious rectangles. These shapes had other shapes and backwards lettering cut into them. The workers placed those rectangles on the street. Then a worker took a spray gun and sprayed white paint onto the rectangle, lifting it from the ground to reveal an arrow, a word, or a line. I then understood that the rectangles were imprinted with symbols, were patterns to leave behind a far greater impression on the road. 

     The Bible has this use of types all over its pages, including our text here. As noted earlier from a definition given by theologian Vern Poythress in his book on typology, a "type" is a symbol that point to a fulfillment. To press home further clarity about what we mean by "types", Poythress' wonderful book is based off the earlier work of the late Edmund Clowney, who devised a diagram or "triangle" that helps summarize how types relate to whatever they are pointing to.

    In the above diagram of "Clowney's Triangle" (for which Poythress does a great job explaining in his book on the subject of typology or the study of types), you have "S" which is the symbol in question (whether a person, institution, or event). 

    That symbol (such as "Jonah" whom we will look at later) points to a truth particular to his day, labeled by Clowney as "T1". This "T1" or "Truth" is vital, since the study of types stipulates grounding whatever observations we make in truth and not our imaginations. As one traces how that pattern of truth unfolds through Biblical or redemptive history, one arrives at the fulfillment of "T1", labeled "Tn" by Clowney, which usually is Christ but also could be the Christian or the Church. With those connections made, the last line drawn is to show how the "type" or "symbol" ("S") connects to its fulfillment or "antitype" (hence Tn).  

A Biblical example of a type

    For instance, Romans 5:14b “Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come.” To use my street-worker illustration from earlier, Adam is like that rectangle with a shape cut out in the middle. Adam was a real man in history, the first man created and the representative head of all humanity. He is a “type” or forward pointing word-picture to an even greater Adam-like figure, which is Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the representative head of redeemed humanity - giving us the common truth shared between Himself and Adam. 

    Paul makes this connection very plain in 1 Corinthians 15:45 “So also it is written, ‘The first man, Adam, became a living soul.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.” 

How Jonah the Prophet is a type of Jesus' death and resurrection

    With our orientation on types and their study (typology) made, let’s pick up the text in Luke 11:29-30 “As the crowds were increasing, He began to say, ‘This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah. 30 For just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.” 

    How does Jesus bring forth “the sign of Jonah” as a revelation of His greatness? Let's note two observations.

A. The greatness of Christ’s cross.

     If you were to turn to the Book of Jonah in our Old Testament, you would find it to be a rather short book – just four chapters. However, contained within its pages is the account of a prophet, Jonah, who was sent by God to a non-Jewish people in a pagan city – Ninevah. Jonah did not want to go and instead chose to run away from God, get on a ship, and go to the opposite direction. God would then throw a mighty storm upon the Mediterranean Sea where Jonah was attempting to hide from God.  Consequently, Jonah 1 ends with Jonah thrown overboard and swallowed up by a great fish or sea monster. 

    It is in Jonah 2 we find our hapless prophet inside the belly of the great beast, crying out to God, expecting to die. Non-Christian people cannot run and hide from God. His sentence of Divine judgment has already passed on you and unless you believe and repent of your sins in Jesus Christ, that judgment will come to pass (John 3:36). 

    However, for some of you who are followers of Jesus, you cannot get very far either when you're not in right fellowship with God (Hebrews 12:5). Jonah highlights this for us. The biggest proof we have of Jonah being a believer in Yahweh is how God disciplined Him. He had to face death itself before he waved the flag of surrender. 

    In Jonah 2:5 we see Jonah’s greatest desperation, “Water encompassed me to the point of death. The great deep engulfed me, weeds were wrapped around my head.” For all intents and purposes, Jonah was as good as dead. He prays to God in Jonah 2:6 “I descended to the roots of the mountains. The earth with its bars was around me forever.” The first half of Jonah follows a “descending and dying pattern” for the prophet.

      When we study a type, we look for similarities and differences and we look for a Biblical pattern between the type and its fulfillment (or anti-type). Jesus was willing to come into the world, totally different from Jonah, who was a reluctant prophet. Jonah, though a believer, was still sinful. Jesus, truly God in human flesh, could not sin and never sinned. With those differences, the connection between Jonah as a “type” and Jesus as the “anti-type” or fulfillment has to do with the general pattern of death and resurrection in their respective lives.  

    Jesus’ human existence from His incarnation to the cross was in a “descending, downward pattern”. Philippians 2:8 “Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” He was sent into the world, not only to the Jews, but to be the Savior of the nations (John 3:16). 

    Jonah is the only prophet in the Old Testament sent exclusively to a pagan nation outside of Israel. He would experience a “descending pattern leading to death” in Jonah 1:1-2:6). 

    Jesus would experience death and taste death for everyone of those whom He came to redeem (Hebrews 2:9 “tasted death for every man”). Jonah would come close to death, so much so, that he could taste death in the belly of the great beast. It is in such similarities that Jesus shows Himself greater than Jonah. Matthew’s account of this episode in Luke records in Matthew 12:40 “for just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” We see the greatness of Christ’s crucifixion.

B. The greatness of Christ’s resurrection. 

     In the first half of the Book of Jonah we see a “descending and death pattern”, forecasting what Jesus said was to be true about Himself, namely He came to die on the cross. But then we turn to the second half of the Book of Jonah to see a pattern of resurrection. In Jonah 2:6b Jonah is still praying from the belly of the Great Fish, “But You have brought up my life from the pit, O Lord my God.” 

    Although Jonah was a hard-headed prophet, he still was a man of faith who believed in the doctrine of the resurrection. He figured that God was going to bring him out somehow on the other side of his predicament. The Hebrew text is very emphatic in its record of Jonah’s prayer, “you will cause me to rise up out of the grave, Oh Yahweh my God!” 

    The Book of Jonah is like two mirror images in its two halves. Jonah 1:1-2:6a records a “descent and death” pattern; and Jonah 2:6b-4:10 records an “ascent and life” pattern. Jonah is spat out at the end of chapter 2 and Jonah 3:1 has God telling Jonah after his harrowing experience, “Arise, go!” 

     Here again Jonah is functioning as that “type”, pointing ahead to Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. It's as if God laid down Jonah’s life as a pattern and spray-painted his prophetic book, which when finished, yielded the death and resurrection pattern of Jesus Christ. 

    Luke 11:30 tells us Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites. It is quite likely word had spread about of Jonah’s frightening adventure. His presence in Ninevah alone would have sparked much interest, since whatever God Jonah worshipped had caused him to be spat out and he survived to tell about it! 

    God used Jonah’s brush with death and escape with his life to prepare the hearts of the people of Ninevah. Luke 11:32 “The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.” 

Jonah's death and resurrection pattern points us to Jesus' death and resurrection

    As we close this post, we find the richness of studying types in how someone like Jonah points us to the greatness of Jesus Christ in His death and resurrection. Jesus saw fit to utilize Jonah's life and adventure in the belly of the great fish to draw attention to what He came to achieve. Such "types" were used by Jesus to prepare His disciples for what would be His death and resurrection. When Jesus raised from the dead, those disciples and eyewitnesses testified of His post-resurrection, physical appearances. They testified as we read in Acts 5:30-31 “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you had put to death by hanging Him on a cross. 31 He is the one whom God exalted to His right hand as a Prince and a Savior, to grant repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.” May our introduction to types and typology in this post cause us to study God's Word and get to know Jesus better, who is "Greater than Jonah".  

Five Reasons To Study The Bible's Teaching On Angels, Demons, and Satan

Introduction

    I open up today's post with Hebrews 13:2 "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it." Why should a Christian know what the Bible teaches about angels, demons, and Satan? A quote from one of the ablest theological minds, Charles Hodge, will set the tone for this post:

"So much is said in the Scriptures of good and evil angels, and such important functions are ascribed to them both in the providence of God over the world, and especially in the experience of his people and of his Church, that the doctrine of the Bible concerning them should not be overlooked."1

    Anytime we engage in the study of the angelic realm, three branches are generally recognized in the subject (some may list more or less): angelology (study of angels, their nature, function and ranks); demonology (study of demons, their nature, function and ranks) and Satanology (Satan's nature, function and efforts against mankind and God).  To get us off the runway and into the air on this subject, I want us to consider why studying the angelic realm is important.

1. Massiveness of the subject in the Bible

    A great tool to have when studying any topic of scripture is a Bible Concordance.  A concordance functions much like a telephone book (I date myself I suppose with that analogy). Perhaps, we could say, a concordance is a book version of a "Google search" for any word or subject in the Bible. Anyhow, the added bonus is that many Bible Concordances today will print out a portion of the passages and give you all the Bible books and number of times each word appears.2  The magnitude of times the angelic realm appears in the scripture is extraordinary and thus warrants its study.  Consider the following statistics (I found these just searching through the Strongest Strong's NIV exhaustive concordance):

a. Angels and their various ranks and descriptions are found roughly 400 times in the scriptures. Angels of all sorts are mentioned in 17 of the 39 Old Testament books and 19 out of 27 of the New Testament books.

b. Demons and their various ranks are found in 6 of the 39 Old Testament books and 12 of the 27 New Testament books.  In the concordance I consulted I discovered nearly 75 places in the scriptures on the subject of demons.

c. Satan, who is also called the Devil, Serpent, Dragon and other names appears in 6 of the 39 Old Testament books and in 19 of the 27 New Testament books, causing problems in at least 115 places throughout scripture. 

d. When you add up all of the places in the Bible where angels, demons and Satan appear, you come up with close to 600 places.  

e. Whether good angels, fallen angels or Satan himself, the nature of angelic beings is that of spirit - that is, they are rational, intelligent beings without a physical body (Psalm 104:3-4; Daniel 7:10; Hebrews 1:14). Occasionally, (good angels) can assume for a temporary period of time a physical form of sorts (Genesis 18:2; Mark 16:5; Hebrews 13:2). But notice a second reason why this subject is important...

2. Major scale of spiritual warfare

    Ephesians 6:10-11 issues this command - "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil."  Should not Christians of all people be more aware of the nature of the spiritual battle that they are involved? 

    As a practical example, let's say you were to take a trip to a foreign country that is experience increasing pockets of violent outbreaks.  Would you not read up on the current conditions of the government, intelligence information on where attacks have taken place, as well as updates on where the safest places would be? 

    If that is the case in the incidence of travel, how much the more in the daily Christian walk.  Knowing the proverbial "lay of the land" in the spiritual Christian walk will make for a more Biblically informed and wise people who are effective witnesses for Jesus Christ.

3. Maintain a proper balance on the angelic realm

    Having been involved with or having interacted with various Christians from many denominational and theological persuasions, there are two ditches people fall into when it comes to the angelic realm:

a. Ignorance.  Some denominations and some theological traditions don't talk about angels, demons or Satan.  The danger of this ditch is viewing life and reality in only physical terms. To be ignorant of the angelic realm means ignorance of the supernatural realm, a Christianity that operates with one arm tied behind its back if you will.

b. Obsession. Other groups go to the other extreme and see demons behind every bush. They blame everything bad on the Devil. When the ditch of obsession over the angelic realm occurs, Christianity can skirt close to paganism by giving angels too much prominence.  
Christian people need to know what the Bible teaches in order to moderate our priority of the angelic realm.  

4. Mandate of scripture: The study of the angels is indeed practical

    In the opening verse of today's blog I mentioned Hebrews 13:2 which commands Christians to exercise hospitality. Why? Because among other things, we may be entertaining angels unawares.  Reference to angels is listed among the very practical topics of Hebrews 13:1-4 such as loving the brethren (13:1); hospitality (13:2); visiting prisoners (13:3) and marriage (13:4). 3

    So, studying the angelic realm is important because of its massiveness in the scripture, major scale of spiritual warfare, maintain a proper balance, and the mandate from scripture for more awareness of the invisible realm. 

5. Majesty of God is reinforced in our hearts and minds by the study of angels

    Perhaps the most important reason to study angelology, demonology and Satanology is due to how each subject in one way or another points to God's glory.  Satan for sure is the chief adversary of God and His people, however knowing that He was defeated at the cross shows the glory of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 2:14-15; 1 John 3:8). 4 

    Angels (the good ones) function in relationship to God like rays of light do for the sun. The rays of the sun lead the viewer back to their point of origin - the sun.  Likewise, the good angels continually point believers back to the glory and majesty of God.  In fact, the angels of heaven are termed "fellow servants" with the saints of God (Revelation 19:10)

Closing thoughts:

    We have taken the time to briefly sketch out what the Bible has to tell the reader about the angelic realm - good, bad and ugly. The aim was to express practically why anyone would study angels. 

Endnotes:

1. Charles Hodge. Systematic Theology - Volume 1. WM. B Eerdmans. 1965 edition. Page 637 
Dr. Charles Hodge was a professor of theology at Princeton Seminary in the late nineteenth century.  Before Princeton went liberal in the late 1920's, it had been known for years as a bastion of Bible believing orthodoxy.  At Princeton, three theologians were noteworthy for their contributions to conservative bible believing Christianity from the 1880's-1920's: Charles Hodge, B.B Warfield and J. Greshem Machen. Dr. Hodge wrote a three volume work on Systematic Theology that to this day is a standard reference work for any and every subject in the field. 

2. Any Bible concordance will aid you greatly and there are number available to purchase at either a Christian Bookstore, Lifeway.com, Amazon.com or CBD (Christian Book Distributors).  Some of the ones I have found helpful are: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (based of KJV) and NASB Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (based of NASB text).  Most of the major English versions have their own concordances as well, such as the ESV (English Standard Version); NLT (New Living Translation); NKJV (New King James Version) and NRSV (New Revised Standard Version). Most of these resources are produced by Zondervan.

3. In other passages, such as 2 Corinthians 13:4-5 and Ephesians 6:10-18, knowledge of the angelic realm can be useful in practical everyday Christian life. In 2 Peter 2:4, mention is made of the cosmic rebellion of the angels who followed after Lucifer in his bid to attempt a coup against God as recorded elsewhere in scripture (Isaiah 14; Ezekiel 28; Revelation 12:4). Now why does Peter bring to the reader's minds the angelic realm along with other examples of rescuing Noah out of the flood and Lot from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah? 

      The inclusion of the angelic realm is to demonstrate the universality of the principle laid out in 2 Peter 2:9 "then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment." In ways not fully explained, God preserved the holy angels from further corruption by casting out Satan and the fallen angels. Likewise, God also preserved Noah, and Lot and thus preserves Christians today living in this godless world. (Philippians 2:15-16) Peter sees the practicality of including knowledge of the angelic realm in the exercising of ourselves in Godly living. 

4. For sure, the demonic realm can certainly discourage and afflict God's people, however knowing that nothing, not even they, can separate us from the love of God actually points the way to the majesty of God's love. (Romans 8:37-39) Satan's far lesser kingdom functions as a black cloth to highlight the far greater Kingdom of God.  In God's Sovereignty He permits Satan to carry out his diabolic schemes so that in the end, His glory is shown in even greater proportion (Philippians 2). 

An Overview Of Good And Bad Angels In The Bible

 

Introduction:

The Psalmist notes in Psalm 148:1-5, 

“Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights! 2 Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! 3 Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all stars of light! 4 Praise Him, highest heavens, And the waters that are above the heavens! 5 Let them praise the name of the LORD, For He commanded and they were created.” 

The late Baptist theologian Augustus Hopkins Strong notes about the importance of studying angels: 

“The doctrine of angels affords a barrier against the false conception of this world as including the whole spiritual universe.  Earth is only part of a larger organism.  As Christianity has united Jew and Gentile, so hereafter will it blend our own and other orders of creation."

Whenever anyone explores the various creatures in the Bible’s presentation of the supernatural realm, such a study is called: “angelology”. Broadly speaking, the "good guys" in angelology represent varying orders of spiritual creatures. 

    There are the highest-level beings called "the Divine Council (see 1 Kings 22:19-22; Daniel 4:17; also known as created "sons of God" Job 1:5-6, with some corrupting themselves, Genesis 6:1-4). 

    Then there is a middle tier of beings known as, "Cherubim", "Seraphim" and "the watchers", to the third tier of every other spiritual being known simply as: "angels". This assortment of "good" spiritual beings populate God's invisible kingdom. 

       On the bad side we have two other subheadings known as “Satanology”, or the examination of Satan (his being, rebellion and work), and “demonology” (that is, the various ranks of spiritual beings). Satan and all the various sort of malevolent spiritual beings populate the parasitic "kingdom of darkness". 

    This parasitic kingdom has varying orders of malevolent spiritual beings who defected from the angelic order. There are the fallen "sons of God" or former members of the Divine council, some of whom were confined to the darkest areas of Hades to await judgment (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6). Others of these were given jurisdiction over nations, as evidenced by the "Prince of Persia" whom Gabriel fought for twenty-one days before delivering Daniel's answer to prayer in Daniel 10. 

    There are what we could call "mid-tier" malevolent forces enumerated by Paul in Ephesians 6:10-12 ("powers, principalities", etc.). These mid-tier beings could very well be those being I mentioned above who wield their evil intentions over regions and nations. 

    Then there are the varied sorts of demonic forces that Jesus exorcised from people during His earthly ministry and who torment people today. We find demons mentioned in the Old Testament (Leviticus 17:17; Deuteronomy 32:17; 2 Chronicles 11:15; Psalm 106:37) and Satan (for example, Job 1:6-9,12; 2:1-7; Zechariah 3:1-2). 

    Below we have a chart that depicts the Biblical supernatural realm where I've depicted where the good and bad angels in their respective orders fit. Notice that in the diagram, angels occupy the third or lowest tier of the spiritual creatures in God’s invisible kingdom. 

     In what remains, I want to offer a brief account of the angels as they are portrayed in the Bible. I hope this summary edifies and equips readers with a better working understanding of the Biblical doctrine of angels (known, as noted above, by the term: "angeology").

1. Angels are created beings.

       We can note first, that like the other spiritual beings in the Biblical supernatural realm, angels are created beings.  Psalm 148:5 notes that the angels were created by the command of God, just like the visible universe, stars, planets, life and humanity. Hebrews 1:7, quoting Psalm 104:4, states: “And of the angels He says,

“Who makes His angels winds, And His ministers a flame of fire.” From what we can discern from Job 38:1-7, the entire supernatural realm was created by God on either days 2 or 3 in the creative week. 

2. There are Good and Bad Angels

     When God originally created the angelic realm, they were all good. The creation of the supernatural realm was followed by the cosmic rebellion of Lucifer, which in turn influenced other spiritual beings to become the fallen angels (Isaiah 14:12-20; Ezekiel 28:13-19; Revelation 12:4). As mentioned, some of those fallen angels are chained and some roam freely between here and the heavenly realms (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6; Ephesians 6:10-11). 

    Thankfully, there are 2/3 of the heavenly angels faithfully serving God and His people (1 Timothy 5:21; Hebrews 1:14). The good angels outnumber the bad ones. With that said, it is incumbent upon every Christian to put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:1-11) and to exercise vigilance by prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17), daily time in the Scriptures (1 Timothy 2:5), weekly church attendance (Hebrews 10:23-25), and living a devout and holy life according to the will of God (Romans 12:1-2).

3. Angels are powerful beings

     Angels are dramatically powerful beings.  In 2 Kings 19:35 we read: “Then it happened that night that the angel of the Lord went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men rose early in the morning, behold, all of them were dead.”  Revelation 9:13-21 records a future time when God will release four angels to kill 1/3 of humanity in the judgment of The Great Tribulation.

4. Good Angels aid God’s people

     Is it scriptural to say that angels are deployed by God to aid Christians in their walk of faith? Absolutely! Consider Psalm 91:11 "For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways." Old Testament saints had angels assist them (Genesis 18; Psalm 37:4; Daniel 10:11). We see angelic aid of Jesus and other believers in the New Testament (Matthew 4:11; Matthew 26:53; Luke 22:43; Acts 12:6-8; Acts 27:23-24). Without a doubt, Christians today can still experience angelic assistance when they least expect it (Hebrews 1:14; 13:2). 

     Scripture reveals how angels can protect believers (2 Kings 6; Psalm 34:7; 91:11 Hebrews 1:14); help in grasping God’s truth (Psalm 68:7; Matthew 28:5-7; Acts 1:9-11; Luke 2:14) and point to Christ’s deity (Psalm 68:17; Daniel 7:10-13; Matthew 28). The Book of Revelation illustrates how angels aid believers. It contains roughly 25% of the 300 times we find mention of the good angels in the Bible. Often, the Book of Revelation describes angels announcing something or explaining to John the meaning of the various visions. 

Final thought of application:

    Today's post was intended to offer a brief treatment of the subject of angels. We noted the following:

1. Angels are created beings.
2. There are good and bad angels.
3. Angels are powerful beings.
4. Good angels aid God's people.

     The eighteenth-century preacher John Wesley once wrote the following about angels: 

"They may assist us in our search after truth, remove many doubts and difficulties, throw light on what was before dark and obscure, and confirm us in the truth that is after godliness. They may warn us of evil in disguise; and place what is good, in a clear, strong light. They may gently move our will to embrace what is good, and fly from that which is evil. They may, many times, quicken our dull affections, increase our holy hope or filial fear, and assist us more ardently to love Him who has first loved us."