What message do you need to hear from God today? Could you be going through one
of life’s hardships—family, work, finances, etc.? Are you in need of
encouragement to stand strong in your faith? Whatever it maybe, God has a
message for you today.
Occasionally
in Scripture we find these messages being delivered by angels. And even though
there are countless angels, there are only two angels who are specifically
listed by name in Scripture who are known to deliver messages to those in need:
Gabriel and Michael the archangel.
Gabriel
plays a very unique role in Scripture. He appears four times, and each time he
has a powerful message to proclaim. Three of the four times he proclaims Jesus’
birth. On account of this, he is sometimes referred to as “God’s preaching
angel” and “God’s Christmas angel.”
In
the first appearance, Gabriel gives Daniel the prophet understanding into a
vision that God had given (Dan. 8:16ff). This vision was of two separate
kingdoms: the combined kingdom of Medio-Persia and Greece; and how these
kingdoms would persecute God’s people prior to Jesus first coming, as the Son
of God.
History
validates Daniel’s prophesies leading up to the birth of Christ, which, by the
way points to the reliability of the Bible. And it points to how we, as
believers, can know that even when we go through rough times, God’s promises
will come true. God is in control!
Therefore,
as Jesus stated in John 16:33, we will go through times of trial, but we can
take heart because Jesus has overcome this world. I encourage you to write this
verse on your mirror or memorize it. Then when you do go through rough times,
you can look up and know that the Lord is coming soon, and He will right every
wrong that has taken place. That is exactly what Gabriel preached in his second
appearance to Daniel (Dan. 9:20-27).
His
second message delivers how Jesus would save the world from sin. “There could
be no better statement of the redeeming work of Christ. He died not for Himself
but for (us), and in doing so provided forgiveness for (our) sins and eternal
righteousness before God” (Ellsworth, What the Bible Teaches About
Angels, p.55).
The
third and fourth appearances of Gabriel are in reference to two miraculous
births: John the Baptist (Luke 1:5-25), and Jesus Christ (Luke 1:26-38). For
John the Baptist’s parents, parenthood seemed to be impossible. Elizabeth was
barren and both were past the point of being able to conceive a child.
Similarly,
when Gabriel announced to Mary that she was going to be a mother, it would come
through impossible means: as a virgin. Yet nothing is impossible with God (Luke
1:37). These passages give us all encouragement that, if God calls you to it,
He’ll see you through it!
The
second angel mentioned in Scripture, Michael the archangel appears five times,
and likewise has some very helpful messages for us. He is the only angel
referred to as “the archangel” (Jude 9). This likely infers that he is superior
to the other angels.
Michael’s
messages first, pertain to his great responsibility in the war with Satan.
Second, his actions seek to protect us as faithful followers and help us to
overcome our enemy the devil (Rev. 12:7-12).
Daniel
needed comfort from his distress over the conflict that God’s people would
experience so he called out to God. 21 days later, Michael appeared and (Dan.
10:13) reassured him that God heard his cries for help and sent Michael to
comfort him. Notice that it took 21 days before Michael appeared.
This indicates the reality of the spiritual battle is all around us. Satan is
extremely strong, resisting Michael the archangel’s attempts to respond. Yet
Satan could not stop God’s loving hand of comfort from reaching His faithful
follower, Daniel.
Likewise,
as we go through very challenging times, we might wonder where the Lord is at.
He is right here with us, using the delay of His response to help us (1)
recognize the reality of the spiritual battle, (2) participate in His great
plan of salvation, and (3) increase our desire for the Lord.
The
second role that Michael the archangel fulfills pertains to Jesus’ return (1
Thess. 4:19). Michael will be accompanying Jesus as He descends to earth,
gathers His followers (the rapture) and overcomes His enemies. This great act
will end the war between God and Satan that began in the Garden of Eden when
Adam and Eve sinned. Why would Michael need to accompany Jesus since He is
all-powerful and perfectly capable of defeating His enemies by Himself? It
seems to be a reward given to Michael for all of his efforts and battles with
the enemy. The victory is won. We as believers win!
Thus, when we consider the proclamations of God’s special messengers we are
left with a sense of hope knowing that God is in control regardless of our
circumstances, He will right any wrong that takes place and nothing is
impossible with God. If He calls you to it, He’ll see you through it! And as
the old saying goes, “I read the end of the book, and we win.” We are more than
conquerors through Christ who loves us (Rom. 8:37).
Because
of God’s love,
Matt
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