To see an angel is a frightful and awesome experience. They are large, powerful and majestic. See these accounts of people being scared or falling down to worship.
Acts 27:23-24
For this very night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood before me, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar; and behold, God has granted you all those who are sailing with you.’
Revelation 19:10
Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he *said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
Revelation 22:8-9
I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. But he *said to me, “Do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God.”
In Genesis 19, just two angels was all that was needed to make ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Read about the 4 horseman of the apocalypse in Revelation or the angels who are released to bring global disaster.
Just one Angel is a mighty and powerful creature.
Jesus had plenty at his disposal, if needed. Not to mentioned unbridled access to the Father.
Matthew 4:5-6 (NASB)
Then the devil *took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and *said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written,
‘He will command His angels concerning You’;
and
‘On their hands they will bear You up,
So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’”
Matthew 26:53
Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?
12 legions! 1 or 2 are plenty. More than plenty. 12 legions – a little more than overwhelming. Wouldn’t you say?
12 legions. Hardened. Ready. Very ready. One nod from the King of Kings and it’s all over in a flash.
In the midst of this some pompous legalistic big shot is accusing and spitting in His face.
The good news. Jesus didn’t quit. God in His boundless righteous anger, did not release these more than able and ready warriors to drop us all into the raging abyss of the fury of His wrath.
Our destiny hung by a thread, but Love won. He always wins. We can always count on it.
The good news for this week – when that absolutely overwhelming and altogether terrifying great cloud of witness poured out of heaven to witness the birth of The Son of the Most High – He came as a baby and we were not consumed by His holiness and Righteous Indignant Judgment.
Luke 2:9-14
And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
“Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”
Dorothy Sayers has said that God underwent three great humiliations in his efforts to rescue the human race. The first was the Incarnation, when he took on the confines of a physical body. The second was the Cross, when he suffered the ignominy of public execution. The third humiliation, Sayers suggested, is the church. In an awesome act of self-denial, God entrusted his reputation to ordinary people.
Praise God.
Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. – Lamentations 3:22
