Anointed Guardian Cherub

Following is an excerpt from What Every Christian Should Know About Satan. Order your copy now in paperback, Kindle, or Audible versions.

Marcus Licinius Crassus was one of the wealthiest and most powerful men in ancient Rome. Born in 115 BC, he amassed a fortune through various enterprises, which ranged from dealing in slaves to restoring fire-ravaged land and selling it at huge profits. His wealth enabled him to crush rivals and buy influence with Julius Caesar. In fact, he bankrolled the army sent out to quash the Spartacus-led slave rebellion.

In gratitude, Caesar named Crassus governor of Syria, a land rich in resources. It should have been one more step in Crassus’ meteoric rise, but he flamed out like a falling star. He led a disastrous campaign against the Parthian Empire. After the battle of Carrhae, he parlayed for peace. But the Parthians poured liquid gold down his throat. One of the richest men who ever lived choked to death from a scalding dose of what he valued most in life. An exalted crony of Caesar, Crassus died in humiliation – a spectacle for the ancient world to behold.

Curiously, we know more about Crassus’ rise and fall than we do about Satan’s. The Bible offers little insight into the evil one’s exaltation and rebellion, although it does tell us something of his fall and ignominious destiny. We know the devil is a created being. We know he is powerful, clever, deceitful, rapacious, and deadly. We know he throws his full weight into a guerilla campaign against God and God’s people. We know he has a vast army of evil spirits who engage holy angels and humans in spiritual warfare. We know he has a kingdom and great authority over those he has taken captive.

But we also know his limits. Satan is neither omniscient, omnipotent, nor omnipresent, for these attributes belong to God alone. Equally important, we know that no matter how highly exalted he once was, or makes himself appear today, he is on a steep downward trajectory. He has been cast out of God’s throne room and banished from the heavenly realm. Today, he furiously bides his time prowling the earth. One day, the fires of hell – stoked particularly for him and his minions – are to be his everlasting place of torment (Matt. 25:41). 

But when did Satan become the evil one? How did wickedness rise in his heart? How did he ever get the notion he could defeat his creator? And why does he insist on taking as many people to hell with him as possible?

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Article XVI of The Baptist Faith & Message 2000: Peace and war

Following is another in a series of columns on The Baptist Faith & Message 2000.

The reconciliation of people to God must precede reconciliation of people to one another. We cannot truly live at peace with our neighbors until “the God of peace” resides in our hearts (Rom. 15:33).

Article XVI of The Baptist Faith & Message 2000 reads:

“It is the duty of Christians to seek peace with all men on principles of righteousness. In accordance with the spirit and teachings of Christ they should do all in their power to put an end to war. 

“The true remedy for the war spirit is the gospel of our Lord. The supreme need of the world is the acceptance of His teachings in all the affairs of men and nations, and the practical application of His law of love. Christian people throughout the world should pray for the reign of the Prince of Peace.”

God’s word commands Christians to love peace and to make peace. Jesus tells his listeners in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God” (Matt. 5:9). And the apostle Paul instructs his Roman readers, “If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Rom. 12:18).

Even so, followers of Jesus understand that conflicts of every kind have punctuated human history since the Fall. Adam and Eve’s firstborn son, Cain, strikes his brother in a murderous rage, and the human race quickly descends into a spiral of personal, societal, and global conflict that continues today.

According to the New York Times, over the last 3,400 years, humans have been entirely at peace for only 268 years, or just eight percent of recorded history. At least 108 million people were killed in the wars of the twentieth century. And estimates of the total loss of life in wars throughout history range from 150 million to one billion.

Add to this the war-induced spread of disease, displacement of people groups, reduced birthrates, and financial impact – World War II alone cost each American $20,388 – and it’s clear that sinful and fallen people are our own worst enemies.

The Prince of Peace himself said that “wars and rumors of wars” would characterize the present age (Matt. 24:6). Jesus offers no hope of lasting peace until he reigns supremely in our hearts and returns one day to establish his kingdom in fullness. Even then, his glorious appearing is one of warfare against the wicked, who violently oppose his righteous rule  (Rev. 19:11-21).

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Satan: What’s in a name?

Learn more above the evil one from a biblical view, and order your copy of this new resource from High Street Press.

What’s in a name? Our parents may have named us after beloved ancestors, movie stars, heroic leaders, or even favorite songs. Our daughter Aubrey, for example, shares the name of the title character in a 1970s pop hit. Popular names in one generation may fade as trendy new names emerge, only to return later. Others seem timeless, like James and Mary, which have remained the most popular U.S. baby names for a century.

It’s hard to know what on earth celebrity parents are thinking when they christen their kids “Moon Unit” or “Pilot Inspektor.” But even lyricist Shel Silverstein revealed a motive behind the dad who named his son “Sue”: 

But ya ought to thank me, before I die
For the gravel in ya guts and the spit in ya eye 

Biblical names seem a bit more purposeful. God names the first human Adam, which generally denotes “human being” or “mankind” and links to the Hebrew adama to indicate the earth from which he is formed. Pharaoh’s daughter names her adopted baby Moses, based on a Hebrew term that means “to draw out [of the water].” 

The LORD commands Hosea to name his sons Jezreel and Lo-ammi, and his daughter Lo-ruhamah, all of which signify pending judgment on Israel. Elizabeth and Zechariah insist on naming their child John, resisting all pressure to name him after his father, because that’s what the angel Gabriel has instructed them to do.

And then, of course, there are nicknames and descriptive titles. The son of Elizabeth and Zechariah comes to be known as John the Baptizer. God changes the names of Abram and Sarai to Abraham and Sarah, who receive a portion of the divine name, Yahweh, as a sign of God’s covenant with them. 

Disciples James and John are the sons of thunder. The apostle Thomas is called Didymus, which means “the twin.” And Saul of Tarsus becomes Paul, who gives himself a scathing nickname, “the worst of them [sinners].”

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Closing thoughts on the Angel of the LORD

Throughout this study, we have surveyed dozens of appearances, as well as possible appearances, of the angel of the LORD in Scripture. And we’ve tried to show how the person and work of this divine messenger foreshadow the coming Messiah. In short, we have labeled these appearances Christophanies, or appearances of the preincarnate Christ. 

But you may wonder: If the angel of the LORD really is Jesus, why doesn’t the Bible just say so? We clearly see God the Father at work in the Old Testament. And the Holy Spirit is personally active in creation and human history throughout the Hebrew Scriptures as well. So why are the alleged manifestations of the preincarnate Christ shrouded in mystery?

The short answer is: To keep Satan in the dark with respect to the triune God’s work of redemption. While there are some four hundred prophecies, appearances, or foreshadowings of Christ in the Old Testament, each one serves as a tiny piece of a very complex puzzle.

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Article XV of The Baptist Faith & Message 2000: The Christian and the social order

Following is another in a series of columns on The Baptist Faith & Message 2000.

The Bible instructs Christians to value our neighbors, society, and nation. This means taking an active role in the laws, customs, and moral fabric of our society.

Article XV of The Baptist Faith & Message 2000 reads:

“All Christians are under obligation to seek to make the will of Christ supreme in our own lives and in human society. Means and methods used for the improvement of society and the establishment of righteousness among men can be truly and permanently helpful only when they are rooted in the regeneration of the individual by the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ. In the spirit of Christ, Christians should oppose racism, every form of greed, selfishness, and vice, and all forms of sexual immorality, including adultery, homosexuality, and pornography. We should work to provide for the orphaned, the needy, the abused, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. We should speak on behalf of the unborn and contend for the sanctity of all human life from conception to natural death. Every Christian should seek to bring industry, government, and society as a whole under the sway of the principles of righteousness, truth, and brotherly love. In order to promote these ends Christians should be ready to work with all men of good will in any good cause, always being careful to act in the spirit of love without compromising their loyalty to Christ and His truth.”

Human beings cannot be made right with God through political processes, social programs, or religious affiliations. Only the transforming grace of Jesus Christ, the power of the gospel message, and the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit are able to breathe new life into the spiritually dead and make them adopted children of God the Father.

Even so, the Bible instructs Christians to value our neighbors, society, and nation. As the apostle Paul writes, “If possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Rom. 12:18). This means taking an active role in the laws, customs, and moral fabric of our society. 

As followers of Jesus, we begin by confessing that we are redeemed sinners who have not yet been fully conformed to the image of Christ. Put more plainly, we are far from perfect. Further, we live in a sinful and fallen world that groans beneath the weight of sin and waits eagerly for the return of Jesus to set things right (see Rom. 8:18-23). 

Jesus prayed, not that we would be removed from this world, but that the Father would protect us from the evil one, sanctify us in truth, and send us into the world to be salt and light (John 17:15-19; cf. Matt. 5:13-16). While we lack the power to create new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness dwells (2 Pet. 3:13), we are given the privilege of bearing testimony of the one who, one day, makes all things new (Rev. 21:5).

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