Learn what it is like to walk joyfully with the Lord, basking in His presence every minute of every day. This book is all about having and enjoying that deeper experience of knowing God. It will take you through the steps necessary to truly know the Lord. Whether you are a new Christian or an old saint, you can enjoy a closer walk with the Lord, living in His presence every second, knowing how much He loves you.
Throughout the Old Testament you will see a reference to “the angel of the Lord”. Who is the angel of the Lord? The angel seems to be not only of the Lord, but the Lord himself.
The first time we read about the angel of the Lord is in Genesis 16:7-13. In verse 10, the angel tells Hagar that he will increase her descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count. Could an angel do that? In verse 11 He refers to himself as Lord, and in verse 13, Hagar refers to Him as God.
“You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me”
In Genesis 22:11 we see the angel of the Lord stopped Abraham from killing his son. In verse 12 He refers to Himself as God.
“But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied. “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” (Genesis 22:11-12)
Then in verses 15, the angel of the Lord again speaks to Abraham.
“The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore.” (Genesis 22:15-17).
When the angel of the Lord appears to Moses in the burning bush (Exodus 3:2-6), He leaves no doubt about who He is, with His many references to being God.
“There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”
“When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
And Moses said, “Here I am.”
“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. (Exodus 3:2-6)
We see the angel of the Lord again in Numbers 22:21-38, when He confronts Balaam and his donkey. Here He reproofs Balaam and instructs him. In verse 38 Balaam refers to the angel of the Lord as God.
In Judges13, the angel of the Lord tells Manoah and his wife that they will have a son, (Samson), and gives them instructions for raising him. Later Manoah said to his wife, “We are doomed to die….We have seen God.”
In John 6:46, Jesus says that: “No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God”.
So who is “the angel of the Lord”? Obviously, it was not the Father who came as the Angel of the Lord. If it were God and it was not the Father, then it must have been the Son, our Lord. The Angel of the Lord is no ordinary angel.
What do we know about “the angel of the Lord”?
1. He is not an Angel.
2. He is not God the Father, because no man has seen the Father.
3. He is God, because the scriptures say He is.
4. He appears to be God, but separate from God (the Father) as Christ (the Son) and the Holy Spirit are.
5. He forgave sin, which only God can do.
Is this Christ? Did Christ walk upon the earth centuries before He was born a baby in Bethlehem? Not all Bible scholars are willing to say it is the Lord, but it certainly could have been, He was with Father from the beginning.
J. M. Wilson writes that while identifying him with God the Son is most tempting, “..it must be remembered that at best these are only conjectures that touch on a great mystery……The appearances of the angel of the Lord…..culminated in the coming of the Savior, and are thus a foreshadowing of, and preparation for, the full revelation of God in Jesus Christ. Further than this it is not safe to go.”
Most Bible scholars and students don’t hesitate to make that claim however. Calvin wrote:
“I am rather inclined however, to agree with the ancient writers, that in those passages wherein it is stated that the angel of the Lord appeared to Abraham, Jacob, and Moses, Christ was that angel.”
C. F. Dickason stated that the angel of the Lord “According to all evidence……seems to be the preincarnate Son.”
Billy Graham writes: “There are no grounds for questioning the very early and traditional Christian interpretation that in these cases there is a preincarnation manifestation of the second person of the Trinity.”
We know that Christ was here from the beginning, (John 1:1-4), and we can assume that “the angel of the Lord” was most likely Jesus.
Daniel was truly a man of God. We first read about Daniel shortly after Judah was captured by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. Daniel, along with other young men, was taken from Judah to Babylon to be trained for the king’s service.
We are probably more familiar with the story of Daniel being thrown into the lion’s den, than we are of his prophecies, which predicted the future. Be that as it may, his predictions of the future are much more important to us. They were so accurate, that critics of the Bible claimed they had to be written after the fact. They claimed the book of Daniel was a book of history rather than prophecy. However, the discovery of ancient manuscripts, some dating back to 250 BC, have quieted those critics.
These words were spoken by God to Moses when He called him to go down to Egypt and bring the children of Israel out of bondage. You remember how Moses tried to excuse himself. He said he wasn’t didn’t speak well — he wasn’t this and that — and he couldn’t go. Like Isaiah, he wanted the Lord to send someone else. Finally, the Lord said to Moses, “What is that in your hand?” He had a staff in his hand. It was just a stick that he had cut for the purpose of driving the sheep with. He could probably have gotten a better or straighter stick for a staff. Yet with that staff, he was to deliver the children of Israel. God linked His almighty power with the staff, and that was enough.
I can imagine that as Moses was on his way to Egypt, he may have met someone who might have asked him where he was going. “Down to Egypt.”
Really? Are you going down there again to live?”
“No, I’m going to bring my people out of bondage.”
The most notable prophecies in the Old Testament are those documenting the life of Christ. There are 60 major messianic prophecies and 270 minor prophecies regarding the coming messiah. In the New Testament, all these prophecies are fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ.
Below are sixty of the most common prophecies from the Old Testament that were fulfilled by Jesus.
He is the Son of God, Psalms 2:7
Fulfillment, Luke 1:31
The seed of the woman, Genesis 3:15
Fulfillment, Galatians 4:4
The seed of Abraham, Genesis 17:7, 22:18
Fulfillment Galatians 3:16
The seed of Isaac, Genesis 21:12
Fulfillment, Hebrews 11:17-19
The seed of David, Psalms 132:11, Jeremiah 23:5
Fulfillment, Acts 13:23, Romans 1:3
His coming at a set time, Genesis 49:10, Daniel 9:24-25
Fulfillment, Luke 2:1
His being born of a virgin, Isaiah 7:14
Fulfillment, Matthew 1:22-23, Luke 2:7
His being called Immanuel, Isaiah 7:14,
Fulfillment, Matthew 1:22
His being born in Bethlehem, Micah 5:2
Fulfillment, Matthew 2:1, Luke 2:4-6
Great people paying Him tribute, Psalms 72:10
Fulfillment, Matthew 2:1
The killing of the children of Bethlehem, Jeremiah 31:15
Fulfillment, Matthew 2:16-18
His being called out of Egypt, Hosea 11:1
Fulfillment, Matthew 2:15
His being preceded by John the Baptist, Isaiah 40:3, Malachi 3:1
Fulfillment, Matthew 3:1-3, Luke 1:7
His being anointed with the Spirit, Psalms 45:7, Isaiah 11:2, 61:1
The lack of forgiveness among Christians is, without doubt, the biggest reason that so many Christians are living a life of ineffectiveness. This is certainly true in their prayer lives.
D. L. Moody said: “I believe this (forgiveness) keeps more people from having power with God than any other thing; they are not willing to cultivate a spirit of forgiveness. If we allow the root of bitterness to spring up in our hearts against someone, our prayers will not be answered. It may not be an easy thing to live in sweet fellowship with all those with whom we come in contact, but that is why the grace of God is given to us.”
The “Lord’s Prayer” says that God will not forgive us if we don’t forgive others. This is the only part of the Lord’s prayer that Jesus explained.
There has been much written on how to pray. If you are unsure how to approach God in prayer, look at the great men of prayer, such as Daniel or Paul. Both men relied on prayer as the source of their strength and on doing the will of God.
Prayer in public is good, but it is when we are alone with God that prayer can take us even closer to the Almighty. At this time, prayer should not be a one-sided conversation; it should also be a time for quiet communion, meditation, listening to the Spirit, and praising God. It is a time of looking to God, the source of our help and strength. Let the Holy Spirit lead you.
As Christians, we want to pattern our lives after the life of Christ. We pray to be more like Him. We sing songs about being more like Him. There is nowhere where we should emulate Christ more than His prayer life.
Christ prayed to His Father for everything. Prayer preceded every great event in His life on earth. He prayed at His baptism (Luke 3:21-22). He prayed on the Mount of Transfiguration (Luke 9:28-29). He prayed all night long before choosing the twelve disciples, whom He deemed apostles (Luke 6:12-16). And of course, He prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, the night He was arrested before being crucified (Luke 22:39-44).
Is not praying a sin, or is it just a weakness? We have so many excuses for not praying. We are so busy, there just isn’t time, and then there are so many distractions in our lives, not to mention the interruptions that happen. We can come up with all kinds of reasons for neglecting fellowship with our Lord.
“My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14: 2-3).
Sharing Jesus 