Luke 2:9 New English Bible
9 when suddenly there stood before them an angel of the
Lord, and the splendour of the Lord shone round them. 10 They
were terror-stricken
The great renaissance prophet, Martin Luther[2],
commented on this verse. Firstly, Luther noted that this was the greatest news,
and God didn’t leave it to a great preacher. He sent, instead, a mighty angel
of the Lord.
Secondly, this all happened in the middle of the night when
things were the absolute darkest, even as God’s people were shrouded in
spiritual darkness.[3] Their high priest was
appointed by Rome. Corruption reigned in the priesthood. No matter that the
world was at a high point in its civilization.
Thirdly, the light that shone around the shepherds could not
be discovered by reason, by physics, by psychology. It was supernatural and
could only come from outside the earth, outside the solar system, outside the
universe.
There had been an attempted coup d’état in Heaven. Lucifer,
the mightiest angel in God’s creation, had revolted. He accused God of being
selfish, self-seeking, arbitrary, dictatorial. He spread lies about Him though
out the heavenly host. One-third of the angels swallowed his lies. They joined
him in the greatest mutiny of the universe. Lucifer became Satan, the very
embodiment of evil. Because of his cunning lies, the entire creation wondered
whether Satan’s lies had some truth to them. War broke out in earnest, and the
almighty God finally banished him from Heaven.
When Christ created this earth and placed humans on it,
Satan came on the run. He tricked the humans into joining his rebellion. So,
the dregs of the mutiny became life on the earth. Not only were humans fighting
against good, but humans started fighting each other. All humans, good and bad,
were subject to death—final irrevocable annihilation.
Christ Himself took on human form and demonstrated the real
characteristics of God on earth. He demonstrated a God of love, incorruptible,
unending, unfathomable love. He was not willing that any should die but that
all might be saved. This was the Angel of the Lord’s announcement. He told the
only humans ready for this great news—a band of shepherds minding their sheep.
He was
joined by a mighty army of God’s angels who sang “Glory to God in highest
heaven, and on earth his peace for men on whom his favor rests.” They offered
everyone the choice of God’s favor. As we enter 2022, this offer is very real
to you and me. All we have to do is accept it.
O Lord, I pray that all who read this blog
will accept Your gracious offer!
Labels: #California, #IE, #Inland Empire, #Luther, #MartinLuther,
#Angel, #Darkness, #Priest, #Love, #Evil, #Satan, #Lucifer, #Humans, #Rebellion,
#Heaven, #Banished, #Christ, #Gracious, #Army, #Annihilation, #Mutiny
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