O COME ANGEL BAND
by Erwin Bourne “That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared among them and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terribly frightened, but the angel reassured them. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you good news of great joy for everyone. The Savior—the Messiah, the Lord—has been born tonight in Bethlehem.’ …Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others—the armies of heaven—praising God.” How many angels are there in heaven? To answer this let’s take notice how many fallen angels there must be. According to Revelation 12:4, the dragon’s tail “drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth” (Rev. 12:4 KJV). So two-thirds of the angels are at God’s command. In II King 6:16, the prophet Elisha told his servant, “Don’t be afraid…for there are more on our side than on theirs!” Then the prophet asked the Lord to “open his eyes and let him see!” Then the servant looked up and saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire (NLT). Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane told His disciples: “Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and He would send them instantly?” (Mt. 26:53). But Jesus came to earth to die and did not call for a defense though it was in His power. History of missions is filled with stories when God did send visible troops of angels for defense. The following poem graphically reveals the faith of foreign missionaries. Some were delivered by visible angels. Others suffered martyrdom. AFRAID OF WHAT? Afraid? Of what? To feel the spirit’s glad release! To pass from pain to perfect peace, The strife and strain of life to cease! Afraid—of that? Afraid? Of what? Afraid to see the Savior’s face, To hear His welcome and to trace The glory gleam from wounds of grace? Afraid?—of that! Afraid? Of what? A flash, a crash, a pierced heart. Darkness, light, O Heaven’s art! A wound of His a counterpart? Afraid?—of that! Afraid? Of what? To do by death what life could not— Baptize with blood a stony plot, Till souls shall blossom from that spot. Afraid?—of that?
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