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Don’t Provoke Angels!

The Scriptures offer evidence that angels are assigned to each person (Psalm 91:11 & Matthew 18:10) for the purpose of serving us in the sense of waiting on tables (Hebrews 1:14). How exactly does this work or not work? It must be understood that Angels respond to the voice of God’s Word:

Bless the LORD, O you his angels,

you mighty ones who do his word,

obeying the voice of his word!

Psalm 103:20 (ESV)

God’s written Word has no voice unless we speak it. When the Holy Spirit conveys a word to you in your spirit — whether you discern it as an impression, desire or inner voice — it also has no voice unless you speak it. Even if a New Testament prophet speaks a divine word over you and it’s confirmed in your spirit, that word has no ongoing voice in your life unless you agree with it and declare it. Whatever the case, when we speak the promises of God in faith we give voice to God’s Word and this releases the angels to assist in carrying out whatever miracle for which we’re believing. This is their very purpose — “to serve those who will inherit salvation,” i.e. people (Hebrews 1:14).

However, if you don’t speak according to God’s Word then your angels cannot obey the voice of the Word because you’re not giving voice to it. They are thus hindered—prevented—from fulfilling their purpose and you won’t partake of their benefit.

Failing to voice God’s Word in faith will tie-up your angels, so to speak, and prevent them from fulfilling their God-given mandate to serve you. In the vacuum, wicked spirits naturally have more liberty of movement to harass and oppress.

This is bad enough, but it would be worse to vex the angels assigned to you—that is, annoy and provoke them. How do you provoke angels? Through a stubborn spirit of unbelief and the corresponding words & actions. A good example of this can be observed when the archangel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah to inform him of his wife’s pregnancy and their forthcoming Nazarite son, John the Baptist:

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

Luke 1:11-20

It’s understandable that the sudden appearance of a supernatural being “startled” Zechariah and so he was “gripped with fear.” However, after Gabriel conveyed his wonderful message Zechariah responded in unbelief, doubting that he & Elizabeth could have a baby due to their age. This offended Gabriel and so he strikes Zechariah dumb for nine months until the baby was ready to be birthed (verses 57-64). Why was Gabriel so irked? Because he was astounded by Zechariah’s unbelief in response to the supernatural appearance of a ruling angel who regularly stood in the very presence of the Almighty.

This is evidence that our negative actions—persistent unbelief or sin—can provoke angels, resulting in some type of penalty or discipline. It goes without saying that we should respond in faith to God’s Word, wherever it comes from, and not react with doubt and unbelief!

Why do you think Gabriel struck Zechariah dumb? Because “the tongue has the power of life and death” (Proverbs 18:21). If Zechariah continued to speak his unbelief it would’ve prevented the miracle of John’s birth from taking place! Thus Gabriel silenced his tongue until John was born.

Mary, by contrast, did not respond in unbelief to Gabriel’s message regarding her miraculous pregnancy and the coming Messiah:

The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

Luke 1:28-38

Mary’s question was a legitimate one and not unbelief in light of the fact that she was a virgin. After Gabriel explained how the miracle would take place she humbly responds in faith: “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”

She wasted no time in visiting Elizabeth where she ecstatically proclaimed: “the Mighty One has done great things for me” (verse 49). Mary spoke of her miracle in the past tense even though there was zero physical evidence of her supernatural pregnancy at this point, which shows faith.

So Zachariah vexed an angel through stubborn unbelief and thus suffered humiliating dumbness for nine months whereas Mary responded in faith and was blessed. Take heed.

Don’t Provoke The Angel of the LORD

We are responsible for the words we speak and what we believe in our hearts—our thought life—including the words we speak & believe over other people. Combined with the force of belief, our words have power, both positive and negative. Why do you think Christ said: “For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:37)?

Speaking of Jesus Christ, we must be careful to not provoke The Angel of the LORD through unrepentant rebellion. Consider the following example where the LORD addresses the Israelites after their deliverance from bondage in Egypt on their way to the Promised Land of Canaan:

“See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. 21 Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him. 22 If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. 23 My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out.”

Exodus 23:20-23

As you can see, a mighty “angel” was assigned to the Israelites to:

  1. Guard the Israelites along their way (verse 20).
  2. Give instructions from the LORD (verses 21-22).
  3. Go ahead of them (verse 23).
  4. Lead them into the Promised Land (verses 20 & 23).

Who is this angel? The Hebrew word for “angel” is malak (mal-AWK), which simply means “a messenger, supernatural or human.” The word appears over two hundred times in the Old Testament and most often refers to supernatural messengers (Genesis 19:1) while sometimes referring to human ones (Genesis 32:3,6 & Isaiah 30:4).

Malak is used several times in reference to “The Angel of the LORD,” the pre-incarnate Christ. A good example is when The Angel of the LORD appeared to meek Gideon (Judges 6:11,14). That linking article shows that this was no ordinary angel, but rather God, the Son, and how a whole chapter of the Bible is devoted to proving that Christ is vastly superior to angels (Hebrews 1).

So what about this “angel” that went ahead of the Israelites and led them into the Promised Land? Was it a conventional angel or The Angel of the LORD, the pre-incarnate Christ? The latter. Here’s the evidence:

  1. The LORD said that His name—YHWH—was “in him” (verse 21). “In him” is one word in the Hebrew, qereb (KEH-reb), meaning in the “midst” or “within.” In other words, God’s name is intrinsically linked to this specific messenger and there’s only one “angel” (malak) in the Bible with this particular honor, The Angel of the LORD.
  2. The statement that this “angel” would “not forgive” their rebellion (verse 21) obviously meant not forgiving those who were incorrigibly rebellious. How do we know this? Because the LORD always forgives the humbly repentant (1 John 1:9, Psalm 32:5 & Proverbs 28:13). So this Angel had the capacity to forgive or not forgive sin, which is a divine quality. Conventional angels, by contrast, are mandated to serve people in the sense of waiting on their tables, so to speak; they don’t have the authority to forgive or not forgive sin.
  3. This “angel” is mandated to lead the Israelites into their Promised Land (verses 20 & 23) and, in the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit is the one who leads believers, not angels. Angels serve The Holy Spirit is, of course, the “Spirit of Christ” (Romans 8:9). Just as The Angel of the LORD led the Israelites into their earthly Promised Land so the Spirit of Christ leads New Covenant believers into their earthly “promised land” (I say earthly “promised land” to distinguish it from our eternal Promised Land, which is the “new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness” – 2 Peter 3:13). We’ll look at this further at the end of this article, but more so in this article (the last two sections).
  4. The key to victory in the forthcoming takeover of Canaan would not be the Hebrews’ military might, but rather the presence of The Angel of the LORD, who is Christ, along with the Israelites’ obedience. Just the same, believers in the New Testament do not conquer their “promised land” by their own might, but rather through the power of Christ and our compliance (Philippians 4:13). I add “and our compliance” because a covenant is an agreement or contract between two parties where each party has terms to fulfill. In our case, believers are obligated to believe (that is, walk in faith) and endure on the foundation of love—love for God and love for people as we love ourselves. This is “Faith working through love.” We’ll go over these things in this article (in the section The New Covenant is Superior to the Old Covenant).

“Do Not Rebel Against Him”

With the understanding that this “angel” is The Angel of the LORD—the pre-incarnate Christ—God instructed the Israelites to listen to what he said and not rebel against him (verse 21). The King James Version phrases this as “provoke him not” whereas the New King James Version says “do not provoke him.” The Hebrew word for “provoke” is marar (maw-RAR), which is used 13 times in the Old Testament and means to make bitter, grieve, provoke, enrage or vex.

What can we get from this? Rebellion against the Angel’s divine messages would provoke him—grieve him, vex him, enrage him. He would not forgive obstinate rebellion and hence the guilty Hebrews would have to suffer the corresponding punishment. And what is the wages of unrepentant sin? Death (Romans 6:23 & James 1:14-15).

Unfortunately, the Israelites foolishly provoked The Angel through their incorrigible rebellion and suffered accordingly.

Bear in mind that it was God’s express will for them to escape slavery in Egypt and inherit the Promised Land (Exodus 3:8,17 & 13:5). In fact, The Angel of the LORD was commissioned to fulfill this, but success hinged on the Israelites’ faithfulness (Exodus 23:20-23). Sadly, the Hebrews kept rebelling with their persistent spirit of unbelief.

A good example is when twelve spies explored the Promised Land in preparation to conquer it and ten of them came back with a negative report that contradicted God’s will. Joshua and Caleb were the only two who were faithful to the LORD’s Word (Numbers 13-14). The negative report spread and thus the Israelites said in unison: “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” (Numbers 14:2-3).

Notice God’s response:

“As surely as I live, declares the LORD, I will do to you the very thing I heard you say: 29 In this wilderness your bodies will fall—every one of you twenty years old or more who was counted in the census and who has grumbled against me. 30 Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.”

Numbers 14:28-30

The disobedient Israelites were punished according to their own unbelieving words. They said they would die in the desert and thus it would be so over the course of the next forty years, starting with the immediate deaths of the ten unfaithful spies via plague (verses 36-37). Thankfully, the LORD did not hold those under 20 years of age accountable. The only two older than 19 (at the time) to enter the Promised Land four decades later were Joshua and Caleb because they walked in obedience to God’s Word and did not provoke The Angel of the LORD who was leading them to Canaan.

I want to stress: It was God’s will for all of them to live and inherit the Promised Land. But they stubbornly and stupidly opposed God’s will by believing a negative report and used the power of their tongues to voice words of unbelief. So the LORD gave to them accordingly. They said “We’re going to die in the desert” and that’s exactly what happened. What you say and believe is what you get.

It’s important to drive this home: Our words have the power of life and death (Proverbs 18:21). (See this article for further insights). Make sure you speak life and not death. Make sure you speak according to God’s will and not against it because otherwise you risk hindering heavenly angels from servicing you and consequently opening the door for fallen angels to attack. Even worse, those who walk in exceptional unbelief and incorrigible rebellion risk vexing their angels and even provoking the Mighty Christ.

For anyone who finds this incredulous, please consider that…

What Happened to the Israelites Are Examples for Us

Are these Old Testament events applicable to us today? And, if so, how? Assuming you’re a New Covenant believer, notice what the New Testament says in this regard:

Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. 7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.” 8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test Christ, as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.

11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come.

1 Corinthians 10:6-11

As you can see, what happened to the Israelites in the Old Testament was chronicled as sobering “examples” and “warnings” for us—New Covenant believers—so that we would not foolishly walk in the same transgressions and suffer accordingly. Four sins and the corresponding occasions are named:

  1. Idolatry: This means worshiping something above the LORD, which doesn’t have to be a literal idol; it could be something like mammon (money). Paul got this example from Exodus 32 where the Israelites—barely out of Egypt—fell into gross idol worship.
  2. Sexual immorality: This includes all forms of sexual sin—fornication, adultery, homosexuality and so forth. This also refers to what took place in Exodus 32. The figure of 23,000 deaths is a combination of the 3000 killed by the Levites at Sinai for instigating the mass orgy (verse 28) and the participators who died from the subsequent plague (verse 35).
  3. Testing Christ: This refers to questioning the goodness and plan of the Almighty, who created us, leads us, protects us and provides for us. This example comes from Numbers 21:4-9 where the Israelites became impatient and frustrated due to Moses’ circuitous route to the Promised Land where they proceeded to speak “against God and against Moses” (verses 5 & 7). Thus the LORD sent venomous snakes against the rebels and killed them (verse 6). The only way those bitten could live was to look at a snake on a pole made by Moses at the LORD’s instructions, which foreshadowed Jesus’ death on the cross.*

* Why would Christ be pictured as a snake on the cross? Because, although Jesus didn’t sin, he was made “sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21 NASB).

Two significant things bear noting from this account: First, the attacking snakes were types of the devil & filthy spirits. How’s this apply to us? Simple: Unbelief and the corresponding disobedience hinders protective angels and looses evil spirits (“snakes”). Secondly, Paul by the Spirit says that the Israelites tested “Christ” whereas the Old Testament account in Numbers specifically says they spoke against “God” and the “LORD” (verses 4 & 7). You see, Christ is the LORD, albeit the Son, not the Father. The Israelites were speaking against The Angel of the LORD whose job was to lead them through the wilderness and into the Promised Land. Thus the Israelites “spoke against the LORD,” which “tested Christ.” Chew on that.

  1. Grumbling: This means complaining — murmuring and muttering in smoldering discontent — which includes complaining against God’s will, his Word and his leading, not to mention his God-anointed servant-leaders, like Moses & Aaron were to the Israelites. Paul says that those who obstinately grumbled were “killed by the destroying angel.” This refers to Numbers 16 where Korah, Dathan & Abiram and their 250 followers grumbled against the LORD and his chosen leaders (verse 11). It also includes the thousands of Israelites who grumbled the day after these rebels were slain by the LORD, which brought about the death of 14,700 more Israelites. These complaining rebels “were killed by the destroying angel”!!

Do you want to be slain by the destroying angel? Of course you don’t. So don’t grumble against the LORD, his Word, his will or his anointed servant-leaders. For anyone who would argue that this doesn’t apply to New Testament believers and our assemblies, the above passage plainly says otherwise.

This doesn’t mean, of course, that you should tolerate abuse from ministers (abuse is the misuse of power). In the case of Numbers 16 Moses & Aaron were not guilty of abuse. As a matter of fact, Moses was the humblest, godliest man on the face of the Earth at the time (see Numbers 12:3-8), which is in contrast to some modern arrogant “ministers” (‘minister,’ by the way, means “servant”). If you have legitimate evidence of abuse by spiritual leaders, pray about it and confront the person as led of the Spirit, as humbly as possible. If the person is unrepentant then get one or two witnesses for support in a follow-up confrontation. Christ Himself instructed us to do this (Matthew 18:15-17). If the “minister” remains obstinate about his/her abuse then do what the Messiah adamantly instructed: “Leave them; they are blind guides” (Matthew 15:14).

More on the Application of 1 Corinthians 10:6-11

Needless to say, 1 Corinthians 10:6-11 is a sobering passage and we need to regularly examine ourselves to see if we’re honestly in the faith and repent as necessary (2 Corinthians 13:5).

The four transgressions listed—idolatry, sexual immorality, testing God and grumbling—are common sins (1 Corinthians 10:13). All believers miss it now & then and anyone who says they don’t is a liar (1 John 1:8). But servant-leaders are supposed to be spiritually mature and therefore freed-up from the bigger sins (1 Timothy 3:1-7). After all, if they aren’t free from sin how can they help others walk free?

Regardless, all believers must learn to daily “put off the old self”—the flesh—and “put on the new self” (Ephesians 4:22-24). This is a process that requires “keeping with repentance,” meaning humbly ’fessing up when you miss it, which keeps God’s grace and forgiveness flowing in your life (1 John 1:9). Theologians refer to this process as sanctification, which means purification. It’s a purification of the mind that naturally occurs as believers grow spiritually.

The last two sins listed—testing Christ and grumbling—are applicable to the topic of angels, which is why we’re addressing this passage:

Testing Christ. Believers commit this sin when they speak against the LORD, his Word or his genuine servant-leaders. This automatically ties-up angels because angels only obey the voice of God’s Word. If believers are speaking against God’s Word, angels have nothing upon which to act. Instead, evil spirits—“snakes”—will be released to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10). If you don’t want this happening in your life then don’t speak against God’s Word, his will or his genuine servant-leaders.

Grumbling. Amazingly, Korah and his fellow rebels grumbled against the LORD and Moses for delivering them from the bondage of Egypt (!), which they outrageously referred to as “a land flowing with milk and honey” (Numbers 16:12-13). I say “outrageously” because this was how God described the Promised Land he wanted to give the Israelites (Exodus 3:8). They also complained about being taken from Egypt to be killed in the desert. After Korah & his rebels were judged and wiped off the face of the Earth, thousands of Israelites complained about it and thus 14,700 were killed by “the destroying angel” via a plague that came out from the LORD (Numbers 16:46). The Bible applies this Old Testament account to New Testament believers. Needless to say, if you don’t want to be “killed by the destroying angel” then don’t be a grumbler.

But this leaves us with a question…

Who Is “the Destroying Angel”?

Believe it or not, the “destroying angel” refers to the LORD, the Son—The Angel of the LORD. If you find this incredulous, allow the Scriptures to prove it to you beyond any shadow of doubt.

Let’s start by revisiting the verse in question:

And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.

1 Corinthians 10:10

As detailed above, Paul is referring to the events of Numbers 16. On this occasion three sets of rebels were killed:

  1. Korah, Dathan & Abiram, their families and Korah’s men: They were killed when the Earth opened up beneath them and swallowed them alive (Numbers 16:25-34). Moses specified that it was “the LORD” who did this (verse 30).
  2. The 250 community leaders who supported Korah’s rebellion and offered incense: They were killed when “fire came out from the LORD and consumed them” (Numbers 16:35).
  3. The 14,700 Israelites who complained against Moses and Aaron because the LORD slew the rebels en masse. They were killed when wrath came out from “the LORD” in the form of a plague (Numbers 16:41-50). Many more would’ve died if atonement hadn’t been made through Moses and Aaron.

According to the account itself, who killed the grumbling rebels? The LORD Himself through 1. the Earth opening up, 2. fire and 3. plague. There is no mention of a conventional angel in Numbers 16 carrying out these just executions. Thus when Paul says they were “killed by the destroying angel” in 1 Corinthians 10:10 he was referring to the LORD.

I should point out that the Greek word for ‘angel’ does not actually appear in 1 Corinthians 10:10, which is why some versions read like so:

Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were destroyed by the destroyer.

1 Corinthians 10:10 (NASB)

The King James Version also translates it this way.

“The destroying angel” (in the NIV) or “the destroyer” (in the NASB and KJV) is just one word in the Greek, olothreutés (ol-oth-ryoo-TACE), which only appears this single time in Scripture. The word stems from the noun olethros (OL-eth-ros), which means “ruin, doom, destruction, death.” Olethros can refer to physical death, but Paul also used it in reference to human damnation:

…This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction (olethros) and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might

2 Thessalonians 1:7-9

This refers to the fate of unredeemed people who refuse Christ as LORD. Since they reject the Redeemer and His gracious gift of eternal life they must justly suffer the wages of sin, which is death (Romans 6:23). This passage describes their fate as “everlasting destruction,” meaning destruction that lasts forever with no hope of resurrection. John described it as “the second death,” the result of being discarded in the lake of fire, which is God’s garbage dump (Revelation 20:11-15).

Notice that the above passage—2 Thessalonians 1:7-9—clearly shows “the Lord Jesus” as the one who issues out this destruction. Father God doesn’t do it because he “lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see” (1 Timothy 6:16). The heavenly Father speaks to people through the Son. He creates through the Son. In fact everything seen and unseen has been made by the Son (Hebrews 1:2 & Colossians 1:16). This explains why Christ has the authority to destroy, if necessary. Why? Because He’s the One who created in the first place. If you legally build a structure on your property the only one who has the authority to destroy it is you. It’s the same principle here. We’ll talk about this more in a moment.

With all this in mind, let’s return to 1 Corinthians 10:10. Paul said that the grumbling rebels put to death in Numbers 16 were killed by “the destroying angel” or “the destroyer.” Who is this destroyer? It’s the LORD Himself, the Son. We know this because, as noted above, the account three times attributes the just executions of the rebels to the LORD. No other being is mentioned as their destroyer, except the LORD, who performed the executions through 1. the Earth opening up, 2. fire and 3. plague.

Believers Are “Saved” From the LORD’s Wrath

Christians are said to be “saved,” but saved from what? Many believers don’t realize this but we are actually saved from God’s wrath. In other words, we are saved from God Himself. This is plainly observed in John’s solemn declaration: “Whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them” (John 3:36). Here’s further evidence:

But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.

Romans 2:5

 Since we have now been justified by his [Jesus’] blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him?

Romans 5:9

 Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

1 Thessalonians 1:10

For God did not appoint us to suffer [his] wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:9

As you can see, Christians are saved from God’s wrath which, according to Romans 2:5 above, will be executed on the Day of Judgment, referred to as “the day of God’s wrath.” *

* Many people will experience God’s wrath poured out on this Earth during the coming Tribulation, but the vast majority of unsaved humanity will not experience his wrath until their Judgment Day (Revelation 20:11-15).

Yet, what exactly is God’s wrath? In the Old Testament anyone who incurred God’s wrath was to suffer destruction at his hands (see, for example, Psalm 106:23 and Ezekiel 20:13). In the same way, when God’s wrath is poured out on Judgment Day, whoever’s name is not found written in the book of life will suffer destruction at his hands.

This explains why Hebrews 10:31 says “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” The context of this text is human damnation, as verified by verses 26-27:

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left, 27 but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.

Hebrews 10:26-27

This is reminiscent of the way the 250 followers of Korah were justly executed by the LORD, i.e. the Son:

And fire came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.

Numbers 16:35

So, when Hebrews 10:31 says “It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God,” who’s “hands” is it talking about? Not the Father, but the Son.

Now let’s revisit three of the verses cited above:

Since we have now been justified by his [Jesus’] blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him?

Romans 5:9

Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

1 Thessalonians 1:10

For God did not appoint us to suffer [his] wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:9

Observe how these verses specify that it’s the Lord Jesus Christ who saves us from Father God’s wrath. With this in mind, consider this passage:

There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the one who is able to save and destroy.

James 4:12

You see, the LORD is either going to save people or destroy them based on how they respond to his gracious offer of forgiveness and eternal life (Acts 20:21). In light of this, ponder something Jesus said:

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

Matthew 10:28

The Greek word for ‘hell’ here is Gehenna (GHEH-en-nah), which literally referred to the Valley of Hinnom (HIN-om), a constantly smoking trash dump outside the SW walls of Jerusalem where garbage was eradicated. Jesus was simply using Gehenna as a figure for the lake of fire. Note what he says will happen to unrepentant rebels cast into the lake of fire: “the One” will destroy both soul and body. Who is “the One” who will destroy them? The LORD, of course, but more specifically the Son. In other words, Jesus was warning his listeners of what he himself would do to the willingly irredeemable on Judgment Day.

“Kiss the Son, Lest… You Perish in the Way”

What we’re talking about is clearly observed in this Old Testament passage:

10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;

        be warned, you rulers of the earth.

11 Serve the LORD with fear,

        And rejoice with trembling.

12  Kiss the Son, lest He be angry,

        And you perish in the way,

    When His wrath is kindled but a little.

        Blessed are all those

        who put their trust in Him.

Psalm 2:10-12 (NIV/NASB*)

* Verse 10 is from the NIV whereas verses 11-12 are from the NASB.

The passage is speaking to “kings” or “rulers of the earth”—encouraging them to “serve the LORD with fear.” This is referring to Yahweh but, more specifically, the Son.

World leaders—and all people by extension—are instructed to “kiss the Son,” which simply means to honor him, i.e. worship him. This includes putting your trust in Him. The first part of verse 12 says that those who refuse to do so risk angering the Son and thus they will “perish in the way.”

You see, Christ is our Creator—the “Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy” (James 4:12)—and he will save or destroy based on our response to His graciousness. In our case, this means his gracious offer of eternal life that is received through repentance and faith (Acts 20:21). Only the stupidest of fools would reject such an awesome free gift and continue on the path of certain death.

There’s nothing morally or judicially wrong with the fact that the Lord is going to irreversibly destroy sinful people who reject his gift of eternal life. How so? Because the Bible repeatedly makes it clear that the wages of sin is death and, furthermore, our Creator—Christ—has made sure that every human heart instinctively realizes this (Romans 1:32). Thus, people who reject redemption through Christ in favor of living a sinful lifestyle are indeed choosing the wages of their actions, death (whether choosing it consciously or subconsciously). And Yeshua will unenthusiastically accommodate them because he respects their freewill. The LORD alone is the ultimate authority and giver of life and therefore he has the authority and right to take life away—if he must.

Justice, after all, demands the execution of the penalty of the law. In this case the penalty of the law is death—eternal death—death with no hope of resurrection. As noted earlier, Paul referred to this sentence as “everlasting destruction” in 2 Thessalonians 1:9. Its execution is necessary in order that God may be just. A government that never calls offenders of the law to account is contemptible and wicked. The biblical doctrine of eternal punishment is our assurance that God is essentially and unchangingly holy and just. (Please note that I said “eternal punishment” and not “eternal punishing”).

See this article for scriptural details on human damnation.

Examples of The Angel of the LORD Destroying

With the understanding that 1. Christ is The Angel of the LORD and 2. that he has the authority to justly destroy anything he creates, if necessary, let’s examine a couple examples of this from the Old Testament.

This first example concerns the LORD destroying the firstborn males of Egypt in order to provoke Pharaoh to let the Israelites go free; Moses is speaking to the elders of Israel:

“When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.”

24 “Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. 25 When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. 26 And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ 27 then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’ ”

Exodus 12:23-27

Observe that it’s the LORD Himself who was going to pass through Egypt; and the final verse specifies that it is the LORD who would strike down the Egyptians, i.e. slay all the firstborn males. But verse 23 specifies further that it is “the destroyer” who would actually smite them. While I suppose this “destroyer” could be an archangel, like Michael (the chief angel who enforces law and judgment, as covered in this article), it’s more likely the pre-incarnate Christ—The Angel of the LORD—in light of the specificity of verse 27.

A passage in the Psalms sheds additional light:

42 They [the Israelites] did not remember his

[God’s] power—

       the day he redeemed them from the oppressor,

43 the day he displayed his signs in Egypt,

       his wonders in the region of Zoan.

44 He turned their river into blood;

       they could not drink from their streams.

45 He sent swarms of flies that devoured them,

       and frogs that devastated them.

46 He gave their crops to the grasshopper,

       their produce to the locust.

47 He destroyed their vines with hail

       and their sycamore-figs with sleet.

48 He gave over their cattle to the hail,

       their livestock to bolts of lightning.

49 He unleashed against them his hot anger,

       his wrath, indignation and hostility—

       a band of destroying angels.

50 He prepared a path for his anger;

       he did not spare them from death

       but gave them over to the plague.

51 He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt,

       the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham.

52 But he brought his people out like a flock;

       he led them like sheep through the wilderness.

Psalm 78:42-52

This is a brief, poetic account of the ten plagues of Egypt, which occurred after the pharaoh refused to let the Israelites go. As you can see, it was the LORD Himself—the pre-incarnate Christ—who executed the ten plagues, but verse 49 shows that he had the assistance of “a band of destroying angels” to carry out at least some of these judgments; the text doesn’t specify which ones.

As far as the execution of the firstborn is concerned, however, Exodus 12:23 above doesn’t say that the LORD used angels (plural) to accomplish this, just that he would release “the destroyer” (singular) to do so. Since Exodus 12:27 cites the LORD as the One who struck down the firstborn we may conclude that the pre-incarnate Christ—The Angel of the LORD—is this “destroyer.”

Offering support is this passage, which concerns God’s judgment on Israel after David arrogantly took a census of his fighting men:

Before David got up the next morning, the word of the LORD had come to Gad the prophet, David’s seer: 12 “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the LORD says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for me to carry out against you.’ ”

13 So Gad went to David and said to him, “Shall there come on you three years of famine in your land? Or three months of fleeing from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague in your land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the one who sent me.”

14 David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the LORD, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into human hands.”

15 So the LORD sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died. 16 When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD relented concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the Lord was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

2 Samuel 24:11-16

God offered King David three options as punishment for his sin: 1. three years of famine in Israel, 2. three months of Israel being defeated by their enemies or 3. three days of plague. David chose the last one, likely because it involved the shortest length of judgment, but also because suffering plague would be a case of falling “into the hands of the LORD” and David was familiar with God’s great mercy, which was preferable to falling “into human hands” (verse 14). Note that David attributes the ensuing plague to the LORD Himself.

The next verse specifies that it is “the LORD”—Yahweh—who sends the plague on Israel, which kills 70,000 Hebrews. Verse 16 then shows the LORD preventing The Angel of the LORD from destroying Jerusalem by commanding him: “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” As noted earlier, the Angel of the LORD is the pre-incarnate Christ.

If this is so, how do we explain that the LORD talks to The Angel of the LORD as a separate person? Simple, it’s evidence of what theologians call “the Trinity”: Father God instructed the Son to withhold his hand from destroying the capital city and the Son complied. This is in harmony with what Jesus testified—He only does what the Father commands (John 8:29 & 15:10).

This isn’t something peculiar to 2 Samuel 24:16 as we observe the same thing in other passages, like this one:

That night the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies!

2 Kings 19:35

And this one:

Then the angel of the LORD said, “LORD Almighty, how long will you withhold mercy from Jerusalem and from the towns of Judah, which you have been angry with these seventy years?” 13 So the LORD spoke kind and comforting words to the angel who talked with me.

Zechariah 1:12-13

This passage shows that both “the angel of the LORD” and Father God were present at the same time. Since we know Christ is The Angel of the LORD this text is simply depicting two persons of the Trinity talking to each other. This explains, by the way, why God refers to Himself in the plural in the creation account:

Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness…”

Genesis 1:26

And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”

Genesis 3:22

This plurality doesn’t indicate the false notion of polytheism, however, because the Bible emphasizes that God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4 & Isaiah 45:5,6,18). Rather, it’s an indication of one God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19 & 2 Corinthians 13:14).

In any case, The Angel of the LORD who was about to “destroy Jerusalem,” as detailed in 2 Samuel 24:16, is the same Angel the Israelites were warned not to provoke in Exodus 23:21—the mighty pre-incarnate Christ.

Is it possible, or even likely, that Christ utilized the services of “destroying angels” to carry out the just destruction in question? Yes. But this does not make him any less “the destroyer” as the angels who assisted him wouldn’t destroy anything without his authorization. Speaking of which…

The LORD Utilized the Help of Destroying Angels

Let’s go back to Psalm 78:

He [God] unleashed against them his hot anger,

    his wrath, indignation and hostility—

    a band of destroying angels.

Psalm 78:49

What we see here is the LORD utilizing the services of angels to carry out his wrath on those judged; in this case, the destruction of Egypt through the various plagues. Examples of this can be observed in both the Old and New Testaments. Let’s look at an example from each…

Just before the obliteration of Sodom & Gomorrah three “men” appeared to Abraham with one turning out to be the LORD, the pre-incarnate Christ (Genesis 18:1-3,10). The LORD informed Abraham of his intentions of destroying these wicked cities because “the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous” (verse 20).

The two “men” who accompanied the LORD then left for Sodom while Abraham spoke to the LORD on behalf of the two cities (verses 22-33). Christ agreed to not destroy Sodom & Gomorrah if ten righteous people could be found there; unfortunately, this wasn’t the case and the cities were doomed.

The two men who went to Sodom were angels masquerading as men (Hebrews 13:2). They went to the city to get Lot and his family out of the city before its destruction. We observe the wickedness of Sodom when men from every part of the city surrounded Lot’s house in order to have perverted “sex” with Lot’s two guests (Genesis 19:4-5). These angelic visitors were likely exceptional looking and word spread around town, stirring up degenerate lust in the male populace.

This was certain proof for God’s angelic spies that the cities were wicked enough to incur judgment so they instructed Lot to get his family members and flee the city. They said:

“…we are going to destroy this place. The outcry to the LORD against its people is so great that he has sent us to destroy it.”

Genesis 19:13

While verse 29 says that “God destroyed the cities on the plain” he obviously enlisted two destroying angels to carry out the judgment.

Interestingly, when Lot hesitated escaping the area, the angels “grasped his hand and the hands of his wife and of his two daughters and led them safely out of the city, for the Lord was merciful to them” (verse 16). I point this out to show that these angels carried out their God-given mandate—to serve those who are to inherit salvation (Hebrews 1:14).

In the New Testament there’s the example of Herod Agrippa, who unjustly arrested many Christians and even had James the son of Zebedee executed (Acts 12:1-5). God is merciful and therefore showed Herod much patience even though he was severely persecuting His church. But when Herod imprisoned Peter and put James to death his days were numbered and he was dangerously nearing the limit of God’s tolerance (1 Thessalonians 2:15-16).

Unfortunately, Herod chose to repeatedly spurn God’s awesome grace and so the Lord withdrew his mercy and decisively executed stern judgment at a political speech where Herod accepted praise due only to the Almighty and thus “an angel of the Lord struck him down” (Acts 12:21-23). What happened? Herod’s pomp and unjust acts reached the limit of God’s tolerance and thus judgment fell. The LORD utilized the services of an angel to carry out his judgment, which was death, the wages of sin.

This occurred in the New Testament era and this is our LORD whom Jesus and Paul said we should emulate (Matthew 5:48 & Ephesians 5:1). Chew on that.

Christ the Destroyer?

I realize that some reading this might be having a hard time wrapping their heads around the idea that Christ is both savior and destroyer. This is the result of years of religious indoctrination where Jesus has been made out to be little more than a harmless smiley guy who walks around in a white dress. It’s the “Gentle Jesus, Meek and Mild” syndrome,* which is a thoroughly unbalanced perception. Sure, Jesus has a gentle, merciful and loving side and we’re astronomically blessed because of it. But God’s Word offers us a three-dimensional perspective.

* Gentle Jesus, Meek and Mild was a sacred poem/hymn written by Charles Wesley and published in 1742.

Here are examples of the heavier side of Christ: He was brilliant in argumentation during his earthly ministry (Matthew 22:15-22) and astonished his enemies (Luke 20:26) to the point that “no one dared ask him anymore questions” (Mark 12:34). He was utterly dynamic, exuding life to the full (John 14:6 & 10:10). He was authoritative (not authoritarian), bold, outspoken and had no qualms about offending pompous people who were deserving of correction (Matthew 7:28-29, Luke 11:37-54 & Matthew 15:1-20 & 18:7). He radically cleansed the Temple of carnal fools twice—yelling, throwing over tables, scattering money and whirling a whip—which amazed the onlookers and struck fear in the hearts of religionists (Mark 11:15-18 & John 2:13-17). Christ was courageous, astonishing, amazing, authoritative and even frightening (Matthew 7:28-29 & 14:26; Mark 1:27, 2:10-12, 4:37-41 & 7:37; Luke 5:8-11, 7:14-16, 20:20-26 & 20:40).

And, yes, Christ is also the destroyer for those who reject him as savior:

There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy;

James 4:12 (NASB)

Now someone might object on the grounds that Christ’s purpose in the New Covenant is to give life to the full, not kill and destroy, which is the Enemy’s modus operandi (John 10:10). While this is true, it doesn’t negate the above passage, which shows that the Mighty Christ is both Savior of the humbly repentant and Destroyer of the incorrigibly rebellious. We must be balanced in our studies. “Scripture interprets Scripture” is a hermeneutical rule for a reason. People who disregard it become unbalanced and thus fall into error or, at least, limit their perception of reality.

Besides, there’s a vast difference between the Mighty LORD justly destroying the worthless wicked (who will simply reap the wages of their unrepentant sin) and the devil & filthy spirits who destroy people indiscriminately, including unjustly attacking the righteous, like Satan did with Job (Job 1-2).

Angels Are Assigned to You to Help You Enter Your “Promised Land”

I’ve heard Christians speak of the Promised Land as a type of eternal life in the new Heavens and new Earth (typically referred to as “Heaven”). This is true, as far as our eternal “Promised Land” is concerned. Even the Old Covenant saints had an eternal Promised Land for which they longed (Hebrews 11:10,16). Yet, just as the Hebrews had an earthly Promised Land, so believers have an earthly “Promised Land,” but it’s not some literal piece of real estate, as the land of Canaan was for the Hebrews. For the believer, the Israelite’s Promised Land is a type of walking in our promised blessings in general and, more specifically, fulfilling whatever mission or dream the Lord gives you. In short, the Promised Land is a type of your inheritance during your temporal life on this Earth. Let’s consider a few examples of 1. promised blessings in general and 2. fulfilling the mission God gives you.

The New Testament promises healing for believers (1 Peter 2:24 & James 5:14-15). In 2013 my left knee swelled up and became stiff. It was difficult to merely get up and walk across the room. The problem required surgery, but I decided to stand on the healing promises of my covenant. It took faith & persistence but, after a few months, the healing fully manifested and I’ve been lovin’ it ever since—jogging five times a week, enjoying long daily walks and even skiing in the winter.

That same year, our semi-flat roof over our upstairs bedroom was heavily leaking and needed serious repairs. Standing on the promise of God’s provision (Philippians 4:19), Carol & I spoke in faith over the roof on a daily basis. After several weeks of faith & persistence (Hebrews 6:12) the means came to not only fix the roof, but replace it entirely, plus receive a new ceiling for the entire upstairs! God does “immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20)!

As far as the Promised Land of fulfilling one’s God-given dream is concerned, I had taught at numerous local churches for several years and eventually graduated Bible college. Carol & I sought the Lord and were led to start a non-sectarian ministry that focused on teaching God’s Word through books, websites, videos, social media, newsletters, sermons and other mediums. We knew it was the Lord’s will so we stuck to our guns in faith & perseverance—despite gossipy opposition from so-called “Christians.” And here we are with a dozen books out and two websites, reaching the world with the life-changing truths of God’s awesome Word.

These are real-life examples of New Covenant believers walking in their earthly Promised Land. Every believer is called to do this, but you must put off the flesh, seek the LORD and learn to walk in faith & patience, not to mention DON’T provoke angels or The Angel of the LORD through a grumbling spirit that opposes God and his will (not to mention the other sins listed earlier). Rather loose angels to assist you in your service by giving voice to God’s Word.

For details on the blessings of our covenant and how to walk in them see this article.

This article was edited from chapter 8 of…

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Related Topics:

ANGELS — What Are They? What’s Their Purpose?

Evil Spirits (Demons) — What Are They? What’s Their Purpose?

Satan (the Devil) — Liar, Slanderer, Thief, Murderer

Demonic Spirits — How to Deflect Them

How to Enlist the Help of Angels

Why do Unclean Spirits seek out Dry Places?

Why is this World so Messed Up?

REDEMPTION — God’s Plan of Liberation for Humanity & Creation

The Basics of Christianity


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