CHAPTER 3
ALL FAITH IS BASED ON OUR BELIEF IN GOD’S VERACITY AND “AUTHORITY”!
AUTHORITY - 1849. ex-oo-see’-ah; privilege, i.e. (subjective) force, capacity, competency, freedom, or (objective) mastery (concrete magistrate, superhuman, potentate, token of control), delegated influence: - authority, jurisdiction, liberty, power, right, strength. (The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, James Strong, LL.D., S.T.D., Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1984.)
The main questions we need to ask ourselves is: Does Jesus speak truth? Does Jesus hav all authority? Can God keep His Word? We need to have the same faith as the centurion. I want to explain my understanding and experience with authority.
Authority, n.; Latin auctoritas, authority, from auctor, author. 1. The power or a right to command, act, enforce obedience, or make final decisions; jurisdiction. (Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary, Simon and Schuster, 1979.)
I graduated from the University of Oregon, School of Law, and I work for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, an agency of the Department of the Interior, a department of the United States federal government. Most people understand that the United States Constitution is a delegation of specific authorities from the people of the United States to the Federal Government. The U.S. Constitution established specific responsibilities for the Congressional Branch (to pass laws under the constitution), for the Executive Branch (to enforce laws under the constitution), and for the Judicial Branch (to interpret laws under the constitution).
The President of the United States has been delegated the authority by the people of the United States to enforce all laws and regulations. The President of course is only human and cannot enforce all the laws and regulations by himself; therefore, he in turn delegates that authority to the people who run the different departments and agencies in the federal government. God by His sovereign will has also delegated His authority to the Church.
I am an employee of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Employee(s) of the BIA have the responsibility and the delegated authority (the jurisdiction) to make decisions and enforce the laws of the United States on Indian lands under the BIA’s jurisdiction. There are millions of acres of tribal and individual Indian lands in the United States and trespass is a fairly common occurrence. Sometimes a neighboring rancher’s cattle will enter tribal lands and eat the grass because cows are not very good at understanding boundaries and cows have no ethical problem with crossing a boundary line if a fence is down. Cows will eat grass on land that does not belong to their owners. Cows had sense enough not to eat fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
First, we deal with trespassing by finding out who owns the cows and then we tell the owner to remove their cows. The rancher always removes their cows, but if the owner did not remove their cows, we would write a trespass letter and cite Title 25 United States Code (the authority delegated by Congress to the Executive Branch) concerning trespass and demand damages. If the owner refused to move their cows or pay damages, we would not get a shot gun and baseball bat in order to put the fear of God into the cows and their owner.
Why not? Although we have jurisdiction and authority over the property, it’s not our responsibility to herd cows!
In the United States, in our various states, and in most other countries of the world there is a huge governmental organization (called a bureaucracy) that begins to move into action against people who defy the laws of the government. God by His sovereign will has delegated His authority to the Church and God has a much greater spiritual governmental organization in the spiritual realm that will begin to move into action against people who defy God’s authority. There are angels, archangels, cherubim, seraphim, principalities, powers, etc. All of them are ready, willing and able to enforce God’s Word after a believer speaks the Word of God to God’s creation.
BUT TO WHICH OF THE ANGELS SAID HE AT ANY TIME, SIT ON MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE THINE ENEMIES THY FOOTSTOOL?
ARE THEY NOT ALL MINISTERING SPIRITS, SENT FORTH TO MINISTER (DO SERVICE) FOR (FOR THE SAKE OF) THEM WHO SHALL BE HEIRS OF SALVATION?
HEBREWS 1:13-14
There is a vast host of angels ready, willing, and able to enforce every Word of God if we will believe and speak His Word. They are servants of God just like us, but with different governmental responsibility. The Church is God’s delegated authority in the world. Our responsibility is simply to speak God’s Word. Jesus Christ gave all Christian’s His authority. God made us stewards over the earth, similar to an ambassador, a town mayor, a state governor, or a king.
NOW THEN WE ARE “AMBASSADORS” FOR CHRIST, AS THOUGH GOD DID BESEECH YOU BY US: WE PRAY YOU IN CHRIST’S STEAD, BE YE RECONCILED TO GOD.
FOR HE THAT MADE HIM TO BE SIN FOR US, WHO KNEW NO SIN; THAT WE MIGHT BE MADE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM.
2 CORINTHIANS 5:20-21
There is nobody in the world that doubts that Condoleezza Rice or Hillary Clinton can walk boldly into any dictator’s office, read them the riot act, and walk out again safely.
Why? Is it because Ms. Rice and Ms. Clinton are the meanest, scariest people that the United States can find to confront the world’s worst dictators? No, it is because, as the United States Secretary of State, these women have the full authority of the United States Government backing them up.
Christians are in a similar position, we are ambassadors for Christ. We do not command devils to leave by our own power or strength, but by the Word of God and in the name of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has the power, strength, and authority to enforce His every Word. The angels are responsible for enforcing God’s Word, similar to policemen or soldiers. There are many stories in the Bible describing the actions of angels, but one especially terrifying story occurs in the Book of 2 Kings.
The King of Assyria sent a great army against Jerusalem. The Assyrians were the terrors of the ancient world for several hundred years. They would conquer cities, remove whole populations and replace them with peoples from other parts of their empire. They did not take kindly to resistance. The scary part of this story is that when Jerusalem resisted the Assyrian host, the King of Assyria did a very foolish thing, he threatened God’s people, blasphemed God and questioned God’s ability to save Jerusalem. Listen to what God said concerning the King of Assyria and his mighty army.
THEREFORE, THUS SAITH THE LORD CONCERNING THE KING OF ASSYRIA. HE SHALL NOT COME INTO THIS CITY, NOR SHOOT AN ARROW THERE, NOR COME BEFORE IT WITH SHIELD, NOR CAST A BANK AGAINST IT.
BY THE WAY THAT HE CAME, BY THE SAME SHALL HE RETURN, AND SHALL NOT COME INTO THIS CITY, SAITH THE LORD.
FOR I WILL DEFEND THIS CITY, TO SAVE IT, FOR MINE OWN SAKE, AND FOR MY SERVANT DAVID’S SAKE.
AND IT CAME TO PASS THAT NIGHT, THAT THE ANGEL OF THE LORD WENT OUT, AND SMOTE IN THE CAMP OF THE ASSYRIANS AN HUNDRED FOURSCORE AND FIVE THOUSAND: AND WHEN THEY AROSE EARLY IN THE MORNING, BEHOLD, THEY WERE ALL DEAD CORPSES.
2 KINGS 19:32-35
The Angel of the Lord smote and killed 185,000 soldiers in one night. In comparison, during World War II, it is estimated that between 130,000 and 160,000 allied soldiers landed at Normandy, France, on D-day and there were approximately 183,000 United States and British invasion forces during the invasion of Okinawa, Japan.
Can you imagine every one of the Allied invasion forces that landed on D-day or every one of the Allied invasion forces at Okinawa being killed in one night by one Angel? Do you think it probably would have been a cataclysmic loss for the Allied war effort during World War II?
BLESS THE LORD, YE HIS ANGELS, THAT EXCEL IN STRENGTH, THAT DO HIS COMMANDMENTS, HEARKENING UNTO THE VOICE OF HIS WORD.
PSALM 103:20
We are commanded to speak God’s Word and to subdue the earth. Christians represent God’s delegated authority on the earth. The Angels do God’s commandments and hearken to the voice of His Word!
How can Angels hearken to the voice of God’s Word unless somebody with authority on the earth speaks God’s Word?
If we can begin to comprehend the awesome power of one Angel, perhaps we can begin to comprehend the power at our disposal if we are truly servants of the Most High. God has many Angels serving Him, and each child of God probably has a multitude of Angel looking after him or her.
FOR HE SHALL GIVE HIS ANGELS CHARGE OVER THEE, TO KEEP THEE IN ALL THY WAYS,
THEY SHALL BEAR THEE UP IN THEIR HANDS, LEST THOU DASH THY FOOT AGAINST A STONE.
PSALMS 91:11-12
When I hear somebody say, God damn this, or God damn that, it makes me cringe. Often times people, especially the people of God, should probably get a needle and thread and sew their lips shut. Also, a word of warning, watch out how you treat children, or you might end up regretting your actions.
TAKE HEED THAT YE DESPISE NOT ONE OF THESE LITTLE ONES; FOR I SAY UNTO YOU, THAT IN HEAVEN THEIR ANGELS DO ALWAYS BEHOLD THE FACE OF MY FATHER WHICH IS IN HEAVEN.
MATTHEW 18:10
Just like most people, kids can be rude sometimes and you might want to let them have it, but don’t lose your temper. God has a special regard for the weak and defenseless. I truly believe that there have been many adults snatched from the jaws of destruction by the prayers of a child.
AND I JOHN SAW THESE THINGS, AND HEARD THEM. AND WHEN I HAD HEARD AND SEEN, I FELL DOWN TO WORSHIP BEFORE THE FEET OF THE ANGEL WHICH SHEWED ME THESE THINGS.
THEN SAITH HE UNTO ME, SEE THOU DO IT NOT: FOR I AM THY FELLOW SERVANT, AND OF THY BRETHREN THE PROPHETS, AND OF THEM WHICH KEEP THE SAYINGS OF THIS BOOK: WORSHIP GOD.
REVELATION 22:8-9
Do you see that the Angel that speaks with John identifies himself with the servants of God, which keep the sayings of this book.
How do you keep sayings? Don’t you have to memorize or remember them?
How would you keep a person’s sayings?
I guess you could write them down and keep them in your pocket, but the easiest way is just to remember them. God’s servants should know (keep, memorize) God’s Word.