The God of Angel Armies: Part Four
The “God of the Angel Armies” is referred to in Haggai 2: 7. The theme is given contemporary life in the popular song by Chris Tomlin in which are these lines: “The one who reigns forever He is a friend of mine, The God of angel armies Is always by my side.”
This God, the God of the Angel Armies, has engaged in many military conflicts. Secular history omits some of the most inspiring accounts of action in military conflicts. Following is an account of such a conflict in which He was the determinant of the outcome.
FEBRUARY 23, 1991, DATELINE, SAUDI ARABIA – IRAQ – KUWAIT,
The ground battle of Operation Desert Storm broke.
We, the people, prayed in our churches, homes, and, YES, even our schools.
The American press had virtually intimidated the public with reports of the superior battle-hardened Iraqi army, their Russian-made tanks, their impenetrable bunkers, their formidable Republican Guard, and their frightening chemical and biological warfare capabilities.
We, the people, prayed — no, we pleaded with God.
30,000 body bags were shipped to the region.
The mother of all battles was threatened. We, the people, prayed.
Unexplainably, Saddam Hussein acted out of character and released all hostages which he had threatened to use as human shields. Pressure was taken off our president. We, the people, prayed.
Before the battle, General Schwarzkopf described “the nightmare scenario” as getting hung up in the Iraqi trenches “and then having the enemy artillery rain chemical weapons down on troops.”
After the battle, large caches of chemical weapons were found unused. Why? Prevailing winds at this time of the year along the Persian Gulf are from the northeast and northwest. Vice Admiral Stanley Arthur, Commander of the U.S. Naval forces in the Gulf, said, “Right after the land campaign kicked off, the wind started going a little squirrely. We started picking up some southerly winds which would have put it right back in his face. I’m fairly sure the poor [Iraqi] folks who were sitting in the field looked at the prospect of the stuff [chemical weapons] flowing right back on them” and decided against using them.
General Schwarzkopf commented, “I say thank God they didn’t” [use them]. (MDJ 3/1/91, p. 4A) God confounded and perplexed the enemy.
When our pilots went in to do aerial reconnaissance for the 24th Infantry Division, they had to reconfirm their reports. They kept coming back saying there is nothing out there but sand. Mysteriously, the Iraqi army had left unprotected an ideal corridor for their swift advance deep into Iraq. They had been confounded.
Remember, the word “confound” means to confuse and cause disorder, to put to shame and ruin.
One young Son of America said it best, “I am thankful I know who my Commander-in-Chief is.”
It is this God who said, “For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13: 5). Dare we cower in the face of our own needs with the God-of-the-Angel-Armies always by our side.
The God of Angel Armies: Part Three
The “God of the Angel Armies” is referred to in Haggai 2: 7. The theme is given contemporary life in the popular song by Chris Tomlin in which are these lines: “The one who reigns forever He is a friend of mine, The God of angel armies Is always by my side.”
This God, the God of the Angel Armies, has engaged in many military conflicts. Secular history omits some of the most inspiring accounts of action in military conflicts. Following is an account of such a conflict in which He was the determinant of the outcome.
In 1814, the French military genius Napoleon, arrayed his army on the battlefield of Waterloo near Brussels. Napoleon’s force of 74,000 had superior cavalry and artillery. The very presence of Napoleon’s “Old Guard” was more imposing than the Republican Guard. Victory once again seemed to be easily within Napoleon’s grasp.
The night before the battle, as the churches of England were again filled with people praying, a strange wind blew an unexpected downpour onto the battlefield at Waterloo. At dawn, Napoleon decided to delay the engagement to give the field time to dry a bit. This delay until noon allowed a window of opportunity for the reinforcing army of Marshal Gebhard von Blucher to arrive to strengthen the forces of the British general, Wellington. That rain-resulting delay is credited by many as tilting the battle in favor of the victorious British.
Because of the indelicate nature of this part of the story most histories omit it. The rain and a microscopic bug defeated Napoleon. You see, this was before the days of Pepto Bismol and things were moving too swiftly for Napoleon to enjoy a Maalox moment. When the time for battle came, Napoleon was not only not in command of his forces, he wasn’t even in control of himself.
40,000 of his men lay dead on the field of Waterloo when the battle ended and in answer to the prayers of God’s people, the British victory was enabled by God’s grace.
It is this God who said, “For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13: 5). Dare we cower in the face of our own needs with the God of the Angel Armies always by our side.
The God of Angel Armies: Part Two
The “God of the Angel Armies” is referred to in Haggai 2: 7. The theme is given contemporary life in the popular song by Chris Tomlin in which are these lines: “The one who reigns forever He is a friend of mine, The God of angel armies Is always by my side.”
This God, the God of the Angel Armies, has engaged in many military conflicts. Secular history omits some of the most inspiring accounts of action in military conflicts. Following is an account of such a conflict in which He was the determinant of the outcome.
In one of the most decisive encounters of the Revolutionary War, General Washington and his outnumbered rag-tag army was pinned against the East River. Annihilation awaited them. The superior British force did not press the conflict, but paused near the end of day. Doom was certainly to come for Washington and his army at dawn.
Weather kept the British from sailing up the river and further assured a British victory.
Washington’s only hope was to feverishly build rafts under the cover of night and try to withdraw across the river to live to fight another day.
As they hurriedly worked, constructing rafts during the seemingly short night, it soon became apparent they would not finish before dawn and the breaking of the battle. A group of skilled oarsmen were in Washington’s army. Silently, he feverishly worked to carry many of his forces across the river.
As dawn drew near, something eerie happened. Fog was unknown and unheard of in that area in that season of the year. Mysteriously, the mist began to form and shroud the would-be battlefield. Washington’s withdrawal was made possible by this weather phenomenon. As the last of the retreating army moved across the river just out of range of the British rifles the fog lifted.
General Washington called such divine aid “a remarkable interposition of Providence” (“The Light & the Glory,” Revell, 1977, p. 300).
Again, in answer to the prayers of His people, God had intervened and won the day.
It is this God who said, “For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13: 5). Dare we cower in the face of our own needs with the God-of-the-Angel-Armies always by our side.
The God of Angel Armies: Part One
With gratitude for our Veterans the following Posts are being offered with thanks for their service.
The “God of the Angel Armies” is referred to in Haggai 2: 7. The theme is given contemporary life in the popular song by Chris Tomlin in which are these lines: “The one who reigns forever He is a friend of mine, The God of angel armies Is always by my side.”
This God, the God of the Angel Armies, has engaged in many military conflicts. Secular history omits some of the most inspiring accounts of action in military conflicts. Following is an account of such a conflict in which He was the determinant of the outcome.
In June of 1588, Philip II of Spain sent his mighty Spanish fleet known as the “Invincible Armada” against the out-gunned and out-manned British fleet. To the Spanish commander, the Duke of Medina, this was no contest. The British conceded potential impending defeat. Approximately 100 Spanish ships sailed into the English Channel to engage the tiny British fleet under command of Admiral Drake. Secular history records that on August 8, 1588, the British defeated the Spanish Armada near the French port of Gravelines.
What secular history books omit is His story. The day before the final encounter, as the churches of England were filled with persons praying, a sudden and unexpected storm swept across that part of the English Channel on which the Spanish Armada rested awaiting their sure victory. By the time the British fleet engaged them, they were already defeated by damage done to their vessels and seasickness.
This was not dumb chance. When unexpected power slips in and unthought of occurrences intervene that proceed from a Power that owes no man, it must be seen as the Hand of God.
King Philip of Spain thought the victory to have been won by divine intervention for he said, “He sent his Armada to fight with men, and not to combat with the Winds” [of God]. (“Harvard Classics,” 1909, Collier & Son, NY, p. 281).
Only about half of the Spanish Armada made it back to port. Thus ended the last Spanish attempt to conquer the British Isles, an attempt, which if it had been successful, we might all be speaking Spanish today.
The Lord God was the Admiral of the Fleet that day.
It is this God who said, “For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13: 5). Dare we cower in the face of our own needs with the God-of-the-Angel-Armies always by our side.
Modern Day Rome
“Whaz happenin?” It is not just an informal greeting, it is a good question related to what is happening in America. America is often spoken of as a nation in decline. At issue is what the elements are that are leading to the decline?
The election being over, let’s go to work on building a better America.
It appears God is saying to America, “Now let’s try building a better America, and let’s get it right this time.”
There is a classic case study from which we can learn and potentially avoid the decline.
Historian Edward Gibbon lists five reasons Rome fell in his book, “History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.”
His extensive study of the period of the decline led him to conclude there were five factors in the decline. Our society seems to be unaware of the same factors being at work within our culture. They are:
1. The increase of divorce undermines the home, the base of society. In 2022, a total of 673,989 divorces and annulments occurred across the 45 U.S. states that report this statistic. During that same year, 2,065,905 marriages occurred, with the U.S. marriage rate 6.2 per 1,000 people. Far more people get married over the course of each year than get divorced. Nevertheless, family life is in decline.
2. High taxes and the spending of public money for free circuses and free bread for the population. The influx of illegal migrants has accelerated spending. The government has no money. To give away money and services the government has to tax people to get the money. This Socialist trait has increased rapidly.
3. A mad craving for pleasure with sports becoming more exciting every year. Admission at some prime sporting events is $400 to $500. This has not kept stadiums and arenas from being filled to capacity. Actors, actresses, entertainers, sports figures, and musicians are modern day heroes and heroines; all are secular evangelists.
4. Gigantic armies built to protect from an outside enemy when the real enemy was decaying morals. Billions are being given to fund the Ukrainian War, assistance for Israel. Our own expansive global military drains our coffers. Bankruptcy is inevitable at some point.
5. The decay of religion with faith becoming formalism, and the loss of the ability to guide or warn the people. The decline in church attendance is symptomatic of our decline spiritually. The societal influence once exercised by the faith community is missing nationally. Pray that we not be a modern Rome.