Broad meadows

In the last writing I pointed out that the angel of the LORD is Michael and that he would be the one associated with the goat (and the sun) spoken of in the law of Moses. Can I point to any more specific verses apart from the symbolism presented? The answer to that can be found in Daniel 12:1-4, which states:

“At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book —will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”

In these verses we have a lot of information that can now help us unravel more of the book of Revelation when combined with the prophetic accounts hidden in the symbols. We can see that what his ministry includes is the resurrection, the book of life and eternal life. Heavy stuff. In terms of symbols to add from this, I would point to “seal” and “scroll” for today’s writing. Now back to our next mention of the young goat in Judges 14.

In Judges 14, Samson sees a Philistine girl that he would like to marry. His parents object, but Samson is insistent. They go together to Timnah to arrange the marriage when Samson is attacked by a young lion that he tears apart with his bare hands “as he would a young goat”. Later, when he goes back to marry her he turns aside to see the lions carcass and finds honey that he eats and he gives some to his parents, without telling them from where it came. He then uses this situation to pose a riddle to the wedding guests. He says, “Out of the eater, something to eat; out of the strong, something sweet.” The winner gets 30 sets of linen clothes.

They are unable to answer, so they begin to threaten the bride to get her to coax Samson into revealing the answer. On the seventh day (which is significant) he tells her and she tells the wedding guests. They answer, “What is sweeter than honey?
What is stronger than a lion?” to which Samson replies, “If you had not plowed with my heifer,
you would not have solved my riddle.” To me, this is a clever way of saying “if you’re not yoked to Jesus (remember, he is the heifer in Genesis 15) you can’t figure this out.” Samson then goes out and kills and strips thirty men and gives their linen garments to the wedding guests.

There’s a lot here, but where I would take this, using the symbols “seal”, “scroll”, “honey” and “lion” is in Revelation 7:2-3. An angel “ ascending from the rising of the sun, with the seal of the living God, and he called to the four angels who had be given power to harm earth and sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.” (English Standard Version). This makes Michael the angel from the “rising sun” as I’ve been saying, sealing the servants of God from Israel. With the addition of earth (or land) and sea along with scroll (mentioned in Revelation 7, also), pillar (added earlier), honey and lion, it’s a short jump to realize that the angel in Revelation 10 is also Michael and the prophet he is or becomes is Elijah, the prophet who is given the scroll and dies twice, as asserted in earlier writings.

With that then, let’s address the words “rising” or to “arise” as it’s stated in Daniel 12. Rising, in a scriptural context means resurrection. However, an angel cannot die according to Jesus in Luke 20:34-36 when he says, “But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection.” So how can angel be resurrected if he can’t die? He must become a human.

Malachi 4 says, ““Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire, ” says the LORD Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and frolic like calves released from the stall. Then you will trample on the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I act,” says the LORD Almighty.
“Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel.
“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers; or else I will come and strike the land with a curse.”