From the TeachingtheWord Bible Knowledgebase

Part 6 of a series. Read part 5.

Even the angels of Heaven do not know the details of our future. But what is their attitude while they watch God's plan for us unfold?

Out of the depths I have cried to You, O LORD;
Lord, hear my voice! Let Your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.
If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared.
I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in His Word I do hope.
My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning - yes, more than those who watch for the morning.
O Israel, hope in the LORD; for with the LORD there is mercy, and with Him is abundant redemption.
And He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

The Great Curiosity of the Angels

In our last article we saw several cases in which saints of God yearned to know how things would turn out for them. But we on earth are not alone in such longings. The angels of Heaven also desire to know these things - and they are learning them at the same time we are.

We read in the first chapter of First Peter that the prophesied culmination of our salvation is something that even the angels who are in the throne room of Heaven fervently desire to look into, but it has not yet been revealed to them. Peter wrote these words to people who had been uprooted from their homeland in the first century, and did not know what the future held for them:

Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith - the salvation of your souls.

Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven - things which angels desire to look into. (1 Peter 1:1-12)

"Things which angels desire to look into" - more literally, "things into which the angels have a burning desire to look carefully." The angels are watching God's unfolding plan for His saints with passionate curiosity. And as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 4:9, "we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men." The words translated "made a spectacle" speaks of our unfolding redemption being displayed before angels as though it were a great theatrical presentation.

Unfailing Angelic Praise - Even While Lacking Knowledge

The angels themselves do not yet know the end of all things for Christ's Church. And yet, we read that the angelic beings are continually in the throne room of God in Heaven saying,

"Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
The whole Earth is full of His glory!" (Isaiah 6:3)

"Worthy is the Lamb who was slain
To receive power and riches and wisdom,
And strength and honor and glory and blessing!" (Revelation 5:12)

"Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!" (Revelation 7:12)

Can We Do Less?

If the angels of Heaven give all the glory to God and to His Christ as they wait to see how things will turn out for us, how can Christians on Earth do anything less? We must not fail to acknowledge that "the Earth is full of His glory" even though much of that glory is not visible to our sinful eyes in these bodies of clay.

How can we do anything less than to say, with the angels: Yes, Lord, You are the worthy Lamb; You are One who has all authority in Heaven and on Earth; You are the One who is worthy to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing. You are the One who is on the throne! You are in charge of it all! Will not You, the Judge of all the earth, do right for your saints (Genesis 18:25)?

Dear Christian, this must be the attitude of our hearts as we often wait on God in darkness and shadows on Earth, just as it is with the angels who unfailingly worship Him in the brilliant, shadowless light of Heaven. Trust Him, even as you wait on the Lord in the dark times.

Next: "Out of the Depths" - Our Steadfast Hope

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