The Lord Of Armies

Francis Frangipane

Dear friends, we are at a new beginning in our war against evil, especially since moral values played such a big role in deciding the last election in the USA. It is my conviction and belief that, whether we are speaking in reference to our own soul, our families or our cities and nation, we can win the battle for the future.

I know some might say, "I don't get it. I don't understand this warfare, battle mindset. I just don't see it in the Lord or the Scriptures."

The fact is, the enemy has been very successful in blinding people's eyes both to the reality of Who Christ is in His righteous wars against evil and also to the authority we have to represent Christ on earth. Many nominal Christians unconsciously think of God like He was a combination of the chubby "Happiness Buddha" and a kindly Santa Claus.

I know we are not supposed to be fearful about heavenly things, but I will be the first to say, there are beings in heaven -- including God Himself -- who are absolutely terrifying. I did not say they were bad, but that they are terrifying. They are not trying to scare us, it just happens that when they reveal just a little of their power, most people instinctively pass out.

In the Bible we frequently read the Lord telling His servants, "do not be afraid." If you look at the context of His words, it's often just after one of His servants has seen Him and, in response, has fainted. Indeed, the phrase that describes the typical human reaction to the real God is not, "he felt goose bumps" but he was "like a dead man."

It's not just the Lord who is frightening, angels are also terrifying beings. Yet, the enemy has seeded false images of angels into our thought-life. Every winter millions pull out the Christmas decorations, take out the angel for the top of the tree, position it and plug it in: a beautiful white, blond woman with wings and a long dress lights up and the tree is complete.

But no where in the Bible are angels depicted as women. Nothing wrong with women, mind you, but angels were always revealed in a masculine form with masculine names. They are fierce warriors of righteousness. I've seen angels. First, they are ageless. Second, they are uncompromisingly righteous. Third, their energy level and intensity is terrifying. Fourth, they are not women or children. Fifth, they are not men either, they just appear in masculine form as a image of strength, but they are, in fact, without gender.

Just once some Christmas I'd like to see a real angel show up on top of the tree just as I plugged in the light -- bam! nuclear glory radiating, instantly frying the Christmas tree until it was just a little skeleton of smoldering sticks; everyone in the family slain spiritually, unable to move for hours under the weight of the angelic presence. A true "touched by an angel" episode and a Christmas to remember!

Perhaps, angels have actually appeared to Christians in a feminine, comforting form on special occasions, but there are no references to feminine angels in the Bible. Nor were angels biblically depicted like little Gerber babies with wings as part of an Italian fresco, which are as harmless as they are cute. The Cupid form of an angel originated in ancient Greece where he was known as Eros, the young son of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty. To the Roman's he was Cupid, and his mother was Venus. This comes from Greek Mythology. Clearly, these images do not originate from the ancient Scriptures.

I don't know, but if I was in dread conflict with an evil principality or power and I called on the Lord and, in response, a Gerber baby showed up, I wouldn't feel much comfort. I don't care if he was 50 feet tall, if he's wearing a diaper, I would not be greatly reassured.

See, I want a real angel to show up, massive, terrifying, sword drawn, fire zooming out its eyes and hands, and six wings. Real angels don't wear diapers and they aren't women. They are warriors, and we need to see them as they are depicted in the Bible.

The Lord Himself

Just like the enemy has convinced people that angels are heavenly women or babies (or can dance on the head of a pin), so there is one major revelation of God in the Old Testament that also has been obscured. It is an aspect of the divine nature that is revealed in the "compound names" of God. Some familiar examples of these unique names are Yahweh-Nissi (The Lord My Banner) or Yahweh-Jirah (The Lord My Provider) or Yahweh Rapha (The Lord My Healer), etc. In revealing Himself via these names (about 30 different occasions in the Bible), the Lord unites His eternal nature to the human need of His servant.

Yet, one name is not included in the thirty. The use of this name occurs approximately 290 times in the Bible -- nearly ten times the sum of all other revelations! Additionally, the context of literally hundreds of other scriptures include the meaning of this awesome revelation of God. What is that name? Let me introduce you to Yahweh-Sabaoth, the Lord of Hosts. From the sheer number of references alone, we see that the "Lord of Armies" is the revelation of God most frequently unveiled to man in the Bible.

When we talk about fighting for our personal transformation or warring for our families, cities and nation, it is the Lord of Hosts we want to follow into battle. It was the Lord of Hosts who met Joshua on the plains of Jericho (Josh 5:14); and it was the God of Armies that led David into battle against the Philistines (1 Sam 17:45). Those weren't Gerber babies that sang around the manger the holy night Christ was born; those were mighty, warring heavenly beings singing in awe of the sacrifice of the great King!

If we are going to be successful in our warfare, we need to see the Lord as the great commander that He is, for it's Him we follow. He is commander and ruling master of the universe. He is the Lord of Powers, both on earth and in heaven: "and the armies which are in heaven [are] following Him" (Rev 19:14).