PART # 001
“Where Angels Fear To Tread” has come to be a well-known quotation.
The renowned English poet Alexander Pope in his 1711 poem, ‘An Essay On Criticism’, first wrote “For Fools Rush In Where Angels Fear To Tread”.
“Where Angels Fear To Tread”.
This phrase, in full and in part, has been used countless times since, even entering the general English lexicon as an idiom.
It proverbially alludes to inexperienced or rash people attempting things that more experienced people avoid.
People, without good sense or judgment that have no hesitation in tackling a situation that even the wisest would avoid.
In other words, it is foolish to take action if one does not know much about what he or she is doing.
How apropos this is when it comes to the reverentially fearful handling of God’s Authoritative and Inerrant Word, the Scriptures.
We are, in this series, going to step into some areas “where even angels fear to tread”.
Certain So-Called Scary Scriptures
There are certain Scriptures in the Book of Hebrews, which has caused much fear and confusion.
If you are familiar with your Bible, you can probably guess what those Scriptures are.
They have scared the living daylights out of just about every believer.
None of us are an exception.
There has been much erroneous and legalistic teaching, relating to these Scriptural topics both ‘intentionally’ and ignorantly.
And this has caused much panic, confusion, fear, uncertainty and doubt in the minds of true believers in Christ Jesus.
This fear is NOT from God.
For Scripture clearly tells us that God has “not given us a spirit of fear” [2 Timothy 1:7].
And we take that by faith.
“Do not fear”, is both the most constant and the most consistent admonition running through from Genesis to Revelation.
Based on this truthful admonishment from God, we are going to step in where ‘angels fear to tread’.
We will do well to know that the Bible is also a book of ‘warning’ and not ‘threat’.
Warning comes from a friend, whereas threat comes from the enemy.
“And God is indeed a friend to those who trust Him”.
This truth is “extra special” as it comes from James, the legalist of the New Testament in [James 2:23].
(This James is the half brother of Jesus Christ).
We know very well who exactly the author of all this fear, doubt, confusion and legalism is.
Let us keep in mind what Paul the apostle said in [Romans 3:4]:
“Let God be true, but every man a liar”.
Before We Tread
So before we tread into those areas, where angels fear to tread, we’d like to recap on some basic fundamentals of Scripture.
And hopefully this will set the stage for what is to follow.
We are not here to attack anyone or any denomination.
We simply want to point to what the Scriptures say and ‘equally’ importantly” what they “DO NOT SAY”.
For there is much out there that has been drummed into us, as to what the Scriptures ‘do not say’.
Twisted Out Of Context
There has been and still is today, so much out there in relation to God’s Word that has been twisted out of context.
This has manipulatively resulted in shipwrecking the faith of many.
This is a fact, which has caused many to “depart from the faith”.
The Holy Spirit Himself “expressly” makes an extremely strong and telling statement concerning this through Paul the apostle in [1 Timothy 4:1].
“That in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils”
This is talking about today and we see it happening.
Christendom is saturated with “false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ” [2 Corinthians 11:13-15].
“And no marvel”, says Paul, “for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light”.
Paul then goes on to tell us that, “it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as ministers of righteousness”.
Then he declares their end, “whose end shall be according to their works”.
Plain And Simple
Apart from what is symbolically represented, most of Scripture is in the plainest of languages.
The Scriptures categorically say what they mean and mean what they say.
“Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God”, said Jesus Christ to the religious leaders of his day.
Jesus Christ was constantly referring to the Scriptures [Matthew 22:29].
And He was constantly ‘setting straight’ that which was craftily twisted out of context by the hypocritical religious leaders of His day.
Nothing has changed.
It is still the same today as Scriptures are taken out of context, misleading the masses, so we need be careful.
If you are one of those, who has been badly put off, for whatever reason, we say this to you:
IT ‘DOES NOT’ change the Truth, so please don’t lose hope.
FOR there is no Salvation outside the death, burial and resurrection of JESUS CHRIST.
What Saith The Scripture?
“What saith the Scripture?”, quotes Paul in [Romans 4:3] and [Galatians 4:30].
“For the scripture saith”, reiterates Paul, “Whosoever believeth on him (Jesus Christ) shall not be ashamed”.
It all boils down to what the Scripture, the Word of God says.
So when it comes to the epistles of Paul, there’s certainly nothing symbolic about what he writes by direct revelation.
There are no parables in Paul’s epistles.
Everything that this apostle writes, is nothing short of pure, incorruptible and unadulterated Scripture.
And without any trace of doubt, it can indeed be taken at face value.
The End Result Of Truth Twisters
Peter, a good law keeping Jew, has this to say about Truth twisters in [2 Peter 3:15-16].
He starts off by telling us, “that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation”.
This refers to all that Jesus Christ suffered on the cross for our eternal salvation”.
As Peter writes his second and final epistle to his fellow Jews, he knows his time of martyrdom is at hand.
He has preached his heart out to the nation of Israel as his ministry is now coming to a close.
He could well be recalling at this time, what Jesus Christ spoke to him in [John 21:18]:
“When thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not”.
What did Jesus Christ mean by this?
The next [verse 19] explains it.
“This spake he (Jesus Christ), signifying by what death he (Peter) should glorify God”.
We know from Church history that Peter was martyred by being crucified on a Roman cross upside down.
So as Peter is shortly about to depart from this world, he understands that Paul the apostle holds the key.
He understands that it is Paul who holds the revealed “Word of Truth” for the “Age Of Grace”.
Staying With Paul
Even though Peter himself has not understood it all, but now he is admonishing his fellow Jewish readers to stick with Paul.
“Even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom ‘GIVEN’ unto him hath written unto you”.
Who gave Paul all this wisdom pertaining to the higher doctrines of Grace?
It was none other than The Ascended LORD JESUS CHRIST in Glory [Galatians 1:11-12].
“As also in all his epistles” says Peter, “speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood”.
Notice how Peter says, “in ‘ALL’ his epistles”, and not just some.
Even Peter had a hard time understanding them.
And now he closes his statement with the fate of the ‘truth twisters’.
“Which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest (twist), as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction”.
This comes as a strict warning to those who play around with and misuse the Word of God.
Under The Law
When Jesus Christ first came to earth two thousand years ago, He came to minister to Israel “under the Law”.
See how Paul the apostle to the Gentiles makes this so clear in [Galatians 4:4-5].
“But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son”.
This is referring to the birth of Jesus Christ at Bethlehem.
Paul then goes on to tell us that Jesus Christ, God’s Son “made of a woman, made under the law……”.
And now he gives us the reason:
“To redeem them that were ‘under the law’ (which is Israel), that we (Gentiles) might receive the adoptions of sons”.
See how clearly he puts it in in [Romans 15:8].
“ Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision….”.
The Jews, the nation of Israel, were the circumcision, and not anyone else.
And then Paul gives us the reason why, “for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers”.
Jesus Christ Himself said in [Matthew 15:24], “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel”.
HE certainly was not talking in parables here.
When HE sent out his disciples on their first mission, His commanding instructions were crystal clear in [Matthew 10:5-6].
“GO NOT into the way of the Gentiles….. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel”.
JESUS CHRIST was a Law keeping Jew [Matthew 5:17].
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill”.
Everything that Jesus Christ spoke in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John was to the nation of Israel, “under the Law”.
But Now Under Grace
Today, the very same Jesus Christ, now in Ascended Glory speaks to us through the epistles of Paul, “under Grace”.
And what was “under the Law” does not and cannot be mixed with what is “under Grace”.
Sarah told Abraham to “cast out” the bondwoman, Hagar and her son Ishmael in [Genesis 21:10].
She adamantly said, “for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac”.
God permitted this in [verse 12], telling Abraham to, “hearken unto her (Sarah’s) voice”.
This is the same episode that the Holy Spirit uses through Paul, to categorically separate Law from Grace in [Galatians 4:30].
“Cast out” is extremely strong Scriptural language.
It is a phrase used often in Scripture when talking about being sent to hell [Matthew 8:12].
That is how strong it is.
“Nevertheless what saith the scripture?”
And then Paul uses the very same words in [Galatians 4:30-31] as Sarah did above.
“Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman”.
“So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free”.
Look at the language here, “bondwoman and freewoman”.
Law is bondage while Grace is liberty in Christ [Galatians 5:1].
Rightly Dividing The Word Of Truth
“Rightly dividing” (cutting it straight) the Word of Truth is the golden key to understanding all of Scripture.
For without it, there will be nothing short of confusion.
Paul writes this to Timothy in [2 Timothy 2:15]:
“Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth”.
We must learn to separate what is “under the Law” and what is “under Grace” and study them in their right context.
And when we do that, it’s amazing to see how all of Scripture falls beautifully and perfectly into place.
We will actually begin to understand and love the Word of God in a way like never before.
It is vitally important to comprehend that GOD, Who never changes, does however change His mode of operation.
HE never changes in His attributes and in the very Person of Who He is.
HE is both Sovereign and immutable.
But HE does change His ‘modus operandi’, depending on the dispensation that HE sovereignly institutes according to His plans and purposes.
God at various stages and eras in human history has indeed changed the way He deals with the human race.
And this is exactly where most of Christendom as a whole has either ignorantly or willfully not come to terms with.
God today, is dealing with the entire human race, NOT “under the Law”, but “under Grace”.
“For ye are not under the Law, but under Grace” [Romans 6:14].
Click [Here] for #Part 002 of “Where Angels Fear To Tread.
