Read Echoes of the Light - The Story of the Life of Jesus Christ as told by the Angels. Page 25

with vengeance and I was there as the avenger of blood. Justice had finally put to rest the memories of every innocent child that had died.

  Gabriel went to Egypt and had spoken to Joseph once again in a heavenly dream. Joseph took his wife Mary and the young boy Jesus and set out on their journey back to Nazareth. We simultaneously returned before the Throne of Glory. We were perfectly synchronized and appeared before the Father of Heaven once again ready for service.

  Young Jesus in the Temple.

  I Gabriel, the announcer of God’s holy word stood reverentially before the Throne of Grace. Michael stood at attention beside me; there was something different about him. His eyes were glowing and I could sense that a weight of heaviness had lifted off of him. His heart was no longer heavy with hurting memories but he was clam. We angels watched as the child, Jesus of Nazareth grew and became strong. He was filled with the wisdom of His Father in heaven. He had deep knowledge and understanding of the scriptures.

  The fullness of God’s grace was upon him. Every year his parents went to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of Passover which was the custom according to the Law of Moses. When Jesus was twelve years old He stayed behind in Jerusalem while his parents journeyed on their return home. They had travelled for an entire day thinking that He was in their company. They discovered that He was missing after they began looking for Him among their relatives who accompanied them on their yearly pilgrimage. When they could not find Him they went back to Jerusalem to look for Him.

  Michael and I knew where He was as we were watching Him from the throne room through the open window above Jerusalem. Jesus was the original heavenly temple made without human hands now wrapped in human flesh. He remained in the courts of the earthly temple and sat with the teachers listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard Him was amazed at His understanding and His answers. When His parents saw Him they were astonished. Jesus was the living breathing word of Almighty God, breathing out the very essence of his Father in heaven.

  He was the seed of Abraham and the seed of David. He was the rod and Tabernacle of Moses. He was the strength and Tabernacle of David. He was the wisdom and understanding of Solomon. He was Ezra’s Temple in its entire splendour. He was the glowing glory of Almighty God that burnt beyond the veil in his holy temple. He was the Ark of the Covenant in human form. Finally the blue print that was in the eternal heavens had made itself manifest on the earth as the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ.

  When His mother saw Him, she said, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.” Jesus answered, “Why were you searching for me, didn’t you know that I would be in my Fathers house doing my Fathers business?” His parents did not understand what he was saying to them at the time. So Jesus went down to Nazareth, returning with them and remained obedient to them. Mary His mother cherished all these things in her heart of hearts. Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and had favour both with God and earthly men. Michael and I saw him grow up into a powerful young man and watched Him become a skilful carpenter.

  Jesus Baptised by John.

  I, Gabriel the Archangel of the Lord remember the day when the Father of Glory breathed upon his only begotten son. The Holy Spirit had been waiting for God the Father to open up the gate of the eternal heavens once again. He was about to rest heavily upon Jesus of Nazareth as he came up out of the water. We angels all stood silently at attention before God’s glorious throne. We had seen Jesus, leave his Fathers throne to become a man upon the earth. Now we were all waiting for the Holy Spirit to leave his throne and go down to the earth to anoint Jesus of Nazareth with power. The Son of God was going to be empowered by God the Holy Spirit to do good deeds and heal all those who were bound by the devil.

  The voice of John the Baptist echoed throughout the wilderness. People came from near and far to listen to John’s message. He commanded them to repent of their sins and to be baptised with water in the River Jordan. John the Baptist was a wild looking man with long hair. He wore camel skins and ate wild honey with a fruit called locusts. John the Baptised shouted loudly and passionately from the banks of the River Jordan, “Repent and turn away from your sin! For God’s Kingdom is about to come upon you! Confess your sins to God and then stop sinning.”

  He attracted large crowds of people mainly sinners wanting to have their sins forgiven and their iniquities revoked. He also attracted the Sadducees and Pharisees, the hostile religious order of the day. “Are you the Messiah?” they questioned. John simply replied, “I am not the Messiah. I baptise you with water, but he who will come after me, whose sandals I am not worthy to untie, he will baptise you with the Holy Ghost and with fire!” God had anointed John and given him authority to baptise with water.

  Suddenly Jesus of Nazareth appeared on the rivers edge. John’s spirit became stirred within him and God the Holy Spirit issued him with a word of knowledge. Immediately he recognized that Jesus was the long awaited Messiah, the hope and redemption of Israel. John the Baptist stopped what he was doing while Jesus removed his sandals and stepped into the water to be baptised by John. John tried to explain that he as a mere man needed to be baptised by the Son of God and not the other way round. He felt unworthy to even untie His sandals, let alone baptise Him. However Jesus knew why He was there and He was confident of the purpose for which He had been sent. “Everything must be done according to the will of my Father in heaven,” explained Jesus.

  The heavens exploded and opened with a loud deafening clap of thunder. John placed his hands upon the shoulders of Jesus and then pushed him straight down into the water, totally immersing him under the water. As Jesus came up out of the water, the Holy Spirit fell out of heaven and mightily rested upon Him in the form of a dove. God the Father spoke from heaven with a loud voice to John the Baptist and we all heard him say, “This is my only begotten Son in whom I am well pleased.” The spirit of prophesy rested heavily upon John the Baptist. We angels noticed that he could no longer contain himself. The word of the Lord was like fire shut up in him bones. “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world,” prophesied John as Jesus walk away from the River Jordan. The Holy Spirit was leading Jesus of Nazareth into the wilderness to be tested and tempted by the devil.

  The Temptation.

  Jesus was hungry because He had had nothing to eat as He had fasted for forty days and forty nights in the wilderness. After forty days and forty nights the devil came to tempt him and tried to enslave him. I, Michael the Archangel of the Lord, flew high above the mountain tops in the wilderness. It was hot and dry and the sun showed no mercy. The scorching sun brutally baked everything in its path. The Son of God was fatigued and near exhaustion. That ancient serpent dragon, Satan was crueller than the scorching sun burning with all its fury. If there is a weakness in your life Satan will find it. He knew that the Son of God was hungry after his long spell without food. “If you are the Son of God, then turn these stones into bread!” tempted that foul deceiver.

  Jesus of Nazareth was weak in his flesh but he wasn’t weak in Spirit. The word of God was near him even in his heart and in his mouth. “It is written, Devil, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” That ancient dragon was not going to back down. We angels are aware that he has always attacked and tempted mankind with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, just as he had tempted Eve in the secret garden of God thousands of years earlier. Then that slanderer and accuser took Jesus up in the realm of the spirit to the top pinnacle of the temple in Jerusalem and said, “Throw yourself down, for it is written that God will send his angels to protect you. See if they will stop you from falling and divinely intervene and rescue you!” Jesus once again had to rely on the written word of God, “It is written devil,” answered Jesus passionately, “you will not tempt the Lord your God!”

  We angels are not ignorant of the devils devices. Gabriel and I have confronted him on many occasio
ns in our lifetime. He will always try to lead you into temptation with deceitful lies and false promises. He has been a liar and a murderer from the beginning. There is only one way to overcome that ancient deceiving dragon. That is by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of Almighty God and by not loving your own life even unto death. Jesus loved not his own life even unto death. He would rather have died than submit to the woes of Satan. That dark devil then took Jesus once again in the spirit up to a high mountain. He showed him all the magnificent earthly kingdoms of the world that he had ruler-ship over. “Look how great and wonderful these kingdoms are,” paraded the devil, “I will give you all these kingdoms, if you would bow down and worship me.”

  Jesus wasn’t going to give a foothold to the devil, “It is written,” declared Jesus again, “You shall only worship the Lord your God and no one else. Now get behind me, Satan!” Immediately the devil left Jesus alone and I came down from on high and fed him with the hidden manna of heaven. I strengthened