On December 20, 2019, during President Donald Trump’s time in office, he was instrumental in forming a brand-new branch of the Air Force called Space Force, but you know, heaven has a space force as well, and it’s infinitely more important and powerful than anything man can bring into being or even imagine, and it’s been around much longer. In fact, when Jesus comes back to this earth with all the holy angels with Him, as He has promised to do in Matthew 25:31, or we could say, when He comes back with all of heaven’s space force, it will probably be the earthly space force with Satan at the helm that will try to shoot them down, but of course, if that happens, they will not succeed.

Don’t you think all heaven is interested in the work of God that’s going on here upon the earth? Oh, I do! I believe ministering angels are waiting about the throne of God to instantly obey the mandate of Jesus Christ to answer every prayer offered in earnest, living faith, and we’ll see that this is true as we read the Scriptures this morning.

But I like that word “instantly”, don’t you? We don’t know how far heaven is away from earth, but what we do know is that distance is no problem with heaven’s space force. You may recall Daniel’s prayer in chapter 9 of the book that bears his name, that Gabriel was there in response to his prayer before he was even finished. And so, millions, billions, and even trillions of miles are no problem at all for holy angels to cover in a nanosecond, that’s one billionth of a second. In fact, that’s probably considered slow to heaven’s space force, and this makes me think about how quickly the living saints will be changed from mortal to immortal when Jesus comes. In 1 Corinthians 15:52 the apostle Paul says it’s going to happen, how fast? “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.” The word “moment” in this verse is translated from the Greek word “atomos.” In other words, it’s going to happen in an atom of time. Do you know how small an atom is? One human cell is so small you can’t see it without the aid of a very powerful microscope, and inside that one tiny cell there are 100 trillion atoms, give or take a trillion or two. That’s simply mind blowing, isn’t it?

Just think, if we are alive when Jesus comes and we have been faithful to Him, our change is going to happen so fast we’ll say wow, what just happened? Instantly there’ll be no more bodily defects, no more pain, no more suffering of any kind, and then our feet will leave the ground to meet the Lord in the air and we’ll catch up with those who have already been raised from the dead. I tell you friends, nothing could be more wonderful than this long anticipated even, and I hope you’re there to experience it, because the alternative is not very pretty.

Isaiah 65:24 is one of my favorite verses, and in there, God says, “it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” The “I” here is the great “I AM”; the One who holds the worlds in His hands; the One who gives us life; the Lord Jesus Christ, and we’ll see that this is true in a few minutes.

The reason God can answer before we call is because He knows what we’re going to say before we say it. Before the words are formed with our lips He’s already listening, not because He doesn’t know what we’re going to say, but because He loves to hear our voice. Do you believe that? Listen friends, Jesus died for us that we might be with Him where He is, and He desires communion with us, and is ever ready to hear what we have to say. And so yes, He loves to hear our voice.

And so, the point I’m trying to make is that heaven’s space force is super-duper fast and concerned about every one of us as individuals, and we can take comfort in that fact. When we are dangling over an imaginary abyss and are tormented with worry, or grief, or anxiety, or pain while hanging on to the proverbial rope and the last strand is ready to break before we fall, knowing how fast heaven’s space force is, there’s all kinds of time left to come to our rescue. The reason they sometimes wait till the last nanosecond is because we need to learn to trust, don’t we? If all our prayers were answered immediately and in just the way we think they should be, how would that develop faith and trust in us? So, they wait sometimes to test where we are in our relationship with the Lord. The apostle James says, the trying of our faith worketh patience. Therefore, if we are going to have the patience of the saints, we need to be tested, don’t we? Yes, we do.

It seems that everything about heaven’s space force is that they can hardly wait to minister to human beings, that they want to help more than we want their help. Hebrews 1:14 says the angels are “all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.” And so, their purpose is to use their power to minister to human beings.

There are many stories in the Bible that help us understand the power the holy angels have, and the first one that came to mind when I thought about this is when the king of Assyria warred against Hezekiah king of Judah and the Lord sent one angel to take care of the situation, and notice what it says in 2 Kings 19:35, “And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.” During the night, probably when the majority of the Assyrian soldiers were fast asleep, one holy angel put 185,000 of them to sleep permanently.

The other story that comes to mind is when Israel was about to make their exodus from Egypt. One angel of death went throughout the land and all the first born of men and of animals were killed. Exodus 12:29 says that this killing also took place at midnight, which means that all the firstborn in the houses that did not sprinkle the blood of a lamb on the doorpost were fast asleep and they never woke up. In this I think we see the mercy of God in putting people to death in their sleep. And so, friends, if we’re not covered with the blood of the Lamb when the angel of death passes through the land once again in these last days, according to what it says in Ezekiel chapter 9, we will not be protected any more than were the Egyptians.

And how about the angel that released Peter from prison. When the angel came in, he probably just walked through the walls as if they weren’t even there. Peter’s chains fell off, the prison doors opened of their own accord and Peter thought he was dreaming until he realized what really happened. And this all happened by the way, because the church was praying. So don’t ever discount prayer.

And then there’s Paul and Silas, when they were beaten and thrust in prison and had their feet chained to the wall because they refused to keep quiet about Jesus, their angels caused a great earthquake, and the prison guards were all startled, if you remember.

Isn’t it good to know that holy angels that minister to our needs have that kind of power? And isn’t it wonderful to know also that each one of us has an angel assigned to our case when we were born into this world?

Notice what it says in Matthew 18:10. Jesus gave a warning to those who might mistreat little children, and He said, “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.” We were all little ones at one time, weren’t we? and our personal angel will be with us until we die or until the Lord returns, and after that who knows what our relationship will be with them, but I’m sure it will be forever special. And so, think about that the next time you’re in trouble, especially through no fault of your own. The time is coming, and will soon be here, when we may be beaten and thrust into prison and chained up for our witness of Jesus and His truth, and if that happens, we can know that deliverance is on its way, just as surely as it was for Peter, Paul, and Silas.

So, it’s clear that the angels are willing and want to come to our aid more than we want them to, but do you think Jesus wants to come back to get us more than we want Him to? Again, I would say yes. Four times in the book of Revelation Jesus says, “behold, I come quickly” or “surely I come quickly.” He wants to come quickly and put an end to this nightmare we call the great controversy between Christ and Satan, and He’s anxious to do it, but as long as His people are not ready for Him to wrap things up, He has to wait a little longer for the seal of God to be placed in our foreheads. That is, when our characters reflect the character of Jesus fully, when He has a church like that, that’s when He’s coming quickly, and it will be more quickly than any of us realize. The question is, am I holding things up? Are you? This is something to give serious consideration to as those who claim to be the followers of Jesus, don’t you think?

Now when I mention the term heaven’s space force, this is not just a reference to the holy angels, but to all three persons of the Godhead as well. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all involved in the salvation process and they’re doing everything they can to hurry things up so Jesus can come as quickly as possible, but too many times we’re the ones dragging our feet. Agree? It’s not God’s fault He hasn’t come yet, it’s ours! 2 Peter 3:12 says we have the privilege of hastening the day of Christ’s return, and as we think about that, what are we doing to hurry things up? Or are slowing things down?

Years ago I had a friend, he sleeps in Jesus now, but many times I have thought about what he said to me one day. He said, “if everything I could do throughout my whole life could bring Jesus back to this earth just one hour sooner, it would all be worth it.” And I say amen to that, don’t you? As we think about that, what if all Christians could put all their one hours together? What would it amount to? I’m sure God has already factored that into the day when Jesus returns, but it doesn’t negate the fact that we have a part to play when it comes to the coming of our Lord. We could and should have been in heaven before now, but too many of us have been insubordinate to heaven’s space force in accomplishing what needs to take place so we can be ready for the greatest event this world has ever known, and ever will know, the blessed hope of the soon appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ in the clouds of heaven. Oh, I’m so looking forward to it, aren’t you?

But here’s the sobering truth, only a few of the teaming billions of people upon earth will be prepared for that great day when it arrives. All through the Bible we can read that God’s people have always been the minority, unfortunately, but we don’t have to be a part of the teaming multitudes that will be unprepared; it doesn’t have to be you and me. In Matthew 7:24 Jesus said, “straight is the gate, and narrow is the way, that leads to life, and (how many are going to find it?) few there be that find it.” Have you found it? Are you one of the few? Or are you wandering down the broad road that leads to destruction? Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. And in Luke 9:23 He said, “If any man will come after me, let him (do what?) deny himself, and take up his cross (how often?) daily, and follow me.” It’s the cross of self-denial friends. It’s the cross of causing our sinful nature to suffer rather than yielding to it. The reason the majority will be lost is because self-denial is more difficult than self-indulgence, isn’t it? The road to life eternal requires effort because it’s up hill, but you can slide down the road to perdition like a toboggan in the snow with very little effort.

Our mind is built up upon that which it feeds, and it’s up to us to determine what it feeds upon. It’s within our own power to choose the things that will occupy our thoughts, which in turn will shape our character. What we need to develop is the mind of Christ, and we need to bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. That’s what we’re told in 1 Corinthians 2:16 and 2 Corinthians 10:5, and God doesn’t ask us to do something that’s impossible for us to do. Jesus took the upward path in order to save us and give us an example to follow in His steps, and when we understand this, and experience this, it is then that we have found that straight and narrow path that leads to the Holy City. And let me tell you, it will be well worth whatever sacrifices we make in this life in order to be citizens there, and I hope you’re looking forward to it.

We may have a knowledge of the truth, but we need more than a knowledge, don’t we? We need to put into practice what we know and help others to understand what we have been privileged to learn. I don’t think we realize how blessed we are. I really don’t. If we did, I think we would more earnestly follow the inspired council we’ve been given in God’s word. I think of my own deficiencies when I say this, but at the same time, I don’t think you are that much different than I am. We all, if we’re honest with ourselves, should be more in tune with the Holy Spirit and more dedicated and concentrated than we are, and I for one want to encourage you, as well as myself, to redeem the time, because friends, the days are evil, and becoming more so with each passing day.

So, without a doubt we know that heaven’s space force is fast, faster than anything else we’ve ever seen or even imagined, but what about their power? In Acts 1 Jesus was getting ready to go back to heaven and minister as our great High Priest, and in verse 6 His disciples wanted to know when He was going to “restore again the kingdom to Israel?” because they didn’t quite get it yet. And notice how Jesus responded to that question in Acts 1:7, 8, “And he said unto them, it is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power (or His own authority or control). But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Notice, they were to start being missionaries right in their own families and hometown first, and then begin to spread out farther and farther until the whole world was covered, and that’s the same way we’re supposed to do it. We shouldn’t think God wants us to go to some faraway land when we haven’t even covered our own local territory, but we need power to accomplish it.

Jesus said, “Ye shall receive power.” The word “power” in verse 8 is different than the word “power” in verse 7. In verse 7 it means “authority or control”, as I mentioned, but in verse 8 it’s the Greek word “dunamis”, from which the English word “dynamite” originates. When Jesus told the disciples they would receive power, it means this power would be explosive, and it was! That’s the kind of power that comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit, like on the day of Pentecost. Here we’re talking about the early rain of the Holy Spirit, but the latter rain will be like adding several more sticks of dynamite to the mix, and we need to be praying and working in order that we might receive a large supply. Just think about the power that came upon the disciples on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit did some miraculous things through them, and God will do even more through us in these last days if we are preparing to be used when the outpouring comes.

I want you to think also about what Jesus said in Matthew 28:18, He said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” That’s a lot of power friends, and that power He gives to those who are willing to go and teach all nation about the things He has taught them, that everyone who has a desire to be saved might and then have the opportunity to join those who are recipients of this power to help give the great gospel commission.

Did you know that both the Father and the Son are referred to in Scripture as God almighty? And most of those references apply to Jesus, because he was the God of the Old Testament as well as the New. In 1 Corinthians 10:4 Paul says Christ was the rock that led the children of Israel all through their wilderness wanderings, and several references in Revelation state plainly that Jesus is God almighty, the One “which was, and is, and is to come.” Much to the chagrin of our Jehovah Witness friends who believe Jesus is “a God” but not “the God”, they would be surprised to learn from a study of Exodus 6:1-3 that Jesus was not only the God of the Old Testament, but He also called Himself Jehovah. Study it out for yourself sometime, it’s very interesting.

What do you think of when you consider the word “almighty?” And that’s just one of the terms that applies to the God of heaven. In fact, there are three words that define who God is, and those three terms are “omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient.” That is, having unlimited power, being able to be everywhere at the same time, and knowing everything. And besides that, God is love, and aren’t you thankful that the One who has such power is a loving being? Can you imagine what it would be like if the devil had such power?

The God we serve is the God that came down to this sin cursed earth and lived life the way we have to live it; the One who came down to the level of those He wished to save, and unlike us, He never ever did anything wrong. That’s why He can be the Savior of mankind. He took the punishment that we deserve. He didn’t deserve it, but He was willing to suffer that we might be forgiven of our sins and have a chance to live forever. Don’t you think it’s a good idea to be subordinate to that kind of divine being? The holy angels that comprise part of heaven’s space force cry holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty, and when we know Jesus as it’s our privilege to know Him, we will be able to join in that chorus both now and when we get to heaven.

Notice what it says in Colossians 1:16-18, “For by him (Christ) were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: and he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body, the church”, and who is the church? We are the church if we have been called out of darkness into His marvelous light. Jesus is our head, our leader, and He is the One who created and sustains everything, and He will sustain us if we have a mind to serve Him.

And then there’s the gospel of John 1:1-3. Now this one is really interesting when you do a word study. John says, “In the beginning was the Word (the divine expression), and the Word was with God (supreme deity), and the Word was God (or supreme deity). The same was in the beginning with God (supreme deity, and you can’t get any higher than supreme deity). All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.” That includes Himself! Can John make it any clearer? If Jesus made everything, that means He was not made somewhere back in the eons of time. Then verse 14 tells us who this “word” is so there’s no mistaking who John is talking about. “And the Word was made flesh (fallen flesh), and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”

Now there are a lot of people when they read that Jesus was begotten of the Father and that He is called the Son of God become confused and think that if He had a father and is a son, then He must have been either created at some point, or that He was birthed out of the Father way back when. But that is not the case at all. Jesus is just as much God as is the Father and just as eternal. He is not a younger God, or a lesser God in any way. He is self-existent and eternal in His own being and has to be so in order to save us. Now, this is a big topic and would take much more time to explain than we have time to deal with this morning, but if you would like more information you can go to my website at gospel-workers.com and scroll down the list of sermons and listen to the two part series titled “Jesus said, I AM” and I think you’ll have most of your questions answered, and we’ll have to leave it right there for now and get back to heaven’s space force.

I read something several years ago that I believe is true, but there’s no Bible reference that I know of that says so directly, but I believe it’s true in principle, and that something is that it takes just as much power to create a new heart within an individual as it does to raise one from the dead. Now that’s a lot of power, wouldn’t you say? In Ephesians 2:1 it says before we accepted Christ as our Saviour, we were dead in trespasses and sins, spiritually dead, but Christ made us alive.

So, if you have been born again, do you realize how much power has been expended upon you, and how much power is given you through the Holy Spirit in order that you might be able to live without yielding to sin? It was almighty power friend, it was “Dunamis power”, and whenever God expends that much power, it’s because He loves you and wants to spend eternity with you, and what a shame it would be for you to decide to live in such a way that that power would be wasted. But here’s the good news, even if you have been wasting all that power, and desire to come back to the Lord, He is willing to expend that power all over again in order to recreate that new heart once again.

We must close, but before we do I want you to know that the God of the Bible is the fastest and most powerful force in the whole universe, and He wants to have a personal relationship with you as if there were not another soul in all the world. He wants to be your spiritual husband, and as a faithful husband He will always take care of you and be true to His vows. In Jeremiah 3:15 Jesus said to backsliding Israel, come back to me, for “I am married unto you.” And if you have backslidden, He is making this appeal to you today. Will you be His faithful bride? Will you accept Him as your spouse and keep yourself wholly unto Him? Oh, the devil will tempt you to think the grass is greener on the other side, but it’s nothing more than poisonous weeds that have been well manicured to look enticing at a distance. A lot of things look beautiful at a distance, don’t they? but as you get close up, it’s really pretty ugly.

The word of God and the One who inspired it, on the other hand, is just the opposite. The closer we get to Him the better things begin to look, and it only gets better and better as we draw nearer and nearer to our creator and redeemer, and that’s the way it’s going to be throughout all eternity. Won’t you come and take a closer look? You’ll be eternally grateful that you did.

Sermon notes in pdf  Heaven’s Space Force