What do the Scriptures say? Fifteen major things, just a sample, of what he is doing right now.
A great Bible study for your small group and personal devotion. This is real, folks. In other words, God is acting on these things in your life.
1.. God reigns from heaven.
Ps. 99:1-2 says that God reigns from his throne, sitting between the cherubim.
2.. He speaks from heaven through his angels as messengers.
In Gen. 22:11, 15 God has asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, as a test. Did Isaac love God or his heir more? Abraham was about to plunge in the knife when, in the nick of time, God called out through his angel from heaven, who told him to stay his hand. Then the angel of the Lord again spoke from heaven and reinforced the promise that God would make his descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky or the sand on the seashore.
3.. He sees human actions from heaven.
In Ps. 14:2 God looks down from heaven on all humankind to see if anyone understands, if anyone seeks God. He observed that everyone was corrupt; no one does good, not even one (cf. Rom. 3:12). But it is interesting that God looks down on all of humanity, and not just his covenanted people. This shows that God planted moral law in humanity, and people were not following it.
In Ps. 102:19, the LORD looked down from his sanctuary on high heaven on earth and heard to groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death.
4.. He laughs and scoffs at tumultuous nations from heaven.
Ps. 2:4 says, in a Messianic psalm, that as the nations conspire, and peoples (Gentiles) plot against the Lord’s anointed. The One enthroned in heaven laughs and scoffs. He rebukes them in his anger. God has installed his king on Zion, his holy mountain. This refers to David, but Jesus takes over the Davidic covenant. (God’s Covenant with David) “You are my Son; today I have become your Father” (v. 7).
5.. He made Israelites listen from heaven to discipline them.
In Deut. 4:36 Moses says straightforwardly, “From heaven he made you hear his voice to discipline you.” Then the verse goes on to say that on earth he showed them his great fire and the words of the Lord from the great fire. So either from heaven or earth, God talks to his people, either directly or through signs.
6.. He can send the fires of judgment from heaven.
In 2 Kings 1:1-19, King Ahaziah was sick, and rather than consulting the God of Israel, he sent emissaries to Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, to see if he would recover. Elijah the Tishbite called down fire from heaven to consume three groups of emissaries. Zap!
It is good that we live in the New Covenant, and God primarily uses the law courts to express his wrath. Do I Really Know God? He Shows Wrath
7.. He sends his wrath from heaven, even in the New Covenant.
In 1 Sam. 2:10, in Hannah’s prayer for a child, she proclaims God’s righteous judgment. The Most High will thunder from heaven. Many people back then, and even today, believe God speaks through thunder. No one can rule it out, but it is a matter of interpretation. It does bring a certain fear in people. Nature is more powerful than we are, and ultimately it is in God’s control, after secondary causes have been exhausted.
Rom. 1:18 says that the wrath of God is being revealed to every wicked person who suppresses the truth. How is this wrath revealed? Throughout Romans the law reveals God’s righteous standards and decrees, and people don’t measure up. “The law brings wrath” (Rom. 4:15). But there is grace and the gift of righteousness through faith in Christ, not by law-keeping.
8.. He sent fire from heaven to light a sacrifice.
In 1 Chron. 21, David took the initiative to count the fighting men, which was an act of disobedience before the LORD. David built an altar in repentance and called on God, who sent a fire to light up the burnt and grain offerings (v. 26).
9.. He reveals divine truths and mysteries from heaven.
In Dan. 2, Nebuchadnezzar had a disturbing dream, and he demanded his magicians, enchanters, and astrologers to tell him the dream and then interpret it. Daniel asked his three fellow-Jews for prayer and mercy. In the night, God revealed to him its content and interpretation. Daniel woke up grateful. He praised the God of heaven for revealing the deep mysteries to the wise and discerning vv. 18-23.
In Acts 10:9-10, in Peter’s vision, something like a sheet was lowered from heaven, on which were unkosher animals.
10.. He saves from heaven.
When David was running from Saul, David proclaims that God sends from heaven to save him. When we are being chased by the enemy, whether human or demonic, God will do the same for us.
11.. He blesses the obedient from heaven.
In Deut. 26, the people are to present some of their first-fruits in a basket to the priest; then in the third year, the year of the tithe, they present their offerings to the Levite, the foreigner, the fatherless, and widow. When they confess that they have obeyed everything, they can pray the LORD to look down from heaven and bless Israel (vv. 12-15).
12.. He heard the Israelites’ prayer from heaven.
In Solomon’s prayer of dedication of the temple, he implores God to hear from heaven and answer prayers at this holy temple (2 Chron. 6:21, 23, 25, 27).
In Neh. 9:27-28, Nehemiah the cupbearer and now builder recounts the history of the Israelites, and when they sinned and lost track of God, they cried to God, who heard them from heaven. No distance separates us from God. He is omniscient (Do I Really Know God? He Is Omniscient), after all.
13.. He sent manna from heaven.
In Ex. 16:13-15, when the dew lifted, thin flakes like frost appeared on the desert floor. They asked “What is it?” And manna literally means “What is it?”
In Neh. 9:15 Nehemiah the cupbearer and now builder again recounts Israelite history in his prayer of confession. He reminded the people listening to him that when their ancestors were hungry, God sent them bread from heaven.
God can provide directly from heaven.
14.. He sends the Spirit from heaven.
1 Pet. 1:11-12 says that the prophets of old predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the subsequent glories; the preachers of the gospel take up the cause and are inspired by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.
See my post about the coming of the Holy Spirit, who is said sometimes to fall on people.
Baptized, Filled, and Full of the Spirit: What Does It All Mean?
15.. Jesus Christ will return to earth from heaven.
In 1 Thess. 4:16 says that the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a loud command, the voice of an archangel, with the trumpet sound of God. Let’s finish the idea: Then the dead in Christ will rise first, and the ones who are still alive will be caught up or snatched (the Greek corresponds to the Latin rapto, where we get our word “rapture”) and be with him forever.
How does this post help me grow in Christ?
God reigns! The deeper we let this truth penetrate our hearts, the sooner we can trust that even as we go through difficult times. He is still on the throne. He is never surprised. One of the major themes of the Book of Daniel is that God is sovereign over nations. He will eventually have his way in all the nations when Jesus comes back. If he is sovereign over nations, he is sovereign over your life. He will take care of things. Just be careful you submit to him. “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (Jas. 4:7). When you submit, then satanic attacks will be kept at a minimum. It is much easier to resist him, when you do submit.
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