I am - I am he, I am God - Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one af

ter me. I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior.
Exodus 3:13Moses said to God, Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, The
God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask me, What is his name? Then wha
t shall I tell them? 14God said to Moses, I am who I am.c This is what you are to
say to the Israelites: I am has sent me to you. ? 15God also said to Moses, Say to th
e Israelites, The Lord,d the God of your fathers the God of Abraham, the God of Isa
ac and the God of Jacob has sent me to you.
Isaiah 43:10 - "You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom
I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the L
ORD, and apart from me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclai
med-- I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses," declares the
LORD, "that I am God. Yes, and from ancient days I am he. No one can deliver ou
t of my hand. When I act, who can reverse it?"
Isaiah 46:9 - Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there
is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the
beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, 'My purpose will s
tand, and I will do all that I please.'

----------out of the body

2 Corinthians 12 - 1I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gain
ed, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. 2I know a man in Chri
st who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in t
he body or out of the body I do not know God knows. 3And I know that this man whethe
r in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows 4was caught up
to paradise and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to t
ell.
----The Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and in visions of God he took m
e to Jerusalem
Ezekiel 8 - 2I looked, and I saw a figure like that of a man.a From what appeare
d to be his waist down he was like fire, and from there up his appearance was as
bright as glowing metal. 3He stretched out what looked like a hand and took me
by the hair of my head. The Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and in
visions of God he took me to Jerusalem
Ezekiel 11:22 - Then the cherubim, with the wheels beside them, spread their win
gs, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them. 23The glory of the Lord w
ent up from within the city and stopped above the mountain east of it. 24The Spi
rit lifted me up and brought me to the exiles in Babyloniaa in the vision given
by the Spirit of God. Then the vision I had seen went up from me, 25and I told t
he exiles everything the Lord had shown me.
Ezekiel 43:4The glory of the Lord entered the temple through the gate facing eas
t. 5Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court, and the gl

ory of the Lord filled the temple. 6While the man was standing beside me, I hear
d someone speaking to me from inside the temple. 7He said: Son of man, this is th
e place of my throne and the place for the soles of my feet. This is where I wil
l live among the Israelites forever.
Ezekiel 3:12Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard behind me a loud rumbling
sound as the glory of the Lord rose from the place where it was standing.a 13It
was the sound of the wings of the living creatures brushing against each other a
nd the sound of the wheels beside them, a loud rumbling sound. 14The Spirit then
lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my
spirit, with the strong hand of the Lord on me. 15I came to the exiles who lived
at Tel Aviv near the Kebar River. And there, where they were living, I sat amon
g them for seven days deeply distressed.
-----------Heaven cant contain you
1 Kings 8:27 But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens, even the highest hea
ven, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! 28Yet give atte
ntion to your servant s prayer and his plea for mercy, Lord my God. Hear the cry a
nd the prayer that your servant is praying in your presence this day. 29May your
eyes be open toward this temple night and day, this place of which you said, My
Name shall be there, so that you will hear the prayer your servant prays toward t
his place. 30Hear the supplication of your servant and of your people Israel whe
n they pray toward this place. Hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and when y
ou hear, forgive.
------Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth
John 17 - 17Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. 18As thou hast
sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. 19And for
their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the tr
uth.
---------1 Kings 18:12
"It will come about when I leave you that the Spirit of the LORD will carry you
where I do not know; so when I come and tell Ahab and he cannot find you, he wil
l kill me, although I your servant have feared the LORD from my youth.
2 Kings 2:16
They said to him, "Behold now, there are with your servants fifty strong men, pl
ease let them go and search for your master; perhaps the Spirit of the LORD has
taken him up and cast him on some mountain or into some valley." And he said, "Y
ou shall not send."
-----Acts 8:39 -When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly
took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rej
oicing.

Angelic heights

Now, let us contrast this with another biblical statement concerning the High Pr
iest entering into the Sanctuary on Yom Kippur, also from the book of Leviticus:
No human being shall be in the Tent of Meeting when he [the High Priest] comes to
provide atonement in the Sanctuary, until his departure (6). Not only were there
no Blintzes and Knishes allowed during the Yom Kippur service, but also no Cohe
n s or any other people were allowed to be present at the time.
The Midrash (7), in its sensitivity to biblical nuance, wonders how can the Bibl
e state that no human being should be present at the time of the High Priest s ser
vice on Yom Kippur, when the High Priest himself was a human being? At least one
man was present!
The Midrash answers that when the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies he was
not human indeed; he assumed the status of a Heavenly Angel. Indeed, no human be
ing entered the Sanctuary with him; not even his own.
What is going on here? We are confronted with an uneasy contradiction. One bibli
cal source indicates the potential mind-staggering lowliness of a High Priest, c
apable of descending into the lowest depths of depraved behavior, while the othe
r biblical source intimates his potential for enormous spiritual heights, capabl
e of transcending the human experience and reaching angelic heights. How do we r
econcile the two? Who is the High Priest, the holiest of the holy or the lowlies
t of the lowly?
--------Angels
The Baptism of Jesus
Matthew 3:13 - Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John
. 14But John tried to deter him, saying, I need to be baptized by you, and do you
come to me? 15Jesus replied, Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to
fulfill all righteousness. Then John consented.16As soon as Jesus was baptized, h
e went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spi
rit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17And a voice from heave
n said, This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.
Matthew 4:1 - Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted
a by the devil. 2After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3The
tempter came to him and said, If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to bec
ome bread.
Matthew 4:10 - Jesus said to him, Away from me, Satan! For it is written: Worship
the Lord your God, and serve him only. e 11Then the devil left him, and angels cam
e and attended him.
Gethsemane
knelt down and prayed - Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet n
ot my will, but yours be done. An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthe
ned him
Luke 22:39 - Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples f
ollowed him. 40On reaching the place, he said to them, Pray that you will not fal
l into temptation. 41He withdrew about a stone s throw beyond them, knelt down and
prayed, 42 Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but

yours be done. 43An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 44An
d being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of bl
ood falling to the ground.c
45When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep,
exhausted from sorrow. 46 Why are you sleeping? he asked them. Get up and pray so t
hat you will not fall into temptation.
Gethsemane
Matthew 26:36 - Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane,
and he said to them, Sit here while I go over there and pray. 37He took Peter and
the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubl
ed. 38Then he said to them, My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of de
ath. Stay here and keep watch with me.
39Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, My Fath
er, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as
you will.
40Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. Couldn t you men keep
watch with me for one hour? he asked Peter. 41 Watch and pray so that you will not
fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
42He went away a second time and prayed, My Father, if it is not possible for thi
s cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.
43When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy
. 44So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying th
e same thing.
45Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, Are you still sleeping and
resting? Look, the hour has come, and the Son of Man is delivered into the hands
of sinners. 46Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!
--he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call
Matthew 24:30 - Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then a
ll the peoples of the earthc will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on t
he clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.d 31And he will send his angels
with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, fr
om one end of the heavens to the other.

Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal
more than twelve legions of angels? 54But how then would the Scriptures be fulfi
lled that say it must happen in this way?
Matthew 26:47 - While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived.
With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief prie
sts and the elders of the people. 48Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with
them: The one I kiss is the man; arrest him. 49Going at once to Jesus, Judas said,
Greetings, Rabbi! and kissed him.
50Jesus replied, Do what you came for, friend. d

Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. 51With that, one of
Jesus companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of th
e high priest, cutting off his ear.
52 Put your sword back in its place, Jesus said to him, for all who draw the sword w
ill die by the sword. 53Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at
once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 54But how then would
the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?
55In that hour Jesus said to the crowd, Am I leading a rebellion, that you have c
ome out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple court
s teaching, and you did not arrest me. 56But this has all taken place that the w
ritings of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples deserted him a
nd fled.
------------The Son Superior to Angels
Hebrews 1:1 - In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at man
y times and in various ways, 2but in these last days he has spoken to us by his
Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the uni
verse. 3The Son is the radiance of God s glory and the exact representation of his
being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purifi
cation for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. 4So he
became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior t
o theirs.
The Son Superior to Angels
5For to which of the angels did God ever say,
You are my Son;
today I have become your Father a ?
Or again,
I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son b ?
6And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,
Let all God s angels worship him. c
7In speaking of the angels he says,
He makes his angels spirits,
and his servants flames of fire. d
8But about the Son he says,
Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever;
a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
9You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;

therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions
by anointing you with the oil of joy. e
10He also says,
In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
11They will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
12You will roll them up like a robe;
like a garment they will be changed.
But you remain the same,
and your years will never end. f
13To which of the angels did God ever say,
Sit at my right hand
until I make your enemies
a footstool for your feet g ?
14Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit sa
lvation?
---------You made them a littlea lower than the angels
Hebrews 2:1We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have he
ard, so that we do not drift away. 2For since the message spoken through angels
was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment,
3how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation? This salvation, which wa
s first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard him. 4God
also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the
Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.
Hebrews 2:5It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about wh
ich we are speaking. 6But there is a place where someone has testified:
What is mankind that you are mindful of them,
a son of man that you care for him?
7You made them a littlea lower than the angels;
you crowned them with glory and honor
8and put everything under their feet. b c
In putting everything under them,d God left nothing that is not subject to them.

e Yet at present we do not see everything subject to them.f 9But we do see Jesus
, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory
and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste
death for everyone.
10In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for who
m and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation
perfect through what he suffered. 11Both the one who makes people holy and thos
e who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them
brothers and sisters.g 12He says,
I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters;
in the assembly I will sing your praises. h
13And again,
I will put my trust in him. i
And again he says,
Here am I, and the children God has given me. j
14Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so th
at by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death that
is, the devil 15and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their
fear of death. 16For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham s descendants.
17For this reason he had to be made like them,k fully human in every way, in ord
er that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, a
nd that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18Because he himself
suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.
-----------You have made themd a little lower than the angelse and crowned themf with glory
and honor.
Psalm 8
For the director of music. According to gittith.b A psalm of David.
1Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory
in the heavens.
2Through the praise of children and infants
you have established a stronghold against your enemies,
to silence the foe and the avenger.
3When I consider your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,

which you have set in place,

4what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?c
5You have made themd a little lower than the angelse and crowned themf with glor
y and honor.
6You made them rulers over the works of your hands;
you put everything under theirg feet:
7all flocks and herds,
and the animals of the wild,
8the birds in the sky,
and the fish in the sea,
all that swim the paths of the seas.
9Lord, our Lord,
how majestic is your name in all the earth!
------he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways
Psalm 34:7 - The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he del
ivers them.
Psalm 91:9If you say,

The Lord is my refuge,

and you make the Most High your dwelling,

10no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
12they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
Psalm 82:5 The gods

know nothing, they understand nothing.

They walk about in darkness;

all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

6 I said,

You are gods ;

you are all sons of the Most High.

7But you will die like mere mortals;
you will fall like every other ruler.
8Rise up, O God, judge the earth,
for all the nations are your inheritance.
---Acts 5 :18They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. 19But duri
ng the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them
out. 20 Go, stand in the temple courts, he said, and tell the people all about this
new life.
Acts 8:26 - Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road--the
desert road--that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza."
Acts 27:23Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stoo
d beside me 24and said, Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesa
r; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you. 25So keep
up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he to
ld me. 26Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.