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uninjured, Bouncing back up, he continued on with his daily activities. It turned out to be much more serious for Ahaziah, so much so that he saw fit to reach out for help. He proceeds to make an unfortunate selection, triggering a disastrous chain of events. Accord ing to Scripture, “he sent messengers, saying to them,‘Go and consult Baal-Zebub, the God of Ekron, to see if I will recover from this injury’” (2 Kings 1:2). Don’t underestimate the horrendousness of such a decision. Despite being idolatrous and unfaithful, Israel was nevertheless a theocracy, a nation whose overall authority was the One True God, creator and sustainer of the universe.Yet, Ahaziah, heathen to the core, took it upon himself to consult a false god in his time of greatest need. This brings to mind a fearful and impatient Saul, who knew better, yet sought solace from a witch during a time of great distress. And too, in more modern times, Grigori Rasputin, the mystic monk who deviously advised Russian royalty in the days of Nicholas and Alexandra. Just decades ago, a very influential yet extremely fearful first lady is known to have regularly consulted an astrologer throughout most of her husband’s presidency. Foolishly bypassing the one true God, Ahaziah chose Baal instead, a move that prompted a Divine commission. In a response to the wicked king, “The angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite,‘Go up and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria . . . (2 Kings 1:3, empha sis added). Note from the bold print this isn’t just any angel, but rather “the angel of the Lord.” Pay special attention to what’s happening here.This is a Christophany, a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Himself, one of thirty that take place throughout the OldTesta ment.The first Christophany occurred when Jesus appeared to Abram’s servant Hagar after she had been harshly treated by Sarai

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