Category: Wisdom

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Can You Work Out Your Own Salvation?

We are going through Philippians in our Bible study.  Paul was in jail and writing to the congregation in Philippi.  In verse 2:12-13, he writes, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence by much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.”  I could see that if you have not accepted Christ as your savior, you might think that Paul was saying you are free to work out your own salvation outside of Christ.  Don’t feel embarrassed; it is basically a worldly thing to do: to not understand God’s message.  The world likes to shout out a Bible passage and fails to dig deeper into the context, translation, and meaning of a verse in the context that it was written.

You need to first understand the context of the message.  Paul was writing to the church in Philippi.  Paul loved this church because they accepted God’s Word without the fuss of other churches of that day.  Paul knew that he was talking to fellow Christians.  Although Christians are saved, we are not without our struggles.  As in that day, we struggle to obey Christ.  It is quite a battle that falls to each of us to be more Christ-like.  Because of that struggle, we work with God’s Spirit to help fight the constant fight to obey Him.  Our job is to help one another in that fight.  And in that light, we are constantly working to our own salvation of obeying Jesus.  So, the verse might be better translated as to show or demonstrate your obedience to Christ.

I used to believe that God was found in nature.  Some believe that God is in a Church.  Although God is in both of those places, He wants to be in our hearts.  It isn’t enough to try to do good works and “buy” your way into heaven.  Let’s face it, none of us has that much to offer.  The path is simple, yet everyone seems to miss it.  It isn’t the life of Christ that saves us; it is His death.  He died for all of us, and for the few who accept his gift of salvation, we will see Him again.  This is called being born again.  In this new life, we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit to guide our way.  It is through this internal process that we work out our own salvation.  But you cannot accomplish it without accepting Christ first.

You don’t have to trust me on this; listen to the Lord Himself: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”  John 14:6. There is no other workaround.

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Broken Cisterns

“Contentment makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor.” Benjamin Franklin

“For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.”  Jeremiah 2:13

Many have turned their backs on God.  We allow material things to make ourselves feel complete.  God offers a contentment that goes beyond human understanding; He shows us contentment wherever we are in this material world. His living water flows through us, we feel complete…. Rich.

On the other hand, how long do our material things satisfy us?  We are always looking for something more, and as we gather more, the more incomplete we will feel because we are pouring them into a broken cistern.

The Prophet Jeremiah is telling us not to be slaves to our broken cisterns, but to find the living water that God promised us.

-Taken from a Brett Meador sermon on Oct. 18, 2020.

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Why do you seek the living among the dead?

In John 24: 1 – 12, they went to the tomb to prepare Jesus’ body for burial and found it empty.  Two angels appeared to them and asked them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”

Jesus gave His life for us, but He didn’t remain dead.  He arose!  Proving that He was God.  But He didn’t stop there, He gave each of his followers the Holy Spirit that He might be within them.

Easter is a reminder that God isn’t dead, but alive.  To the many who seek dead gods, know that those who have accepted Jesus keeps a living God within them.  Accept Jesus and find a new life.  Without Jesus, all things are dead.  He is arisen!

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Microchips

I recently got a news feed claiming that one of the largest microchip registries, Save This Life, went out of business, taking their registry with them.  Frankly, I’ve never heard of Save This Life, but it makes the point that without a registry, a microchip is useless.  But a registry is only one problem with microchips; there are many, many others.

I’ve always preached that a microchip should never be the primary identification for an animal.  Here is why:

  1. Many microchip vendors leave it up to the pet owner to complete the registration process. Pet owners are the weakest link in pet ownership.  When the owner fails to register their pet’s microchip, animal shelters depend on the vendor to give insight as to who purchased the microchip.  Many veterinarians will sell microchips, but refuse to maintain records as to who they sold it to.  Veterinarians fail to recognize that their client is the weakest link; they, in turn, are the second weakest link.
  2. Microchips operate on various technologies. As such, for years, it was nearly impossible to find microchip scanners that could read all of the microchips on the market.  One manufacturer encrypted their chips so that scanners from other manufacturers could not read them.  Even after the initial fallout and universal scanners became available, the scanners could not read all of the microchip frequencies at the same time.  Each scan had to be performed slowly, so as to give the scanner time to scan through all of the various frequencies.  It became quite easy to miss a microchip because a shelter worker scanned too quickly.
  3. Microchips are implanted in the shoulder area of an animal. Those scanning would know where to scan for the chip, but microchips have a bad habit of migrating.  I once found a microchip in the front paw of a Great Dane.  That microchip had migrated nearly 3 feet.  Due to this migration and the complications with scanners, many shelters created protocols to scan an animal at least three times during its stay at the shelter.  It would be scanned at intake, during its medical checkup, and then just prior to disposition.  This was as foolproof as we could make it.  And yet, it is far from perfect.  The problem with microchips is that you never know that you have missed them.

Given that pet owners are the weakest link in pet ownership.  Many communities changed from using tags for licensing and converted over to microchips.  I’ve always believed that was a very bad idea.  Having only a microchip as identification is very close to having no identification on the pet.  But most shelters will tell you that most pets come into the shelter with no identification at all.  So, a microchip, although a poor identification, is better than none at all.  Animal Shelters would do well to record microchips in their own shelter database system.

In Jacksonville, Florida, I witnessed an incident in which one of our City Council members had microchipped her pet and came to believe that having a microchip took away any worry of her pet running loose.  She had this notion that if her pet got loose, it would magically reappear in her yard.  There was no need to look for her pet herself.  Not everyone is this stupid, but you would be surprised at how many are.

The best identification is an ID tag.  For this identification to work, the tag must be legible and on the pet.  It should contain the owner’s name, address, and phone number.  It is important that the phone number contains the area code (I’ll explain later).

The second-best identification is the pet’s license tag.  As with the ID tag, it is only good if it is on the pet.  The license also evidences that the pet is vaccinated for rabies.  The people who issue these tags should also put their area code on them.  I once had a dog come in with a license tag from Jefferson County.  The tag failed to provide the area code or the state in which the license was issued.  I discovered that there were over a dozen Jefferson Counties in the United States.  I searched State by State, looking for the dog’s owners.  In addition to the missing information, the tag had also expired.  I discovered that many communities only keep the records for the current licensing period.  After hours of searching, the tag proved to be worthless.  I never found the owner.

At one point in my career, tattooing was a thing.  The problem with tattoos is that the ink becomes obscured, and there has never been a good system to register them.  It seems that we have come full circle since registration became the problem for microchips and government-issued tags.

So, you do everything right, and your pet is wearing a collar and tags.  But, the first person who finds your pet has bad eyesight and removes the collar to get a better look, only to have the pet escape from them while they are holding the pet’s lifeline in their hands.  This is why the microchip, all be it a poor form of pet identification, is there for us.

Dog owners would do well to ask their pet licensing provider to add their microchip information when licensing their pet.  It wouldn’t hurt to make a note to review the information once a year to make sure the information remains correct.  You would be surprised (or maybe you wouldn’t) that the major problem with microchip registrations is the failure of the pet owner (hint: the weakest link) to keep the microchip registration information current.  I used to send letters to the last address on file, looking for the pet owner.  The problem with that is that should the letter ever catch up with the owner, the pet’s stray holding time is long over.  Animal shelters have to face the problem of keeping a pet in an overcrowded shelter in hopes of its owner eventually coming forward or placing the pet into a new home.  It is common in our business that the owner will come forward months later after their pet has been adopted out.

My rule of thumb is that the law gives ownership of the pet to the animal shelter after the stray holding time.  The shelter passes the ownership of the pet to the adopter.  It isn’t the shelter’s right to try to take back the animal when its “previous owner” shows up.  I leave that decision up to the new owner.  If you agree with this philosophy, then in your next ordinances rewrite, you should make pet ownership information exempt from Freedom of Information Requests; otherwise, your adopters will be plagued with bullying from a previous owner.  It will also save you from local vendors asking for a copy of your licensing data.

A smart shelter employee will document every attempt at scanning for a microchip.  If you are unable to scan due to a broken scanner or a fractious animal, make sure you document that as well.  One day, you will have a pet owner wanting to sue you for failure to promptly return their pet to you.  Document everything that you do.

On intake, report whether the animal has a collar or lacks a collar.  Each time you scan the animal document it.  If you discover a microchip, record every attempt of attempting to reach the owner.  Document phone call attempts, document letters that you mail out, and even document if the letter is returned.  Do this because one day you might be in court describing to a judge what efforts you made to locate the owner.

I once discovered that I had five potential addresses for a suspected pet owner.  I mailed letters to each address, and if one of the addressees contacted me to say that they weren’t the owner, I documented that.  If the address is in your jurisdiction, send out an officer to leave a door hanger…. You got it, document that as well.

If you luck out and find the pet owner, give them a “drop dead date”  (a deadline) by which they must appear at your shelter.  You want them to know that you are unable to keep their animal indefinitely.  If you have contacted the owner, always keep the animal a day or two beyond the date that you gave the owner.  We live in a time in which people like to push their limits.  It is better that you report that you kept the animal past the deadline when you are called before a judge.  Also, bring a copy of the ordinance that gives you authority to dispose of stray/unwanted pets.

I have to be honest; I was never called into court over a pet ownership issue.  But, because I documented everything, I slept better at night.

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Proof Reading

An interesting feature of reading eBooks is the ability to proofread.  eBooks provide a way to submit corrections.  It is like having an unpaid job working for the publisher.  Recently, I’ve moved away from correcting spelling errors and have moved to offering plot corrections.

I was reading a book recently and became offended by the author using the Lord’s name in vain.  I let it go and continued reading.  Then he did it again and again.  This excessive abuse led me to send a book review to warn Christians to expect to be offended when reading the book.  I sent a message to the publisher that offending God did not enhance the story’s plot.

I don’t know what has caused me to be a rabid Christian, yet I feel the Lord tugging at my heart more and more.  It only makes sense that when so many people are drifting away from God, a few of us might drift closer.

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Google Your Name

Have you ever Googled your name to see where you fall in the search algorithms?  I would usually find my name within the first three or four on the list.  Recently, I found that I didn’t show up until the second page.  It seems some guy wearing my name was accused of molesting children at a day camp.  He was awarded the entire first search page.  I was immediately depressed as to how a pervert might be represented my name.  I felt violated.  I felt grief over my name and grief over the victim children.  Everyone who had been given the name “David Flagler” would be grieved due to this one person.

I was now experiencing a moment in which I knew how God must feel when we abuse His name.  “Lord, forgive us.”

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Guidance for a Lost People

You don’t have to go very far to witness that we have become a people lost, without guidance.  We have strayed from God and become lost.  We think we are wise, yet we are not.  We have become a very foolish nation.  Only by returning to God will we be found.

The New Testament presents divine guidance as multifaceted, operating through the Holy Spirit, Scripture, transformed thinking, and practical circumstances.

The Spirit of truth actively guides believers into truth and reveals future events (John 16:13), functioning as a teacher who communicates God’s intentions. Those led by the Spirit of God are identified as God’s children (Rom 8:14), suggesting that receptiveness to divine direction marks an authentic relationship with God. Walking by the Spirit prevents gratification of fleshly desires (Gal 5:16–18), positioning guidance as both protective and transformative.

Practical discernment emerges through mental renewal. By resisting worldly conformity and allowing your mind to be transformed, you gain the capacity to recognize God’s will—what is good, acceptable, and perfect (Rom 12:2). This internal transformation enables believers to distinguish divine direction from cultural pressures. Those lacking wisdom can request it from God, who grants it generously without reproach (James 1:5), making divine guidance accessible through prayer.

Prayer itself becomes a guidance mechanism. Bringing requests to God through prayer and thanksgiving produces God’s peace, which guards hearts and minds (Phil 4:6–7). Similarly, letting Christ’s peace rule in your heart serves as an arbiter for decisions (Col 3:15). The Spirit intercedes for believers when they don’t know how to pray, and God understands the Spirit’s intentions toward the believer’s good (Rom 8:26–27).

The early church experienced guidance through multiple channels: The Holy Spirit prevented missionary work in certain regions, redirected Paul through visions, and led the apostles toward new territories (Acts 16:6–10). During worship and fasting, the Spirit directly commissioned missionaries for specific work (Acts 13:2–4).

God promises instruction and counsel while watching over those who seek direction (Ps 32:8), and trusting God completely rather than human understanding results in straightened paths (Prov 3:5–6). Rejoicing, constant prayer, and thanksgiving constitute God’s will for believers (1 Thess 5:16–18), establishing that guidance includes recognizing God’s purposes within present circumstances.

Key Passages:

Exod 13:21–22

And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.

Ps 23:1–3

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Ps 119:105

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

Prov 3:5–6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Prov 11:14

Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

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But Not

51 times the Bible uses the phrase “but not.”  It seems like an insignificant phrase, but it is significant when differentiating between a person of God and one who is not:

Exod 9:6And the next day the Lord did this thing. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one of the livestock of the people of Israel died.

Exod 11:7But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’

Num 24:17I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near: a star shall come out of Jacob, and a scepter shall rise out of Israel; it shall crush the forehead of Moab and break down all the sons of Sheth.

Deut 25:3Forty stripes may be given him, but not more, lest, if one should go on to beat him with more stripes than these, your brother be degraded in your sight.

1 Kings 11:39And I will afflict the offspring of David because of this, but not forever.’ ”

2 Chron 21:20He was thirty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned eight years in Jerusalem. And he departed with no one’s regret. They buried him in the city of David, but not in the tombs of the kings.

Job 30:28I go about darkened, but not by the sun; I stand up in the assembly and cry for help.

Isa 29:9Astonish yourselves and be astonished; blind yourselves and be blind! Be drunk, but not with wine; stagger, but not with strong drink!

Isa 30:1“Ah, stubborn children,” declares the Lord, “who carry out a plan, but not mine, and who make an alliance, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin;

Isa 48:1Hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and who came from the waters of Judah, who swear by the name of the Lord and confess the God of Israel, but not in truth or right.

Isa 48:10Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction.

Isa 51:21Therefore hear this, you who are afflicted, who are drunk, but not with wine:

Jer 17:11Like the partridge that gathers a brood that she did not hatch, so is he who gets riches but not by justice; in the midst of his days they will leave him, and at his end he will be a fool.

Ezek 16:61Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you take your sisters, both your elder and your younger, and I give them to you as daughters, but not on account of the covenant with you.

Ezek 24:17Sigh, but not aloud; make no mourning for the dead. Bind on your turban, and put your shoes on your feet; do not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.”

Dan 8:22As for the horn that was broken, in place of which four others arose, four kingdoms shall arise from his nation, but not with his power.

Dan 8:24His power shall be great—but not by his own power; and he shall cause fearful destruction and shall succeed in what he does, and destroy mighty men and the people who are the saints.

Dan 11:4And as soon as he has arisen, his kingdom shall be broken and divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to the authority with which he ruled, for his kingdom shall be plucked up and go to others besides these.

Hos 2:7She shall pursue her lovers but not overtake them, and she shall seek them but shall not find them. Then she shall say, ‘I will go and return to my first husband, for it was better for me then than now.’

Hos 4:10They shall eat, but not be satisfied; they shall play the whore, but not multiply, because they have forsaken the Lord to cherish

Hos 7:16They return, but not upward; they are like a treacherous bow; their princes shall fall by the sword because of the insolence of their tongue. This shall be their derision in the land of Egypt.

Hos 8:4They made kings, but not through me. They set up princes, but I knew it not. With their silver and gold they made idols for their own destruction.

Micah 6:14You shall eat, but not be satisfied, and there shall be hunger within you; you shall put away, but not preserve, and what you preserve I will give to the sword.

Micah 6:15You shall sow, but not reap; you shall tread olives, but not anoint yourselves with oil; you shall tread grapes, but not drink wine.

Matt 23:3so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice.

Mark 4:12so that “ ‘they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven.’ ”

Mark 10:27Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

Luke 21:18But not a hair of your head will perish.

Luke 22:26But not so with you. Rather, let the greatest among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves.

John 13:10Jesus said to him, “The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.”

Acts 5:26Then the captain with the officers went and brought them, but not by force, for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.

Rom 4:2For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.

Rom 7:18For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.

Rom 10:2For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

Rom 14:1As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.

I think the best use of the phrase is in Corinthians:

1 Cor 6:12“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.

1 Cor 10:23“All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.

2 Cor 4:8We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair;

2 Cor 4:9persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;

Rev 9:5They were allowed to torment them for five months, but not to kill them, and their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it stings someone.

We live in a downcast world, and people are feeling crushed, but not those of us who find comfort in the Lord.

 

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Angels

I have always felt God’s presence over me.  I’ve always claimed “that God has my back”.  I’m not special; I just discern His presence over me.  I don’t deserve it, but He is always there.

Here is what the Bible has to say about it:

“Angels are ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation (Heb 1:14). Their divine purpose includes protection and guidance, as they are commanded to guard people in all their ways, even bearing them up to prevent harm (Ps 91:11–12). These celestial beings have a special connection to God, always seeing the face of the Father in heaven (Matt 18:10). The angel of the LORD specifically encamps around those who fear God, offering deliverance (Ps 34:7). Interestingly, believers are encouraged to show hospitality to strangers, as some have unknowingly entertained angels (Heb 13:2).”

A few verses from the English Standard Version of the Bible:
Heb 1:14Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?
Ps 91:11–12For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.
Matt 18:10“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.
Heb 13:2Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Ps 34:7The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Luke 15:10Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
2 Kings 6:17Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
Matt 4:11Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.
Luke 1:26–38In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Matt 28:5–7But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. See, I have told you.”
Acts 12:7–11And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, “Dress yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.” And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him. When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.”
Dan 10:13The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia,
Col 2:18Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind,
Rev 5:11–12Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”
Gen 19:1–22The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth and said, “My lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way.” They said, “No; we will spend the night in the town square.” But he pressed them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house. And he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate. But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.” Lot went out to the men at the entrance, shut the door after him, and said, “I beg you, my brothers, do not act so wickedly. Behold, I have two daughters who have not known any man. Let me bring them out to you, and do to them as you please. Only do nothing to these men, for they have come under the shelter of my roof.” But they said, “Stand back!” And they said, “This fellow came to sojourn, and he has become the judge! Now we will deal worse with you than with them.” Then they pressed hard against the man Lot, and drew near to break the door down. But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them and shut the door. And they struck with blindness the men who were at the entrance…
Exod 23:20“Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.
Isa 6:1–7In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”
Luke 2:9–14And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
Matt 26:53Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?
1 Cor 6:3Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!
2 Pet 2:4For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;
Jude 6And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—
Rev 12:7–9Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
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Sodom and Gomorrah

I wondered why Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed:

“God recognized that the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was “very grave” and that there was a significant “outcry” against these cities (Gen 18:20–21). The biblical accounts provide multiple dimensions to their wickedness: the men of Sodom, from young to old, sought to sexually assault the visitors in Lot’s house (Gen 19:4–5). Additionally, Ezekiel reveals their deeper systemic sins, which included pride, excessive prosperity, neglect of the poor and needy, and committing “abominations” (Ezek 16:49–50). Their actions were characterized by sexual immorality and “unnatural desire” (Jude 7). As a result of their wickedness, God ultimately destroyed these cities by raining sulfur and fire from heaven, completely overthrowing the cities, their inhabitants, and the surrounding valley (Gen 19:24–25).”

Without getting carried away, here are a few quotes from the English Standard Version of the Bible:
Gen 18:20–21Then the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great and their sin is very grave, I will go down to see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry that has come to me. And if not, I will know.”
Gen 19:4–5But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, that we may know them.”
Gen 19:24–25Then the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah sulfur and fire from the Lord out of heaven. And he overthrew those cities, and all the valley, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and what grew on the ground.
Ezek 16:49–50Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease, but did not aid the poor and needy. They were haughty and did an abomination before me. So I removed them, when I saw it.
Jude 7just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.
2 Pet 2:6–8if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard);
Gen 13:13Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.
Isa 3:9For the look on their faces bears witness against them; they proclaim their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! For they have brought evil on themselves.
Jer 23:14But in the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: they commit adultery and walk in lies; they strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns from his evil; all of them have become like Sodom to me, and its inhabitants like Gomorrah.”
Gen 19:13For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the Lord, and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.”
Deut 29:23the whole land burned out with brimstone and salt, nothing sown and nothing growing, where no plant can sprout, an overthrow like that of Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger and wrath—
Isa 1:9–10If the Lord of hosts had not left us a few survivors, we should have been like Sodom, and become like Gomorrah. Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom! Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!
Isa 13:19And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the splendor and pomp of the Chaldeans, will be like Sodom and Gomorrah when God overthrew them.
Jer 49:18As when Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring cities were overthrown, says the Lord, no man shall dwell there, no man shall sojourn in her.
Jer 50:40As when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and their neighboring cities, declares the Lord, so no man shall dwell there, and no son of man shall sojourn in her.
Amos 4:11“I overthrew some of you, as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and you were as a brand plucked out of the burning; yet you did not return to me,” declares the Lord.
Zeph 2:9Therefore, as I live,” declares the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “Moab shall become like Sodom, and the Ammonites like Gomorrah, a land possessed by nettles and salt pits, and a waste forever. The remnant of my people shall plunder them, and the survivors of my nation shall possess them.”
Luke 17:28–29Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all—
Rom 9:29And as Isaiah predicted, “If the Lord of hosts had not left us offspring, we would have been like Sodom and become like Gomorrah.”
Rev 11:8and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.
Sometimes we miss looking in the Book of Jasher, where we would find that it was customary for the people of Sodom to take advantage of people passing through their city.  One of Lot’s daughters, Paltith, was “burned to ashes” (Jasher 19: 35) for feeding a starving stranger.  Another woman, offering food and water to a stranger, was covered “with honey from head to foot… and placed her before a swarm of bees…{that} stung her that her whole body was swelled.”  (Jasher 19:39-43).  The people’s behavior provoked the Lord.  Jasher 19:44.  It is no wonder that God rained fire down upon them.