RE C OMMENDATIONS
P
amela Koefoed has been a personal friend for several years. We have become more aware with time that she has been blessed with some very special spiritual gifts. In this extremely informative book, Pamela has produced for the body of Christ a very valuable resource book on the subject of Angels. It may be the most thorough and biblically balanced work on the subject available, blending not only biblical research, but also much fascinating personal experience and history. The clear chapter titles and subtitles make it very easy to find specific information for almost any possible question about angels. With so many people reporting angelic experiences in our day, this book is a must read to help us keep our focus and receive God’s blessings without being deceived by counterfeits. It should also be a textbook for any Bible classes on the supernatural realm. —Ben R. Peters President, Open Heart Ministries & International Conference Speaker Author of Catching Up to the Third World and Signs and Wonders to Seek or Not to Seek Angels Appearing is the most well balanced book on angels that I have read as Pamela relates both the spiritual and practical side of these supernatural appearances. This book is like reading a text book on the subject of angels and you feel like you have just taken a course on angels.
If you have been afraid of the whole aspect of angels, then this book should take away all fear and doubt. It will cause you to be able to realize that this supernatural event can be normal for a Christian who is in obedience to Jesus Christ and His Word. Having had experience concerning angels myself, these accounts are certainly confirming with the Word of God and my experiences. The Word of God shows us Father God’s heart in giving us help here on earth. One of my favorite scriptures is Psalm 103:20-22 that states, “Praise the Lord, you His angels, you mighty ones who do His bidding, who obey His word. Praise the Lord, all His heavenly hosts, you His servants who do His will. Praise the Lord, all His works everywhere in His dominion.” Angels are part of His works and the angels of the Lord do His bidding. —Jean Krisle Blasi Krisle Christian Ministries In our quest as followers of Jesus Christ to be naturally supernatural, we walk the line between outright rejection of contemporary angelic activity and flakiness! In this helpful text Pamela Koefoed presents a solid biblical foundation for an understanding of angels. Her teaching is balanced and highlighted with many appropriate testimonies which illustrate the contemporary mission of angels! —Gary McCreith EaglesRest Ministries This book confirms that you are not alone, and with a strong biblical foundation it clarifies God’s purpose and function of angels. You will have greater understanding of the on-going warfare you experience and be empowered to be victorious. JoAnne Meckstroth President, Women of Impact Ministries, U S Director, Aglow International
Pamela does much more than simply recite Bible facts regarding angels. She brings forth the personal and practical life experiences we all need to fill in the gaps. Pamela presents sound, well researched truths that will open the eyes and hearts of those with a beginning interest or those seasoned with many angelic experiences. —Pastor Randy DeMain Amazing Grace Bible Fellowship
ANGELS
A PPEARING
The nature, activity, and appearing of angels in our modern times
PAMELA KOEFOED
© Copyright 2005—Pamela Koefoed Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved under International Copyright Law. With the exception of brief quotations for personal, non-profit use, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without the express prior permission of Advancing the Kingdom Publishing. The use of short quotations for personal and group study is permitted and encouraged. Please note that the publisher’s style endeavors to honor God by capitalizing certain pronouns referring to Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New King James Version, copyright ©1982, 1994 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. Verses marked “Amp” are taken from The Amplified Bible, Old Testament, copyright © 1965, 1987 by The Zondervan Corporation. The Amplified New Testament, copyright © 1954, 1958, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by Permission. Scripture quotations marked “NRSV” are taken from the New Revised Standard Version New Testament, copyright © 1990 by The Division of Education and Ministry, National Council of the Churches of Christ. Used by Permission. The article, “Washington Had Vision of Trials Facing Nation” is used with permission from the Stars and Stripes a DoD publication, copyright © 2005, Stars and Stripes. Reprinted by permission, Carolyn McCormick’s Heaven experience as told in the chapter “From Moth’s to Butterflies” published in To Heaven and Back copyright © 1997 by Rita Bennett. All rights reserved. Reprinted by permission, excerpts from A Table in the Presence, Lieutenant Carey H. Cash, copyright © 2004, W. Publishing, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved. “Police Discover Angel in Prophet’s Van” by Joni Ames, reprinted with permission of The Elijah List. Cover design by Steve Fryer, www.stevefryer.com
ADVANCING THE KINGDOM PUBLISHING P.O. Box 728, Lakeview, Oregon 97630-7005 www.akministries.org ISBN 0-9772395-0-0
DEDIC ATION
A
ngels Appearing is my “first fruits,” and as such, I present it to the Lord as an offering of love and worship. May it be for the advancement of His kingdom and to the glory of His Name.
AC K NOWLED GMENTS
W
ithout the Holy Spirit, this book never would have been written. Simply put, His empowerment enabled me to write. He inspired, energized, and led me throughout the two years that it has taken to complete Angels Appearing. Therefore all the praise and glory belongs to God. Angels Appearing was written with the prayers, support, and encouragement of many dear friends and family. I am deeply grateful to those who have stood with me in this project: Vern, my wonderfully supportive husband and lifelong best friend. Truly, you were hand chosen for me. I could not have accomplished such an undertaking without you by my side. Thank you for believing in me. I love you, dear. And to our children, Travis, Ryan, and Sierra—your dad and I are so proud of you. We are immeasurably blessed by who you are. Thank you for your enthusiasm, love, and for lessening my load by taking on many of the household responsibilities while I pounded away at the keyboard. Keep your lights shining! Also, a special thanks to: Charlee Coleman, Pastor Rick Hoskins, Edith Wardwell, my church family at Lakeview Ministries, and the AKM ministry team and partners. The editing was a labor of love accomplished by several very dear people. I would like to thank: my sister Robin Davis for the critiquing of the first manuscript; Annette Bradley for all the red marks. There isn’t another editor quite like Annette whose commitment to the success of this project has been priceless; Rita Poorman for proof reading the many Scripture quotations; Ron Coleman and Ronne Lindsay for proofreading the final manuscript one word at a time.
Thanks to Harold Eberly for connecting me with the best editor in the entire world, to Lee Pierce for her formatting expertise, and to Steve Fryer for the awesome book cover. For their written contributions, I would like to thank: Rita Bennett and Carolyn McCormick, Gary McCreith, Diana Stavenau, the Stars and Stripes, Thomas Nelson Publishers, and The Elijah List.
CONTENTS
Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Angel Sightings . . . . . . . . . . . . The Nature of Angels . . . . . . . . . Encountering Angels Unaware. . . . . Angels Have Personality Plus!. . . . . Fallen Angels. . . . . . . . . . . . . . Counterfeits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Angelic Warfare . . . . . . . . . . . . You are Equipped for Victory . . . . . Angels, the Holy Spirit, and You. . . . An Appearing of Angels . . . . . . . . Angels are Ministers . . . . . . . . . . Partnering with Heaven through Prayer Angels Minister to Physical Needs . . Angels Minister the Word of God . . . Angels Give Directions . . . . . . . . Flying the Friendly Skies . . . . . . . Angels of the End-Times. . . . . . . . Epilogue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. 13 . 15 . 19 . 27 . 35 . 49 . 57 . 69 . 73 . 81 . 93 . 115 . 133 . 149 . 159 . 169 . 173 . 181 . 183 . 185 . 191
INTRODUC TION
A
ngels are not the sole subject of any chapter in the Bible. While they frequently are seen in its pages, they never are found to be in the spotlight of divine Scripture. Theirs is a ministry that always directs us to consider the true Source of our assistance and protection, the Lord of Hosts. Angels are associated closely with God. Indeed, He is the theme of their activity and service and the object of their love. These loyal servants of Yahweh, messengers sent out in service to the inheritors of salvation, shun the praises of men and take great pleasure in putting Him on display. While they genuinely prefer to remain in the background of what God is doing, our society has brought them out of obscurity by flaunting them to excess! So much attention has been given to these humble, yet glorious, servants of God that it is safe to say that “angelmania” has infected our modern age. In no other time in history has the fascination with the angelic been greater than it is in our day. Time, Newsweek, and Redbook are among popular magazines that have published articles on angels, in recent years.1 The entertainment industry has gotten on board the angel train by producing such shows as “Touched by an Angel,” which neither displays God nor angels in their true light. Angels hang in our closets, adorning our dresses, tops, and trousers. They are displayed in our kitchens, resting on shelves or countertops and decorating our walls. Relaxed angels are in our offices, sitting leisurely on desks and magnetized to filing cabinets, and angels are even in our flower beds attached to garden stakes. This growing trend reveals a unanimous need in our hearts to believe in
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someone greater than ourselves who performs miraculous feats in order to rescue us at our weakest and most helpless moments. If one doubts that this can be true, a tour of the larger bookstores will reveal entire sections devoted to the subject. Furthermore, an entry into a computer search engine will turn up no less than 40 thousand entries under the celestial title. In light of the growing interest in angels, it is no surprise that there is also a corresponding increase in reported sightings of these heavenly beings. While not all reports are valid, there are credible testimonies coming from reliable sources that must not be disregarded. After all, the message that such visitations provide is that God loves us so much that He has placed His angels among us to carry out His wishes in the lives of the one’s for whom His Son died.
CH A P TER ONE
ANGEL SIGHTINGS
O
For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible…. All things were created through Him and for Him. Colossians 1:16
nly the Lord knows why He has allowed me the awesome privilege of being visited by angels. A few of their visits came when I was wide awake and fully alert. Each of these visitations left me totally beside myself and overwhelmed at the goodness of the Lord for having sent His angel to me.2 There have been other times when they appeared to me in my dreams as they did to Joseph.3 These visitations scarcely had ended when I awoke, and I was able to remember the experience and the accompanying message in perfect detail. I also occasionally have discerned the presence of the angelic without actually seeing them with my natural eyes. Several times when this occurred, what I saw later was confirmed accurately by someone else who also saw them. In these instances, I did not see them with my natural eyes; I saw them with the eyes of my spirit, the eyes of faith.4 My focus and my lifetime passion is to know more intimately the Lord Jesus Christ and God, my Heavenly Father. I love the Lord with all my heart, and I am sincere in my ever-growing relationship with Him. I never have sought angels, nor do I seek
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unusual or paranormal experiences. I don’t watch nor read sci-fi. and just in case someone is wondering, no, I don’t believe in alien abductions! Angels have not been my focus by any means. I am not even a collector of angel stuff. As a matter of fact, I have only two pieces of angel decor in my home, a 5” x 7” picture of General George Washington praying while an alert angel keeps guard over him and one angel figurine that is special to me because it was a gift from my sister. You most likely would find me as normal as any stay-at-home mom with three children. I help my kids with their school work; it seems as if I always am feeding my teenage sons, and the loads of laundry never end. I am sharing this with you because I don’t believe that the Lord sent His angels to me because I am particularly devout, or because of anything that I have done. I was not fasting when angels came to me and the visitations were not during times of distress. As a matter of fact, they have come at the most unpredictable times. It is plain to me and I hope to all who read this book that I cannot take credit in any way for having been the recipient of the ministry of angels. To the Lord belongs all the glory.
ANGELIC ACTIVITY HAS INCREASED Angels are involved with the administration of the kingdom of God from heaven, while mankind is involved with the administration of the kingdom of God on earth. As is evidenced in the Book of Revelation, the activity of angels will increase, not decrease, as the day of the Lord’s return draws nearer. Ungers Bible Dictionary states that “angels appear most frequently and conspicuously in connection with the coming and ministry of our Lord.” Since it now appears that ours is the generation when the Lord Jesus will return, it would be safe to expect the Lord to call upon greater numbers of His ministers, both human and angelic, to carry out the purposes of God around the world…in one great, united effort to fulfill the desire of God’s heart, which is that every nation, tribe, and tongue turn to the Lord and be saved.
ANGEL SIGHTINGS
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While their activity has increased, they seldom are seen because angels are spirits and spirits usually are invisible to the natural eye. They have the ability to be seen, but, for the most part choose to operate in the unseen reality of the supernatural that is all around us. For those who find it difficult to believe in the existence and activity of angels here in our world because they never have seen one, I would like to propose that there are things in the room with you right now that you are unable to see and which will remain in the unseen realm of reality. Take germs and radio waves, for instance. We do not see them, but that doesn’t mean they are non-existent; it simply means we can’t see them. And so it is with the spiritual beings actively carrying out the commands of the Lord upon the earth. They frequently are present in our homes, churches, work places, schools, governmental agencies, and hospitals, and, for the most part, we are oblivious to their presence and activity because they are spiritual beings. Nevertheless, their activity affects the natural world in which we live, as you will see later in this book.
SPIRITUAL EXPERIENCES Some folks want a Christianity that is not spiritual. They are not comfortable with spiritual things, and they just want a reasonable and rational religion; you know, something safe and entirely predictable. The pews of the American Church at large are filled with people who sit there week after week wishing they were someplace else. Could it be that this boredom with church exists because their faith in God is void of any real experience? Much of what we in the Western Church call Christianity is a mere form devoid of the dunamis, power, of the Spirit of God.5 Christianity is vastly different from all of the world’s religions. For one thing, it is not a religion in which you must earn your way to eternal life; it is a relationship with God. It is a spiritual experience rather than a religious practice because it involves walking in relationship with God, the Father, Who is a Spirit, and with His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.6
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To walk in relationship with anyone involves some experiences. Relationships consist of shared events and personal encounters over the lifetime of the relationship. Consider the relationship that you have with a friend or co-worker, for example, the encounters and experiences that you have had with this person have contributed toward your relationship with him or her, whether good or bad. Christianity is a relationship with God and God is a Spirit. What kind of experiences would you or I expect to have in our walks with Him? Since experiences and personal encounters are a part of one’s relationship with others, then walking with God also would involve some experiences, and these would be spiritual. For the reason that He is a Spirit, we can be assured that spiritual (God) experiences are perfectly okay to have.
CH A P TER 2
THE NAT URE OF ANGEL S
“W
hat am I seeing?” I wondered. My mind searched for a reference point from the past 40 years to aid me in making sense of what I saw at the foot of my bed. From the ceiling to the floor stood a huge pulsating pillar of bright, opaque, white light, endowed with shimmering colors. I took a quick surveillance of the rest of my room and discovered four more of these lights, directly to the left of me. Stunned, I could think of doing little more than whispering a prayer of thanks to my Heavenly Father for His protection. I gazed first at one beam of light and then at another, not even daring to blink for fear of missing something. I couldn’t help noticing that the quality of light was similar to that which emanated from the angel who visited me in 1998. However, though mind-boggling, the appearing of that angel was more in line with how I would expect an angel to appear. This was entirely different! Off and on for several weeks prior to this very unusual visitation (which occurred at the beginning of 2005), I asked the Lord for a deeper understanding of the nature and ministry of angels, and here it was…the revelation for which I had been asking and waiting. They stayed just long enough for me to get a thorough look at them, and then they suddenly and simultaneously departed. Were
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my questions answered? No! Their appearance left me with more questions than I ever had before. For starters, where would I find angels with that appearance in the Bible?
THE WORD ON ANGELS Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people. Revelation 14:6 Angels are important to God! We can know this because there are over 300 references to them in 31 of the Bible’s 66 books. This is pretty impressive, especially when one stops to consider that the Bible wasn’t written by one individual, during one era. It actually was written by about 40 men, over a period of 4,000 years, as they were inspired by the Spirit of God.7 This extensive inclusion of the angelic race in God’s written Word should be of no surprise, given that the Bible is a documented accounting of God’s gracious dealings with mankind, and angels are His servants. As such, when He wants something done here on earth, He calls for an angel and gives him the order, and the angel swiftly executes it. So, naturally, they appear often in the biblical record. Moses wrote about their ministries in Genesis, Exodus and Numbers. Their roles as God’s messengers are revealed clearly in Judges. Angels carry out the punishments of God in II Samuel and in I and II Chronicles. In I Kings and II Kings, their ministry to God’s servant is revealed. In Ezekiel’s prophetic book, they are seen interacting with Ezekiel and the Holy Spirit. Angels interpret dreams and visions in Daniel’s book, and in Zechariah, angels are seen fore-telling events. True, they were very busy carrying out the commands of God during the Old Testament days, but angels were no less involved in the ministry of God in the New Testament era. All four
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gospels record their activity. They brought messages to Mary, Joseph, Zachariah, and to shepherds.8 A host of angels were seen singing praises to God at the time of Jesus’ birth.9 They ministered to Jesus’ physical needs and they ministered healing to God’s people in Bethesda.10 Some misinformed persons suppose that the angelic race went on retirement when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost, however, this simply is not the case. There are several angel sightings in the chapters and books of the Bible following Pentecost. You will find angels in Acts, Romans, I and II Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, II Thessalonians, I Timothy, Hebrews, I and II Peter, Jude, and throughout the book of Revelation.
ANGEL SCHEMATICS Bless…the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great! You are clothed with honor and majesty— [You are the One] Who covers Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain or a tent, Who lays the beams of the upper room of His abode in the waters [above the firmament], Who makes the clouds His chariot, Who walks on the wings of the wind, Who makes winds, His messengers, flames of fire His ministers. Psalm 104:1-4—Amp God created angels to be the power force behind His Word. No where in Scripture can you find an angel resembling a fat elf, having short pudgy legs, a chubby tummy, wings, and a halo. It would be impossible to expect protection from someone appearing as a fat baby with wings. This is the image that the entertainment and retail industries have offered us. A description of the angelic host is discovered in Psalms 104, verse 4. In this passage, the psalmist exalts the Lord for His creation and includes the Lord’s messengers and ministers in his anthem of praise. “Who makes winds, His messengers, flames of fire His ministers.”
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The writer calls God’s messengers “winds” and his ministers “flames of fire.” He cannot possibly be speaking of the men and women who serve the Lord, because we are neither wind nor fire. But upon closer examination, these words reveal to whom he was referring. Let’s begin by breaking down this short passage of Scripture and defining the following words: “winds,” “messengers,” and “flames of fire.” “Who makes winds, His messengers, flames of fire His ministers.” The word “winds” translated in the original language of the Bible is the Hebrew word ruach, meaning “spirits,” and the word “messengers” is translated from the exact same word as angel. Wherever the word “angel” appears in the Scriptures, you can find that word in a Bible concordance and discover that it is translated from the word “messenger.” The Bible translators could have written this verse with the word “angels” in place of the word “messengers,” and some translators have. Furthermore, the words “flames of fire” are actually “blazes of fire” in the Hebrew language. Based upon these findings, we discover that the messengers here are actually angels, belonging to the order of life known as spirits who are as fire. Thus, the pillars of light in my room.11 Having the Hebrew definitions for these words in Psalm 104:4 enables us to develop a translation that is more literal; “The Lord makes His spirits, His angels, blazes of fire His ministers.”
HEAVENLY BODIES Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding….When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Job 38:4, 7 The angelic hosts have bodies that are well-suited for heaven. “There are heavenly bodies...and there are earthly bodies...but the beauty and
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glory of the heavenly bodies is of one kind, while the beauty and glory of earthly bodies is a different kind.” (I Corinthians 15:40—Amp) Job 38:7 contains a significant passage of Scripture pertaining to the nature of angels. For those of you who love Bible trivia, this chapter contains a whopping 39 questions, ranking it as the top “question chapter” in the Bible. God’s rapid-fire interrogation of Job was purposeful. His inquiries were intended to bring Job to a fresh revelation of God as the All Potent, Self-Existent Creator, Whose wisdom and abilities go supernaturally beyond mankind’s human abilities. In the midst of all of His many questions, God asked him, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth….When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4, 7a). Contained within this question is a further look at heaven’s host. This passage reveals that God, the Father, Jesus Christ, His Son, and the Holy Spirit were not the only ones present when “the foundations of the earth were laid.” “The morning stars, the sons of God” were there, too, witnessing His handiwork. Who were these “sons of God” who were present when the foundations of the earth were laid? Angels. They were created before mankind and were on location to watch our wonderful Lord create the beautiful earth.
A PICTURE SPEAKS A THOUSAND WORDS The Lord often has called people and angels by names of things about which we already know something in order to emphasize a particularly strong aspect of a person’s or angel’s nature. The title that the Lord gives His angels in Job 38 is “the morning stars.” This is a visual, descriptive name that communicates to us what otherwise is not understood about the heavenly host. I believe the Lord chose the metaphor of the stars with which to compare His angels because angels and stars both share many of the same qualities: 1. Stars and Angels are Both Blazing Fire Psalm 104:4 and Hebrews 1:7 reports that God’s angels are “flames of fire.” The Hebrew definition for the word “flames” is
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“to blaze.”12 Angels do not have a flesh and blood, earthly body; theirs are heavenly bodies that have the appearance of blazing fire. 2. Stars and Angels Both Emit Powerful Energy Stars release a tremendous amount of energy. One example of a star to which you can relate is the sun. The sun has an amazing amount of energy; at 93 million miles away, only one billionth of the sun’s energy reaches the earth. Now, that’s power! The “morning stars” (angels) are beings who emit varying degrees of energy. This energy is often called “the glory of the Lord.” The energy emanating from the heavenly host can have an unusual affect upon earthly bodies. Daniel fell to the floor when an angel came to see him (Daniel 8:18). A powerful angel stood by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and they also fell to the ground (Daniel 3:23).13 Falling to the ground when an angel is nearby seems to be the standard response. The armed soldiers who stood watch over Jesus’ tomb became “like dead men” when an angel came near them (Matt. 28:4). Dead men don’t stand up or move around - these strong, armed guards fell down and were unable to fulfill their duties in the presence of an angel. 3. Stars and Angels Both Radiate Light Angels radiate light. Daniel described the angel that he saw (Daniel 10:5, 6) by using words that describe light: “His body was a golden luster, his face was like lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches and his arms and feet like glowing burnished bronze.”14 There are several Scriptures that support the fact that angels radiate light. When the angels appeared to the shepherds, they illuminated the night sky.
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And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid… Luke 2:9 A light shone in Peter’s jail cell from the angel who rescued him. Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison… Acts 12:7a And again in Revelation, John described seeing an angel descend out of heaven who illumined the earth with his radiance and splendor. Then I saw another angel descending from heaven... and the earth was illuminated with his radiance and splendor. Revelation 18:1—Amp 4.
Finally, Stars and Angels Are Both so Numerous That They Are Considered to be Innumerable …you have come to Mount Zion, even to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless multitudes of angels in festal gathering. Hebrews 12:22
From what we just have read, we realize that the appearance of the hosts of angels is far greater than we are able to grasp. While they have the ability to appear as men, their supernatural bodies are heavenly rather than earthly. In Daniel 10 is an excellent example of one of these “blazing fires.” I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz! His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire,
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his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color, and the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude. Daniel 10:5, 6 The description of the Daniel 10 angel shares a resemblance with the description of Jesus in Revelation one, because of this, many believe him to be the Preincarnate Christ.15 Verse 13 of Daniel 10 reveals to us that this is not the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. It is however, a very powerful angel who packs a lot of glory. Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.” Daniel 10:12, 13—Emphasis added The Daniel 10 messenger was detained by the “Prince of Persia” for 21 days. He fought hard, but he was unable to defeat the “prince” by his own power. Consequently, he needed the assistance of another angel. Jesus has greater power than a “prince” and He would never need an angel’s assistance to overcome such an opponent.
CH A P TER 3
ENC OUNTERING ANGEL S UNAWARE
F
rom the time my sister, Robin, and I were very small until we were pre-teens, we encountered unusual and dangerous events. You could say that we experienced a harrowing escape from death, or two! In order to help you appreciate the situations of which we sometimes found ourselves, I will share a few of these events with you here. When we were toddlers someone placed open canisters, which contained a toxic substance, behind our duplex. To ensure that nobody became ill, the police evacuated our entire neighborhood. From the ages of about seven to nine, an adult set our home on fire four different times, two of which were at night while we were in bed. (The person responsible for the fires has apologized, and we have offered our heart-felt forgiveness.) When we were ten and twelve, while playing outside our apartment in the dark, we were chased by a teenaged boy, with a drawn knife. My sister outran him, but I, being smaller, was cornered by him. As he came at me with his knife, I likely broke his ear drums with my high soprano screams, and consequently, I was delivered from danger once again. Well, gratefully, this eventful season did come to an end, and when it did, it did so in a punctuated manner. When it was over, it clearly was over! Praise the Lord!
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Since our mother lived in Carmichael, California, and our dad and step-mom in Fair Oaks, California, we spent part of each month in both places. These two communities are a part of the greater Sacramento area. To give you an idea of the size of Sacramento County, its current population is well over a million residents. For a particular span of time, my sister saw a large man wearing the same suit at various locations in Carmichael and Fair Oaks. The number of times that we were at the same place at the same time with this stranger, in a city the size of ours, was very unusual. I suppose what drew my sister’s attention to him was the interest that he seemed to pay us. He obviously was watching us in a concerned manner. His appearances were more than coincidence; my sister even saw him twice on the school campus with her. Oddly enough, the last time the mysterious stranger was seen was at a time when there was closure to some personal issues in our lives. He was at the same gas station that we were at when my dad pulled up to the pump. He looked at my sister, smiled, winked at her, and then got in his car and drove away…never to be seen again. A year ago, the subject of God’s miraculous intervention throughout our lives arose. We certainly had some adventures, not all were pleasant, but all had ended well. As we talked through some amazing times together, my sister asked, “Pam, do you remember the man who seemed to be following us?” “Not really,” I said. She replayed the story for me. Since I had heard it before, I had an inkling of a memory of this, but our lives were so eventful from the cradle to our early teens that a lot of the less impressive things were forgotten. My sister went on, “I think he was an angel who was watching out for us.” When I consider the many close calls that we had, I know that we could only have come through each event undamaged because of God’s protection. The more I learn about them, the more certain I am that my sister was right; angels were frequently with us, but we were oblivious of their presence. Angels have the ability to down-play their glory, so to speak. In
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order to minister incognito, they can appear without glamour and glitz and resemble regular guys. But there is little that’s regular or ordinary about angels masquerading as humans—they are still supernatural agents from heaven, having supernatural powers. Due to their ability to resemble one of us, more people have seen angels than may realize. During some occasion in your life (without identifying his true heavenly nature) you may have seen an angel, or you may have received his assistance. In Hebrews 13:2, we are exhorted to be hospitable to strangers because some have entertained angels without being aware of having done so. The author of Hebrews is saying that we may encounter angels without recognizing their heavenly nature, so be polite and courteous to all people. But, whether or not they make themselves known to us, you can be assured they are among us, carrying out the Word of the Lord upon the earth today. It is enough that they can see us!
MEN OR ANGELS? The following illustrates the point at hand regarding angels who can and do interact with people in a natural every-day way. Then the Lord appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant. Please let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. And I will bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh your hearts….” They said, “Do as you have said.” Genesis 18:1-5—Emphasis added Then the men rose from there and looked toward Sodom, and Abraham went with them to send them
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on their way. And the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am doing…?” And the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.” Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. Genesis 18:16, 17, 20-22 It was evening when the two angels came to Sodom... Genesis 19:1 One of the Bible’s examples of angels among the human race, is found here in Genesis 18 and 19 in which the Lord, along with two of His angels, walk to Abraham and Sarah’s place before heading to Sodom. Every time I read these passages, I wonder, “Why did the Lord appear to Abraham this way? Why would He be so casual, so human? And why did He walk to Sodom, when He could have traveled in the Spirit, arriving effortlessly within nano-seconds?” It seems so out of the flow with all the other ways that He appeared to people in the Old Testament, with thunder, lightning, fire, a shaking mountain, and a voice, but as a man? It’s so non-spectacular!16 Perhaps, the message for us here is that if we are only expecting the Lord and His angels to come in a spectacular demonstration of their glory and anointing, we likely will miss them if they were to come to our city resembling men, without the glamour and supernatural fireworks that we all long to see. When angels visit people in their non-glorious state (among other purposes), it affords them the opportunity to see first hand the character of those whom they are sent to visit. In Abraham’s case, he was as courteous and caring in his private life to total strangers as he was in the public eye to men of high degree. He treated the travelers
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as highly honored guests. He was found to be courteous, humble, genuine, honest, reliable, and faithful. These desirable qualities are common in all of God’s history makers. No wonder Abraham was God’s choice as the man through whom a nation would be born and through whose lineage Jesus, the Savior, would come!
LOT ENTERTAINED ANGELS “UNAWARES” Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom….And he said “Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night….” And they said, “No, but we will spend the night in the open square.” But he insisted strongly; so they turned in to him and entered his house. Genesis 19:1-3a Remember, in the story, the two angels had traveled incognito to Sodom in order to see if the reports of its wickedness were all together true. By appearing as men, they could see for themselves whether the citizens were misbehaving as badly as they were told. When they entered through the gate into Sodom, the first person they met was Abraham’s nephew, Lot. He showed them great respect and demonstrated his concern for their well-being. His care for their welfare was for good reason, too. Sodom was not a nice place to be, especially after sunset, and Lot was all too aware of this. Therefore, he urged them to spend the night in his home. But they refused, saying that they would rather stay in the city-square. I can imagine Lot’s thoughts, “The city-square! Anywhere but there!” He urged them all the more, until they finally agreed. If Lot only had known the true identity of Sodom’s two guests, he wouldn’t have been concerned for their safety, because everyone knows angels can take care of themselves.
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TO THE CITIZENS OF SODOM, THE ANGELS APPEARED AS MEN Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them to us that we may know them carnally.” Genesis 19:4, 5 Evidently, word got around fast that Lot had two men staying in his home. Before long, the house was surrounded by every man in the city. Every man, both young and old, had evil intentions in his heart for these two travelers. Had they known that Lot’s visitors were angels, perhaps they would have been on their very best behavior, but as it was, they gave themselves away as being just as wicked as the reports claimed. Their depraved behavior that night confirmed the reports and sealed Sodom and Gomorrah’s doom! So Lot went out to them through the doorway, shut the door behind him, and said, “Please, my brethren, do not do so wickedly!” And they said, “Stand back...now we will deal worse with you than with them.” So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. Genesis 19:6, 7, 9 Angels do appear as men. Often when someone has seen an angel, they report that he seemed as an ordinary man. Their identity remains concealed until they do something extraordinary that gives them away, such as, completely vanishing into thin air or performing some miraculous feat. Interestingly, even when the men of Sodom were struck with blindness, a most miraculous deed, they still failed to recognize the visitors’ supernaturalness. This just goes to show us that the condition
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of our hearts very well may play an important part in our ability to see, identify, and understand the supernatural things of God.
THE ANGEL OF THE LORD There were poignant times in the history of the Jewish people when an “angel” who was no ordinary “angel” appeared to significant individuals whose destinies were established through His visit. In the language of the Old Testament, in which you will find the “Angel of the Lord,” the Hebrew word “angel” is defined as meaning “one sent on business or diplomacy by authority; a messenger, specifically of God.” While not all biblicists and theologians agree, the majority believe that in many cases the “Angel of the Lord” is, in actuality, the Preincarnate Christ. Without doubt, Jesus is the ultimate “Messenger” Who was dispatched by God, His Father, to deliver a message of salvation to mankind. The “Angel of the Lord” in the Old Testament is the “Word of God” who “became flesh and dwelt among us” of the New Testament.17 Not every reference to the “Angel of the Lord” is the Lord Himself. There are times when the Holy Sprit is saying that the messenger is the Lord’s angel, while at other times, He is speaking of the Lord, Himself, Who comes with a message. We can know if the “Angel of the Lord” is a regular angel or if He is, in fact, the Lord by the context in which the “angel” is found. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”
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Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God. Exodus 3:2-6 Here in Exodus three, the “Angel of the Lord” unequivocally reveals Himself to Moses as “God,” the “God of your fathers.” The Angel of the Lord also appeared to Hagar (Genesis 16:10, 13), Abraham (Genesis 22:10-18), Gideon (Judges 6:12-20), and Manoah (Judges 13:17-22).
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Now there was a day when the sons (the angels) of God came to present themselves before the Lord… Job 1:6—Amp
ow that we’ve covered their visual characteristics, let’s learn about their personalities. It is easy to perceive angels as nonemotional, spiritual beings who are programmed entirely for perfect obedience to their Creator. But the truth is, while the angels of the Lord are obedient to God, He created them with individual personalities and distinctive traits and sociability. Job one, verse six, speaks of a day when the “sons of God” appeared before the Lord. Certainly, Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of God Who was involved in the creating process, along with His Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit. “…God who created all things through Jesus Christ.” (Eph. 3:9b) “For it was in Him that all things were created, in heaven and on earth, things seen and things unseen, whether thrones, dominions, rulers or authorities; all things were created and exist through Him and in and for Him.” (Col. 1:16—Amp) Therefore, the “sons of God,” mentioned here only could be God’s heavenly sons, the hosts of angels.
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The angels are called the “sons of God” a second time in Job. “Where were you….when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4a, 7) We generally do not think of angels as being God’s children. But why wouldn’t they be? Angels are the sons of God and are rightfully so for several reasons. To begin with, they are personal beings who find their origin in God. As the originator of their lives, He is their Father. Furthermore, a son shares in his father’s image, so we discover that God created the angels to share in particular aspects of His likeness, some of which are: they are spirits and God is a Spirit (John 4:24—KJV); they are blazes of fire and our God is a Consuming Fire (Heb. 12:29); they are glorious beings and He is all together glorious. One more thing, when He calls them His sons, He implies a relationship that goes beyond a superficial one. The term “son” is a word that denotes a shared relationship where there is mutual love and honor.
THE LANGUAGE OF ANGELS If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. I Corinthians 13:1—NRSV Chinese Christians are given messages from angels in Chinese. Angels who appear to German-speaking people speak in German. The angels who have talked to me always have spoken English. Angels are exceedingly intelligent and they can speak fluently in any language, but they also speak a dialect that is all their own, the language of the angels.
ANGELS DO NOT MARRY Angels have close relationships with other angels. These close associations are vitally important in pushing back the powers of darkness and in fulfilling the Word of the Lord. But angels do
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not marry. They have no need to. “Jesus answered and said to them, ‘The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels [as the angels] and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.’ ” (Luke 20:34-36)18
ANGELS ARE PERSONAL BEINGS Dr. Tony Evans, Senior Pastor of Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, in his book, The Battle is the Lord’s, wrote that a characteristic of angels is that they are personal beings who exhibit these three qualities: intellect, emotion, and will. We will examine each one of these qualities in this section.19
ANGELS ARE SUPREMELY INTELLIGENT I think you will agree with me that angels have an amazing intelligence. Here are several passages of Scripture that present us with a look at their “mental” prowess: They have wisdom concerning the earth: “…But my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of the angel of God, to know everything that is in the earth” (II Samuel 14:20). And they have wisdom concerning God: “Therefore the angel of the Lord commanded Gad to say to David that David should go and erect an altar to the Lord on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite” (I Chronicles 21:18). They understand and interpret visions and prophecies: “And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the [river] Ulai which called and said, ‘Gabriel, make this man [Daniel] understand the vision’ ” (Daniel 8:16—Amp). “He instructed me and made me understand; he talked with me and said, ‘O Daniel, I am now come forth to give you skill and wisdom and
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understanding. At the beginning of your prayers, the word went forth, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved. Therefore, consider the matter and understand the vision…’ ” (Daniel 9:22, 23—Amp). They exercise discretion: “Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’ ” (Jude 1:9)
ANGELS ARE INQUISITIVE There’s no doubt about it! Angels are smart, yet there are still some things that not even the angels know. They acquire knowledge in much the same way that you and I do, by asking questions and through observation and participation. But unlike human beings, it appears that angelic beings do not forget what they learn. Perhaps this is because they are created with better equipment than we have. Take for instance the fact that they do not wear out. They have been serving the Lord for thousands of years or more and are not suffering in the slightest degree from burnout. They travel from one time-zone to another in mere seconds and are not bothered (as we sometimes are) from the least bit of jet lag. Furthermore, angels don’t seem to have break downs from emotional overloads. So, it is of no surprise that angels have the ability to retain large amounts of information. Here are a few Scriptures in which angels reveal their interest in the affairs of man and inquisitiveness pertaining to the things of God. They are Interested in the Timing of Prophetic Events Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, “How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation…?” And he said to
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me, “For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.” Daniel 8: 13, 14 Then, I Daniel, looked; and there stood two others…. And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be?” Daniel 12:5a, 6 The Angels Longed to Look into the Things Concerning the One Through Whom Salvation Would Come Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully…searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow....things which angels desire to look into. I Peter 1:10-12 And They Observe God’s Dealings with Mankind In Order to Learn About the Wisdom of God [The purpose is] that through the church the complicated, many sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects might now be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities (principalities and powers) in the heavenly sphere. Ephesians 3:10—Amp While they are extraordinarily wise, you shouldn’t seek an angel through prayer for the answer to a problem because they do not know everything about you, as God does. Since they are not all-knowing, they do not know everything about every circumstance you are facing…God does. They may not have the answer to
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whatever problem is troubling you, but God, your Heavenly Father, certainly does.
ANGELS HAVE EMOTIONS “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding…When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” Job 38:4, 7 How boring relationships would be without emotion! If we did not have emotions, we would not be able to develop and foster meaningful relationships because emotions give us the ability to relate with one another on a deeper and more intimate level. Desirable emotions, such as love, peace, and joy, add interest and enjoyment to life and friendships. A personality without emotion is similar to a canvas painted entirely in one color, gray. Such a canvas is monotonous, flat, uninteresting, and simply boring! Add some emotion, a splash of red, a dab of green, some white, blue, and magenta and you have a garden bouquet of beauty. The angelic race is not all brains and brawn, void of feelings and emotions. As personal beings, angels experience some of the same emotions that you and I do. The writer of Job was inspired by the Holy Spirit to document how the angels reacted to God’s creation. They were moved deeply by what they saw and expressed their pleasure in the Lord with an enthusiastic outburst of joy. This emotional response was based upon their wonder and awe at the greatness of God. Here is a possible scenario for that moment: On the day when God created the heavens and the earth, all of heaven was filled with angels awestruck by this remarkable display of their Master’s genius and ability. But God wasn’t through. They waited in breathless wonder as they watched the Spirit of God focus on one planet in particular. They already had seen the most amazing things as they beheld the Creator
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take from nothing and make stars and planets. “What would He create next?” was the question on every angel’s heart. The cloud of God’s glory covered the formless earth as the Spirit of God brooded there and a holy hush filled the galaxy as angels waited with great anticipation and wonder. When the Spirit of God stepped aside, an outburst of ecstatic shouts of praise erupted in heaven from hundreds of thousands of angels who expressed their joy at the miraculous transformation of the earth below them. For God had taken a wasteland—devoid of life—and had formed it into a beautiful, flourishing oasis in the midst of the vast wilderness of space. Selah.
ANGELS EXPRESS JOY You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11 Angels are joyful! And they should be, seeing as they spend much of their time in the presence of the Lord and in His “presence is fullness of joy.” Jesus said that there is joy among and in the presence of the angels whenever a wicked person repents of his sins. Their joy is uninhibited and they laugh without reserve. I can imagine angels bursting out in loud bouts of laughter every time they score another victory against our adversary. Likewise, every time another person is delivered out of the scheme of the enemy and brought into the family of God, their joyful celebration fills heaven with peals of hilarious laughter.20
ANGELS ARE COMPASSIONATE Then the angel of the Lord said, “O Lord of Hosts, how long will You not have mercy and loving-kindness
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for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, against which You have had indignation these seventy years [of the Babylonian captivity]?” And the Lord answered the angel...with gracious and comforting words. Zechariah 1:12, 13—Amp Another facet of emotion that angels demonstrate is compassion. Here in Zechariah one, the angel revealed that he was distressed over the suffering of God’s people. He asked the Lord, “How long will You not have mercy and loving-kindness for Jerusalem and the cities of Judah...?” And the Lord soothed the angel’s concerns by speaking words of comfort to him.
ANGELS HAVE A WILL Emotion, an intellect, and a will are each components that personal beings have which enable them to participate in life and enjoy relationships with one another. God is a personal Being Who longs for a relationship with us. We are personal beings who long for meaningful relationships, and angels are personal beings who share in a relationship with one another and God. It is relatively easy to embrace the idea that angels have emotion and an intellect but the third component of a personal being, the will, is likely to be more difficult to understand. This may be especially true for people who are convinced that God is in control of everything and that nothing happens that is outside of His will. Following more than 30 hours of thought and research on the subject, I have discovered that there is ample biblical evidence supporting the idea that the angelic race also has been created with a will.
MANKIND’S WILL AND GOD’S SOVEREIGN WILL We will be examining angels in Scripture who exercised their wills, but before doing so, let’s examine the popular belief that
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God is in control of everything. If this were the case, if it were true that God, our Heavenly Father, has everything under His control, then everything that happens is within His will. If you believe that everything is under God’s control, you probably never have stopped to consider what this says about His nature. Those who say that God has it all under control basically are blaming everything on Him, whether good or bad. What about the thousands of babies who are aborted each month, the violence in our cities, and the men and women who pass away without ever having had a relationship with the Lord? Are these under God’s control? Who is in control when innocent children are physically and emotionally abused? And what about the rampant drug use among our nations teens…does God have this under control too? When God created mankind,21 He gave us a command to “subdue” the earth and “have dominion” over everything living upon it. These words, “subdue” and “have dominion,” tell us that God has put us in a place of governing authority. This does not imply that He gave some of His own authority away, as if He now has less authority than He once had. He is the owner and still has full ownership over His creation, but He gave authority to each person to rule in this life. Thankfully, we are not left entirely without His assistance and protection. When and if He intervenes to provide us with His muchappreciated help and deliverance often is dependent upon our faith in Him and upon our actions.
WHO’S IN CONTROL? In order for the body of Christ to move into a higher level of relationship with the Lord, it is imperative that the false concept that today’s Church has of a God Who causes and allows calamity randomly to strike people and families be replaced with the truth. God is love. Love is defined in I Corinthians 13 (among many others things) as being kind. Love does not cause people emotional or physical pain. But hurting people hurt other people, and deranged people damage
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lives, and Satan certainly is still upon the earth doing his foul works of darkness, but not God. He is love and love is kind. Now, my spirit bristles whenever I hear someone declare, “God is in control…He knows what He is doing,” concerning a situation that is anything but “under His control.” I recently spoke with a woman who has suffered, I mean really suffered, for years with overwhelming and debilitating depression. There was relief in her voice as she shared that her doctor diagnosed her condition. “But God is in control. He is allowing this for a reason,” she said. More and more this seems to be the answer that people give these days who don’t understand the source of the problem, or the heart of God. Why hasn’t she been healed? I do not know. The reasons can be many and varied. There are people who are convinced that their physical or emotional suffering is God’s will for them, and, therefore, they accept it. There are other people who habitually sin, which opens a door for demonic attacks, and others whose condition is a result of a curse, such as comes upon people in families where there was or is witchcraft (white or black), involvement in cults, murder, generational hatred, or bitterness and iniquities of this nature, and then there are just some things that we don’t understand. I do not know why this woman suffers with depression, but I do know that it is not Jesus’ will for her to have days when she is barely able to function, let alone enjoy life. Jesus clearly demonstrated God’s will concerning the things that make people miserable and unhappy. He said, “I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance…” (John 10:10b—Amp). Jesus, Who is the exact representation of the invisible God, went about making miserable people happy. He preached good news, healed the sick, cast out devils, and even raised the dead. Therefore, it is our Heavenly Father’s will that we are well and happy.22
FATALISM I want to press this point concerning mankind’s will a little further before moving on to the angelic race. At the very core
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of the belief that everything is under God’s control is the doctrine of fatalism. Fatalism has infiltrated much of society and the Church. “Fatalism” as defined in Webster’s New World Dictionary: 1. The doctrine that all things are subject to fate, or that there occurrence is necessitated by the nature of things or by the fixed and inevitable decree of arbiters of destiny, such as the Fates 2. The mental attitude of a believer in fatalism; submission to the arbitrament of fate. The New World Dictionary defines “fate” as: 1. The power or agency supposed to determine the outcome of events before they occur; destiny 2. Something inevitable, supposedly determined by this power. The lady with the depression about which I wrote has fatalism in her worldview, and she’s not alone. We all know people who have varying degrees of fatalism embedded in their belief systems. Not everyone who says that God is in control is fatalistic, however. Some folks who exclaim, “God is in control,” are expressing that they have sought Him regarding a particular incident, they know what His will is concerning it, and they sincerely trust Him for the outcome. But there are many people who make such announcements because they believe that every single event in life is predetermined before its occurrence, and therefore, what happens is entirely inevitable. This being the case, they tend to concede to whatever life hands them. Perhaps this appears to be faith, but it isn’t. Faith in God believes what the Word of God says about Him, and throughout the Bible, He is portrayed as the most benevolent Being for all eternity.
THE EXPRESS WILL OF GOD God has expressed His will for us in the Bible. In III John, verse two, the Holy Spirit, through the hand of John, writes: “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.” God’s will is made known to us in His Word. It is His will that all goes well with us and that we are in good health—body,
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soul, and spirit. Since this is what God says in His word, if God were in control, then every person would be healthy and happy. Obeying the express will of God makes good sense. In His Word, He tells us what we should not participate in. There are health commandments in the Bible that, when observed, keep us in good health. There are instructions that, when followed, keep us emotionally well and happy, and there are laws which tell us how to stay healthy spiritually. God included all of this in the Bible because it is His will that all goes well in our lives.
ANGELS HAVE THE FREEDOM TO CHOOSE The Church leaders of the first century had a much better understanding of the angelic realm than we in the twenty-first century have. Within the core values of their faith is a solid belief in the unseen realm of spirits. Theirs is a history loaded with God’s miracles and the intervention and interaction of angels. Within their letters, Paul, Peter, and Jude write to the Church specifically about disobedient angels. When we combine the information in these letters with the other Scriptures concerning angels, we discover that angels have the ability to make choices that may not necessarily meet with God’s approval. Such behavior is only possible in intelligent beings having a will. Unregenerate human nature has a propensity toward sin, but angelic nature has a propensity toward holiness. Yet because angels are highly intelligent, they have the intellectual capacity to build their own kingdoms, so to speak. The obvious problem with this is that there is only One King in heaven and there is only room for one kingdom. “All [people] have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” but this cannot be said of angels.23 Not all angels sin! There is only a small percentage of angels who are disobedient to God, compared with the innumerable (so many you can’t possibly count) holy angels who thoroughly enjoy serving their Creator by carrying out their God-assignments, and who obtain great heavenly pleasure
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from honoring Him with their worship. These countless angels are sincerely dedicated and set apart to God and the Lord Jesus Christ for service.
ANGELS WHO SINNED But God did not [even] spare angels that sinned, but cast them into hell, delivering them to be kept there in pits of gloom till the judgment and their doom. II Peter 2:4—Amp And angels who did not keep (care for, guard, and hold to) their own first place of power but abandoned their proper dwelling place—these He has reserved in custody in eternal chains (bonds) under the thick gloom of utter darkness until the judgment and doom of the great day. Jude 6—Amp Peter and Jude specifically mention angels whose misbehavior was severely punished. These angels who “sinned” and those who did not “keep their own first place of power but abandoned their proper dwelling place” did so through the exercise of their wills. Now, we are not told what crime these angels committed, but whatever it was earned them the sentence of eternal punishment. Why didn’t God create angels without a will? It seems as if it would have made things a whole lot easier in the long run. To understand this, we must consider their relationship to God. He created them to be His sons. If they had no choice but to do what He demanded, they wouldn’t be sons; they would be robots. Likewise, if their worship to God was worship on demand, then the homage that they render to the Lord would not be authentic. Worship is only real worship when what is truly in the heart for God is expressed to Him. Without a revelation of God, even a basic one, such worship isn’t worship at all but is more like flattery. God is seeking
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those who worship Him in Spirit and truth. Flattery doesn’t please God but sincere worship does (John 4:23). Angels have the freedom to choose whether or not to serve and worship the Lord. Most of the myriads of angels have chosen loyalty to Him, and in comparison with these angelic lovers of God, there are few rebellious angels who behave in ways which demonstrate that their hearts are not truly loyal to Him. Now rest assured, while they have freedom in regards to their worship and service to the Lord, God has placed boundaries upon them concerning their interference and involvement with mankind. As we are about to learn, the unholy angels work in the second heaven and in the earth realm to oppose God, but they do not have the freedom to do with you and me as they fully please.24
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allen angels commonly are called demons, unclean spirits, and evil spirits. There are orders of angels, both holy and unholy, who have a chief and commander.25 The holy angels are all under the leadership of generals, such as Michael, the “prince,” whose name means “who is like God,” and these are under the headship of Jesus Christ. Likewise, the fallen angels have generals who also are referred to as princes or principalities, and these are under the rulership of Satan.26 Jesus’ agenda is that the Gospel of salvation will be ministered to every nation and tribe in order for every person to have the opportunity to receive His gift of salvation because it is not His will that anyone perish, but that all come into everlasting life, through Himself (John 10:20). Satan also has an agenda…his is to oppose the plan of God. Since, he cannot be everywhere at once, he enlists the assistance of the fallen angels. As you will soon see, the foremost means through which they implement their agenda is by placing subtle suggestions into the thought life.
SATAN AND HIS ANGELS And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels
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fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Revelation 12:7-9 In Revelation 12:7-9, we see an angelic battle raging in the heavenlies. This conflict appears to have taken place immediately after Jesus rose from the grave. In Revelation 12:5, John sees a woman who gave birth to a “Male Child,” and this “Male Child” was “caught up to God and to His throne.” According to Scripture, once the “Male Child” was taken to the throne of God, then a battle ensued between Michael and his angels and Satan and his angels. This was not the first battle that the holy and demonic angels were engaged in, nor was this the first time that the adversary and his angels were cast out of heaven. In Isaiah 14, we discover a conflict which resulted in Satan and his angels forcibly being removed from heaven. During this initial eviction, they lost their heavenly citizenship, but it appears that they still had access to the throne room of God, whereby, they brought condemning charges against God’s people. This is what we see happening in Job one. In this account, Satan entered the “third heaven” (along with the other angels) to give God a report.27 This particular incident was not Satan’s only visit. Undoubtedly, there were other times when the angels brought their reports to God during which Satan also was among them. People who are critical and condemning are hard to be around. Their bad attitude easily can poison a pleasant atmosphere and spoil a good day. This is what it may have been like in heaven every time Satan, or one of the other fallen angels, appeared to give God an account of their activities. I can’t imagine that Satan’s visit was what one would consider delightful. When he traveled into the “third heaven” where the holy angels reside and where God is seated upon His throne, heaven be-
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came less joyous…less peaceful. After all, the adversary, the accuser, was among the very angels who threw him out of heaven the first time—back in Isaiah 14. “Rejoice then, you heavens and those who dwell in them!” (Revelation 12:12a—NRSV) The outcome of the Revelation 12 angelic battle was especially wonderful for heaven’s inhabitants. They rejoiced because Satan and his angels would never again be permitted to enter that heavenly nation. “But woe to the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you....” (Revelation 12:12b—NRSV) But for the inhabitants of the earth, there was little to rejoice about. When Satan was cast out of heaven to the earth, he did not come willingly, nor did he come with a good attitude. Revelation 12:12c warns us that he has come to the earth in great anger because he knows that his time is short.
THE ANGEL WHO SLANDERED GOD’S CHARACTER Now there was a day when the sons (the angels) of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan (the adversary and accuser) also came among them. And the Lord said to Satan, “From where did you come?” Then Satan answered the Lord, “From going to and fro on the earth and from walking up and down on it.” And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who [reverently] fears God and abstains from and shuns evil [because it is wrong]?” Then Satan answered the Lord, “Does Job [reverently] fear God for nothing? Have You not put a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have conferred prosperity and happiness upon him in the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in his land.
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But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has, and he will curse You to Your face.” Job 1:6-11—Amp Here in Job, we read about a time when the sons of God presented themselves before the Lord “and Satan was also among them.” Satan is an unholy angel. As a member of the angelic race, he appeared before the Lord. Now, Satan’s very name reveals his nature and mode of operation. His name means “one who slanders or accuses” and it communicates that the nature of this fallen angel is that of an outlaw. He also is called: the ruler of this world (John 12:31), the god of this world (II Corinthians 4:4), the ruler of the power of the air (Eph. 2:2), the prince of devils (Matt. 9:34), the father of lies (John 8:44), the adversary and slanderer (I Peter 5:8), the serpent (Genesis 3:1), the devil and the dragon (Revelation 12:9). When Satan appeared before the Lord, along with the other angels, he was up to his old tricks. While the majority came to give the Lord an account of their activities, Satan’s agenda was to accuse. He said, “Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But now, stretch forth Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” (Job 1:10, 11) At the very basis of his condemning charge against Job is a subtle suggestion that no one would worship the Lord for any other reason than to receive blessings from Him. You see, when Satan accused Job of worshipping the Lord only because of the Lord’s protection and blessings, he implied, first of all, that God is not worthy to be worshipped for Whom He is, and second, that He uses His blessings to earn mankind’s adoration and obedience. If either of these were the case, then the Lord would not be receiving worship from beings (whether angelic or human) who do so in spirit and in truth, but rather because they have been manipulated into doing so. When we stop and really think about Satan’s accusation in Job, we realize the significance of Jesus’ statement to the woman at the
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well in John 4, verses 23 and 24. “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” The Father is looking for those whose worship comes forth as an expression of what is really in their hearts about and for Him. When our worship involves how we personally feel about Him, then we are worshipping Him in such a way as to grasp His attention…for the Father seeks such to worship Him.
SATAN’S CRIME Satan is always in opposition to God. His accusation against mankind was not a crime in heaven, but what he implied about the character of God was. His subtle suggestion was a slander against the character of God, and doing such a thing is considered blasphemy in the courts of heaven. To blaspheme the name of the Lord is to attack the Lord’s holy nature and to declare Him to be insignificant or unworthy. “And whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death” (Lev. 24:16a). Satan’s crime has yet to be accounted for but there is coming a day when justice will be served, and at that time Satan will be cast into the lake of fire.28
THE ANGEL WHO EXALTED HIMSELF ABOVE GOD In Isaiah 14:12-16 is the account of Satan’s original trespass which resulted in his initial expulsion and an illustration of how these fallen angels influence mankind’s thoughts. Here the prophet is speaking to a king of tremendous political power who had everything going for him until he committed a very grievous offense in the eyes of the Lord by exalting himself to the position of the Most High God. The prophet first addresses the king directly, and then he switches his focus, beginning in verse 12,
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from the man himself to the evil spirit who was behind the king’s self-exalting attitude. How have you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart, “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit upon the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.” Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit. Isaiah 14:12-16 Some Bible translations have replaced “Lucifer” with the words, “morning star,” “light-bringer and daystar.”29 The descriptive words for the Isaiah 14 angel’s name in no way are speaking of this fallen angel’s character; they speak solely of his appearance and are in keeping with the symbolism that the Holy Spirit used to describe the angels in Job 38. Prophet Isaiah is addressing a “star” (an angel) who had a position of authority in heaven. Obviously, this fallen angel forgot something very important—no one exalts himself to “be like the Most High.” Perhaps he could have gotten away with wanting to be higher than his fellow “stars,” but sharing a position with God? The prideful attitude of his heart got him thrown out of heaven and destined for a very unpleasant eternity.
THE SOURCE OF OPPOSITION Not only do fallen angels work to deceive mankind directly, but they also attempt to influence us through close friends or family members. We will take Jesus as our case in point Who came face to face with conflict and opposition on more than one occasion. Jesus’ ultimate destiny was the throne at the right hand of God in heaven, the means to which was by way of the cross. In
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Matthew four, we discover that just before Jesus began to walk in His purpose, the “tempter” came to tempt Him. The tempter was Satan, and the purpose of his temptations was to cause Jesus to abort the plan of God by taking what seemed to be an easier route. Jesus overcame all of the devil’s temptations in the wilderness. Yet, even though Jesus won that personal battle, the devil didn’t give up. There would be other battles, other times when Jesus would be tempted to quit or to take some other route to the Throne of power and glory. “Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13). That “opportune time” came one day when Satan attempted to use someone especially close to Jesus to persuade Him not to go to the cross. From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Matthew 16:21-23 The first time that Satan tempted Him, his goal was to get Jesus off the course on which He was headed, but it was so completely “in your face,” that we easily can see who is responsible for testing Jesus. But the second documented attempt to stop Jesus from fulfilling His destiny came so subtly (and through a completely unsuspecting source, His dear friend) and at such an unsuspicious time that if Jesus hadn’t said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan!” we never would have realized that a fallen angel was the true source of Peter’s words. The deceptions can come so subtly. It is no wonder, the Holy Spirit instructs us to “Be sober [self-controlled], be vigilant [watchful]; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion,
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seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith…” (I Pet. 5:8, 9a)30
WE CAN DO SOMETHING ANGELS CANNOT Angels watch mankind to learn about the manifold wisdom of God. They are intrigued by our relationship with Him. While the angels are created beings of a higher order (glorious, highly intelligent, supernatural, and remarkably powerful), there are some things that you and I can do that they cannot. We can believe in the Lord, Whom we have not seen, and worship Him upon Whom we never have laid our eyes. And every time we do, we weaker beings (comparatively speaking) demonstrate to ten thousands and ten thousands of glorious, powerful, angelic beings that God is so good and the accuser who slandered Job and blasphemed God is so very, very wrong! Praise God!
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s we have seen from Scripture, not all angels are good and not all angels work for the Lord. The good angels are in service to God while the bad angels are submitted to Satan’s leadership and are working together with him to deceive mankind into doing things that lead down the wide path to destruction. Much of the growing interest in the angelic is being driven by “Satan who masquerades as an angel of light” (II Corinthians 11:14—Amp). The word “angel” in the Hebrew and Greek is translated as “messenger.” The way in which “light” is used here conveys the idea of “one who is walking with the Lord.” Satan and his angels present to people what appears to be true knowledge, when, in fact, it is deception.
DECEPTION Angels appearing to men and women in order to give them a special message from God is not an original idea. This is how John received the Book of Revelation, and others have been visited, including myself, by holy angels with a message from the Lord. But these messages always, always, always are within sound biblical teaching. They never deviate outside of the message of the Gospel or the character of God. Messages given by angels that disagree with the Bible come from fallen angels who are in service to Satan.
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Paul warned believers in II Corinthians 11:14 of angels pretending to be messengers of light, and it turns out for good reason, too. A visitation by an angel is such an awesome experience that one easily can be tricked by the impressive nature of the messenger into embracing whatever he has to say. Remember this; the messenger isn’t nearly as important as the message, unless the Messenger is the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself!
ORIGINATORS OF FALSE RELIGIONS But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. Galatians 1:8 Two of the world’s main false religions have come into being by means of messages that were given to men by angels, and nearly all of the cults have within their foundational teachings beliefs about the angelic that are entirely unscriptural.
THE ANGEL JIBREEL While meditating in a cave, a 40-year-old illiterate descendant of Abraham and Ishmael purportedly was visited by an angel who introduced himself as Jibreel, also frequently called Gabriel. According to the literature, this surprising visitation by the angel was the first of numerous successive visitations that spanned over a 22 year period. In keeping with this religion’s story, Jibreel came to this man with a message for mankind that he said was given to him by Allah. Following each visitation, the man had a scribe very carefully transcribe every word that he was instructed by Jibreel to write down. In addition to regular visits throughout the year, the angel also made a special appearance to him on the holiday of Ramadan, during which he instructed the man to read back to him the messages to ensure that they were transcribed accurately and placed in the correct order. He faithfully read the entirety of the message
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once a year to the angel, and then twice in the last Ramadan before his death at age 63.31 This man was Muhammad, and the messages believed to have been given to him from the angel are compiled together to make up what serves today as the “bible” of the Islamic religion known as the Quran from which the Muslims of the world derive their identity.32 It is alleged that early on in Muhammad’s ministry, he was greatly persecuted. Nevertheless, this did not deter him from his commissioning by the angel to spread the messages throughout the land. Over time, his teachings were accepted so much that prior to his death, the greater part of the Arabian Peninsula had become Muslim, and within a century of his death Islam had spread to Spain in the west and as far east as China. With nearly 20% of the world’s approximated 6,379,157,361 inhabitants claiming to be Muslim, it is the second largest religion in the world, and it began when an angel gave a man a message.33 There are many morally good laws within the message that Jibreel supposedly brought from Allah to mankind. For instance, there are laws to abstain from sin; to not backbite or gossip; and to do good deeds to the poor. Along with these moral laws, the Muslim holy book tells Islamists that Jesus, as well as Adam, Noah, Abraham, David, and Moses are prophets. Deception is generally a little truth mixed in with a little error. Within the Islamic moral laws, there are teachings that contradict biblical Scripture. Quran 3:59, “Lo! The likeness of Jesus with Allah is the likeness of Adam. He created him of dust, and then he said unto him: Be and he is.” Islamists are taught that Jesus is similar to Allah but as Adam, He also is created. The Bible teaches us that Jesus is the exact image of the invisible God and He was not created, but He was with His Father doing the creating.34 In the beginning was the Word [a Name for Jesus] and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. John 1:1-335
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Furthermore, according to the angel’s message, Jesus was not crucified.36 But the Bible says, “Let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Whom you crucified, Whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole” (Acts 4:10).
THE ANGEL MORONI Joseph Smith was 15 years old when the angel Moroni first appeared to him, and then he came again to Joseph when he was about 19 years old. During the second visit he told Joseph a little about himself. Moroni supposedly told Joseph Smith that he was a son of a man who was a prophet named Mormon. He said that many years ago, Jesus Christ appeared on earth and gave Mormon gold plates containing His teachings. His son, Moroni, buried the gold plates. According to Joseph Smith, Moroni died and the teachings of Jesus Christ remained buried for 1,400 years, until Moroni returned to the earth in the form of an angel. When he returned, he unearthed the gold plates, and he chose Joseph Smith to be the one who would deliver this new message, the message of the Latter Day Saints to the world.37 The Bible makes a clear distinction between angels and mankind. Angels are created beings who began as angels, not as people, and at the time of death people do not become angels.38 Angels are angels and people are people. Not only does the idea of a man transforming into an angel at death deviate from the Bible, but many of the teachings of the Latter Day Saints are in direct contrast to foundational Scriptural truths. Some of their teachings are as follows: That God originally evolved from a man. Therefore, present humanity has the ability to become gods, as well. God was once as we are now, and is an exalted man, and sits enthroned in yonder heavens.—Joseph Smith Jr., King Follet Discourse
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What are the Latter Day Saints saying? That God is as man, a mere human in an exalted form? Men “as we are now” are born. If God “was once as we are now, and is an exalted man,” then who gave birth to Him? The Bible says, “For I am God, and not man...” (Hosea 11:9b). Furthermore, He is eternal and He is the Creator. “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead…” (Romans 1:20). And “Your throne is established from of old; You are from everlasting” (Psalm 93:2). That Jesus’ virgin birth was not by the Holy Ghost. When the Virgin Mary conceived the child Jesus, the Father had begotten Him in His own likeness. He was not begotten by the Holy Ghost. And who was the Father? He was the first of the human family. — Journal of Discourse, vol.1, pp.50, 51 Whereas, Matthew 1, verse 18 says, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: after His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.” That man is a preexistent soul who takes his body at birth. He existed before he came to earth: He was with God in the beginning! Man’s destiny is divine. Man is an eternal being. He also is everlasting to everlasting —John Widtsoe, Varieties of American Religion, p. 132 According to Mormon doctrine, man is a preexistent soul who takes his body at birth. The Bible’s answer to this is found in Romans 1:22, 23a “Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image like corruptible man.”
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MICHAEL, THE ARCHANGEL Not only have religions been birthed from the messages of angels but often there are teachings and ideas concerning angels presented within other religions concerning angels that are in disagreement with the Bible. One such example is found in the doctrine of the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus was the first son of Jehovah. They hold to a doctrine that says that Jesus is an angel, the archangel Michael, to be exact! They believe that He was in heaven as the chief among angels, that He was sent to earth in human form, and then when He died, they say, His body was not resurrected, but His spirit revived, and He is now back in heaven where He is seated at the right hand of Jehovah. Michael is called the archangel in Jude. The archangel is defined as the highest ranking among the heavenly host. Michael is a created being of the order of angels who is in service to God, to the Holy Spirit, and to the Lord Jesus Christ. In the Bible, Jesus clearly is established as the Son of God Who came in the exact likeness of the invisible God and Who is superior to angels. So high is the Lord Jesus that the angels are exhorted to worship Him. In Hebrews 1:5-8, the distinction between Jesus and the angels is identified clearly. For to which of the angels did God say, “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father?” Or again, “I will be His Father and He will be My Son?” And again, when God brings His firstborn into the world, He says, “Let all God’s angels worship Him.” In speaking of the angels He says, “He makes His angels winds, His servants flames of fire.” But about the Son He says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of Your kingdom.” One final thought: Jesus’ authority is seen in Scripture as being greater than that of the angelic hosts. “But when the archangel
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Michael, contending with the devil, judicially argued about the body of Moses, he dared not bring an abusive condemnation against him, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’ ” (Jd. 9) While, in Matthew 4:10, we see Jesus Christ, Whom Jehovah’s Witnesses claim is Michael the archangel, rebuking Satan. “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Be gone, Satan! For it has been written, you shall worship the Lord your God, and Him alone shall you serve.’ ” There is an obvious contradiction here, Michael the archangel did not rebuke Satan in Jude 9, but Jesus Christ (Who according to the Jehovah’s Witnesses is the same angel) did rebuke him in Matthew 4:10.
ANGELS IN THE NEW AGE Angel deception is all around us. Some who are self-proclaimed as having special insight because of their experiences with angels instruct us to call upon our angels for guidance, knowledge, healing, peace, and protection. You cannot find one biblical Scripture in which we are instructed to call upon angels, but God tells us to “Call unto Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things that you did not know” (Jer. 33:3). In the bookstores one can find books and teachings about angels that venture outside of sound Christian teaching. These books and periodicals teach readers that all is a part of God (pantheism); that the angels, devas, and nature spirits are “bringing to you the realization that you are magnificent—you are divine now and divine first”;39 that we should pursue contact with angels, and the one who is successful in doing so eventually will have an encounter with an “Ascended Master” or a “Shining Angel,” and the ultimate goal in angel seeking, that one would be inhabited by an angel so as to receive his guidance from within.40 The internet offers a smorgasbord of deceptive angel literature and teachings, as well. Many of the 40 thousand plus angel sites have absolutely nothing to do with God’s holy angels. There’s even a seemingly Christian web page to which folks can go where they are instructed to perform a little bit of witchcraft and even are given a
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mantra (chant) to repeat in order to invite the presence of an angel. Those who follow the instructions are promised that a light will appear and surround them, and when it does, they are instructed to bend on one knee and worship the light. I initially responded to this hocus pocus angel-call thing with a firm, “You’ve got to be kidding!” But, no, this was not a joke. God says in Isaiah 42:8, “I will not share My glory with another.” The holy angels of the Bible surround His throne with their worship. They always refuse the worship of men and direct such displays to the Most High God, Who is eternally worthy of all worship. “And I fell at his [the angel’s] feet to worship him. But he said to me, ‘See that you do not do that…Worship God!’ ” (Revelation 19:10).41 Sadly, those who are seeking an angel to come and inhabit them actually may receive something for which they hadn’t bargained. Signs are evident that some of the erroneous teachings on angels have trickled into the Church. I attended a Christian meeting during which someone testified of seeing an angel in the center of the room calling people to himself. This person said, “I felt drawn to the angel. I think he wants us all to go to him.” This “prophetic word” may have sounded good, but it was based in deception because God’s angels do not call people to themselves; they call people to the Lord.42 Furthermore, there are well-meaning Christians who pray to “their” angels and who even command angels. Let us consider Jesus, Who during His earthly ministry never prayed to or commanded angels. In Matthew 26:53 Jesus said to His disciples that He could call upon His Father (God) and His Father (God) would send 80,000 angels to protect and deliver Him. If calling upon God for angelic help was good enough for Jesus, then it is more than sufficient for believers today. Do not call upon angels. Call upon the Lord. And just for clarification, since when are God’s angels “your” angels or “my” angels?!?
RESPONDING TO ANGELS For some, there is a fear of counterfeits or of being deceived. These watchful ones might find themselves plotting a course to steer
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themselves (and those for whom they are responsible) away from anything that Satan can mimic. However, there can’t be a counterfeit without something genuine. Therefore, rejecting spiritual experiences such as angelic encounters can be likened to throwing out the baby with the bathwater, and doing such a thing may result in missing out on a great blessing. Many spiritual things can be duplicated in some form by bad angels and that is why we must arm ourselves with the Word of God. It is the truth that you know that sets you free and keeps you free. I will speak of Your testimonies before kings, and will not be ashamed. Psalm 119:46 Don’t you love hearing testimonies of God-experiences? Sharing testimonies builds our faith and encourages us. Encounters with angels (and experiences of this sort) are meant to draw us closer to the Lord, but sometimes we put more focus on the ecstasy of the moment than we should, this is because of our human tendency to be in awe of the super-spectacular. One way to guard against this is to share the experience while emphasizing the message that the Lord wants imparted through the event. There is always a greater purpose for the appearing of angels than the exciting event itself. Discover what the Lord’s purpose is for sending his angel and then impart that to willing listeners, as a means of building them up or cheering them up. When I received my first wide-awake angelic visitation, I was beside myself in amazement. I never had heard of anyone in our day and age being visited as I had, consequently this left me with countless questions. Based upon my knowledge of Scripture, I felt that what I had experienced was biblically sound, but I wanted to make certain that it was. So, I turned to the Lord in prayer, and I studied angels in His Word to learn about their appearance, nature, and activity. I also shared the experience with a trusted pastor who has a great depth of biblical knowledge and understanding of spiritual
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matters, as well. He was of much assistance to me and a wonderful source of encouragement. All three of these steps assured me that the experience was of God.
IDENTIFYING COUNTERFEITS Not only should believers arm themselves against deception by knowing the Word of God but because of the growing interest in the angelic, it is wise to know the genuine from the counterfeits that are out there. Counterfeits can be identified by one of several ways: A person who is in partnership with a counterfeit might proclaim to have been chosen by an angel to be a messenger to mankind. We discover from the biblical record that God does the choosing, and He often uses leaders in the body of Christ to commission others on His behalf (Ex. 3:6-10; Acts 1:24-26; 13:2). If anyone comes to you with a message that contradicts Scripture, then he is not from the Lord. One example is that of a well-known New Age teacher who has special information from angels that she has published and taught. Her angel guide told her that God welcomes every religion of the world, and that reincarnation should be embraced. “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’ ” (John 14:6). Another tell-tale sign of a person who is in partnership with a counterfeit is that they often will draw attention away from the Lord and toward angels. You will hear them say such things as, “Turn to your guardian angel for protection,” “Call upon your guiding angel for guidance and help,” or “Look to the angel within.” These are angels of darkness and are not from the Lord. While holy angels often protect us and minister to our needs, it is at the command of the Lord of hosts that they do so. They
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minister at the Lord’s command and because He sends them, not because someone called for them to come. Those who are truly of God will direct you to the Lord Himself for protection, guidance, peace, and health. A holy angel never will accept your worship. Anyone instructing you to worship or to give honor to an angel is doing so under the influence of an angel masquerading in light. “Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. Then he said to me, ‘See that you do not do that....Worship God!’ ” (Revelation 22: 8,9) An angel of God never will ask you to do something that is outside of the loving character of God, your Heavenly Father. He is a holy angel and his character and behavior is holy. A counterfeit cannot say that they serve the Lord Jesus Christ. “Therefore I make known to you that…no one can say that ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit” (I Corinthians 12:3). The statement “Jesus is Lord” actually means “Jesus is my Lord.” Only those having the Spirit of God can make the bold confession, Jesus is my Lord!
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Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:11
I
t was another bitterly cold night for Ellen. When the electric company turned off her power three months ago, it had been August. However, the hot and humid long days of summer rapidly changed into the shorter days of autumn. “I don’t know how long I’ll be able to get by with a flashlight and a kerosene lantern,” Ellen lamented. What was once only a worry became reality for her toward the middle of October when winter arrived early. A frigid blast out of the north blanketed the trees and surrounding country with snow. Seldom did the wind stop howling throughout the remainder of that month, as one storm followed another into November. The week that winter blew in, a neighbor from up the road supplied Ellen with a leaky old woodstove, held together with rusty wire. He set it up in her living room, stuck the pipe through an open window, and then sealed off the gaping hole around the pipe and window frame with cardboard and ample amounts of duct tape. “That should get you by,” he said, as he left Ellen to discover whether or not it really would.
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It hadn’t always been this way for Ellen. A little less than two years ago, she lived in a new home with her husband and two children. But when Ellen’s husband disappeared with both children the year before, he not only deprived her of the ones she loved more than anything in life, but he also left her with a stack of unpaid bills that she couldn’t manage to pay. If this weren’t dire enough, things went from bad to worse when Ellen’s employer fired her without warning for a minor transgression. It was really as if one calamity followed the next. While Ellen was reeling from the loss of her job, her car broke down. Without transportation, she was unable to look for work, and it was only a matter of time before she lost her home, too. The day she moved into the little two-bedroom house on the outskirts of town, she collapsed on her bed in total disbelief at all that had happened to her in the past year. “Well, at least I still have my furniture,” she said, with a bit of sullen sarcasm. Despair had been stuffed down deep within her soul all these months by the frantic pace that she maintained in her attempt to locate her husband and children, to pay the bills, to hold onto her home, and more recently to find someone who would help her. All she found was the house in which she currently lived. When the owner learned of Ellen’s plight, he said, “You can stay in it rent free as long as you keep the pipes from freezing in the winter and the lawn watered and cut in the summer.” As Ellen lay there, she recalled this latest visit with her landlord and thought, “How am I ever going to keep the pipes from freezing if I don’t have money to buy fuel for the oil heater? Why God? Why have you allowed these things to happen to me? What did I ever do to deserve this?” Soon the pent-up anxiety and sorrow came out in sobs, “God, if You are so good, then why are You allowing this to happen to me?” Ellen’s story was inspired by a woman whom I met while ministering at a little church in northern California who was in the midst of an intense spiritual battle, and she didn’t even know spiritual battles existed. She had suffered many losses and was surviving with little food, and without a phone or electricity. Having experienced
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much emotional pain and misery, she blamed her husband and God for the string of calamities that had befallen her.43 Ellen isn’t alone in her struggles. Her condition represents the countless people whose lives have gone from good to bad to worse. Often their primary questions are identical to hers, “Why is God allowing these things to happen to me?” And he shall speak words against the Most High [God] and shall wear out the saints of the Most High.... Daniel 7:25 Although the circumstances may not be exactly as Ellen’s, many people suffer from very difficult and painful things that are not a result of their own poor choices. Bad things just seem to happen to them. Life has dealt them a rough hand. Their lives are the epitome of Murphy’s Law, “What can go wrong will go wrong and at the worst possible time,” and they don’t see an end to the cycle of disaster. If you have been through such a time, or you are currently in the midst of it, there is a man in the Bible with whom you will identify…his name is Job. Job didn’t know about spiritual warfare either, but the loss of his children, the loss of his wife, the loss of his source of income, and the loss of his health all are attributed to demonic attack. Job had an enemy and his name was Satan. Satan had a scheme that he executed to cause Job to suffer, in hopes of creating a wedge in the relationship between Job and the Lord. Job didn’t understand the nature of our enemy, nor the nature of the adversity that he was experiencing, but the good news is that Job remained faithful to the Lord. The unimaginable grief and pain that he experienced did not drive him away from the Lord, as Satan had desired, they only served to draw him closer to the Source of his life. Eventually the warfare ended, his body healed, and he was blessed and restored in a wonderful way by our Heavenly Father. Satan’s plan was to wear down Job so he would lose his faith in God through hardship and accusations. “And he shall speak words against the Most High [God] and shall wear out the saints of the
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Most High...” (Daniel 7:25—Amp) This scheme of Satan’s wasn’t original. This was also his goal in attacking Ellen. For that matter, it is his purpose in attacking anyone. The situations vary, but his accusations are always the same. He whispers these kinds of thoughts into the subconscious: “God is allowing this to teach you something,” “If there were a God, He wouldn’t allow this to happen to you,” or “You’ve made God mad at you.” The same scheme that Satan used against Job is the same one that he employs against people today. There is a reason the Bible calls him our adversary. He hopes that adversity will drive us away from the Lord. For those who love the Lord, it only serves to draw them closer to Him. Even very devout Christians are attacked from time to time. It may have absolutely nothing to do with sin. The key to overcoming is to stay close to Jesus, armor up, pray up, ask the Lord to reveal to you any unconfessed sins so that you can repent (if need be), and ask Him for His deliverance and help.44 Then bind the enemy and tell him to leave, in Jesus’ Name. “Submit yourself to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
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For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood [contending only with physical opponents], but against the despotisms, against the powers, against [the master spirits who are] the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere. Therefore put on God’s complete armor, that you may be able to resist and stand your ground on the evil day [of danger], and, having done all [the crisis demands], to stand [firmly in your place]. Ephesians 6: 12-13—Amp
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knew that God was calling me to follow Him into the ministry, but I resisted that call by making excuses. I cried out, “God, how can I minister the gospel? I haven’t even been through Bible college.” And “God, how can I minister the gospel? Remember, my school days? I’m the one who would nearly faint whenever called upon to simply state her name!” And “God, who would listen to me anyway?”
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At the root of my excuses was a subtle fear that if I served the Lord, I would become a target for the enemy. I had heard anointed men and women exclaim with gusto, “New level, new devil!” Every time I heard these words, I shrunk back from the call a little more. Frankly, I don’t know what these ministers hoped to accomplish by declaring such a thing, but that four-word pronouncement persuaded me to avoid going to a new level at all costs; after all, who needs a new devil?!? Because of these fears, I thought that the best way to stay off the enemy’s hit list would be to leave public ministry to the trained professionals. Even though the Lord called to me loudly, I was behaving very much as I did when I was a little girl, and my mother asked me to clean my room. I procrastinated obeying her commands, hoping that she would forget. Well, I did the same thing with my Heavenly Father, but my many attempts to ignore His invitation to minister the Word didn’t cause Him to forget. Before long, those spiritual attacks that I believed only happened to those in the forefront of ministry began to happen to me, and I was miserable—not because my Heavenly Father was punishing me, because He wasn’t, but simply because I was experiencing the attacks of the enemy that I had believed I would avoid. So, I did everything that I knew how to do to end those attacks, and I did it in a big way! I fasted, prayed, cried, shouted, rebuked the enemy, praised, worshiped, and read the Word. I read the Word— that was the right thing to do because there in my Bible I discovered the way out of the spiritual warfare that I was experiencing. “So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you” (Js. 4:7—Amp). As I read that Scripture, the Lord said to me, “You have been resisting the wrong One. Stop resisting Me and then resist Satan and the warfare will end.” Often times the reason someone is under attack is because there was something back there—last week or last year—that the Lord told them to do but they failed to do it. If this speaks to you, now is the best time to submit yourself to God. Once you have done so,
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then you have His power backing you as you exercise authority over the devil and tell him to leave in Jesus’ Name.
ARMOR UP! Put on God’s whole armor [the armor of a heavyarmed soldier which God supplies], that you may be able successfully to stand up against [all] the strategies and the deceits of the devil. Ephesians 6:11—Amp Stand, therefore, and fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness. As shoes for your feet put on whatever will make you ready to proclaim the gospel of peace. With all these, take the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit at all times in every prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert and always persevere in every prayer and supplication for all the saints. Ephesians 6:14-18—NRSV Armor up! These are not the days for your armor to be collecting dust in a corner of your home. It is time to pick them up, dust them off, and put them on. The weapons that God has provided for you won’t do you a bit of good unless you pick them up and use them against the weapons of the enemy. Fighting a spirit(ual) war requires spirit(ual) weapons and God has given you the best weapons that there are; He gave you His very own armor. The Word says, “Take up the whole armor of God….” It’s God’s armor that you are instructed to take up and His armor is more than sufficient in delivering you and protecting you in spiritual warfare.
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As we see in Ephesians six, the pieces of your spiritual armor are the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit. Each component of your spiritual armor has a specific purpose and will protect and deliver you from specific kinds of demonic ammunition. For a time, it was popular in some Christian circles to acknowledge each piece of armor and to declare that each piece is being worn. This is not a bad idea. My ten-year-old daughter makes sure that we “armor up” each night before going to bed. If I’m out on the road ministering, she often asks our Heavenly Father to “armor me up” by naming each piece of the spiritual protection that I am wearing. Stating the pieces in this way reinforces the reality of God’s provision for our protection and it reminds us that we have the tools that are needed to meet any and every situation, no matter what it may be. But if this is all we are doing with the armor, then we won’t win many battles. Who agrees with me that our soldiers serving on foreign fields won’t survive for long if they don’t know how to use the armor and weapons that the United States has provided them? If they simply say, “I have a gas mask,” but they don’t know how to wear it properly, their gas masks wouldn’t do them a whole lot of good if the enemy were to throw mustard gas into their camp. But our soldiers have learned how to activate the protection that their gas masks provide. They not only have the armor that they need to stay safe, but they also know how to take advantage of the protection that each piece provides by following the instructions that they were given in Basic Training. We have been provided with the very best protection against the devil’s attacks, but if we don’t know how to use what we have, then it won’t do for us what it is intended to do. Take, for instance, the helmet of salvation. It only can protect you from spiritual “mustard gas” if you know how to activate the protection that the helmet of salvation is intended to provide for you. Stating that you have on your head the helmet of salvation is good, it reminds you that you
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have its protection when needed, but in order for it to do its job, you must know how to use it.
USE IT OR LOSE IT! Spiritual armor protects us when it is worn by knowing something or saying something or doing something. Each piece of God’s armor is effective only with proper application. It is not too difficult to figure out how to use each piece—the application is contained in the name of each piece. We’ll look at each piece and its application here. The Belt of Truth
We could say that the first component of our spiritual armor is the belt, and it is used when we know the truth. Thus, it is called the belt of truth. The only truth that is completely reliable and always valid is the Bible. Knowing what the Bible says will enable you to recognize and refute deception. Fallen angels can’t speak in complete truths. They twist and deceive, so knowing the truth will keep you free, and declaring the truth will set you free! The Breastplate of Righteousness
The breastplate covers your heart and the seat of your emotions. Put on the breastplate of righteousness with God by knowing that you are in right relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. You must know that nothing ever will separate you from God’s love, and that you are approved and accepted by Him, just as you are…spots, wrinkles and all. When you know that this is the way that God thinks and feels about you, you are wearing the breastplate that He provided for you. When your breastplate is in place, you are safe from condemning thoughts and accusations, and they won’t be able to penetrate into your heart or stir your emotions. The Gospel Shoes of Peace
This passage calls your “army” boots shoes of readiness for the gospel of peace (Eph. 6:15). Anyone knows that aside from illness
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or injury, a soldier never quits. He doesn’t just serve when it’s comfortable for him to do so. He doesn’t find something else to do when the other soldiers are relying upon him to cover their backs or to help them break through the enemy’s roadblocks. A soldier always is prepared for battle, mentally and physically. In Ephesus, the body of Christ was accustomed to spiritual attack. They were persecuted greatly and, consequently, it took a lot of courage to minister the gospel. Paul was saying to them that, although they may experience conflict, they are to move forward by continuing to preach Jesus—even in the face of danger. When you are experiencing a spiritual attack, you might want to tuck tail and run, but forward march! The way to a personal victory is often through the storm. You will be activating the Godshoes that are upon your feet when you move forward in spite of the discomfort or resistance that you may experience. Just in case you are wondering why they are called “The Gospel Shoes of Peace,” it is because when you share the gospel with someone, you are telling them that Jesus has provided for them to be reconciled to God. In other words, when people hear the gospel, they are hearing that there is a way for them to have peace with God. “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things!” (Romans 10:15)45 The Shield of Faith This is not a wimpy little piece of metal. This is God’s SHIELD of FAITH, and it stops and blocks all the fiery darts and flaming missiles of the evil one. The devil fires ammunition in the form of accusations, temptations, and hardship, but your steadfast belief in God and His Word and the exercise of your faith in God and His Word will deflect any and every demonic attack. The Helmet of Salvation The helmet covers your mind, ears, and eyes. It is similar to the helmet in a suit of armor. It completely shields the head, including the face. Fallen angels have a lot of thoughts about which they would like you to think. God’s helmet will protect your mind from
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demonic thoughts or vain imaginations. It is activated when your mind is thinking the truth of God’s Word in place of the enemy’s suggestions. You can’t think about two things at once, so meditating upon the Word will help a wandering thought-life become focused and filled with thoughts that are pleasing to God. Thinking any passage of Scripture is helpful, but in particular the helmet is effective when you are thinking about what is in your salvation and meditating upon Scriptures regarding your salvation. I guarantee you, if you have problems with ungodly thoughts, such as lustful or vengeful ideas, you won’t be able to meditate upon what Jesus suffered for you and still think those kinds of thoughts at the same time. The Sword of the Spirit Wield the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God. The Bible was not man’s idea. Every word contained in the Bible is given by the Spirit of God. The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. It is effective in protecting you when you wield it by declaring the written Word of God in the context of that against which you are standing. Did you know that Satan tempted Jesus to throw Himself off of a very high building? Jesus refused this demonic suggestion by quoting a passage of Scripture from Deuteronomy 6:16. “It is written…you shall not tempt the Lord your God” (Matt. 4:7). When the enemy comes along with his lies and temptations to sin, do as Jesus did and say, “The Word of God says,....” followed by, “Leave me now in Jesus’ Name.” Remember, knowing the truth will keep you free and declaring the truth will set you free. Persevere in Every Prayer and Supplication Finally, in these Scriptures pertaining to our spiritual armor, Paul says that we are to pray for our Christian brothers and sisters. Praying for our brothers and sisters and for those who are on the front-lines often will provide for the protection and victory of the troops who are not on the frontlines. If the soldiers who are battling in the front succeed against the devil before he can get further
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down the line, then those who are not out in the front won’t have to deal with him. Praying for the body of Christ and for your leaders is a wise preventative measure of defense against demonic attack! “Persevere with every prayer and supplication.” What wonderful provision our Heavenly Father has made for us. We have absolutely no one of whom to be afraid. God is on our side. We will not quit and we cannot be defeated! But we have a responsibility in gaining and maintaining the victory. God has provided us with every implement needed to protect ourselves against the strategies of the devil, but if we fail to use what He has provided then we will fail to overcome. Remember that fatalistic attitude mentioned in chapter two? If you tend to think, “Whatever happens to me is the will of God,” then you likely will not bother to defend yourself against Satan’s attacks. Stand up, Christian! Put on your armor and fight in the power of God! You are exhorted to be on the active offensive against Satan and his schemes. With the Lord you will gain a glorious victory!46 To summarize what you just have learned; you were born into a spiritual battle between God’s holy angels and Satan’s angels. While the fallen angels, who have fallen-angel power, try to wear down mankind through hardship, accusation, and temptation to sin, God’s holy angels have been sent to minister to the inheritors of salvation. The way to total freedom from demonic influence, whether it be harassment or temptation, is to know the Word of God and do what it says. The keys to walking in your God-given authority over the enemy and staying free of his devices are outlined in the New Testament for you, they are: 1. Read and meditate upon the Word of God. (John 8:32) 2. Ask for God’s protection and deliverance. (Luke 11:4b) 3. Know how Satan operates. (II Corinthians 2:11) 4. Make no place for the devil. (Ephesians 4:27) 5. Cast out the devil in the Name of Jesus. (Mark 16:17) 6. Use the whole armor of God. (Ephesians 6:11) 7. Pray for the body of Christ. (Ephesians 6:18)
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n this chapter we will be learning about the Holy Spirit’s ministry here on the earth and how mankind and the angels are in partnership with what He is doing.
THE HOLY WHO? For the first 21 years of my life, I knew God our Heavenly Father as Jesus’ Father, and I had a mediocre relationship with Jesus Christ—He was my Savior, but I had no knowledge of the Holy Spirit. I pretty much had lived my life as I pleased during those years, with one foot in the world and one foot in the Lutheran Church. I prayed daily. I read my Bible sporadically, and my church attendance was pathetic. To sum it up, I was a luke-warm, unimpassioned, carnal Christian. But this all would change…suddenly, unexpectantly, and radically. One afternoon I was invited to go with my Aunt Gay and Uncle Steve to their friends’ home to learn about the plans to open a foster home for deaf and hard-of-hearing boys. Since, I was a sign language interpreter at the time, my aunt and uncle thought this couple might be in need of my services. Following dinner, we ascended the stairs to the “upper room” of their two-story home to watch a
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ministry film and pray. I was comfortable praying by myself but praying with others was intimidating, and holding hands praying together was extremely uncomfortable. But this is what they were doing, and so as not to offend anyone, I joined hands with theirs and prayed, silently in my heart. To my total surprise, while the group prayed general prayers for the implementation and success of the home for hearing-impaired boys, I began to experience something unusual and entirely unexpected. I began to feel distant, light, and as though I was lifted up in some strange way. Peace washed over me, and I was enfolded in what can only be described as God’s love. Perhaps I had heard things here and there over the years about the Holy Spirit, but never had I heard about this kind of God-experience. Consequently, since I had nothing with which to help me understand what was happening, I was a little perplexed but not alarmed in any degree. All throughout this glorious time, a word lilted through my thoughts, the word “Emmanuel.” I didn’t know the meaning of this word but I could not get it out of my mind. “Emmanuel, Emmanuel, Emmanuel,” I thought over and over. As I headed out the door with my aunt and uncle, they explained that what I had experienced was the Holy Spirit, and I well remember their happy faces as my uncle exclaimed with a chuckle, “You, won’t be sleeping much tonight!” I returned home with dozens of questions. My knowledge of the Holy Spirit, for the most part, was limited to my experience in the Lutheran denomination. He was the last word in the “Doxology” that we sang, and I knew Him as the One who brooded over Mary, enabling her to bring forth Jesus, but that was pretty much the extent of my knowledge concerning Him. Following the events of that memorable evening, I was anything but happy. Instead of the excitement and gladness that my aunt and uncle thought would keep me awake, I spent the entire night wrestling perplexing questions and by the time morning arrived I was exausted from thinking so much. I thought through the experience thoroughly. I looked it over from every possible angle, and I was
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very near to being persuaded that the previous night’s encounter was nothing more than a figment of my imagination. “If this were true, then there are other things concerning Christianity that are also untrue,” I silently reasoned. During those early morning hours, I was as close as anyone can come to walking out on their faith, but something had happened. Mysteriously, when the sun rose that morning, a new day rose in my life. The battle of all battles was over and I had not resolved anything. I did not have the answers to my questions and I still had many doubts. Yet somehow, in spite of this internal conflict, there was a compelling desire in my heart to phone my aunt and uncle to ask for directions to the church they attended. I can’t explain how it happened, all I know is that something within me changed. The luke-warmness and lack of interest for the things of God were entirely gone, and in their place was a desire to be acquainted more intimately with the Lord, to attend church, and to read the Word. This wonderful transformation was the work of the Holy Spirit. The Lord knew that I would need something solid to communicate to me that, indeed, I had been blessed with a touch from the Spirit of God. Soon after first meeting the Holy Spirit, I learned the most extraordinary thing about the little word “Emmanuel” which had plagued my thoughts that night in the “upper room.” It literally means, “God with us.” What happened to me isn’t so unusual. Many people share a similar testimony of having little or no desire for the Bible or to attend church until they are touched by the Spirit of God. One of the activities of the Holy Spirit is to draw people to Jesus Christ, the Lord.
JESUS AND THE HOLY SPIRIT The first mention of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament is found in Matthew 1:18 in which Mary “was found with child by the Holy Spirit.” Gabriel brought Zechariah the news that his wife would bear a son, and he said, “He will also be filled with the Holy
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Spirit, even from his mother’s womb” (Luke 1:15). And we see in Luke 2:25 that the same Holy Spirit was upon a man named Simeon who announced Jesus’ ministry as the Savior. John exclaimed that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire (Luke 3:16). And in the twenty-second verse of the same book and chapter, Jesus was baptized in the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; In You I am well pleased.” Luke 3:22 Jesus Christ was at the Jordan River when the Holy Spirit came upon Him. The Holy Spirit doesn’t just give us the power to minister; He is the Power! Prior to Jesus’ experience at the Jordan, He had an exceptional relationship with His Heavenly Father, but no power for supernatural ministry, for He had been stripped of His divine power before coming in the likeness of humanity. Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. Luke 4:14 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, and He entered the synagogue, as was His custom on the Sabbath day, and He stood up to read. And there was handed to Him [the roll of ] the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened (unrolled) the book and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon Me, because He has anointed Me….” Luke 4:16-18a—Amp The Holy Spirit is as real a person (as in a personal being) as Jesus and our Heavenly Father. He is the third person of the triune
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Godhead. He came upon Jesus with all of His power, spiritual gifts, and operations, and from that very moment onward, Jesus, being clothed with the Holy Spirit, was anointed and infused with supernatural abilities for the purpose of doing “the works of His Father.” Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them. Matthew 4:24 Jesus had an anointing for miracles upon His life, because He had the wonder-working, miracle-effecting Holy Spirit upon Him. Through His union with the Spirit of God. He preached the gospel, cast out demons, healed the sick, cleansed the lepers, and raised the dead.
THE HOLY SPIRIT’S MINISTRY If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. You know Him, because He abides with you, and He will be in you. John 14:15-17— NRSV Shortly before Jesus’ crucifixion, He revealed a great mystery to His disciples. He said that although He was going away, the Holy Spirit Who has been with them soon would be in them. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. John 14:26—NRSV
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Jesus made clear the benefits and blessings of the Holy Spirit. He will teach all things and bring to remembrance all that Jesus said (John 14:26). He will cause believers to bear good fruit (John 15:5). He will testify of Jesus, through believers (John 15:26, 27). He will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment (John 16:8—NRSV). He also will guide believers in all truth. He will declare the things that are to come. He will take what is Jesus’ and declare it, and the Holy Spirit will glorify the Lord Jesus Christ (John 16:13-15).
THE HOLY SPIRIT UPON THE DISCIPLES When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave utterance. Acts 2:1-4a When the Spirit of God came upon Him at the Jordan River, Jesus was empowered for ministry with the anointing and gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s presence made it possible for Jesus to glorify His Father and make Him known through signs and wonders that accompanied the preaching of the gospel. Following Jesus’ ascension to God, the Holy Spirit was sent to earth to dwell with His followers, who then would have the ability to glorify Jesus Christ and make Him known through signs and wonders that accompany them as they minister the gospel. Now by the hands of the apostles (special messengers) numerous and startling signs and wonders were being performed. And with great strength and ability and
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power the apostles delivered their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace (loving-kindness and favor and goodwill) rested richly upon them all. Acts 4:33—Amp Common everyday people were chosen by God to be Jesus’ disciples. As such, they learned how to do what their Teacher and Master did. He preached a gospel of power. If they didn’t have the Power, the Holy Spirit, they wouldn’t have been able to preach the same gospel of power that they watched Jesus preach. The Holy Spirit was the power behind Jesus’ ministry, and He was the power behind the apostles’ ministries, as well.
THE HOLY SPIRIT & BELIEVERS TODAY We have seen that the Holy Spirit was upon Jesus and that following His ascension, the Holy Spirit was sent to Jesus’ followers as they prayed and waited in the upper room. We have seen that the Holy Spirit’s visit was purposeful. Not only did the Holy Spirit empower God’s people for works of ministry, but He also dwelt in them in order to lead them into all truth, to bring to their remembrance the teachings of Christ, to produce Christ-like character within them, and to enable them to have an intimate relationship with God, their Heavenly Father. Today, it is still the Lord’s desire that ministers be empowered for works of ministry, that His people be led into all truth, that they demonstrate Christ-like character, and have an intimate relationship with Himself, therefore, He has given us His Spirit. For the promise [of the Holy Spirit] is to and for you and your children, and to and for all that are far away, [even] to and for as many as the Lord our God invites and bids to come to Himself. Acts 2:39—Amp
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In speaking of the Holy Spirit, Peter declared what Prophet Joel declared many years earlier: “And it shall come to pass in the last days, God declares, that I will pour out My Spirit upon all mankind, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy [telling forth the divine counsels] and your young men shall see visions (divinely granted appearances), and your old men shall dream [divinely suggested] dreams. Yes, and on My menservants also and on My maidservants in those days I will pour out of My Spirit, and they shall prophesy [telling forth the divine counsels and predicting future events pertaining especially to God’s kingdom]” (Acts 2:1718—Amp). The Holy Spirit wasn’t delegated to a particular group of faithful men and women during a particular period of time. “The promise [of the Holy Spirit] is to you and for you and your children, and to and for all that are far away, [even] to and for as many as the Lord our God invites and bids to come to Himself ” (Acts 2:39—Amp). The Holy Spirit is for all of God’s children today, as well as for those who are far away. Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. I Corinthians 12:1, 4 The Holy Spirit clearly is the empowerment for ministry and for successful kingdom living. He came to earth with gifts for every born again believer. The gifts are “the manifestation of the Spirit…. for the profit of all” (I Corinthians 12:7). For more information concerning these gifts, see I Corinthians 12:8-11. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering [patience], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control, against such there is no law.47 Galatians 5:22, 23 When the Holy Spirit resides within a believer, the evidence, or “the fruit,” of His presence within them is seen in how they conduct
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their personal affairs and how they treat people in public, as well as those in their private lives. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control are all proof that the Spirit of God is working from the inside of a person’s life.
THE HOLY SPIRIT AND ANGELS Angels come and go from heaven to earth at the Lord’s command. Have you ever considered how the angels on earth communicate with the Lord of Hosts while they are on the earth? I believe they have the Holy Spirit with them as He is with us. An illustration of this is found in Genesis 18 and 19. Here we find, Abraham being visited by the Lord and two angels. They were on their way to see if the reports that they had received about Sodom were true. The Lord told Abraham the purpose for their visit. He said to Abraham, “…Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know” (Genesis 18:20-21, emphasis added). Genesis, chapter 19:1 makes it clear that the Lord did not go into Sodom Himself, but the two angels went. “And there came two angels to Sodom...” Now, remember, the Lord simply had sent the two angels on a fact-finding mission. The purpose for their visit was to determine if the evil reports were true, and, if so, then there would be judgment. At some point the angels communicated to the Lord that there were not even ten righteous in the city. This being the case, the Lord would judge Sodom and Gomorrah just as He told Abraham that He would; we know this because of what they told Lot, “The Lord has sent us to destroy Sodom.” As the Record shows, Sodom and Gomorrah were both judged and that’s why they were destroyed. The Lord gave the order to destroy the city while the angels were still in Lot’s home. Sometime before daylight, without ever leaving the house, the angels gave a
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report to the Lord, and He gave them orders to rescue Lot and his family, then to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah.48 They were able to communicate with the Lord this way because the Spirit of the Lord, the Holy Spirit, was with them, guiding them in their mission.
PARTNERSHIP MINISTRY Angels are subject to the Holy Spirit’s direction and guidance. As the Spirit of God, He has authority over them and is, in fact, present upon the earth to see that the purposes of the Most High are implemented and completed. The Holy Spirit is the One overseeing the overall building of God’s kingdom upon the earth. As such, He gives His servants, both angelic and human, their assignments. He says “Go here,” and they go…or “Do this,” and they do it. He is the Commander of vast numbers of heavenly servants and celestial soldiers, some of whom are engaged in ministering to the heirs of salvation; others are engaged in powerful spiritual battles in the unseen atmosphere that pervades the earth. When we examine New Testament teaching, we discover that we are called to “Fellowship with the Spirit.” That word “fellowship” actually means “partnership.” As children of God, you are called to partner with the Spirit of God to implement the plans of God wherever He may send you. The place He sends you doesn’t necessarily have to be some place far away. Oftentimes, that place is where you currently are planted—in the home, your neighborhood, your workplace, your church, and in your community. These are the places where the Holy Spirit wants to partner with you to reveal Jesus to the people with whom you are in contact…every day, in a very real way. Angels are called to partnership with the Holy Spirit, too. As a matter of fact, when we are serving the Lord, we often are partnershipping both with the Holy Spirit and with the holy angels. This is seen very clearly in Revelations 19:10 and 22:9, where the angel told John that he isn’t worthy of John’s worship, because he is merely his “fellow servant.”
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And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 19:10 As revealed in this passage of Scripture, angels co-labor together with those who “hold the testimony of Jesus,” those who declare His Words. You may not be aware of their presence but when you are obediently serving the Lord, His angels are serving along with you in completing the Lord’s great plan. Are not the angels all ministering spirits (servants) sent out in the service [of God for the assistance] of those who are to inherit salvation. Hebrews 1:14—Amp
ANGELS DO NOT RETIRE Some misinformed persons believe that since the Holy Spirit has given the Church all these wonderful gifts and ministries, that the service of God’s heavenly host is no longer needed. This simply is not true. The Holy Spirit’s purpose clearly is concerned with the inward heart of man and with empowering believers to continue the ministry that Jesus Christ began. The ministry of angels is focused primarily outside of believers, protecting and delivering them from harm, assisting them in their ministries, delivering messages to them, and carrying out great feats on behalf of the Lord. While Peter thought about the vision, the Spirit said to him, “Behold, three men are seeking you. Arise therefore, go down and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them.” Acts 10: 19, 20
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Here in Acts, is an example for us of the ministry of angels in collaboration with the ministry of the Holy Spirit in bringing an entire household to the Lord. Cornelius, a devout man who served in the Roman military, was visited by an angel. The angel spoke to Cornelius, telling him to send for Peter in order that Peter might come and share the gospel of salvation with him and his household. Then the following day, while Peter was on the housetop praying, the Holy Spirit told Peter that he was to go with Cornelius’ servants who were seeking him. There was a partnership between the angel, the Holy Spirit, and Peter to carry into effect the plan of God for this household. The angel spoke to Cornelius, and the Holy Spirit spoke to Peter, and Peter spoke to Cornelius and his household. The result was wonderful—Cornelius’ entire household heard the gospel message, and they were saved, and they were baptized in the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit was poured out on the day of Pentecost, the angels did not go into retirement! It isn’t one or the other, the Holy Spirit or angels, it is both. Angels are servants to the Most High God. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God and He is the Supreme Leader of a vast army of heavenly beings and human beings. His role is that of a superior, and both angelic and human ministers are subordinate to Him. But unlike a stern military sergeant, He is love (I John 4:8), so His personality has all the qualities of love. There is not a kinder Person by Whom to be employed than the Holy Spirit Who isn’t looking for slaves to rule, but rather lovers with whom to rule.
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n this section, you will read five amazing accounts of personal angelic visitations. The visitation that I experienced in 1998; Carolyn McCormick’s angelic visitation through which the Lord healed her from painful life events; a summary of the miraculous intervention of angels during the Iraqi conflict in 2003; the story of the angels who appeared during World War I to deliver Britain and her allied forces from certain defeat and the unabridged account of General George Washington’s amazing angelic visitation during the Revolutionary War at Valley Forge. As awesome, astounding, dazzling, and wonderful it is to be the recipient of the appearance of angels, the unspoken message that each visitation communicates to mankind is even grander, it is even more awesome, and the message is this: “God, our Heavenly Father, cares.” He cares about your well-being, and about my well-being, and about the well-being of every other person…in the whole wide world regardless of who they are or what they have done. God, our Heavenly Father, cares, and because of His great love for all people everywhere, He sends His servants, the angels, to perform His word on His behalf. Their appearing in our modern times tells us that God hasn’t changed…He still cares! The appearing of angels is always purposeful. Five biblical reasons for their appearing are:
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To deliver a message from God (Acts 1:10, 11; Acts 27:23, 24) To minister to the heirs of salvation (Hebrews 1:14) To deliver from harm (Acts 5:19; Acts 12:11) To point the way (Acts 8:26; Acts 10:3, 5) To bring about a manifestation of the Word of God (Psalm 103:20)
THE ANGEL WITH THE END TIME MESSAGE— AUTHOR’S PERSONAL ACCOUNT The very idea of angels speaking to humans in our sophisticated and modern society is likely to produce a few raised eyebrows. The even “stranger” idea of angels transporting people from one location to another likely will cause even greater suspicion. This is exactly what happened to me in 1998, and it was because of this very unusual “other-world” experience that I began a biblical inquiry into the nature and activity of angels. One should question the validity and source of all such experiences. The primary questions that should be answered are: is the testimony consistent with the Bible? Does it glorify the Lord? As you read the account of the miraculous angelic visitation that I experienced, I challenge you to read the Scripture references included in the end notes to discover for yourself whether the visitation and the corresponding message are biblical. If not, please throw it out. But if it is, listen very closely to see what the Lord is communicating through His messenger. After all, if He sent an angel to communicate it, then it must be rather important. On a cold and clear April night in 1998, after tucking in our three children, I climbed into bed next to my husband. As was, and continues to be, my nightly routine, I opened the Bible and found a Scripture on which to fall asleep. During the middle of the night, I began to feel the weightiness of the Lord’s glory upon me. The sensation of His presence is difficult to describe, but I’ll give it a try. I
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suppose it is best explained by comparing it with something we all have experienced. How about when you are chilled to the bone and you step into a tub of very warm water? The sensation produced when you make that first contact with warm water is similar to the initial experience I had of God’s presence in my room, and as you enter into that warm bath and lie down, and the warmth of the water begins to penetrate deep within, the feeling of complete peace and relaxation that this produces can be compared with what I experienced as the Lord’s presence increased in my room but with much more intensity. The sensation of the Lord’s presence increased until, being awakened out of a sound sleep, I was fully alert. When I opened my eyes, astonishment gripped me as I saw a man standing beside me. His face and his entire being shone with a brilliant, dazzling light.49 His white garment, which was fastened around his waist with a belt, went down to his feet and was unlike any garment I ever have seen.50 It was translucent and endowed with the same brilliant light that radiated forth from his presence. Instantly, the Holy Spirit—Who was foretold by Jesus as leading believers into all truth and declaring to us things to come—made me to understand that this majestic being was one of God’s holy angels, sent from God to bring me a message.51 With authoritative, resolute eyes, the angel looked down upon my startled face and reached his hand toward me. He reassured me and said, “I have come to show you things that must take place.” He took my hand in his and instantly I shared in the wonder that Paul expressed in II Corinthians 12:2, “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—was caught up to the third heaven.” This magnificent being took me out of my home on a journey, and just as with Paul, it surely seemed that I still had my body with me. I was able to think clearly and to interact with my environment.52 As the angel transported me out of my home, I experienced very real feelings of motion and lightness. I was overwhelmed with awestruck wonder in our Lord for having sent His angel to communicate a message to me as I have read about Him doing in the Bible.
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I had a tremendous sense of anticipation. “Where am I going?” I wondered. Would it be to paradise, as Paul wrote to the Corinthians? Or to see the city of God as recorded by John in Revelation? Or perhaps the angel would carry me to a nation to minister the salvation message, as He did with Philip in Acts 8:39-40? And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. Matthew 24:12 Angels don’t usually carry you through space in order to show you a person in his own backyard enjoying himself. I was perplexed as to why God’s messenger had brought me here. There was nothing out of the ordinary happening, no incredible mystery revealed, nothing earth-shaking about which to write home. Before us was a man in his backyard getting ready to barbecue. As I watched, the angel communicated to me that I was seeing a man representing a condition that presently exists in society called “love grown cold.” I saw something of this man’s heart. Here was a self-absorbed, selfindulgent lover of self, a man within whom love had grown cold for anyone but himself. “Love Grown Cold” is a heart condition that will be prevalent prior to the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew 24:3 tells us that it is one of several signs of Jesus’ soon return. As I stood there with the angel, I watched and waited, fully expecting to see something else, when the angel turned to me and inquired, “What is the worst sin?” His question was intended to cause me to search for understanding. Sin is defined as the transgression of the Law, and I had no idea that sin could be ranked according to degrees, as in from bad to worse. While I was wondering if he were referring to the “unpardonable sin,” of which Jesus spoke, the angel caused me to understand that he wasn’t speaking of the “unpardonable sin”; he was referring to a sin that transgressed the greatest commandment. At the time, I didn’t know what he was speaking of but later I discovered the answer. Matthew 22 tells us what the greatest commandment is. “Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and
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saying, ‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?’ Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: you shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets’ ” (Matthew 22:35-40). Since, the greatest commandment is to love, then the “worst sin” is to break the greatest command. As we left “Love Grown Cold,” we seemed to travel a greater distance. Although, I was shown extremely little of the city in which we arrived, I knew by the Spirit that we were in Jerusalem, the city of God.53 Once there, I beheld an older man with a gray beard who wore a long robe of an un-dyed, natural fabric, with a long inner garment of the same fabric in a lighter color.54 His head was wrapped in a turban of the same fabric as his outer robe.55 He held a ram’s horn to his mouth, and while walking toward the north, he blew on the trumpet of the Lord. 56 Immediately at the blowing of the trump, the angel carried me away.57 And [further], You, Lord, did lay the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the works of Your hands. They will perish, but You remain and continue permanently; they will all grow old and wear out like a garment. Like a mantel…You will roll them up, and they will be changed and replaced by others. But You remain the same, and Your years will never end nor come to failure. Hebrews 1:10-12—Amp, Emphasis added We left Jerusalem in an upward direction. We traveled at such a great speed that within mere seconds we had left the earth’s atmosphere. I was so deeply filled with amazement and overwhelmed by the significance of what I was experiencing that I was unable to think of home or family or that this remarkable experience might be a vision. It was all so real.
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There above the atmosphere of the earth, I looked back at what I had left behind. I saw the “big blue marble” with its patches of earth and the earth’s atmosphere around it, made obvious by intermittent patches of white. To look from heaven upon the earth and to see it in all its created beauty was too marvelous for words. It is no wonder that the awe-struck early astronauts felt compelled to read from Genesis! As I watched, I had a heightened sense of anticipation. Again I was waiting (waiting to discover what the angel wanted me to see), when all of a sudden I saw a prophecy fulfilled before my very eyes. I watched, totally captivated by the view below, as the earth and its atmosphere began to stretch out. The whole thing spread out into a perfectly elongated, flat form “like a scroll.” And then as I watched in wonder, the living earth and the sky began to roll. It rolled, and rolled, and rolled, until the earth on which I once had lived rolled up “like a scroll.” This was far greater than anything I ever had seen. At the time, I was not aware that I was being given the privilege, as the prophets of old, to look into the future…to observe events which hadn’t occurred yet.58 “…And the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll…” (Isaiah 34:4).59 I cannot begin to describe how intense were the emotions of joy and gratitude that I felt as I viewed the events below me. At the precise moment when the earth began to roll up, an explosion of praise to our wonderful Lord began cascading forth out of the innermost part of my being. There, before my very eyes, I saw the passing away of the heavens and the earth in order that new heavens and a new earth could be established.60 With everything in me, I knew that this only could mean that Jesus had returned for His people.61 Joy inexpressible and full of glory swept through and over me as I celebrated the day of the Lord’s coming.62 In a split second, I was back in my home in my living room. This wasn’t what I was expecting to happen. Regardless of where I believed I should be, there I was with a pen and paper in my hand when the adversary suddenly appeared in my home, in my living room! He spoke to me with authority, in a tone which indicated that
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he knew me, saying, “Pam, go to bed!” With complete confidence, I replied, “I will not go to bed. I must write the vision.” Again, he ordered me to bed. However, I resisted further and he soon left. As soon as he departed, I was very much surprised to find myself in bed beside my still-sleeping husband. The angel’s visit, seeing Love Grown Cold, the man blowing the shofar, the rolling up of the heavens, and the adversary sent to obstruct the writing of the vision all seemed tangibly real. It couldn’t possibly have been a dream. All morning long, I replayed the entire event from beginning to end. I had much about which to think. Because of my knowledge of the Scriptures, I believed, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that God still sends His angels from heaven to earth in order to conduct His assignments in our modern times. I wanted to speak with someone who could tell me what the purpose of the visitation was. Later that morning, I went to see my pastor, Gary McCreith, who is both a biblical scholar and one familiar with the ways of the Holy Spirit. When I walked into Pastor Gary’s office, he stood and politely explained, “I’m about to have a meeting with the elders.” “An angel came and visited me last night,” I said. He motioned to a chair and said, “Have a seat.” For the next several minutes, I described the angelic visitation and subsequent events to him in great detail. I explained very precisely all that I had seen and answered his questions as best I could. Being more than casually interested, Pastor Gary listened intently, and then he reached behind his desk for a book from his reference library. After thumbing through it, he pulled out a second book. In less than a minute of searching, he came across a photo of a Jewish priest with a gray beard. The Jewish priest in the photo wore a long robe over a long inner garment. The fabric of the inner garment appeared to be made of an unbleached, natural fabric. The outer garment appeared as if it were made of the same natural fabric, except it was darker. A strip of the same fabric as the outer garment was wrapped around his head in a turban. He held a shofar to his mouth.
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Imagine how amazed we were as we looked at a man in a book who matched my description perfectly in every detail. The color and design of the priest’s garments, the turban on his head, the color and length of his beard, his approximate age, and even the shofar to his mouth were identical to the man with the shofar in the vision, because the man in the photo was the exact same man whom I saw in the vision. It was as if someone had shown me that photo, yet never before in my life had I seen the book or the photo.63 How could this be? How does one explain such things? Only a supernatural, omnipotent God could cause such a thing to happen. The photo of the Jewish priest was far more than a coincidence and served to be an indication from God of the reality of the angelic visitation and of the significance of the angel’s end-time message. Truly, Jesus is coming back soon.
A REMARKABLE TESTIMONY OF HEALING— THE STORY OF CAROLYN MCCORMICK64 The following testimony is reprinted from To Heaven and Back, by Rita Bennett with the express permission of the publisher. “The details are unimportant, but as a child I was very unhappy. I often wished I’d never been born. I remember one specific day when I was five years old. I was sitting on the swing talking to God, whom I knew personally, and I let Him have it! If I died and went to heaven, I’d let You know there is a better way to run the universe. Living on earth is so painful; there can’t be any meaning to it! That core of anger seemed to define my life even in my young adult years. “In 1966 I was married in a church, which my husband and I rarely attended. My commitment to God had waned. God seemed far removed from our daily lives. That was true until 1970 and the birth of our second child. “I had been diagnosed with placenta previa, a condition in which the placenta is implanted low in the uterus, at the cervical opening. It can present a sudden, profuse bleeding. The doctor had induced
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labor, and on my first contraction I hemorrhaged badly and was rushed to surgery for a C-section. The last thing I remember before going under the anesthesia was two anesthesiologists hovering over my head, arguing. One wanted to put me under and the other didn’t. One felt surgery had to be done immediately; it couldn’t wait. The other thought my blood pressure was too low; the surgery might kill me. “The doctor who wanted to anesthetize me won the argument. I “went under.” The next thing I recall is “waking up” in a different place. I was no longer in my body, and yet I was myself. I had a body, but it wasn’t my earthly body. “Right in front of me stood a rather large angel. I perceived him to be male. He wore a full-length white garment of loose fabric, like a muumuu. No wings. I don’t recall seeing his face. His head was covered with a hood, which fell forward, obscuring a face. A bright light seemed to radiate from him. “Behind him, in the distance, was another angel. I had the distinct impression the second angel was observing what the first was doing. It was as if he were a student of the main angel—in training or learning through this process. “I don’t remember how or why, but nonverbal communication was happening between the “main” angel and me. There were no words involved; it was more like a mind link, a comprehension beyond human language. I said to him through my thoughts, Okay, what’s this about? You know this can’t be right! I was referring to both my early life and this painful physical disaster. Reliving My Past With God
“In a realm in which time seemed nonexistent, I was allowed to start my life over. Events were chronological, but time didn’t exist. I re-experienced my whole life. It wasn’t as if I saw my life or was told about it; I was there. I “relived” the same feelings and the same experiences, but this time I was in two places at once. I was a baby or a toddler and was also aware of myself as an adult “looking on” with the angel.
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“I’ll give an example of how it was while reliving my life. When I was three years old, anything that might have happened to me when I was five didn’t exist in my consciousness. And I wasn’t aware of people I met when I was ten. The review of my childhood could be stopped—put on pause—any time I chose. Then I’d ask the angel— no words, just thoughts—Okay, why did that happen? Show me why that was necessary or right. “With each instance, the angel would point out to me the benefits derived from that situation in my own or someone else’s life. He showed how it formed my character or helped me grow, how God had used that painful time for something very positive. “Afterward I’d say, All right, I see. I agree. It’s okay that this happened, and then my life would continue. As I went on, scene after scene, a feeling of extreme love and joy welled up. There was no way I wanted to go back to my body. “But then the angel let me know that I would be returning to my body. And I refused. No. I’m not going back there. The earth is too painful. It’s a horrible place, and I don’t want to go back there. I’ve had enough! I want to stay here. I was emphatic, and yet the angel said, No, you must go back. I held my ground, I’m not going. He said, You will go back, and then he made me continue with my life’s story. “My story progressed to where it was just a year before the current life-threatening birth. (I was not yet aware of this second pregnancy.) I relived the experience of birthing my first child, a beautiful girl whom I loved dearly. When I realized my daughter would be motherless if I didn’t “go back,” I said, Yes, you’re right. I have to return. I didn’t want her to be raised without a mother’s love—without my love. “Yes, I had to go back. But I still negotiated: I wouldn’t return to earth unless I was allowed to remember this other-worldly healing experience. I wanted to remember the reasons why everything had happened as it had. I wanted to remember that there was joy at the end of the earthly process I was going through. Going back to my previous limited understanding of my experience was something I definitely did not want.
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“To remember this new insight, I would have to be given words. Remember, none of this experience involved any words. It was time for me to “go back,” and I couldn’t seem to find words to hold onto. “The angel told me it was time for me to go, and I said, No I won’t go until you give me words! I will not go until you give me words! “Then the angel gave me the words “Moths turn into butterflies,” and boom, instantly I was back into my body! “Next thing I knew, I woke up in the hospital room. My husband was with me and asking, “What do you mean, moths turn into butterflies? They don’t, you know.” Apparently during my time in the recovery room, when the staff asked me my name or anything else, all I would say was, “Moths turn into butterflies.” I know now in retrospect that it was because I was so desperately trying to cling to the new understanding I had been given. Not wanting to lose it, I was thoroughly focused on that one phrase. “Seeing that I had regained consciousness, my husband joyfully said, “It’s a boy!” We named him Jason. “Over the next few days I asked questions about what had happened to me physically. If my heart stopped beating, I don’t know. I do know that because of the extent of the hemorrhaging I had no measurable blood pressure. A whole artery ripped open when the first contraction occurred. It would be like opening your aorta and letting it dump out. It’s my guess, with my medical knowledge as a nurse, that I was in this very critical state ten or fifteen minutes. I lost so much blood that I can say I stood at the brink between life and death. I thank God that my son was indeed healthy, not adversely affected. “Because my blood had not been typed and cross-matched, I was not given a transfusion. Now I can say I’m thankful that the blood wasn’t ready and that I didn’t have a transfusion. My Lord Jesus worked it all out, and I look forward to thanking Him faceto-face. “As I regained my health and stamina, I retained the memory – as I’ve related it – and the phrase. As we all know, moths don’t turn into butterflies; caterpillars do. So the statement is a bit of a
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mystery to me. I feel the Lord meets us on our own level. When I need to retain knowledge, He gives it to me in pictures and words I can understand. At that point in my life, I was so ignorant of butterflies and moths that I thought moths turned into butterflies. My Healing and Growth
“When I “came back,” I was like a new person. As I said, I had been angry with God all my life. The anger was gone. I had inner healing. I had also been angry with my parents and siblings and a number of other people. But now I was able to forgive those who had injured me or who I thought had injured me. Months later my husband noted that I didn’t seem to be as upset with him as often as I had previously. I tried to explain I now could see life’s irritations as temporary and unimportant in the overall picture. “At first I wanted to run around and tell anybody and everybody this experience! It had drained my anger, and it also had removed all of my fear of death. I had no fear anymore because I knew where I was going after my physical death—and who would be with me. However, I was not grounded in Christianity at the time. Because I’d wandered away from the Lord, I had no plumb line. “Through this experience God healed me. As a result I started on a spiritual quest, but it would be a few years before I found biblical explanations, understanding, and a sound relationship with Christ. After my NDE65 I started reading books, taking an interest in spiritual things, and there I discovered the “humanistic fable.” By eastern religions and the philosophy by Carl Jung, I was fed the humanistic fable that everyone has a heart of pure gold and that the entire race will not only live forever but will ultimately end up together in heaven. The message I heard here was that we all could relax and do our own thing. The deceiver, Satan, led me off into these and other avenues directed away from God, and great destruction happened because I lacked knowledge of the Bible. My choices led to divorce and years of anxiety and confusion. After six or seven years of this lifestyle, I finally tired of the fruitless search and emptiness and retuned to the security of my earlier Christian path.
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“I would advise anybody who has had a near-death experience or any other supernatural experience to immediately check it out with God’s Word and with knowledgeable believers. Make sure you have a strong Christian community so that you will have help putting on the full armor of God, because you will be attacked. When God gives you gifts, Satan wants to remove them. “Twenty-three years after my NDE,66 its effects have not lessened. I delight each day in the gifts God gives me. The pleasant ones are easy to enjoy, and I have learned to value the unpleasant ones as well, because I can see His hand in all the events of my life. “I currently design and make watercolor quilt kits. These kits require more than one hundred different fabrics to make one small wall hanging. Only this large variety of fabrics can result in a Monetlike work. A fewer number of fabrics won’t work because the quilt will lack depth and interest. So it has been with me. My Lord has taken all the scraps of my life and assembled them into a beautiful design. As in the following old song by Bill and Gloria Gaither; If ever dreams were lofty and noble, those were my dreams at the start. And the hope for life’s best was the hope that I harbored, down deep in my heart. But my dreams turned to ashes, my castles are crumbled, my fortune turned to loss, So I wrapped them all in the rags of my life and laid them at the cross, and He made…something beautiful, something good. All my confusion, He understood. All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife, but He made something beautiful out of my life. —Author’s Insert “I see life differently now. If I face a difficult situation, I turn to the Scripture verse that says, “In all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His
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purpose” (Romans 8:28).67 The angel’s message was clear: Any situation I had received with pain could be transformed by the grace of God. “God gave me a beautiful experience I’ll never forget. He took me to a heavenly state and healed my soul, then sent me back to earth to help others. I will never be the same.”
DWELLING IN SAFETY IN THE MIDST OF WAR Before I share with you the next experience, I want to give you a proper introduction. Dwelling in the secret place of the Most High God is the place of immunity from danger. As you are about to see, the threat of impending harm may be all around but the one who prays from a position of confident trust in God, and the one who expects the Lord to perform His Word on his or her behalf, is dwelling in safety. There may be a storm raging outside but inside, in the secret place of the Most High, the storm cannot reach the one who is wrapped in the security of His Word. “The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34:7,8) Blessed are they who put their trust in God because when they do so, He surrounds them with an angelic army that is equal to any task—This is precisely what the 1st. Battalion, Fifth Marines discovered in 2003 when they went into Baghdad to seize the Presidential Palace.
ANGELS IN IRAQ— THE STORY OF LIEUTENANT CHAPLAIN CAREY CASH68 Lieutenant Chaplain Carey Cash and 200 Marines experienced the supernatural deliverance of God during the initial phase of the Iraqi war. Here in Lieutenant Cash’s own words from his book, A Table in the Presence, are some of the amazing testimonies of those who experienced first-hand the fulfillment of God’s Word, “His
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truth shall be your shield and buckler.” —Author’s Comments “On April 9th. our battalion had received an order from the division’s commanding general to seize the Al Azimiyah Presidential Palace in the center of Baghdad. I think all of us knew it would be unlike anything we’d experienced yet. As it turned out, we were right. The men of First Battalion, Fifth Marines, were about to enter into one of the most ferocious and unrelenting barrages of firepower ever unleashed in the streets of Baghdad. “I arrived at the palace from the outskirts of the city where we had spent the night; it was as if we had stumbled into a kind of celebration. It was no riotous laughter or wild partying, but the deep and quiet joy reflected in the eyes of men who had seen something come to pass that they had desperately prayed for. And that answered prayer had exceeded their greatest expectations. “All day I listened to the stories. Alpha Company’s Lance Corporal James Miller and countless others recalled that they saw waves of RPGs69 screaming straight for them, shot from point-blank range. Yet, at the last second, the missiles curved wildly, as if they had been batted away in midair. Sailing completely around the AAV’s,70 the RPG’s struck buildings on the other side of the road, buildings that were teeming with enemy gunmen. “McCulley’s men were standing atop their AAV firing back, completely exposed to the sheets of enemy fire from the shoulders up. But for some reason not a single man was hit during the melee. “And then there was Staff Sergeant Russi of Weapons Company. As the AAV tracked through the melee of fire, Russi felt a blow on the side of his Kevlar helmet, like he’d been hit in the head with a baseball bat. Ducking below, he took his helmet off to check the top of his head from where the pain was radiating. He found a minor scratch and a dab of blood—nothing more. Then he inspected his helmet for marks of punctures; and what he saw made his heart skip and brought tears to his eyes. An enemy round had entered his helmet just above the top of his right ear. But as if its path were
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marked out in advance, the round had curved up and over his head, still underneath the Kevlar skin of the helmet, and finally lodged itself on the left side, about the same place where it had entered on the right. “In short, a high-explosive rocket exploded with all of its force inside the cabin of an armored Humvee, manned by four men. As the rocket struck the door frame, it was as if an unseen hand channeled its force. All four men were engulfed in a scorching wall of heat and flames. Opening his eyes after the blinding flash, Jackway grabbed his chest and arm. He kept pounding and squeezing to make sure he was still there. ‘Dear God . . . I’m alive!’ he shouted. And there sat the others, fully alive and uninjured.”
THE ANGELS OF WW I—THE BATTLE AT MONS England’s very first National Day of Prayer was ordered in 1914 by King George V during a time of great national and international crises. Word War I had taken quite a devastating toll upon Europe’s allied forces. It appeared that defeat would come shortly and the whole of England was praying. Businesses closed, schools shut down for the day, and churches were filled to overflowing with people beseeching God for His help and deliverance. When at an extremely critical time in the war, just before the American forces arrived to help Europe gain a decisive victory, when it appeared as if all were lost, when tens of thousands of soldiers lay dead upon the battle field, and those remaining soldiers fighting under the British, French, and Belgium flags knew that they, too, soon would be joining their comrades on the blood-washed fields, something entirely unforeseen and remarkable occurred. Although Germany had the overwhelming victory, and it was merely a matter of time before Germany secured a complete conquest in the war, the German troops suddenly retreated. Horses and their riders turned and ran from the battle. Some soldiers reported seeing shining and luminous beings in the sky; others said they saw shining men between themselves and
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the German forces. Whatever the description, the overall consensus of eye-witness reports is that angels helped England and her allied forces during the battle of Mons. Much has been written about this well-known event, called “The Angels of Mons.” Newspapers soon got hold of the testimonies from the soldiers themselves. Fiction and non-fiction books alike were written about the mysterious apparitions. While there were many who believed the reports coming from behind battle lines, the doubtful believed that the soldiers suffered from extreme exhaustion and had hallucinated, while others chalked up the whole thing as a hoax. Regardless of the controversy surrounding “The Angels of Mons,” there remains in the records of World War I a time when Germany overwhelmingly was defeating the British allied forces, and it was estimated that within a short time they would have won the battle, when the mounted German cavalry suddenly and unanimously retreated at Mons, Belgium. When the German soldiers were interviewed by their superiors, they told of how they were helpless to move forward. Their horses would not budge; they halted, turned in the opposite direction, and ran as if something ferocious were after them.71
GENERAL GEORGE WASHINGTON’S ANGELIC VISITATION AT VALLEY FORGE The following newspaper article was originally printed in The National Tribune in 1859 and reprinted in 1880. It was later reprinted in The Stars and Stripes newspaper, owned by the National Tribune, in 1931, and the latest printing was on December 21, 1950. It is presented here in its unabridged form by permission of The Stars and Stripes. Washington Had Vision of Trials Facing Nation72
“For many years copies of Washington’s vision at Valley Forge as related by one Wesley Bradshaw, told to him by Anthony Sherman,
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have been in existence. The earliest publication was in 1859, 1880, in 1931 and is being printed once more. The Stars and Stripes, December 21, 1950. “The last time I ever saw Anthony Sherman was on the Fourth of July, 1859, in Independence Square. He was then ninety-nine years old, and becoming very feeble. But though so old, his dimming eyes rekindled as he gazed upon Independence Hall, which he came to visit once more. “Let us go into the hall,” he said. “I want to tell you of an incident of Washington’s life—one which no one alive knows of except myself; and if you live, you will before long see it verified. “From the opening of the Revolution we experienced all phases of fortune, now good and now ill, one time victorious and another conquered. The darkest period we had, I think, was when Washington, after several reverses, retreated to Valley Forge, where he resolved to spend the winter of 1777. Ah! I have often seen the tears coursing down our dear commander’s care-worn cheeks, as he would be conversing with a confidential officer about the condition of his poor soldiers. You have doubtless heard the story of Washington’s going into the thicket to pray. Well, it was not only true, but he used often to pray in secret for aid and comfort from God, the interposition of whose Divine Providence brought us safely through the darkest days of tribulation. “One day, I remember it well, the chilly winds whistled through the leafless trees, though the sky was cloudless and the sun shone brightly, he remained in his quarters nearly all the afternoon alone. When he came out, I noticed that his face was a shade paler than usual, and there seemed to be something on his mind of more than ordinary importance. Returning just after dusk, he dispatched an orderly to the quarters of the officer I mentioned, who was presently in attendance. After a preliminary conversation of about half an hour, Washington, gazing upon his companion with that strange look of dignity which he alone could command, said to the latter:
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“ ‘I do not know whether it is owing to the anxiety of my mind, or what, but this afternoon, as I was sitting at this table engaged in preparing a dispatch, something seemed to disturb me. Looking up, I beheld standing opposite me a singularly beautiful female. “ ‘So astonished was I, for I had given strict orders not to be disturbed, that it was some moments before I found language to inquire into the cause of her presence. A second, a third, and even a fourth time did I repeat my question, but received no answer from my mysterious visitor except a slight raising of her eyes. By this time I felt strange sentiments spreading through me. I would have risen, but the riveted gaze of the being before me rendered volition impossible. I assayed once more to address her, but my tongue had become useless, even thought itself had become paralyzed. A new influence, mysterious, potent, irresistible, took possession of me. All I could do was to gaze steadily, vacantly at my unknown visitor. Gradually, the surrounding atmosphere seemed as though becoming filled with sensations and luminous. Everything about me seemed to rarify, the mysterious visitor herself becoming more airy, and yet more distinct to my sight than before. I now began to feel as one dying, or rather to experience the sensations which I have sometimes imagined accompany dissolution. I did not think, I did not reason, I did not move; all were alike impossible. I was only conscious of gazing fixedly, vacantly at my companion. “ ‘Presently I heard a voice saying, “Son of the Republic, look and learn,” while at the same time my visitor extended her arm eastwardly. I now beheld a heavy white vapor at some distance rising fold upon fold. This gradually dissipated, and I looked upon a strange scene. Before me lay spread out in one vast plain all the countries of the world—Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. I saw rolling and tossing between Europe and America the billows of the Atlantic, and between Asia and America lay the Pacific. “Son of the Republic,” said the same mysterious voice as before, “look and learn.” “ ‘At that moment I beheld a dark, shadowy being, like an angel floating in mid-air, between Europe and America, dipping water
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out of the ocean in the hollow of each hand. He sprinkled some upon America with his right hand, while with his left hand he cast some on Europe. Immediately a dark cloud raised from these countries and joined in mid-ocean. For a while it remained stationary, and then moved slowly westward, until it enveloped America in its murky folds. Sharp flashes of lightning passed through it at intervals, and I heard the smothered groans and cries of the American people. “ ‘A second time the angel dipped water from the ocean, and sprinkled it out as before. The dark cloud was then drawn back to the ocean, in whose heaving billows it sank from view. A third time I heard the mysterious voice saying, “Son of the Republic, look and learn.” I cast my eyes upon America and beheld villages and towns and cities springing up one after another until the whole land from the Atlantic to the Pacific was dotted with them. Again I heard the mysterious voice say, “Son of the Republic, the end of the century cometh, look and learn.” “ ‘At this the dark, shadowy angel turned his face southward, and from Africa I saw an ill-omened spectre approach our land. It flitted slowly over every town and city. The inhabitants presently set themselves in battle array against each other. As I continued looking, I saw a bright angel, on whose brow rested a crown of light, on which was traced the word “Union,” bearing the American flag, which he placed between the divided nation, and said, “Remember ye are brethren.” Instantly the inhabitants, casting from them their weapons, became friends once more and united around the National Standard. “ ‘And again I heard the mysterious voice saying, “Son of the Republic, look and learn.” At this the dark, shadowy angel placed a trumpet to his mouth and blew three distinct blasts; and taking water from the ocean, he sprinkled it upon Europe, Asia, and Africa. Then my eyes beheld a fearful scene: from each of these countries arose thick, black clouds that were joined into one. And throughout this mass there gleamed a dark red light by which I saw hordes of armed men, who, moving with the cloud, marched by land and
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sailed by sea to America, which country was enveloped in the volume of the cloud. And I dimly saw these vast armies devastate the whole country and burn the villages, towns, and cities that I beheld were springing up. As my ears listened to the thundering of the cannon, clashing of swords, and the shouts and cries of millions in mortal combat, I heard again the mysterious voice saying, “Son of the Republic, look and learn.” When the voice had ceased, the dark, shadowy angel placed his trumpet once more to his mouth and blew a long and fearful blast. “ ‘Instantly a light as of a thousand suns shone down from above me, and pierced and broke into fragments the dark cloud which enveloped America. At the same moment the angel, upon whose head still shone the word “Union,” and who bore our national flag in one hand and a sword in the other, descended from the heavens, attended by legions of white spirits. These immediately joined the inhabitants of America, who I perceived were well-nigh overcome, but who immediately taking courage again, closed up their broken ranks and renewed the battle. Again, amid the fearful noise of the conflict, I heard the mysterious voice saying, “Son of the Republic, look and learn.” As the voice ceased, the shadowy angel for the last time dipped water from the ocean and sprinkled it upon America. Instantly the dark cloud rolled back, together with the armies it had brought, leaving the inhabitants of the land victorious. “ ‘Then once more I beheld the villages, towns, and cities springing up where I had seen them before, while the bright angel, planting the azure standard he had brought in the midst of them, cried with a loud voice, “While the stars remain, and the heavens send down dew upon the earth, so long shall the Union last.” And taking from his brow the crown on which was blazoned the word “Union,” he placed it upon the Standard, while the people, kneeling down, said, ‘Amen.’ “ ‘The scene instantly began to fade and dissolve, and I at last saw nothing but the rising, curling vapor I at first beheld. This also disappearing, I found myself once more gazing upon the mysterious visitor, who, in the same voice I had heard before, said, “Son of
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the Republic, what you have seen is thus interpreted: Three great perils will come upon the Republic. The most fearful is the third, passing which the whole world united shall not prevail against her. Let every child of the Republic learn to live for his God, his land, and the Union.” With these words the vision vanished, and I started from my seat, and felt that I had seen a vision wherein had been shown me the birth, progress, and destiny of the United States.” “Such, my friends,” concluded the venerable narrator, “were the words I heard from General Washington’s own lips, and America will do well to profit by them.”
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Then I fell prostrate at his feet to worship (to pay divine honors) to him, but he [restrained me] and said, “Refrain!” [You must not do that!] “I am [only] another servant with you and your brethren who have [accepted and hold} the testimony borne by Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” Revelation 19:10—Amp, Emphasis added
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he Revelation 19 angel reveals something that most of us never have considered, angels are ministers, too. According to this angel, angels minister with those who “hold the testimony borne by Jesus” and what was His testimony? The testimony that Jesus carried was that God the Father loves us, and that He loves us so much that He sent His Son to “undo the works of darkness.” That “darkness” is sickness, oppression, bondage, death, and ultimately eternal separation from God. Jesus preached the gospel, healed the sick, set the captives free, raised the dead, and He gave His life in exchange for ours. This testimony that bore witness of Him, revealed that He was from the Father. This is what the angel referred to as “the testimony of Jesus.”
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The angel in Revelation 19 said that those who minister the “testimony of Jesus”—those who preach the gospel of Jesus and minister as He did—have angels who minister “with” them. Now Jacob went out from Beersheba and went toward Haran. So he came to a certain place and stayed there all night….Then he dreamed, and behold a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. Genesis 28:10-12 Angelic activity is greater than we know. Jacob dreamed that a ladder went from heaven to earth, and he saw angels ascending and descending on that heavenly ladder. The revelation that we receive through Jacob’s dream is that angels continually are coming and going from God’s presence to the earth and back, and there must be a reason they are doing so. This reason is to do exploits on behalf of God in the lives of those who are to inherit salvation.73
HEAVENLY WORSHIP …Let all the angels of God worship Him.
Hebrews 1:6
Several thousand worshippers were gathered to worship the Lord at a conference being held by a well-known evangelist. Before the worship team was on the platform, and while the evangelist led the congregation in spontaneous singing to the Lord, something most amazing happened. Although not a sound was being made from the worship team’s instruments, a sound which only an instrument can make was heard. As the congregation continued to lift worship to the Lord, more instruments could be heard playing. At times the congregation became completely still and quiet, and yet the sounds of instruments and singing still could be heard. Heavenly music of an ethereal quality flowed together with the worshippers
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here on earth. It ebbed and flowed, waned and then flowed again. Whether the congregation broke through into the realm of angels, or whether they broke through into our human realm, we do not know, but one thing is clear, this was a very real phenomenon, witnessed by 8,000 Christians. My pastor and his wife were blessed to experience this “heavenly worship service” for themselves, and their congregation was blessed to watch a video of it. Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heaven; Praise Him in the heights! Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him all His hosts! Psalm 148:1-2 You see, heaven is filled with worship. The atmospheric condition of the city of God is one of Spirit worship, and when we enter into that higher level of Spirit worship, we cross over into the realm of God and His angels. God commands the angels to worship His Son, saying, “Let all the angels of God worship Him.” “Let all the angels” here below and “let all the angels” in heaven above worship God. What holy angel would refuse such an order! During our corporate worship services, and while you and I are worshipping the Lord in our personal times of adoring Him, the angels here on earth actually gather with us to worship Him. Though very hard to fathom, angelic worship should be materializing in our services more frequently than it does. After all, we do serve and worship a supernatural God, having hosts of supernatural beings, who are busy executing His commands here on earth. And He commands, “Let all the angels of God worship Him.” All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” Revelation 7:11, 12
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We know what worship is like here on earth. Can you imagine what worship must be like around the throne of God!?! Angelic beings come and go into the very presence of our majestic, glorious, beautiful God. There in His throne room, they can’t help but worship Him. Some day we will walk down the street that is crafted of such pure gold that it is as transparent as glass. There will be many things that we will want to look at and do but nothing—absolutely nothing—will draw us more than our sincerest desire to walk up the stairway leading to the palace of God. As we enter through the ornately beautiful gates and up the grand walkway leading to the throne room of God, even before we arrive at the destination of our deepest longings, worship will begin bubbling up from our hearts just at the thought of being in His very presence. As we come nearer to Him, our longings will increase until we enter the throne room, and bow before Him. And there in His presence, we will begin expressing our deepest thoughts of gratitude and love for Him in beautiful, uninhibited worship. God will respond to our worship, and His throne room will fill with His glory, and we, being enraptured in His presence, will want nothing more than to remain there worshipping Him.
ANGELS SERVE A MIGHTY KING Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word. Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, you ministers of His, who do His pleasure. Bless the Lord, all His works, in all places of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul! Psalm 103:20-22 This wonderful Supreme Glorious One, Who is eternally unmatched in His supernatural miracles, wisdom, strength, abilities, glory, beauty, kindness, mercy, grace, love, and innumerable qualities so vast and wide that we cannot list them all…this God, He is
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the King of all kings, and just as any king would have, He has a vast army of soldiers and servants who execute His commands. His angelic servants, whether they are in heaven or earth, “do His word” and “do His pleasure.” Now when Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him, pleading with Him, saying, “Lord my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tormented.” And Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” The centurion answered and said, “Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word, and my servant will be healed.” Matthew 8:5-8 Let us consider the Roman centurion in Matthew’s gospel who came to Jesus pleading with Him to heal his servant boy. He didn’t ask the Master to come into his home personally to heal the boy. He knew this wasn’t necessary. He told Jesus, just “speak” the “word” “and my servant will be healed” (Matt. 8:8). In essence, he said, “Your word is as good as done; speak it and I know it shall be.” Roman centurions are military officials having authority over 50 - 100 soldiers. Being a man with soldiers subordinate to him, he was familiar with the chain of command and with the power of the word of authority. “For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” Matthew 8: 9, 10 Whether or not he knew that angels were the Lord’s servants in the unseen realm, executing the Lord’s word is not known, but what is evident is that the Roman centurion believed that Jesus’ word
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carried such authority that all He need do is speak His word in order for his servant boy to be healed. Now, that’s faith! Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour. Matthew 8:13 Notice Jesus did something here that you will miss if you aren’t looking for it. He spoke the word which contained His command of authority. He said, “Let it be done for you.” When Jesus said this, the angels who were present with Him heard the “voice of His command,” and they went to the centurion’s house and healed his servant.
RESCUERS FROM DANGER As I reached for the doorknob on that spring afternoon in 1973, I was warned urgently by an invisible presence, “Don’t go in! Run away! Turn and Run!” It was not an audible voice, yet the warning was communicated to me as powerfully as any audible voice. I was about eight years old and had just arrived home from school. Since the three mysterious house fires and the subsequent restoration of our home the year before, our lives had settled back into a regular flow. This day seemed as regular as any other school day of that year. Nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary. I arrived home to an empty house, as usual, and was about to walk inside when some unseen force entreated me to run as if I were at risk of suffering harm. A feeling of foreboding danger suddenly overwhelmed me. My body responded immediately with a pounding in my chest; adrenaline rushed to my senses, and I turned tail and ran from whatever “it” was. From where I had been standing, I was unable to see the smoke that was rising from behind our home. I had no way of knowing that on the other side of the front door was a fire so hot that it was literally just minutes away from blowing up into an inferno.
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In the short amount of time that it took me to go next door to my neighbors, someone across the street began yelling, “Smoke is coming out of your house! Your house is on fire!” I likely will never forget what followed. The windows exploded and the fire that was contained behind walls, windows, and doors burst forth, burning part of our tree and fence. How near had I come to death? And who had warned me? As a Christian, I have no other biblical option but to believe with all certainty that the Lord sent an angel to protect and deliver me and my family from each of four house fires, and this one in particular. When you are in right relationship with God, and your prayers are in agreement with God and combined with faith (which is a confident trust in Him to do what He says He will do), God would move all of heaven to act on your behalf, if that were necessary. That entire year had been as a “Day of Trouble” for me and my family, and because of the danger that we experienced, each and every night before I could sleep, I asked Jesus to protect me and my family from fire, and He heard this child’s cry for help and sent an angel to deliver me and my family from harm. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him [who revere and worship Him with awe] and each of them He delivers. Psalm 34:6—Amp New level, new angel! That’s what every preacher should announce from the pulpit. Everyone, including preachers, has had days when problems seemed insurmountable, when it appeared that a disaster was just around the corner, and that there was no possible way to escape. Elisha’s servant had such a day as this. He awoke early one morning to discover that the entire city where he and his master were staying was encircled by the powerful Syrian army on chariots. He reacted as any man who believed he would soon be taken hostage, tortured or killed would react, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?”
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Elisha’s servant may have been having an anxiety attack, but not Elisha. He was cool, calm, and certain, because he saw what his servant wasn’t seeing. He saw beyond the natural situation at hand and looked into a realm that is beyond ours. In heaven’s realm he saw that they amply were protected by an army greater than Syria’s cruel soldiers. Elisha answered his servant, “Fear not; for those who are with us are more than those with them.” Can you just imagine his bewildered servant straining to see what Elisha saw? And although he took another look around, he still only saw doom and gloom. “Then Elisha prayed, ‘Lord, I pray You, open his eyes that he may see.’ ” His human eyes certainly had not been shut; after all, he saw that the Syrian army had surrounded the city! But his eyes, the man’s eyes of faith, the eyes of his spirit, had been shut tightly. When Elisha prayed for his eyes to be open, his servant saw that “The mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” The Lord had sent His angels, His ministers of fire, to protect and deliver them from harm. When the man of God and his servant needed the Lord’s protection, He was on the spot with an army greater than any that the nations of the world could assemble. And God’s army more than adequately took care of the potential problem by smiting the entire Syrian army with temporary blindness. They remained sightless just long enough for the power of the Most High God to be revealed to them in an extraordinary way, and for the kindness of God to be shown to them through Elisha who commanded that they be set free and allowed to return to their homes. From that day forward, Israel’s enemy, the Syrians, didn’t dare bother the children of God, well, at least not on Elisha’s watch (II Kings 6:14-23). Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over you, to
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keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. Psalm 91:9-12 Angels deliver from harm those having an intimate relationship with the Lord. “Because you have made the Lord…your dwelling place,” His angels will keep you safe from calamity and infectious disease. Likewise, those who revere and worship the Lord are protected day and night by angels who “encamp around them.” Lot and his daughters were instructed by angels to leave Sodom before its destruction (Genesis 19:15). An angel delivered the apostles from jail (Acts 5:18, 19). Peter was set free from his imprisonment by an angel (Acts 12:7-10). Paul and those who were on board a ship with him were kept safe from drowning by an angel (Acts 27:23, 24). And there have been others to whom the Lord sent His angels to preserve them from death: Jacob, Joshua, Gideon, David, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. There were women who accomplished great feats for the Lord, whom He protected from harm, and children, such as Moses, who were preserved during perilous times in order to fulfill a special purpose for the Lord. All of these and many more were protected and delivered from impending danger by the supernatural protection of God’s heavenly angels.
ANGELS ON DUTY Are not all angels spirits in the divine service, sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? Hebrews 1:14 Our son, Ryan, was a busy and inquisitive toddler. My husband and I did well to pack away all the breakables, store away the furniture with sharp corners, cover electrical outlets, and put safety latches on our lower cabinets. We had child-proofed our home so well that when folks who didn’t know us stopped by, they asked if we recently had moved in. This drastic safe proofing of our home was not needed for Travis, our firstborn, but Ryan’s inquisitive and
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fearless toddler nature demanded that we exercise drastic measures to assure his protection and to protect our belongings. One afternoon, while I was across the room from him, I watched as he crawled over to a round, three-tiered, very heavy marble table that stood close to the ground on three short legs. The table was the same height as Ryan. He sat up on his knees, then reached up to the spindle of the second tier and successfully pulled himself up. He was holding onto the top wooden finial when the table rocked toward him. Ryan lost his balance and began to fall backward. I quickly stopped what I was doing and rushed over to him but before I could reach him, the table came crashing down. I was horrified. Thankfully, angels are always on duty. They are sent by the Lord to minister for those who are to inherit salvation. An angel was present that afternoon to rescue Ryan. I didn’t see the angel but I saw the table fall so that it would have crushed Ryan’s head, but inches before it did so, it moved (while still in the air) in a perfect 90 degree angle, far enough to the right of him that he was entirely unscathed. Sadly, children are often innocent casualties of the spiritual war that occurs in the unseen realm. They don’t have to be. Our prayers help to provide for the protection that they need. So pray often for your sons and daughters, your grandchildren, your nieces, nephews, cousins, and for the children in your neighborhood. Your prayers say this to God: “Hey, God, this child needs some angelic back up!” And He sends His supernatural, mighty warriors to do just that…because you prayed.
THE PROMISE OF ANGELIC PROTECTION Angelic protection isn’t necessarily “a given.” Generally, receiving their protection requires our active involvement in our relationship with the Lord Jesus. Looking in the Bible, we discover that angels are sent to protect and deliver:
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Those who revere and worship Him. “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him [who revere and worship Him with awe] and each of them He delivers” (Psalm 34:7—Amp). Those who obey Him. “Behold, I send an angel before you to keep and guard you on the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. But if you will indeed listen to and obey his voice and all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries” (Exodus 23:20, 22—Amp). Those whose faith rests continually in Him. “Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place, there shall no evil befall you, nor any plague or calamity come near your tent. For He shall give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service]. They shall bear you up on their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone” (Psalm 91:9-12—Amp). Those who are faithful to Him. “And the Lord said to him, ‘Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in the midst of it’ ” (Ezekial 9:4). This was during a time when much of Israel had turned from the Lord to worship idols and had adopted many of the evil customs of the nations around them. The “mark” separated the faithful sheep of Israel from the unfaithful worshippers of idols. Those who are innocent and blameless. “My God has sent His angel and has shut the lions’ mouths so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent and blameless before Him; and also before you, O king, [as you very well know] I have done no harm or wrong” (Daniel 6:22—Amp). Daniel met all the preceding requirements, as well: he worshipped God, he was obedient to Him, his faith rested securely in Him, he was faithful to Him, and he was blameless.74
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Those whom the Lord has set apart for service to Him. “Who has roused up one [Cyrus] from the east, whom He calls in righteousness to His service and whom victory meets at every step? He [the Lord] subdues nations before him and makes him ruler over kings. He turns them to dust with the sword [of Cyrus], and to driven straw and chaff with his bow. He [Cyrus] pursues them and passes safely and unhindered, even by a way his feet had not trod and so swiftly that his feet do not touch the ground” (Isaiah 41:2, 3—Amp). Isaiah prophesied that a man named Cyrus would conquer kings and pass through their territories entirely protected and unharmed. This prophecy was given approximately 150 years before Cyrus’ birth. Although, Cyrus was not a Jew, Cyrus, king of Persia, fulfilled to a tee this prophecy and the one given in Isaiah 45:1-8. The only way Cyrus was able to do so was with the assistance and protection of angels. Your faith should not rest in angels. God is your shelter and protection, your deliverer from danger. Faith in angels will not carry you through the difficult challenges of life, but faith in God—now that is something for which you should strive— those who trust in Him never will be forsaken. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust’ ” (Psalm 91:1, 2).
ANGEL POWER My dear friend Diana has walked a walk of faith and trust in the Lord over many years, throughout which she has had moments in her life when she saw the Lord change what appeared to be an impossible situation into a great testimony. One such time, the Lord sent a strong angel to rescue Diana and her husband off of the top of Drake’s Peak in eastern Oregon. Here is her story: Mike and I decided to go up to Drake’s Peak to worship God. It’s 8,500 ft. elevation. You can see Oregon, California,
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and Nevada from there. There’s just one narrow road on the top. So we turned the Blazer facing out to leave on the downside of the slope. (Just a note, the week before we had a new alternator/starter put in.) When we were done spending time with the Lord and ready to head back to camp, the Blazer wouldn’t start. Click! Nothing! It was getting cold and late. So, Mike tried to push it while I tried to pop the clutch to jump start it. No go. Then we tried digging trenches so maybe it would roll a bit so that we could pop start it…nothing happened. We were on a slope but we couldn’t move it. It was getting colder out. We prayed and prayed and we were stressed! Then the Holy Spirit spoke to me. He said, “Go tell Mike to get in the truck and I’ll push it.” So, this was just what I told my 6’4” husband. “Mike,” I said, “Get in and I’ll push it!” He was maxed out and concerned “Diana, if I can’t push it, you surely can’t.” But I told him, “Honey, the Lord told me to tell you to get in the truck, please.” And he did—all the while muttering to himself. I went to the back, looked up, and said, “Lord you told me to do this, so here I am, now what?” He answered me, “Shout!” I knew just what He meant. So, I started shoutin’ down the glory. “Come on Jesus! You said You’d help and Mike is up front and I’m back here just as You said. I need You. I can’t do this myself. Come on Jesus! Jesus, I believe.” Then something remarkable happened, an opalescent flickering presence came down from the sky and this huge form of a person was next to me. It was the most beautiful sight and radiated color, and that presence moved the truck. I ran up front, jumped in and yelled, “Did you see that?” Mike had this look on his face, “What happened back there? Diana, did you do that?” “No, no, you didn’t see it?” I asked. “No,” he said, “But I felt it move.” We praised the Lord all the
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way down the mountain. We were so excited that God had sent His angel to help us. I can’t help but think that angels enjoy their jobs. What delight is theirs when their supernatural assistance to the heirs of salvation produces a strong response of praise to the Lord! Although it doesn’t specifically say so, many of the remarkable victories recorded in the Bible are actually victories that God’s people gained with the supernatural assistance of powerful angels. With this in mind, can you imagine: how the waters of the Red Sea were held back? (Ex. 14:21); how the wheels of Pharaoh’s chariots were taken off as God’s people fled from the Egyptian army? (Ex. 14: 25); or how the walls of Jericho fell? (Joshua 6: 1-20) While 99.9% of the time God’s people were ignorant of their presence, they frequently were the recipients of the blessed affects of the angels’ appearing. From earth’s point of view, God’s people saw the waters of the Red Sea dividing and then being held back by an unseen power so that they could cross over to safety; all the chariot wheels of the Egyptian army fell off of their own accord so that God’s people could escape their foes; and they watched as the great wall of Jericho literally fell flat to the ground without so much as a hand touching it. But from heaven’s perspective, these events occurred as angels held back the waters of the sea, as angels unbolted the wheels of Pharaoh’s chariots, and as angels pushed down the walls of Jericho! Angels are powerful spirit-beings, possessing a power that is far greater than the power of nature, man, or man’s devices. It is their extraordinary strength and supernatural abilities that make the “ministers of the heirs of salvation” an invincible force of God’s protection.
THEY HAVE POWER OVER FIRE Bless Yahweh, all His messengers, masters of valor, doing His word, so as to hearken to the voice of His word. Psalm 103:20—Concordant Literal Version
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A rumor was whispered throughout Babylon, “Three young Jewish boys refused to bow down before the king’s golden idol!” Certain Chaldeans saw for themselves that the rumor was true and seized upon the opportunity to impress the king. They requested an appearance before King Nebuchadnezzar in order to alert him of this clear violation of his edict. They said to the king, “O king, live forever. You, O king, have made a decree that when the horn, flute, harp, and other musical instruments are played, that all who hear it must fall down and worship the golden image. And you said that whoever refuses to do so would be thrown into the fiery furnace. We have come to report to you, O king, that there are three Jews, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who have no regard for you. Furthermore, they do not appreciate the kindness and generosity that you have shown them, O king, by placing them over the affairs of the province of Babylon. These three young men refuse to bow down and worship the golden image that you set up.” Nebuchadnezzar was outraged. He ordered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to be brought to him. As you can imagine, when word got out that the three young men who reportedly had refused to worship the idol were being brought to the palace, a small crowd gathered to learn of the outcome of their rebellion. The king explained the situation to the youth, adding with great emphasis that they would be thrown into the fiery furnace if they maintained their refusal to worship his idol. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king’s threat and said, “O king, we don’t have to reconsider our position. Do with us as you have said. We will not bow down to your idol. Our God Whom we serve is able to deliver us from the fiery furnace.” The boys’ insolence outraged the king. He ordered his soldiers to make the furnace seven times hotter than usual. Then he called for his strongest men to bind the offenders and to throw them into the furnace. When the king screamed the order to throw them into the furnace, the boys landed in the midst of the burning inferno—alive and
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well. But what of the king’s strong soldiers? The heat from the fire was so hot that, as they threw the boys into the furnace, they fell dead to the ground. Daniel 3:8-22—Author’s version Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt....” Daniel 3:24-25a When king Nebuchadnezzar looked toward the furnace, he saw his soldiers lying dead upon the ground near its opening, and the boys, who had obeyed and trusted in the Lord, alive and well, “walking in the midst of the fire” with a fourth man. The fourth man appears to have been an angel, the blessed source of their amazing deliverance. Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who believed in, trusted in, and relied upon Him….”75 Daniel 3:28—Amp Nature’s severest power is no power at all when compared with heaven’s power. The king chose his three “strongest soldiers” for this special assignment, not because the Jewish boys were a threat (they seemed to have gone along quite peacefully) but weaker soldiers would have succumbed to the heat of the fire before successfully fulfilling their orders. This was a hot, hot fire which was no problem for the “blazes of fire.” Angels possess supernatural power greater than the laws of nature and science. The Daniel-three angel supernaturally surrounded the boys with an invisible, celestial fire wall that withstood the fire so well that the boys were unharmed by the intense heat that killed
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stronger men. They even were able to walk around in the midst of the flames without one hair being singed. Now, that’s some power!
THEY HAVE POWER OVER THE WIND After these things I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, or sea, or on any tree. Revelation 7:1 Angels are the masters of valor who execute the Word of God in heaven and on earth. To us here on earth, they are the heavenly agents of God’s kingdom, who—for the most part—remain unseen. However, the affects of their presence is felt and experienced in many ways, all around us. The heavenly hosts are sufficiently equipped to accomplish their God-given assignments. They have power that goes far beyond anything we can imagine. As we have seen, the angelic race has the ability to subdue the powers of nature. Heaven has a power team and they are exceedingly, abundantly, mightier than any natural power on earth. In chapter seven of Revelation, verse one, there is even an account of angels who exercise dominion over the wind. “I saw four angels…holding back the four winds of the earth so that no wind should blow.…” When we consider this verse, we can imagine them also having the ability to hold back the waters of the Red Sea.
THEY HAVE PHENOMENAL STRENGTH Then a single powerful angel took up a boulder like a great millstone and flung it into the sea…. Revelation 18:21—Amp
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I don’t know about you, but I can’t relate to controlling the wind, but what about moving a rock? I remember the day my Uncle Ross came over to help my dad put a large river rock in our front yard. It was observably a painful struggle for them to move that big rock from the back of my uncle’s truck to our lawn, just a few feet away. They heaved—and—hoed! Sweat rolled down their faces and muscles bulged as they strained to place that great big rock in its designated spot. What my dad and uncle needed was a little helping hand from one of the Lord’s angels. In Revelation, the eighteenth chapter, we see a solitary angel picking up a boulder the size of a “great millstone” and flinging it into the sea. You and I can fling a pebble, but this angel flings boulders!
THEY HAVE MORE POWER THAN SATAN Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that old serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him…. Revelation 20:1-3a Not only do God’s angels have extraordinary strength over the forces of nature, but they also have power over the forces of darkness. In the twentieth chapter of Revelation, we discover an insightful comparison of the power of the angels of light versus the angels of darkness. Some day in the future, a wonderful thing will happen; the Lord will give a command for Satan to be bound, and at that time a holy angel will “overpower” Satan and hurl him into the Abyss. There are holy angels who are stronger than the devil, which shouldn’t be too surprising; after all, they are God’s angels, and being such, they have the Spirit of God backing them.
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Are not all angels spirits in the divine service, sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? Hebrews 1:14—NRSV
pray that what you are about to read will be a source of insight and inspiration for those of you who have prayed very little, as well as for the seasoned prayer warrior who has remained steadfast in prayer over many years and through many seasons. This teaching on prayer comes from an overall examination of the Scriptures and from personal experience. As I have studied the Word, I believe the Holy Spirit has opened the eyes of my understanding to some of what goes on behind the veil of the natural world…when we pray. Prayer is your invitation to God to participate in your life or in someone else’s life. For the most part, God chooses not to interfere in the day-to-day ordinary and natural course of life, until He is invited to do so. Take for instance a couple that I know who waited 28 years to have a child. A month after having agreed in prayer with them for this woman to conceive and carry a child to full term, she phoned
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to fill me in on the good news. She was, indeed, pregnant and that baby is now a beautiful red-headed preschooler who has brought much joy and laughter into her parents’ lives. Suppose what would have happened if this couple never had asked God to give them a child. They would have for what they asked God—they would have nothing. But in answer to their prayers, God stepped in and changed their barren condition in a moment, and the proof that He heard and answered their prayers is now running, skipping, climbing, and playing in the town in which I live. There is more to prayer than meets the eye. So, let’s take a look behind the veil of the natural world to see what happens when we pray.
GOD HEARS THE PRAYERS OF THE RIGHTEOUS The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry. The face of the Lord is against those who do evil…. Psalm 34:15, 16a The Holy Spirit has given us keys throughout Scripture that tell us which kinds of prayers are acceptable to God. As we see in Psalm 34, He hears the prayers that come from those who are “righteous” or those who are in right standing with Him. But this is not so for the wicked. In verse 16 we are told: “The face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. II Chronicles 7:14 This is not to say that He never hears the prayers of the unrighteous because He always hears and responds to the sincere prayers of repentance. The Lord says, “If My people…will humble
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themselves and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear.…” The Lord says He will hear, when we pray and turn from our wicked ways. God always hears our sincere confessions, and He waits to forgive—He longs to forgive our offenses—even those people who believe they have committed such a terrible crime that He never would forgive them. God is waiting to forgive them! All we need to do is pray, confessing our sins and asking for His forgiveness. The very moment we do, we are forgiven—entirely and forever. If you are not sure about where you stand with God, or perhaps you know that you have not walked in His ways, then begin your prayers to the Lord by confessing, turning from all of your sins, and asking Him for His forgiveness before lifting your petitions in prayer. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me” (Matthew 19:14). I think that of all the prayers He hears, the Lord especially loves the prayers of children. By His Words, we can see that children have a special place in His heart and kingdom, and at all times He hears their prayers.
WHY AREN’T MY PRAYERS ANSWERED? Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him. I John 5:14, 15—Emphasis added This verse is one to which we need to pay particular attention. This is the Word of God. It should be accepted as a personal Word from the Lord to you and to me. In this passage of Scripture, we find two foundational keys for praying effectively. First, “If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.” Second, “If we know that
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He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” These are the two foundational keys which we will examine throughout this teaching. The Lord wants to answer our prayers more than we want them answered! God is faithful to His Word and when we do things His way, as set forth in the Bible, the promised affect always is produced. So many times people pray with very little belief that God even hears them. No wonder they seldom pray. The Holy Spirit says if we ask anything according to His will, anything, He hears us. The Lord hears your prayers when you are praying something that He desires or that He has said He would do. Not only are people uncertain about whether their prayers are heard, but they frequently have no idea what the Lord’s will is concerning their requests, therefore, they are doubtful whether or not their requests will be answered. Praying without believing is about as good as not praying. For “…He who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Heb. 11:6). If there is no “believing” involved, then there is no “connection” with God involved. Faith is the phone line to God’s house. When you believe that God hears you, and you know what His will is when you pray, you have a direct connection to Him, without any line interference. We don’t have to be left in the dark regarding these things. The Word of God tells us that we can be certain that He hears us. When we know His will and pray in agreement with Him, He hears us. Before you even begin praying, decide what His will is. Don’t be unsure nor in doubt. Start off in faith. Pray in agreement with His will and with an awareness that at that moment you are talking to the Lord, and He is on the other end of the line listening to every word of your request. And “If you know that He hears you, whatever you ask, you know that you have the petitions that you have asked of Him.”
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WHEN FAITH FAILS There are times, however, when prayer just doesn’t seem to be working. While I don’t have the answer for each and every individual scenario, I have learned from the Bible that there can be things blocking us from receiving what we asked of the Lord, and often times we are the ones hindering our own prayers from being answered. In this section, we will look at a few of the reasons why our prayers seem not to be answered and the ways to remove the blockages. Some Christians believe that all they have to have is faith to receive that for which they are asking. There are scores of disillusioned believers who prayed and “confessed” for particular material items and wealth. They had genuine faith for these things but did not receive what they sincerely believed God would provide for them. They had the “believing” part down, and they each should receive a medal for their steadfastness, but they may not have met the other biblical criteria for answered prayers. If all that is required to receive what we wish is faith (a confident trusting in God to grant us that for which we ask Him), then I know a little girl whose baby dolls would be real live babies right now, because she prayed to her Heavenly Father with her whole heart for several weeks and fully expected Him to fulfill her heart’s desire by transforming her baby dolls into real babies. I know this little girl’s mother and father were not in agreement with her request, nor was it the will of the Lord for her to have all those babies; it certainly would not have been good for their family to have eight babies for whom to care. As ridiculous as this example may sound, it illustrates my point that there must be other conditions met besides a right standing with God and faith for God to answer our prayers. If faith were all that it took to get what we wish, then not only would this little girl have eight babies, but other children whose families aren’t set up to care for horses would have horses, and little boys who ask and believe God for guns would have guns, etc., because little children pray to the Lord with great big faith.
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Yes, we all should have uncomplicated faith as a child, but faith alone won’t get you that for which you have asked the Lord, but when you find out from the Word of God, or from a personal word from Him to you, what He desires for you to have and then pray in agreement with His desires, you will have what you ask because “if ” you “ask anything according to His will, He hears” you. “And if ” you “know that He hears” you, “whatever” you “ask,” you “know that” you “have the petitions that” you “have asked of Him” (I John 5:14).
A POOR LOVE WALK Though I have faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. I Corinthians 13:2b The Word of God says that faith operates by love.76 Faith without love is similar to an automobile without fuel. It won’t work. Now faith works by love, and the kind of love that the Holy Spirit is referring to here is biblical love, which is God’s kind of love. Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrong-doing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. I Corinthians 13:4-7—NRSV “Faith works by love”77 and “though I could move mountains” with my faith, “but have not love, I am nothing.”78 Why aren’t more prayers answered? Often, the problem is not a lack of faith, but it is a lack of biblical love in a person’s heart. At times, the same people who find in God’s Word a promise for their success, and who pray based upon the knowledge of this promise, and who declare that God is providing the answer to their request, are not
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behaving in a manner in which God can partner with them. Yes, our behavior does count! Prayer is a partnership with God. It is seeing what is needed down here on earth and reaching up into heaven, through prayers of faith, to receive from God what is needed to bring the situation into agreement with His Word. Because God is love, He partners with those who have His kind of love in their hearts. Although the Word of God says that faith works by love, I do not believe the Lord is saying that we have to be perfect people all the time to have our faith working. I believe He is saying that those who habitually walk in unlovely ways, showing their impatience, rudeness, arrogance, jealousy, anger, selfishness, etc., have a love deficiency in their hearts, and, therefore, their faith won’t work for them because God is love and He partners with love. It is one thing to be rude to someone occasionally but it is an entirely different matter to be rude habitually. It is one thing to feel a bit of jealousy once in a long while and an entirely different thing to have jealousy in one’s heart, daily. It is one thing to be angry with someone who has hurt a member of your family, but in God’s eyes it is a horrendous fault to hold a grudge or bear resentment for that individual.79 Occasionally, we all fall short of walking in the God-kind of love, and when we do, all we need to do is ask the Lord to forgive us and then do our part to walk in love. If you have something in your heart that is unlovely, tell the Lord that it is there. Ask His forgiveness, and ask Him for His help to be free from it, so that your faith is undefiled from the corruption of the world. Then walk in love and when you pray, your faith will be unhindered.
DOUBLE-MINDEDNESS But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by
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the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. James 1:6-8a Another very common reason why more prayers are not answered is because of double-mindedness. When the answer doesn’t arrive on the doorstep immediately, many people quit believing. They tend to say things such as, “I guess God didn’t hear my prayer,” or “I guess God didn’t answer my prayer.” (Either one of these statements reveals an absence of faith.) When we pray, we must believe that God hears, and that He will provide that for which we have asked Him. At any point if we change our minds and believe that He didn’t hear or that He isn’t meeting our need, then, at that moment, we have stepped out of faith into unbelief. This is unproductive because “Inheriting the promise is the outcome of faith and depends upon faith” (Romans 4:16—Amp). The way to remain steadfast in prayer and believing is to imitate Abraham and Sarah, who, even though they knew the nature of their problem, they did not waver in faith because they “considered Him faithful Who had promised.” They knew their situation needed a miracle, but they remembered what God’s word was to them and they trusted Him to fulfill it.
ANGELIC INTERFERENCE Elijah was a man with a nature like ours and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:17, 18, 16b
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Even though the Lord told Elijah, “Go present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain” (I Kings 18:1), Elijah still prayed. And as we can see from the Bible text, he prayed “fervently.” Elijah was confident of the will of the Lord concerning the drought because God said that it would rain, but even with this foreknowledge, Elijah still prayed and he prayed “fervently.” Elijah knew something. Elijah knew that “through faith and patience” he would “inherit the promise” (Heb. 6:12). Therefore, where there is an absence of faith and patience, there is an absence of the fulfillment of God’s promises. Faith initially is demonstrated through prayer. “If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (I John 5:14, 15). Knowing that God hears you and knowing that you are praying in agreement with the will of God should give you confidence to know that you have from Him what you have asked of Him. And from this position of faith, you can be patient in prayer, praising the Lord for His blessed answer until you receive it. Elijah had the word of God, “I will send rain,” and even though he knew the drought was over, he prayed until the first cloud appeared. It is this kind of perseverance that will see God’s answer safely on its passage to you. Daniel had a request of God. He wanted to know the meaning of the vision that he had, so he prayed until he received the answer. He waited, prayed, and fasted for 21 days.80 From this side of heaven, the long wait made it seem that God wasn’t answering Daniel’s prayer. It seemed as if God might never answer it. Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words.” Daniel 10:12 From the perspective of heaven, God had answered Daniel’s prayer. The very moment he prayed, God summoned a messenger
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angel and sent him to earth to deliver a message on His behalf to Daniel. However, the messenger angel met some interference—a demonic spirit called a prince—between heaven and earth in what is known as the “second heaven.”81 “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.” Daniel 10:13 This demonic spirit is one of thousands of unholy angels positioned in the “second heaven” to stop, or in the least delay, holy angels on their missions to earth, in hopes that their hindrance will cause the plan of God to abort. They know that if the answers to our prayers are delayed long enough, that most likely we will waver in faith, and if we waver in faith, we will not receive that for which we prayed. The same faith we have when we first pray should remain the same or be strengthened by looking at the promises of God, but it never should be allowed to dissipate into unbelief. We have the idea that because many Bible translations say that Daniel “mourned” three full weeks that it means that he quietly petitioned the Lord for three weeks. But no, Daniel was in a wrestling match with spiritual forces in the heavenly places, and he warred for three weeks in prayer and fasting for the provision of God, and while he warred, a holy angel was warring too with the “Persian prince” in the “second heaven.” The angel finally broke through to Daniel when Michael the archangel came to his aide. The prince spoken of here is what is called a principality in the New Testament. It is an unholy angel, a demonic spirit, having designated authority and who administrates his authority over a specific region. Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary says this: “Six times the New Testament uses the word in the English Bible to refer to powerful angels and demons (Romans 8:38; Ephesians 6:12).”82
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Prayer is the weapon that God has given His people to contend for the manifestation of His promises here on earth. The Bible tells us to employ God’s armor of protection and to pray “always with all prayer…with all perseverance…” for the reason that “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”83 Daniel was “wrestling” with “spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” But he wasn’t in this great battle alone; holy angels were battling along with him, and when they defeated the opposing spirit, Daniel received a breakthrough in prayer and his answer soon followed. When the answers to your prayers are delayed, it just might be that a demonic spirit is hindering the angel with God’s response to your request. In this scenario, ask the Lord to send angels who will help your answer get through to you, remain steadfast in faith, and praise the Lord for His answer until you receive it.
ANGELS APPEAR IN RESPONSE TO PRAYER Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread. So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover. Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. Acts 12:1-5 There were several Herods mentioned in the New Testament. The Herods were descendants of Esau, and if you will remember,
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Esau hated his brother and swore that he would kill him. Jacob became the father of the Jewish nation and Esau the father of the Edomites. Although Esau was reconciled to his brother Jacob, the spirit of hatred for Jacob (Israel) was passed down from Esau to those in his blood-line, which included the Herods. Consequently, the Herods were cruel to the line of Jacob, the Jews. Herod the Great ordered the destruction of Bethlehem’s male children under the age of two. Herod Antipas was Herod the Greats son. He stole his brother’s wife and when her daughter asked for John the Baptist’s head, he granted her request. The Herod of Acts 12 is Agrippa, Herod Antipas’ nephew and Herod the Great’s grandson. Herod Agrippa was the first king to have an apostle executed. When the soldiers arrested James, the apostle, the last thing the Church expected was for Herod to kill him. In all other references to imprisonment, at the most, the apostles were scourged and then released with a warning to stop preaching in the Name of Jesus. But here was something for which they were not prepared, the execution of one of their leaders. These Herods were very wicked, and they did whatever they could to gain popularity with the people, so when Herod saw that killing James “pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also.” Peter was imprisoned during the Days of Unleavened Bread, and because it was a Jewish holy day, Herod did not execute Peter immediately. Instead Peter was put in chains in prison and four squads of soldiers were ordered to guard him. This time the Church was not caught off guard. This time the Church gathered together and “constant prayer was offered to God for him” until the situation changed. That they offered “constant prayer” to God reveals something of the importance of persistence and steadfastness in prayer. This manner of being “constant” in prayer must have been taught to them by the Master Himself, as many of those in the early Church had walked with the Lord personally.
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Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands. Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” So he went out and followed him....When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. Acts 12:5-10 Just why did they have to pray continually? The Lord is not hard of hearing and His arm is not shortened that He cannot save (Isaiah 59:1). He heard the prayers of the Church for Peter the very moment they cried out to Him and He sent His delivering angel in answer to their prayers.84 But as the Lord’s angel traveled into the realm known as the second heaven, he was met by a fallen angel who was unwilling to allow him to pass through without a fight. A war ensued between these two angelic rivals and the Church prayed. Here on earth, the Church battled in prayer for Peter’s life and there in heaven, the angel battled for Peter’s life. This partnership between the Church and the angel paid off for Peter who was released just in the nick of time. Perseverance in prayer is an undefeatable weapon against the fallen angels who work against the plans of God. Elijah stayed on his knees until he saw the answer to his prayers. Daniel fasted and prayed until he received from God what he requested, and the Church stayed “constant in prayer” until their situation changed.
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PRAYER BRINGS BREAKTHROUGH In Southern Oregon where I live, forecasters were predicting a drought for the spring and summer of 2005. Because we had experienced a long dry season with very little precipitation, our reservoirs and lakes were dangerously low. Ranchers in our area depend upon the water in our reservoirs to irrigate their fields so that their cattle have spring and summer feed. The summer outlook was bleak. Without water in our reservoirs, our fields would not be adequately watered, and this might cause families in this region to suffer hardships. While the forecasters were declaring drought over our area, I was saying confidently in the Name of the Lord, “There will not be a drought.” Several strong storm systems approached the CaliforniaOregon border and it appeared as though we would be having lots of rain, but before the clouds could get close enough to do us any good, they would head off in some other direction. One day, after this had happened with four or so storms, it was as if the Spirit of God said to me, “The strong-front that is keeping the series of storms from coming into Oregon is a spirit who is in that part of the heavens resisting the rain that I have sent. Pray for the evil spirit to be removed and it will rain.” I prayed, asking the Lord to send His angels to remove the demonic spirit who was hindering the rain from reaching us. The very next day we had rain. As a matter of fact, it rained a little then and about a week later it really began raining. It rained every day for more than three weeks. Now our fields are so well watered that the grass and hay is taller than I ever have seen…and our reservoirs are full! Do you see how I partnered with the Lord by speaking His will? “There will not be a drought,” and then by praying His will? “Lord, I ask that You would send Your holy angels to remove the blocking spirits that are preventing the rain from reaching us, in Jesus’ Name. Thank You, Lord.” And the Lord did just that. Glory to God! In closing this section regarding prayer, I would like to challenge you to view prayer in a new way, as a partnership with God, your
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Heavenly Father, and His holy angels in bringing about the plans of God upon the earth. Discover what His will is concerning your situation or what you desire, then persistently pray in agreement with His will, thanking Him for His answer, and you will receive what you have asked because “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man [or woman] avails much.”
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ngels minister to the physical needs of the heirs of salvation. To help us understand when and how they do this, we will look at the life of Elijah and a few other Scriptural references concerning angels who minister to physical needs. First of all, when we think of Elijah, we think, “Wow! Elijah! A prophet of God who walked in amazing supernatural power!” But the Bible tells us that Elijah was a man with a nature such as ours.85 Aside from the anointing that was upon Elijah, he was just a man; a man with real man feelings, emotions, weaknesses, and attitudes, and because he was as human as we are, there were times in his life when he needed encouragement and rest just as we do. Because he was very human, there was a season in Elijah’s life when he became dangerously depressed. It was during this dark episode that the Lord sent strength to Elijah through an angel.
AN ANGEL MINISTERED TO ELIJAH Following the decisive victory for the kingdom of God on Mt. Carmel, Queen Jezebel was outraged. God had demonstrated His preeminence over the false gods of her reigning monarchy by causing fire to fall from the sky to consume Elijah’s offering
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to the Lord, and then Elijah executed those who promoted and propagated the worship of the queen’s idols. Regardless of his anointing, she decided to get rid of the prophet whose doom and gloom pronouncements always had come to pass, and to make it official she even wrote, signed, and sent a letter to Elijah stating such. Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So let the gods do to me, and more also, if I do not make your life as the life of one of them by tomorrow about this time.” I Kings 19:2 Upon reading Jezebel’s decree, Elijah “arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there” (I Kings 19:3). Elijah did not waste any time trying to find the will of God in the matter. Instead of seeking God’s voice, he impulsively ran to the place that served as a refuge for him on other such occasions. As Elijah, how many times have we reacted out of fear to what appeared to be a hopeless situation, and in so doing found ourselves on the back side of the desert, feeling as if God is no longer with us? The problem with Elijah is the same problem that we face from time to time. During what appeared to be impossible circumstances, Elijah forgot who he was and Whom he served. He forgot his calling and his destiny, and he even forgot (however temporary) God’s most recent demonstration which affirmed His faithfulness to him. It is what he forgot that caused him to run for his very life and to despise his very life. But he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough! Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!” I Kings 19:4
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Can’t you hear Elijah crying out to God, “Oh God, just get me out of my misery! Jezebel is after me again. I did what You told me to do. I got the job done. Get me out of here!” God’s knowledge of our circumstances is far greater than ours. Elijah was praying outside of God’s will and God did not answer that prayer. He could see that Elijah’s desire to die resulted from a deep state of physical and emotional exhaustion, so instead of allowing Elijah to pass out of this world, He sent him what he really needed—supernatural help. When you don’t know what else to do, when it appears that there is no hope, when your cry to God is, “Oh God, I can’t take any more of this, get me out of here,” look up and cheer up, because the moment you pray—I didn’t say two weeks after you pray—but the moment you call out to your Heavenly Father, help is on its way! Then as he lay and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.” Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. And the angel of the Lord came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you.” I Kings 19:5-7 The angel told Elijah what he didn’t want to hear. He still had a journey ahead of him. Now, “the journey” of which he was speaking was the remaining years of which he would serve as prophet before being caught up into heaven. The patriarchs of the Old Testament referred to their time upon the earth as their “sojourning” or “journey.”86 Although Elijah wished to go home to glory, his sojourning upon the earth was not complete, and what he desperately needed was strength to complete his “journey.” We see that the Lord knew what Elijah’s problem was and He knew how to remedy it. He sent an angel to minister in a very
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natural way, by preparing a special meal for Elijah, and the affects of which were drastic and immediate; the angel’s food supernaturally energized and strengthened him. So much improved was he that he traveled 40 days to Mt. Horeb on that one meal. So he arose, and ate and drank; and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God. And there he went into a cave and spent the night in that place; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” I Kings 19:8, 9 As the story proceeds, we discover Elijah in a cave on the identical mountain where another prophet, during another era in Israel’s history, met personally with God.87 Elijah was here to meet with God. And the Lord came to him in a way that he may not have anticipated. He may have expected the Lord to speak to him as He did to Moses, through quaking, shaking, trembling, and although He caused some of the same manifestations that accompanied Him when He met with Moses (the wind howled, the mountain quaked, and a fire burned) He was not in the wind, earthquake, or fire. He was in a still small voice.88 The Lord made His presence known in a loud demonstration, but He spoke to Elijah quietly and asked, “What are you doing here?” Sounds ridiculous in view of what Elijah had experienced, but the Lord’s question was intended to help him realize that he had not taken the correct path, nor was his “journey” complete. The Lord helped Elijah get back on course and said, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there anoint Hazael as king over Aram. Also anoint Jehu the son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha the son of Shaphat…to succeed you as prophet” (I Kings 19:15, 16—NIV). Elijah was not disappointed; he sought the Lord and found Him and received a personal word which energized and strengthened him as much emotionally as the angel’s food had strengthened him
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physically for the long journey ahead. Oh, how true the angel’s words were, “Arise, and eat because the journey is too great for you!” We do not know how many months passed before Jezebel and Ahab died, but by calculating the years between their deaths and Elijah’s home-going, we determine that Elijah served as prophet for at least another 40 years. When his “journey” was finally complete, the Lord did answer Elijah’s prayer in a most wonderful way—He sent an angelic chariot to deliver him in grand fashion to his reward in heaven.
ANGELS MINISTERED TO JESUS’ NEEDS
Repeatedly, over a period of time, the devil barraged Jesus with an endless array of temptations. When Jesus finally told His contender to depart, the devil left one way and an angel came in another to minister to His physical needs. Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. Matthew 4:11 And while Jesus was praying in the garden concerning the suffering that He soon would endure, an angel was sent from God to strengthen Him. And He was withdrawn from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed….Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven strengthening Him. Luke 22:41, 43
MINISTERS OF HEALING
The Psalmist wrote, “He sent His Word and healed them….” When the Lord sends His Word, His “spirits,” His “ministers,” perform His Word.89 In Chapter 11, we examined the Centurion’s account, during which the Lord spoke “the word” and the “Centurion’s servant was healed that very hour.”90
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In John’s gospel, a remarkable report is told of an angel who regularly released the healing anointing into a pool of water where the sick and lame waited to be healed. Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water, then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. John 5:2-4 Whenever the angel entered the pool’s water, he moved the waters to alert those waiting along the pool’s edges to step in and be healed. The moment he touched the waters, a healing anointing was released and those stepping in first were healed immediately of whatever condition they may have had. Some may wonder why the angel didn’t remain longer—long enough for others to be made whole, too. Was the angel playing games with the people by causing them to compete to see who could get into the water the fastest, as if by doing so they would win a great prize—the healing of their bodies? No! If the angel remained in the water for longer periods of time, the people, having become immobilized by the strength of the anointing, would collapse in the water; some even may have drowned.
A MODERN DAY EXAMPLE Angels frequently are involved in the Lord’s ministry of healing. William Branham, a healing evangelist during the forties, fifties, and early sixties, was thought to have had an angel partnering with him in his ministry. Amazing healings and miracles occurred while Brother Branham (as he lovingly is called) ministered. Many of these healings were received by people while they sat in their
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seats, without Brother Branham praying for them personally. It is reported in the biography of William Branham’s life and ministry that the angel frequently was seen by Brother Branham over certain individuals while he ministered under a strong anointing. Others saw the presence of the angel, as well, in the form of a light that moved over or around Brother Branham. Actual photographs were taken in which a light is revealed hovering above or alongside him while he ministered.. In Supernatural, The Life of William Branham,91 a photograph is shown of this very thing. A photograph dated January 24, 1950, taken at the Sam Houston Coliseum, Houston, Texas, reveals a discshaped white light hovering over his head. The photographer hired George J. Lacy, a private investigator who frequently worked for the FBI, to run the negative through a battery of tests to verify and provide evidence to the public that the apparition is of a supernatural nature, and not a trick or hoax. The evidence was conclusive; after examining the negatives extensively, they were found to be free of any tampering. The photograph was proven to be an original without any trickery involved. In 1955, Lausanne, Switzerland, William Branham was photographed again with a light over his head. This time there is a consecutive series of shots showing Brother Branham in the same position and those seated at the table around him in their same positions. In the first photograph there is nothing noticeably extraordinary, but then in scene two a light is near him, in scene three the light is over his head, and in scene four, the light appears to have moved in front and to the right of him. Brother Branham said that the angel always stood to his right while he ministered to people. The angel and Brother Branham ministered together in their service to the Lord; this partnership proved to be exceptionally valuable in the kingdom of God, as hundreds of thousands were healed and many more saved through their ministry. I also have heard the testimonies of ministers in the Twentyfirst Century who reported seeing a light over persons to whom the
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Lord was ministering healing during their meetings. I have yet to see this “light,” but that is alright, because my faith is not in angels who minister healing, but it is settled in the Lord and in His willingness and ability to fulfill every one of His promises.
THEY MINISTER TO THE NEEDS OF GOD’S SERVANTS TODAY Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation? Hebrews 1:14 Angels minister to all who will “inherit salvation” but usually the inheritors are oblivious to their presence and activity. I had organized and led monthly meetings for 14 months. Because of the manifest presence of the Lord during these gatherings, hungry women attended from several communities within a hundred miles of Lakeview, Oregon. Eventually, the services transformed into meetings open to entire families, and men also began attending. Each and every month I had to overcome insecurities, fear of failure, fear of not being acceptable, fear of not having anything to say, and fear of not being anointed. One early morning in July, while I was asleep, I saw two angels come into my room. They explained that they had been sent to minister to me. I sat in a chair in my room. One angel stood behind me and placed her hands upon my head, while the other stood in front of me, holding my right hand. While they were with me, I asked them questions regarding the kingdom of God. It seemed that before I completed one question, they already began answering it. How I wish I could remember my questions and their answers, but for some mysterious reason most of the questions and answers are gone from my memory. I was very interested in what these “ministering spirits” were doing. I could tell that not only did they care about me, but they also
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liked one another. Theirs obviously had been a long-term relationship, and they worked well together. In between questions, the angels conferred with one another. The angel holding my right hand gave me a pen and a pad of paper with which to write, and then in a thoughtful tone she said, “Now, write something.” The angel standing behind me leaned forward to look over my shoulder to study my writing. She said, “No, that isn’t quite it.” Then the angel in front of me held onto my hand for a little longer. A second time she handed me a pen and pad of paper and asked me to write. Though I couldn’t identify what the difference was between the first thing I wrote and the second thing I wrote, whatever they were wanting me to gain must have been received successfully, because at this point they left me there and I immediately awoke.
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Then I saw another angel flying in midair, with an eternal Gospel (good news) to tell to the inhabitants of the earth, to every race and tribe and language and people. Revelation 14:6—Amp
n the Hebrew and Greek languages of the Old and New Testaments, the original word for “angel” conveys the idea that they are God’s personal communicators who deliver messages to mankind on His behalf. In Revelation, John saw an angel carry the “eternal Gospel to tell to the inhabitants of the earth.” This isn’t so unusual, given that throughout the Bible we discover them frequently speaking to the inhabitants of earth on God’s behalf.
ANGELS AND PROPHETS “For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book, Worship God.” Revelation 22:9b
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A prophet is one who is a spokesperson for God. He or she speaks the actual words which God gives them to speak. The message can be communicated either visually, as in a vision during which the Lord’s spokesperson receives visually what God wants them to speak, or by actual audible words in which the message is spoken to the prophet. Messenger angels minister as God’s prophets, delivering God’s messages from God to humankind. They minister personal words to individuals, and they minister words to prophets who then deliver the messages to those for whom they are intended. So the angel who spoke with me said to me, “Proclaim, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: I am zealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with great zeal....’ ” Zechariah 1:13, 14—Emphasis added But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of BaalZebub, the god of Ekron?’ Now therefore, thus says the Lord: ‘You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die.’ ” So Elijah departed. II Kings 1:3, 4 As can be seen in the preceding passages of Scripture, when a messenger angel speaks God’s message to the prophet, he speaks in first person, in a tone similar to the old fashioned “Thus saith the Lord” and the more modern “The Lord would say to you,” and then God’s human spokesperson, having received the word of the Lord from His angel, speaks the same message, word-for-word, to those for whom it is meant, in first person as if the Lord Himself were speaking. This ministry relationship between angels and prophets was revealed by the angel to John in Revelation 22 when he said, “I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets.” Moreover,
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the entire book of Revelation begins by disclosing to us how the visions for the book were given to John. “[This is] the revelation of Jesus Christ.…and He sent and communicated it through His angel to His bond servant John” (Revelation 1:1—Amp). The angel communicated God’s message to John and John communicated it to the entire world through the written pages of the Bible. An additional look at the ministry relationship of the messenger angel to the prophet is offered in Zechariah chapter two when Zechariah received a message from the Lord concerning Jerusalem. In this instance, an angel spoke on behalf of the Lord to a second angel commanding him (the second angel) to go to the “young man” (Zechariah), with a word from the Lord. And there was an angel who talked with me, going out; and another angel was coming out to meet him, who said to him, “Run, speak to this young man, saying, ‘Jerusalem shall be inhabited as towns without walls, because of the multitude of men and livestock in it. For I, says the Lord, will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst.’ ” Zechariah 2:3-5—Emphasis added The first angel told the second angel to tell Zechariah to prophesy this word, “ ‘Jerusalem shall be.… For I, says the Lord will be a wall of fire all around her.…’ ” The angel spoke to the prophet in first person, as if the Lord Himself were speaking. There’s no doubt about it, there are angels among the prophets laboring with them to bring forth a pronouncement of God’s prophetic decree.
THE HOLY SPIRIT ALSO SPEAKS DIRECTLY TO HIS PROPHETS I can hear some rumblings, “But what about the Holy Spirit?” For those who think that the ministry of the angels as those who
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deliver prophetic words from God to His prophets changed when the Holy Spirit was sent in Acts, chapter two, think again. There is no reason why the role of angels would need to be any different following Pentecost. Now that we have the Holy Spirit speaking to us, this doesn’t necessitate the elimination of the ministry of the angels as God’s messengers.92 In the Old Testament we find the Holy Spirit speaking directly to and through prophets, and we find angels also delivering prophetic messages during that same dispensation. You will find this same scenario in the New Testament following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. His (the Holy Spirit) coming upon and within believers did not change the calling upon the angels to deliver words from God to humankind. They delivered prophetic messages to the prophets in the Old Testament, they did so in the New Testament, and as long as God is still speaking to the inhabitants of the earth, they will continue in this aspect of their ministry.
THE SPIRIT OF ELIJAH Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?” Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” II Kings 2:9—Emphasis added Elijah had an angel who co-labored with Him. As covered earlier in this book, angels are spirits, and here we find Elijah’s successor, Elisha, asking him for a double portion of the spirit that rested upon him. What many believe regarding this verse in II Kings is that the double portion to which Elisha is referring is God’s anointing. The anointing sets one apart for ministry. The temple, priests, and articles of the temple were anointed. Kings and prophets also were anointed. The anointing set them apart as dedicated to the Lord for His service, during which the Holy Spirit oftentimes filled the surrendered servant with His presence.
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When I take Scripture at face value, I see that the anointing and the “double-portion spirit” are two separate and distinct realities. The same writer who wrote I Kings also wrote II Kings, and in both of these books the words “anoint” and “anointed” appear nine times, and in every case it means “to smear with oil” (in order to set apart for the work of the Lord). Likewise, the words “spirit” and “spirits” appear 12 times, and in all cases it is the Hebrew word ruwach. Consistently throughout I and II Kings, “anoint” means “anoint” and “spirit” means “spirit.” This discloses to us that if the double portion of Elijah’s “spirit” was the anointing, then the writer of II Kings would have chosen a word that means “anointing,” as he did when he used the word in all other references. We don’t see Elisha asking for the anointing but we do find him asking for a double portion of Elijah’s spirit and I believe this is what he received, the spirit (or angel) who co-labored with Elijah. This is confirmed in a neighboring text. Now when the sons of the prophets who were from Jericho saw him, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they came to meet him, and they bowed to the ground before him. II Kings 2:15—Emphasis added The sons of the prophets observed something unusual about Elisha. They saw that something was upon him. They were amazed and said, “The same spirit that once rested upon our father Elijah, now rests upon Elisha.” Then they asked Elisha if they may send some of their servants to look for Elijah, “Perhaps the Spirit of the Lord has taken him up and cast him upon some mountain or into some valley,” they said. By their own words, we discover that the spirit upon Elisha was not the Spirit of the Lord whom they thought might have left their master on a mountain somewhere.
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JOHN THE BAPTIST IS ELIJAH “IF YOU ARE WILLING TO RECEIVE IT”93 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” Malachi 4:5 Malachi prophesied the coming of Elijah approximately 400 years after Elijah was caught up into heaven. Jesus said of John the Baptist, “If you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come” (Matt. 11:14). Malachi said that Elijah would come, and Jesus told His disciples that John the Baptist is Elijah and Elijah “is to come.” He is still to come. I’d like to suggest to you that Malachi and Jesus both were speaking of the angel that accompanied Elijah during his ministry, the spirit of Elijah.
THE SPIRITS OF THE PROPHETS Prophets were fairly common in the early Church. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul brings instruction to the leaders of the church there, regarding how to facilitate the prophet’s ministry. It appears that there was no set order to who spoke. With so many prophets in one service, this created a little chaos. They were all receiving messages from the Lord in one meeting. Barely had one prophet completed his teaching, when a second or third prophet would receive a message, and before that prophet was through, another prophet would begin speaking. They felt that if God had given them a message, they must speak it in no uncertain terms. And so it is in much of the Church today. Paul addresses this by saying: Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent. For you [the prophets] can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. And the spirits of the prophets
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are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. I Corinthians 14:29-3394 Concerning the prophets, Paul says, “You can all prophesy one at a time because the spirits of the prophets are subject, or under the control of, the prophets.” Notice he didn’t say the Holy Spirit is subject to the prophets. No! The prophets are subject to the Holy Spirit. He said the spirits are subject to the prophets. The first-century Church obviously knew something about the ministry of angels that 20 centuries later has been forgotten. The spirits of the prophets are angels who labor together with the prophets in the delivery of the Word of the Lord. And I believe that today the Lord is bringing back the former revelation regarding the activity of angels, so that we learn the ways of God and, therefore, minister with much greater wisdom and effectiveness.
TEST THE SPIRITS FOR MANY FALSE PROPHETS ARE IN THE WORLD In closing on this subject regarding angels who co-labor with the prophets, let us look at one more passage of Scripture for our consideration. Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this we know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world. You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. I John 4:1-3—Emphasis added
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True prophets of God have a holy angel, a spirit who co-labors with them. They can be recognized in this way, they confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh. Their purpose is to point people to Jesus Who came in the flesh, Who though tempted as we are—lived a sinless life, suffered death by the cross as a payment for the sins of all people, rose on the third day, and after appearing to His disciples, He ascended to heaven and will be returning. We are told in I John to “test the spirits because many false prophets have gone out into the world.” The “spirits” referred to here are angels. God’s prophets minister with an angel, “a fellow servant,” who communicates messages to them from the Lord and false prophets also have a “spirit,” a fallen angel from whom they receive messages. Therefore John is telling us to test the spirits to discern whether the prophet is of God or of the devil.
POLICE DISCOVER ANGEL IN PROPHET’S VAN95 While I was writing about angels and prophets, I received an e-mail entitled “Police Discover Angel in Prophet’s Van” from The Elijah List which among other services, distributes the teachings and messages (via. e-mail) of those who are recognized in the body of Christ as genuine prophets. I believe that God would use an e-mail letter to confirm what I have written about the prophets having angels who co-minister with them. Here is that story, reprinted with the express permission of The Elijah List. “Police Discover Angel in Van,” By Joni Ames, A.C.T.S. Ministries
“Steve, did you hear about my miracle? I was in a wreck last week that totaled my van, but, here is the story:” Dear friends: Just a quick note to ask for prayer, as I had a pretty bad traffic accident yesterday and totaled my van. I was making a left turn across traffic, and was waved on by three lanes, but that fourth lane
ANGEL S MINISTER THE WORD OF G OD was a “doozie,” and I got hit quite hard in the passenger-side front door. The impact was so strong, that a metal travel mug I had in the car flew across the van as a projectile and lodged itself into the door, sticking straight out! Glad it didn’t hit me like that! I was taken by ambulance to the hospital, but thankfully have no broken bones. However, my right side, chest, ribs, and back area are very bruised and very out of place, and I’m in a lot of pain. While in the hospital, the State Trooper asked me the name of my “passenger.” I told him no one else was in the car—I’d even left my puppies at home. However, he insisted that “all” of the witnesses saw a “male passenger” in my car who “got out and walked around the car until the ambulance got there!” Number one, since the door was jammed shut from the accident, that would have been impossible unless the person climbed out the window! But, I believe it was the Lord or an angel, and told the officer so! He said, “I believe that. I’m a Christian. And I’m just glad to see you are alive. I know you are in pain, but you took a very hard hit, and you could have been much worse off if someone wasn’t watching out for you.” By the way, the guy that hit me had no injuries, praise God! This may sound strange, but I’m even thankful for the pain, because at least I can feel. They said it could have been much worse (like spinal cord injury or paralysis) since the air bags didn’t open. So, as I say, I am thankful I have feeling and LIFE, for sure! My friends and new church family here in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, have all been very supportive; and two of the ladies even spent the night with me
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last night while my son CJ was at work. God is awesome! Joni Ames A.C.T.S. Ministries
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n hour earlier I told my sister on the phone, “If I just had a map. I can do a map.” This was my reaction to the overwhelming list of roads I was told would lead me to her new home. Exhausted from attending a three-day conference, following written directions with more than four streets on it was something that I could not manage well. I was due to speak at her church in a couple of days and had planned to arrive two days early to rest before ministering. Having already driven three hours, I phoned her when I was an hour away from her home to jot down directions. I read the list of streets back to her in the order in which I had written them, and she said, “That’s right. See you in an hour.” As I headed east on Interstate 50 with my son and daughter, it took every bit of concentration to maneuver in the late afternoon traffic. “Gee, I missed the first turn off,” I told my two children. I turned around and headed the way I had come. My two navigators helped me watch for the first sign. It didn’t take me long to realize that I hadn’t missed it, I just hadn’t driven far enough east. So we turned around again and headed back up the freeway. With the children’s assistance I found the correct off-ramp and we exited the freeway, but then I was stumped as to which direction to take, “Do I turn left or go straight?” I questioned. I chose the straight path and it was the wrong choice. I stopped to ask for directions and having these, we continued on our trip.
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Before long, I was lost again and, quite frankly, I had just about had it with wrong turns and misplaced streets, so stopping at a pizza restaurant, I went inside to use the phone. Since we weren’t far from our destination, I thought I would ask my sister to meet us at the restaurant, then I could follow her through what seemed to be a maze of streets to her home. When I walked inside, the first thing I noticed was that it was very dark. It was so dark that it took my eyes a few moments to adjust to the dimness in the room, then I saw something that struck me as out of place, a customer who appeared to be about 40 years old was wearing dark sunglasses. I mean really dark sunglasses, so dark that I couldn’t see his eyes through the lenses. “Why is he wearing sunglasses in this dark room? How can he see?” I wondered. As I went over to the counter to wait behind this gentleman who was paying for his order, I sensed that he was waiting for me. It was the kind of feeling that you have when you walk into a room where someone who knows you has been expecting your arrival. That sense of expectancy is what I felt coming from this man. I was going to ask if I could use the phone, when I heard myself explain, “I’m lost, may I use your phone?” I could hardly believe that I made that announcement. This was not the kind of neighborhood to be telling strangers that one is lost, and before entering the restaurant I already had decided that I would not do such a thing. The man with the shades asked, “Where are you headed?” “To Gardenvalley,” I answered. “Let’s go over to a table and I’ll draw you a map,” he said. The gentleman with the shades drew a very concise map from the restaurant to my sister’s street. He then explained the route, stopping once to alert me to watch for a street sign that was somewhat obscured by a tree and another time to warn me to drive particularly defensively at a certain spot where one road merges with another. He cautioned me a couple of times to drive slower. And if the facts were known, in my attempt to be on time, I hadn’t been particularly “slow.” “This guy really knows this area,” I thought. He handed me the map and asked, “Do you have it?” With a completely
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honest face, I replied, “Yep, I’ve got it. Thank you.” But, did I really? No. But since I had a map, I knew I could find my way. My polite answer didn’t seem to convince him. He went over the map once more with me, just as thoroughly as he had the first time. Once again he cautioned me to drive carefully. It wasn’t entirely my sister’s fault that I was lost. Those who are a part of my inner circle know that with spoken directions, I sometimes get all turned around. I suppose you could say that I am directionally challenged. I know my directions, though, north, south, east, and west and I can read a map, but if I am trying to find a new place with spoken directions, that’s an entirely different matter. As I was leaving, we shook hands and I said, “Thank you, take good care.” He replied to me in a warmth that I have seldom seen in strangers, but perhaps he wasn’t a stranger. He said, “You take care” emphasizing “You.” Now the man with the shades was paying for his order when I arrived. In this particular pizza chain, you pay for your order before they serve you, or you pay for your phone order and take it home with you, but when he was through drawing me a map, he walked out behind me without an order. Again, I thought how unusual this was. When I got in the car, I made a comment to the children, which didn’t hit me full force until a few seconds later. I told them, “The Lord provided us with a map!” We all looked over at the man who had helped us. He was walking out into the large parking lot overlooking a street behind our car. My son sat beside me in the front seat. We glanced down at the map and then in no more time than two seconds, we looked back up to have one more look at our map maker, but he was no longer there. One second he was in the parking lot, just a couple of feet behind our car and the very next second, poof, he had completely vanished. My brain began doing all kinds of rational figuring to deduce what just had happened. My son’s face said it all. With astonishment in his eyes, his words brought me back to earth, “I think that was an angel.” Stunned, I managed to reply, “I think you are right.”
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I didn’t want anyone to try to disprove this miracle by suggesting that the man simply had slipped undetected into a parked car. My son, daughter, and I were present, and we knew that in the quick seconds we looked away, the man could not have gone anywhere— he didn’t have time. But I realized that when the children or I shared our testimony, there would be some who would not be convinced so easily. Therefore, we drove around the parking lot examining the parked cars, there were only three or four, and they were each empty. The man with the shades was verifiably not in the parking lot. This left only one option, he had completely vanished! Our experience with the angel who gave us directions lines up with the Bible; Philip also received directions from an angel: Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. So he arose and went. Acts 8:26 And an angel appeared to Cornelius to give him directions to find Peter: About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying, “Cornelius!” And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?” So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter. He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do.” Acts 10:3-6
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have heard testimonies of Christians who were pronounced medically dead who later revived. And “coming to,” they shared amazing stories of what they experienced after their hearts stopped beating. While their experiences vary, some went to heaven and admired the beauty of the City of God; others met Jesus and were sent back with a message of His love; still others such as Carolyn McCormick, had conversations with angels.96 While the context of what they experienced may differ, there remains a common universal element to what they share, angels transported them out of this natural world in which we live. This experience is consistent with Lazarus’ “passing” in Luke 16 when the angels came for him and carried him to “Abraham’s bosom.”97 Christians need not fear death. For them, it is similar to a birth of sorts, a transition from the confines of the earth’s womb into eternal life, joyous life! Heaven is a real place, a real country having a real city, with real buildings, plants, delicious food to eat, multitudes of angels, and people that we know and love. The Architect and Builder of heaven is God, and everything about it is exquisitely beautiful. The King of the celestial nation is Jesus Christ Who is seated on a throne beside His Father and ours, the Most High God.98
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ANGELS WILL TRANSPORT US TO HEAVEN When you and I, Christian brothers and sisters, are ready to pass out of this life, just before we make this mysterious passage, the angels of the Lord will come to our side and wait. They will be with us at that precious hour. Christians do not make that passage alone. They have beside them holy, loving angels of God who are there to escort them on the passage from earth to heaven. The angels will grasp our hands in theirs and lift us up above this old earth, and they will take us safely through the demonic-infested second heaven and into the third heaven to the city of God.99 “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Those who believe in, trust upon, and have a relationship with Jesus Christ are “born again.” And only those having been so will be able to enter the celestial city of God in His kingdom.100 There are many roads upon which people can travel after their earthly life, but only one leads to the Father Who is in heaven. There’s only one route leading to the beautiful gates of the celestial city of God, and that way is through Jesus Christ.101 Those who have lived their lives with Jesus as their Lord and Savior will not even need a map to help them find their way to heaven, for which I am most thankful. They will fly on the friendly skies to the Lord in heaven escorted by an angel.
ANGELS IN PORTLAND I never had been to Portland, Oregon, before. I was accompanied on this trip by a dear friend, Rita Poorman, my youngest son, and my daughter. The occasion for this outing was to take the children to enjoy some of the activities that a larger city, such as Portland, has to offer, and to attend a two-day Christian conference at the Rose Quarter Coliseum. Coming from a city with fewer than 2,000 persons, driving in Portland was a momentous event. We don’t have traffic where I live,
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nor do we have traffic lights, and our speed limit within city limits is 25 miles per hour. No one is in a hurry to get anywhere because our banks, supermarkets, and various stores and businesses all are contained within a few blocks. Originally coming from a larger city, I am somewhat familiar with driving in traffic, but my prior experience hadn’t quite prepared me for driving in Portland. As a matter of fact, when I saw that we must drive on the Portland Causeway and cross its great looming bridge, I wondered if there might be another way to get to where we needed to go. But the lineup of cars rushing on the left of me, on the right of me, and behind me made it so that I had only one choice…forward. Rita and I prayed through those first tense moments of driving on what appeared to be an enormous bow dangling in the air. It certainly is an architectural wonder. As we crossed it, I only could imagine that water was somewhere below us, as I didn’t dare take my eyes off the smothering traffic that we were sandwiched within to look. We were on our way to the hotel that was advertised as being “minutes from the Rose Quarter and the city square.” The fact is, our hotel was near the airport. If you know anything about Portland, you will agree with me that the airport and the Rose Quarter Coliseum are not mere “minutes” apart. And it turned out that everything we planned on enjoying in Portland was at the other end of that great looming bridge. I adjusted to driving in Portland’s traffic; I figured if I just kept moving along with it, we would be safe. And eventually the bridge became a conquered giant and was of no concern to me. At the end of our stay in Portland, we attended the last meeting of the conference. When we left the meeting, we looked at our watches and were surprised by the late time; it was midnight! The day and our trip had gone by really fast, as all good trips do. For two days, we had made the 25 minute drive from our hotel to the coliseum at least twice a day. Each and every time, upon leaving the coliseum, we headed north back over the enormous bridge
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and continued for approximately ten minutes or so (north) on the freeway before taking the freeway exit and heading east for another 15 minutes to our hotel. As we headed for our hotel after this final meeting of the conference, it didn’t take us long to realize that we were lost. I had taken a wrong turn, and to complicate the situation, my 1976 four-door, Oldsmobile Royale was on empty. It wasn’t on its way to the empty mark, it was loudly and clearly empty. The street on which I decided to get lost was not lit with street lights, and it did not have pretty trees, houses, or storefronts, as so much of Portland has. Soon, we saw that we were in a commercial district with row upon row of warehouses on the right and train tracks on the left. There we were two women and two very tired children in a car whose tank read “empty,” in a strange city, in a questionable part of town, at midnight! We were wondering where we were and how we would find our way back to our hotel, when we noticed the name of the street was “East Skidmore.” We may have been lost, but we hadn’t lost our joy or our confidence in the Lord. We came up with a good plan. We would locate a gas station, fill up, and head back the way we came, for surely the way back would take us to our particular freeway on-ramp. As we continued east on Skidmore, we didn’t find a gas station but we did see a man ahead of us who appeared to be having trouble staying on his bike. Rita said, “I hope he’s not hurt.” I agreed. Then, he got back on his bike and fell off again. With this, we promptly locked the doors and began to pray in the Spirit, praying for this man’s salvation and praising the Lord for His protection and help. We continued on Skidmore for about ten minutes until we found a lighted cross street. Until this time, there only had been alley ways and dark streets between warehouses, but no cross streets. We turned right and headed south. Still looking for a place to fuel up, I said, “There must be a gas station somewhere along here.” There were obviously lots of places where folks were “gassing up” in taverns and bars, but no gas
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stations. We drove south for about five minutes and then coming upon what appeared to be a residential street, I felt compelled to turn right, and immediately upon doing so, we came upon a freeway on-ramp. There was no sign alerting us of its presence, and its location was very strange. It was just simply there right when we needed it, right where you never would expect an on-ramp to be. “Praise the Lord, thank You, Jesus,” we laughed as we entered the freeway, and gratefully, it was even the right one! By this time, it could have been any freeway and we would have taken it, but it turned out to be the exact one we needed to get us back to our hotel. “Since when are freeway on-ramps built in residential areas?” I asked. “I’ve never known them to be,” Rita said. Still driving on empty, we discovered that we had entered the freeway just three exits from the street leading to our hotel, but one must cross over that great big bridge to arrive at this point, and we hadn’t crossed over it. Somehow, we entered the freeway after the causeway. Since, while we were lost, we had driven further and further away from our freeway, neither Rita, the children, nor I could figure out how this possibly could be. “Just what happened back there?” I asked and simultaneously we knew. God delivered us out of a bleak situation by transferring us from one location to another.
ANGELIC TRANSPORTATION The angel of the Lord encamps around the righteous and delivers him and her. God’s angels were on assignment that night, putting a freeway on-ramp, directly where we would be turning. After driving on our freeway for three or four minutes at the most, we came upon the exit leading to our hotel. When we finally pulled into our hotel, we let out a united, “Thank You, Lord,” and breathed a huge sigh of relief. God says that He orders the steps of the righteous and so He did, even though we were lost and headed for who knows where, our steps were marked clearly for us by the Lord. Right there in a residential neighborhood, south of East Skidmore in Portland,
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Oregon, the angels made a way where there seemed to be no way and we were grateful that they had. It was a blessing to receive the services of the Lord’s supernatural angelic transport service. One of the ministries of the angels is to transport God’s people on the friendly skies. This is precisely what happened to Philip after he led the Ethiopian Eunuch to the Lord and baptized him! Now when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away, so that the eunuch saw him no more; and he went on his way rejoicing. But Philip was found at Azotus. Acts 8:39, 40 “The Spirit of the Lord caught Philip away…” Philip was transported, literally lifted up from one place and set down in another. This is exactly what seemed to happen to us. We were lifted up from somewhere south of East Skidmore and placed down near our freeway exit. Not only do angels fly God’s people on the friendly skies in order to get them somewhere quickly and safely, but in both the Old and New Testaments we find heaven’s transporters acting in a role similar to our modern-day tour guide. They take God’s spokespeople to places off the beaten path, in the realm of the Spirit, in order to point out to them special attractions and to describe particular details of the tour. In each of the following examples, an angel is the source of transportation: Then he brought me into the outer court; and there were chambers and a pavement made all around the court; thirty chambers faced the pavement. Ezekiel 40:17a Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east…. Ezekiel 47:1
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So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast…. Revelation 17:3a And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. Revelation 21:10
GATHERING ANGELS Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect form the four winds, from one end of the heaven to the other. Matthew 24:30, 31 When all has been fulfilled, the sign of “the Son of Man” will appear in the heavens. The appearance of this sign will signify the closing of the era of God’s gracious offer to forgive all people everywhere of their sins and to adopt them into His own family. And the nations, every nation will see this sign and they will mourn. Matthew 24 doesn’t say that every person will mourn, but in every nation there will be great sorrow and distress as the world has never known, because the time of God’s judgment will have come when every man and woman must give an account for their lives. Those who have refused the Lord’s gift that pays for their sins then must pay for their own sins, and what is the penalty for sin? Eternal separation from God, an eternity of living outside of heaven in a place so horrible the Word speaks of people there gnashing their teeth in torment. But those who have a relationship with Jesus Christ and those who have believed upon Him for the remittance
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of their sins, they will enter into an eternity of much joy. At the time of Christ’s return, the gathering angels—those who are called upon by the Lord to gather together the children of God—will be sent on their long-destined assignments to transport God’s children one last time. And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect (His chosen ones) from the four winds, [even] from one end of the universe to the other. Matthew 24:31—Amp
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ne day in the late 1970’s, while my sister, mother, and I were at a pizza restaurant and tavern that once was owned by my grandfather, a stranger came in and took a seat at the bar. The stranger began telling an amazing story. Earlier in the day, he picked up a hitchhiker. The hitchhiker sat in the front seat while he maneuvered his way through Sacramento city traffic. His passenger began talking to him about the Lord Jesus. His closing words were, “He’s returning sooner than you think.” Then he vanished out of the moving car. Poof! He was gone. Approximately 15 years later, my aunt’s friend related a similar story to her about her Christian friend and husband who felt compelled to give a hitchhiker a ride. Again, this was in Sacramento County. They stopped their car and let the gentleman sit in the back seat. As they continued driving, he said, “The Lord is returning sooner than people think.” He, too, vanished.
THE LORD IS RETURNING SOONER THAN YOU THINK We all know that it isn’t a good idea to give hitchhikers rides, and I would suggest that you not do so. But I feel the message of these two incidents is critical for us in this current hour. The Lord is coming sooner than we think. With each passing year, the day of His return is nearer than it once was before.
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The increase of their activity and appearing is an indication that angels are busier than ever. At this present point in time, the whole of their purpose is directed toward one great cataclysmic event, the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is returning sooner than we think and the angels are preparing for that day, are you?
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egardless of whether or not we see them, the evidence of angels appearing is all around us. Just over the course of the two years that it has taken me to write this book, the signs of angelic involvement with this assignment have on occasion, become obvious to me. For instance, while sitting in my office reading the first preliminary chapters of what I had written, which I had run off on my reliable Epson printer, a small white feather drifted down from what appeared to be the ceiling and landed smack dab in the center of a page having to do with angelic activity. A year or so passed and I was working on later chapters when it happened again. This time I was in the living room, and the feather floated down and landed on a page that I was proofreading. Feathers!?! By now, we all know that the angels that I have written about in Angels Appearing are featherless, but feathers do appear in Scripture. The Lord used something of nature to grasp my attention so that I would see and hear what He wanted to tell me concerning the book. After thinking about it for quite a long time, I finally responded by looking up the word “feather” in my Bible concordance, and I was both blessed and surprised by my discovery, here is what I found: The Lord gave the word; great was the company of those that published it. Though ye have lain among the pots [sheepfolds], yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold.102 Psalm 68:11, 13—Emphasis added
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Another sign of the appearing of angels came on the day that I contacted Thomas Nelson Publishers to request permission to reprint excerpts out of A Table in the Presence.103 I spoke with Martha who works in their legal department. She reviews the reprinting requests and approves or rejects them. Martha dropped the news on me, “The entire Thomas Nelson library is boxed up,” she said. “Our department is moving this August to a new building. So, I am unable to respond to the many requests that come to me daily because I can’t even get to the books that the writers are quoting from to review the quoted material that they are using.” I thought, “Oh no, this will delay the publishing of the book.” My disappointment quickly faded away and was replaced with much rejoicing as she continued, “But it just so happens that I have the book that you want to quote from sitting right here on my desk.” And rejoice I did! I danced in my kitchen and praised the Lord with my hands lifted high. Coincidence? No way! It was God Who put that book on her desk, and we can be certain that an angel had a role to play in it. And then there were the more obvious appearing of angels, such as the one I experienced at the opening of this book when they were literally at the end of my bed and to the side of me in a form that I never would have imagined. But at the time I had been writing about the “blazes of fire,” as they are called in Psalms and their appearing in this form assured me that I was on the right track concerning their nature—angels truly are extraordinary.
END NOTE S
1. Keathley, J. Hampton, III, Th.M., Angels, God’s Ministering Spirits, www. bible.org 2. I Kings 19:5-8; Acts 8:26 3. Matthew 1:20-23; 2:13;19-22 4. II Kings 6:17; Daniel 10:7 5. “Force; specifically miraculous power (usually by implication a miracle itself ),” Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, #1411, Copyright © 1980, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 6. John 4:24—KJV 7. II Peter 1:21; II Timothy 3:16 8. Mary’s angelic visitation, Luke 1:26-38; Joseph’s angelic visitation, Matthew 1:20; Matthew 2:13,19; Zechariah’s angelic visitation, Luke 1:11-20; The shepherds angelic visitation, Luke 2:8-12 9. Choir of angels seen singing in the sky, Luke 2:13,14 10. Matthew 4:11; Luke 22:43; John 5:4 11. This is not to say that angels do not have human features. They are “light” or “fire” beings, therefore, they have the supernatural capacity to appear as “light.” They also have some very human qualities. 12. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, #3857, Copyright © 1980, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 13. It is suggested that the “angel” in the fire with the three young men was actually the Preincarnate Christ because of Nebuchadnezzar’s words in verse 25 when he said, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the son of god.” The correct translation is as such, “and the form of the fourth is like a son of the gods.” Nebuchadnezzar worshipped many gods and he did not have special revelation concerning the Son of God, Jesus Christ. In v. 28, he blesses God for sending “His angel” to deliver them. Whether this is the Preincarnate Christ or not remains to be a mystery. That he could have been an angel certainly does agree with the biblical description of their nature and activity.
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14. The angel in Daniel 10 could not have been the Preincarnate Christ, because this angel was hindered by the “Prince of Persia” for “twenty-one days” (Daniel 10:13). Furthermore, he needed another angel’s help to break through to Daniel. Neither of these two statements could be true of Jesus Christ. 15. The Preincarnate Christ is often referred to as a Christophany, meaning the visible and bodily appearance of God the Son before He came as a man. 16. Exodus 3:2; Exodus 13:21; Exodus 19:18; Exodus 20:18; I Kings 19:12 17. John 1:14; Revelation 19:13 18. Words in brackets are authors own and reveal the meaning of the words “equal to the angels.” 19. “The Battle is the Lord’s,” Dr. Anthony T. Evans, Copyright © 1998, Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois 20. Luke 15:10 21. “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man [mankind] in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man [mankind] in His image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” (Genesis1:26, 27; words in brackets authors own based upon the meaning of the word “man”) 22. Colossians 1:15; Matthew 4:23; 9:35; Luke 4:40; I John 4:8 23. Romans 3:23, words in brackets author’s own 24. The place between earth and heaven in which demons (fallen angels) occupy is commonly referred to as “the second heaven.” 25. God’s angels are distinguished from the fallen angels; they are “holy” angels, Mark 8:38; Hebrews 1:14; 2:7. 26. Hierarchy of angels, Daniel 10:13; Ephesians 1:21 27. The third heaven is mentioned by Paul in II Corinthians 12:3. It is the place where holy angels, heavenly creatures, God and deceased Christians reside. 28. Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10 29. The name Lucifer appears one time in all of Scripture. According to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, #1966 it is defined as “(in the sense of brightness); the morning star.” 30. Words in brackets author’s own 31. Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic year. It is designated in the Quran as a month of fasting in order to develop piety. This particular month was selected because it was the month during which Muhammad received the first message from the angel. 32. The latest copy of the Quran is found to be dated many years following
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33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60.
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Muhammad’s death. Modern scholars, using the latest research techniques, have been unable to find any credible evidence to support the Islamist’s claim that the Qu’ran was written during Muhammad’s lifetime. For further information see, www.chick.com or contact Jack Chick Publications. CIA, The World Fact Book Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:3 Words in brackets author’s own. Quran; Sura An-Nisa (4): Ayaat No.157-158 Additional information can be found @ www.exLatter Day Saints.org and @ www.afcministry.com “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord” (II Corinthians 5:8). These Celestial Times newsletter, Vol. 3, No. 1, Gaithersburg, Maryland, p.4. Keathley, J. Hampton, III, Th.N., Angels, God’s Ministering Spirits, www. bible.org Words in brackets author’s own. “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth–to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people...” (Revelation 12:6). Ellen’s plight is similar to the plights of many people. Her name and some of the facts have been changed. Matthew 18:18 Romans 5:10; II Corinthians 5:18 Job 1:12; I Pet. 2:9; Col.1:13; I John3:8; John17:8; John20:21 Words in brackets author’s own. Genesis 19:4, 5, 12, 13 Matthew 28:2, 3 Mark 16:6; Acts 1:10; 10:30 Ezekiel 40:2, 4; Daniel 8:18, 19; Revelation 1:1b Daniel 8:2; Ezekiel 3:12, 14a; 8:3; Acts 8:39; II Corinthians 12:1, 2; Revelation 4:1, 2; 21:9, 10 Psalm 48:1-3; Isaiah 52:1 Luke 20:46 Exodus 29:6; Zechariah 3:5 Joshua 6:5; Matthew 24:31 Daniel 8:2; Ezekiel 3:12, 14a; 8:3; Acts 8:39; II Corinthians 12:1, 2; Revelation 4:1, 2; 21:9, 10 Acts 2:17; 12:5; 16:9 Revelation 6:16 Isaiah 34:4; Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33; Revelation 6:14
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61. Isaiah 65:17; II Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1 62. Matthew 26:64; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27; Acts 1:10, 11; I Corinthians 1:7; 15:23; I Thessalonians 3:13; James 5:8; II Peter 3:3, 4; Revelation 1:7 63. Being a pastor is like being a treasure hunter. God has placed wonderful treasures in the people we are called to serve. We have the joy of helping these people discover the priceless treasures within. God has placed precious treasures in our sister Pam Koefoed especially in the realm of prophetic vision and understanding. The story included here is one of many delightful interactions we have enjoyed over her prophetic visions and dreams. The timing of this particular conversation makes this story especially memorable. Shortly before this visit I had been doing some research in a Bible Encyclopedia. Thumbing through the text I had come upon a picture of a rabbi blowing a shofar. When Pam shared this dream and told of the man blowing the shofar I was amazed at the similarity to the picture I had recently seen. God certainly has many creative and sometimes amusing ways of affirming and confirming His prophetic words! —Revrend Gary McCreith 64. Rita Bennett, To Heaven & Back, Reprinted with author’s and publishers express permission 65. NDE, Near Death Experience 66. Ibid. 67. New International Version, NIV, Copyright © 1973,1978,1984 by International Bible Society 68. A Table in the Presence, Lieutenant Carey H. Cash, © Copyright 2005, W Publishing Group, a Division of Thomas Nelson Inc., Nashville, Tennessee reprinted with permission 69. RPG: Rocket Propelled Grenades 70. AAV: Armored All-terrain Vehicle 71. For further information regarding “The Angels of Mons” see, This England, Summer 1982 edition 72. Used with permission from the Stars and Stripes a DoD publication, © 2005 Stars and Stripes 73. Hebrews 1:14 74. Daniel 2:27; 4:27; 6:10; 9:3-20; Matthew 18:10 75. “Angel” in the NKJV is capitalized to show that this angel is believed to be the Preincarnate Christ. I have chosen not to capitalize it here because I disagree with this view, see endnote #14. 76. Galatians 5:6, KJV 77. Ibid. 78. I Corinthians 13:2b, Word Study Greek-English New Testament, copyright © 1990 by Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Wheaton, Illinois
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79. Matthew 18:21-35 80. Daniel 10:2, 3 81. The place between earth and heaven in which demons (fallen angels) occupy is commonly referred to as “the second heaven.” 82. The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, Copyright © 1963, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan 83. Ephesians 6:12, 13a, 18 84. God hears your prayers, the moment you pray (Daniel 9:21-23). 85. James 5:17 86. Genesis 12:10; 35:27; 47:4; Exodus 12:40; II Kings 8:2; Psalm 105:23; Hebrews 11:9 87. Deuteronomy 9:9 88. I Kings 19:11, 12 89. Psalm 107:20; Psalm 104:4; Hebrews 1:7 90. Matthew 8:5-13 91. Supernatural: The Life of William Branham, by Owen Jorgensen, Copyright © 1994, Tucson Tabernacle, 2555 North Stone Ave., Tucson, Az. 85705 92. Acts 2:2-4, 15-18; I Corinthians 12:4-8 93. Matthew 11:14 94. Brackets authors own words. 95. As posted on THE ELIJAH LIST www.elijahlist.com, re-printed by permission. Author: Joni Ames http://www.joniames.org Email:
[email protected] 96. See Chapter 11, Angels Appearing 97. Luke 16:22 98. Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 21:2-5, 10-27; Revelation 22:1, 2 99. Matthew 5:12; 6:20; II Corinthians 12:2 100. John 3:16; John 14:2 101. Matthew 7:13, 14; John 14:6; John 8:24 102. Words in brackets author’s own 103. Chapter 11, Angels Appearing
R E S OU RC E S
Angels Appearing by Pamela Koefoed
www.akministires.org; Advancing the Kingdom Publishing, P.O. Box 728, Lakeview, Oregon 97630 Quantity discounts are available:
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To Heaven and Back, by Rita Bennett
www.Emotionally Free.org; Christian Renewal Association, Inc., P.O. Box 576, Edmonds, Washington 98020, phone (425) 775-2965, email:
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A Table in the Presence
by Lieutenant Carey H. Cash Thomas Nelson Publisher, Customer Service, (800) 251-4000
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