A Divine Revelation of Angels (10 page)

We saw earlier that an angel of God appeared to Cornelius and instructed him how to find Peter, who would tell him the truth about salvation through Jesus. (See Acts 10.) In his conversation with Cornelius, Peter referred to the Scriptures, saying, “To [Christ] all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins” (v. 43).

This is an important passage of Scripture that again emphasizes for us a key truth about angels. We know from the Bible that a true angel will always promote a message found in God’s holy Word. I can’t stress this point enough because, again, Satan will try to deceive you and draw you away from the truth of salvation through Christ. Cornelius had a true angelic visitation, and it led to salvation in Jesus for him and all his household.

Let us thank God for the salvation He has provided for us through the Lord Jesus Christ, and for the ministry of His angels in helping to bring the message of the Gospel to those who are lost.

Carrying God’s People to Heaven

Another role of angels is that they are spiritual “pallbearers” at the death of God’s saints. Believers do not have to transition from life to afterlife alone. Even in our deaths, angels are ministering to us by the will of God. When our pilgrimage on this earth is over, the angels will carry our spirits away to glory, just as they did for Lazarus. Jesus said,

There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom.(Luke 16:19–22)

In a vision of heaven that God gave me, I saw what happens to believers when they reach heaven’s gates. If you are a believer, when you die, your soul will leave your body, and angels will convey you to heaven. A book will be opened, and angels will welcome you. Then you will be dressed and prepared by the angels to stand before God.

By the time you are presented to Him, you will be like a perfect young person—even if you were one hundred years old when you died. Who would not want to serve the God who can do this? He will give you back your youth, and He will give you life eternal so that you will never again die.

I also saw that when babies and young children die, their souls are taken to heaven. There they become grown-up, mature, and complete—perfect! God showed me that when babies are killed through abortion, He breathes eternal life into the little ones so that they become complete in Him. I saw angels transporting the souls of aborted babies to heaven, and I saw God making them perfect on heaven’s altar. How awesome is our God!

Continually Active

God’s angels continually carry out His will, including ministering on behalf of His people. In the revelations God has given me, the angels are always working, but they never seem to toil or sweat. As they work, they show a keen interest in what humans are doing for God and His cause. Let us commit ourselves to loving and serving the Lord with the same zeal and devotion that the angels have. Let us also appreciate the help God sends through His angels to enable us to serve Him as He carries out His purposes in this world.

Defenders of God’s Glory and Honor

We have seen that celestial beings worship God and assist His people. A third major role of angels is to help fight God’s battles and execute His judgments in the world. I believe that the angels involved in these activities are the “offensive angels” that I mentioned earlier in this chapter. Angels can be fierce warriors who oppose demons and fight individual battles with them, bring divine judgment on people who defy the Lord, and fight physical battles for God’s people. There are many biblical examples of angels fighting on God’s behalf. For example, we just read how angels were active in the judgment and destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. (See Genesis 19.)

Angels were also involved in both the protection and defense of the Israelites when they left Egypt. The psalmist wrote of the Exodus, “[God] cast on [the Egyptians] the fierceness of His anger, wrath, indignation, and trouble, by sending angels of destruction among them” (Psalm 78:49). In Exodus 33, God said His Angel would defeat Israel’s enemies as they conquered the Promised Land:

The Lord said to Moses, “...I will send My Angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite and the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite.”(vv. 1–2)

Joshua encountered the help of the commander of God’s heavenly army when the Israelites were going up to fight against Jericho:

And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, “Are You for us or for our adversaries?” So He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.”(Joshua 5:13–14)

A single angel helping to defend God’s people in Jerusalem killed 185,000 soldiers of the mighty Assyrian empire in one night. (See 2 Kings 19:8–35.) The archangel Michael and other angels fought the devil and his demonic spirits. (See Daniel 10:12–13, 20–21; Jude 9.)

Angels were sometimes involved in the punishment of God’s people when they disobeyed Him. In 2 Samuel 24, God sent an angel to execute a plague on Israel because David had sinned by trusting in the number of his fighting men instead of the Lord. At least seventy thousand people died before the Lord commanded the angel, “It is enough; now restrain your hand” (v. 16). David actually saw this destroying angel. First Chronicles 21 tells us what a terrifying sight that was:

Then David lifted his eyes and saw the angel of the Lord standing between earth and heaven, having in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. So David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell on their faces.(v. 16)

The plague ended when David took responsibility for his sin, built an altar to the Lord, and sacrificed offerings to God, as God commanded him. (See 2 Samuel 24:17–25.)

God’s holy angels are zealous for His glory, and they work on His behalf to defeat disobedience and evil in the world. This is a prelude to their role in helping to defeat evil in the end times.

Participants in End-Time Events

Fourth, at the end of the age, angels will help bring this world to a culmination as the old heavens and earth pass away and the new heavens and earth come into being.

Angels will, first of all, accompany Jesus when He returns to the earth.

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.(1 Thessalonians 4:16)

For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.(Matthew 16:27)

Second, angels will harvest the disobedient for the Day of Judgment. Jesus explained the parable of the tares (Matthew 13:24–30) with this sobering application:

He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!(Matthew 13:37–43)

Third, angels will gather together all the righteous for eternal life:

He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.(Matthew 24:31)

They will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven. (Mark 13:26–27)

What a glorious day it will be when Jesus returns, and we are gathered by His angels to live with Him forever! Angels are with us while we live on this earth, they will be with us when we die, and they will be with us at the end of the age. Blessed be God, He truly sends His angels as “ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14 niv)!

God’s Revelations

In Parts I and II, we have looked at the nature and role of angels as they are revealed in the Word of God. In Part III, I want to share with you some experiences I have had in seeing the angels of God in action in my own life. God’s angels continue to minister to His people today. Again, their activity is not for Bible times alone. It is for you and for me right now as we love the Lord and do His will.

Part III

God began to show me the work of angels among His people many years ago when He first called me into ministry. I was in my car ready to go to the veteran’s hospital to pray for my brother-in-law. He had had a massive heart attack, and our church was praying for him. The “wind of God” blew, and the pages of my Bible opened up to Isaiah 6:8: “Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?”

I knew God was speaking to me, and I began to weep. In my heart, I understood that God wanted to use me (this was a long time before I saw the revelations of hell and heaven), and I said, “God, I’ll go; send me.”

At the veteran’s hospital, I prayed for my brother-in-law, and I also ended up praying for many of the patients there. God did a creative miracle and gave my brother-in-law a new artery; he lived twenty more years. Because of this miracle, several were saved that day. Truly, the wind of God had directed me.

One day, I began to seek God about the wind, asking, “What is this wind, Father? May I please see it?” God opened my eyes, and I saw what looked like a vapor mixed with glory—a whitish, living wind, a living light. Words were flowing in the wind.

In the old days, Native Americans communicated with each other using smoke signals. The wind of God reminded me of this, as it seemed like a smoke or mist. I could see angels in the wind, and they were carrying scrolls containing the messages God had given them. Some contained orders that God had commanded the angels to carry out. It was awesome to see.

I began to see this manifestation in church services. I’d feel the wind blow. Sometimes, something like a misty rain would come down, and I would know the miraculous was about to happen. I would see angels coming into the sanctuary. Some would come in with scrolls, some with bows, and others with swords. They would stand all around the church and on the platform. As the minister would begin to speak, the angels would stand guard by him. Then I would see things begin to happen in the Spirit. It was almost as if I was looking at a television show or a movie.

Oh, how I love to see the wind of God in action! It is so exciting to see God working in these ways. Truly, His wind is moving all over the land. I believe that God’s angels of deliverance are “invading” our cities, our churches, and our homes today with His power.

In the next few chapters, I will share with you some of the things I’ve seen in the spiritual realm concerning God’s angels, along with a few stories of others who have experienced angels in action in recent years. I believe God gave me these revelations to strengthen and comfort His people, to let them know that He is with them. Invariably, people are encouraged when I share these experiences. I know that you, too, will be blessed when you read them. Through His angels, God guards and protects us. Even though we live in an age of uncertainty and upheaval, God is showing us that His Word holds true: “For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’ So we may boldly say, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?’” (Hebrews 13:5–6).

I also believe that, through these visions and revelations, God is revealing some important truths for the church, such as the role of God’s Word in our lives; the purifying, healing, and judging fire of God; the necessity of intercessory prayer; and the power of God to deliver His people. We must understand these important truths as we draw nearer to end-times events and the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be all the glory and praise!

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Angels are our spiritual guardians. None of us will ever know, this side of eternity, what miracles God has performed through the angels whom He has sent to protect and care for us. This is the promise God gives us:

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 keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.”(Psalm 91:9–16)

We are kept by God’s power; we are safe and secure in the hands of our mighty Savior! The angels cover us, watch over us, and guard us from countless evils. Angels also protect our children; mine have been protected many times through the power of almighty God. What amazing things angels do to protect God’s people! They keep us from more foes than we could ever imagine. As Psalm 91 encourages us, let us be sure to set our love upon God and know His name, for He honors those who honor Him.

Protection from Injury