Today I would like to encourage you by reminding you that there are angels among us. Many people have experienced angelic visitations, and many of these are recorded in Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. There are at least fifty-three such examples I can cite. Here they are:
Biblical Examples of Angelic Visitations to People
Hagar’s first angel encounter in the desert (Gen 16:7-11)
Hagar’s second angel encounter in the desert (Gen 21:17)
The Lord and two angels appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre (Gen 18:1-22)
Abraham’s angelic encounter on Mount Moriah (Gen 22:11-15)
The angel of the Lord helped Abraham’s servant find a wife for Isaac (Gen 24:7, 40)
Jacob’s angel encounter in a dream (Gen 31:11)
Jacob wrestled with an angel (Gen 32:22-32; Hos 12:4)
There the angel of the LORD appeared to Moses in flames of fire from within a bush. (Exo 3:2)
The angel of God traveling in front of Israel's army (Exo 14:19)
God sent an angel ahead of the Israelites into Canaan to guard them (Exo 23:20, 23; 32:34; 33:2)
The destroying angel killed 14,700 Israelites who grumbled (Num 16:41–49; 1Co 10:10)
An angel and brought the Israelites out of Egypt. (Num 20:16)
The angel stood in the road to oppose Balaam on his donkey (Num 22:22-35)
An angel (the commander of the Lord’s Army) appeared to Joshua near Jericho (Josh 5:13-15)
The angel spoke to all the Israelites at Bokim (Jdg 2:1 - 4)
Angelic assistance given to Deborah and Barak in battle (Jdg 5:20, 23)
The angel under the oak in Ophrah appeared to Gideon (Jdg 6:11-22)
The angel appeared to Samson’s mother and his father Manoah (Jdg 13:3-21)
The angel at the threshing floor who came to destroy Jerusalem and was striking down people (2Sa 24:16-17; 1Ch 21:16)
An angel appeared to Elijah under the broom tree (1Ki 19:5-7)
The angel spoke to Elijah (2Ki 1:3, 15)
The angel put to death 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night.(2Ki 19:35; 2Ch 32:21)
The angel ordered Gad to tell David to go up and build an altar (1Ch 21:18-30)
The angel rescued Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the fiery furnace (Dan 3:28)
An angel shut the mouths of the lions and rescued Daniel (Dan 6:22)
The first time the angel Gabriel appeared to Daniel and spoke to him (Dan 8:13-19)
The second time the angel Gabriel appeared to Daniel and spoke to him (Dan 9:20-23)
Daniel’s third angelic visitation (Dan 10:5-21)
The angel who appeared to Daniel also supported and protected King Darius the Mede (Dan 11:1)
An angel spoke to Zechariah the prophet (Zec 1:9, 11-14, 19; 2:3; 5:5, 10; 6:4-5; 12:8)
The angel woke Zechariah up (Zec 4:1, 4, 11)
The first time an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream (Mat 1:20, 24)
The second time an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream (Mat 2:13)
The third time an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph (Egypt) (Mat 2:19)
Angels attended Jesus in the wilderness while he was fasting for 40 days (Mat 4:11)
An angel of the Lord rolled back the stone at Jesus’ resurrection (Mat 28:2)
The angel spoke to the women at the empty tomb of Jesus (Mat 28:5)
The angel Gabriel appeared to Zachariah the priest at the right side of the altar of incense (Luk 1:11-19)
The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary (Luk 1:26-38)
Angels appeared to the shepherds (Luk 2:9-15)
An angel from heaven appeared to Jesus and strengthened Him in the garden (Luk 22:43)
Two angels appeared to the apostles as Jesus was ascending to heaven (Ac 1:10-11)
An angel opened the doors of the jail and brought out Peter and John (Act 5:19-20)
An angel spoke to Philip (Act 8:26)
An angel appeared and spoke to Cornelius (Act 10:3-7)
An angel appeared in the prison cell and rescued Peter from it (Act 12:7-11)
An angel of the Lord struck Herod down and killed him (Act 12:23)
An angel stood beside Paul on the ship (Act 27:23-24)
The Lord sent his angel to the apostle John (Rev 1:1)
The angel gave John a scroll to eat (Rev 10:8-10)
The angel carried John away in the Spirit into a wilderness (Rev 17:3, 7, 15)
The angel told John to write something (Rev 19:9)
An angel talked with John and showed him the heavenly city (Rev 21:15; 22:1)
The Lord sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place (Rev 22:6, 16)
Putting it All Together
It's important to note that in a number of instances, if not most, angels appeared as men. In other words, in many cases, they looked like men to those that saw them, as was the case with Abraham (Gen 18:2, 16, 22), Joshua (Josh 4:13), Manoah and his wife (Jdg 13:8, 10), Daniel (Dan 9:21; 10:5, 16; 12:5-7), the women at the empty tomb (Mk 16:5), and the apostles at the Lord's ascension (Ac 1:10).
Just as these people in Scripture experienced angelic encounters, in which angels appeared to them and spoke with them, God changes not, and angels are still very active in the lives of the saints today. All of us who believe in Jesus and follow Him as our Lord and Savior have angels assigned to us. Whether we see them or not, they are still with us and around us to protect us, deliver us, guide us, and help us. As it says in Scripture, "The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and he delivers them." (Psa 34:7). Therefore, there are angels encamped right now around us who fear Him, and they deliver us.
Scripture says:
"In speaking of the angels he says, "He makes His angels spirits, His servants flames of fire.'...Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" (Heb 1:7, 14)
So if you are a follower of Jesus, be encouraged that the Lord has sent His angels as ministering spirits to serve us who will inherit salvation.
One of the ways they serve us is to guard us in all our ways and protect us. "For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." (Psa 91:11-12).
However, if an angel ever speaks to you or appears to you, it's very important that you be careful to test the spirits to see if they are from God. For even Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light (1 Cor 11:14). We are not to pray to angels either, as the Lord taught us to pray only to our Heavenly Father. And let's be careful to avoid the worship of angels, as some are in the habit of doing, since angels are created beings that are created by God, and they are not God. John the apostle even made this mistake himself, until he was reproved by the angel before whom he bowed in worship, and was told to worship God alone (Rev 19:10; 22:8-9).
I hope this article has encouraged you today. Don't miss part II called Angelic Encounters, documenting many testimonies of modern day experiences, including those of my own children.
Do You Want to Know Him? If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?
“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe.
Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org
I'm back today with the second part of my study on angel visitations. In my first article called Angelic Visitations in Scripture, I cited most of the biblical instances in which people were visited by angels that appeared to them. In this present article, I want to share with you many encouraging testimonies from people in our own day, who have had their own angel encounters, including our own family's experiences at the end. Here we go; “Angels Catched Me”
"Two-year-old Ethan Payne fell out of a second-story window. Doctors worried he would have brain damage or never walk again. But through the power of prayer, Ethan was better within six hours." -- The Christian Broadcasting Network. Video
Two-year old caught by an angel after jumping from third-story window Irma De Alba 2 years ago Thanks for your testimony i have experienced the same miracle in my family. My oldest daughter was two years old when she jumped out a third story Window, down to the concrete floor. She has no major injuries. No internal bleedings, no inflammations, no Broken Bones. Now she's twenty Seven and a mother of two beautiful healthy kids. God is great!
Angel caught a 3-year old girl who fell out of third-story window Jared J wrote 9 years ago:
My 3 year old daughter fell off our 3rd story apartment balcony and said the same thing. She said she did not want to "go to the sky" and that "a boy had caught her" when she fell. We had never been spiritual or church going at the time and had never talked to her about heaven or God or any of that. I don't care what anyone says, I know there is a God and I know that he most certainly works miracles in our lives. I have recently started changing my life around and started walking with the Lord! Angel catches 3-yr old boy who fell from second-story window Josh Dub wrote 6 years ago:
This exact scenario happened to my first born son. He was three years old and upstairs on a sofa in our game room. The back of the sofa was against a window and he leaned on the screen and fell out of the second story to the concrete below. My wife heard someone outside so she went out the front door and there he was standing on the sidewalk.
I was away working 30 miles away in a nearby town called Ellensburg, Washington when this happened and do you want to know what he said? He said "daddy caught me". I was 30 miles away!!
Well my wife called on the way to the hospital and I had to rush from Ellensburg to Yakima which is 30 miles away to meet her. He was perfectly fine after all the tests and ct scans. Just the scratch (which is a scar to this day) to remind us of that day. A Strange Encounter: A Real Life Angelic Visitation
"Jimmy Jones was driving his delivery truck in 2011 when he found himself in the cross hairs of an F-4 tornado. Frantic, he was forced to seek refuge under an interstate overpass which is where he ran into someone he wasn't expecting." -- The Christian Broadcasting Network. See Video.
Angels Among Us – My Husband’s Encounter with an Angel
Jenny Bussee shares in this video her testimony about her military husband's encounter with an angel in Afghanistan. She wrote: "Without a doubt the most exciting video I've ever uploaded! In this video I share with you about an encounter with an angel that my husband had while he was on deployment. Angels are REAL!!!!Such an amazing story I literally cannot re-tell it without getting goose bumps! I hope this brings you encouragement today!"
Air Force Veteran’s Encounter with an Angel Sarah Ritter shared 1 year ago:
I can relate being prior Air Force security forces myself. I had a recent angel experience myself. I even made a video about it on my channel. My angel reminded me just how much Jesus loves me...God bless you in a powerful way today!Video
Angel called woman’s name and saved her house from burning down Anita Napp wrote 1 month ago:
I heard my angel twice calling my name, after leaving something on the stove and I went outside and got lost in thought. I looked around wondering who was calling me! I ran inside and smoke was getting thick. Thanks Lord for our Angels Angel calls woman’s name and saves her from being killed by falling tree limb Marian Keller wrote 1 year ago:
I never believed until the day my life was saved...I didn't see an angel, but I heard one's voice. I was outside in front of the house pulling weeds..it was calm and sunny.. Suddenly the wind came up. I looked up, and the trees over me were bending with the wind. I tried to hurry with what I was weeding when a woman's voice behind me said, "get up and go inside." I sat back and looked behind me and all around the yard. No one was there. Thinking I was just hearing things, I went back to work. Again I heard, "go in the house ." I sat back and looked everywhere for who was talking, and still couldn't see anyone. Bending back down and pulling weeds, I heard a loud voice say, "Go in the house. NOW!"
I got to my feet and ran for the door. I went up the steps and grabbed the door knob and stepped inside just as a huge tree branch fell hitting the roof, and landed where I had been kneeling seconds before.
When my husband got home I told him what happened. It took 45 minutes to cut the branch into pieces and haul it off. Later I found out all the neighbors were gone and I was the only one in the neighborhood still at home. If the branch had fallen on me, it would have killed me. I might have laid there for hours before my husband found me. I have read that angels tell you 3 times. Must be true. Mine did. Angel helps a woman close her car door A YouTube viewer by the user name Twilightsummerbreeze wrote 1 year ago:
I once found myself on the reservation after a store just closed. The parking lot emptied within three minutes. I could not get my door to close and stay shut on the car. After about 10 minutes I started to get scared, as I had heard scary stories about that area at night. I prayed and I almost started crying when suddenly, a little boy about 9 years old eating a chocolate ice cream cone appeared, asking what was wrong. I explained my door was broken. He fiddled with it and then slammed the door shut, saying, "There you go." I thanked him and looked down to start the car, and when I looked up, literally two seconds later, he was gone. That was a huge parking lot and nowhere for him to disappear to. Rescued by an Angel from Burning RV Motor Home
Betty Houk wrote 1 year ago:
A few years I dreamed I smelled smoke but not like wood! It was more like a car’s electric wiring I jump out of bed a started looking for the source of smoke as I could still smell strong smoke Odor ! Now no one in our house smokes, and this didn’t smell like cigarette smoke! Like I said a car electric wires! We checked everywhere but all was ok! About two weeks later my mom and step dad came for a visit and she said the wiring in their motor home caught fire!My step dad was 80 years old and was crippled so he was stuck in the front seat of the motor home! My mother said she was trying to help him out of RV! A white truck came driving up, and a man got outand went in the RV, picked my step dad up, and carried him out away from the RV, got back in his truck, and drove off! {He did so without [saying] a word, and before my mom could thank him!If he wasn’t an Angel, he was that day !
Angel whispered to lady that her Dad would die, but it would be ok Jackie Ortero 1 year ago Jesus is real and angels are real, I lost my Dad about a month ago and 6 days before he died, I was in my room sleeping and right when I was about to wake up a voice whispered in my right ear, "Your Dad is going to die, but everything is going to be ok." I heard that voice clearly and felt like a breeze in my right ear. Then 6 days later my Dad died. This event has given me peace and has shown me that Jesus is real and that he beat death. The lord knows I used to love my Dad a lot and that I had a lot of plans and dreams that I wanted him to be a part of.
Also the day he died I went to the hospital to see him die and I pray to God to forgive him and [take] him [to] a better place. And when I came to the parking lot to pick up my car, there was another car parked right next to me that [had a[ license plate [that] said 23 psalm 1. When I got out of the parking lot, I looked for that psalm on google, and I read it from 1 to 6. And it was God answering my prayer and letting me know that my Dad was in heaven. An angel was taking care of a man in ICU (Intensive Care Unit) Jenny T wrote 1 year ago:
I have seen an angel. It's a long story, and I'm Finnish, so pardon any possible grammatical errors. I was still a medical student back then. We were at an ICU and at the time there was only one patient there. A young man who'd been in an MVA. He was running a high fever, so he was naked, he had a urinary catheter, he was intubated, had a nasogastric tube, his abdomen was cut open and covered with, what is called a Bogota bag*. He had all kinds of i.v.-lines going into him. He was in the prime of his life, physically well built, but still weak as a newborn in that situation. So vulnerable. So pitiable.
Seeing him I spontaneously felt great compassion towards him and this earnest question arose in my mind: "Who is taking care of him?" I still don't quite know what I meant with that question, as I wasn't pointing it to anyone, it was just a question that came from deep within my heart. However, as soon as I had said the question in my head, I felt this extremely gentle warm "wind" against my back. It wasn't a physical wind, by no means, but I nevertheless felt it very real. Words arose in my mind "There's an angel behind you", and yet, they were not words, more like an extremely warm and gentle thought - from someone else.
I immediately turned to look, but there was nothing behind me, so I turned back to my fellow students, feeling a bit silly.
The wind and the thought repeated.
I didn't turn. I felt silly for having turned in the first place.
Now the wind repeated for the third time and again that thought, but with more intensity this time, with more weight and command to it, while still immensely gentle: "There IS an angel behind you". Almost sighing to myself I turned for the second time, believing it was in vain, thinking I'm stupid even while doing so. And true: at first my eyes saw nothing... Until I started seeing something (hard to describe exactly how I "saw" this - I saw this with my eyes, but yet at the same time not with my eyes but my mind, it's confusing to explain, but it was very natural in that situation) something starting to appear approximately 6 - 8 metres from me (I don't remember the distance exactly, as this was nearly 20 years ago):
It was an angel. Firstly, it was huge, well above 3 metres tall (the height of an average room ceiling) and it emanated immense, totally unconditional love and absolute power, and everything in them was made of this glowing energy. They had a golden, totally smooth helmet on, no face, just this light instead, that can only be described as love. They were neither a man nor a woman - there was no gender (therefore I'm using the word "them", even if it was one single angel). They had a long flowing gown on, moving gently as if floating in waves, and weirdly, from where I was standing, I could see to the microscopic level of the fibers of the thread in the fabric, it was all energy. They had a sword in front of them, the sword's tip was leaning against the floor and their arms were resting on the hilt. But, despite this sword and helmet there was no presence of aggression or violence from them, it's like they were symbols, and their most striking physical feature was the wings. They were bright white, folded against their back, the arches reaching above their head and the tips going below the floor level. I could see to the individual structures of the individual feathers, all glowing energy.
But, despite this all, what got me the most was really the love and the unnegotiable power: absolute love that no words do justice and absolute power, that emanated from them... It was something... out of this world.
This whole thing felt like it lasted for a long time, but in reality it lasted maybe not more than a couple of seconds, when I already felt this gentle encouragement (for the lack of a better word, "command" is too aggressive a word for what I felt) to turn away. And I did - only to turn immediately back again, but by that time the angel was gone - and my original question had been answered. I don't think anyone else present even realised what I had just experienced.
*A Bogota bag is a sterile plastic bag that can be used for closure of abdominal wounds. An angel came into my car from the top Victoria De Hoyos-Ramirez wrote 1 year ago:
I saw an angela few years ago.It came into my car from the top.It was transparent and had a big smile.Remember angels don't do whatever they want.They do God's bidding.I thanked God for sending me an angel. Psalm 103: "The LORD has established His throne in heaven, and His kingdom rules over all. Bless the LORD, all His angels mighty in strength who carry out His word, who hearken to the voice of His command. Bless the LORD, all His hosts, you servants who do His will.…: Four-year old saw guardian angel Joanie King wrote 9 months ago:
When I was about 4 years old, I saw my guardian Angel standing at the doorway of my bedroom with his arms crossed. He had blonde hair My children's angelic visitations Now here are some testimonies of my own about my own daughter Charity, who is now an adult, regarding her angel encounters as a child. I also have one at the end that my son Christopher, who is now seventeen, experienced as a child.
Dec 7 2003 Charity (age 5) just told me that she saw an angel last night in her room while she was lying in her bed.She said she was afraid when she saw it, and she turned her face into her pillow.Then the angel said to her "God is going to restore your Mommy and your Daddy to life and health and strength."We have been very ill for over a week with the flu. Jan 16, 2007 My wife Jennifer was sitting on the couch with the children reading from the Bible about angels appearing to people and saying, "Do not be afraid."She told the children not to be afraid if one of God's angels appears to them.That's when Charity (age 9) said, "I'm not afraid.In fact, I saw an angel today in the bathroom."She went on to describe how it happened.She saw the angel today while she was washing her hands in the bathroom here at our apartment.He was standing in the corner next to the shower to the left of the toilet.She said he had a white robe reaching down to his feet and his feet were covered by his robe.His skin on his face and his arms was very smooth. He had a golden sash across his chest.He had really bright blue eyes.They were brighter than anybody else's eyes in the whole world.She couldn't see his eyeballs because they were so bright, but she saw the color blue in there.She said the brightness of his eyes hurt her eyes, so she could not look directly at them.His hair was really bright blond, bursting white like the sun.He was about 7 feet tall and his head reached the ceiling.He was huge and looked mighty strong.She said he was stronger than Daddy, so strong he could lift the entire house.She first noticed him out of the side of her eye when she was washing her hands and singing "la, la-la, la, la".She stopped singing and looked up at him wondering, "Who is this?"He just looked down at her with a serious gaze, yet she said it was as though he had a loving look on his face.He knew whom she was and he was just making sure she was safe. Then she started drying her hands and she kept looking up at him with a puzzled look on her face.She didn't say anything to him and didn't feel scared at all.She said it made her feel ticklish and joyful inside. Then as she opened the bathroom door to leave the room he disappeared. Jan 17, 2007 The next day, Charity (age 9) was sitting on the couch, braiding Faith's hair, and Hope was lying down next to her.Charity prayed in her heart that the Lord would allow her to see another one of His angels, since she saw one yesterday.Right after she prayed that, an angel appeared in the living room by the sliding glass door to the patio.His face was very bright, like lightning, and his clothes were as white as snow.He had huge sleeves.He was a very tall, about 6 feet tall, and he was floating in mid-air with his wings.She could see his wings from the side. His head reached to the very top of the glass doors and his feet were a few inches off the ground. She could see his feet.He moved closer to her and reached out his hand, put it on her head and said with a voice like whispering waters, "You will be blessed with a lot of children."She felt the Holy Spirit when he touched her.Then he disappeared.She immediately ran into my bedroom where I was working, in order to tell me about this.She hopes she takes good care of her children and that they feel well, and that she finds the right husband who loves Jesus.I asked her sisters but they did not see the angel.Charity said this was not the same one she saw yesterday. She said this was not a guardian angel, so he was not as mighty and strong as the one she saw yesterday.She said this one was a messenger angel and he looked like he was about as strong as her Daddy.She said she saw a little bit of yellow on his chest, so he may have had a golden sash, but she didn't notice for sure, because his arm was outstretched.She said...the left side of his chest...was bursting bright...
Aug 20, 2008 We had family devotions this morning, and studied Rev. 18 and 19.It was about the coming judgment on America and Jesus soon return.Then we had our usual time of family prayer together.Afterward while I was brewing my tea, my ten-year-old daughter Charity came and told me that during our prayer time, she saw two angels appear in the dining room.One was standing behind Christopher's chair and the other standing behind Hope's chair, but neither Christopher nor Hope were in the chairs at that time.She said the two angels looked very similar to one another and she was very surprised to see them.She said they smiled at her and looked like they were in their mid to late teens.They were males about 5.5 feet tall and had light-colored hair with white robes.They each had something tied around their waste, but she said it was not a belt.She could not quite describe it.She said that after she returned a big smile to them they disappeared.I asked her why she thought they were present, but she didn't know.So I said, maybe they wanted to hear the word of God as we read from Revelation and talked about the things to come.As soon as I said that, I immediately felt the presence of the Holy Spirit.So I said, "That's what it was.I'm sure."Then the presence of the Holy Spirit got even stronger.
April 29, 2012
During our nighttime family prayer meeting, my seven-year old son Christopher saw (with his eyes closed) an army of holy angels. He saw their leader in front of them and the army marching behind. He did not see this in detail, but as a bright light moving from his right to his left and he knew it was an army of angels. He assured me he was being truthful.
My Own Personal Encounters with Angels
I (the author of this blog) would like to share some of my own personal encounters with angels.
September 2, 2012
On my second missions trip to Romania, while in a city called Ploiesti, I prayed for a pastor named Marian (pictured below) inside the church building after the service ended. He sensed a “refreshing” from the Lord, and there was a lot of joy on his face. He was praising God.
I prayed for a band of angels to help him in his ministry. Afterward my translator Stefan said that even before I started to pray it, he actually saw a band of angels coming quickly, fully armed for war, standing behind the pastor, and beside him. The two beside him were bigger and had spears and swords. Fully equipped. They were ready to do whatever he said; he was their commander. There were also smaller angels; they were fiercely determined to do their job and protect him. He was in good hands. There were in the background many warrior angels inside the church, standing around the perimeter of the room. They were fiercely determined to do their job to defend.
I learned later in the evening that Stefan has seen angels and demons before, and has even seen the Lord Jesus.
October 12, 2012
I made the following journal entry on October 12, 2012, regarding what occurred that evening in my hotel room in Sheffield, England, while I was there for a conference:
In a book I am reading, called School of the Supernatural, Wyatt states: “Holiness and purity matter…As we remain loyal and pure He will give us free and open access into the things of the Spirit, into His most holy place, to His very throne…and the world will once again discern the difference between the holy and the profane through you.” Wyatt 140.
While reading p. 163-165 of Wyatt, I prayed and asked the Lord to grant me an angelic visitation. I immediately sensed the presence of the Lord upon me and I began to worship. It remained for about a minute. It was so real I had to look behind me to see if I could see the angel.
I asked the Lord that since He had sent His angel into my hotel room, what is the message the angel has brought to me. I just immediately felt the strong presence of the Lord once again.
I turned off all the lights and laid down on the couch to be still before the Lord. I asked Him what was the purpose of this visitation. He said, “Ordination.” So I asked Him to clarify what He meant. He said, “I’m ordaining you.”
March 18, 2012
In my article called, Gems from Heaven, I recount another one of my own encounters with what I believe was either the Lord or an angel in my bedroom. I hope you will take a moment to check it out, as well as the others linked below in the author's note.
Child Rescued from Drowning
My wife Jennifer shared the following account with me of how she was rescued from drowning when she was a four-year old child:
"I recently asked my mom about an incident where I almost drowned in a lake when I was four years old. From what I recall, I had kind of wandered out away from my father and ended up totally under the water and, of course, didn't know how to swim. A young man (maybe in his late teens?) pulled me up out of the water. And somehow, I ended up on the blanket that my family had set up on the beach. It was such a big deal for me, that I remember telling the neighbors about it when we got home. Neither my mom or dad even remember the incident."
Closing Words
We have angelic forces around us all the time. We don't see them. In fact most of us never see them, but nevertheless, they are there.
If you have had your own personal angel encounter, please leave it in the comments below. If you're interested in more amazing, true testimonies of angelic encounters, please see the links in the author's note below.
Do You Want to Know Him? If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?
“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe.
Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org
I hope you have been enjoying this series on angels. I felt it was necessary to do one more on the various types of angels.
One of my favorite books was Angels on Assignment by Charles and Frances Hunter, regarding the supernatural experience with angels that Roland Buck had, who was a pastor that had numerous angelic encounters. In that book, he explains that there are four types of angels -- warring, special forces, ministering, and worship angels.
Let me begin by saying that angels are not generalists, but specialists. It's the same way in the kingdom of darkness with the devil and his angels, who are all fallen angels. The demons all specialize in something, whatever sin or malice they do, such as alcoholism, drug addiction, murder, greed, bitterness, etc. They all specialize in something, having various ranks, as well as authorities and powers (Eph 6:12). Likewise, the Lord has created the holy angels to specialize in certain areas of expertise, and they too have various ranks and levels of power and authority that the Lord has given to them. Let me just mention a few of them here.
Warrior angels There are angels that specialize in warfare and they fight the Lord's battles. We see this all throughout Scripture where they are involved in battles, and this is one of the types we are most familiar with. A couple examples will suffice:
The angel that brought a message to Daniel the prophet said that the evil prince of Persia had resisted him for twenty-one days, but that Michael came and helped him.
"But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia." (Dan 10:13)
This is referring to Michael the archangel, who is in charge of the Lord's warrior angels. In fact, the angel specifically told Daniel that Michael is the great prince who protects the people of God -- the saints (Dan 12:1).
"Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven." (Rev 12:7-8)
In my previous article on Angelic Visitations in Scripture, I mentioned the angel who appeared to Joshua, who said he was the commander of the Lord's army (Josh 5:13-15). There are many other references in Scripture, but these will suffice to show that the Lord has an army, and there are obviously warrior angels in that army, fierce, heavily armed, determined to defeat the enemy, and mighty in battle.
We know there are also guardian angels, and it would stand to reason that since guardians protect us, they are part of the warrior class of angels. But this is merely my opinion, and not explicitly stated in Scripture.
One thing I will say about guardian angels is that even in the first-century church, the saints believed in guardian angels. In fact, when Peter was rescued by an angel from prison in answer to their prayers, and he knocked at the door to the house where they were praying, they assumed it must be "his angel" at the door (Act 12:15). Our guardian angels are always working for us and have protected us from more trouble and harm than we could every imagine. We should be very thankful to God for them. They are our friends, and they love us dearly, as do all the angels.
"For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." (Psa 91:11-12).
The Lord also spoke about the little children having guardian angels who always see the face of the Father in heaven (Mt 18:10).
Special Forces and Messenger angels
There are also angels that specialize in bringing messages from the Lord to the people of God. In fact, the very word angel (Gr., angelos) means messenger, so all angels are messengers in one sense, but this is a primary function of this type of angel.
We see many instances in Scripture of these types, but the angels that carried messages to Daniel would be one example. We see that Gabriel brought messages to Daniel about the end times. Daniel wrote:
"...while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. He instructed me and said to me, 'Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision:'" (Dan 9:21-23)
You can read more about the messages that Gabriel brought to Daniel in Daniel chapters 8 - 12. But Gabriel also brought messages to other people at other times in history.
The angel said to [Zechariah the priest], "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news." (Luk 1:19)
"In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary." (Luk 1:26-27)
Of course, there are other messenger angels besides Gabriel, but he plays a very prominent role, since he is the archangel in charge of all the messenger angels.
Worship angels
While all angels praise the Lord, there are angels that specialize in praise and worship, and these are spoken about in Scripture.
"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." (Psa 103:20-21)
"Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying: 'Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!'" (Rev 5:11-12)
Ministering angels
Another type of angel is the ministering angel. For example, angels ministered to Jesus in the wilderness following His temptation by the devil:
"Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him." (Mat 4:11)
Another example would be the angels that ministered to Him in the garden of Gethsemane:
"An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him." (Luk 22:43)
Still another example of a ministering angel in Scripture would be the one that came and ministered to Elijah when he was running from Jezebel and was so exhausted that he laid down under the broom tree and prayed to die:
"Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, 'Get up and eat.' He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. The angel of the LORD came back a second time and touched him and said, 'Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.' So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God." (1Ki 19:5-8)
While other angels spend time in heaven before the throne of God in His glory and radiate the glory of God very brightly, it has been said that some ministering angels abide here on earth and do not necessarily have the same brilliance. They may appear as humans and not be recognized as angels by some people who are unaware. They may be dressed in plain and simple clothing and even drive a vehicle. They could appear as a child, a teen age person, an adult, or even an old man. They could appear as a poor person, or as a stranger.
"Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." (Heb 13:2)
There are also angels that specialize in the ministry of healing and miracles, and a number of people have testified to this. But one example in Scripture will suffice, and that is the one where the angel would come to the Pool of Bethesda and stir the waters, at which time the first crippled person to touch the water would be healed.
"Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed -- and they waited for the moving of the waters. From time to time an angel of the Lord would come down and stir up the waters. The first one into the pool after each such disturbance would be cured of whatever disease he had." (Joh 5:2-4)
"Sir," the invalid replied, "I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me." (Joh 5:7)
Cherubim and Seraphim
There are nearly seventy verses in Scripture about the cherubim. God sits enthroned between the cherubim, so they are very close to the Lord, and constantly worship Him. Ezekiel saw the cherubim more than once, and also referred to them as living creatures having wings and four faces each, and he described them as having four wings.
Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. All four of them had faces and wings, and the wings of one touched the wings of another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved. Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. Such were their faces. They each had two wings spreading out upward, each wing touching that of the creature on either side; and each had two other wings covering its body." (Eze 1:8-11)
Each of the cherubim had four faces: One face was that of a cherub, the second the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. Then the cherubim rose upward. These were the living creatures I had seen by the Kebar River." (Eze 10:14-15)
The prophet Isaiah also saw mighty angelic creatures around the Lord's throne, which he referred to as seraphim. He described them as having six wings.
"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: 'Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.'" (Isa 6:1-3)
The apostle John also saw these four living creatures around the throne of God in heaven. He described them as having six wings. He wrote:
"Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.'" (Rev 4:6-8)
There is so much more we could say about cherubim and seraphim, but it is sufficient for this study to give these few references to them, in order to describe what they are like and what they do.
Closing Words
I hope that this brief study has helped you to understand more about the different kinds of angels. I trust it has helped to show that God has created various types of angels for different purposes. But please remember not to seek angels or pray to them. They cannot accept your worship.
Be encouraged that God has angels on assignment helping you in your walk with Him, if you are a faithful follower of the Lord Jesus Christ His Son. All the angels, archangels, seraphim, cherubim, powers, and authorities are under His direction. For He sits at the right hand of God with angels, authorities, and power in submissions to Him (1 Pe 3:22; Col 2:10).
Do You Want to Know Him? If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?
“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe.
Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org
Each of us who has a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ as our own Lord and Savior has angels assigned to us. You could say that each of us has our own guardian angel. But there are other angels on assignment that are sent from God to serve us, as I previously mentioned.
Scripture says:
"The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him, and he delivers them." (Psa 34:7).
"In speaking of the angels he says, "He makes His angels spirits, His servants flames of fire.'...Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" (Heb 1:7, 14).
"For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." (Psa 91:11-12)
How to Activate Your Angels
There are some things you can do in order to release or activate your angels.
Faith - We walk by faith and so do the angels. When you exercise your faith in God through the Lord Jesus Christ, this activates the angels. The Lord taught us that our faith is needed for answers to prayer, and when we use our faith, He releases His angels to perform His Word and do His bidding on our behalf.
"Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey His Word." (Psa 103:20)
Scripture - When we speak forth the Word of God, this too, activates the angels. Scripture says that everything came into existence through the Word (Gen 1; John 1:1, 3), including the angels that He created, and they carry out His Word. God calls things that are not as though they were (Rom 4:17). So make it a regular practice to speak forth the Word by faith.
Prayer – When you pray to the Father in Jesus' name, this activates angels. We do not pray to the angels, but to the Lord, and the angels are released to carry out the answers to our prayers.
"And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God's people." (Rev 5:8)
You can even pray and ask God specifically for more angels for a specific purpose to carry out His will, even as Jesus said that if He asked the Father, He would send twelve legions of angels to assist Him. But in that instance, if He had done so, then He would not have gone to the cross, and we could not have been saved.
"Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?" (Mat 26:53-54)
God's will - They are involved wherever kingdom business is going on. They’re not interested in unbelief, gossip, rebellion, or any other sins. But they love Jesus, they love the Father, and they do His will. Therefore, whenever you are involved in doing the will of God, this will activate the angels.
"Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will." (Psa 103:21)
Loosing - Jesus taught us that whatever we bind on earth will already have been bound in heaven and what we loose on earth will already have been loosed in heaven. You can find this in Matthew 18. The angels can be released by your words spoken in faith when you loose them to perform His Word and carry out His bidding.
"Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." (Mat 18:18)
One of the ways you can do this is by thanking God each day for the holy angels that He has assigned to your life and ministry, and say out loud: "I release the holy angels right now to perform your word and do your bidding. Go to work, O mighty ones, in Jesus' name!" Or in a certain situation where you sense that you are under demonic attack, you could pray to the Lord, "I dispatch a band a warrior angels to fight against the forces of darkness that are arrayed against me right now, in Jesus' name." Alternatively, you could simply ask the Father in Jesus' name to dispatch warrior angels to help you fight that battle.
Closing Words I hope that these simple suggestions will help you to activate the holy angels to assist you in whatever you need to do for the Lord as you serve Him faithfully all the days of your lives. If you are a faithful follower of Jesus Christ, then I assure you this is one of the blessings you and I enjoy every moment of every day. Now go ahead and put what I have taught you into practice and see the mighty hand of God revealed in your life.
Do You Want to Know Him? If you want to know Jesus personally, you can. It all begins when you repent and believe in Jesus. Do you know what God's Word, the Bible says?
“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’” (Mar 1:14b-15). He preached that we must repent and believe.
Len Lacroix is the founder of Doulos Missions International. He was based in Eastern Europe for four years, making disciples, as well as helping leaders to be more effective at making disciples who multiply, developing leaders who multiply, with the ultimate goal of planting churches that multiply. His ministry is now based in the United States with the same goal of helping fulfill the Great Commission. www.dmiworld.org
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