1. The Nature of Angels
The subject of angels has come much to the front of late. The story of the “angels at Mons” drew attention to it in an arresting fashion. The insistent campaign of modern spiritualism has prepared minds for the supernatural; while articles in the daily press have contributed to the prominence of the subject. A London clergyman has declared that “angel friends” visit him continually, and Rev. G. Maurice Elliott, a Lincolnshire rector, puts forth a similar claim.
We propose to consider the subject under three heads:
1. The Nature of Angels.
2. The Ministry of Angels.
3. Examination of present day claims to angelic intercourse.
Our enquiry must be conducted with solemnity and care, taking the Holy Scriptures alone as our standard of appeal. We learn therefrom that even in the apostolic age seductive deceptions were rampant. We are warned, too, that in the latter times some shall give heed to seducing spirits (1 Tim. 4:1); and we are prepared for a special attack on these lines in view of the coming of the antichrist, that sinister figure on the prophetic page. Let us not fail to pay heed to these express warnings.
The Hebrew word generally used for angel, and the Greek equivalent in the New Testament, simply mean “a messenger.” From the latter word, angelos, the term “angel” is derived. Sometimes it is used for an ordinary, earthly messenger, as for instance when “Jacob sent messengers before him.” (Gen. 32:3).
Angels are Not the Spirits of Deceased Human Beings
The theory that they are is fostered by imaginative hymns, but it has no Scriptural basis. All through the Bible angels are treated as a set of beings distinct from men, whether living on earth, or departed. Angels carried Lazarus into “Abraham’s bosom.” Lazarus was still Lazarus, and Abraham was still Abraham, though neither was in the body, and the angels were distinct from both.
Again 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 is clear:
“The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His holy angels… when He shall come to be glorified in His saints.”
Angels and saints are sharply defined as separate companies, the angels accompanying the Lord, the saints as the fruit of His work, in whom He will be glorified.
The Creation of Angels
We are not told when and how the angels were created, but read that at the creation of the earth “all the sons of God shouted for joy” (Job 38:7). Who can these be but the angelic host? If so, their creation must have preceded that of the world.
They form a spiritual race, for Psalm 104:4, quoted in Hebrews 1:7, says:
“Who makes His angels spirits, and His ministers a flaming fire.”
Though angels are spirits it does not follow that they are incorporeal, for Scripture speaks of a spiritual body. In the resurrection the saints will have spiritual bodies. We mention this simply to show that there is such a thing, a body not subject to the limitations of our earthly condition. Angels often appeared in bodily form. We do not assert that they are corporeal. We merely point out that they are not of necessity incorporeal.
They are of a higher order of creation than man. This is proved by the amazing statement (revealing the truth of the incarnation) that God the Son
“was made a little lower than the angels” (Heb. 2:9),
and by the words in 2 Peter 2:2,
“angels, which are greater in power and might.”
There is an immense number of angels. The following Scriptures prove this:
“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host” (Luke 2:13).
“More than twelve legions of angels” (Matt. 26:53).
“And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne … and the number of them was ten thousand tunes ten thousand and thousands of thousands” (Rev. 5:11).
There are evidently gradations in rank, as we read of Michael the archangel, who is spoken of as “your prince” (Dan. 10:21), showing that he had a special place in relation to the nation of Israel. There is, we may conclude, an apportioning of angelic service in a highly organized manner.
“Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Heb. 1:14).
“Despise not one of these little ones; for I say to you that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of My Father which is in heaven” (Matt. 18:10).
Such Scriptures reveal the wide scope of angelic ministry. It would be unlike the God who is “not the author of confusion,” if there were not perfect organization of the heavenly hosts.
As to the personal appearance of angels we have little account. The popular pictures of feminine beings with white wings are, of course, fanciful. Angels are often spoken of as “men,” never as “women.” They usually occasioned no surprise by their appearance, and sometimes it was only by the way they spoke and acted that their true nature was discerned.
We read of angels partaking of food. How and why they do so we know not. Manna is called “angels’ food” (Psalm 78:25), but this is probably not to be interpreted literally. The Lord Jesus in His risen, spiritual body ate fish (Luke 24:43), in order to re-assure His doubting disciples. It may be that angels ate for the same purpose. But as Scripture is silent on the subject, to speculate is useless.
2. The Ministry of Angels in the Old Testament
The Lord Himself appeared more than once in ancient times in the form of an angel. The very first mention of an angel in the Bible affords an instance of this. We read:
“The angel of the Lord said to her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly” (Gen. 16:10).
Who but Jehovah Himself could have spoken thus? Hagar recognised this, for
“she called the name of the LORD that spake to her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after Him that sees me?” (Gen. 16:13).
Again, the Lord Himself in angelic form, (and two angels with Him), visited Abraham, promising him a son, and revealing to him His purposes of judgment upon the guilty cities of the plain (Gen. 18). We find the same thing in Revelation 10:1, where we read that a “mighty angel came down from heaven, clothed with a cloud, and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire.”
This can be none other than the Lord Jesus Himself, who at this point of the vision interposes personally in bringing the judgments of God to their conclusion. The descriptions and actions ascribed to this Angel can only be those of a divine Person.
In the Old Testament angelic ministry was prominent in times when there was practically no revelation, as it will be again at the end of the age when God visits the earth with His judgments. To invite angelic appearance today is, to our mind, to make light of the Word of God, which is given for our guidance, that “the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished to all good works” (2 Tim. 3:17).
Angelic appearances were almost without exception uninvited and never moved those to whom they were sent to a craving for that form of intercourse. Angels always came on a definite errand as sent by God. Their speech is dignified, explicit and brief.
Further, let it be carefully noted, angelic appearances were always connected with God’s schemes of blessing or of judgment, and not confined to the personal interests of individuals. We can only describe as frivolous the reasons given for some present-day manifestations.
Two thousand years of human history had rolled by before we have any record of angelic ministry. The first instance is when Hagar was met by the angel of the Lord, in truth the Lord Himself. This was in connection with Hagar in her relation to Abram and Sarai and the promised seed1 Her child Ishmael was to be the father of a multitude that should not be numbered. This lifts the scene out of what is purely personal.
Next we find the Lord in angelic form appearing to Abraham with two angels as men, showing that angels, in this case as in many others, appeared in no wise after an unusual fashion.
It was not the appearance of angels that mattered so much as their message. Their appearance generally created no surprise, but their communications and manner left no doubt as to who they were.
The two angels proceeded on their way to Sodom to rescue Lot and his family from a place so soon to be swept by judgment.
Then we have the angel staying the hand of Abraham as he was about to offer up Isaac, the angel being none other than Jehovah, who in sovereign grace blessed him in his seed in connection with the whole world. The seed was Christ and through Him shall come the blessing of the whole earth. Thus the angelic visitations to Abraham and Hagar were not for purely personal objects, but connected with God’s government in the world.
Next we find angelic visitations to Jacob, another in the line of promise. In his dream of the ladder reaching to heaven he beheld angels, messengers of God ascending and descending upon it. The fulfilment of this will be when heaven is opened and the angels of God ascend and descend on the Son of Man, in short, when God’s purposes will be carried out in a regenerated earth through Christ. Angels will be His ready instruments for blessing and for government in the millennium.
Later, the angels of God met Jacob, and he called the name of the place Mahanaim, meaning two hosts or camps. This is interesting as showing the number of the angels who may be engaged in some particular work of great magnitude.
We learn, then, that in the first 2,300 years of human history angelic ministry was confined to Abraham’s circle: Abraham, Hagar, Lot and Jacob, and was all in connection with God’s government in this world, and with His promises. It was not for personal and domestic reasons that angels were sent.
Over a century rolled by since Jacob’s death, and we come to Moses. The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of a bush. When he turned aside to see this great sight it was Jehovah Himself who spoke to him. Here again, the reason of the divine intervention was not personal, but connected with a great scheme of deliverance for God’s people, and the preparing of Moses to be the instrument of that deliverance.
Running right through Exodus there is the recognition of angelic guidance and protection. See chapters 14:19; 23:20, 23; 32:34; 33:2.
Balaam, the old world spiritist, was withstood by angelic power. Today we are faced with a sinister revival of spiritism. May it not be that angelic ministry is restraining its influence in many ways?
During the time of the judges, and “about the space of four hundred and fifty years,” after two allusions to “the angel of the Lord,” (Jud. 2:1, 4; 5:23), we find angelic ministry circling round two individuals, Gideon and Manoah. Both instances were in connection with matters of national import. Gideon, faint-hearted, even sceptical, was thus commissioned to be the deliverer of Israel from the hand of the Midianites.
More than a century later an angel appeared to Manoah’s wife, prophesying the birth of Samson. This is the first case in which the appearance of the angel is commented upon. Thus the birth of Israel’s deliverer from the Philistines was heralded.
We next read of angelic ministry in David’s reign, when he numbered the people without furnishing the atonement money according to Exodus 30:12. An angel is distinctly said to have been the instrument of the destruction of the people. How this was accomplished we are not told, save that the Lord sent a pestilence.
It gives us a vivid idea of the power of an angel when seventy thousand men could fall in three days.
Attention is now drawn to the northern kingdom of Israel as distinct from the land of Judah. Twice an angel touched Elijah when asleep utterly exhausted after his conflict with the prophets of Baal. Waking him up, he bade him eat. Here again succour was given to an eminent servant of the Lord at a critical moment in his history. Nor was this the only time that Elijah had to do with the angels. We read of one directing him in 2 Kings 1.
Again, we find an angel smiting 185,000 Assyrians in one night, a ministry of swift vengeance on the enemies of God’s people.
In Daniel we read of angelic ministry (chaps. 3:28; 6:22). On two occasions the object was the deliverance of special servants of God at critical moments. Twice the angel Gabriel (the first instance of the name of an angel being given) appeared to Daniel, once in a vision, once in person. Hosea once refers to angels, in connection with Jacob’s history. Zechariah contains no less than twenty allusions to them; in nearly every case the prophet in vision sees angels who instruct him as to prophetic events.
We have now briefly surveyed all that is narrated in the Old Testament concerning angelic visitations. Their appearances were few and far between, limited to about a score of persons among the millions of Adam’s race.
Their visits were seldom repeated, and do not appear to have excited morbid curiosity on the part of those favoured thereby.
3. The Ministry of Angels in the New Testament
Angelic ministration in the New Testament is very prominent and largely centres round the Lord Jesus Christ, in connection with His birth, death, resurrection, ascension, and coming again to reign upon the earth. It is no wonder that such a marvellous event as the coming into the world of the long-promised Messiah should be accompanied by angelic ministrations.
We have seen how in the Old Testament angels appeared exclusively to those who had to do with the promised seed and with Israel, through whom that promised seed, Christ, should arise, and not in one instance in connection with purely domestic and private circumstances. It is well to bear this in mind as we pursue our examination of this interesting subject.
Angelic Appearances in Connection with the Birth of Christ
These began with an angel of the Lord appearing to Zacharias in the temple, and informing him that in due time he should have a son who should be the honoured forerunner of Christ. Elizabeth, his mother, was well stricken in years and Zacharias himself was old. Thus God would emphasize every event in connection with the coming of Christ into this world as being arranged by Himself and not as taking place in the ordinary course of nature.
Six months later a still more wonderful thing happened. The angel Gabriel was commissioned by God to appear to Mary, Elizabeth’s cousin, and inform her that she was chosen to be the mother of the Messiah, that the power of the Highest should come upon her, and that the holy child that should be born should be called the Son of God.
Matthew records that an angel appeared to Joseph, the espoused husband of Mary to assure him that Mary “was found with child of the Holy Ghost” and that he was not to fear in taking her to wife.
In due time He who was from everlasting to everlasting was born. Such an event caused a stir in the angelic ranks. The angel of the Lord appeared, bringing the “good tidings of great joy,” that in the city of David was born a Saviour, Christ the Lord. And as the news was given, “suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:13-14).
Then an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, instructing him to take the infant Jesus into Egypt to escape Herod’s wrath, and after Herod’s death the angel again appeared to Joseph instructing him to return to the land of Israel.
How beautifully simple is the record of all this! How it all fits in with the importance of the occasion!
Angelic Appearances in Connection with the Life of Christ
When the devil left Christ at the end of the temptations in the wilderness we read that “angels came and ministered to Him.” He was far from human succour, in the wilderness, and celestial messengers gladly succoured their Lord. Such is the mystery of the place of dependence He took, who, at the same moment, was “upholding all things by the word of His power” (Heb. 1:3). This is a mystery we cannot fathom, but which faith gladly and reverently accepts.
Outside the life of our Lord there is no mention in the Gospels of angels save in John 5 where we read that an angel came at certain seasons to the pool of Bethesda and troubled the waters. It is one indication of how angelic ministration was characteristic of the Jewish dispensation. In their weak and wretched condition as a nation this ministry still held on its way as a testimony to the nation of their link with God.
Angelic Appearances in Connection with the Death of Christ
In that most touching scene in the garden of Gethsemane when our Lord in the anguish of His soul sweat as it were great drops of blood, we read “there appeared an angel to Him from heaven strengthening Him” (Luke 22:43).
But when we come to the cross itself we hear the bitter cry, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?” No angel could render Him assistance then. He cried, “I thirst”. No angel came to assuage that thirst. If God forsook Him, how could He send an angelic messenger to minister to Him? No; the load of our sins was laid upon Him and He took our place and bore the judgment due to us. He finished the work God gave Him to do. He glorified God. Neither men nor angels could have any part in this.
Angelic Appearances in Connection with the Resurrection of Christ
No wonder that angels should instruct and comfort the perplexed disciples as to the resurrection of Christ. It was the point, in a way, up to which all angelic ministration had led. It is vital to the whole scheme of Christianity and to each one of us.
The whole situation was novel as far as the disciples were concerned. It was of supreme importance that they should believe that Christ was risen indeed. Matthew tells us that an angel descended from heaven and rolled back the stone which had closed the sepulchre, not surely to allow the Lord to rise, but to show that the tomb, though closed by the stone and sealed with the high priest’s seal, was empty, and that Christ was indeed risen.
This time the angel was not like an ordinary man in appearance. He did not come with a message of grace to one of God’s humble ones. He came on a mighty errand. “His countenance was like lightning and his raiment white as snow.” The keepers of the tomb shook and became as dead men. The angel gave the tidings of the resurrection to the women at the grave and they ran to deliver their momentous message with fear and great joy. But the Lord would not allow the angels alone to witness to His resurrection. He Himself met them, confirming the truth of the angels’ message.
Mark adds the information that the angel was in appearance “a young man clothed in a long white garment.” Evidently the terror of his appearance was reserved for the keepers of the sepulchre.
Luke informs us that two men in shining garments were seen by the women in the sepulchre.
John tells us that Mary Magdalene, looking into the sepulchre through her tears, saw two angels in white, who enquired the reason of her grief, but before they could announce the resurrection Mary turned and saw One she supposed to be the gardener. We all know the story of how the Lord made Himself known to her.
Wonderful and important as the ministry of angels was in regard to the resurrection, yet it was only the preparation for the Lord making Himself known personally to His loved ones.
Angelic Appearances in the Acts of the Apostles
The first instance is in connection with the ascension of Christ. As He ascended to heaven two angels in white apparel testified to the disciples that that same Jesus would come again in like manner as they saw Him go. Matthew 24 tells us that when He does come angels will be prominent in gathering the elect, and Matthew 13 tells us they will be the instrumental agents in carrying out the judgment of severing the wicked from among the just at the end of the age. At the previous rapture of the saints there will be heard the voice of the archangel.
In connection with the important conversion of Cornelius and his friends, marking the introduction of the Gentile into equal blessing with the Jew in the gospel, we find an angel in bright clothing appearing to Cornelius in a vision. Remember there were no opportunities for Cornelius to learn how to set about the obtaining what his soul longed for, so God took steps to inform him in this way. The occasion was deeply important and angelic ministration just what might be expected.
Next we have the incident of Peter’s deliverance from prison by angelic agency in answer to the earnest prayer of his brethren. Peter was an eminent apostle, his work was not yet done, and deliverance by supernatural power was God’s means of delivering him from death. But not only did God deliver His servant, but the angel of the Lord smote his iniquitous and blasphemous persecutor, Herod.
Finally we have an angel standing by Paul at night on the storm tossed vessel, assuring him of safety for himself and all on board. The occasion was deeply important. Paul, an eminent servant of Christ, in terrible circumstances on his journey on what was to be a most important mission: no wonder that this intervention took place.
We have now reviewed very briefly angelic ministration in the New Testament. It was confined, as far as the record tells us, to a handful of people. In each case the occasion is one not connected with any mere personal or domestic concern, but with matters of deep and spiritual import: the birth, life, death and resurrection of our Lord in the Gospels and, in the Acts, the ascension of the Lord, services rendered to two eminent apostles in the way of deliverance, and the direction of Cornelius in connection with an epoch-making incident in the history of the church.
Bearing this all in mind we shall be the better fitted for examining claims to present day intercourse with angels.
4. Various Scriptural Statements
We have seen that the Scriptures record the appearance of angels to about a score of individuals in the Old Testament and about half that number in the New, and that these appearances were all in connection with the heirs of God’s promise, with Israel, with Christ Himself and His servants, and always for the furtherance of God’s plans. Not one appearance in relation to purely private and domestic matters is recorded. We may draw our own conclusions from this.
We have heard it suggested that people with psychic powers can see angels, but the Bible gives no indication that Abraham, Lot, Jacob, Elijah, Elisha, Daniel, Mary Magdalene, Peter and Paul were credited with these powers, which, however, are claimed by all the mediums of Spiritualism whose influence is dead against Christianity. It is in queer company that we shall find ourselves if we claim such powers!
When the Syrian host encompassed Dothan, Elisha’s servant was terror-stricken, whereupon Elisha prayed that God would open his eyes to see the horses and chariots of fire that surrounded the mountain. He was not told to cultivate psychic powers. GOD opened his eyes.
This leads us to Psalm 34:7, where we read,
“The angel of the Lord encamps round about them that fear Him, and delivers them.”
Here we have ministry by care, protection and deliverance indicated. The word “encamps” suggests that the angel of the Lord is supported by an army of helpers. The next psalm includes a prayer that the angel of the Lord might chase David’s enemies, not only as we have seen, giving defensive help and deliverance, but also acting directly against the foe. To this Psalm 118:17 agrees:
“The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.”
And again it is said to Peter, who sought to protect the Lord with his sword,
“Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to the Father, and He shall presently give Me more than twelve legions of angels” (Matt. 26:53).
This leads us to the great text of Hebrews 1:14, which clearly indicates the service that angels render to the Lord’s people.
“Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”
Indeed the epistle to the Hebrews is full of allusions to the angels, for their ministry was well-known in the olden times. The verse quoted clearly establishes the fact that angels are active on behalf of the “heirs of salvation.” We are not told in what way, save that they protect us providentially. If details had been given we should have the door opened for the imagination of ill-balanced minds. Rather are we left with with this great comfort, that angels, unseen and unnoticed, minister to us in a way that is sufficient for our needs and that they are directed of God in His love and wisdom.
For instance, we see how that when Herod killed James with the sword, and apprehended Peter by the same purpose, God delivered Peter by the intervention of an angel. He could have delivered James in the same way, but in His wisdom refrained from doing so. This is merely one instance, but how sweet it is to rest content with the assurance that all the succour of angels that is good for us is ours in the wisdom of God!
The great place the angels had in the Old Testament economy is seen in the fact that the Israelites “received the law by the disposition of angels” (Acts 7:53); it was ordained by angels in the hands of a mediator” (Gal. 3:19).
If Luke and Paul testify to this great fact in the New Testament, David records it in the old: “The Lord is among them [the angels], as in Sinai, in the holy place” (Ps. 68:17).
Hebrews bears witness to the same thing referring to “the word spoken by angels” (2:2).
In the New Testament we find them deeply interested in the ways of God in grace. How they must have followed with reverent attention the beautiful life of Him who was their Creator and God, “upholding all things by the word of His power,” yet the dependent, lowly Man down here. “Seen of angels,” (1 Tim. 3:16) is very significant.
And then we learn how deeply interested they were in the salvation of sinners. The Lord tells us in that incomparable parable of Luke 15,
“There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents” (v. 10).
Angels are witnesses of the divine joy that greets the repentant sinner. Surely the inference that they too rejoice is just. Can holy creatures witness the intense joy of their Creator and be unsympathetic?
Peter tells us that the Old Testament prophets did not minister to themselves, but to us to whom the gospel sent down from heaven by the Holy Ghost has been preached, and he adds,
“Which things the angels desire to look into” (1 Peter 1:12).
Paul confirms this when he writes,
“To the intent that now to the principalities and powers in heavenly places, [surely the angelic hosts] might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God” (Eph. 3:10).
How wonderful to see these unselfish creatures, the angels of the Lord,
“that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening to the voice of His word” (Ps. 103:20),
interested in tracing God’s wonderful ways in connection with redeeming men!
How amazing to them that their divine Creator should take upon Himself manhood! How beautiful to trace for the first time a life completely filled out to the glory of God! Then to behold His amazing death, to see the power of sin and Satan shattered, to witness His resurrection and ascension, and little by little to see how God not only saves sinners by His grace, but that Christ has become Head of a body, of which the saved ones are members, forming the assembly of God, and by and by, as Christ’s glorious bride, sharing His throne and triumphs. This indeed would be a wonderful subject of contemplation to the angels.
Further, they see man lifted up into a higher place than theirs in grace and glory, as they have a higher place than men in creation. We read,
“Unto the angels has He not put in subjection the world to come” (Heb. 3:5).
But that the millennial earth will be in subjection to man is evident. But there is only one Man who is competent for this, our Lord Jesus Christ. In association with Him man is lifted above the angels. And these unfallen, holy beings rejoice in the wisdom and love of God in all this.
There has ever been a tendency on the part of of man to worship angels. Their superior creation, their glorious appearance at times, the mystery surrounding them, all tend to this. So Paul utters the warning:
“Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels” (Col. 2:18).
When John fell at the feet of an angel to worship him (Rev. 19:9-10), the angel rebuked him, saying, “See thou do it not: I am thy fellow-servant and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus; worship God.” They are but messengers: willing, glad messengers of God.
Another point worthy of notice is that they are not mentioned as preaching the gospel. When the angel was sent to Cornelius to guide him in his search after truth he did not preach the gospel to him, but directed him to send for a man. Not from the mouth of the mighty angel but from the lips of a sinner saved by grace did Cornelius hear of the Saviour. Again, the angel of the Lord directed Philip to intercept the Ethiopian eunuch. It was at the mouth of Philip, not of the angel, that Jesus was preached to him so effectually. Thus we see how in service man in grace enjoys a privilege denied to angels. Ransomed sinners of earth can raise
A song which even angels
Can never, never sing;
They know not Christ as Saviour,
But worship Him as King.”
Yes; and in bringing
“the First-begotten into the world, He says, And let all the angels of God worship Him” (Heb. 1:6).
Proof, indeed, that they recognised in the lowly man Christ Jesus, Him who is God over all, blessed for ever.
Further, as showing the superior place to angels in which grace has put the believer, we are told that
“we shall judge angels” (1 Cor. 6:3).
There are two ways in which this Scripture may be fulfilled. Seeing “the world to come” is to be put under the dominion of the Son of man, and believers will be associated with their Lord in His earthly rule, it is quite possible that angels may be under the direction of the saints in that day. Or, as has been said, “when Christ shall judge the world and pronounce the doom of the [fallen] angels, the church will be associated with Him and take part in His judgment, for she has His Spirit and His mind.” The fact that we are to judge angels was mentioned to shame the Corinthian believers, who were going to law before the unjust.
1 Corinthians 11:10 tells us that in the church women should have a covering upon their heads, “because of the angels.” The head of the woman is the man, and the head of every man is Christ. All things are headed up in Christ, and in Him is our distinctive place. The woman was to have the sign of this upon her because of the angels. That the angels are interested spectators of our conduct is further borne out by the fact that the apostles could claim that in all their trials and persecutions for Christ’s sake, they were “a spectacle to the world, and to angels” (1 Cor. 4:9).
Finally, we have many allusions to the part which angels will play in connection with the judgment which is to sweep over the world, as foretold in Revelation. We find them associated with the elders (symbolical of the saints raised at the second coming of Christ), and the four living creatures, in praise and worship. We find them as the executors of God’s judgments on the earth. Seven angels with trumpets are responsible for terrible judgments that finish “the mystery of God.” Seven angels pour out the seven terrible vial judgments, the close of which brings us to the end of God’s visitations in the earth. Michael and his angels fight against the devil and his angels and are victorious, turning them out of heaven. There are other allusions to the angels in Revelation, the last being the fact of twelve angels being at the twelve gates of the holy Jerusalem and the well-known and cheering statement, “I Jesus, have sent Mine angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the root and offspring of David, and the bright and morning star” (Rev. 22:16).
5. Cherubim, Seraphim, Satan and Fallen Angels
Cherubim and Seraphim have ever been associated in people’s mind with the angels. Allusions to them in the Scriptures are few and mysterious.
Cherubim
Cherubim were placed at the east of the garden of Eden to keep the way of the tree of life when Adam and Eve were driven out. This suggests that they are executors of God’s judgments. We find them in no other connection. In the tabernacle two cherubim of gold were placed at the two ends of the mercy-seat. Looking inwards and downwards, their gaze rested on the slab of pure gold, the mercy-seat stained with the blood of the sin-offering. The pure gold symbolized the demand of righteousness; the blood upon it set forth the satisfaction rendered. We have here a beautiful symbol of the death of Christ, who satisfied God about the whole question of sin and enabled Him in righteousness to show mercy. The cherubim gazing on the mercy-seat represent judgment satisfied. In other words, GOD was satisfied. Of course all this waited for its glorious fulfilment till Christ died on the cross.
Representations of the cherubim were worked into the inner curtain of the tabernacle upon the veil separating the holy place from the holiest of all—signifying that “the Father … has committed all judgment to the Son.” (John 5:22).
The cherubim of the tabernacle are depicted as having outstretched wings, symbolizing swiftness in the execution of judgment. It is probably from this that the popular idea of angels with wings is taken.
Seraphim
Isaiah 6 is the only Scripture introducing us to the seraphim, with their six wings, two to cover their faces before the glory of the Lord, two to cover their feet, and two wherewith to fly. Their cry was “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.” In response to the prophet’s cry of distress on account of his uncleanness they fly to the altar, taking therefrom a live coal, applying it to his lips and thus cleansing him. They do not seem to be so strictly connected with the carrying out of judgment as the cherubim.
Satan
This sinister figure, this supreme enemy of God and man, early appears in the sacred narrative. Attempts have been made to deny his personality, but that he is presented as a person in Scripture is beyond question.
Ezekiel 28:12-15 has long been held to refer to Satan. The description, though primarily of the king of Tyrus, goes far beyond that of any human being, and in its opening sentences fits only Satan himself, the author of all his pride and corruption. He is addressed by God as “the anointed cherub that covers,” every precious stone being his covering. A stone is a receiver and reflecter of light, the various coloured gems giving an idea of how full this reflection was, for he was perfect in his ways since he was created till iniquity was found in him.
Overweening pride was his ruin (compare 1 Timothy 3:6), and “the pride of life” is his chief instrument in enslaving men’s minds. He fell, and carried with him a huge following of angelic beings, corrupted by him and partners in this rebellion, before the creation of man. His first sin was seeking to get out of a creature’s place and become as God. On these lines he provoked our first parents. “Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” was the tempting bait. “Fall down and worship me” revealed the consuming ambition of his heart, as he urged his daring and impious claim upon the Son of God Himself (Matt. 4:9).
The last act of Satan, before his final doom is sealed, will be to head the last great revolt of men against God, described in Revelation 20:7-10. He is then cast into the lake of fire.
Fallen Angels
We read of these, the devil’s angels, (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 12:7). They seem to be of two classes. First, according to 2 Peter 2:4, there are angels who sinned and were delivered into chains of darkness, Jude also alluding to them in the same way. They appear to be strictly confined, until “the judgment of the great day,” and unable to roam about. But there is another very numerous class of fallen angels who have liberty of movement and act under the direction of Satan in his attempts to subvert the work of God.
Of course God never created any being or intelligence sinful. Sinfulness was acquired by self-will. As Satan fell and became the destroyer, Apollyon, so his angels fell and became demons. All through the four Gospels we get constant allusions to demons. These are clearly those fallen angels who are not under everlasting chains.
That the under-world is highly organized we have more than plain hints in Scripture. These myriad evil spirits, under the symbolic description of locusts, coming from the bottomless pit, have a king over them, “the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue has his name Apollyon” (Rev. 9:11).
Daniel, too, gives us an illuminating peep into the under-world. In chapter 10 he brings before us three remarkable passages Michael, God’s archangel, is evidently charged with the interests of God’s ancient people, whilst the interests of the kingdoms of Persia and Greece are held on Satan’s behalf in the hands of two evil spirits, respectively called the prince of Persia and the prince of Greece. Doubtless they would have a host of spirits under their command.
Verily “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12). Thus is indicated the vast organized system of evil power and hate against God and good.
As to these demons, we learn from the Gospels that they take possession of human bodies, even the bodies of beasts. When an unclean spirit was asked his name, his reply was, “My name is Legion: for we are many” (Mark 5:9). Out of Mary Magdalene seven were cast. The demons were subject to Christ’s commands, and after His resurrection to the power of His name as we learn from the case of Paul and the damsel of divination in Acts 16. They know their doom, as is evidenced by their cry: “What have we to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of God, art Thou come hither to torment us before the time?” (Matt. 8:29).
Why Satan and evil spirits are allowed liberty to act upon mankind is one of God’s secrets. Evidently it is for some wise reason, that they are held in restraint and not permitted to do all they would is clear from the fact of God’s Holy Spirit being in this world. But as the present dispensation draws to a close demoniacal power is allowed to increase. Especially will this be true after the church is caught up at the Lord’s second coming.
This is seen in the approaching apostasy so clearly outlined. It began with the springing up of mushroom anti-Christian sects, mostly of American origin; but the alarming thing today is that in the very heart of orthodoxy men are boldly denying the fundamentals of the Christian faith.
After the church is gone Antichrist will be revealed, “whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders” (2 Thess. 2:9). Thus is indicated the greater licence that will be allowed to the workers of evil in a future day.
But how comforting to know that our blessed Lord Jesus Christ at the cross spoiled “principalities and powers,” and “made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it” (Col. 2:15), and that “greater is He [the Holy Ghost] that is in you [the believer in Christ] than he [Satan] that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). How encouraging the exhortation, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 3:7).
6. Claims to Angelic Intercourse in the Past
If claims to angelic intercourse help on Ritualism on the one hand and Spiritualism on the other, it is clear that such claims must be false, and that it is a case of speaking a “vision of their own heart, and not one of the mouth of the Lord” (Jer. 33:16).
Centuries ago men declared that angels visited them, and there has been a steady stream of such claimants ever since. The following instances picked at random from a multitude of cases will enable my readers to judge of their nature.
St. Ignatius (A.D. 107), when Bishop of Antioch claimed that two choirs of angels helped in the choral service of his church. The Bishop of Constance went further and affirmed that he saw a choir of angels, and the Lord Himself arrayed in violet, and that He celebrated the Dedicatory Service.
St. Vincent (A.D. 304), claimed that angels comforted him in his torture; St. Eleutherius (A.D. 531), that they released him from prison; St. Meinrad (A.D. 797-861), that they comforted him when he was tormented by devils.
In much more recent times we have the fantastic story of Lourdes, the Virgin Mary affirmed to have appeared to one Bernadette Soubirous, and to have repeated the appearance seventeen times in six months.
It will be seen from the accounts of such alleged miraculous appearances of angels and saints that they exploit superstition, and have the effect of enslaving the minds of the ignorant and credulous. In short, they are intended to bind the chains of Romanism more firmly round its dupes, thus conducing to mental slavery, degrading superstition, sloth, immorality, and the strangling of all liberty of thought and action.
7. Present Day Claims
First consider the notorious case of the alleged appearance of angels at Mons. Harold Begbie, the novelist, wrote a book on the subject entitled On the Side of the Angels, in which he marshals evidence to prove that angels were seen. But if this were really so, we should expect hundreds of witnesses rather than the three or four who are brought forward. We wish to give the fullest credence to these three or four, but it must be remembered that they were men whose minds and bodies must have been overwrought to the highest state of tension, and whose nerves were strained to the utmost limit.
As we peruse Begbie’s book the obvious need of caution becomes more and more insistent. He tells of a dispatch rider who stated that when a shell burst he would see, standing in the midst of the smoke, a woman with outstretched arms; of soldiers who claimed to have seen St. George, England’s patron saint, clad in golden armour, riding a white horse, and shouting “Come on”; and of French troops who declared that they saw the archangel Michael, flourishing a sword and shouting “Victory.”
Surely all this is just the strengthening of superstition on the part of the ignorant, and it opens the door for spiritualism. From a Scriptural point of view the evidence is not only not convincing, but every element in it only deepens our conviction that we are face to face with an attempt of Satan to bind the fetters of superstition more firmly upon his dupes. The effect of it all is to support a trend in religion which is opposed to the truth of God. That His holy angels would not produce such fruits is certain.
There have been still more recent claims to angelic intercourse which have been reported at length in the daily press and have excited considerable interest. In the light of our examination of this subject as presented in the Scriptures, we are conscious of a serious drop in dignity when we come to these present day occurrences.
One case is that of the Rev. E. B. Borrill. Failing to pay his rates, the Islington Borough Council sent three men on Christmas Eve, 1920, to watch his house and if possible to seize his person. The number was increased to nine, working in three shifts during the twenty-four hours. This went on for several months. Mr. Borrill stated that the house was chosen for him by angels, and that not only were living people kind to him, bringing him food, etc., during the “siege,” but that “angel friends,” he said, “visit me in this house regularly. I have had as many as thirteen with me in this room. They often give me messages to comfort me in my troubles.”
The whole report strikes one as being very far removed from the Biblical account of angelic visitation. It sounds ludicrous for thirteen angels to be surrounding this gentleman, when one would suffice to whisper the message of comfort he claims to have received.
Further, we may be sure that angels will always uphold God’s Word. If these alleged angelic communications do not tally with but contradict the Word of God, our belief in the statements of the reverend gentleman must be rudely shaken.
He was asked if the angel voices had advised him to withhold payment of his rates and he replied, “Most certainly they have advised me to do so.” This is in plain contradiction of the teaching of Scripture in Romans 13, where we are instructed to be subject to the higher powers, and are warned that in resisting these powers we are resisting God’s ordinance. And these instructions were given when the wicked Nero was emperor, and when many unjust burdens were put upon the people. The pure unfallen messengers of God would not be found in numbers lolling about a sitting room, instructing a man to disobey Scripture and comforting him in so doing!
Our suspicions deepen when we are told that Mr. Borrill had of late given all his time to psychic work, printing pamphlets written by himself at his own press. Here is a man dabbling with Spiritism, his mind filled with occult happenings, an ardent propagandist of psychic teachings. It is our strong belief that “the angel voices” were in his case the voices of demons drawing him on to his destruction.
A claim to have received visits and guidance from angels is made by Rev. G. M. Elliott, a Lincolnshire rector. The story, as told in the daily papers and, more fully, in A Modern Miracle, a book written by himself and his wife, is as follows They were keenly desirous of having a child. But Mrs Elliott became seriously ill. A specialist was consulted who (reversing the opinion of the local doctor) advised an operation.
They thereupon prayed that God would send an angel to tell them if this was necessary. Mr. Elliott is reported to have said:
“An angel came to us. We both saw him. He was bright and shining in appearance and dressed in white. He said, ‘In answer to your prayer, the Lord has sent me to tell you that the specialist who advises an operation is wrong in his diagnosis, and that such an operation would be fatal.’ I said to this guardian angel, ‘Will you now lead me to some medical man who will prove to me scientifically that you are right?’ The angel replied ‘Yes,’ and told me to take my wife to Brighton. The angel said he would meet me at the station. We went to Brighton and the angel was our heavenly guide. He led us to a certain hotel and told us to take rooms there, and said that seated next to us at the table would be a leading London surgeon, and that after dinner he would go up into the drawing room alone, and that I was to follow him and engage him in conversation until I had extracted the promise from him that he would examine my wife that night.”
We are able to vouch for the accuracy of this part of the narrative for we happen to be well acquainted with the doctor in question and have had the story from his own lips. He assured Mr. Elliott, as the result of his examination, that no operation was needed. His opinion was subsequently corroborated by a well-known lady doctor in Harley Street. In due time a daughter was born and is growing up a beautiful child, the joy of her parents.
Our first enquiry on hearing of this alleged angelic visitation was, Has Mr. Elliott tampered with Spiritualism? We fear that he has. In an advertisement of a book of his “The Challenge of Spiritualism” we read:
“This book makes no attempt to deny the facts of Spiritualism. The author has spent some years in investigating these facts, and fully accepts the claims as to the genuineness of spirit communications, and admits that much comfort and help may be received from such communications. He points out the dangers. But his main object is to show that the teachings of modern organized Spiritualism are distinctly anti-Christian, and that the Christ of Spiritualism is not the Christ of the Catholic faith.”
Surely this is a most illogical position to take up. A system is to be judged by its teaching. This Mr. Elliott admits to be baneful, but his endorsement of the claims of Spiritualism may lead many a one, who would otherwise shun it as the plague, to seek its supposed “comfort and help.” Once entangled in the meshes of this snare, such may easily be led step by step to accept its anti-Christian doctrines.
It may be asked, What has all this to do with the claim to angelic guidance by Mr. Elliott? Just this: we shall find him claiming to have had many interviews with angels, the circumstances of which are exactly in a line with what we saw in the earlier chapter, obtained in the days of medieval superstition. All that Mr. Elliott alleges as to the other world is but a reproduction of what can be read in “Outlines of Spiritualism for the Young,” the doctrine of which, as to the person of Christ, he repudiates. When a man makes claim to have had such exceptional experiences, his declaration puts us in a position to judge as to his story about the angel and Brighton.
Let us give instances of what we mean. In his book “Angels Seen Today,” Mr. Elliott affirms that at the christening of an infant he saw angels
“robed in ceremonial attire such as white, silvery sheen bejewelled with topaz gems, assembled with angel-children around the baptismal font … And when the priest came to the words of dedication, ‘Give Thy Holy Spirit to this infant,’ two guardian angels went forward, one carrying a shield of light and the other a book with a golden clasp, and imprinted the symbols they were holding upon the infant’s gown.”
These extracts will enable the reader to judge whether the claim to have seen the angel at Brighton is reliable. We read again:
“Not long ago we attended an ordination service, and within the sanctuary was a band of heaven-sent messengers… A radiant whiteness, reflecting tints of twilight, now permeated the sacred walls, and two angel-messengers appeared, causing a circle of light, shading amber and pink, to surround the Lord Bishop, above whose head was to be seen a hovering heavenly dove.” (p. 121)
This is mediaevalism, pure and simple. Who that knows anything of the divine simplicity of the worship that is agreeable to God could be deceived by such anti-scriptural rhapsodies?
Then again, Mr. Elliott and his wife claim to have visited the other world,—we suppose in their “astral bodies.” They say,
“We have been permitted to visit some of their [the angels’] cities. … The heavenly mansions are surrounded by gardens of grand resplendence which display perfect, priceless pride and order. The flowerets and the beautiful flowers are of exquisite shades. The nestling buds have the most delicate tints and perfumes. The trees are of a greener grandeur than eye has yet seen, and the soft rays of the glorious sunlight scintillate between the leaves of green.” [Angels Seen Today, p. 113].
So we could go on with pages of imagination that have no counterpart in the Scriptures.
Now if we believe about the angel at Brighton on the testimony of Mr. and Mrs. Elliott, why not believe their testimony that they have visited angelic cities with their colleges, parks and training homes, and that they have seen angels galore at baptisms and ordination services?
Are we prepared to believe all this, coupled as it is with ritualism, with prayers for the dead, the denial of everlasting punishment, fantastic theories of the gospel being even now preached to evil spirits? For our own part we have no hesitation in refusing their testimony as to the Brighton angel either as pure hallucination, or else (having tampered with spiritualism freely) Mr. and Mrs. Elliott have been the subjects of a spiritual deception. We are slow to say anything stronger, but a more fantastic claim to angelic intercourse we have never come across.
We could have said more about Mr. Elliott’s very unsound teaching did space permit. It is not a little remarkable, in giving a very full list of miracles performed by our Lord, that he should entirely omit the miracles relating to casting out demons. There are more textual allusions to demons in the four gospels than to angels. Why should he make much of one and ignore the other? Is it that he is so infatuated with angels that he can see nothing else, and Satan as “an angel of light” has taken occasion to dupe him?