Angels
and the Good News
By Catholic
Evangelist, Eddie Russell FMI
THRONES.
DOMINIONS. CHOIRS. PRINCIPALITIES. POWERS.
BEASTS. CHERUBIM. SERAPHIM. ARCHANGELS. ANGELS.
If
we ever think of the angels at all it would
probably be around Christmas time when Hymns and
Carols seem full of their presence. In many
homes, shopping centres and city malls around
the world you will find a Christmas tree topped
by a star or by a plastic angel. But how often
do we consider these magnificent creatures at
other times of the year? At this special time of
year even non-believers get caught up with the
warmth of love and friendship and somehow we
know that there is something more going on than
plastic angels and booze. None-the-less, it's a
pity that the angelic is a subject that is
rarely talked about, thought of or taught in
Catholic circles in recent times and yet there
is a wealth of spiritual assistance available to
every Christian in the Body of Christ who are
surrounded at all times by a great cloud of
witnesses
(Heb.12:1).
Sadly
there are some strange notions regarding the
Angels.
One
such notion is that when we die we become an angel and do
good for others. This is certainly the view of Oprah
Winfrey but I am not sure where this idea comes from
except that I remember people using it as a way of
explaining what happens after death to young children. In
any event, it contradicts the Biblical understanding of
the Angelic which informs us that we will "Judge the
Angels". It would seem that these ideas come from
early folklore and fairy tales which have their roots in
a European pre-Christian era. This would no doubt be the
reason why so many Christians have rejected their
existence as childish notions unbecoming of an
intelligent adult.
However, in spite of this, the angelic has become
very popular in recent years with the advent of the New
Age Movement. Its adherents often use Christian
terminology such as "Guardian Angels" to describe
consultation with the dead or evil spirits. The angels
they are referring to were until recent years called
"Spirit Guides" or "Familiar Spirits" and are clearly
demonic, pagan and occult in origin. In an attempt to
clear up this confusion for Christians is the reason for
this short article. I hope that it will spread some light
on the reality and truth of God's Holy Angels whose role
is to minister to God and His people.
Ministering
Spirits. These
angels whom the Bible calls "Ministering
Spirits"
(Heb.1:14)
have many varying different roles and functions to
assist the Christian here on the earth. Not only do they
minister to God before the Throne day and night but they
also convey God's messages to His people.
Some have specific roles and are created to
perform specific tasks such as the Guardian Angels of
countries, territories and individuals. Although this
subject is too vast to enter into here, perhaps this
short article will allow you to study the subject
further.
The
Luciferic Rebellion and the war in Heaven.
The
Bible only mentions the names of four angels from the
countless millions that have been created. They are
Gabrielle, whose name means, "God is Mighty", Michael,
whose name means, "Like God", Raphael, whose name means,
"God Heals", and Lucifer, whose name means, "Light
Bearer". All of them were created good!
It
was Lucifer
who
rebelled against God and who through pride, coveted the
Throne of God and the worship that belonged to God alone.
This resulted in a mighty war in Heaven. Lucifer, along
with one third of the angelic host was defeated by the
Archangel Michael and was cast down from Heaven to the
earth where he became known as "Satan", a name which
literally means; "Adversary" as well as "Devil", which
means, "Accuser of the brethren".
Scripture also refers to him by many other names
all of which describe his "fallen nature." These names
are, "Beelzebub", "Prince of Darkness", "King of Tyre",
"Father of Lies". "Day Star", "The Thief", "god of this
world" (cosmos: Gr. world system) but, never
Lucifer again. He is no longer entitled to that name
which described his original nature and ministry. Perhaps
this would be a good time to put Satan in his proper
place and perspective because in these days he is being
worshipped as a god by many people around the
world.
Satan is NOT
an equal and opposite of God!
Just
like all the other angels he was created by God and
therefore by definition, he is not God. Satan is a
creature and therefore he is subject to God like all else
in heaven and earth and he has no more rights or power
than God allows.
The beginning chapters of the Book of Job show
this very clearly (Job 1:6-12 - Job 2:1-7) and
even though he has the effrontery to enter God's presence
with the other angels (sons) he does so to "accuse" God's
people. However, you will notice that Satan can do no
more than God allows him to do. "And the Lord said to
Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do
not lay a hand upon his person" (Job 1:12) and of
course Satan did not because he could not!
These are comforting
thoughts
when
we are faced with such evils as we see in the world
today, but because of the "New Covenant" in the Blood of
Christ each Christian is given authority by God over all
the "works" of the adversary. In fact we are
"commissioned" by God to "announce" the Good News of the
Kingdom, and to bring the captives out of darkness into
His wonderful light and so in Mark 16:17, we read, "In my
name (Jesus) they will expel demons".
The authority that the Father gave to Jesus is now
transferred to His Church. Unfortunately, just like all
the good angels, the evil ones and the Devil himself have
also been relegated to the area of myth by many
Christians whilst the non-believers are very much aware
of his reality.
Satan worship is on the increase.
Hiding in myth is a good trick if he can
get away with it. It suits his purpose when the
only ones who do not believe that he exists are
the only ones who can dislodge him from his
strongholds. His "new look" is called the "New
Age."
This is just new packaging for a very old thing:
Sorcery. It's selling well at the moment and it
has even got through to Christians who have
lowered their defences against a subtle sales
pitch aimed at a spiritual void.
One of the most nefarious examples today
is the message of Marilyn Manson's "Anti Christ
Superstar." This album solicits acceptance of
Manson as a saviour. It calls young people to
kill their parents and whoever else they see as
their enemy and then kill themselves. According
to Manson, this is how they get saved and set
free.
In addition, The Church of Satan is well
established under law in the USA and possibly
elsewhere too. Television proliferates these
beliefs through such programmes as Charmed,
Ghost Whisperer, Supernatural and many other
witchcraft programmes that are very popular with
our youth.
The
Baptism of Fire The Prophecy. The Promise. The Anointing
& The Consequences.
A short film produced by Eddie Russell FMI tells
the audio visual story of the prophecies from
1990 until now. Is it a prophetic message for our times? You
be the judge. fmitv
YouTube
Channel
We are able
to call on the angelic to assist us when we need
help.
Along
with the Word of God, the Power, and the Gifts of the
Holy Spirit working on our behalf, we also have countless
millions of angels at our disposal in the same way that
Jesus did when he was arrested in Gethsemane.... "do you
not suppose that I can call on my Father to provide at a
moment's notice more than twelve legions of angels"
(Mat 26:53).
Psalm 91 is worth reading and studying because it
refers to the protection the Father provides for all His
children who find themselves in dangerous circumstances.
It informs us that by remaining in a close relationship
with God. He promises to rescue us from: the snare of the
Fowler, the destroying pestilence, the terror by night,
the arrow by day, and from plagues, the wicked, evil, and
affliction.
Then, in verse 11, it says, "for to His angels He
has given command about you, that they guard you in all
your ways." And again in verse 13, it says: "you shall
tread upon the asp and the viper; you shall trample down
the lion and the dragon." Notice that it says, "you
will". It is "we" who do it! By what power? By the power
of God, of course. That is "our" authority and, let's
face it, "if God is for us, who can be against us?"
(Rom 8:31) It stands to reason that if God is for
us everything that is of God is for us too. We are never
alone as much as we may think that we are. God's angels
are ever present to help us in all that we do.
Angels are
countless in number(Rev.5:11)
"Their
cavalry troops whose count I heard were two hundred
million in number." (Rev 9:16) Angels are immortal
Celestial Spirits created by God. They are created to
represent Him and to guard His interests (Ps.148:
5-6). Angels were created before God created the
world (Job.1:6,).
Angels do not have corporal bodies but they can
manifest themselves in human form. An example of this is
seen in the account of Lot regarding Sodom and Gomorrah
(Gen.19, Acts.10:30, Tobit 12:11-22).
I recommend that you read the whole book of Tobit
where you will see the wonderful deeds of the Archangel
Raphael on his behalf. Raphael is one of the seven
spirits before the Throne of God. He seems to be the
angel who protects the family. In this account, you will
see how he saves Raguel from the wicked demon, Asmodeus
(Arabic: "the destroyer") who has killed seven of
her husbands before they could consummate the marriage
and how he heals Tobit of his blindness and helps Tobit's
son Tobias to successfully marry Raguel. Then in the
ending chapters he reveals a truth about his angelic
nature.
(Although
non Catholics do not accept this book as Canon of
Scripture, the book of Tobit is a magnificent insight
into the role of Angels that was richly expressed in
Hebrew Angelology and belief. The Catholic Church accepts
Tobit as part of the Canon of
Scripture).
Celestial
Beauty. Occasionally
angels will appear
in
all their celestial beauty and glory (Matt 28:3,
Dan.10:5-6). In Daniel 10: 12-14, and verses 20-21,
you will see Gabrielle and Michael in their role of
bringing an answer to prayer and how they deal with the
demonic angel of the kingdom of Persia.
Angels do
not marry.
They are pure spirit beings and are referred to as a
'company' rather than a 'race'. They are always referred
to in the masculine gender. (Matt.22:30, Luke 20:
34-36). St. Thomas Aguinas tells us that because
angels are referred to as a company and not a race they
cannot procreate; they are pure spirit beings with no
need of a body or its attributes. In wahtever body they
might have appeared are only apparant bodies for our
comfort when encountering them.
Angels have
different functions.
Angels
have different functions and are created for specific
tasks and they have various levels of authority which
include: "Thrones", "Dominions", "Seraphim", "Cherubim",
"Angels", "Archangels", and "Guardian Angels" (Col.
1:16, Jude 9.). Guardian Angels are given to children
when they are born and are there to minister to them
throughout their life (Matt. 18;
10).
Angelic
worship.
Angels
worship before the Throne of God and serve Him day and
night (Ps. 148: 2, Tobit 12:15, Heb. 1:6, Rev. 4:
5-8). The angels celebrate before the Throne of God
every time a sinner repents and turns to God. (Luke
15; 10,) Just think how much Heaven will rejoice when
we really get moving with Evangelisation!
Angels
escort Christians to heaven when they die(Luke
16:22)
The
angels record our deeds, good and bad, in a book that
will be opened at the final Judgement (Mal.3:16,
Rev.20:12). Angels have the authority to execute
God's Judgement on Cities, Nations and People (Eccl.
5:6, Ezek. 9:1-6, Ps. 33:4-6, Kings 19:35, Acts
12:23).
Angels are
Messengers of God not ascended masters.
Angels
are messengers of God to His people (Zech. 1: 9,
13-14, 19 Luke 1:11-20, Luke. 1:26-38) and it is this
encounter that dominates our Christmas celebration.
However, appearances of the angels are usually brief and
formal. They are aimed at improving our relationship with
the Lord rather than attracting attention to
themselves (Revelation 22: 8-9)
We will
judge the Angels.
Until
we enter the fullness of our redemption the angels enjoy
a superior position to us, but they will then serve under
us as the Bride of Christ when we become the elite of all
God's creation (Rev. 21: 9-14, 2Tim.2:12). We will
even judge the angels (1Cor.6:3).
However, because angels are so magnificent, people
have fallen into the sin of angel worship. To us they may
seem like God Himself, but to God they are as far away
from His perfection as your dog is to you. We must always
remember that the angels, good and bad, are creatures,
they are not gods. Saint Thomas Aquinas points out that
the angels are not supernatural simply because the
condition of an angel as a created being is natural to
his state. God and God alone is the only supernatural
being. So the Bible warns us not to worship angels
(Col. 1:18, - Rev. 19:
10).
God's Holy
Angels are ever present to help us.
It
is comforting to know whom and what you have working on
your side. Angels and Christians are partners and allies
in the spiritual warfare in which we find ourselves. They
assist us to dislodge Satan from his stronghold in the
world. When Intercessors come together and prayer
prevails it brings powerful angels to aid and assist us
to hinder the workings of Satan (Hebrews 1:4, Daniel
10:12-13).
We must not
confuse the works of the angels with the role of the Holy
Spirit.
The role of the angels and the role of the Holy
Spirit are very different even though they are companion
roles in our lives by assisting us to build the Church
and in establishing the Kingdom of God where we live. The
difference lies in that the role of the angels is to
administer material affairs. The role of the Holy Spirit
is to reveal the mind of God and to make Jesus known.
Matthew 4:11 shows this distinction clearly; Jesus was
"led" by the Spirit, "taught" by the Spirit, and "filled"
with the Spirit, but He was "defended" and
'fed' by the angels.
Angels are
also territorial spirits and are assigned to particular
earthly territories.
The
Archangel Michael is the Guardian Angel of Israel (and
ours too). The Bible shows us that Cities are under
angelic guardianship (Dan. 12:1, Ezek. 9:1, Acts.16:9,
Acts.10:30). When we read Revelations Chapters 2 and
3, we can see this clearly: "To the presiding spirit of
the Church in Ephesus". The "presiding spirit" =
literally; angels. (NAB footnotes). Angels were
thought of as being in charge of whole communities and
individuals alike. (Matt. 18:10, Acts 12:15).
"Only God
is home for the love of the angels, just as He
is for us. The angels must make their way home,
for love's fire is the Divine Flame, or there is
no warmth".
(St
Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologica / Hebrews.
1:7).
It
was love's flame that warmed the heart of a
young virgin when the Archangel Gabrielle came
to announce the good news that a saviour was to
be born. It is Gabrielle that God sends to
announce "Good News". Every major
proclamation of God was announced by Gabrielle
and considering that Mary would have been well
acquainted with the angelic tradition of her
faith such as we have looked at here. It's not
so surprising that she was a little afraid when
she was confronted with such a being as
Gabrielle although her fear was that of respect
rather than that born of a lack of faith. It was
her faith to say yes that brought about
the greatest miracle of God in all of history,
past, present and future.
When the time came for the Saviour to
enter into the world, angels appeared to
shepherds and proclaimed the "good news"
of a Saviour born. The Glory of God shone around
them with an angelic multitude of the Heavenly
Host, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in
the highest, and peace to those on whom His
favour rests" (Luke.2:9-14). The
Shepherds saw that Glory on that first Christmas
night and Mary treasured these things in her
heart (Luke 2:19).
As you go about your duties next Christmas
Season, and you happen to notice a little
plastic angel on your Christmas tree, stop a
while, and ponder in your heart the Glory that
surrounds you and your family. You have powerful
friends in high places and perhaps your
Christmas Carols might come to mean a little
more to you than you may have previously
thought.
Angels:
Hierarchy of the
Heavenlies
Eddie Russell's Biblical teachings on
the angels of Darkness and the Kingdom
of Light, explains the role, substance,
physical and spiritual form, power and
action of God's angles in our world.
Drawing on personal experiences, he
also exposes the structure and plans of
the kingdom of darkness and our
ultimate victory in
Christ.
5
x 80 minutes boxed CD Set AUD $80 Includes
Delivery.
We are indeed
surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, and there is
nothing plastic about that.
References:Blaze Magazine Print Edition. Summa
Theologica; Saint Thomas Aquinas. Catholic
Encyclopaedia. Taking our Cities for God by John
Dawson. New American Bible.
