Do You Have a Guardian Angel?
by Ernest L. Martin, Ph.D., 1998
Whether on television or in bookstores, it seems like the general public is being saturated with a slew of new themes that involve the subject of angels. In my review of these sitcoms and written treatises that have come to my attention, there is one central evaluation that invariably emerges in my thinking. The reaction I get is (regrettably, I must say): "How dumb can people get regarding the matter of angels"? In no way can the writers of these screenplays or literary compositions have in mind the angels that are mentioned in the Holy Scriptures. The media are again up to their old tricks of inventing so called angelic creatures that in reality are inexplicable to describe in a rational way that approaches proper biblical teaching. Granted, what the professional writers compose is at times entertaining and quite clever in imagination, but so are Cinderella and Jack and the Beanstalk. It is their usual unrealistic and fairy tale approach to the subject of the angelic powers (which even some church denominations have adopted) that has prompted me to prepare an investigative research book on the matter. It will make the angelic hosts of the Bible (the real angels who truly exist in a practical and efficacious manner) to be comprehensible to the intelligent person who has a curiosity about the angelic realm. The title of this new book will be: "Angels — The Facts and the Fictions." This book will not only answer the question if humans have "guardian angels," but it will examine the entire theme of angels as they relate to mankind. It will give answers to essential subjects about angels that will set the pace for understanding all the teachings concerning the angelic world as shown in the Scriptures, especially as they appertain to the Family of God and to mankind. As a preface to publishing this book (which is scheduled for release in the early summer of 1998), I am presenting the following research study in this Doctrinal Report which will serve as an introduction to this significant subject.
Let me start by making a personal statement. This is an affirmation of my experience which represents a professional conclusion I have reached after fortyfive years of biblical and historical research into the subject of the spiritual powers whom the Bible calls "angels." My assertion is a statement of personal belief that I feel is true. As for me, I am convinced that angels are for real. My investigations over the years have shown me that there is nothing "fairy tale" about the reality of the active presence of the angelic powers nor of their influence in matters dealing with our human societies throughout the ages of our existence. In spite of the fact that angels are real, their presence has often given people in the world many problems in their association with them. Humans have often taken a decidedly wrong approach in appreciating what God expects of angels in regard to helping humans in their daily lives, and what God commands of humans in matters dealing with the angelic hosts in the roles that God has given them.
This is why we need the teachings of the Holy Scriptures to rightly guide us to properly evaluate our relationship to these spiritual powers whom God designates as being "angels." The world desperately needs to adopt the teachings of the Scriptures in all matters of life, and this approach especially applies in understanding spiritual matters that only God can reveal to us.
Unfortunately, mankind often does not like the methods that God commands in regard to His teachings about various subjects, and the matter of dealing with angels is no exception. As often is the case, mankind has adopted their own systems of dealing with the angels and those human efforts have often had disastrous consequences not only upon mankind, but even upon the angels themselves.
It is now time to reevaluate what the role of angels is intended to be by God and how we can all take advantage of their usefulness concerning the needs of mankind. Conversely, understanding God’s true function for angels will also help us to be proper agents in applying our own efforts to aid the angels in their quest to serve God in the manner that God has purposed for their glory and satisfaction. It must be recognized that there is a two-way street in regard to our association with the angels. We must know how God expects us to approach them, and they must be aware of how God wants them to approach us. In this Doctrinal Report, these important teachings will be discussed so that all of us who are mature Christians will be able to fathom what our responsibilities are toward the angels, and also what their obligations are toward us who represent God’s divine children.
There are two meaningful questions that must be answered if we humans hope to comprehend what the purpose of angels happens to be in respect to us who make up that part of God’s creation called "humanity." The first query involves the function of angels concerning their personal association with God the Father, Christ Jesus and with others who make up the Family of God. To comprehend what this angelic responsibility happens to be, we must establish from the Holy Scriptures just who we human beings are in the eyes of God. A proper appraisal of this significant teaching from the Bible will act as a catalyst of understanding for the second query that I will discuss. That question views the role that God the Father and Christ Jesus expects of the angels in aiding us who are humans (who represent the very Children of God). In other words, just who are the angels and how do they differ from us who are humans? There are, of course, other essential aspects mentioned in the Scriptures touching the subject of angels, and they are imperative for us humans to know, but these other themes will be discussed more in detail in my new book. But for now, let us look closely at these most important questions that humans vitally need to know about the angels.
Most humans on earth simply do not know "who they are." This prevailing lack of knowledge that is widespread among the majority of humans is actually an understatement. One should in reality assert that mankind is abysmally illiterate and very ignorant of just who humans represent in the eyes of God the Father and Christ Jesus. Indeed, even most people who denominate themselves as being Christians and say they follow the teachings of the Holy Scriptures are totally uninformed of just "who they are" in the divine plan of salvation that God has worked out through Christ Jesus. The truth is, however, the bedrock teaching of the Gospel of Christ has as its pristine doctrine the biblical teachings from God Himself of just "who we humans are" and "who we humans are to become" when we will be resurrected from the dead at the Second Advent of Christ. The teaching of "who we are" is as clear as God could make it in the Scriptures, but it does take the miraculous power of God to allow mankind the ability to understand those words of God. You and I have been privileged to have the scales removed from our eyes (Isaiah 29:924) to recognize and accept this sublime truth of just "who we are." Once mankind (along with us) realizes "who humans are," the association that we humans can have with the angels will become much clearer in understanding. In this Doctrinal Report, I am directing this research material to you who are mature in the faith. Those who understand the final teaching of the apostle Paul (called "the Mystery" as revealed primarily in the books of Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians) and how it differs from the New Covenant relationship that was previously revealed in the earlier epistles of Paul, will find the matter much easier to comprehend. This is because you will recognize what Paul meant when he stated dogmatically that you and I are now ("in Christ") sitting on the right hand of the Father in heaven along with Christ Jesus himself (Ephesians 2:6). That is the present legal position that Christians have by being "in Christ." Once a person realizes this fact, then our relationship to the angels can be better understood.
Sadly, though, and in spite of the clear and simple teaching of Christ and the apostles that identifies the high position of humanity in the sovereignty of the universe, the majority of even the Christian world is totally oblivious to even the basic truths concerning this vital matter of what Paul (and John) taught which is called "the Mystery" in Ephesians and Colossians.
And let’s face it, even we who are mature Christians in Christ often shirk at the knowledge of our divine rank in the eyes of God because we sometimes fear that we are not capable of fulfilling the role. We forget that it is God the Father who has called us to be His divine Children and that He has the responsibility to provide us with the power and the capabilities to achieve the goals that He has placed for us to accomplish. Our dependence must always be upon God the Father and upon our Elder Brother Christ Jesus in performing the divine purposes and functions that they have designed for us to achieve. We can be assured that God will give to us the will and the ability to do what He has planned for us from the beginning of creation (Philippians 2:12; II Timothy 1:9).
With this in mind, let us now look into the scriptural teachings which show just "who we are." We humans have a great future (and a wonderful position in God the Father even at the present) because we represent in a legal and an actual manner the very "Children of God." Just what does the biblical term "Children of God" mean? When we know it in a proper fashion, we will obtain a great deal of awareness in how we are to associate with the spiritual beings in the heavens and on earth whom God calls "angels."
Let us look at a New Testament account of just "who we humans are." When we discover our identity as understood by God the Father and Christ Jesus, and when people apply that identification in directing their lives, then it will be a simple task to evaluate just where the angels fit into the divine plan of God for the salvation of mankind to Him. The New Testament is plain in showing mankind (I mean you, me and the rest of humanity) just who we are in the eyes of God, but mankind as a whole is very reluctant to accept the teaching of God on this fundamental issue. Actually, we read in the Holy Scriptures that God has blinded the eyes of most of mankind concerning this truth (Romans 11:25-32). And when they are told about our present legal position before God, they often become hostile to it and many consider it to be a blasphemous concept that is disrespectful to God and to Christ. This is not the case, but it is often very difficult for most normal people in the world to accept the divine role that God has given to us who make up the human race. God promises, however, that He will take the blinders off of peoples’ eyes one of these days so that all humanity will comprehend their glorious position/rank they have in Christ.
As for us who are mature Christians, it is time for us to recognize the real truth of the Gospel on these significant matters. It will reveal what our relationship should be in regard to God the Father and also to the angelic hosts that God has created for specific purposes. We need to know why God prepared the angels for the jobs they do and what they are programmed to perform. The Holy Scriptures provide us with God’s teachings on these matters. And truthfully, it is God’s opinion that counts, and not the erroneous assumptions of men.
So, just who are human beings? We will discover we are a part of a divine "Trinity." This is not the "Trinity" of the pagan world that many in Christendom have accepted as defining the Godhead. The true "Trinity" is made up of divine personages who comprise the powerful and supreme authority that governs the entirety of this universe. Let us define that divine "Trinity." It is: "God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Us (we humans)." That’s right! The Holy Scriptures teach that "God" is a single Family of Beings (that is, only one God, or God Family) with the Father at the head and with Christ Jesus as the Firstborn Son of that Family, and that we are also members of that same Family who are now called the "Children of God." Again, I emphasize that the Godhead IS NOT the pagan "Trinity" that has been accepted by the majority of the Christian denominations of this world. What the pagan "Trinity doctrine" does is to TAKE AWAY YOUR (AND MY) INHERITANCE by substituting a manufactured personality that they call the "Spirit" that actually has no part in the divine Family. Listen, every time the word "Spirit" is shown to be a personality in the Holy Scriptures, that "Spirit" either refers to God the Father or to Christ Jesus. There is no "Third Member" of the Godhead separate from the Father and Christ called the "Spirit" (which term by itself is nebulous and non-distinct). The "Third Division" of the Godhead happens to be "the Human Race." It is we humans who represent those "Third Persons" of the Godhead.
This is the real biblical teaching that represents the true and actual "Trinity." Sure enough, we are now (in this flesh) in an "under age" condition without the full mature and adult knowledge of how to act and react as members of the Family of God. That is why God calls us "Children." We are not yet capable (because of our lack of knowledge of the factors that create, control and sustain the universe) to assume our divine roles next to the Father and our Elder Brother Christ Jesus that we are destined to inherit when we are resurrected from the dead.
At the present we are in the flesh without the spirit bodies (and the divine knowledge) that God will give us in the resurrection so that we can assume full and complete membership in the Family of God which is our inheritance. When human beings find out who they are, they will discover that humans are actually creations of God who are much higher in rank than all the angels that God has created and stationed throughout the universe to keep all things functioning in a harmonious way according to His plan. We humans will actually be (when we "grow up" and reach spiritual maturity in the resurrection) higher in rank and authority than even the highest of the angelic powers. However, angels are important in the overall plan of God in keeping the universe functioning in a proper and concordant manner.
We will soon see that angels are simply servants or messengers of God. THEY ARE NOT members of the divine Family of God that can be called "Sons" and "Daughters" of God. But we humans are far different. We are now reckoned (though as "under age children") as being in a much higher rank than the angels. Yes, even for the present (while we are still in this human flesh and we do not yet have our spiritual bodies nor our spiritual intelligence that God will give us in the resurrection), we are in important ways superior to the angels. Yet in spiritual awareness and power we are often inferior to the angels. In spite of this temporary inferiority, we are destined by God the Father to assume a much higher rank than the most exalted of the angels. Even now, though (while in the flesh and still considered as being immature), we are actually accounted by God the Father and Christ Jesus as personal and legal members of the very Family of God that rules the whole of the universe.
For all of you who have read this Doctrinal Report up to this point, I hope that you are not offended by what I have said. What I have been stating is real biblical teaching. True, most people in the world say that this doctrine of the Holy Scriptures is approaching what they call "blasphemy." But this is not the case at all. The divine teachings make it abundantly clear that we are even now reckoned to be a part of the Family of God (though we are yet in a "childhood state" and not yet mature in a spiritual sense). Though we are now reckoned as "Children" (and immature and unknowledgeable of adult spiritual matters), we humans are still accounted in the eyes of the Father as being as very much "Gods" in the same sense as God the Father and Christ are reckoned to be "Gods."
The only difference at the present between the Father and Christ and all human beings, as we will see, is the fact that we are still flesh and not yet capable of being in the spiritual realm of power and glory that they now experience. Yet we are destined to be given as our inheritance to be in that same category of divine existence and power that is now enjoyed by the Father and Christ Jesus. This will be given to us who are mature Christians when we are resurrected from the dead at Christ’s Second Advent.
There is one important teaching of the Holy Scriptures that we need to realize in regard to the use of the word "God" (which in Hebrew is Elohim). Believe it or not, even the angels can be called by the name Elohim when they are doing their particular jobs that the Father and Christ Jesus have assigned for them to perform. But there is one thing an angel (even the highest of them) can never be called or designated. They can NEVER be called a "Son of Elohim," a "Daughter of Elohim," or (in a plural sense) the "Children of Elohim." The designations of Son, Daughter or Children can refer ONLY to those who belong to the divine Family of God who rule as a SINGLE "God Family" the entirety of the universe. But you and I, and all humans, are even now referred to by God the Father and Christ Jesus as the very "Children of God." Let us see how this will help us in understanding how we are to deal with the angels, and even more importantly, how the angels are to deal with us who are members of the divine Family.
In the Holy Scriptures, there are two types of spirit beings designated elohim ("Gods"). One type of elohim can be called "Sons of God" who are a part of God’s Family and are very close in every way to the Supreme God. Another equal term for them is "Children of God" (and this includes the "Sons of God" as well as the "Daughters of God" as stated by the apostle Paul in Second Corinthians 6:18). Our destiny to be in a position after our resurrections from the dead to actually "judge angels" (I Corinthians 6:4 ("know ye not that we shall judge angels"). We will be able to make judgments about the angels when we become spirit beings with bodies that are made up of spiritual substance. Remember, that role will only become a reality after our resurrections from the dead. That is when we truly become in all aspects the "Children of Elohim" (that is, the "Children of God").
There are, however, other types of spirit beings who are called elohim in the Holy Scriptures. They are also angelic messengers. They can be referred to as elohim, but this designation never means that they are "Sons of God." Being the "Children of Elohim" (that is, Sons and Daughters) is very different from being called by the simple term elohim These two types of spirit beings must be distinguished from one another if one hopes to understand the teachings of Scripture about the divine nature of mankind that humanity already possesses. The distinction centers on the use of the word "Son" or "Daughter" or (in the plural) "Children." It should be noted that the apostle Paul taught in the Book of Hebrews that no angel could ever be reckoned a "Son of God" or in the plural "Sons of God" (Hebrews 1:414). It is not possible for any angel (no matter how high in authority the angel may be) to be considered a "Child of God." The apostle Paul stated:
"For unto which of the angels said he [God] at any time, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he [God] bringeth in the firstbegotten [Christ] into the world, he saith, and let all the angels of God worship him."
Hebrews 1:5,6
Though angels can be called by the name elohim if they are representing the Godhead as God’s divine agents, none of the angels can be called "Sons of God (Elohim)" like Christ and like human beings are called "Sons or Daughters of God." The distinction is in the use of the word "Son and Daughter." Indeed, the personal name of God the Father is YHVH in the Hebrew (this four letter word is called the Tetragrammaton and means "I am" in a continual sense). We are told in the Scripture that YHVH has a personal angel called "the Angel of YHVH" (Genesis 16:7 and many other references). When that "Angel of the Lord" represents God the Father in a personal sense and when he is under the explicit direction of the Father, he can be denominated Elohim (that is, even this "Angel of the Lord" can be called "God"). But, we are assured by the apostle Paul in the first two chapters of the Book of Hebrews that even this Angel of the Lord is not actually YHVH who is God the Father. And according to Paul, since such a spirit being is an angel, he therefore CANNOT be a "Son of God."
This distinction must be recognized if one is to understand just who are the "Sons of God" of the Bible (that is, the "Sons of Elohim" or "Elim" plural or the "Sons of El" singular) and what functions these Family members of God possess. There is a vast difference between the angels and members of the Godhead called "God" or the "Children of God." We have a clear reference to the "Sons of God" as being part of the divine assembly in heaven with YHVH, while angels are not such members. In Psalm 29:1 divine beings (but not angels) are called "Sons of Elim" (Hebrew = "Sons of Gods" or "Mighty Ones"). Look at Psalm 89:6.
"The heavens shall praise thy wonders, O Lord [YHVH]: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints [that is, "in the heavenly assembly of the holy ones" (plural)]. For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord [YHVH]? who among the Sons of El [the Hebrew is: "among the Sons (plural) of God (singular)"] can be likened unto the Lord [YHVH]?"
King James Version
What we clearly discover in the Holy Scriptures is the fact that if the term "Children" or "Sons and Daughters" be attached to the word Elohim, then those beings represent a part of the divine Family of God (the single and august Godhead itself). But if the term Elohim is used alone and without the adjective modifiers mentioned above, it is possible (though not always certain) that the angels are intended. An example of this is Psalm 97:7. It states: "Worship him, all ye Gods [Elohim]." (Psalm 97:7)
The apostle Paul in the Book of Hebrews interprets this very verse in the Psalm by saying that these "Gods" were "angels." Certainly, to Paul, angels could be named elohim and he translates Psalm 97:7 to mean such in Hebrews 1:6.
"And let all the angels of God worship him."
Hebrews 1:6
This interpretation of Paul is a clear indication that angels themselves can accurately be called "Gods." That is true, but are angels the "Sons of God"? Are the angels conceived of God (or generated by God) and then reckoned as "Sons of God" or "Children of God" like Christ has been, and like God the Father designates us who make up the human race? The apostle Paul answered most decidedly "NO." This distinction was so important to Paul that he placed this teaching regarding this discrimination at the very beginning of the Book of Hebrews.
"For unto which of the angels said he [God] at any time, Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he [God] bringeth in the firstbegotten [Christ] into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him."
Hebrews 1:5,6
CARDINAL FACT NUMBER ONE: It is important to realize that in any usage in the Old and New Testaments where the phrase "Son of God" or "Sons of God" (also "Children of God" or "Daughters of God") is used, the Book of Hebrews teaches dogmatically that these designations NEVER refer to angels no matter how important or high ranking the angels are. Though angels can be described by the generic word Elohim if it stands alone, according to the apostle Paul the angels can NEVER be referred to as being a "Son of Elohim" or, thus, the plural "Sons of Elohim." This teaching is also amplified with the use of the word "Children of God." No angel can ever be called a "Child of God." But for you, and me, and the whole of the human race, God the Father designates us as being the very "Children of God."
CARDINAL FACT NUMBER TWO: This statement by Paul that NO angel can be called a "Son of God" which he made at the beginning of the Book of Hebrews absolutely precludes the beings called the "Sons of God" in Genesis 6:2,4 who married the "Daughters of Men" and produced the offspring of the "Giants" as being angels, though many early Jewish interpreters thought they were the rebellious angels who revolted against God at the time referred to by I Peter 3:1821; II Peter 2:4,5; Jude verses 6 and 7. True, some angels were party to the rebellion that took place, but those "Sons of God" who had intercourse with the "Daughters of Men" had to be other types of God’s Sons AND NOT ANGELS. I have presented an abundance of information in my "Biblical Manual" that shows the distinction between all these points and I refer my readers of this Doctrinal Report to that 186 page manuscript for the evidence. I will, of course, discuss this matter thoroughly in my new book on the angels.
Indeed, the most wonderful teaching of God that can be found in the Holy Scriptures is the central and premier truth that we humans on earth (and though we are still in the flesh) are still reckoned by God to be His Children. We are "Gods" like He is. Even Jesus said of humans: "Ye are gods" (John 10:34,35). The apostle John made it clear that we, even though we are still in our human flesh during this age when we are spiritually immature, are presently reckoned as the Children of God. Soon, though, we are to be thoroughly deified in Christ when we are given our spiritual bodies at the resurrection from the dead.
"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us, that we should be called the sons of God [the Greek means "children of God"].... Now are we the sons of God ["children of God"], and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."
1 John 3:1,2
Yes, we are to become spiritual beings just exactly as Christ Jesus is now a spirit being and a part of the Godhead. Actually, the reason Christ Jesus came into this world to die on the tree of crucifixion and to be resurrected from the dead was to provide all of us, who make up the human race, with a divine destiny in which we assume our royal position as being "in Christ." Our being "in Christ" makes us to be reckoned by the Father as being His firstborn Children to help Him and the rest of the Family of God to rule and to sustain the totality of this universe. That destiny is to be the Children of God and the actual Brothers (and Sisters) of Christ. This is why the apostle Paul made it clear that we humans are destined to be the very brothers and sisters of Christ and members of the Family of God. How is this accomplished?
"We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor, that he by the grace of God should taste death for EVERY MAN [all humanity died when Christ died]. For it became him [Christ], for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of ONE: for which cause he [Jesus] is not ashamed to call them BRETHREN [BROTHERS], saying, I will declare thy name [God’s name] unto MY BRETHREN [MY BROTHERS]."
Hebrews 2:9-12
The apostle Paul said in the above teaching that "all things" were made FOR Christ, and that "all things" were made BY Christ. Paul also said that we are all ONE in the Father and in Christ, and we are "brothers" of Christ. So, in simple terms, Christ is our Brother (our Elder Brother). In being called "brothers," it means that we are all of the same Family. It is a divine Family made up of all the Children of God the Father with Christ being our Elder Brother. And in Christ, Paul said we "ARE ALL OF ONE." All of us make up ONE Body and ONE Family. We are reckoned as the real divine "Trinity" (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Us). And, importantly, females are as much a part of that divine Family as males. Paul said we are all "Sons and Daughters" of God the Father (II Corinthians 6:18). That’s right. There is a female side to the Family of God. Top authority, though, rests with the Father and the Son.
Since Paul taught that all Christians are collectively reckoned as being in the ONE Body of Christ, the ekklesia (I Corinthians 12:12), and that we all are acknowledged as being seated together in Christ who sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven (Ephesians 2:6; Colossians 3:1), then we Christians are also reckoned as equally sitting with Christ on the Father’s right side.
This means that we are legally FIRSTBORN ONES along with Christ, just as Christ is called the Firstborn (Colossians 1:15,18). We are not second born children. We are to be so high in authority in the divine Family of God that Paul said every single one of us who is now "in Christ" will be designated as the "Firstborn of God" (just as our Elder Brother Christ Jesus is now called the Firstborn). Notice what the apostle Paul said:
"But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and ekklesia [a divine group] of the firstborn [Greek: FIRSTBORN ONES, plural], which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect."
Hebrews 12:22,23
Christians are now acknowledged as having their names written in a manner that denotes our membership in the heavenly ekklesia (of which the earthly ekklesia is a type) and we are all acknowledged as firstborn ones because each of us is "in Christ" who is the real Firstborn. And in the resurrection we will be able to meet personally with the spirits of just men made perfect. These will be deified individuals.
Indeed, all mankind (who were made FOR and BY Christ) are destined to become the very Children of God the Father through no works of their own, but through the grace and works of Jesus Christ (by the application of his life, death and resurrection to each of us) (Ephesians 2:810). This is the real teaching of Christianity. It is time that readers of the Bible begin to believe it.
So, "Just Who or What Is God?" Elohim is the ONE divine Family to which all of us belong, and into which we will be born at our resurrections from the dead. All of us of the human race have a glorious future awaiting us. We are all destined in Christ Jesus to partake of the Godhead (to be a personal part of the divine Headquarters of the universe in heaven) and to be members of that ONE Family of God.
This is not "New Age" teaching. It is "Old Age" doctrine that comes directly from the plain statements of the Holy Scriptures. And though most people in the Christian denominations today are blinded to this high calling, and they usually say it is "blasphemy" if you teach this biblical doctrine, it is still the truth of the Holy Scriptures. The current apathy and even rebellion to this true doctrine is in contrast to what virtually all the Christian scholars and theologians of the fourth century knew was the destiny of mankind: that we are all reckoned to be "Gods" and that salvation is nothing less than assuming the divine status of being members of the very Godhead that rules the universe. (See my "Biblical Manual" for the references to show these historical truths.)
The fact is, salvation means that we (when we are changed at the resurrection from the dead) will become full members of the Family of God along with the Father and our Elder Brother, Jesus Christ. This teaching of salvation is the truth of God and His Son, Jesus Christ. What the socalled "New Agers" have done is to take a central truth of the Scripture and to color it with the errors of eastern paganistic mysticism. They take a nonbiblical approach to the matter and make a mockery out of the scriptural teaching by going outside the Bible to adopt heathen and alien teachings that corrupt the actual concept of what it means to be a member of the Family of God.
Let us never forget that this doctrine of the Deification of the human race did NOT originate with the "New Agers." The apostle Peter said that the "exceeding great and precious promises" mean we will be "partakers of the divine nature" (II Peter 1:4). In other words, we are destined to be deified (to become like God.)
Let us now return in this Doctrinal Report to the matter of angels and their relationship to us and our responsibility to them. We can better understand how to appreciate the angelic hosts and to have a proper association with them once we all comprehend the divine position that each of us has in the eyes of God the Father. That is why I have taken considerable space in this Doctrinal Report to make this matter clear concerning "who we humans are." The simple truth is (and something that none of you should ever forget), each one of you reading this Doctrinal Report happens to be, in the eyes of the Father, a divine "Son" or "Daughter" of God. We are reckoned to be (at this time even now) to be a part of the Royal Family that rules and controls the entirety of this universe. But who are the angels — even the most powerful of them? We are told in the Holy Scriptures just who and what angels are. Paul continues:
"Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them [to us] who shall be heirs of salvation?"
Hebrews 1:14
The chief role of angels according to this statement of the apostle Paul’s is one of "minister ing" to us. The word in Greek means to "serve in a public way." They are also "sent forth to minister," which means "to serve" us in a domestic sense. In other contexts of the Scriptures the word "minister" means to serve in normal household duties as Martha was serving Jesus when he was at the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus (Luke 10:40). In short, we are reckoned as being the "Children of God" who reside in God’s own royal Household and who are waited on by servants [the angels] who do the normal household duties within that Household while we as royal children carry on with the executive responsibilities of the Family of God. Let me give you a modern example of this "ministering" of angels with a practical example that all of us can recognize.
The example is this. At Windsor Castle in Britain several years ago, the Queen when she and her husband Philip were rearing their young children, they and the rest of the royal family would be served by servants (ministers) who were paid to provide the royal household with food, with doing housekeeping chores, etc. The royal family was furnished with every convenience that being a member of the royal family gave to them in their official capacity. This is because the royal family in the person of the Queen was legally reckoned as the sovereign of the realm. Besides her household servants (ministers), she also had certain servants in charge of high government functions involving both civilian and military responsibilities. They would appear before her at certain times to give reports on the state of the realm in which they were the servants (ministers) under the Queen.
In all cases it must be understood, for the sake of our illustration, that these household servants and even the esteemed governmental servants were not in themselves members of the royal household who held the responsibility of sovereignty over the realm. True, the Queen does not possess dictatorial power (as some rulers have exercised in past history), but the illustration I am giving is quite similar to the rulership of God (and by the way, God does have dictatorial power). But in Britain (and in other countries that still retain their limited monarchies), those who are members of the royal family have privileges and responsibilities that are very different from those who serve the royal family in their household or who also serve them in government positions within the realm. And so it is with each of us in our capacity as being members of the royal Family of God. We have a different relationship in a lateral sense with other members of the Family of God than we do with those who are designated as "servants" (angels). Let us see how this is to be understood.
God allows such examples as these dealing with royal personalities to exist on earth to show us how He rules the universe. You will note that in the Holy Scriptures God told Moses to build a Tabernacle with three compartments to it that would represent a pattern of God’s divine residence in heaven. The Tabernacle (and later the Temples at Jerusalem) represented nothing less than the palace of God in an earthly form here on this earth. His divine throne was symbolically reckoned to be what some call the "Mercy Seat" in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle and Temple. In the time of Moses, God chose the twelve tribes of Israel to represent His priestly nation to the world. God said:
"And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words that thou [Moses] shalt speak unto the children of Israel."
Exodus 19:6
This role of being the priestly nation of God meant that Israel was chosen to bring the rest of the human race to a proper relationship with God who dwelt in the Tabernacle (Temple) in Israel. Then God went further. He divided Israel finally into thirteen tribes and took one of the tribes (all of Levi) and made it a priestly tribe to Israel and the world (this left twelve tribes of Israel). God divided that priestly tribe of Levi into two divisions: one was the family of Aaron who were the actual priests and the high priests, and the other division was the rest of the Levites who became the helpers of the priests.
These two divisions in the time of Kind David were divided into 24 courses (see I Chronicles 24:118 for Aaron’s family, and I Chronicles 25:831 for their Levitical helpers). Just who did these 24 courses of priests on earth symbolically represent in God’s heavenly palace? In the Book of Revelation we are told that these 24 divisions represented in symbolic form the 24 angelic elders who actually ruled as servants of God in His heavenly palace (Revelation 4:4). This simply means that the 24 divisions at the Temple on earth were like the 24 courses of angelic hosts that serve God in heaven. These angelic hosts ARE NOT a part of the Family of God. They are not "Sons" and "Daughters" of God. They are servants (very high-powered servants). They are God’s ministers to do particular jobs for God in the administration of His divine government. Remember, these angels are not a part of the Family of God in an actual sense.
We are told of even more angelic ranks in heaven. They are higher in authority than the 24 elders. We read in Revelation 4:69 of four symbolic "beasts" with four prime characteristics: one was like a lion, another like a bull, another like a man, and another like an eagle (this is a reflection of what Ezekiel called the cherubim that he witnessed as recorded in his first and tenth chapters). In the astronomical design of the tribes of Israel around the Tabernacle encampment in the wilderness, the tribe of Judah (symbolized by the lion) was on the east side of the throne of God, the tribe of Dan (by the eagle and serpent) on the north side of the throne of God, the tribe of Reuben (as a man, the firstborn of Israel) on the west side of the throne of God, and the tribe of Ephraim (the firstborn of Joseph) as a bull on the south side of the throne of God. Each of these four premier tribes had a subsidiary tribe of Israel on each side that together equaled all the twelve tribes of Israel. These four heavenly creatures (each of the four have two subsidiary creatures) represent twelve cherubim who are in charge of looking after the four main divisions of the twelve tribes of Israel. There is also a top archangel over Israel called Michael (Daniel 12:1).
Now, in the time of David each of the twelve tribes of Israel was required to select a representative from the tribe to come to Jerusalem each month of the year and serve with the 24 priestly and Levitical divisions (I Chronicles 27: 115). These twelve captains of Israel at the Temple in Jerusalem symbolized the four "beasts" (lion, eagle, man, bull) that are cherubim in heaven which had two subsidiary cherubim on each side making twelve top cherubim surrounding the throne of the God in heaven.
Besides these two 24 courses of angels in heaven represented by the two 24 courses of priests in the Temple on earth, and the 4 "beasts" or top cherubim (with 8 subsidiary cherubim) around the throne of God, there were two exclusive cherubim who were so close to God that their wings overshadowed the "Mercy Seat" in the earthly Temple. It was typical of God’s heavenly throne. These two cherubim were symbolized in Israel (and in the earthly Temple) by the High Priest and the Chief Priest (a subsidiary priest called the "Sagan"). Remember that at Christ’s trial, the Jews took Christ to Annas the Chief Priest first (John 18:13), then to Caiaphas the actual High Priest (John 18:24).
The reason there was always a second High Priest available was in order to have a proper and purified High Priest in case one became contaminated for some reason during the seven days of purification that preceded most ritualistic events in which the activities of the High Priest were essential. Indeed, in the year of Herod’s death, the actual High Priest on the evening just before the Day of Atonement had a nocturnal emission that disqualified him from performing the important services and the second priest (the Sagan) took over in his place (Josephus, Antiquities XVII ¶¶164167). These two "High Priests" in the earthly Temple at Jerusalem symbolically represented the two cherubim who overshadowed the "Mercy Seat" in the Temple (or Palace) in heaven. One of these cherubs was finally disallowed from closely serving God in heaven (Ezekiel 28:1119).
There are even more angelic hosts in heaven than these represented on earth by their types. Besides the top angels, archangels and cherubim, we are told in Isaiah that there are a group of angels who are also servants of God around His throne called Seraphim (Isaiah 6:13). Indeed, when all the angelic hosts in heaven who serve God in His Palace and in other areas of the universe, we are told that their number is vast.
"And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands."
Revelation 5:11
What a great number of angels there are in heaven who surround the throne of God in His divine Palace! This enormous amount of angelic hosts even make the twelve legions of angels (about 60,000 angels) that Jesus said would come to protect him if he so asked (Matthew 26:53) seem almost insignificant. The simple truth is, there are literally an almost innumerable amount of angelic hosts whom God has marshaled to perform certain tasks for Him and to aid the Family of God in whatever function is required. These all look to the throne of God in heaven for instructions and commands of God that they are ordered to obey.
Be this as it may, why have I taken time to explain about these prodigious numbers of angels who look to the throne of God for instructions from God in serving Him? The reason is because those powerful angels also witness another person sitting on the right side of the Father. That person is God’s divine Son — God’s Firstborn Son, Christ Jesus. And God the Father has informed the whole universe that He has now accepted a host of other "Children of God" to sit on that same throne at the right hand of God as does Christ Jesus. Those persons are you and me, and the rest of the human race who will be redeemed to be "in Christ" in the resurrection. That is the destiny that you are to inherit. It is given to you NOT by any works you have done, but by the works and efforts of Jesus Christ who secured your salvation and inheritance for you (Ephesians 2:810).
We now come to the question of the angels’ personal relationship with YHVH (God the Father) and His firstborn Son Christ Jesus and to us who help make up the rest of the divine Family. Angels have to respect us as the "Children of God" who will soon be sitting on the same throne as Christ at the right hand of the Father. Indeed, we are already reckoned to be "Sons and Daughters of God." This is a role that angels cannot achieve. Angels can never be accredited with such a high and royal designation. But as for us, we are a part of the royal Family in heaven already (even though we are still in the flesh). To God the Father, Christ our Elder Brother and ourselves, the angels (including the highest of them) are "ministering spirits" who perform as "servants" to the Family of God. And what is that Family? Of what does it consist? It is comprised of God the Father, God the Son and God the Us (that is the proper teaching of the true "Trinity doctrine" that is revealed in the Holy Scriptures).
We should realize our present positions as princes and princesses of the royal Family of God (though we are now considered "under age" and not yet mature in a full spiritual way to take on the role of a fully maturated spiritual member of the Family because we have not experienced life in our spiritual bodies yet). Still, the knowledge of our divine positions can help us understand how the angels are expected to treat us and to respect us. We can also know how best we can treat and respect them.
First, let us look at the close relationship that all of us have with the Father and Christ Jesus that is not experienced by the angels even though some of them actually surround his throne of authority in the heavens. Since we are now "in Christ," Paul said that puts us in a position of extreme closeness to the Father that no angel has ever had or ever will have. We are so close to the Father and Christ that one intervenes.
"For there is one God [the Father], and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."
I Timothy 2:5
Note that we have no angelic mediators between us and the Father or Christ. Indeed, we proceed directly to the Father for all our needs, but we do it by appealing to the divine authority of Christ Jesus first. In a word, we have as our guardian spirit power, none other than Christ Jesus. There are no angels standing in the way as mediators. There are no men or women on earth (be they Popes or leaders of various Churches of God). We have direct and personal access to the "Boss" who is our Father (and He is the very top Father of the whole universe). We petition Him directly but always in the name of (which means, by the authority of) our Elder Brother (Christ Jesus). We are told in the Scriptures that he then takes our requests to the Father and that the Father will always respond to the appeal of Christ on our behalf. Under no circumstances do the Scriptures teach that you should petition any angel directly in prayer, no matter if the angel is the highest in power. God does not permit His Children to do that. What a shame that there are so many church denominations that teach that Christians should say a prayer for protection or comfort to your so-called "Guardian Angel." This is wrong! What Paul taught in First Timothy 2:5 does not allow such demeaning actions by God’s children.
When you actually realize the truth, you will discover that we need NO "Guardian Angels." What we require, and what we have, is a "Guardian God the Father" who has given us a "Guardian Elder Brother" named Christ Jesus. What do you prefer? Do you want as your "Guardian" spirit an angel (whether low on the totem pole of authority or at the very top of the ranking angelic hosts), or would you like as your personal spiritual "Guardian" the personality who is Second in Command of the whole universe who happens to be your Elder Brother? You should make up your mind who you want. The fact is, you are being told by God’s divine writers in the Holy Scriptures that you are so special and esteemed in the eyes of the Father of the universe that you are given the privilege of having direct access to the First in Command of the Universe (the Father) through the authority of the Second in Command of the universe. They both represent your personal spirit "Guardians." You or I would have to be out of our minds if we would settle for less than God’s divine protection and guardianship through Christ Jesus, our Elder Brother who loves us.
Listen, you are a member of the very Family of God! You do not need a "Guardian" angel to appeal to. You have a "Guardian Elder Brother" who is better at the task of looking after your welfare (and that of your loved ones) than all the angels in heaven and earth. True, God the Father and Christ Jesus may send you an angel to "guard" you in any given circumstance, or they may send twelve legions of angels to support you in your time of need, but you are selling yourself short if you want to first make your appeals for help and for aid to an angel when you have Christ Jesus himself waiting to hear your personal requests. Who is it in heaven who makes personal intercession to the Father on your behalf? Let the apostle Paul tell us.
"It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us"
Romans 8:34
Again, who makes intercession for us — for you personally? It is Christ Jesus. He is the spiritual power in heaven who intercedes for you. Note how it is Christ’s spirit body (in his spirit form) who is situated at the right hand of God to make intercession for us.
"Likewise the Spirit [Christ Jesus as Spirit] also helps our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself [remember, Christ is that Spirit — the Spirit who] makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered [by us]. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit [the spirit mind of Christ], because he [Christ] makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God…. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us."
Romans 8:26,27,34 emphases are mine
So, the Spirit who is the divine mediator for us is Christ Jesus "who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us." You do not need a personal "Guardian Angel" when you have as your spirit "Guardian" your Elder Brother who is Second in Command of the universe. Now, Christ can send a special angel (even your angel, or twelve legions of angels) to help you in need if he wishes, but your only intercessor is Christ Jesus, and you should NEVER think of petitioning any lesser spiritual power no matter if that power is the highest of the angels. The fact is, that top angelic power is below your rank in the hierarchy of the Family of God. You should go directly to God the Father through your Elder Brother, and NEVER go to or through an angel!
Remember what the apostle Paul taught us: "For there is one God [the Father], and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (I Timothy 2:5). God has never instructed you or me to petition as a mediator any angel (even your own angel or anybody else’s angel) when you are in spiritual or physical need. If you do, it is a slight to God the Father and to Christ Jesus (your Elder Brother) to do so. Indeed, such mediation is complete insubordination to your own personal Father and Elder Brother. It is not a "Guardian Angel" that you need or that you should consult, it is your "Guardian Father" that you are to petition directly, but always through the agency of Christ Jesus. Indeed, it is not proper to direct your prayers even to Christ alone. You should always present your requests in prayer to God the Father in the name of (or, by the authority of) Christ Jesus. And NEVER direct any prayer (no matter how insignificant or how profound you may think it to be) to an angel, no matter how powerful and esteemed the angel may be. That is forbidden by the teachings of the Holy Scriptures (Revelation 22:8,9). Never forget these essential facts. And remember, you are already a part of the divine Family and you should always exercise your personal power and authority as being a Son or a Daughter of God in your requests to your Father through Christ.
If you wish to know how you are presently to treat the angels of God that the Father and Christ may send to you to help and comfort you in times of need, you need to understand our present relationship that we as brothers and sisters in the Family of God have to one another on this earth. Let me give you some illustrations that all of you will be able to understand and to recognize as correct procedures.
Let me start by referring to my own marriage relationship that I have with Ramona Jean (my wife). There is no doubt in my mind that Ramona Jean is a converted woman who loves God and her Elder Brother Christ Jesus. I share her faith completely. This faith also makes us to be a brother and sister in Christ. This is beside the fact that we are also in a physical sense man and wife. In the capacity as man and wife we share all things of a physical and spiritual nature that God expects of a man and woman who are married. This even includes, to be plain and to the point, conjugal relations. But there is another side to our relationship. We are also brother and sister to one another in Christ. This is different. If we shared conjugal relations strictly within that role, we would be committing incest in any conjugal relations. Of course, incest is a crime that is forbidden in the teachings of the Holy Scriptures.
The fact is, however, Ramona Jean and I have two different relationships with one another. The two relationships can easily be explained. In the first (our marriage relationship) we are not brother and sister, but we are husband and wife. Our relationship in that realm is a horizontal one (it is a lateral dimension in which we express our attachment to one another through a physical and emotional environment that is reflective of two human beings who are married to each other). But in our brother and sister relationship within the Family of God, our association is a vertical one which reaches upward through Christ Jesus and then downward to each one of us. Ramona Jean is actually a sister to me through Christ who is in heaven by our attachment to Christ Jesus as our Elder Brother. I am also a brother to her through Christ who is in heaven. That is the same way that all of us who make up the present Family of God are brothers and sisters to one another. Let us look closer at this matter.
Look at the example of my own father and mother (when they were alive). Both of them were Christians. In regard to being attached to my Elder Brother (Christ Jesus) in heaven, even my own father and mother were my brother and sister through Christ in a vertical sense, while in a lateral or horizontal sense they were my blood father and mother. This vertical relationship is also that which Ramona Jean and I have to all of you who are our brothers and sisters in Christ.
In the Family of God our present relationships that all of us have with one another in a spiritual sense is always through Christ — it is a vertical one through our Elder Brother Christ Jesus. Let me give you a further example how the vertical and the horizontal relationships differ from one another. In 1991 my own blood brother died (which was a day of great sadness to me as it would be to any of you who loved your own physical brother or sister). I not only felt obligated to attend his funeral, I even conducted it, because he was my own brother and you can understand why I did so. I had a special obligation in this contemporary society to my blood brother that I do not have with my spiritual brothers and sisters in Christ whose fraternalism comes through the blood of Christ. Now, both types of relationships are important, but they differ from one another in this life.
Let me go further with another illustration. Last week, I received a telephone call from a brother in Christ whom I have known and respected for over twenty years because he and I had a personal and brotherly relationship through Christ. He told me that his dear wife had just died. I also knew her in the same way that I knew him. It was sad for me to hear of her death. As a gesture of my respect for him and his dear wife, he asked me to supply him with a brief funeral outline that he might give at her funeral services because I had more experience in conducting funeral services than he. I sent that outline to him. But, that dear brother in Christ did not expect me to get on an airplane and attend the funeral of his dear wife and my sister in Christ (nor did he expect me to conduct the funeral like I did for my own blood brother).
All of us who are the very Children of God (and brothers and sisters to one another) have our intimate spiritual relationship at the present only in the vertical sense through Christ Jesus our Elder Brother in heaven. That is why our present association as brothers and sisters is a vertical one. But don’t get me wrong. That vertical connection is very real and it is as important (even more so in some ways) than the horizontal relationship that we have with our own blood brothers and sisters. But look at the difference in these matters that our present societies demand. Whereas I was expected to attend my own brother’s funeral, I was not required by any social custom or spiritual command from God to attend that of my sister in Christ who just died 3000 miles away on the east coast of America.
But wait a moment! I actually attended the funeral service of my sister in Christ, but I was there in a vertical sense through my (and her) Elder Brother Christ Jesus who was very much there in spirit. What I did was to ask Christ Jesus my Elder Brother in heaven to look after all the affairs of my sister and brother in Christ in the eastern part of America even though I could not attend the funeral in a physical way.
The same relationship applies to all of you who read this Doctrinal Report. You are my brothers and sisters in Christ (and I am pleased and honored for that privilege of being your brother) but I would not ask you to attend my funeral if I died, nor can I logically get on an airplane and attend the forty or fifty funerals of my brothers and sisters in Christ who are a part of the work of ASK who die in the faith each year.
Be this as it may, you may ask what does all of this about our own brotherly and sisterly relationships have to do with our association with the angels? The truth is, it has everything to do with it. It will show how we are to express our love and concern not only to our present brothers and sisters in Christ but how we are to convey our love and respect even to the angels whom God may send to us from time to time to help us in time of need. This spiritual attitude is an expression of a principle of faith and responsibility. This is why I have taken so much space in this special Doctrinal Report to present these fraternal aspects to you whether they be of a horizontal or a vertical nature in regard to our association with all those whom God has created. Let us view some practical principles that will show the proper effectiveness of our relationships with the angels and with our own brothers and sisters on earth.
Yes, God has guardian angels for you, but they are those whom He selects to aid you (whether they be a single angel or a multitude of angels, even as many as twelve legions if God has to send them to protect you). Christ spoke of human children who have their angels (Matthew 18:10). Yes, small children have their own angels. If this is the case, then you can rest assured that you have your angels to come to your aid (even more than one, if God so wishes).
The Holy Scriptures are explicit that the angels are intended to be your ministers (that is, your servants and attendants) that do you service because you are a Son or a Daughter of God (you are served as a member of the Family of God). Indeed, you are not yet a grown or fully adult member of the Family. And let me tell you a fact. You who are now parents love your own children, and you will look after the welfare of your own children in the flesh more than that of your own welfare because you love those little tots who happen to be your own flesh and blood. Well, God the Father and your Elder Brother Christ Jesus also love you in personal way even more than you do your own children.
So, in order to protect you, the Father and Christ have selected certain angels to watch after you in a personal manner. They are like (in the human analogy that all of us can recognize) "nannies" or "butlers" who are hired by God to watch out after His Children who make up the Royal Family of God. They are hired servants.
The illustration I am presently giving you is not a Pollyanna aspect that has no bearing on the real facts. The truth is, what I am telling you happens to be correct. Angels are commanded by God to look after your welfare. They are your angels, though you do not own them. They can even be assigned to you in a temporary manner or longer, but they still are servants, not equals.
But how do they perform their role and what attitude should you, as a Child of God express in regard to their influence? The next section of this Report is important for you to comprehend and I advise you to read it carefully and to know these sound scriptural principles.
Angels are your servants that can be sent to you by God the Father and Christ Jesus for your benefit, but you are never to fraternize with them as though they are your equals or that they are the equals to God and Christ and deserve worship. Even John the Apostle was tempted to worship the exalted angel who gave him much of the teaching in the Book of Revelation. As a matter of fact, that angel himself (who was no less than the Angel of the Lord) had enough sense to command John not to give him a divine status that is reserved for the Father.
"And I John saw these things and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel which showed me these things. Then saith he [the Angel of the Lord] ‘See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God’"
Revelation 22:9
The fact is, when John the apostle finally grows into full, mature adulthood as a Son of God by the resurrection from the dead (John will no longer be an Infant of God, but a full born and mature Son of God), that very Angel of the Lord will be subject to him (and that very Angel of the Lord will be subject to YOU — I mean YOU whoever you are now reading this Doctrinal Report). God the Father has as His task to make true and full Sons and Daughters of you, and God will be utterly successful in His work. When God sets out to accomplish a work, he will never fail in doing the job.
Angels are only over you temporarily because you are not yet knowledgeable of spiritual matters involving the Family of God that you will be given when you are resurrected from the dead at Christ’s Second Advent. That time is soon coming when you will be born into the very Family of God. At that time, you will be above all the angels in heaven no matter who they are. You will even be able to "judge angels" (I Corinthians 6:3). Why will we "judge angels"? This is because angels do not always perform the will of God in their relationship with God, between themselves or with us humans. That is why you should use caution with the angels. The wise Eliphaz rightly stated:
"Behold, he [God] puts no trust in his saints [angels]: yea, the heavens are not clean in his [God’s] sight."
Job 15:15
Remember, not all angels are righteous. Satan the Devil is himself a personality who appears as a righteous angel (II Corinthians 11:14). Even the heavens need purifying (Hebrews 9:23). Satan and his angels are still in heaven and have not yet come to earth as they are prophesied to do just before the Second Advent of Christ (Revelation 12:717). Many angels are outright liars and will try to deceive you. We are not told in Scripture why some angels take pleasure in deceiving the Children of God, but we should simply believe the Word of God that they do take such liberties and some revel in deceiving you. As the apostle John warns us:
"Beloved, believe not every spirit [such as an angel], but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets [deceived by angels] have gone out into the world."
I John 4:1
They especially like to be liars in regard to mimicking the dead (our dead relatives or friends). We have much evidence of people who have long been dead and in their graves still appearing as though they are alive (like Mary the mother of Christ, and other saints). The Bible teaches in no uncertain terms that the only personage who has ever lived on earth and now has immortality is Jesus Christ (I Timothy 6:16). Those appearances of spirit apparitions are those of lying spirits (or angels) trying to lead mankind away from the truths of the Scriptures. Listen, our immortality comes by the resurrection from the dead that will occur at the Second Advent of Christ. These lying angels are more than willing to deceive you (the very Children of God) to deny the teachings of the Word of God that the dead are very dead and awaiting their resurrections (I Corinthians 15: 2057). You must always exercise firm faith (with caution) when encountering angelic hosts.
If you ever see a spirit being who says that he or she is the "spirit" of a person who has recently died (or even in remote history has died, such as Mary the mother of Jesus), you should rebuke that spirit (that lying angel). But how do you as a Child of God rebuke such an angel who often may be in a high authority among the angelic throngs? You rebuke that lying angel by going vertically to Christ. You should adopt the same procedure as did Michael the archangel when he had to confront Satan the Devil, whom God for this age has allowed to be in a higher authority than Michael. Note what Michael stated:
"Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses [where his body should be buried], durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, the Lord rebuke thee."
Jude 9, italics mine
Note the italicized words that Michael spoke. He stated to Satan the Devil himself: "the Lord rebuke thee." This is an example to show that the Lord had more authority than Satan and the Lord had the full sovereignty to rebuke and to put down Satan (which He did). This is vertical authority in action! And you as a Son and a Daughter have the same authority (indeed, even more so) to appeal to Christ Jesus (your Elder Brother directly) to rebuke any evil influence that may come your way. Or, conversely, if you wish a blessing from God, you do not need to address any angel (indeed, it is wrong to ask any angel no matter how important he may be) to give you a blessing.
It is not the angels that you should convoke to perform things for you in a spiritual manner. For you who are the very Children of God, you should go directly to God through your Elder Brother in heaven and ask him to present your case to the Father. You do not need to go through any angel (or to make it plain), it is wrong for you to demean yourself as a Son and Daughter of God to resort to "servants" to act for you when you have your Elder Brother always at your side to do the job for you.
Of course, you are in no way to be haughty or arrogant in regard to angels. You should act like a loving and considerate member of the Royal Family of God. As a matter of fact, all angels appear as ordinary human beings to us (male or female) when we observe them. When they appear in fleshly form they look just like any other human being (the wings depicted on angels in many parts of the Scriptures are always symbolic denoting their ability to transport themselves through the air like birds, and the wings are not to be taken literally). The apostle Paul even told people that they (in their kind and considerate treatment of ones they thought were humans) had actually entertained "angels unawares" (Hebrews 13:2).
You will notice that I mention "female" angels. Why do I make such a distinction? It is because there are numerous records throughout history (and even within our contemporary environment) of spirit apparitions who appear like beautiful and righteous "women" (the usual visits of the so-called "Mary, mother of Jesus" are an example). Now, since the real "Mary" is dead and awaiting the resurrection from the dead at Christ’s Second Advent, this spirit personality mimicking "Mary, the mother of Jesus" is actually a lying spirit. This is bold speaking, but it happens to be the truth as shown in the teachings of the Holy Scriptures.
Some might say that such apparitions of "female" spirits prove the existence of "female" angels? This, of itself, is not so. It could be possible, one would think, for an angel to appear as a male person looking like a he-man lumberjack at one moment and then appear an instant later as a svelte and tender female spirit (if God would give the angel the power to do so).
Personally, I do not feel that angels have the power to be metamorphized in such a manner. The reason the existence of "female" angels make sense to me is because of Paul’s illustration in Romans 1:20 that the invisible things of God are made known to us who are physical by analyzing the physical things that God has created. So, look at the creation as Paul said. Since humanity is made up of males and females, since we are told that the Family of God has "Sons" and "Daughters," since all the higher animals are males and females, since the higher forms of vegetable life have male and female characteristics, and since we are told by scientists that even the inanimate material worlds (whether atomic or subatomic) have positive and negative constituents that resemble the male and female principles of living things, then it appears reasonable to me that there would be "female" angels. I base my conclusion on biblical teaching, not on what might simply be observed in any given circumstance.
You should always treat all the angels with respect and with the honor that is due to them (no matter who they are), but both you and the angels ought to realize the different positions that all of you have. Just as the servants and ministers who serve Queen Elizabeth in Britain (or any other monarch on earth) do not fraternize with the members of the Royal Family, neither should you encourage any of the angels (even the most powerful) to be your "buddy" or your "special friend" or your "intimate advisor" or one to have physical relationships with you. You should treat them kindly and with compassion and love, but always in a remote sense. There should never be a social fraternization or an intimacy that brings them up to your level of power and authority, or to bring you down to their level of rank.
What is your relationship that you can always show to the angels (whether they are good or bad)? This is easy to explain. It is the same association that each of us (who is a brother or sister in Christ) treat one another at the present. The Bible shows your relationship should always be friendly if the angels are righteous (or cautious if you are not sure of their standing in the eyes of God), but your relationship with the angels — any and all of them — should always be vertical, it should never be horizontal. You should especially NEVER have physical contact with them where they put their arms around you to console you or you respond in the same fashion. That is NOT what angels are responsible for doing.
This very thing is what happened after the Flood of Noah and at the time of Sodom and Gomorrah when the angels of God left their estate and communicated with humans in a wrong (a physical) manner. Some angels have wanted to have such a physical relationship with you who are the Children of God. If you want to see the consequences of such relationships, read Second Peter 2:49 and Jude verses 6-10. While God permits connubial relationships between the different sexes of all His Children as long as those contacts are within the parameters of God’s divine principles of legal and social acceptability, such physical relationships with angels is strictly forbidden. Human beings should only have intimate physical contact with human beings and always within a context of social and biblical responsibility. Angels are not the same "kind" as humans (see Genesis 1:2428 to view what God’s definition of "kind" happens to be). God’s judgment should always prevail.
Even if the angel you wish to communicate with is your own angel that God has sent to aid you in any circumstance, you should never deal with him or her in an intimate manner that involves physical or spiritual contact of a very personal and intimate nature. You should treat your angel as you would your dentist, your physician, your professor if you are in university, or your plumber if you have problems with your bathroom faucets. Angels have their role to play in your life, but they should be treated like the professionals that they are, and not be looked upon as agents with whom you engage in intimate relations. Your association with angels should be strictly (and the Scriptures mean STRICTLY) professional in all ways. There should NOT BE the slightest PERSONAL relationship with angels (whether they are male or female). That has never led to proper ethics.
That was the very problem that developed just before and after the Flood of Noah that the Holy Scriptures relate was a catastrophe to world civilization. The simple truth is, you are in a different class of rank and authority than all of the angels combined. If you should ever find yourself needing to communicate with any angel (no matter who that angel may be) you should always direct your communication through Christ, your Elder Brother in heaven. The reason for this is because you do not possess the knowledge of how to effectively carry on a profitable and edifying communication with the spiritual powers representing the angelic hosts who may temporarily have the advantage over you. This is because they have prowess in many spiritual matters while you are often ignorant of the spiritual savvy that is necessary to deal with those spiritual powers properly and effectively.
Now don’t get me wrong. You may have more knowledge of spiritual matters than even the most intelligent of the angels. That is a fact. Though angels know how to maneuver within a spiritual environment better than you do, the knowledge they possess about that very existence may be deficient to yours. Note how the Holy Scriptures state that there were certain teachings in the Word of God that the angels could read about but they did not understand.
"It was revealed that not unto themselves [the early prophets of the Bible], but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the Gospel unto you with the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into."
I Peter 1:12
The simple fact is, angels are often deficient in the knowledge of God’s plan for the redemption of the human race to Himself. Indeed, the apostle Paul was so bold as to state that it was the principalities and powers in heaven [all the angelic hosts] who came down to earth to learn from those in the ekklesia of God (made up of human beings) what God really intended by revealing the teaching called "the Mystery" to the apostles. Look at what the apostle Paul said:
"Unto me who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the Mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God who created all things by Jesus Christ: to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers [the angelic hosts] in heavenly places might be known by the church [through the ekklesia made up of humans] the manifold wisdom of God."
Ephesians 3:8-10
Look at this great truth. The teaching of "the Mystery" (that salvation in Christ means to sit with Christ on the right hand of the Father to rule the whole of universe in the Family of God) was NOT REVEALED to the most powerful of the angelic hosts. Those principalities and those powers in the heavenlies had to learn of this great truth by listening to human beings (the apostles who had God’s Holy Spirit). God the Father did not give this wonderful truth to the angels until He had first presented it to those who made up His ekklesia (the Body of Christ) who represent His very Children.
So, for all of you who may think that it is a good thing to try getting in contact with the spirit (angelic) powers to obtain more knowledge than we humans possess, you should read that teaching of the apostle Paul which he gave as recorded in Ephesians 3:810. The truth is, you can know more about the plan of God the Father than all the angels in heaven. You are privileged because you are a "Son" or a "Daughter" of the living God who created all the universe. Don’t demean your rank and authority by kowtowing to any angelic being. What you do is to worship God the Father and your Elder Brother Christ Jesus. Never petition the angels first in anything. God does not permit His Children to do that. You should go directly to God the Father (through Christ) for all your petitions that you need answers to. That is the teaching of the Gospel, and it will pay us to heed the instruction that comes directly from God the Father.
The fact is, you do not need a "Guardian Angel," when you already have a "Guardian God" and your Elder Brother, Christ Jesus at your beck and call. My brothers and sisters in Christ, do not lower yourself by appealing horizontally to any of the angelic hosts when you have the vertical privilege and the divine right to go directly to the First in Command of the entirety of the universe (through Christ Jesus) for all the aid and help you will need.
This world has got the matter wrong of where our protection lies because the world (even our Christian world, it is sad to relate) has forgotten who they are. Don’t you realize that you are the very Children of God who make up the third part of the Godhead that the world calls the "Trinity"? That’s right. Remember, the real "Trinity" of the Holy Scriptures is: God the Father, God the Firstborn Son (Christ Jesus), and God the Us (all of us who are "in Christ"). It is time that we all begin to act like the Children of God that we are created to be.
True enough, this is not the time to be haughty and arrogant with our knowledge of just who we are, but it is time to tell our fellow human beings just who they are so that they can begin to enjoy the royal position of being members of the very Family of God that rules and sustains the entirety of the universe. It is not you who made yourselves to be in such an exalted position, but it is Christ Jesus who went through the humiliation and the pain of the crucifixion to give to you and me by God’s divine grace this position of august authority and power.
What we need is for God the Father and Christ Jesus to grant us the same type of spiritual bodies that they possess, and the same spiritual attitude and righteousness that now prevails between them. When we finally are given, by grace, these wonderful attributes that the Family of God can possess in all their glory and sublime power, then we will be able (even with the angels being redeemed and at our side) to exalt the Father who made all these wonderful things possible through the efforts and love of our Elder Brother Christ Jesus.
In closing, let me ask you a question. Do you really want a "Guardian Angel"? If you do, then I will tell you how to obtain one. Get on your knees and ask God the Father (through the authority of your Elder Brother in heaven) to send you a "Guardian Angel" to look after you and all your loved ones. You know, because the Father and Christ love you so much, they may well do that very thing for you. But as for me, and though I respect all the angels and honor them, I do not feel the need to ask the Father and Christ Jesus for a "Guardian Angel."
I will tell you who I want with all my heart to guard me, to guard my loved ones, and to guard all of you who are my brothers and sisters in Christ. I ask in humility that God the Father have Christ Jesus to watch over me and to watch and protect all of you. We should place such petitions before our heavenly Father. This is why, in my view, I do not need a "Guardian Angel."
That’s right. I do not feel the need to have a "Guardian Angel" (no matter how powerful he may be) because I already have a "Guardian Father and Elder Brother" always at my side and they love me and respect me with all their hearts no matter how many faults I may have. In fact, they have justified me [declared me to be righteous] and they have secured for me a certain salvation into the very Family of God. It was my Elder Brother who bought and paid for me to rescue me from myself and from all other evil. And thanks be to the Father, Christ will never fail me no matter what the circumstance.
And again, who is that Elder Brother in whom I trust? His name is a most familiar one to all of us. He is Jesus Christ! Indeed, He is also your Elder Brother. And though most of humanity do not realize it in this present age, one day they will know that Jesus Christ is their Elder Brother too. When that happens, and they respond to His message of the Gospel, the whole universe will come into a reconciled state with God and with one another. That is when the Family of God will become the greatest blessing that the Father could bestow upon this universe that He has created and that He sustains. God speed the day when our salvation becomes the assumption of Divine Nature that is our destiny.
Ernest L. Martin
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