Weird teachings about angels have become the norm in some charismatic circles
today. It's time to demand sanity on the subject.
At a growing Brazilian church in Boston, a pastor told his congregation he
was having regular conversations with an angel. Weeks later he set a chair on
the stage for the heavenly visitor, whom he said was attending Sunday services
even though no one could see him. The pastor eventually wrote a book containing
messages he had supposedly received from the angel. The man's teachings became
so bizarre that he was eventually removed from his denomination for promoting
heresy.
That scenario may seem extreme, but it is one example of widespread
emphasis on angels and angelic encounters in the charismatic movement today. In
the case of the Brazilian church, the pastor went off the theological deep end
and his church became a cult. It remains to be seen what will happen in other
sectors of our movement as leaders promote teachings about angels that range
from the mildly weird to downright wacky:
| "It remains to be seen what will happen in other sectors of our movement as
leaders promote teachings about angels that range from the mildly weird to
downright wacky." |
* Evangelist Todd Bentley, leader of the Lakeland Revival, stirred up
interest in angels when he wrote about Emma, a female angel he said wears a long
white dress, floats above the floor and resembles Kathryn Kuhlman.
* A young evangelist who was preaching in Canada last spring held up a jar
with a feather in it and told the congregation it belonged to an angel who
visits him. He said the angel was coming to the service to release riches and
healing to those who wanted prayer.
* Leaders of the prophetic movement often speak of angels that bring
healing, wealth or special anointings. Some have described angels as tall as
skyscrapers while others say they have seen tiny angels the size of insects. One
prophet spoke of angels who are sleeping inside the walls of churches. Another
segment of believers claim that the glowing circles of light that often show up
on photographs are angels in the form of "orbs."
With such exotic teachings on the rise, we desperately need some biblical
guidelines. If you believe everything you hear these days, angels can be huge,
tiny, spherical, male, female, feathered or non-feathered. What's next? Yipping
dog angels? Mermaid angels with fins? Court jester angels with bells on their
hats?
Since my earliest days in the charismatic movement I was always taught that
the Bible is our guidebook for doctrine and practice, and that the early
church's experience in the Book of Acts should be a pattern for us. This would
direct us to assume that if a spiritual experience is not in the Bible, then it
should not be considered normative for us today.
When I look at what the New Testament teaches us about angels, and
specifically what the book of Acts shows us about them, here's what I
find:
- Angels who looked like men told the
early disciples that Jesus would return one day (see Acts 1:11)
- Angels are actively working behind the
scenes to minister to the saints, especially to offer protection (see Acts
12:7-11)
- In one case an angel directed Philip
where to preach (see Acts 8:26)
- Angels sometimes appeared in visions to
give instructions, as one did for Cornelius (see Acts 10:3,7,22)
- An angel came to Paul to strengthen him
and to assure him that he would preach to Caesar (see Acts 27:23-24).
If we look at Paul's epistles, we find only a few references to angels-and
most are actually warnings to the early church about a wrong emphasis on
angels:
- Paul warned the Galatians that false
angels can bring deception (see Gal. 1:8)
- Paul warned the Corinthians about
"angels of light" that are messengers of Satan (see 2 Cor. 11:14)
- Paul warned the Colossians about
misguided people who worship angels and deceive people with their emphasis on
mystical experiences that are rooted in their hyperinflated egos (see Col.
2:18).
The book of Hebrews was written to a group of Christians who were
considering going back to Old Covenant worship. In the first chapter the author
makes it clear that angels have a lower place in God's economy when compared
to Jesus Christ.
Many Bible scholars believe the readers of this epistle were being tempted
to go back to an Old Covenant paradigm in which angels played a more significant
role. The author of Hebrews warns these believers to focus their attention
instead on the Son of God, who is more glorious than angels. We can make some
basic assumptions about angels in the New Covenant era:
1. Angels help the church fulfill its mission, and they protect and
guide the saints. Every one of us has probably experienced the activity of
angels in our lives-often without knowing it because they are usually
invisible.
2. Angels sometimes intervene with directive messages. But there is
no case in the New Testament church in which an angel gave his name or brought
attention to himself.
3. Angels don't teach or explain doctrine. In our movement today,
some leaders have suggested that certain angels (such as "Winds of Change") have
arrived to usher in new movements. Emma has been described as a "nurturing
angel" who brings a prophetic movement. But nowhere does the Bible suggest that
angels bring moves of God. Jesus commissioned the church to advance the kingdom
by preaching the gospel. Angels know this and they are expecting us to do our
job.
4. Angels don't bring healing. The New Testament church was
commissioned to bring healing "through the name of Jesus," and Jesus was always
the focus for anyone who was healed miraculously. The story of the Pool of
Siloam falls under the Old Covenant system, since this phenomenon occurred
before the ministry of Jesus. And when Jesus came to that pool He proved to be a
better solution to those who waited for the stirring of the waters.
5. Angels look like people, and in every case in Scripture they appeared
to be male. However, in some cases their appearance was frightening because
they carry with them the glory of heaven and the fear of God.
6. False angels preach a different gospel. One of the devil's
strategies is to send counterfeit angelic messengers who bring teaching that is
contrary to biblical truth.
There are many flaky, weird and foolish concepts being circulated in our
movement today that must be corrected. If we don't hold tightly to Scripture, we
might unknowingly give birth to a cult that could bring great damage and
division to churches worldwide. It's time to get back to the Bible!
J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma. On Tuesday, Sept. 2, you can join him
on a live conference call with Louisiana pastor Larry Stockstill, author of the
new book, The Remnant. Lee and Larry will be discussing the leadership
crisis in the American church and how we can restore integrity to ministry in
this country. To sign up for the call, click here.
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