ANGELS OF HIS PRESENCE – MESSENGERS OF HIS FACE – Roy Roden
Angels were created by God as angels of light that reveal His divine nature. The life, power and authority of angel’s flows from the throne of God There are angels of peace and angels of war, angels, of light and angels of power. Just as every person on earth is created to be unique and different, so are the angels of heaven. As we will cover later, the highest order of angels stand in the presence of God known as “Angels of His Presence.” These are the angelic messengers that behold the face of God.
All of God’s angels reveal some aspect of His divine nature and light. As ministering spirits that co-labor with the Lord’s people on earth, they receive the life of God in heaven because they are never separated from His presence. Jesus tells us that the angel of every child always beholds their Father’s face in heaven. No matter where these angels are on earth, they behold the Father upon the throne.
The Lord created all things and for His pleasure, they are created. (Rev. 4:11). In all of the creation, there is an element of His glory that is inherent to its nature. Even nature itself and the stars of heaven reveal the glory of God. And so do the angels in heaven. As a creation of God, they have the distinct ability to behold the Lord’s face that enables them to be the messengers of God that radiate His glory.
Some Biblical Examples
As a Biblical example of the nature of Angels, after Christ resurrection an angel of the Lord rolls back the stone from the tomb of Christ and sits upon it, and “His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow” (Mathew 28:3). The lighting that emanated from this Angel is the same lightning that the apostle John saw in heaven,
“And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thundering” (Rev. 4:5).
The pure radiant countenance of this angel that shone like lighting came from the purity of the Father, who created this angel to reveal this aspect of His divine nature! The angels of God cannot reflect anything less than that which is of heaven!
When Peter was in prison an angel of the Lord came to him at night, “and a light shined in the prison” (Acts 12:7). This light is none other than the light of heaven that this angel radiated, which is the life of the Lord given to him as an angel of light.
In the presence of angels, you will discern the Lord’s presence. This is one reason why they are called ‘Angels of the Lord” as they were created by the Lord with the life of His presence. A Biblical example of this is recorded by the prophet Isaiah who recounts the goodness of God towards Israel stating,
“In their entire affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of His presence saved them: in His love and in His pity He redeemed them; ….” (Is. 63:9).
Isaiah refers to the angel as the Angel of His presence that saved them. This is none other than the angel of the Lord assigned to Israel that was with them in the wilderness. This angel is called the angel of His presence because he stands in the presence of God. When angels are in your vicinity, they will always display the nature of heaven. Any angel that does not is a fallen angel. (More on this later)
Messengers of His Face
Paul Keith Davis wrote an article called “Angels of His Presence” that was released in July 2010 in the White Dove Ministries newsletter called “The Voice of the Times.” The following is an excerpt from this article reprinted by permission.
“These angels have a very extraordinary nature that comes from standing in the presence of Almighty God. Isaiah 63:9 declares “In their entire affliction He was afflicted, And the angel of His presence saved them; In His love and in His mercy He redeemed them, and He lifted them and carried them all the days of old.”
The Angel of His presence saved them! We are finding out that this could have been more accurately translated in the original language as “Messenger of His Face.” The word used here for “angel” is most often translated “messenger.” The word for “Presence” is most often translated “face.” The Lord sent the Messenger of His face to save them. So what I am prophesying is,
“Those messengers of His face are coming from Heaven to empower us to become messengers of His face.”
It says in some rabbinical writings that the “Angels of His Presence” are high-level angels, also known as the “Angels of His face.” According to the Book of Jubilee, “Angels of His Presence,” are angels of sanctification, and are among the highest order of angels. According to the rabbinical tradition the “Angels of His presence” are carriers of His glory. The Lord manifests Himself as the Angel of His presence, but He has in His jurisdiction angels of His presence as messengers of His face.”
Another Biblical example of angels that stand in the Lord’s presence is Gabriel who came to Zacharias the priest and said, “I am Gabriel that stands in the presence of God” (Luke 1:19). This is the same angel that appeared to the Virgin Mary to announce the gift of God that she would bear a son and His name would be called Jesus.
Carriers of His Glory
Because angels are messengers of His face that stand in His presence, the glory of the Lord shines round about them. In the story of Christ birth, shepherds are abiding in the field keeping watch over their flock by night, when an angel came from heaven that shined with the glory of God all around them, “And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid (Luke 2:9).
This angel was not an ordinary angel for its extraordinary nature was that of the glory of the Lord that shined about the shepherds that illuminated the night. The glory of the Lord comes from standing in the presence of God. Like a dry sponge that soaks up water, the spirits of angels soak up the Lord’s presence. Because God created mankind in His likeness, the soul of men is also created to be filled with His presence.
Every born again believer is called to host the Lord’s glory and stand in the presence of God to behold His face. The Holy Spirit loves to reveal to our hearts the knowledge of the glory of God. All we have to do to see His glory is to look into the face of Jesus, for Jesus said, to see Him is to see the Father for they are one,
“For God who commanded the light to shine out of the darkness, has shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus” (1 Cor. 4:6).
The Church is to experience the glory of God to become messengers of His face. As we stand in His presence gazing into the face of Jesus, we too will be changed by His glory and like the angel that appeared to the shepherds “the glory of God will shine round about them” (Luke 2:9). This is what it truly means to be the light of the world!
The Church is called to become one with the Father and His Son to reveal within their sphere of influence the glory of God that the world may know Christ and His love. We have received the glory of God, which is His living presence, that we may be one with the Father and His Son. Jesus said” And the glory which you have given to Me, I have given to them, that they may be one, even as we are one. I in them, and you in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; that the world may know that you have sent Me and that you love them as you love me” (John 17:22-23).
Put on the Armor of Light
Just as the Lord appeared to Moses as a fire in the burning bush, God is now raising up messengers that He can speak through that are ablaze with the light of His fire, “who makes His angels spirits, and His ministers a flame of fire” (He. 1:7).
It is the messengers of His face that have the fire of His living presence. The life, light, and glory of God that we carry depend on how close we walk with God and behold His face. For the life that is ours in Christ comes from being in His presence. If we stray from Him, the fire that burns within our heart will slowly die because the flame is fueled by the nearness of the Lord’s presence.
The power, Kingdom authority and anointing that is revealed through His people is a direct result of intimacy with God. It is the call of the Church to be as He is, for “He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit” (1 Cor. 6:17). It is here in the place of intimacy that our spiritual life and vitality are renewed daily as we receive the eternal life that is ours in Christ. Jesus truly is our daily bread – the bread of life!
The sons and daughters of our heavenly father that are messengers of His face, will reveal the presence of His glory to a lost and dying world with signs and wonders. It’s time to go to the next level. Let us now come to the throne with a heart of worship and praise to behold the glory of God in the face of Lord Jesus.
As the prophet Isaiah foresaw, at the end of this age, there will be the ultimate clash between light and darkness. The good news is that as darkness increases, the light of God’s glory will burn even brighter. The light and love of God prevail which will attract the nations to come to the light, not the darkness. Our victory is inevitable as we abide in the Light. It is high time to awaken and put on the armor of light, which is the Lord Jesus Christ,
And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. Let us, therefore, cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light (Ro. 13:11-12).
The Sons of Light
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ His son cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
As children of light, every born again believer is a new creation in Christ called to behold the face of God and be changed into the same image and likeness. As the Apostle Peter declares, according to the divine power of God, we have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness that is ours through the knowledge of Christ who has called us to be “partakers of the divine nature” of God. (See 2 Peter 1:3-4)
The way that we partake of the divine nature of God is to behold His glory. The call of the Church is to behold the face of God that changes us into the very same image and likeness. That which you behold with your eyes is that which transforms you.
But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord (2 cor. 3:18).
Like Moses whose face shines with God’s glory, the glory of the Lord is to shine upon the countenance of every Christian as they behold the Lord’s face. The presence of the Lord transforms all that it touches. The call is to “Arise and Shine, for your light has come for the glory of the Lord has risen upon you” (Is. 60:1)
The New Testament covenant that God has established is that He lives in His people and walks in them as our heavenly Father who loves His sons and daughters. (See 2 cor. 6:17-18). The glory of God is not only to rest upon His people as a cloud by day and a fire by night, but His living presence is to dwell within for it is “Christ in you the hope of glory” (Col 1:27).While angels behold the face of our heavenly Father, the Church is called to be a habitation for the Spirit of God. (Eph. 2:22)
It is, therefore, the joy of angels to co -labor with the Church as ministering spirits. While they stand in the presence of God and behold His face, they also behold the glory of Christ who lives within you! This is why it is so important to walk in humility, for God gives grace to the humble. God clothes the humble with His living presence which all of heaven and hell recognizes. This is His grace that He freely gives to those that put on the mantle of humility – His presence. (1 Peter 5:5)
Fallen Angels
All angels were created by God as angels of light. The fallen angels that were cast out of heaven due to rebellion lost their light and became demonic spirits of the night. They are evil because they can no longer stand in the presence of God nor can they behold His face in heaven. Being separated from God, they reflect that which surrounds them- darkness. Therefore, being separated from God they live in darkness which is their hell.
In the absence of God’s glory and the life of heaven that they once knew, they became dark spirits whose purpose is to separate you from God just as they are. This is the nature of hell, to be separated from the living presence of God.
It is because their nature is demonic, that they seldom appear to men as they really are. We see in the Garden of Eden that their nature is that of being crafty. (Ge. 3:1) The way they operate is mainly through deception. Masquerading as angels of light, they seek to deceive the Church through false brethren, false teachers and doctrine that appear to be true that does not have the divine nature, life and authority of God in them. A religion based on legalism that appears to be the pathway to eternal life but leads only to dead works and strife rather than a strong relationship with Christ.
The Kingdom of God
When Jesus gave us the prayer for “Thy Kingdom Come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” He was saying that it His will for that which exist in heaven to be revealed here on earth – in you and through you! All that exists in heaven is yours on earth, which includes His love, life, power and authority that the world may know Christ and His love.
Because of envy, the Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out spirits by the prince of devils – Beelzebub. Jesus, in turn, illustrated to them that Satan is not divided against himself; otherwise, his kingdom could not stand, “But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the Kingdom of God has come unto you…” (Mt. 12:28).
Demons fear the presence of God. A Christian that walks in the presence of God is a great threat to the Kingdom of Satan. Jesus said, “The Kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21), which is the same Kingdom that the Lord cast the demons out to the earth.
Every Spirit filled Christians is empowered with the authority to cast out devils and displace demonic forces within their sphere of influence. The greatest power there is that Satan fears are the glorious presence of God, which is “Christ in you the hope of glory” (Col. 1:27) Because Satan and his angels were cast out of heaven, they cannot prevail over those that are carriers of the Lords’ glory who walk in love.
This is what displaces darkness – His glory. We are called not only to prevail over our enemies but to take territory for we are more than conquerors in Christ Jesus. Our weapons of warfare are not carnal but divine and they are mighty in God to the pulling down of strongholds. (2 Cor. 10:4) These weapons from the arsenal of heaven exist in the divine nature of God that includes His peace that crushes Satan under our feet, His love that never fails and the joy of the Lord that is our strength. It is the life, light, and presence of God that is our greatest weapon that the enemy fears. We, therefore,
Give thanks unto the Father, which has made us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. Who has delivered us from the power of darkness and translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son (Col. 1:12-13).
Because demonic spirits are cast out of heaven, and the Kingdom of God is within you, unless you are in sin, they have no authority to be near you! Actually, they run from those that walk in the presence of God for they fear Him! This is why when Jesus walked the earth; the demons in people cast themselves down at His feet begging for mercy. The day will come when this will happen to the Church again!
The gospel of the Kingdom is about the King who comes in the presence of His Kingdom. The Kingdom of God comes in the presence of the Lord who battles on our behalf. It was “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8).
In 1988 the Spirit of the Lord came upon me that also went out from me in waves. Like a rock cast into the sea, ripples of God’s glory went out before me in waves. Each wave that went out was followed by another wave that caused a great advance. As this took place I saw the demonic forces being displaced as they yielded to His presence. Demonic spirits cannot occupy the same space as the Lord’s presence! By this vision, I understood that as carriers of the Lord’s glory, the demonic forces within our sphere of influence must yield before us. Together we can make a great advance!
The Battle Rages
There is a battle that rages between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Satan, between that of life and light, and that of death and darkness. The prophet Isaiah foretold of the day when darkness covers the earth and gross darkness the people. (Is. 60:2) Demons of hell are now instructing men how to walk in greater realms of evil and darkness. Those that listen to their evil counsel are messengers of his face. Since the beginning of mankind, Satan has trained and sent out messengers of deception with the intention of sowing evil to establish His Kingdom.
Satan is now mobilizing an army that stands in his presence with the goal of destroying this nation. Before us looms a great battle. We are now seeing this coming through the screens of theaters, the media as well as through activist and politics that release an endless stream of pollution to influence the minds of people. The erosion of families, the education system, government, entertainment and media, global markets and many churches are fast becoming the domain of Satan because of compromise.
At the same time, the Lord is releasing the angels of heaven to walk with the sons of light to teach them how to walk in the heavenly realm and behold the face of God to become messengers of His face that reveal His glory.
In Conclusion
Angels of His presence are being released to take the Church to the next level. The Lord is now assigning angels to assist the Church to stand in His presence to become messengers of fire. One of the main reasons why the church has gone through so much purging and pruning is to prepare her to become carriers of His glory to manifest His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven for Christ is King.
Light is greater than darkness. It’s time to arise and shine for your light has come for the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. It’s time to draw near to the Lord to stand in His presence to behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus.
The Lord is now calling those that have ears to ear, to join the ranks of His army as ambassadors of His Kingdom. Many are called but few are chosen. Those who behold His face will become messengers of fire ablaze with His glory. To them are assigned the Angels of the Lords’ presence, for “The angel of the Lord encamps round about them that fear Him, and He delivers them” (Psalms 34:7).
I leave you with the blessing that God commissioned Aaron to impart to the people.
May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace (Numbers. 6:24-27)
In His heart and love,
Roy Roden