We are living in the times where the ministry of angels is being restored to the Church. Because we are in a season of heightened angelic activity, now is the time to learn to work with the angels of heaven to fulfill your destiny on earth. The angels of heaven that are assigned to you are now welcoming you to their realm that will take you to a higher level in God.
Angels are a part of the Kingdom of heaven. As Kingdom warriors, we can expect to experience angelic activity to be an integral part of the Kingdom life of every Christian. We are now living in the last days where everything is being accelerated. Walking close with God and working with angels is a required mandate for those that desire to be part of the move of God that is now taking place on earth.
Jesus prayer is for “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt. 6:10). That which takes place in heaven is also to take place on earth. Because angels do the will of God they are enlisted to help the Church establish His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. In God’s Kingdom, there is no illness, sickness, demonic activity or disease. Angels are on assignment to assist you! The apostle Paul understood this relationship between the Church and angels declaring, “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? (He. 1:14).
The call of the Church is to plunder the gates of hell and establish the rule of Christ through the preaching of the gospel of the Kingdom. This is the commission given by Jesus who said, “And as you go, preach and say, the Kingdom of heaven is at hand, heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out devils, freely you have received freely give” (Mt. 10:7-8). The invasion of God on earth comes through a people that have received power from on high that have learned to release it into every circumstance of life. We were born to rule over darkness by preaching the gospel message of His Kingdom.
In order for the prayer of Jesus to be fulfilled for “Thy Kingdom Come” that is established through the gospel message of the Kingdom, we must embrace the entire realm of His Kingdom. This includes the ministry of angels. Ministering angels are sent to help assist in the work of ministry – every Church should have at least one!
Learning to minister with our assigned angels will ramp up the anointing that reveals the Kingdom of heaven to a lost and dying world in unprecedented power. New beginnings are now upon us with great opportunities to engage with the angels of heaven that will take you to the next level of Kingdom life in your walk with Christ.
Angels on Assignment
Ever since I was born again in 1977, I have experienced the presence of angels. There is an angel that is ever present with me that is my guardian angel. You have one also. Jesus tells us that every child has an angel that beholds the face of their heavenly Father (Mt. 18:10). Simply because you grow up to become an adult, does not mean that your angel departs from you. Just as there is no junior Holy Spirit that enables children to minister in the same power of the Spirit as adults, there are no junior angels.
As I grew in my walk with the Lord, more angels were assigned to help fulfill my destiny according to God’s will for my life. Today, there are a number of angels assigned to our ministry that have different purposes. Some come and go, while others stay and are always with me.
My life has been saved a number of times by the intervention of angels. In one incident that would have been fatal, the hand of an angel gripped the top of my truck that was veering out of control. I was pulling a trailer when suddenly it began to violently fishtail. Pushing my truck forward at will, it whipped the truck back and forth across the road. Just before my vehicle was about to plunge sideways over a cliff, an angel grabbed the top of the truck and brought it back on course.
When the truck finally stopped it was as if I had pulled off to the side of the road. All four tires of the trailer were folded under the trailer. The pressure of moving sideways across the road broke the dual axles. My truck, however, did not have a scratch on it!
Angels have appeared to me a number of times to convey pertinent information to provide valuable direction and guidance. When I travel there is an angel that stands with me as I minister. During our conferences we often perceive angels that come in and stand their watch around the room like sentry guards. It is during these times that we experience a breakthrough from heaven. Often a healing and deliverance angel will come to assist in the work of ministry. The presence of angels in our ministry greatly increases the anointing and like the secret service, they also provide protection.
Biblical Accounts of Angelic Ministry
Angels have always played an important role in the history of mankind to fulfill the purpose of God. From the book of Genesis to the book of Revelation there are numerous accounts by those that have received angelic visitation. Some of these visitations came to men through a vision, a dream, or the physical appearance of an angel.
God has angels on assignment. We just need to be aware of them and learn how to properly respond to work with them. As I have studied the scriptures I have not only been greatly encouraged by their ministry but my own spiritual awareness of the Kingdom of heaven is elevated to a whole new level.
The following are but a few of the Biblical accounts of angelic visitations. I have organized these accounts according to the angel’s purpose. I pray that these Biblical accounts will enhance your awareness of angelic activity as well as a greater awareness of the Kingdom of heaven that is available to you from on high.
Open Portals – Jacob saw in a dream angels ascending and descending on a ladder that bridged the gap between heaven and earth with God standing on top of it!
And he dreamed and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood on top of it… And Jacob was afraid, and said, “How dreadful this place is! This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven” (Ge. 28:12, 13, 17).
Jacob called the place Bethel, which means “the house of God” because it was the gate of heaven. There are places on earth that God has established as stairways for heavenly activity, such as Moravian Falls in North Carolina. Moravian Falls is known to be very high on the scale of angelic activity. I can personally attest that this is true.
There are ministries that have an open heaven where the people regularly receive an outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The church is called to be an open portal to host His presence. A stairway for angels to ascend and descend as well as a place where the Lord stands over it as it’s covering. Every born again believer and church is called to be a “Bethel,” a stairway to heaven where angels come and go.
Angels provide direction and guidance – Moses worked with an angel that was assigned to direct his path as Israel traveled through the wilderness. The Lord told Moses not to offend him and to pay strict attention to his words!
Behold, I send an angel before you, to keep you in the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions, for My name is written in him (Exodus 23:20-21).
Notice that the Lord tells Moses, “Behold I send an angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place that I have prepared.” Angels are assigned to keep you and they go before you to bring you into your place of your destiny! When I travel the Lord has often sent an angel before me to prepare the way for my arrival in safety.
The Lord also tells Moses ‘Beware of him and obey his voice, provoke him not.” We must honor the angels in our midst and make sure that we do not provoke them. Although we do not worship angels the Lord only, they are, after all, God’s creation. In order for angels to work with us we must welcome them in our midst and treat them with great respect.
As the aforementioned scripture denotes, God promised Moses that if he obeyed the voice of the angel to do all that he tells him to do, the Lord will be an enemy to his enemies! What a working relationship Moses had with God and his assigned angel!
But if you shall indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto your enemies, and adversary unto your adversary. For my, Angel shall go before you before the Amorites….and I will cut them off (Exodus 23:22-23).
Another Biblical example of angels providing guidance is when an angel spoke to Philip telling him to go to the South where he would meet an Ethiopian. “And the angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, Arise and go toward the South on the road that goes to Jerusalem…And he arose and went” (Acts 8:26-27). Because of this direction, Philip led the Ethiopian man to Christ. There is nothing like getting a clear direction to multiply the effectiveness of your ministry!
Angels of War– An angel appeared to Joshua as a man of war with a sword in his hand. As the captain of the Lord of Host, he came to lead the army of Israel into battle to take possession of the Promised Land. This event signified a transition for Israel with the anointing to make a shift from wandering around in the wilderness to defeating their enemies. Angels can assist you in spiritual warfare to defeat your enemies.
And it came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?” And he said, “Neither, but I have come as the captain of the host of the Lord…” (Joshua 5:13-14)
Notice that the angel of the Lord appeared to Joshua as a man. You never know how an angel may appear to you. Paul tells us to love one another and practice the ministry of hospitality for you may well be “entertaining angels unaware” (He. 13:2).
An angel of the Lord came to Gideon who commissioned him to lead an army to free Israel from the oppression of their enemies, “And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said to Gideon, “The Lord is with you, for you are a mighty man of valor (Judges 6:12).
As Gideon went into battle, he was known by his enemies as “The sword of Gideon” for the sword of the Lord was with him. (Judges 7:14, 17). The Lord is once again equipping an army with the sword of the Lord and he will lead it, for “The Lord will go forth like a warrior. He will arouse His zeal like a man of war. He will utter a shout, yes; He will raise a war cry. He will prevail over His enemies (Is. 42:13).
Angels as messengers – The angel Gabriel came to Mary, the mother of Jesus, with the message that the Lord will overshadow her and she would conceive a child of the Holy Spirit. (Luke 1:26-3) After Mary’s immaculate conception, an angel visited Joseph in a dream with the message to take Mary as his wife, for that which is conceived in her womb is that of the Holy Spirit (Mt. 1:18-21).
After Christ resurrection, an angel from heaven rolled back the stone from the tomb of Christ and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning and his raiment white as snow. He brings the message to Mary Magdalene and her friends that Christ has risen,
And behold there was an earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow. And the angel said to the women, “Fear not, for I know that you seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here, for he is risen…” (Mt. 28:2, 3, 5-6).
Angels strengthen those in need – After Christ completed his 40 day fast in the wilderness where he was tempted by Satan, angels came and ministered to him. (Mark 1:13) An angel also ministered to Jesus in the Mount of Olives when he was faint from praying. In this case, we see that an angel strengthened Jesus to such a degree, that it empowered Him to pray even more earnestly until He sweat drops of blood.
And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony, he prayed the more earnestly, and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground (Luke 22:43-44).
The prophet Elijah often received strength as well as direction from an angel that put his fears to rest. For example, the King of Samaria fell through a lattice and was on his death bed when he sent messengers to inquire of the god Beelzebub for a prophetic word in regards to his fate. An angel appears to Elijah and tells him to meet the Kings’ messengers to give them the fateful news that the King would not recover from his wounds and will die. (2 Kings 1:3)
In response to this ill fated news, the King sends a captain with a company of 50 men to fetch Elijah to bring him back to the King so that he can inquire of him. Elijah has forewarned of their arrival and positions himself on top of a hill.
In the presence of Elijah, the captain and his band of men are consumed by fire that fell upon them from heaven. The King hearing this news, sends another 50 men to capture Elijah and thy too perished by fire. The King in his persistence sends another 50 men to fetch Elijah. This time the captain and his 50 men bow the knee and ask Elijah for mercy. Being of a different spirit, the Lord sends an angel to dispel Elijah’s fears,
“The angel of the Lord said to Elijah, “Go down with him, and do not be afraid of Him.” So Elijah got up and went down with him to the King (2Kings 1:15).
Angels bring encouragement – Angels often bring encouragement to those that are caught in dire situations. While on his journey to Rome in the midst of a tempest storm that threatened to destroy the ship and its crew, an angel appeared to Paul with a word of good cheer that Paul passed onto the ship’s crew,
And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss or any man’s life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve. Saying, “Fear not, Paul, you must be brought before Caesar, and lo, God has all them that sail with you. Wherefore be of good cheer: for I believe God…” (Acts 27:22-25)
Because of the working relationship that Paul had with his angel, the lives of over 200 men were saved and Paul eventually made it to Rome. It was the angel that was assigned to Paul that kept him safe on his journey. King David tells us “For He shall give His angels charge over you to keep you in all His ways” (Psalms 91:11).
Angels of the Harvest – Jesus said that in the last days a great harvest will take place. This harvest will exceed all other outpourings of the Spirit and movements of history combined. In the parable of the harvest, (Mt. 13:24-30) Jesus illustrates that angels are sent from heaven to reap the harvest.
He that sows the good seed is the Son of man. The field is the world and the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one. The enemy that sowed them is the devil: the harvest is the end of the world: and the reapers are the angels (Mathew 13:37-39).
The Lord clearly states the reapers are the angels of heaven. Jesus also asked that we pray to the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers into the harvest, for the harvest is ripe but the laborers are few. (Luke 10:2). This suggests a working relationship between the angels that reap in the harvest and the laborers that work in the harvest – those that preach the gospel message of the Kingdom.
We are living in the times where the people of God on earth and the angels of heaven will work together to bring in the harvest. The church should now position itself to care for the influx of converts that come in to care for the Lord’s own and equip them for the work of ministry. Those that come in from the first harvest are to be equipped and trained to bring in the next harvest, which will be greater.
Angels of deliverance – Angels often intervene to deliver God’s people from certain death. Daniel’s life was spared by an angel when he was thrown into the pit with the Lions. When the King looked in on him, he found Daniel safe and sound.
Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste unto the den of Lions. And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, is your God, who you serve able to deliver you from the Lions?” Then said Daniel to the King, “O King live for ever. My God has sent His angel, and has shut the lion’s mouths, and they have not hurt me…” (Daniel 6:19-22).
During the time of King Herod, he sought to kill the apostles. He kills James with a sword and because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he captured Peter and threw him in prison with the intention of killing him. However, God had other plans. An angel came into the cell where Peter slept, woke him up and led him out of prison.
And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains….And behold the angel of the Lord came to him and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up saying, “Arise up quickly” And his chains fell off from his hands “(Acts 12: 6-7).
As Peter followed the angel each door of the prison ward opened. When they came to the iron city gate of the city, it opened on its own accord! Until this time, Peter thought that he was in a vision having a good dream. When he came to himself he realized that he was free! This has to be the best prison break ever recorded in history.
On Sunday, June 6th, 2010 an angel came into the sanctuary where we were holding a church service. In response to this, our congregation tests the spirit to see if it was of the Lord. Once the angel past our test, we welcomed the angel to come in, which unbeknown to me, ministering to one of our Church members. Below is her testimony.
“The service had just begun when I observed that the atmosphere in the room was very peaceful and calm. But there was also a sense of expectation. Someone then observed that they saw an angel. As we gave this spirit a test to see if it would confess that Jesus is Lord, I saw his face and he very humbly said, “Yes” as he bowed his head in response to our questions.”
“Then Roy asked us to come up front if we wanted ministry. So I came forward and I saw the angel walk over to me and stand behind me. As Roy began to pray, the angel raised a sword in the air and yelled, “I break the expectations of men off of you!” At that moment two chains that were wrapped over me like the chains that prisoners wear in a chain gang fell off me. I had no idea how bound and immobile I had become. ”
“As the angel brought the sword down, it broke the chains off my shoulders and my back in one clean sweep. Even the ones on my hands and feet came off at once as they fell to the ground. I was set free! Amen and glory to the highest God!”
Healing Angels – Angels are not only messengers of the Lord to bring encouragement and deliver God’s people in time of need, but they also minister healing. When Paul said, “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation, (He. 1:14) he includes the ministry of healing. Here is a Biblical example,
Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, those that are blind, halt and withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down in a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever was the first one that stepped into the troubled water was made whole of whatsoever disease he had (John 5:2-4).
It was not uncommon for the famous evangelist, William Branham to see angels ministering at his crusades. (See http://www.williambranham.com/ ) The Apostle of faith, Smith Wigglesworth, was also familiar with the ministry of angels that performed miraculous healings and deliverance at his crusades and meetings.
As a word wisdom, our dependence for ministry is not upon angels but the Lord Jesus Christ, for it is “by His stripes we are healed” (Is. 53:5). Ministering with angels is the joy of having our names written in heaven. This is exciting as we get to partake in the ministry that Jesus began on earth that continues through the body of Christ today.
Angels as Watchers – Angelic watchers know the times, seasons and cycles of the Lord. As time keepers, they observe and monitor events that take place on the earth and the activities of God’s people and how they respond to fulfill their destiny.
As messengers, they often decree that which has been declared from the throne of God to men through a visitation, prophecy, vision or dream. We see this taking place when King Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, has a night vision, I saw in the vision of my head upon my bed, and behold, a watcher and a holy one came down from heaven (Daniel 4:13).
The Watcher in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream is an angel. His assignment is to decree the words of the holy one – the Lord. Angels are authorized to convey the word of the Lord as noted in Nebuchadnezzar’s vision when the angel proclaimed, “This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand of the Holy ones, to the intent that the living may know that the most High rules in the Kingdom of men ….(Da. 4:17)
Angels often give voice to the things of God. They have been given the authority to decree that which the Lord has commanded them to speak. This is why the scripture often refer to the words that angels speak as the Word of the Lord, because of its source – the Lord Jesus Christ. Angels are authorized to speak on behalf of the Lord, which is why they are often referred to as “Angels of the Lord.”
I believe that God is assigning Angelic Watchers to those that have the gift of prophetic vision with the ministry of intercession. As these Christians watch and wait upon the Lord, like the seers of the Old Testament, angels will come to them to offer insight, guidance and the wisdom of the Lord. These are the Sons of Issachar called to understand the times with the wisdom to properly prepare the people for the times,
And of the children of Issachar, there were men of understanding of the times, to know what Israel out to do” (1 Chronicles 12:32).
God wants to instruct the Church to ambush her enemies instead of being ambushed, avoid disaster and prevail in difficult times. It is the wisdom of God that Joseph counseled Pharaoh with the strategy that enabled Egypt to prosper during the seven years of drought that came upon Egypt. Such is the power of the gift of wisdom.
The gift of Wisdom is to know the mind of Christ in every situation. Although it is not as spectacular as the power gifts it is needful in order to make that which is known to become more effective and bear fruit. Prophetic revelation is simply knowledge that has no real guidance or direction. Wisdom imparts the counsel of Christ in regards to how to proceed with that which has been revealed that gives it purpose and direction.
Angels of Creativity – The first recorded act that God did was to create the heaven and the earth. (Ge. 1:1) As sons and daughters of the creator, there is a natural creativity that is inherent in the DNA of mankind. I believe that angels on assignment are being released to impart creative ideas that will prosper the Church.
One such area is that of creative finance. Instead of Church leadership looking to the congregation for its financial support, they will have God’s wisdom to make creative investments in the marketplace.
The profits from this will enable the Church to provide for the poor, the oppressed and the widows, as well as to advance the Kingdom of God through missions. God is also empowering ministers of finance with the wisdom for creative investments to underwrite the armies of the living God. This will provide the financial support needed for those are strong in the Lord doing great exploits as a Kingdom Force to advance the gospel of the Kingdom.
As part of the creative release, we will see a tremendous anointing on the visual arts, such as paintings and sculpture. The anointing upon this artwork work will heal the sick and lead many to Christ. The ministry of creative writing by scribe angels will greatly impact the body of Christ. There is also a creative release to equip the body of Christ for the work of ministry through user-friendly technology.
The ministry of worship will come to a whole new level by the army of praise dancers and worshipping warriors that dance with angels. Worship leaders that dwell in heavenly places will release the sound of heaven accompanied by an angelic choir that will transform the lives of many. I once had an open vision of the Lord of Hosts dwelling in the midst of His army. They were singing a new song as they marched forward, trampling upon the head of the enemy!
In Conclusion
God has released ministering angels to assist the Church for the work of ministry that will ramp up the anointing to a whole new level. Every person has a guardian angel and every Church has an angel assigned to them (Rev.1:20). These are the angels of heaven called to work with the Church for “Thy Kingdom Come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” You have at least one, and perhaps more! You too can operate at a higher level of anointing to impact your sphere of influence with the full gospel of Jesus Christ that reveals the Kingdom of heaven on earth in power and demonstration.
In His heart and love
Roy Roden
Recommended reading: Angels on Assignment by Roland Buck and Working with Angels by Steven Brooks.