Ministration of Angels

THE enemy of God and of the human family has left no means untried by which he could pervert the truth and draw away men from a knowledge of the true God and his law. It seems to be his in variable plan to lead men first to forget, or disbelieving what, God has taught them concerning any truth and then, as a substitute, instill into their minds some error which in its main features, closely resembles the truth, but which is, nevertheless, directly opposed to it.

Thus when men had forgotten God, Satan turned their minds to worship the sun and the host of heaven. When they had forgotten the word of God and his prophets, he introduced the Pagan Oracles and priests in their stead. So it is with regard to the ministration of angels. They are the divinely commissioned messengers sent to minister to the children of men. But this glorious Bible truth has been so far lost sight of, that almost all classes of religionists, and even those who call themselves Christians, have no clear ideas concerning it, and no practical faith in it; yet all feel the need of some ministering spirit, some heavenly visitant from the world of light, to instruct them in the things of God.

Satan sees that this necessity must be met. A substitute must be invented. What shall it be? To answer this we have only to look at the history of those nations who have forgotten God. Ps. 9:17. From the Egyptian priests to the modern spirit mediums, we find them teaching that departed spirits of dead men return to minister to their friends in this world. These are facts well known to all. But while the Bible often speaks of the visits of holy angels to our world, to minister to the children of God, it is entirely silent concerning the return of the departed spirits of the dead for that purpose. Go to the heathens who know nothing about the angels of God, and you will find them extolling the souls of their dead friends as gods, demi-gods, and protecting spirits. Come down to this last generation, in this so-called Christian land, and we find an extensive unbelief in the existence of either good or evil angels; and a majority of those who do acknowledge that there are such beings, have no definite ideas of their character or office.

Thus far Satan has succeeded. A vacuum has been formed which, as reason and revelation teach, must be filled. As a substitute, when the plan is fully ripe, he now introduces the supposed souls of the dead, as ministering spirits from the other world. All the arguments, both from the Scriptures and from nature, which prove that there are, or ought to be, messengers to communicate between this and the other world, he cunningly uses to sustain his counterfeit work, If he can demonstrate that it is a spirit which communicates, he has gained his point, as the people generally have no faith in the existence of either good or evil angels, except as they learn it from the source.

THEY ARE NOT THE SPIRITS OF DEAD MEN.

We deny that the spirits of dead men come back from the dead to communicate with the living. And we affirm upon the authority of the Holy Bible, that they know nothing concerning their friends here, or what is done in this world. Thus Job says: "Thou destroyest the hope of man. Thou prevailest forever against him, and he passeth, (i.e. dies); thou changeth his countenance, and sendest him away. His sons come to honor, and, he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them." Job. 14:19-21.

This testimony shows that after a man dies he has no knowledge of what befalls his friends here. It plainly contradicts the idea that, after death, our dead friends become our guardian angels, watching over us, sympathizing with us in our sorrows, and rejoicing with us in our prosperity! Here is another testimony still more decisive: "For the living know that they shall die; but the dead know not anything. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion forever in any thing done under the sun." Eccl. 9:5, 6.

The dead know nothing concerning things in this life. They have no part in anything that transpires under the sun. So says the Lord, and so we believe. Indeed, it would be a source of keenest anguish to a mother after death, to see her children left destitute, abused, and finally led into crime and degradation, as is frequently the case. How much of a Heaven would that be to her? What good could result from consciousness in Heaven under such circumstances? There is neither reason nor revelation to support such a theory.

Spirit manifestation is one of the grandest schemes which Satan ever devised for the deception and destruction of the human family. It is based upon the supposition that all the spirits who do communicate are the souls of the dead. We propose, therefore, to enter into a Bible investigation of this subject.

THE HEAVENLY FAMILY.

"For this cause, I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in Heaven and earth is named." Eph. 3:14,15. By this we learn that there is a family in Heaven. What composes this family? Not the spirits of our dead friends; but the holy angels who were created in Heaven before man was made upon the earth. We read of many places of the angels in Heaven. Thus in Rev. 5:11: "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.” Spiritualists claim that these angels are the departed souls of men who once lived on this earth. A communication from the spirit land is signed thus: “Given by the holy angels and messengers of God, who seek your peace and love to God and to each other. Moses, King, Adam, David, are the givers of this Message." Book for Skeptics p. 43. "And whose [Job's] spirit, or angel is now present to say that my residence was in East Asia.” p. 85

As a man cannot die till he is created, so of course, if angels are only the souls of dead men, then there could have been no angels till after the sixth day of creation; no, not even then till one or more men had died. But angels did exist before man was created, or ever the foundations of the world were laid. If we prove this, the above named theory that angels are departed spirits of dead men must fall to the ground.

In Gen. 3:24, we read that God placed cherubim to guard the tree of life when he drove Adam and Eve out of the garden. Cherubim are a high order of angels. Now this was before any man had died, therefore they were not the souls of dead men. The word of the Lord to Job says: "Gird up now thy loins like a man, for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" Job. 38:3-7. By this we see that, when God laid the foundation of the earth, the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy. This proves that the heavenly family did exist before man was created; therefore they are not disembodied spirits.

Furthermore, men and angels are not of the same nature. Thus, the Psalmist says: "What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels." Ps. 8:4,5. Speaking of Christ, Paul says: "For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.” Heb 2:16. Then, in their very nature, angels are different from men, and of course are not men. But does not the Bible say that at the resurrection we shall become angels? No, indeed, Jesus says that the saints will be equal to the angels, in that they can die no more. See Luke 20:36. But this does not intimate that angels and men are of the same nature.

NUMBER OF THE ANGELS.

While the definite number of the holy angels is not given, in the Scriptures, there are declarations from which we form an idea of the vastness of this host of God. At one time John "heard the voice of many angels round about the throne." Rev. 5:11. And Jesus said, “Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?" Matt. 26:53. A legion is 3,000 or 4,000. Twelve legions would be about 40,000. But this is evidently an indefinite number.

John, as he had a view of Heaven, the throne of the Lord, the glory and majesty of God, and the vast host of angels worshiping there, attempted to number them thus: "And the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands. Rev. 5:11. Ten thousand times ten thousand would be one hundred millions (100,000,000). Let the reader stop and consider what a vast multitude one hundred millions would be! It is two and a half, times the entire population of the United States. But even this does not express their great number. Hence the prophet adds, "and thousands of thousands." And all these were only those who were worshiping around the throne at one time.

No language can express the number of the heavenly family. And when we reflect that they are messengers dispatched by God to all the innumerable worlds to carry out his commands, we see that there must of necessity be vast multitudes of them. On a clear night, count the stars, number the millions in the milky way, and remember that each one is a sun, with a whole system of worlds revolving round it, and that angels are doubtless sent to these worlds, the same as to ours, then think you will agree with Paul, that there is all "innumerable company of angels." Heb. 12:22.

ANGELS ARE REAL, CORPOREAL BEINGS.

The angels of God are not mere ghosts, phantoms, as is generally taught; but are real, personal, material beings. This may be learned by almost every instance where they are mentioned in the Scriptures. Isaiah describes them as possessing a face, feet, wings etc: “I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims; each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly". Chap. 6:2. Ezekiel also describes them in a similar manner. Of the cherubim he says, "And their whole body, (margin, flesh), and their backs, and their hands, and their wings.” Chap 10:12. Then they have bodies of flesh, with hands, feet, wings, backs, etc.

Again we read in Gen. 18:1-8: "And the Lord appeared unto him [Abraham] in the plains of Mamre; and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day. And he lift up day: his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him. And when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, and said, My Lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant. Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree. And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that shall ye pass on; for therefore, are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said. And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth. And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetched a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man, and he hasted to dress it. And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them, and he stood by them under the tree, and there did eat."

Here it is said that they did eat the food which Abraham prepared for them. That they were angels, we learn from what follows. Verse 16 says, "And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom, And Abraham went with them to bring them on the way." One stayed with Abraham, and the others went on to Sodom. "And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat at the gate of Sodom; and Lot seeing them, rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; and he said, Behold, now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat." Chap. 19:1-3.

Here those who met Abraham are called angels. They are represented, as having hands and feet, and it is again stated that they did eat material food, which shows that they were material beings. It seems also that angels have food expressly adapted to their use. Says David, "Though he [God] had commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of Heaven, and had rained down manna upon them to eat, and had given them of the corn of Heaven. Man did eat angels' food" Ps. 78:23-25. By this we learn that manna is the corn, or wheat, of Heaven, and also that it is the food of angels. Therefore angels do eat food, and are, consequently, material beings. Immaterial beings could not eat material food, such as the manna which God sent from Heaven.

This idea is further sustained by the fact that Jesus, after his resurrection, had flesh, and did eat. Luke 24:36-43. After appearing to his disciples, he said, "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself; handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have."

So also when the saints enter the kingdom, they will have flesh. Says Job, in speaking of the resurrection, "And though after my skin, worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God." Job 19:26. Mark, that it is after he dies that Job will see God in his flesh. How long after? The previous verse will tell: "For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; and [then] though after my skin, worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God." This proves that the saints, after their resurrection, will have flesh the same as Jesus had. Speaking of the new earth where the saints will dwell, the Lord says, "All flesh shall come to worship before me" every Sabbath. Isa. 66:23. Hence the saints will have flesh in the kingdom of God. So also, we conclude that the angels are real, material beings, like Christ and the immortal saints.

In the history of Balaam, we have an interesting incident bearing upon this point. Thus we read: "And God's anger was kindled because he went. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way and his sword drawn in his hand, and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field. And Balaam smote the ass to turn her into the way.” “Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand.” Num. 22:22-31 The angel appeared to Balaam drawn with a sword in his hand. Our spiritualist friends would tell us that the angels created his body and his sword for the present emergency, out of the materials which surrounded him. Then the angel really deceived Balaam by leading him to think that he had a body and a sword when he had none. But it will be observed that the record says, "The Lord opened the eyes of Balaam and he saw the angel," and not that the angel made him a body that he might be seen.

As soon as Balaam's eyes were "opened," he saw the angel. The idea is clearly conveyed that the angel was just the same before Balaam saw him, as he was afterward. This is further evident from the fact that the beast could see the angel while Balaam could not see him. With regard to this occurrence, one of two things is true: Either, first, the angel had a material form before the eyes of Balaam were opened, so that he could see him, or, second, the dumb brute saw an immaterial spirit! The last proposition is too absurd to need any comments. Besides this, even the advocates of the immaterial spirit theory deny that it could be true. Therefore there is no way for them but to acknowledge that angels are material beings.

But it may be objected, as a minister once said to me, "If angels are material beings, then show me one; for I can see anything that is material? I replied, “Is not the air material?” Of course he had to confess that it was. "Very well," said I, "please show me a handful of air?" This he could not do. So his objection fell upon his own head. How can the existence of a material thing be proved? Man knows nothing about it; for he has never seen, heard, smelled, touched, nor tasted it. Philosophy knows nothing about it; science is silent concerning it; reason cannot comprehend it; and the Bible has not mentioned it. Air is material; light* is material; and even thought itself is only the result of the action of matter upon matter. A person is in a sound sleep—a pin touches a nerve of his body the nerve acts upon the brain, thought is the result, and he awakes. Imagine a being who could neither see, hear, taste, smell, nor feel! Could he have any thoughts? Certainly not, for there would be nothing to produce them. When a man dies, his five senses by which matter acted upon his brain to produce thought, cease to act, and the consequence is, just as David states it, “In that very day his thoughts perish.” Ps. 146:4.

Those who so vehemently oppose the materiality of all things, certainty cannot consider what matter really is. Wells defines it thus “Matter is the general name which has been given to that substance which, under an infinite variety of forms, affects our senses." Nat. Phil. p.11 Did angels ever affect men’s senses? Yes. Then, according to the above definition, they are material beings. Without material bodies it would be absolutely impossible for them to affect our senses.

Much of the prejudice upon this subject arises from not duly considering the almost infinite diversity of forms under which matter may appear. Here is a ball of mud, and there is a fine gold watch. Both are material; but how different! Here is a piece of ice, and there is a jet of the hottest steam. Each seems to be exactly the opposite of the other; yet they are only different conditions of the same matter. One is water frozen, and the other is water highly heated. So some matter we see in its grossest form, and some most exquisitely organized. Still it is all only matter. So Heaven itself, and the holy angels are material; but in organization are inconceivably higher and purer than earth and its inhabitants.

It is objected, that angels are called spirits. Heb 1:13, 14. Very well, spiritual beings have bodies, and flesh. We have proved that the saints will have flesh after their resurrection. In 1 Cor. 15:44, Paul says that these bodies will be spiritual. "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. Mark this: Its being spiritual does not prevent its being a body still. Webster defines body thus: "Body" The form of an animal; the material organized substance of an animal, whether living or dead."

In conclusion, immateriality is only another name for nonentity. Angels have all the attributes of matter; hence we conclude that they are material beings. They have hands, feet, faces, bodies, flesh, wings, etc. They can eat, talk, look, walk, lie down, rise up, etc. Many times they have been seen and talked with by men. Jacob wrestled all night with one. Gen. 32:24-30; Hosea 12:4. All of which clearly demonstrates that they are real beings.

*"Light is the PHYSICAL agent which occasions, by its action upon the eye, the sensations of vision." Wells' Nat. Phil., p. 292. Physical, Webster defines to be "material and mechanical as opposed to spiritual and voluntary." There are but two theories about light. One is that it is particles of matter given off in straight lines from luminous bodies. The other that it is simply the vibration of such a line of particles. Both agree that it is material. See Porter's Chemistry, pp. 15, 16. Wells' Nat. Phil., pp. 29-24.