Part 1
RaJean Vawter
“Thinking Christians need to move from feeling to fact on the issue of angels.”
Kenneth O. Gangel. “Kindred Spirit” 1995 Vol. 19, No. 2, p. 7. A DTS publication.
I first realized I could see angels in the early 80s. I used to have a classically-trained, three-octave singing range. In my 20s, I learned how to play the autoharp so I could accompany myself in praise music. One day, while visiting a friend, I began to play and sing. My friend told me that when I began to sing, angels began to crowd through the door to listen. “Oh, I wish I could see angels,” I said. “You can, you know. Just open your eyes,” she replied. With my physical eyes, I didn't see any angels. But when I opened my spiritual eyes I saw them and have been seeing them ever since. At first I doubted myself. One day, as I was backing out of the driveway, I saw a very large 2-story angel standing in our tiny back yard. Because of my doubt, I asked Brad, my elementary-age youngest son in the back seat to look at the yard and tell me if he saw anything. Next thing I knew, he was bending down trying to look up high through the back window. And he said, “Golly, look how tall that guy is!” From that time until he acquired the skepticism of a teenager, he and I would share angel sightings. One day he came downstairs complaining of a problem. “God is in my room,” he said. “Jesus is there and so is the Holy Spirit and a bunch of angels. Mom, my room is crowded.”
Warnings Concerning the Study of Angels
Colossians 2:8 Colossians 2:18
Galatians 1:8 II Corinthians 10:12
Galatians 5:26 I Corinthians 12:7
I Corinthians 12:11 Hebrews 13:5
I Corinthians 14:1
Because of these scriptures, I used to be very reluctant to tell people that I saw angels. I didn’t want them to elevate me to “super saint” status but neither did I want them to stone me. (I’ve had people do both.) The Lord changed my mind on this, however, in the spring of 1994. During Holy Week, we went to church every night. Each night, I saw more and more angels in the building. On Maundy Thursday when I peeked in the door to the nave, I could immediately tell the place was full of angels so I waited to take my seat until the very last minute. When I did, I immediately released the kneeler, knelt down with my hands together and my eyes tightly closed. “No, no,” I said. “I don’t want to see them. I only want to see Jesus. He is my only focus.”
“RaJean,” the Lord reprimanded. “Open your eyes! It is honoring to Me for you to watch what I’m doing!”
Since then I’ve paid more attention to what the angels are doing and what they look like though I often have to remind myself to look. I have also been freer to share what I see with mature believers. I’ve learned that more people could see angels if, like I had to be told, they just opened their eyes. From what I’ve observed, people can see into the spiritual realm in different ways.
- With their physical eyes like they see other human beings.
- Some sense them.
- Some smell them.
- In a vision or dream (depending on if they are awake or asleep).
- By the spirit such that they are superimposed upon the tangible world. Like the famous painting of the two children crossing a bridge with an angel behind them. You can see the angel but you can also see every leaf on the trees behind him. This is the way I generally see them though I’ve seen them twice with my physical eyes. I’m often not able to see details. I’ve also learned that when we see ANYTHING by the Spirit, it may be something that God is telling us through what He’s letting us see.
As we know, the New Age and the occult is pushing people into the elevation and worship of angels, even to the point of using them (fallen angels disguised as angels of light) as spiritual guides. I’ve opened my mouth since 1994 because the church needs to know what the Word of God says about angels and how we are to relate to them. We need discernment so we aren’t “tossed about by every wind of doctrine” concerning this subject. I am also no longer reluctant to pray with people to be able to see the angels. Only once have I done so and the Lord gave the woman a vision of an angel’s face with a red circle around it and the standard slash mark that we all recognize as NO. She accepted that answer because, in the past, she’d dabbled in the occult and knew that if she saw God’s angels she’d also see demons. Another time, when I prayed with a man to see the angels, the Lord spoke to him (not me), telling him that he could not yet see angels because he was not fully free from all the pornography he was into before he became a Christian. On the other hand, we used to have a Spirit-filled friend who headed up a Christian, hard-rock musical group. He told us that he and his band had been asked to play a gig in Deep Elum, a section of Dallas that is totally given over to occult and new-age entertainment. He went into the bar to check it out and said it was so dark – spiritually – he was afraid to even touch anything. I immediately had a vision of him sitting on a bar stool surrounded by light even in the midst of the black environment. An angel had come in with him. And I realized that the benefit of seeing angels are when our faith is weak, we can, like Elisha’s servant; see that we’re not alone.
THE PURPOSE OF ANGELS
In Scripture, the word angel usually denotes a type of supernatural, spiritual being. These beings are used as . .
MESSENGERS AND MINISTERS FOR GOD who deliver both words of comfort or instruction, and physical objects to man.
Hebrews 1:14 – Are they (referring to angels) not all ministering spirits sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?
Acts 27:23 – 25 – An angel encouraged Paul concerning the storm at sea so he could encourage the other men on board.
One summer I had to put 6 or 7-year old Brent on a plane to Nebraska by himself. Though the airline promised they’d look after him and put him in a secure room during the 2-hour layover in Denver, my mamma’s stomach was churning. As the plane took off, I saw two large angels under each wing of the airplane, holding it up. Just as it left the ground, one of the angels turned around and looked at me, waved and gave a wink. I was OK after that. And so was Brent.
Luke 1:11-20 – The appearance of Gabriel to Zacharias, delivering the message concerning John the Baptist.
Luke 1:28-38 – Gabriel’s appearance and prophecy to Mary.
Angels came to earth to prepare the way for Jesus the first time. It makes sense that he/they would do the same thing for the second coming.
Matthew 1:20 – An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, telling him to take Mary as his wife. Though the phrase “an angel of the Lord” is used, this could not have been an appearance of God as in the Old Testament, since God in human form was in the womb of Mary at that time.
Billy Graham wrote, “Angels testify to witnesses to the Gospel but they do not preach the Gospel. They have never experienced the effect of separation from fellowship with God because of sin so are unable to preach with understanding.”
Luke 2:8-14 – An individual angel, then a host appeared to the shepherds.
When Brock, our oldest, lost his first tooth, he was terribly worried that he wouldn’t get another tooth. He hadn’t known anyone else who had lost a tooth so he was having trouble believing Mom and Dad that he’d grow another one. One afternoon, he ran up to me very excited and told me that an angel had “popped” out from behind a tree and told him not to worry, he’d get another tooth.
Matthew 4:11 – Then the devil left Him (Jesus); and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.
Luke 22:42 – In the garden of Gethsemane – Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.
Acts 8:26 – The angel telling Philip where to go to find the Ethiopian Eunuch.
Acts 10:3-6 – The angel giving orders to Cornelius. This was a commendation to him as well as instruction.
Galatians 3:19 & Hebrews 2:2, 3 – The law was ordained through angels.
Kings 19:5 – The angel waking Elijah so he could eat the bread and water he’d brought.
Genesis 28:12 – Jacob seeing angels going up and down a heavenly ladder. This was communication.
Psalm 103:20, 21 – Bless the Lord; you His angels, mighty in strength, who perform His word; obeying the voice of His word. Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, you who serve Him doing His will.
Genesis 18 – Three “men” who came to Abraham and promised the birth of Isaac. They ate what was given to them, then went to look down toward Sodom. “The Lord” and “they” are used interchangeably in this chapter. The chapter ends with the men going toward Sodom while Abraham continued to stand before the Lord and bargain with Him. After the bargaining, “the Lord departed and Abraham returned to his place.” Then in 19:1 it says that the two angels came to Sodom. They stayed with Lot and forcefully removed him and his family. A possible interpretation: Two of the “men” were angels and the third one was God in human form (Jesus).
"The Angel of the Lord" is a term often used in the Old Testament to describe God in human form. This conclusion is arrived at by paying attention to the context and the reaction of the people who saw and experienced the Angel of the Lord. To examine this conclusion further, check out Genesis 16:7-13, Genesis 21:17-19, Genesis 22:10-18, Exodus 3:2-4, Numbers 22:22-35, Judges 2:1, Judges 6:11-24 and Judges 13:3-23.
HELP MEN UNDERSTAND GOD'S PLANS
Daniel 8:16 – And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai, and he called out and said, “Gabriel, give this man an understanding of the vision.”
Daniel 9:22 – And he gave me instruction and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding.”
Billy Graham, p. 4 – “Angels have an overwhelming concern for the Gospel.”
Daniel 10:20, 21 – Do you understand why I cam to you? . . . However, I will tell you what is inscribed in the writing of truth.
Zechariah 1:9 – Then I said, “My Lord, what are these?” And the angel who was speaking with me said to me, “I will show you what these are.”
That week before Easter, 1994, when God told me it was honoring to Him to watch what He was doing, that Saturday night, after a day of prayer and fasting, I saw worker angels outside the windows of the church digging and pulling on the foundation. They were pulling the old foundation, which was badly cracked, out from under the church house and slid a new foundation under without any disturbance to the walls or roof. Of course this was being done in the spiritual realm but it gave me understanding about what was going on within the congregation and its leadership.
For a number of years, I attended a prayer group in the home of a lovely lady. One night she mentioned almost in passing that her only child, Sean, had seen an angel in the hallway between the bedrooms. When I was ready to leave, blocking the front door was a woman in the prayer group, Sean and Ty, the 11 year old son of one of the other participants. As I walked up, the woman said, "Sean, tell RaJean what you saw; she sees angels." He did and we began to talk. Making our way into Sean’s bedroom, Ty and I sat down on the bed because he had a lot of questions. As is usual, the boys asked if I saw any angels with them in the room. I did. What did they look like? When I looked at Ty’s angel and described him I knew by his appearance what was going on in Ty’s life. Keep in mind that when we see angels by the Spirit, we are seeing a manifestation of something God is wanting to tell us or make us aware of. I quickly asked God to give me the interpretation of what I was seeing. As I shared it with Ty, the Holy Spirit stepped into our conversation and Ty ended up praying to receive Jesus as his Lord and Savior.
HEAVENLY WARRIORS
Joshua 5:13-15 – Joshua saw an angel with his sword drawn. He asked him, “Are you for us or for our adversaries?” The angel answered, “No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the Lord.”
II Kings 6:15-17 – When the Syrians plotted to capture Elisha they surrounded the city with an army of horses and chariots. Elisha’s servant was frightened until Elisha prayed for God to open his eyes and he saw the mountain full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. The angels struck them blind and Elisha led them to the king of Samaria. (It is common for them to ride spirit horses. See Psalm 68:17)
Daniel 10:13-21 – Michael and the speaker are fighting together against the prince of Persia on Daniel’s behalf. Notice that Michael obviously had greater power than the speaker did, doing in one push what the other couldn’t do in 21 days. The speaker was an angel who gave understanding (vs. 12) but Michael, a chief prince over other angels, was more skilled ins warfare (vs. 13,21). NOTICE: There was no jealousy or competition between them. They simply helped each other do what God had gifted them each to be able to do.
The first time I saw warrior angels, I didn’t know that’s what they were. The week before, arriving at a service late, I’d asked the Lord to show me what was going on in the meeting. When I looked at the building as I drove up, I saw a large, beautiful, green garland around the steeple. I knew the people inside were praising God. So I began to praise and entered the chapel in the same place of praise they were in.
The next week, I remembered the garland, and asked the Lord to again show me what was going on. I saw an absolutely HUGE being who was in white, flowing robes. I couldn’t figure it out. Puzzled and a little troubled, I entered the chapel and saw two more beings on either side of the communion table, just like the one outside except they were shorter – only 10 or 12 feet tall.
They were naked from the waist up, with gorgeous golden skin and curly hair. They were the most beautiful specimens I’d ever seen. They had well-defined muscles and looked like weight lifters before they build themselves up so much as to look out of proportion or grotesque. They had finely chiseled features and piercing, determined eyes. I couldn’t make out what was about their loins, but I saw their legs and bare feet. Each had a tall shaft or spear in their hands.
I prayed all through the service, a bit troubled as to what I was looking at. I was made to know that they were guarding the body and blood of the Lord because it is a very serious thing to partake of the communion elements. Though standing perfectly still, they were watching everyone and everything very closely and were poised to spear anyone should the need arise.
When the pastor went behind the table and began to prepare communion, the angels turned toward the bread and wine and remained in that position until after communion was over. When he quoted scripture and held the bread up to break, I saw a tiny, tiny Jesus come out of the bread and stand on the table. The figure of Jesus grew and grew during the preparation for the communion until He could no longer stand on the table. At that point, He jumped down to the floor and continued to grow until He was almost as tall as the ceiling. He then spread out His hands. The custom in this church was for each person to go forward for communion, kneel at the altar rail and take the elements there on their knees. Though no one was aware of how literal it was, we all walked through Jesus as we stepped up to the altar rail. I was unable to tell anyone about this experience for several months. It was so moving to see with my own eyes, how literally we are protected by the Lord. If we didn’t come through Him, we would all have been speared for taking His body and blood unworthily since none of us is truly able to discern perfectly the Body of Christ. (I Corinthians 11:28, 29).
Much later, I shared this experience with a friend. Karen became very excited and said that was the same description Roland Buck had given in his book, “Angels on Assignment.” He’d been told they were warrior angels. Since then, I’ve seen them many times and have seen them fighting so I can now confirm this.
When I finally paid attention to the angels during that Holy Week in 1994, I saw the warrior angels surrounding the Nave. They were tall, golden skinned, with spears in their hands. They reminded me of young Marines. They were not cookie-cutter angels who looked alike. Though all were handsome “hunks,” there were differences in their features. The ones standing inside the building, shoulder to shoulder, though standing perfectly still, had an air about them that made me realize they were “antsy.” I asked one of them why he was so antsy. He told me they’d been trained for battle and were anxious to get in the thick of it.
In 2008 or 9 we attended a “Starting the Year Off Right” conference put on by Glory of Zion (Chuck Pierce) in the large auditorium at North Texas University in Denton. I saw warrior angels all around the inside perimeter of “The Pit” as it's called. At the end of the conference when the crowd was commissioned, praise ascended into the heavens. The angels got excited because they knew they were now going to get to fully use their training for war.
Let me insert something here that, I believe though I can’t give you a scripture for it. When Satan fell, as you know, he took one third of the angels with him. That left 2/3 for God. But I don’t believe God still has only 2/3 of all the angels. Satan can’t create anything. But God is the ultimate Creator and we can easily see that there are some things He just really likes to create ‘cuz He keeps on making them. Three examples are people, stars and snow flakes. He keeps making people and no two are alike. Same for snowflakes. And the universe is seemingly endless. The Hubble telescope can't keep up with the new galaxies being created. I believe He likes making angels too and can make as many as He wants for whatever is needed. With all the people who have ever lived on planet earth and all who are here now, I don’t believe we’re limited to just the original 2/3.
Zechariah 1:7-21 – Some warrior angels patrol the earth and others operate as craftsmen (carpenters) who scatter, terrify, and throw down the enemy. Interesting note: The root of the word craftsmen/carpenters means “silent though at attention; to contrive secretly.” The craftsmen are the angelic beings God is using to get the scattered Jews throughout the world to go back to the Promised Land (chapter 2). So who is behind all the terrifying events that have caused Jews to once again look toward Jerusalem? The warrior craftsmen.
Before the 1994 March for Jesus in downtown Dallas, the sky was full of heavenly beings scurrying about. When the music began and the people began to march, the principalities and powers of the air were pushed aside, creating a heavenly path everywhere the marchers went. It was just as Hollywood depicted the Red Sea parting for the children of Israel in the movie, “The Ten Commandments.” The angels patrolled the boundary of the heavenly path that was created by praise. Later when I shared this at church, a member told me that a friend of hers had been a part of the march and had seen the very same thing.
Revelation 12:7 – And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. And the dragon and his angels waged war.
Daniel 12:1 – Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.
When we moved out to the country we dedicated our property to the Lord. Then, as I have for years, I invited the angels to use it as a resting place from their labors. Consequently, I often look out and see them walking about and lounging on the outdoor furniture. I would also see warrior angels guarding the property. As time passed and our ministry expanded in the area including to women fresh out of prison, the number of warrior angels increased. Especially when Gary was gone for two months to India and Africa. It was very comforting since even the local residents say we live in the “boonies.” But one day in 2014, I asked the Lord to extend the protection two miles in every direction. Fine. Good. Put it in the very back of my mind. Two years later, I queried the Lord as to why I wasn’t seeing warrior/guardian angels around the property any more. “Don’t you remember,” He chuckled. “You asked Me to station them two miles away.” Oh yeah.
One Sunday, a prophecy was given in church that was very heavy and quite convicting. A spirit of repentance fell upon the congregation. The next Sunday, the pastor preached from the prophecy of the previous week. Again, a spirit of repentance fell, except it was much heavier. For my part, I was really relating to Isaiah when he saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. (Isaiah 6) All I could think of was, “Oh woe is me, for I am a person of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips.” Later, as communion was being prepared, I took my place behind the altar rail as pray-er. Since communion in this church required the congregation to file to the front and kneel at the altar for communion instead of passing a tray with the bread and little glasses of wine, the pastor thought this was a good time for individual prayer needs to be prayed for. So if you wanted prayer, you’d simply signal someone like me to come take your request and pray right there in the context of communion. While waiting for someone to signal me, I saw several warrior angels come up behind the rail also. They had something in their hands which I presumed to be small spears or knives. (Remember the previous story of the large warriors with giant spears). I looked closer and saw that, instead, they had syringes in their hands. “Lord, what are they going to do?” I cried. “We need the coals. Where are the coals for them to put on our lips to take our iniquity away!?” (vs. 6, 7)
Very quietly, the Lord responded, “For those who come to My altar with repentant hearts, the angels will insert the syringes into their hearts and draw the evil out.”
“But Lord, we need the coals to cleanse our lips!” I pleaded almost frantically.
“My dear,” God soothed “It is out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.”
Peace came, knowing that God knew what He was doing. But rest did not come to me for a day and a half. I later realized that I did not have complete rest immediately because it took a while for me to recover from the “surgery” when one of those vials had been inserted in my heart.
I have told this story at this point because warrior angels were the ones administering the surgical procedure. It is important to note that war is waged on many fronts, each front needing its own tactics and weapons.
Visiting a church in Santa Fe, New Mexico, I saw two very large, elegantly robed angels in the front of the church. Each had a variety of “tools” around him/her (?). As the people went forward for Eucharist (this was a Catholic Church), the angels would use different “tools” as needed for each situation. It was quite fascinating. Some “tools” looked familiar – like a cup, a stone, a knife, a bowl. Other “tools” were unfamiliar to me. Please note that this sort of thing is not the case in every church, Catholic or otherwise. I’ve been in some churches where the Spirit of God isn’t there much less any of His angels!
DESTROYERS
II Samuel 24:6 & I Chronicles 21:15, 27 – The angel was ready to destroy Jerusalem when the Lord repented after David confessed his sin and the Lord told the angel to stop.
Acts 12:23 – An angel struck Herod when he did not give praise to God.
Until the final judgment (Revelation 12) the angels are not allowed to destroy Satan. They must refrain
themselves to only scatter, confuse, hold off, overcome, keep secrets – whatever is necessary to protect God’s people. We can’t either.
BEINGS WHO SURROUND GOD with praise and worship and who accompany Him in His work.
Matthew 18:27 – Jesus will come in the glory of His Father with His angels.
Matthew 25:31 – The Son of man shall come in His glory and all the holy angels with Him
II Thessalonians 1:7,8 – Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels.
Matthew 28:1-7 – The angel Mary Magdalene saw descend from heaven and roll away the stone from in front of Jesus’ tomb and sit upon it. (This appearance is placed under this category because the angel apparently accompanied Jesus (or saw Him) when He arose from the dead.)
Matthew 18:10 – Children’s angels in heaven continually see God the Father.
Hebrews 1:6 – And when He again brings the first-born into the world, He says, “And let all the angels of God worship Him.”
Isaiah 6:2-3 – Isaiah saw the Seraphim standing above God praising Him.
Many people (myself included) have had visions of the heavenly throne with angels all about, praising God. On February 6, 1994, I saw two angels flying back and forth over the communion table, each one holding a banner. On one banner were the words, “victory victory.” On the other banner were the words, “glory glory.”
PROTECTIVE BEINGS FOR MAN
Exodus 23:20-23 - To Moses: Behold, I am going to send an angel before you to guard you along the way, and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Be on your guard before him and obey his voice; do not be rebellious toward him, for he will not pardon your transgression, since My name is in him . . ."
Psalm 34:7 - The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them.
Psalm 91:11-12 - For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, lest you strike your foot against a stone. During our first trip to India, we were in the large city of Jaipur. Needing to cross a wide street, we chose to do so while traffic was stopped at a red light a short distance away. Unfortunately, I did not walk fast enough to avoid how quickly a gazillion motorcycles and cars took off the second the light changed. "Oh no!" our Hindu friend cried. But then he realized I was standing beside him. Did an angel whisk me out of the street? I didn't remember stepping up on the curb to safety; I only remembered being there.
Daniel 3:24 - The four "men" Nebuchadnezzar saw walking about in the midst of the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Daniel 12:1 - Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise.
Jude 9 - Michael the archangel disputed with the devil over the body of Moses.
Acts 4:7-10 - The angel who appeared in Peter's prison cell, struck his side, woke him up and, giving specific orders, led him out of the prison, into the city before leaving him alone.
REAPERS OR GATHERERS
Matthew 13:39 - The tares explained) . . . and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels.
Matthew 13:41 - The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness.
Matthew 24:31 - And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
Angels as reapers and gatherers have been in greater operation since the world prayer movement began to pray that people in Moslem countries have dreams and visions to bring them to the Lord. There are also many death-bed stories of people who say they see an angel or several angels just before they leave this life.
The job of being a reaper or a gatherer is where we are today. These jobs weren't just needed at the time of Matthew 24. It is a job for now. We need to pray it. When you want to bring someone to the Lord, pray for God to give an angel the job of reaper to help you witness and bring that person "home." If you are one whose job is to encourage Jews to make aliyah (return to their homeland), why not ask God for an angel to help you gather them?
This study has been about the purpose of angels. It has listed the various jobs they do as seen in scripture.
Part 2 will deal with the nature of angels.
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