angels

Bible Study Guides – I Will Come Again

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December 21, 2008 – December 27, 2008

Key Text

“For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” Matthew 16:27.

Study Help: The Great Controversy, 299–316.

Introduction

“Those who have loved Him and waited for Him, He will crown with glory and honor and immortality. The righteous dead will come forth from their graves, and those who are alive will be caught up with them to meet the Lord in the air.” The Acts of the Apostles, 34.

1 What prophetic hope was expressed by both Job and Enoch? Job 19:25–27; Jude 14, 15.

2 How does the psalmist describe the Lord’s return, and what should it make us pause to consider? Psalms 50:1–6; 96:11, 13.

Note: “The coming of Christ to usher in the reign of righteousness has inspired the most sublime and impassioned utterances of the sacred writers. The poets and prophets of the Bible have dwelt upon it in words glowing with celestial fire.” The Great Controversy, 300.

“Do we believe with all the heart that Christ is soon coming and that we are now having the last message of mercy that is ever to be given to a guilty world? Is our example what it should be? Do we, by our lives and holy conversation, show to those around us that we are looking for the glorious appearing of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who shall change these vile bodies and fashion them like unto His glorious body? I fear that we do not believe and realize these things as we should. Those who believe the important truths that we profess, should act out their faith. There is too much seeking after amusements and things to take the attention in this world; the mind is left to run too much upon dress, and the tongue is engaged too often in light and trifling conversation, which gives the lie to our profession, for our conversation is not in heaven, whence we look for the Saviour.” Early Writings, 111.

3 In Old Testament times, what was the hope of the true believers in connection with the second coming of Jesus? Isaiah 26:19; 25:8, 9.

4 What did Paul write about the same hope? I Corinthians 15:51–55; I Thessalonians 4:13–18.

Note: “When the Thessalonian Christians were filled with grief as they buried their loved ones, who had hoped to live to witness the coming of the Lord, Paul, their teacher, pointed them to the resurrection, to take place at the Saviour’s advent.” The Great Controversy, 302.

5 What did Paul call the hope of Christ’s return, and what appeal is included with it? Titus 2:11–14.

Note: “The coming of the Lord has been in all ages the hope of His true followers. The Saviour’s parting promise upon Olivet, that He would come again, lighted up the future for His disciples, filling their hearts with joy and hope that sorrow could not quench nor trials dim. Amid suffering and persecution, the ‘appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ’ was the ‘blessed hope.’ [Titus 2:13.]” The Great Controversy, 302.

“We are pilgrims and strangers who are waiting, hoping, and praying for that blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. If we believe this and bring it into our practical life, what vigorous action would this faith and hope inspire; what fervent love one for another; what careful holy living for the glory of God; and in our respect for the recompense of the reward, what distinct lines of demarcation would be evidenced between us and the world.” Evangelism, 220.

“The church of God is required to fulfill her night watch, however perilous, whether long or short. Sorrow is no excuse for her to be less watchful. Tribulation should not lead to carelessness, but to double vigilance. Christ has directed the church by His own example to the Source of their strength in times of need, distress, and peril. The attitude of watching is to designate the church as God’s people indeed. By this sign the waiting ones are distinguished from the world and show that they are pilgrims and strangers upon the earth.” Testimonies, vol. 2, 205.

6 With what words does Habakkuk describe the second coming of Christ? Habakkuk 3:3–13. What does he say about the marks of Christ’s crucifixion in connection with His coming? Habakkuk 3:4 (margin).

Note: “Our Redeemer will ever bear the marks of His crucifixion. Upon His wounded head, upon His side, His hands and feet, are the only traces of the cruel work that sin has wrought. Says the prophet, beholding Christ in His glory: ‘He had bright beams coming out of His side: and there was the hiding of His power.’ Habakkuk 3:4, margin. That pierced side whence flowed the crimson stream that reconciled man to God—there is the Saviour’s glory, there ‘the hiding of His power.’ ‘Mighty to save,’ [Isaiah 63:1.] through the sacrifice of redemption, He was therefore strong to execute justice upon them that despised God’s mercy. And the tokens of His humiliation are His highest honor; through the eternal ages the wounds of Calvary will show forth His praise and declare His power.” The Great Controversy, 674.

“What a joy it will be to recognize in Him our Teacher and Redeemer, bearing still the marks of the crucifixion, from which shine beams of glory, giving additional value to the crowns which the redeemed receive from His hands, the very hands outstretched in blessing over His disciples as He ascended. The very voice which said, ‘Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world,’ [Matthew 28:20.] bids His ransomed ones welcome to His presence.” Counsels on Stewardship, 349.

7 How important will these “beams of glory” be throughout eternity? Zechariah 13:6.

Note: “The cross of Christ will be the science and the song of the redeemed through all eternity. In Christ glorified they will behold Christ crucified. Never will it be forgotten that He whose power created and upheld the unnumbered worlds through the vast realms of space, the Beloved of God, the Majesty of heaven, He whom cherub and shining seraph delighted to adore—humbled Himself to uplift fallen man; that He bore the guilt and shame of sin, and the hiding of His Father’s face, till the woes of a lost world broke His heart and crushed out His life on Calvary’s cross.” The Great Controversy, 651.

8 With what message did the angels comfort the disciples at Christ’s ascension, and how is this confirmed in other Scriptures? Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16.

9 What further descriptions do we have of Christ’s return? Matthew 24:27; Mark 13:26; Revelation 1:7.

Note: “Soon our eyes were drawn to the east, for a small black cloud had appeared, about half as large as a man’s hand, which we all knew was the sign of the Son of man. We all in solemn silence gazed on the cloud as it drew nearer and became lighter, glorious, and still more glorious, till it was a great white cloud. The bottom appeared like fire; a rainbow was over the cloud, while around it were ten thousand angels, singing a most lovely song; and upon it sat the Son of man. His hair was white and curly and lay on His shoulders; and upon His head were many crowns. His feet had the appearance of fire; in His right hand was a sharp sickle; in His left, a silver trumpet. His eyes were as a flame of fire, which searched His children through and through. Then all faces gathered paleness, and those that God had rejected gathered blackness. Then we all cried out, ‘Who shall be able to stand? Is my robe spotless?’ Then the angels ceased to sing, and there was some time of awful silence, when Jesus spoke: ‘Those who have clean hands and pure hearts shall be able to stand; [Psalm 24:4.] My grace is sufficient for you.’ [I Corinthians 12:9.] At this our faces lighted up, and joy filled every heart. And the angels struck a note higher and sang again, while the cloud drew still nearer the earth.

“Then Jesus’ silver trumpet sounded, as He descended on the cloud, wrapped in flames of fire. He gazed on the graves of the sleeping saints, then raised His eyes and hands to heaven, and cried, ‘Awake! awake! awake! ye that sleep in the dust, and arise.’ Then there was a mighty earthquake. The graves opened, and the dead came up clothed with immortality. The 144,000 shouted, ‘Alleluia!’ as they recognized their friends who had been torn from them by death, and in the same moment we were changed and caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air.

“We all entered the cloud together, and were seven days ascending to the sea of glass, when Jesus brought the crowns, and with His own right hand placed them on our heads. He gave us harps of gold and palms of victory. Here on the sea of glass the 144,000 stood in a perfect square.” Early Writings, 15, 16.

10 Whom did John see holding the seal of the living God, and for what purpose? Revelation 7:2–4.

11 Who will—and who will not—be ready for Christ’s appearing? Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21.

Note: “We are not to rest in the idea that because we are church-members we are saved, while we give no evidence that we are conformed to the image of Christ, while we cling to our old habits, and weave our fabric with the threads of worldly ideas and customs.” Maranatha, 54.

“We need a thorough reformation in all our churches. The converting power of God must come into the church. Seek the Lord most earnestly, put away your sins, and tarry in Jerusalem till ye be endowed with power from on high.” Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers, 443.

“If you harbor pride, self-esteem, a love for the supremacy, vainglory, unholy ambition, murmuring, discontent, bitterness, evil speaking, lying, deception, slandering, you have not Christ abiding in your heart, and the evidence shows that you have the mind and character of Satan, not of Jesus Christ, who was meek and lowly of heart. You must have a Christian character that will stand. …

“There must be thorough conversions among those who claim to believe the truth, or they will fall in the day of trial. God’s people must reach a high standard. They must be a holy nation, a peculiar people, a chosen generation—zealous of good works.” Ibid., 441.

Additional Reading

“In consideration of the shortness of time we as a people should watch and pray, and in no case allow ourselves to be diverted from the solemn work of preparation for the great event before us.” Testimonies, vol. 4, 306.

“Jesus is coming, but not as at His first advent, a babe in Bethlehem; not as He rode into Jerusalem, when the disciples praised God with a loud voice and cried, ‘Hosanna’; but in the glory of the Father and with all the retinue of holy angels to escort Him on His way to earth. All heaven will be emptied of the angels, while the waiting saints will be looking for Him and gazing into heaven, as were the men of Galilee when He ascended from the Mount of Olivet. Then only those who are holy, those who have followed fully the meek Pattern, will with rapturous joy exclaim as they behold Him, ‘Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us.’ [Isaiah 25:9.] And they will be changed ‘in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump’ [I Corinthians 15:52.]—that trump which wakes the sleeping saints, and calls them forth from their dusty beds, clothed with glorious immortality, and shouting, ‘Victory! Victory over death and the grave!’ [I Corinthians 15:54.] The changed saints are then caught up together with the angels to meet the Lord in the air, never more to be separated from the object of their love.

“With such a prospect as this before us, such a glorious hope, such a redemption that Christ has purchased for us by His own blood, shall we hold our peace? Shall we not praise God even with a loud voice, as did the disciples when Jesus rode into Jerusalem? Is not our prospect far more glorious than was theirs? Who dare then forbid us glorifying God, even with a loud voice, when we have such a hope, big with immortality, and full of glory? We have tasted of the powers of the world to come, and long for more. My whole being cries out after the living God, and I shall not be satisfied until I am filled with all His fullness.” Early Writings, 110.

‘When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory.’ Matthew 25:31.

“No human language can portray the scenes of the second coming of the Son of Man in the clouds of heaven. … He will come clad in the robe of light, which He has worn from the days of eternity. Angels will accompany Him. Ten thousand times ten thousand will escort Him on His way. The sound of the trumpet will be heard, calling the sleeping dead from the grave. The voice of Christ will penetrate the tomb, and pierce the ears of the dead, ‘and all that are in the graves … shall come forth.” [John 5:28, 29.] Sons and Daughters of God, 357.

©2005 Reformation Herald Publishing Association, Roanoke, Virginia. Reprinted by permission

Q&A – Have the Angels let go Four Winds of Strife and are they now blowing?

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Winds denote strife, confusion, and destruction and we have certainly experienced much of that; however, Jesus Himself prophesied that these things would take place before He returns. He said, “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these [are] the beginning of sorrows.” Matthew 24:7, 8.

Daniel saw these winds blowing on the great sea. He said, “I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea.” Daniel 7:2. The angels of heaven have been holding the winds of strife in check all through the centuries. They will continue to hold until Christ’s work in the Most Holy Place is completed and probation is closed.

Ellen White makes an interesting comment about the angels controlling these winds: “I asked my accompanying angel the meaning of what I heard, and what the four angels were about to do. He said to me that it was God that restrained the powers, and that He gave His angels charge over things on the earth; that the four angels had power from God to hold the four winds, and that they were about to let them go; but while their hands were loosening, and the four winds were about to blow, the merciful eye of Jesus gazed on the remnant that were not sealed, and He raised His hands to the Father, and pleaded with Him that He had spilled His blood for them. Then another angel was commissioned to fly swiftly to the four angels, and bid them hold, until the servants of God were sealed with the seal of the living God in their foreheads.” Christian Experience and Teachings of Ellen G. White, 102.

Here it states that the four winds, which the four angels are holding back, are not to be let loose until God’s people are sealed. In Revelation 7:3, we read, “Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.”

In the Testimonies we read, “Men cannot discern the sentinel angels restraining the four winds that they shall not blow until the servants of God are sealed; but when God shall bid His angels loose the winds, there will be such a scene of strife as no pen can picture.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 408.

“When He leaves the sanctuary, darkness covers the inhabitants of the earth. In that fearful time the righteous must live in the sight of a holy God without an intercessor. … As the angels of God cease to hold in check the fierce winds of human passion, all the elements of strife will be let loose. The whole world will be involved in ruin more terrible than that which came upon Jerusalem of old.” The Great Controversy, 614.

It might be well for us to stop and consider what the sealing is all about. God is going to have a group of people from this earth in these last days who are finished with sin and sealed for eternity, while the rest of the inhabitants of the world are involved in such a scene of strife as no pen can describe. These sealed ones will never sin again. They are sealed in the righteousness of Christ. They are ready for Jesus to come and take them to the Holy City.

If you have a Bible question you wish to have answered, please e-mail it to: ruthgrosboll@stepstolife.org.

Pen of Inspiration – Angels and Their Work

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The connection of the visible with the invisible world, the ministration of angels of God, and the agency of evil spirits, are plainly revealed in the Scriptures, and inseparably interwoven with human history. There is a growing tendency to disbelief in the existence of evil spirits, while the holy angels that “minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation” [Hebrews 1:14], are regarded by many as the spirits of the dead. But the Scriptures not only teach the existence of angels, both good and evil, but present unquestionable proof that these are not the disembodied spirits of dead men.

Before the creation of man, angels were in existence; for when the foundations of the earth were laid, “the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy” [Job 38:7]. After the fall of man, angels were sent to guard the tree of life (Genesis 3:24), and this before a human being had died. Angels are in nature superior to men; for the psalmist says that man was made “a little lower than the angels” [Psalm 8:5; Hebrews 2:7].

In all ages, God has wrought through holy angels for the succour and deliverance of His people. Celestial beings have taken an active part in the affairs of men. They have appeared clothed in garments that shone as the lightning; they have come as men, in the garb of wayfarers. Angels have appeared in human form to men of God. They have rested, as if weary, under the oaks at noon. They have accepted the hospitalities of human homes. They have acted as guides to benighted travellers. They have, with their own hands, kindled the fires of the altar. They have opened prison doors, and set free the servants of the Lord. Clothed with the panoply of heaven, they came to roll away the stone from the Saviour’s tomb.

In the form of men, angels are often in the assemblies of the righteous, and they visit the assemblies of the wicked, as they went to Sodom to make a record of their deeds, to determine whether they have passed the boundary of God’s forbearance. The Lord delights in mercy; and for the sake of a few who really serve Him, He restrains calamities, and prolongs the tranquility of multitudes. Little do sinners against God realize that they are indebted for their own lives to the faithful few whom they delight to ridicule and oppress.

Angels have defeated purposes and arrested evils that would have greatly retarded the work of God, and would have caused great suffering to His people. In the hour of peril and distress, “the angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them” [Psalm 34:7].

The Bible Echo, September 23, 1895

Our Past History – The Times of the Second Angel

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In the book Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, 196, she says, “We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.” With this in mind, we began to study a subject that is very broad and complex, namely, the Three Angels’ Messages. In part one [LandMarks, July, 2011] we reflected upon the first angel’s message of Revelation 14:6, 7. We learned that the first angel’s message proclaims the hour of God’s judgment. This message was proclaimed by William Miller in the early 1830s. The movement that followed became known as the Millerite movement and later on as the Advent movement. The Millerites discovered that God’s judgment was to begin in A.D. 1844. Now this is the first angel that proclaims the everlasting gospel, but it is not the last. The message of judgment was to be followed by another message, and both messages were to be proclaimed together. Here we will study the second angel’s message.

“And there followed another angel …” Revelation 14:8. Before we continue reading, I want to emphasize the word “followed.” The Greek word for follow means to accompany. It means to go with someone as an associate or companion. For example, in Mark 1:17, 18, we read, “And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him.” Notice, they followed or went along with Jesus. They accompanied Him. So, the second angel accompanied the first angel. That means that the first angel was joined by the second angel, and both were to fly in the midst of heaven together. What is the message that was to accompany the first angel?

“And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.” Revelation 14:8. Notice, the second angel follows or accompanies the first angel with the message that Babylon is fallen. What is Babylon depicted as in the Bible? Revelation 17:3, 5 says, “So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast. … And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” Here we see that Babylon is depicted as a woman, and in Bible prophecy what does a woman represent? Let’s examine three passages. “I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman.” “And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.” “For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.” Jeremiah 6:2; Isaiah 51:16; II Corinthians 11:2. Notice, the Bible depicts God’s church as a woman. Therefore, in Bible prophecy a woman symbolizes the church.

So the message that Babylon is fallen reveals to us a church and her daughters that are fallen. In II Thessalonians 2:3, the apostle Paul prophesied about this. “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.” We understand this falling away to apply to the great apostasy of the Church of Rome in the third century. As soon as the Roman church adopted pagan practices, she, as a religious system, fell from the grace of God. However, the message of her fall was not widely proclaimed until the early 1840s when her daughters rejected the first angel’s message of God’s judgment. Remember, Revelation 17:5 says that Babylon is the mother of harlots. Therefore, she has daughter churches that are also corrupt. By the 1840s, as the first angel’s message was gaining strength and converts, Babylon’s daughters, which refer to the various Protestant churches, began to greatly oppose the advent message. As that opposition grew, the people who believed the message of reform were forced to either leave the advent movement and remain with their respective churches or leave their churches and hold fast to their advent beliefs.

Francis Nichol, the author of the book The Midnight Cry (Review and Herald Publishing Association, Washington, D. C., 1945) writes about the development of the second angel’s message. “There comes a time in the history of almost every religious movement when the distinctive teachings or convictions that set it in motion, result in friction and opposition in the church or churches from which it sprang. …

“In many instances the believers in Miller’s teachings were not permitted to express themselves on the subject in any way in their own churches. They felt repressed and spiritually suffocated. In the Millerite meetings they had found their hearts strangely warmed and their spiritual natures quickened as they listened to the prophecies expounded, and pictured in their minds the stimulating thought of the soon coming of Christ. To go from such a series of meetings back to their own churches and find there an atmosphere of coldness toward the whole subject of the advent, could not fail to lead many to question the wisdom of remaining in those churches. Some felt that to stay in their church would really be to deny their faith. Others were not quite sure.” Ibid., 145, 147. So, as a result of rejecting the first angel’s message of judgment, the Babylonian churches fell, and the believers were forced to leave the fallen churches.

The prophetic Scripture that was laid at the foundation of the first angel’s message was Daniel 8:14: “Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” The early Adventist Christians believed that the earth was the sanctuary and that the year 1844 was the end of the 2,300 symbolic days. Therefore, they thought that Jesus was going to return in 1844 and bring an end to sin. But after the passing of October 22, 1844, the Adventist believers became greatly disappointed when Jesus did not return to this earth to cleanse it as they expected. Hiram Edson, one of the Adventist lecturers, gives an account of the grief felt by those who were expecting Jesus to come in 1844. He said, “Our fondest hopes and expectations were blasted, and such a spirit of weeping came over us as I never experienced before. It seemed that the loss of all earthly friends could have been no comparison. We wept, and wept, till the day dawn. I mused in my own heart, saying, My advent experience has been the richest and brightest of all my Christian experience. If this had proved a failure, what was the rest of my Christian experience worth? Has the Bible proved a failure? Is there no God, no heaven, no golden home city, no paradise? Is all this but a cunningly devised fable? Is there no reality to our fondest hope and expectation of these things? And thus we had something to grieve and weep over, if all our fond hopes were lost. And as I said, we wept till the day dawn.” Ibid., 247, 248.

Now this is only a glimpse into the grief experienced by the advent believers in 1844. It was a time of gloom and sadness; a time when all hope seemed hopeless. However, Psalm 30:5 tells us, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” And on the day after the disappointment, Hiram Edson received a vision that revealed the real event that transpired on the day before. The following is his own account of the vision: “After breakfast I said to one of my brethren, ‘Let us go and see, and encourage some of our brethren.’ We started, and while passing through a large field I was stopped about midway of the field. Heaven seemed open to my view, and I saw distinctly and clearly that instead of our great High Priest coming out of the Most Holy of the heavenly sanctuary to come to this earth on the tenth day of the seventh month, at the end of the 2,300 days, He for the first time entered on that day the second apartment of that sanctuary; and that He had a work to perform in the Most Holy before coming to this earth. That He came to the marriage at the time [as mentioned in the parable of the Ten Virgins]; in other words, to the Ancient of days to receive a kingdom, dominion, and glory; and we must wait for His return from the wedding.” Ibid., 458.

Notice what Inspiration says regarding the great disappointment and the hope that followed: “Jesus did not come to the earth as the waiting, joyful company expected, to cleanse the sanctuary by purifying the earth by fire. I saw that they were correct in their reckoning of the prophetic periods; prophetic time closed in 1844, and Jesus entered the Most Holy Place to cleanse the sanctuary at the ending of the days. …

“… and He sent His angels to direct their minds that they might follow Him where He was. He showed them that this earth is not the sanctuary, but that He must enter the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary to make an atonement for His people and to receive the kingdom from His Father, and that He would then return to the earth and take them to dwell with Him forever.” Early Writings, 243, 244.

Hope began to swell once again in the hearts of the believers. They received a better understanding of the experience they had just passed through. Instead of coming to this earth in 1844 as they expected, Jesus entered into the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary to begin His last intercessory work for humanity. This brings us to the last angel of the three. So far we have two angels flying together—the first angel accompanied by the second angel. Two messages are proclaimed at the same time—a message of judgment and a message of a fallen church. However, these angels were not to be alone. In Revelation 14:9, it says, “And the third angel followed them.” In our final part we will reflect upon the third angel. But for now remember, “We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and His teaching in our past history.”

Demario Carter is currently working as a Bible worker for Steps to Life. 

Editorial – How to be Ready for the Loud Cry

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“We are to throw aside our narrow, selfish plans, remembering that we have a work of the largest magnitude and highest importance. In doing this work we are sounding the first, second, and third angel’s messages, and are thus being prepared for the coming of that other angel from heaven who is to lighten the earth with his glory.” Testimonies, vol. 6, 406.

“Our watchword is to be: Onward, ever onward. The angels of God will go before us to prepare the way. Our burden for the ‘regions beyond’ can never be laid down until the whole earth shall be lightened with the glory of the Lord.” Ibid., 29.

“The missionary spirit needs to be revived in our churches. Every member of the church should study how to help forward the work of God, both in home missions and in foreign countries. Scarcely a thousandth part of the work is being done that ought to be done in missionary fields. God calls upon His workers to annex new territory for Him. There are rich fields of toil waiting for the faithful worker. And ministering angels will co-operate with every member of the church who will labor unselfishly for the Master.” Ibid., 29.

“God desires to refresh His people by the gift of the Holy Spirit, baptizing them anew in His love. There is no need for a dearth of the Spirit in the church. In the future the earth is to be lightened with the glory of God. A holy influence is to go forth to the world from those who are sanctified through the truth. The earth is to be encircled with an atmosphere of grace.” The Southern Watchman, September 5, 1905.

“During the loud cry, the church, aided by the providential interpositions of her exalted Lord, will diffuse the knowledge of salvation so abundantly that light will be communicated to every city and town. The earth will be filled with the knowledge of salvation. So abundantly will the renewing Spirit of God have crowned with success the intensely active agencies, that the light of present truth will be seen flashing everywhere.” The Review and Herald, October 13, 1904.

“If God’s people make no efforts on their part, but wait for the refreshing to come upon them and remove their wrongs and correct their errors; if they depend upon that to cleanse them from filthiness of the flesh and spirit, and fit them to engage in the loud cry of the third angel, they will be found wanting. The refreshing or power of God comes only on those who have prepared themselves for it by doing the work which God bids them, namely, cleansing themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” Testimonies, vol. 1, 619.

(From the pen of Ellen White, emphasis supplied.)

Keys to the Storehouse – The Angels’ Report

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Angels of God have been commissioned to this earth as “ministering spirits” (see Hebrews 1:14) to present “to us the righteousness of Christ, justification by faith, the exceeding great and precious promises of God’s word, free access to the Father by Christ, the comfort of the Spirit, the well-grounded assurance of eternal life in the kingdom of God. …

“In heaven it is said by the ministering angels: The ministry which we have been commissioned to perform we have done.

  • “We pressed back the army of evil angels.
  • “We sent brightness and light into the souls of men, quickening their memory of the love of God expressed in Jesus.
  • “We attracted their eyes to the cross of Christ.
  • “Their hearts were deeply moved by a sense of the sin that crucified the Son of God.
  • “They were convicted.
  • “They saw the steps to be taken in conversion;
  • “They felt the power of the gospel;
  • “Their hearts were made tender as they saw the sweetness of the love of God.
  • “They beheld the beauty of the character of Christ.” Christ’s Object Lessons, 317, 318.

What a most wonderful ministry the angels carry out and with great joy are able to report! As I read, excitement filled my heart and I praised God. Then read the following:

“But

  • “With the many it was all in vain. [It was unsuccessful, without effect.]
  • “They would not surrender their own habits and character.
  • “They would not put off the garments of earth in order to be clothed with the robe of heaven.
  • “Their hearts were given to covetousness.
  • “They loved the associations of the world more than they loved their God.” Ibid., 318.

Oh, what sad statements by the angels who anxiously minister for each of their charges. I pray that it is with great joy that the angels return with a good report and that none of us finds the garments of earth more desirable than the robe of heaven. How tragic it will be and what a terrible loss it will be when we each face eternity if the invitation has been rejected.

“Sad will be the retrospect in that day when men stand face to face with eternity. The whole life will present itself just as it has been. The world’s pleasures, riches, and honors will not then seem so important. Men will then see that the righteousness they despised is alone of value. They will see that they have fashioned their characters under the deceptive allurements of Satan. The garments they have chosen are the badge of their allegiance to the first great apostate. Then they will see the results of their choice. They will have a knowledge of what it means to transgress the commandments of God. …

“The days of our probation are fast closing. The end is near. To us the warning is given, ‘Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares.’ Luke 21:34. Beware lest it find you unready. Take heed lest you be found at the King’s feast without a wedding garment.” Ibid., 318, 319.

Father, walk with me this day that my heart will not be drawn away from heavenly places. I choose to surrender my habits and character to you and to put off the garments of earth in exchange for Your heavenly garments. Remove the love of the world from my heart and replace it with the love of Jesus.

Inspiration – Angels in Amazement!

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Angels are amazed that men regard so lightly and indifferently the vital truths which mean so much to the sinner, and continue willing subjects under the captivity of Satan and sin, when so much has been endured in the divine person of the Son of God. O that we may cultivate habits of contemplation of the self-denial and self-sacrifice of the life of Christ, until we shall have a deep sense of the aggravating character of sin, and hate it as the vile thing it is.

Let the mind awaken to gratitude that through Christ Jesus, the Father is faithful to fulfill the promise to forgive all sin. His mercy and His love are forever an assurance as we look upon Christ uplifted upon the cross of Calvary. Will we individually rise to the appreciation as far as we have capacity to comprehend the truth, that God Jehovah loves and forgives us if we believe in and love Jesus?

O what a glorious truth! God is waiting to forgive all who come unto Him with repentance. Preach it. Lift up Jesus high that the people may behold Him. …

The Jews saw in the sacrificial offerings the symbol of Christ whose blood was shed for the salvation of the world. All these offerings were to typify Christ and to rivet the great truth in their hearts that the blood of Jesus Christ alone cleanseth from all sin, and without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sins. Some wonder why God desired so many sacrifices and appointed the offering of so many bleeding victims in the Jewish economy.

Every dying victim was a type of Christ, which lesson was impressed on mind and heart in the most solemn, sacred ceremony, and explained definitely by the priests. Sacrifices were explicitly planned by God Himself to teach this great and momentous truth, that through the blood of Christ alone there is forgiveness of sins.

This grand and saving truth is oft repeated in the hearing of believers and unbelievers, and yet it is with amazement that angels behold the indifference of men to whom these truths mean so much. How little is evidenced that the church feels the force of the wonderful plan of redemption. How few make this truth, that only through faith in the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ there is forgiveness of the sins that cling to human beings like the foul leprosy, a living reality.

What depths of thought should this awaken in every mind! He needed no suffering to atone for Himself. His was a depth of suffering proportionate to the dignity of His person and His sinless, exalted character.

Selected Messages, Book 1, 106, 107.

Question & Answer – How Was Jesus Strengthened by Angels?

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“And there appeared an angel unto Him from heaven, strengthening Him.” Luke 22:43.

The Lord has given us, through the Spirit of Prophecy, the following details of the visit to Jesus by the angel while He was in Gethsemane.

“In this awful crisis, when everything was at stake, when the mysterious cup trembled in the hand of the sufferer, the heavens opened, a light shone forth amid the stormy darkness of the crisis hour, and the mighty angel who stands in God’s presence, occupying the position from which Satan fell, came to the side of Christ.

  • The angel came not to take the cup from Christ’s hand, but to strengthen Him to drink it, with the assurance of the Father’s love.
  • He came to give power to the divine-human suppliant.
  • He pointed Him to the open heavens, telling Him of the souls that would be saved as the result of His sufferings.
  • He assured Him that His Father is greater and more powerful than Satan, that His death would result in the utter discomfiture of Satan, and that the kingdom of this world would be given to the saints of the Most High.
  • He told Him that He would see of the travail of His soul, and be satisfied, for He would see a multitude of the human race saved, eternally saved.

“Christ’s agony did not cease, but His depression and discouragement left Him. The storm had in nowise abated, but He who was its object was strengthened to meet its fury. …

“The sleeping disciples had been suddenly awakened by the light surrounding the Saviour. They saw the angel bending over their prostrate Master. They saw him lift the Saviour’s head upon his bosom, and point toward heaven. They heard his voice, like sweetest music, speaking words of comfort and hope.” The Desire of Ages, 693, 694.

I must smile at this detail: “Standing in advance of His disciples He said, ‘Whom seek ye?’ They answered, ‘Jesus of Nazareth.’ Jesus replied, ‘I am He.’ As these words were spoken, the angel who had lately ministered to Jesus moved between Him and the mob. A divine light illuminated the Saviour’s face, and a dovelike form overshadowed Him. In the presence of this divine glory, the murderous throng could not stand for a moment. They staggered back. Priests, elders, soldiers, and even Judas, fell as dead men to the ground.

“The angel withdrew, and the light faded away.” [Emphasis added] Ibid., 694.

Keys to the Storehouse – A Second Trial

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Our first parents sinned and Jesus “proposed the only means that could be acceptable with God, that would give them another trial, and place them again on probation.” Confrontation, 17.

Did you know that angels also experienced a period of probation? “Angels on probation had been deceived by Satan, and had been led on by him in the great rebellion in heaven against Christ. They failed to endure the test brought to bear upon them, and they fell.” Ibid., 18.

There was no second trial for the angels! Why? “He left the fallen angels to perish in their rebellion, but stretched forth His hand to rescue perishing man. The angels who were rebellious were dealt with according to the light and experience they had abundantly enjoyed in heaven. Satan, the chief of the fallen angels, once had an exalted position in heaven. He was next in honor to Christ. The knowledge which he, as well as the angels who fell with him, had of the character of God, of His goodness, His mercy, wisdom, and excellent glory, made their guilt unpardonable.” [Emphasis supplied.] Ibid., 21.

They had it all—their sin was unpardonable!

“There was no possible hope for the redemption of those who had witnessed and enjoyed the inexpressible glory of heaven, and had seen the terrible majesty of God, and, in presence of all this glory, had rebelled against Him. … If they could rebel in the very presence of glory inexpressible, they could not be placed in a more favorable condition to be proved. There was no reserve force of power, nor were there any greater heights and depths of infinite glory to overpower their jealous doubts and rebellious murmuring. Their guilt and their punishment must be in proportion to their exalted privileges in the heavenly courts.” Ibid.

We have the privilege to be on probation. Are we “walking” with God each moment? Adam and Eve were separated from God by transgression of His expressed command. They knew the consequences of such transgression. We also know the consequences of our transgressions, our sins. Many are in a deplorable state, blinded by Satan to think all is well because sin really isn’t sin anymore—it is just a little departure from God’s word. Do not be tricked into believing a lie and losing the last opportunity to join the faithful angels in heaven.

You and I might redeem Adam’s disgraceful failure, and by humble obedience regain lost Eden. Ask Jesus for His Holy Spirit to transform your heart, to guide you and to teach you. Do not believe the devil’s lie that your “little” sins do not matter. This is the last trial you will have to prove your faithfulness to the God of heaven—to prove your love to Him. You do not need to fail in these last moments of probation.

Father in heaven: I am saddened that the angels failed their probation when they had it all. I do not want to fail. Help me to relinquish self and the sin which doth so easily beset me. Save me from my rebellious self, and let me run with patience the race that is set before me. Do not let me be ruined by Satan’s lying deceptions. Help Lord! Amen.

Angels – Their Ministration

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Before Adam and Eve sinned, their home was in “Eden, the garden of God” (Ezekiel 28:13). Here they were visited, not only by holy angels, but God Himself held communion with them, and they talked with Him face to face.

After the fall, man could no longer talk with God. Neither could any sinful being see His face and live. Even to Moses, the man of God, He said, “Thou canst not see My face: for there shall no man see Me, and live” (Exodus 33:20).

It was not, however, the Creator’s will to cut man off from communication with heavenly beings. And in the darkness and uncertainty following the entrance of sin, man has ever felt the need of “some ministering spirit, some heavenly visitant from the world of light, to instruct him in the things of God.” Hence it is but natural that man should ever be reaching out for some method of communication with heaven. This need of the human soul the Lord supplies by means of the ministration of angels.

Ministering Spirits

To the inhabitants of this world the angels are messengers (see margin Judges 2:1) sent from the courts above. Around the throne of God in heaven there is an “innumerable company of angels” (Hebrews 12:22) that go and come at His command.

Says John, “I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne” (Revelation 5:11).

David says, “The Lord hath prepared His throne in the heavens; and His kingdom ruleth over all. Bless the Lord, ye His angels, that excel in strength, that do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His word. Bless ye the Lord, all ye His hosts; ye ministers of His, that do His pleasure” (Psalm 103:19–21).

In an earthly kingdom the conditions are similar. The monarch resides at the capital of his kingdom, which is the seat of government. Here trusty messengers bring to him reports from every part of the realm. As questions of moment are settled, the decisions are placed in the hands of those who are empowered to act in the name of the king. Thus affairs of the kingdom receive proper attention, no matter how broad or widely scattered the dominion may be.

We can readily see that the Lord employs His servants, the angels, in a similar manner. “He always works by means, or agents. The angels are His officers, or messengers, whom He has appointed to represent Him and to have charge of the affairs of this earth. They watch over God’s people, and administer to their wants. They bear the prayers of the saints up before the Lord, and come again to answer them according to His direction.”

The statement of the apostle Paul is very clear on the ministry of angels: “To which of the angels said He at any time, Sit on My right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation” (Hebrews 1:13, 14)?

To Jacob, on his lonely way as he fled from his father’s house, the attendance and ministration of heavenly angels was made very real: “And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it” (Genesis 28:12).

On his return journey, many years after, as he was about to meet his brother Esau, whom he had so cruelly wronged in his younger days, and whom he greatly feared, “the angels of God met him. And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God’s host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim” (Genesis 32:1, 2).

The meaning of Mahanaim is two hosts, or camps, referring to the great camp of Jacob’s band, and the camp of the angels of God. This was evidence to the patriarch that the camp of heaven was by his side to protect him in the dreaded meeting with his brother.

Angels are at times sent from heaven in answer to prayer. In Daniel 9:21, 22, we read that as the prophet was praying, the angel Gabriel was sent to answer his prayer.

Another instance in the life of Daniel gives the most realistic account of angelic ministration. The prophet was deeply burdened regarding the sins and the captivity of his people. For three weeks he had fasted and prayed to God that the way might be opened for Israel to return to their own land. Then the angel appeared to him and said:

“Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes [margin, the first Prince], came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia” (Daniel 10:12, 13). [Emphasis supplied.]

Daniel’s “three full weeks” (verse 2) of fasting and prayer for his people had not been in vain. The angel (doubtless Gabriel) said to him that from the first day of his fast his words were heard. Gabriel had been with the king of Persia for three weeks—just the time Daniel had been afflicting his soul.

What a lesson regarding answer to prayer! During his three weeks of fasting and prayer Daniel had no evidence that his prayers were bringing any answer. Yet every day of this time this mighty angel was engaged with the king in his effort to bring about the very results for which Daniel was praying.

During all these days Satan opposed the efforts of Gabriel to move the heart of the king. The task was too unequal, and Michael, the Son of God Himself, came to the court of the king to complete the work. Gabriel is thus released, and goes swiftly to Daniel, to assure him that his prayers are heard, and to give him the instruction for which he has been pleading.

Michael, equal with the Father in all the power of heaven, is soon able to bring the king of Persia to terms, and the release of Israel is assured.

We read and talk of the romance of history, and of the titanic forces employed in modern warfare. But what earthly event can compare with this scene, in which the actors were, first, Daniel, the aged prophet in prayer; secondly, Michael and Gabriel, two of the strongest beings from heaven itself; thirdly, the king of Persia; fourthly, Satan and his powerful angels. Truly it was a royal battle, the nature of which was little suspected by the human characters interested in it.

The day of wonderful answers to prayer is not of the past alone. God is as ready to hear and answer now as He was in the days of Daniel. The sincere Christian who prays in faith, and expects and looks for answers, will receive answers and know that he receives them. Yet the response from heaven may be so far-reaching that we would be startled if our eyes were opened. The delay that tries the faith of the suppliant may arise from necessary work upon other hearts as hard and as stubborn as that of the king of Persia or the Pharaoh of Egypt.

Guardian Angels

“Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones [servants of God, not necessarily children]; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of My Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 18:10).

The Bible clearly indicated that a guardian angel is appointed to every follower of Christ. So in every conflict with the powers of darkness, it is a comforting and inspiring thought that we have not only a Father in heaven, but we have also a powerful angel by our side. We have always within immediate reach a power sufficient to beat back all the assaults of the enemy. These angels bring to us light and courage, and in all cases are at hand to protect us.

Satan himself recognized, in the experience of Job, the efficiency of this angelic guardianship. The Lord called his attention to the integrity of Job, and Satan replied, “Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not Thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side” (Job 1:9, 10)? Of the character of Job the Lord said, “There is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man” (verse 8). Hence powerful angels were placed like a guarding wall about him, to protect him and all he possessed from the power of Satan and his hosts of evil. He was practically placed beyond their malign influence. “No evil could approach him except as God gave special permission.”

Satan claimed that if this protection was removed, and his possessions were destroyed, “He will curse Thee to Thy face” (Job 1:11).

“And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand” (verse 12).

Yet through all the calamities the evil one was permitted to bring upon him, he was not forsaken by the heavenly messengers. They were there to see that Satan should not afflict Job beyond the permission given by Jehovah. Even though tempted to sin, he retained his integrity, for it is said, “In all this Job sinned not” (verse 22).

So, although God in His wise providence allows His children to be tempted, tried, and afflicted, they are never forsaken. Heavenly messengers maintain a constant communication between them and their heavenly Father, and no evil is permitted to come upon them only so far as it is for their good and the advancement of His work in the earth.

The psalmist tells us how God protects His children: “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them” (Psalm 34:7).

Peter’s guardian angel released him from prison more than once. At one time Herod had cast him into prison, intending to kill him as he had James. But the Lord had yet a work for Peter to do.

“And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon 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. And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me” (Acts 12:6–8).

The apostle did not understand what was transpiring, “but thought he saw a vision.” “And when Peter was come to himself [when he realized it was all real and true], he said, ‘Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent His angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews (Acts 12:9, 11).”

Then Peter went to the house of Mary, the mother of John, where the disciples were “gathered together praying” (verse 12). They were doubtless beseeching God for the release of the imprisoned apostle.

As he “knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda” (verse 13). When she heard his voice asking admission, she did not let him in for very joy, but, instead, ran and told the praying disciples that Peter stood at the gate. At first they could not believe the words of the maid, but she insisted that he was really there. “Then said they, It is his angel” (verse 15).

“They did not mean that it was Peter’s spirit, for they supposed he was yet alive and in prison. They meant … what they said, that it was his angel—the one who attended him.”

The ninety-first Psalm describes the position of God’s people during the time of trouble. Of the mission of the angels during this time, we read, “He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy food against a stone” (Psalm 91:11, 12).

They Hear Our Words

An angel is always present and hears what we say. “Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before [in the presence of] the angel, that it was an error” (Ecclesiastes 5:6). The angels of God can not be deceived.

They See Us

“For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men” (1 Corinthians 4:9). We are never alone. We could see our angel visitor if our eyes were opened. (See 2 Kings 6:3–23).

Angels in the Gospel

When the work of creating the earth and its inhabitants was finished, “the morning stars [angels] sang together” (Job 38:7).

When man sinned and was driven from Eden, the “angels ceased their songs of praise. Throughout the heavenly courts there was mourning for the ruin that sin had wrought.” Patriarchs and Prophets, 62.

When the plan of salvation through Christ, which was to give the human race another chance, was proclaimed to the angels, they made heaven ring again with the song that later sounded over the hills of Bethlehem: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14).

Before the fall, angels were the teachers of Adam and Eve. They told them of the fall of Satan, and of the ceaseless efforts he and his fallen companions would make to cause them to sin and fall as he had fallen.

Since the fall, the interest of holy angels in the human family has intensified. As before the fall they were to warn our first parents of the danger that lurked in the wiles of Satan, so after the fall they were to instruct man in the plan of salvation that had been devised in his behalf.

As man had failed to stand the test while surrounded by every influence that could guard him from evil, he must now regain the character he had lost by disobedience in a world that had fallen under the dominion of Satan.

To meet these adverse conditions the angels were appointed as guardians, ministers, and messengers from heaven to aid fallen humanity in its struggle with evil. Then how deep must be the interest of angels in the welfare of man, and in the advancement of the gospel in the earth!

Angels have ever acted a prominent part in the spread of the gospel. Though the preaching of the gospel has been given to men, yet angels have an important mission to perform in aiding and guiding the earthly minister in his work.

The case of Cornelius is an example. Cornelius was a Gentile. He was also an officer in the Roman army. It was said of him that he was “a just man, and one that feareth God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews” (Acts 10:22).

But Cornelius knew nothing of Jesus Christ. It seems that he was seeking for light from heaven, for he “prayed to God always,” and to such a man help will always be sent when needed. In this case the angel appeared to the Roman officer while he was fasting and praying. He instructed him to send for Peter, saying, “He shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do” (verses 2–6).

Cornelius therefore sent two servants and a devout soldier to the place where Peter abode in Joppa. The next day, as the three men were nearing Joppa, Peter “went upon the housetop to pray” (verse 9). There he saw a vision, and a heavenly messenger instructed him to go with the men in response to the call of Cornelius, notwithstanding he was a Gentile.

So Peter returned with them, and found the house of Cornelius filled with his “kinsmen and near friends” (verse 24). And as he preached the gospel to them, “the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word” (verse 44). And they believed and were baptized.

In this instance the actual intervention of angels, both to Cornelius and to Peter, was necessary to bring about this result.

An incident in the life of the deacon Philip is to the point. Crossing the desert near Gaza was a eunuch, an officer of great authority in the court of Candace, queen of Ethiopia. He was returning from Jerusalem, where he had been to worship. As he rode in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah’s prophecy in regard to Christ, but did not understand it. At the command of the angel, Philip met the eunuch at this time. He was invited to a seat in the chariot, and there he explained the passage from Isaiah, and preached Christ to the Ethiopian officer.

As a result, the eunuch believed, and as they passed a pool he asked for baptism. “And they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him” (Acts 8:38).

And the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, and carried him to Azotus, But the eunuch went on his way rejoicing, a new channel through which the light of the gospel was to be carried into darkest Africa.

This whole transaction, which was so important in carrying the gospel into new territory, was due to the appearance of the angel to lead God’s minister on this important errand.

Angels appeared to Daniel, and revealed to him many important truths pertaining to the work of the gospel, some of which refer to the times in which we now live. Especially is the instruction of the angel Gabriel important, as it concerns the atonement, or the investigative judgment, and the sacrifice of the Messiah. (See Daniel 8:13–17; 9:10–27.)

It was Gabriel also who came to Mary to announce the birth of Christ, and to Zacharias to foretell that of John the Baptist. (See Luke 1:11–19, 26–33.)

A powerful angel appeared many times to the apostle-prophet John, as recorded in the Revelation, presenting before him important events and truths pertaining to the work of God to be done in the earth, and in regard to the triumph of God’s people and their great reward.

In Revelation 14:6, 7, an angel is seen flying “in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come.” [Emphasis supplied.] And other angels followed, each having a special message to proclaim.

Special messages have gone to the world at special times. God sends His angels to direct the minds of His ministers to the lines of truth He would have them proclaim. Angels stand by their side as they speak the truth to the people. Angels are beside the listeners to impress their hearts. So through it all, as in the cases of Cornelius and Peter, and of Philip and the eunuch, angels are moulding the work of the ministers, and pressing home the truths to the hearts of the people.

Past, Present, and Future, by James Edson White, 69–83.