Angels

Angel means messenger. Angels serve the Lord. They also serve God’s people. We do not have charge over angels. We do not pray to them or send them on assignments because:

1. This would lead to angel worship and idolatry.

2. Jesus said we should ask the Father in His name (John 16:23). He did not say we should pray to angels.

3. The Bible says that God “gives His angels charge concerning us” (Ps 91:11). That is, God directs how angels minister on our behalf.

4. If we directed the angels’ ministry it would not work well. It would depend on us remembering to give the right instructions at the right time and upon us knowing everything that needed to be done. We do not have this knowledge, so if we forgot to give an angel charge in any matter, our lives would be in danger.

5. Jesus ever lives to make intercession for us, that the ministry of the angels should be sufficient for our need (Heb 7:25). This ministry for us is part of the New Covenant, which God said He would undertake on our behalf (Heb 1:14, Ps 103:20).

Another aspect on which people sometimes speculate is the hierarchy of angels. It appears that Gabriel and Michael were angels to Israel during the Old Covenant, but the scripture does not give details on this. Some (John Wesley and others) have said that Michael was an Old Covenant term for Christ. A careful study would be required to say any more.

The Bible also mentions seraphim. However, the scriptures do not give a clear description of a hierarchy, nor of the roles of the various angels. We do not know the details on these matters and we are not supposed to know. The Lord is the one who directs their work.

There is also the “angel of the Lord” often mentioned in scripture. The identity of this angel could vary according to the text. Angel of the Lord just means messenger of the Lord, but the term could also mean a manifestation of the Son of God Himself in angelic form, sometimes called a pre-incarnate manifestation of Christ.

It appears that the angel of the Lord often received worship, as was the case with the angel that Samson’s parents met (Judges 13:20), the angel that Abraham met and ate a meal with, the angel of God’s presence that was to follow Moses, the captain of the Lord’s hosts that Joshua met when crossing into the Promised Land and Melchizedek.

There is some mystery in these cases. The book of Hebrews says Melchizedek was greater than Abraham who had the promises (Heb 7:6). He is the only figure in Hebrews that is not said to be inferior to Christ.

Sons of God may sometimes refer to angels in various texts, such as Job 1. This refers to majesty or rulership duties in God’s kingdom. Angels are sometimes called elohim in Hebrew which means magistrate. God is the supreme El. Some of these angels are obedient to God and some rebellious, though they are all under His power (2 Pet 2:4).

The term “sons of God” does not always refer to angels. It can refer to men, to whom God gave dominion over the animals, under His will. In the Old Testament, it could also refer to men who walked with God. It can also mean magistrate, or mean one directly formed by God in His image, as Adam was. The Old Testament usage is never the same as the New Testament usage, meaning one born of the Spirit.

It may be that “the sons of God” who cohabited with the daughters of men in Genesis 6 were not angels but the descendants of the godly seed from Seth cohabiting with ungodly women. God did not want the godly seed and the ungodly to intermarry. He kept the lineage of Christ pure until the promised Seed came. Abraham was particular about who Isaac married (Gen 24:3).

Part of the reason for the Flood was to keep the lineage of Christ faithful and ensure the promise was fulfilled. Jesus said angels do not reproduce (Matt 22:30). Claims of some today that they have been impregnated by demons are not true.

The Hebrew for “giants” (KJV) in Genesis 6 can mean men of renown. These were ungodly and oppressive rulers like Nimrod and the kings of empires that followed later. They have no connection with Goliath. According to the text of Genesis 6 God judged men for their evil hearts, not demons or angels. Jude 6 (and 2 Pet 2:4) is likely a reference to the rebellion of angels and not to Genesis 6.

Tales that ascribe demons to Genesis 6 are built on Jewish pseudepigrapha books (books using a false name for the author), written during the Intertestamental period. The book of Enoch is one of these. It was not written by Enoch, but books like this are useful in describing Jewish thought before Jesus came. That Jude was inspired to use a phrase from the book of Enoch does not mean that the book of Enoch was inspired.

Enoch and other apocryphal writings were used by early Christian writers, supposedly assuming licence from Jude and following the asceticism of Judaism and this led to a lot of false theology being incorporated into early church history, which the Koran also adopted.

The Council of Laodicea (364 AD) rightly discredited the book of Enoch and it then passed out of general circulation until recent times. Some modern teachings are rebuilding on these Jewish ideas. (See www.jewishencyclopedia.com).

These Jewish ideas are harmful and we agree with Calvin’s commentary on 2 Pet 2:4:
But as Peter mentions here but briefly the fall of angels and as he has not named the time and the manner and other circumstances, it behooves us soberly to speak on the subject…

And indeed they who curiously inquire, do not regard edification, but seek to feed their souls with vain speculations. What is useful to us, God has made known, that is, that the devils were at first created, that they might serve and obey God, but that through their own fault they apostatized, because they would not submit to the authority of God; and that thus the wickedness found in them was accidental and not from nature, so that it could not be ascribed to God…

In all, we are instructed to accept what the scriptures say without speculating beyond what is revealed plainly. God said to Moses that the things that are revealed are for men, but the things that are not revealed are for God (Deut 29:29).

Occult means hidden. When we speculate on endless questions and build doctrines on things that are not of major importance in scripture we are outside of the will of God. Paul said do not do it:

Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. (1 Tim 1:4).

Pentecostalism Defined

Pentecostalism can be defined as Spirit empowered witness to Christ. The Spirit works in us to continue the ministry of Jesus Christ. He is not representing Himself in His own ministry. His testimony and witness is of Christ and not of Himself.

Jesus Christ is the one who died for sin, who is the Saviour. The Spirit empowers the Christian, but is not the object of our attention. He points to Jesus Christ. We do not pray to the Spirit nor worship Him. He is God, but God has directed worship as follows:

The Spirit takes us through Jesus Christ to the Father. He enables true worship. Without Him we cannot see God or know Him and we cannot please God or worship Him. This entire ministry of the Spirit is not undertaken in His own name, but in the name of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the person through whom the Spirit of God moves. The Father has willed that we honour the Son (John 5:23, 6:28-29, 1 John 4:3, 5:11-12).

In Acts, the early disciples were witnesses to the resurrection of Christ and “so too is the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 5:32). Where we see a spirit witnessing of himself, it is not the Holy Spirit. The emphasis of every sermon in the book of Acts is Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection. (See Acts 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, for example.) The Spirit’s testimony is always, “Jesus Christ is Lord.”.

Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you slew and hanged on a tree. Him has God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are His witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to them that obey Him. (Acts 5:29-32).

In Acts 2, Peter spoke two or three verses from Joel when people asked what had happened. He said the Spirit was given through Christ and then for the rest of the chapter he preached Christ. The way to minister the Holy Spirit to people is to preach Christ, not to preach the Spirit. The Spirit is given through the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the baptizer in the Holy Spirit.

Any ministry that purports to do miracles and does not have Jesus Christ at the centre of its message and His atonement for sin and His resurrection from the dead and His Lordship and His transforming power in the new birth to deliver people from the power of sin and make them holy and that does not lift up the word of God as truth by which He will judge men, is not of God.

God allows these false ministries to have some miracles, or the appearance of miracles, to test men’s hearts, to show whether they have received the love of the truth and follow the truth, or whether they follow signs to their own destruction (2 Thes 2:10-12). “Test the spirits.” (Josh 5:13, 1 John 4:1).

The New Covenant

Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has shed forth this, which you now see and hear. (Acts 2:33).

The Spirit was sent by Christ after His glorification at the Father’s right hand, to represent Christ as head of His body, the church. The Spirit comes in the name of Christ and speaks of Christ and ministers to the heirs of eternal life the blessings of Christ. Jesus said, “He will not speak of Himself…He will glorify Me…He will take that which is mine and show it to you.” (John 16:14).

The Spirit does this through the gospel. He is the voice of Christ, speaking the word of God into our heart, to bring us into new birth. He sustains our life daily, by dwelling within our flesh. The Spirit will never disagree with the scriptures. He is the author of them and the fulfiller of them according to the will of Christ and Christ according to the will of the Father.

The Spirit gives gifts to the church, such as healing or miracles, special faith or knowledge, to sustain us in the time of need. These are given for our good and the good of His body, by the will of the Spirit and not by our own timing, way or making.

He also gives ministry gifts to the church, for the establishment of the church in any generation. All these things are by His will and not according to method, which men can learn and pass on, so that people might live by the love and power of Christ within and not be corrupted by self-reliance.

The Old Covenant

In the Old Covenant the Spirit was with God’s people, but He did not live within them (John 14:17). He moved upon certain people, such as kings and prophets, to fulfil His purposes. But it was not until the New Covenant that the Spirit would indwell His people permanently and would indwell all His people (1 John 3:24).

John the Baptist was filled with the Spirit and others in the Old Testament were filled (Ex 31:3), but this was for temporary ministry. They were filled in terms of being enabled, but not in terms of the New Covenant, where God’s people are born of the Spirit and are children of God. The term children of God is used in different ways in scripture. In the New Covenant it means to be born of the Spirit, to have the divine nature (Gal 3:26).

Before the day of Pentecost Jesus said to His disciples concerning the Spirit, “You know Him for He is with you, but He shall be in you” (John 14:17) and John said “… the Spirit… was not yet given, for Christ was not yet glorified” (John 7:39).

The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit is a person. He is God. He is a member of the trinity, the Godhead. He communicates the will of God to His people. He is God’s hermeneutician, who shows us God. He leads, guides, teaches and works miracles, all to point to Jesus Christ (John 16:13-14). He regenerates the believer into new birth and implants within them the new divine nature (Titus 3:5).

Christianity is impossible without the Holy Spirit. Christianity is not a dogma, or believing certain things. It is not fulfilling certain requirements, or living a certain way, or following a certain type of religion or faith. We can do all of this and not be a Christian.

Christianity is the Holy Spirit within, sometimes referred to as being filled with the Holy Spirit. Only those who have the Holy Spirit are Christians. He comes to bring Christ into the heart, as Paul said, “I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives within me and the life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Gal 2:20).

If Christ is not alive within us, we are not a Christian (Rom 8:9). It is quite clear that God undertakes every part of our salvation by Himself. If He did not, then it would not work. He Himself, in His Son, died for our sin. He Himself, by His Spirit, brings us into His family.

The Work of Christ

Jesus taught the law in the Sermon on the Mount and at other times, to give us an understanding of our need of grace. He taught about the kingdom of God in parables, by using stories. His teaching was not subjective. He expounded the scriptures, giving a clear interpretation as to their intended meaning.

His teaching on the Spirit was prophetic, for it would not be fulfilled until His glorification, which was His death, burial, resurrection and ascension to the Father’s right hand. It was after this sitting down that the promise of the Spirit was to be given to the church (John 7:39).

The main work that Jesus did was His cross, burial and resurrection. He died to put away sin. Some have taught that He died only as an example of love and of turning the other cheek. This denies His atonement. Jesus died to do away with our sin.

The whole scripture testifies as to why Christ came, to put away sin and sacrifice once and for all by the offering of Himself and shedding His blood as a propitiation, that is, to satisfy the just requirement of God’s righteousness (Rom 3:25). As it is written, “The soul that sins must die.” (Ezek 18:20). Jesus came to take that death upon Himself for us.

The Resurrection of Christ

The resurrection of Christ was likewise in fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy, that His kingdom would follow His sufferings (Is 53:10-12) and David prophesying not only of the manner of His death by having His hands, feet and side pierced (Ps 22), but also of His resurrection, that His body would not be left to rot nor His soul in the grave (Ps 16:10).

Concerning the historicity of the resurrection, secular historians record Jesus’ miracles, teaching and death and the rapid growth of the church that followed and records claims that the church made of His resurrection. Historians record no evidence by the enemies of the church against the resurrection. Secular histories from the 1st Century that mention Jesus include Vellius Paterculus, the Fables of Phaedrus, Martial, Tacitus, Josephus, Statius and Quintillian.

If the resurrection is not true, then what happened to all the prophecies concerning Christ and why did all the witnesses give their lives attesting to the resurrection? All 12 disciples were martyred testifying to the resurrection. And why did the church grow so quickly and fill the Roman Empire and beyond in 40 years?

Jesus rose in the flesh. The same body that was crucified was also raised from the dead. He rose with an immortal body, the same flesh, but immortalized. He still had His wounds, but was able to pass through walls (Luke 24:36). He could eat for fellowship, but did not need that food to sustain His life in the flesh (John 21:15).

Derived/Resident

The problem with viewing Jesus’ power as something that He attained to, is that it leads to a derived (acquired) rather than a resident faith. We have power because of who we are (identity) in Christ, not because of what we do through works of religion. This is one of the major crossroads in Christian faith. Our Christology matters! It affects the whole way that we live our Christian life.

It is also said that since Jesus grew in stature and grace then He grew as a man and, therefore, did receive a new power at His baptismal encounter. This Christology emphasises His humanity. This position is oversimplifying the mystery of His incarnation. He is 100% man and 100% God, which in chemistry does not make sense. The Christological debate is a main issue in Pentecostal views today.

His fasting and temptation in the wilderness were not His preparation for ministry, but He overcame temptation for us, as the second Adam and Head of a new family of the redeemed. The first Adam fell and all fell in him. The second Adam did not fall and all in Him are not fallen. He was tempted as a man, but could not have sinned as God. Our salvation was never “in the balance” in His temptation. He was victor already.

The Spirit Upon Jesus

The details of Spirit baptism will be dealt with in a subsequent chapter (excuse the pun). In relation to Christology, the Bible often says that the Spirit of the Lord was upon Jesus (Matt 12:18, Luke 4:18, Luke 3:21). Some have pointed out a distinction between the Spirit coming upon us (power) and the Spirit filling or indwelling us (salvation). The terms are not a technical distinction: filling is also used for service in the Old Covenant (Ex 35:31, Luke 1:41). This filling though was not permanent for sonship then.

The term coming upon is used more in the Old Covenant for service (Num 24:2, Jud 3:10, 6:34, 11:29,14:6, 14:19, 15:14, 1 Sam 10:6, 10, 11:6 and many more, including Mary in Luke 1:35), in which Testament Jesus also ministered. The term upon is also used for the initial infilling of believers in the New Covenant (Acts 1:8, 8:16, 10:43-45, 11:14-16, 19:6). Upon can also refer to the outward visibility of what is already within.

After the initial baptism in the Spirit, which Christians received, the term most common in the New Testament for works of power is “being filled with the Spirit”, speaking of the Spirit already within the believer (Acts 6:3, 7:55, 11:24). We know that the Spirit filling of sonship is permanent (2 Cor 1:21-22, 1 Pet 4:14, 1 John 2:27). The permanent filling is the “anointing”, power enablement for sonship and charisma. We cover this more in other chapters, especially looking at what filled with and charisma refer to.