The ministry of angels has been in existence ever since God created the world. When man was made, the Psalmist says he was made a little lower than the angels (Ps. 85). That means angels occupy a higher realm of being in terms of strength, intelligence, vig-our, power and might, than man. The wonderful news, however, is that their higher realm of operation is for the liberty and comfort of the saints!

“Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” Hebrews 1:14

Angels are sent to minister to the saints. Indeed, there is something principally missing until the angelic dimension of our redemption is brought to light. There are areas a Christian will never cross into until this dimension is in place. Just as all the other benefits God has for the Church are packaged in mysteries, angelic intervention is also packaged as one of the most sophisticated mysteries of life. Until such mysteries are unfolded, the Church cannot utilize or enjoy them.

The ministry of angels is available for our protection and victory over the forces of wickedness, and the Holy Spirit is given to reveal to us the things which are freely given to us by God. Until we know that they are given to us, and what exactly they are meant to do for us, we cannot fully enjoy their services. This is because in the Kingdom of God to which we belong, we reign by knowledge.

Who, then, are angels? Why are they so relevant to Christian life? What exactly do they do, especially in our bid to overcome the devil and his wickedness? How can we experience them or put them to work? It is my prayer that as we examine this mysterious ministry, the scales over your eyes will fall off, so you can see the reality of their presence, and put them to work effectively.

Who Are Angels?

The angels of God are also referred to, in the scriptures, as the hosts of heaven or the heavenly hosts. They are real personalities. They are not mere ideas or mythical figures. Angels are spiritual personalities, with physical impact.

Just as the demonic world is invisible, so also is the angelic world invisible. Angels cannot be seen, yet they are all around us. Their physical impact is undeniable. Although you cannot see them, there is nothing the angels of God do not see. You cannot touch them, yet they touch people. You cannot handle them, yet they destroy kings. The Lord assigned just one angel to go ahead of Moses to Egypt, and he alone tortured a whole nation.

The angels of God are invincible. This aspect marks the point of departure between angels and demons. Only the hosts of heaven excel in strength (Ps. 103:20).

There was war in heaven once upon a time. Michael and his angels fought against Satan and his fallen an-gels. God used His serving army to confront Satan’s retired and ill-equipped one. Satan could not prevail, and there was no more place found for him in heaven (Rev. 12:7-9). The angels of God always have absolute victory in any conflict, flushing out the opposition com-pletely. Angels have never been known to fail. There is nothing that can rise up against you that matches their strength. They constitute the most efficient bodyguards for the saints.

Apart from excelling in physical strength, the angels also excel in intelligence. In describing King David’s wisdom, the widow of Tekoah likens it to that of angels (2 Sam. 14:20). In his writings also, Lester Sum-rall said very stoutly, “We need to establish the idiomatic expression, ‘As smart as an angel’, to acknowledge the wisdom and intellect of angels.” What, then, is the relevance of these invisible, excellent beings? Do we need them as latter day Christians, who are filled with the Holy Ghost anointing?

The Relevance Of Angels

A look at the lives of the men of exploits in the Bible reveals that they all enjoyed angelic companionship.

An angel appeared to Moses and spoke to him. An angel appeared to Gideon, telling him that he had come to finish the battle for him. Abraham also encountered an angel, who paved the way for the realisation of his destiny. Lot was safely led out of Sodom by an angel, just before the city was destroyed. Daniel excelled in strength and operated the wisdom of angels because he had such sweet fellowship with them.

Remember Peter, who was locked up in prison? He was freed and led to safety by an angel. Recall, also, the man John, who saw what was impossible for natural eyes to see; he said an angel showed the entire book of Revelation to him. There is almost no man of worth in scriptures who did not have a physical, tangible, evidence of angelic companionship. And God has said:

“For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.” Malachi 3:6

It follows that what He did yesterday, He will also do today. All through the scriptures, there are a total of about 300 references to angelic appearances and operations. The New Testament contains 165 of this number, and the book of Revelation, alone, contains 65 references.

Friend, angels are an essential and relevant part of God’s package for the redeemed. The anointing cannot replace the services of angels. Jesus Christ was born of the Holy Ghost and had the Holy Ghost anointing (without measure), yet He needed the services of angels. Jesus believed in angels and enjoyed their ministry, even as the Son of the Most High God.

He knew no sin, yet He needed the services of angel. even before His birth. An angel announced His coming to the world (Luke1:30-33). When He was born, a mighty host of angels announced His arrival to the shepherds (Luke 2:8-14).

When danger loomed after His birth, an angel told Joseph to move to Egypt with the baby Jesus, that the scripture may be fulfilled (Matt. 2:13-15). After the devil left Jesus on the mountain of temptation, angels came and ministered to Him (Matthew 4:11). Angels were also there with Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:53-54).

One of the most pronounced events at resurrection was the angelic operation that rolled away the stone placed at the mouth of Jesus’ tomb:

“And, behold, there was a great earth quake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.” Matthew 28:2

The enemies of Jesus placed the stone there, so they could stop His resurrection. There was no thought of it ever being moved. I cannot tell what kind of equipment was used in placing the stone there, but an angel just came and rolled it away. Two angels were later seen at the head and foot of where Jesus was laid (John. 20:12), symbolizing the two cherubs over the mercy seat. At Jesus’ ascension, the angels were again present, comforting the men that watched Him being taken to heav-en, and declaring that Jesus would come back again the same way he was taken up (Acts 1:10-11).

Jesus was sent after the order of Moses (Acts 3:22), who prophesied His coming. Jesus came after the order of Moses, and we have come after the order of Jesus. Therefore, if Moses’ ministry enjoyed angelic ministration, and Jesus’ ministry also employed angels at all its phases, then we are to be ministered to by angels, as well. God said to Moses:

“Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared.” Exodus 23:20

There are things prepared for us in this generation also, but we do not have any hope of getting there without acknowledging the ministry of angels. They are the heavenly forces made available to us by God, to bring His plan and purpose for our lives to pass. In order to do this, they will need to cut off every form of wickedness around us….

This text is an extract from the book “WINNING THE INVISIBLE BATTLES” written by David O. Oyedepo. 
We invite you to read the following article “THE NAME OF JESUS“.