Warnings Concerning Angelic Visitations
  Increased Manifestations Require Basic Guidelines
by Pastor John Hamel

Here in Ephesians chapter four, Paul tells us why the 5-fold Ministry Gifts have been given to the Body of Christ.

“That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:” (Ephesians 4:14-15)

When dealing with the supernatural, particularly angels, some have a tendency to be highly excitable and to go overboard.  Paul said they end up being deceived.  They end up in a ditch on the side of the road because they did not bother to learn the instruction given in God’s Word. As a Pastor, I am always determined  that I will not have that problem with my congregations.  

According to the Prophet Joel supernatural manifestations will be more prominent in these last days. (Joel 2:28-29)  Angels will come to direct, to change circumstances, to guide, to protect and to provide for true Believers in Christ.  Because of these increased manifestations, we need some basic guidelines to follow concerning all revelations, all visions and all angelic appearances. 

You Cannot Control Supernatural Manifestations

“But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.” (1 Corinthians 12:11)

No one can wake up in the morning and decide, “Today I’m going to have a vision,” or “Today I’m going to give someone a big prophecy.”  I have had several major visitations, manifestations and appearances of angels, eight to be exact. I have also had multiple visitations of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Never once did I pray for any of these visitations or decide that I was going to step out into the supernatural.  Any time I was caught up in a trance, had an open vision or even a dream of guidance, revelation or warning, I had nothing at all to do with it.  God willed it, not me. I was simply minding my business, cooperating with the will of God for my life and the Holy Spirit moved unannounced. 

Some people will have visions.  Some people will not have visions.  Having visions does not make you more spiritual than someone else.  The Bible does not say, “Those who see angels are spiritually mature and have more faith.”  Only God can determine who will have these manifestations and why.  It is a good thing, too, because some people are so nutty that if they did see an angel, they would try to catch him in a jar like a firefly.  Angels are not for “catching.”  They are not genies in Aladdin's lamp.  They come to change our circumstances, to give us direction, protect us, to cause provision to come to us and to deliver us.  However, the manifestation of angels must be left to God's will alone.

There are approximately 300 references to angels in the Bible.  One hundred and four of them are manifestations and visitations to men and women.  Yet not one of those people was praying to see an angel when it occurred.  I always say, "If you pray to see an angel, Satan will gladly accommodate you." He may even send a demon spirit disguised as an angel of light to lead you into utter tragedy.

“And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15)

Angels Do Not Replace the Holy Spirit

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” (John 14:26)

Notice the Holy Spirit will teach you all things, not the angels of God.  Some people think God sends angels to teach them and they end up in a spiritual quagmire.  The Holy Spirit alone is our Teacher.  The Bible says the angels of God desire to look into the things that God has revealed to us.  It does not say angels come to reveal God's Word to us. (1 Peter 1:12)  

One of the biggest false religions in the world came about as a result of an angel “teaching” a man from Vermont foolish revelation that is not in the Bible.  Of course, that was a false angel, but the man was so ignorant of the Word of God he did not know the difference and built a world-religion based on Satan having deceived him.

“But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me:” (John 15:26)

The Bible says the Holy Spirit will always and only testify of Jesus.  In other words, He will only teach in line with God's Word and always give glory to Jesus.  

In recent years the same "angel" named Emma that appeared to the man who started the “Kansas City Prophets” movement in 1980, appeared to Todd Bentley down in Lakeland, Florida during a "revival."

The founder of this Kansas City Prophets movement wrongly advised Mr. Bentley to pray, asking that the angel Emma would appear to him and his request was granted.  That is where Mr. Bentley made his first mistake. That angel then told Mr. Bentley, “Todd, this revival isn’t about Jesus.  This revival is about getting people to believe in me, Emma the angel.”  

Is that testifying of Jesus or His Word?  Was that a true manifestation of God?  Would an angel of God ever say that a revival of God is not about the Lord Jesus Christ but is about an angel?  Of course not.  That manifestation was neither from God nor the Holy Spirit, for Jesus said the Holy Spirit would always and only testify of Him. 

There Are No Female Angels in Scripture

It needs to be understood that there are no female angels in the Bible. There is much deception that needs to be cleared up in this area. Most of the angels seen on television, in gift shops, on greeting cards, book covers, the Internet, Christmas decorations, etc., are female angels.  However, this is not in accordance with Scripture.

When Almighty God finally responded to thirty-seven chapters of complaining by Job and his friends, He confirmed, at the same time, that the angels of God are men, not women.

"Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said ... where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the Earth ... when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (Job 38:1-7; See also Job 1:6 and 2:1.)

The original Hebrew word for "sons" in this verse is a masculine noun.

So it is clear that the angels of God whom God refers to as "the sons of God" are male, not female. 

In Psalm 103 the Bible also clearly says that the angels of God are "all powerful men."

"Bless the Lord, ye His angels, that excel in strength, that do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His word." (Psalm 103:20)

In the original Hebrew "that excel in strength" actually says "all powerful men."  The word "men" here is a masculine noun and it is the only way angels are described in the Bible.  

Although in the Scripture angels are always and only referred to as "men," some angels are so beautiful in appearance that to the natural, human, untrained eye, they can appear to be women.  I myself have had this experience.  

However, angels are male, not female, and the "female angel" who appeared to Mr. Bentley was not an angel at all.  Quite obviously it was a minister of Satan transformed into an angel of light speaking against Jesus and in favor of "herself."  

Never will an angel of God, or even the Holy Spirit of God, build themselves up and put the Lord Jesus down. 

“Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come.” (John 16:13)

The Holy Spirit will never speak of Himself nor magnify Himself.  Neither will a true angel of God.  Emma the angel has been magnifying "herself" since first appearing to the founder of the “Kansas City Prophets” in 1980 while he was recovering in an institution for the mentally ill.  At that time Emma revealed to this man some things she claimed were the will of God for his life.  

Emma continued to appear to this man, Bob Jones, over the years up until the time of his death, reinforcing those so-called revelations as well as revealing many additional unbiblical doctrines to him, particularly concerning the Gift of Prophecy.  

Sadly, many other popular but false "prophetic stream" movements have come about as a result of the false "female angel" Emma appearing to this man in an institution for the mentally ill, including the Ministry of Todd Bentley. 

Again, angels never appear as females in the Bible, which clearly says they are "all-powerful men."

There are what appears to be two female angels in the Book of Zechariah, chapter 5, verses 9 through 11. However, these are not angels at all.  Rather, they are demonic instruments in God's hands sent to bring judgment to the Nation of Israel by bringing them once again into captivity as a result of their sins against Him.  

Most all scholars, commentators and translators agree that these two "women" are evil spirits and that the "wind in their wings" denotes the swiftness with which they would bring judgment to Israel. 

The Apostle Paul said we must not remain children in knowledge, being tossed to and fro by every false doctrine that comes down the pike.

Occasionally angels will come to give direction to people in unusually difficult circumstances.  But they will not be female angels.  Even at that, normal day-to-day guidance comes from the Holy Spirit within, not from angels.  

"Let the peace which comes from Christ act as umpire continually in your hearts, deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds." (Colossians 3:15, Amplified) 

“For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” (Romans 8:14)  

The Bible is clear. Believers in Jesus Christ are to look to His Word and to the Holy Spirit within for guidance and not to angels.

Angels can cause circumstances to turn in your favor.  They can deliver supernatural manifestations of love, comfort and deliverance.  They can perform amazing feats of strength and operate in the supernatural.  But they cannot teach and preach the Gospel and it is rare indeed that they bring guidance to the Believer. Not impossible, but rare. 

Should an angel bring guidance to a Believer, it will always be in line with the written Word of God.  

Angels are not “The Comforter” and they do not replace the Ministry of the Holy Spirit as some would have us to believe.

Still, some people foolishly believe that angels live on the inside of them and guide them from within. However, the Bible clearly reveals it is the Holy Spirit, not angels, Who lives on the inside of you if you are a Believer in Jesus Christ.  

Others wrongly believe that when they die, they become angels.  Angels are a separate entity, a separate creation and are unrelated to man in every way except that we all belong to the same family of God.  

You would be surprised how many Born-Again Christians wrongly believe such foolish things as a result of this present sinful world's gigantic problem with Bible illiteracy.   

Judge All Angelic Appearances by God’s Word

“There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification.” (1 Corinthians 14:10)

Paul said by inspiration of the Holy Spirit that there are many voices out there in the world.  There is the voice of your own human flesh telling you what it wants you to do.  There is the voice of your own un-renewed mind telling you whether you are going to obey God or not.  There are the voices of other people.  There is the voice of the world which you hear every time you read a newspaper, listen to the television or surf the Internet with wrong things in mind.  

There is the voice of God in your Born-Again human spirit.  There is the voice of Satan.  Satan’s voice always distorts and attempts to get you to disobey the Word of God.  He is the only one who will try to get you to seek visions and special revelations so that he can step in and accommodate you with dangerous counterfeits. 

Any voice you hear that gives you “unrest” or an uneasy feeling down in your gut is a voice you need to stop listening to.  If any question arises about any voice you are hearing, you best let it go. (Colossians 3:15, Amplified)  

If a voice or a supposed angel of God comes and tells you to do something against your own human will, or against the written Word of God, you better put the brakes on, including the emergency brake.

“I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:6-9)

Anything that is revealed to you by an angel or a voice that is contrary to the Word of God is not to be set aside lightly.  It is to be thrown forcefully into the spiritual waste bin!  False angels will be coming more frequently with more false doctrines than any other time in the history of the Church.  To be forewarned is to be fore-armed.

Emma, the emissary of Satan disguised as a female angel of light, will continue to appear to anyone involved with the “Kansas City Prophets” movement, or any other movement, who is resistant to Paul's warnings and proper Bible teaching.  The entire "Kansas City Prophets" movement came out of that one false angel appearing to one emotionally unstable man and speaking to him contrary to the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Apostle Paul.  

The movement took off like wildfire amongst the spiritually illiterate and continues to rage today.  

Emma's appearance to Todd Bentley after Mr. Bentley prayed, asking Emma to appear to him, was a demonic manifestation which to this day continues to deceive tens of thousands of Believers in Jesus Christ who are not knowledgeable of God's Word in this area.  

The Apostle Paul, not Pastor John Hamel, revealed in Scripture that Emma's manifestation is an accursed manifestation.  

Todd Bentley's ministry fell as rapidly as it rose as he turned from God's Word, falling to alcohol, adultery and divorce.  Mr. Bentley, not being established in God's Word, was not ready for the position of leadership so many thrust upon him because of his supernatural manifestations.  He popped to the top and he flopped at the top.  

Why?  

First, rising to a position of leadership in the Body of Christ takes much preparation time.  It is not a quick elevator ride to the top because of supernatural manifestations.  It is a walk to the top, one step at a time.  

Second, Mr. Bentley ignorantly prayed for spiritual manifestations, in opposition to what the Bible teaches, and Satan gladly accommodated him.  

Third, Mr. Bentley sadly allowed a demon spirit disguised as a female angel to take the place of the Holy Spirit in his life, allowing her to become his teacher.

Fourth, Mr. Bentley allowed the false female angel Emma to exalt herself above the Lord Jesus Christ. 

The bottom line is this.  Todd Bentley was unable to judge "angelic" appearances by the written Word of God because he simply did not know what the written Word stated. He did not study to show himself approved of God, popped the fast elevator ride to the top and flopped at the top. 

Today, tens, if not hundreds of thousands of people are still deceived by this man.  This is because they, too, have no knowledge of Jesus and Paul's basic warnings concerning supernatural angelic visitation.

Recognizing False Angels, False Preachers and Cults

“Let no one defraud you by acting as an umpire and declaring you unworthy and disqualifying you for the prize, insisting on self-abasement and worship of angels, taking his stand on visions [he claims] he has seen, vainly puffed up by his sensuous notions and inflated by his unspiritual thoughts and fleshly conceit.  Not holding fast to the Head …” (Colossians 2:18-19, Amplified)

Cults always have an emphasis on self-denial.  They deny your right to think for yourself according to God’s Word.  Some deny you the right to live outside of their compounds.  Some tell you how to dress and what type of relations you can and cannot have within the confines of a marriage.  Some cultists deny themselves things that are not forbidden in the Bible, like eating meat and being married. (1 Timothy 4:3)  Others impose long periods of fasting upon their followers.  Fasting is good but taken to the extreme Satan will use it to weaken you and to catch you off-guard.  

Moses, Elijah, Daniel and Jesus all fasted supernaturally and the angels came to help them afterwards, but that does not mean you are supposed to do that.  You must be led only by the Holy Spirit, not by man, when you fast. 

Many cults worship angels and some even worship demons.  Notice Paul said in Colossians 2:18 to watch out for the worship of angels.  The word “worship” is “religion” of angels.  He is referring to religions that are centered around angels and that place undue emphasis on angels or demons.  

Stay in the middle of the road.  We believe in angels and demons, but our emphasis is on Jesus and only Jesus.  Cults who worship angels and demons and seek manifestations almost always reject Jesus.  Christians on the other hand always worship Jesus.  They commission angels and they rebuke demons.  

There are going to be increased manifestations of angels and demons in these last days as Satan attempts to keep up with the present unfolding outpouring of God's Spirit.  Satan will be producing manifold, supernatural counterfeits to confuse the unlearned saints of God.  

Paul said in Colossians 2:19, “Hold fast to the Head.”  

What Paul meant by this was to keep Jesus your number one priority.

Cults almost always claim divine visitations and special revelations.  Study any of the world’s cults and you will discover it began with some sort of unbiblical, supernatural visitation.  The Mormon Church is just one example of that.  

Almost all cults have great visitations that do not line up with God’s Word.  In the past it happened more frequently in India, the Orient and the Far East, but that has all changed today.  America has as many cult leaders and their followers residing within its borders as any nation of the world.

Lots of times cult leaders lie about visions they say they have had.  Notice Colossians 2:18 said they take their stands “on visions they claim they have seen.”  

There is a man right now in Miami, Florida, who claims multiple thousands, if not millions, of followers in over thirty nations.  

His name is Jose Luis de Jesus Miranda.  Mr. Miranda has a tattoo "666" on his arm and claims he has personal visitations of God.  He claims an angel appeared to him, telling him that all the Prophets of the Old Testament spoke of his birth.  He claims that he is both Jesus Christ and the anti-Christ in one person.  He says prayer is useless.  He says there is no such thing as sin.  He claims that all the Christians in the world are wrong but him.  

Mr. Miranda denies most all major Bible doctrines and foundational teachings of Christ. However, he does strongly believe in one primary teaching of the Bible.  

Tithing.  

What’s wrong with this picture?  

It is amazing that this man can find potentially millions of followers worldwide amongst Christians, many who also have tattooed themselves with the number “666.”  How can something like this happen within the Body of Christ?  Simple.  Ignorance of God’s written Word.  Many Christians remain perpetual children when it comes to knowledge of God's Word.  As a result they are tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine. It is sad to say, but true nonetheless, that Christians have made many demonically inspired fools multiple millionaires.

Sadly it is Christians who give Christians a bad name. 

Cults and cult leaders teach that they are superior to those who do not have visions and revelations.  However, God does not allow visions and visitations of angels so one can say “Hey, look at me.  I’m more spiritual than you.  I talk to angels. You should follow me.  If you don’t, you’re out of God’s will.”  

God sends angels to direct, to change your circumstances, to protect you, to deliver you and to cause provision to come to you.  God does not send angels to puff man up, to give him a haughty spirit or to deplete people's bank accounts.  

God sends His angels to encourage people to stay strong in faith as they believe for their miracle.

Cults Are Never Totally Christ-Centered

Many, like Jehovah’s Witness, Christian Science, Mormonism and others, throw the Name of Jesus around to fool the inexperienced.  But to them, Jesus is never the only way to God.  When you do your homework, digging deeper, you always find that Christ to them is just another way, not the only way. 

True spirituality is always Christ-centered and based on what is written in the Gospels and Epistles.  Its emphasis is always and only on Jesus and His Word, not special visions, special revelations and angels appearing as women.  When the Holy Spirit is bringing about manifestations, they will always line up with the written Word of God.  

True manifestations of God will always and only lift up the Lordship of Jesus Christ. (John 16:14)

Generally speaking, an angel does not tell you their name.  Of the millions of angels referred to from Genesis to Revelation, only four of them are referred to by their proper names. They are Gabriel, Michael and the fallen angels Lucifer/Satan and Apollyon.  If an angel comes and tells you his name, be warned.  

You just beat the odds of four to multiple hundreds of millions.  

You have a better chance of winning the world's largest lottery with a ticket you found in the dumpster at midnight in a rainy unlit alley than you have of that being an angel of God. 

When Emma, the demon spirit disguised as a false female angel gave her name to Mr. Bob Jones, the founder of the "Kansas City Prophets" and to Mr. Todd Bentley, it should have been a red flag to both of them.  But because of their lack of knowledge of God's written Word, it was not only not a red flag to them but rather it became the impetus to the largest false prophetic movement in the world.

Final Review

Remember, no one but the Holy Spirit can control supernatural manifestations. Do not pray for them or Satan will accommodate you. 

Angels will never replace the teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit. Angels cannot live inside of you.  Human beings do not become angels when they die. 

There are no female angels.  If an angel gives you its name, put the brakes on and remember the proverbial lottery ticket in the back alley dumpster.

If you have any "unrest" at all about that or any other angelic visitation, put it on the back burner, so to speak, and walk away from it.  Ignore it.  Go back to what you were doing when it occurred.  If the visitation was of God, He will be pleased by your wanting to obey the Bible and He will get through to you another way. He will not give up on you, particularly for your wanting to keep things Biblical.

Watch out for cults and preachers who teach self-denial, the worship (religion) of angels and who are not completely and totally Christ-centered. 

Judge all supernatural appearances according to the written Word of God.  

Stay strong in the Word.  Keep your eyes on Jesus.  There are going to be spiritual manifestations in this Earth like never before, because Jesus Christ is coming.  

There will be more and more angels appearing in this Earth because we are at the end of an Age.  But do not base your faith on visions, revelations or angels appearing.  Base your faith on the Word of God.  

Keep your relationship with Jesus militant. By that I mean pray militantly, forgive militantly, love militantly, support your local Church and Israel militantly.

Always keep in mind that just because something is supernatural, it does not mean that it is of God.  Satan is a supernatural being as well and he can cause supernatural things to happen to deceive God's elect.   

Some people have asked me lately, “Do you believe President Obama is the Anti-Christ?”  Let me answer that for you right now.  Believers will not know who the Anti-Christ is because they will not be here when he appears.

“For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:” (2 Thessalonians 2:7-8)

Verse seven actually says that the Anti-Christ is being restrained until “he” who restrains is taken out of the way.  We must not read past this too quickly.  The “he” Paul is referring to is Christ's Body.  

In the New Testament Christ's Body is referred to as a male and not a female by Paul.  For example, Paul called Christ's Body “one new man” in Ephesians 2:15 and 4:24.  What Paul is telling the Thessalonians here is that only once "he," the Body of Christ, is removed from the Earth will the Anti-Christ come forth.  

Believers will not know who the Anti-Christ is because we will not be here when he comes forth.  So we should not be preparing for the arrival of the Anti-Christ.  That will just depress you and keep you operating in fear. 

Believers should be preparing for the Coming of Jesus and the Rapture of the Church.  That will excite you and inspire you. 

Believers should be looking for the Crown that is soon to be placed on top of their heads because they looked forward to Jesus coming, not the Anti-Christ coming. 

“Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:8)

You have now been warned concerning angelic visitations because increased last days manifestations require some basic guidelines to follow.

Be blessed ... John and Barbara Hamel  

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