Where Have All the Angels Gone in the 21st-Century Church?
When Moses raised his arms on the top of the mountain, Joshua routed the enemy army.
But what actually made Joshua successful that day? What really happened to the enemy’s army that caused them suddenly to go from victory to defeat? That is the multimillion-dollar question, because if we could bottle success, we could change the world.
I think I have the answer to Joshua’s success, although it would not fit in a bottle. I believe angels helped Joshua defeat the enemy when Aaron and Hur held up Moses’ hands.
Apostolic Authority
Let me explain it like this. The book of Revelation gives us some great insights into the way apostolic authority functions in the invisible realm. Jesus said to the apostle John,
“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks, says these things: I know your works, your labor and your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles, but are not, and have found them to be liars. You have endured, and have been patient, and for My name’s sake have labored and have not grown weary'” (Rev. 2:1–3, MEV).
Notice that Jesus commissioned John to write seven letters that became the apostolic mandates for seven different churches throughout Asia. But did you catch the fact that John was not told to write the letters to the natural leaders of those churches?
Instead, he was instructed to write the letters to the seven angels of the seven churches. Wow! What we learn from this passage is astonishing. We see that true apostolic ministries have angels assigned to them. These angels are commissioned to carry out the mission dictated by a particular apostle’s mandate and metron. The word metron means the realm or boundaries of a leader’s spiritual influence (Rom. 12:3; 2 Cor. 10:13). In this case, John had authority over seven specific geographic regions, so he had seven angels assigned to him.
Angels Recognize Authority
It is my personal conviction that one of the essential elements that has ushered in this apostolic age is that the angels no longer recognize the performance-based authority of denominationalism. Paul teaches us that angels recognize true spiritual authority. In fact, it is the angels who answer our prayers and fulfill our prophecies (1 Cor. 11:4, 10). Angels are mentioned more than 180 times in the New Testament alone.
Where have all the angels gone in the 21st-century church? What would the world be like if we were suddenly to employ angelic help on this planet in the same degree as they did in the first century? I think that as we are reformed into this new apostolic wineskin, we are about to find out.
For more on this subject, check out my book Heavy Rain. Have you experienced angelic help? Tell me about it in the comments below.
Kris Vallotton is the senior associate leader at Bethel Church in Redding, California, where he has served with Bill Johnson for three decades. He has written several books, including the best-selling The Supernatural Ways of Royalty and Heavy Rain.
For the original article, visit krisvallotton.com.
