Angels of Deception: Exposing the Devil’s Servants of Darkness
Something of deep concern is the growing infatuation with the supernatural, particularly in the area where angels are concerned.
Now, please understand, there is nothing wrong with desiring the supernatural as it relates to God and the Holy Spirit. First Corinthians 14 even exhorts us to “desire spiritual gifts,” which is absolutely supernatural. Many of our encounters with Jesus are filled with supernatural moments. It is, however, the infatuation with the supernatural minus a deep love of the truth that allows deception to position itself right around the corner.
You see, experiences are wonderful when they involve the supernatural movement of the Holy Spirit. My life has been forever impacted as a result of dramatic supernatural encounters, which I thank God for, and I expect to experience many more Holy Spirit moments. What is of great concern is the way many people place experiences (or the deep desire for them) in such a high regard that it leads to irresponsibility. An encounter alone should not be the verification for any scenario when it comes to supernatural events—especially in the arena of angelic visitations. Stories are accelerating every day related to angelic scenarios and visitations. Again, I personally believe in angelic visitations and definitely welcome every God-sent messenger that the Lord would deem necessary for me to encounter. It’s thrilling when this type of thing happens. What is of utmost importance is discernment.
Please listen to me carefully, as it is vital for the days we are living in. More than ever, there is a mania related to these things. The concerning issue comes down to more than just false experiences. Certain individuals may sensationalize an encounter for attention. This is a very unhealthy thing that can happen. The listener believes the sensationalized story that was never true. Damage ensues as it leads the listener to have false expectations based on smoke, mirrors, and storytelling.
For all encounters, it is of utmost importance that we do not sensationalize things, as it can lead to deception. One of the most tragic forms of deception is self-deception. Someone might ask, “Why is that so tragic?” Well, it is self-deception that takes shape in a person’s life when they are not honest with themselves about experiences or their encounters. If a person embellishes the truth and they know they are doing so, it will eventually lead to self-deception and ruin their own heart’s confidence in themselves.
It is highly important that we tell the truth of a matter for the sake of our own hearts so we have inner integrity. Self-deception lays a foundation that is very unhealthy to build on. Beyond this is the issue of outside deception. Supernatural forces are always looking for avenues to enter through. The first step is bending the truth, then doing it again and again until ultimately a violation of the gospel can take place.
We notice that when referencing the authority of the gospel he was preaching, Paul refers to two points. In Galatians 1:8, he states, “if we, or an angel from heaven.” His statement in this Scripture goes in line with 2 Corinthians 11:13, where Paul again warns his listeners about false teachers and false ministers operating by cloaking themselves as legitimate ministers.
But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed (Galatians 1:8).
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ (2 Corinthians 11:13).
It is fascinating to take into consideration that Paul speaks of false fivefold ministers and angels in the same context. Often, this Scripture has given me pause when dealing with the realm of the supernatural. Now, for those who are mature, having their senses exercised to discern both good and evil, this is not really a problem. Even true angels would always direct all glory straight to the Lord Jesus Christ. For example, the angel in Revelation 19:10, who saw that John was falling down to worship him, said to John, “See that you do not do that!” and “Worship God!” going on to say, “The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” This is how legitimate angelic encounters go according to Scripture. They always point to God the Father, Jesus the Son, or simply are present to execute the wishes of the Godhead. A growing area of concern, especially in prophetic circles, is many runaway notions regarding angelic interactions. Very seldom do these encounters have a scriptural basis, nor does anyone care to question the validity of these moments. Many of these could very well be legitimate, but regardless, we must hold fast to the Word of God when considering the narratives of those who have frequent encounters with such entities.
Deception
For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect (Matthew 24:24).
Could it be, if possible, that in the last days even the elect would be deceived? We read that there will be false christs and false prophets equipped and ready to deceive the masses. Not only will these arise, but the enemy will also use people to share things that didn’t really happen. To stretch the truth, so to say. Those who aren’t in tune with the Holy Spirit and the Word of God could possibly be deceived. It is so important for every believer to test the spirits! It can be highly offensive to someone having an experience or an encounter to then be questioned about its authenticity. There are those who will believe anything they experience, fabricate an encounter, or even worse—intentionally create narratives for the purpose of deception. Sadly, some will intentionally deceive others by fabricating an encounter and using people’s gullibility for their own agenda. Tragically, there are those who believe them and hold them as truth.
Without examining what we hear under the scope of the Bible, deception is being fostered. Please know, just because an angelic encounter might take place in your life, or someone tells you about their encounter, that doesn’t mean it’s trustworthy. If the angel comes glorifying Jesus Christ and confirming the Word of God, then all is well, but it is more important than ever to be sure whatever you are experiencing is not outside of biblical scope.
Sometimes, when speaking with people about their encounters, I am led to the conclusion that they have intellectually rationalized what they have experienced or testified to. Their encounter or experience is, in all reality, an imagination they have chosen to embrace as some kind of revelatory experience. Dangerous ground begins to be walked on when these types of things are as easy to experience as having a thought.
That you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other (1 Corinthians 4:6).
Angel of Light
The angel of light is deception at its finest. If you are gullible to encounters that are off, but only mildly, then falsehood can creep in until full-blown deception takes hold. An angel of light might have little trouble deceiving such individuals pre-filled with this type of self-deception. These are the sort who, upon any encounter, are wildly blown away, having little foundation to bring balance. These easily surrender to deceptive persuasions.
Angels of light appear for permission. For the non-discerning, they would be just another angelic messenger, beautiful and arrayed in glorious splendor. After all, mankind is not used to seeing into the spirit realm, so even the lowest level manifestation could rock the non-discerning into compliance and willingness to cooperate.
Battle for Allegiance
Here is an example from my life as a very young boy. When I was nine years old, there was a battle for my allegiance. It’s hard to describe it any other way. Ever since I was very young, hearing God and experiencing supernatural things was a frequent occurrence in my life.
One particular day, I was in a field on the ranch I grew up on. This was a regular occurrence for me, to be out in the fields and near the woods on our large property. Often my afternoons would be spent walking by the large river, which bordered the land. It was a very pleasant and enjoyable thing for me to do as a young person. However, there was something that began to happen. At first, it was infrequent but grew into a regular occasion. It was the audible sound of a voice. A clear and direct voice, similar to an echo, but more intentional. It would shout my name over the trees; it sounded and felt as if it was in the wind. Day after day this experience would happen to me when out on those far-back acres. In response, I would rush home on an ATV, fully believing my father was calling me from a long distance. After asking him a few times what he wanted, he would respond that he didn’t call me. I relegated it to an unknown source as I had no way of identifying the cause or origin of such a phenomenon.
Today, however, I know it was God calling me when I was young, much like the prophet Samuel. Yet, there was another side to this experience. A little more of a scary encounter also took place. One day, a different voice called to me as well. It started out similar to the voice calling me over the trees. Only this one was intense, darker, and felt scary. The sensation that came along with it was sinister and invasive. It got closer each time it called me until, finally, I sensed it was right next to me, only to confirm my intuition by speaking audibly. “Joe,” it said. At this moment, my courageous German shepherd bristled and growled in the direction of the voice, then, to my surprise, whimpered with his ears dropping back, and he ran away! Not something I expected to see! The combination of my dog running away, mixed with the voice I just heard right by me, caused me terror so I jumped onto my ATV and drove away as quickly as I could!
It wasn’t until later, after receiving Jesus as my Savior, that I began to understand what had happened. Both light and darkness recognized the gifts in my life, and each side was attempting to speak to me. This can be a factor for certain people based on the type of spiritual gift they may carry from birth. Especially prophetic people, who can have a gift in operation in their lives even before they receive Jesus as Lord. Sadly, much like a person who has a gift to sing—who can either use it for the world or use it in a church—spiritual gifts can be similar. Let me explain. Encounters with spiritual forces can lead to the wrong conclusion without having a relationship with Jesus. Those who don’t understand how gifting works (and who is the author of such gifts) may begin to dabble in dark things such as psychic activity, believing the gift they possess is for clairvoyance and various forms of witchcraft. Nothing could be further from the truth, as God is the author of every good and perfect gift. It is an agenda of darkness to pervert these wonderful gifts given by God.
A true conversion with Jesus Christ is the real answer for navigating the gifts in anyone’s life. Once a person gives their life to Jesus, what must take place is a dedication to the written Word of God. God’s Word is the plumb line that right sizes experiences. It definitely taught me the meaning of the famous saying, “When in doubt, cast it out!”
Now, I bring this issue to light because many people not rooted in the Word of God play along with strange encounters. Some entities may come across as not evil at all. They may be presented in an interesting, intriguing, or even kind way. I found that the answer to any experience is to not go beyond what is written and you will never go astray. What these voices were competing over was me. I go into this type of understanding in-depth when I teach the School of the Prophets or do prophetic training. These two voices— one being the Holy Spirit, the other a demonic force—were both calling me. One was to enter into the prophetic calling God had ordained for me; the other was a psychic spirit wanting me to give it access to a variety of evil. This type of scenario is a gateway to talking to what many believe are spirits of the departed and many other evil tricks the Devil uses for access by permission. Darkness needs cooperation from people, especially those who are more sensitive to the spiritual realm. When individuals engage in any supernatural experiences that are not of God and His Word, they are giving access via permission to enter their lives!
Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels (Hebrews 13:2).
Be aware that you may be entertaining angels. “Entertaining angels” has always been a scripture that made me think of times angels may stand before you in the form of a person. Yet, please also consider this thought. Fallen angels may also have the ability to appear as a person or manifest in the form of any other type of entity.
