5.1 Letter to my son David
I found your letter in my mailbox this morning, I’ve spent most of the day thinking and working on a response. I was very happy to hear that you had met Hans Cornelder. He’s a dear friend, and he was responsible for translating Francis Schaefer’s documents from English into Dutch. You may recall that Shaefer was a large player in my growth as a believer.I met Hans in the Netherlands; he was our pastor at a local English-speaking church called Shalom House. Hans was an acquaintance of Corrie Ten Boom. I learned many truths about angels from her books.
You brought two questions to the table for me to respond to, you wanted to know something about angels, and you wanted some advice on selecting a systematic theology book.
The Remembrance… I remember when our family attended Shalom House in the Netherlands. This church had several ‘overnight’ rooms available for travelers and some apartments available for students. Missionaries would come and share their experiences. I recall one senior Mennonite Missionary from Africa who spoke of the early days in Kenya. He said the people in Kenya often responded to the strength of the gospel and grace as opposed to the message from their shamans.
They started noticing aberrations in the trees, faint imagery in human form, but transparent. They realized the demons were laughing at them.
The Mennonite Missionary spoke of visiting a small, isolated village in a wooded rainforest on the east side of Kenya near the border in the mid 1950’s. They arrived at midday, planning to stay the evening. In the twilight of the evening, they felt the presence of the enemy. They started noticing aberrations in the trees, faint imagery in human form, but transparent. They realized the demons were laughing at them. Immediately they began praying a rebuke to Satan in the name of Jesus. One by one the images in the trees departed and the presence of evil left. That evening, many people responded to the gospel and embarked on a new life with Jesus. That story has always stuck with me.
First Question — let’s talk about angels. I pulled out my Vine’s Greek dictionary and a couple of bible dictionaries to refresh my memory concerning the definition for an angel. Angels are messengers, an entity that delivers a message sent by God or if they are fallen angels, they’re sent by Lucifer. They are superior to men (in the food chain) and engaged in God’s service. Angels are spirits, they do not have material bodies as men have but they can take human form as necessary. Yes, you are right, Scripture tells us we are never to worship an angel, no matter how powerful or successful that Angel is. During my daily perusal of Scripture (Psalms) I noted the following passage that seemed relevant to this exploration of angels.
The Psalmist says — If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most-High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone (Psalm 91:9-12).
Additionally, I noted this passage from Isaiah that was relevant to my thoughts on angels. This specific passage outlines the fall of Lucifer from grace. Take your time to reading Isaiah 14:9-14 below, notice the reference to Morning star. Notice the reason he was given the boot – he wanted to sit on the throne and make himself like the most-high.
Isaiah says — The realm of the dead below is all astir to meet you … All your pomp has been brought down to the grave … How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ (Isaiah 14:9-14)
I recall the prophet Elisha being protected from the Syrian army at Dothan by an army of angels, and the apostle Paul reassured fellow survivors of a shipwreck an angel was on the job, keeping them safe. I think the notion of a guardian angel being assigned to every Christian at birth is true, but do not find a litany of Scripture to support the assertion except for a single passage in Matthew.
Billy Graham’s father-in-law, L. Nelson Bell spoke often about angelic visitations in China. Additionally, it could be fruitful to look at Corrie Ten Boom and her experiences at the Ravensbrück concentration camp. Decades ago, I attended a briefing delivered by Corrie Ten Boom while living in the Netherlands. She eloquently talked about the power of angels and how she benefited from angelic protection during her time in the concentration camps of Germany. She was the author of the book ‘The Hiding Place’.
Clearly Angels are an interesting topic that is rarely talked about. I am interested in reviewing what you discover. I provided a few essays from my Journal on the subject.
Decades ago, I attended a briefing delivered by Corrie Ten Boom while living in the Netherlands. She eloquently talked about the power of angels and how she benefited from angelic protection during her time in the concentration camps of Germany.
Second Question — you wanted advice on locating a proper theology book. For years I have used a book by Henry Thiessen, titled Lectures in Systematic Theology. He was a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary. I have found this book to be extremely helpful because it presents a unified approach to most of the major themes known to us when it comes to Christian dogma. When I was trying to sort out exactly what the notion of foreknowledge or untangle the definition for the Trinity, Thiessen’s book was invaluable.
I know this may sound odd, but just analyzing his Table of Contents, because it was so detailed, I became cognizant the breadth and depth of the things of God discussed in Scripture. With 600 pages of information in the book, outlined by a 13-page Table of contents; it takes more than a day or two to read this book.
However, all silliness aside, it’s a really good book if you want to wrap your mind around a comprehensive presentation of topics that fit into the study of Theos. You should be able to get one from your local library or through the library lending system. Thiessen’s book has a good section on the angels.
I trust this provides you with some useful information.
May God bless you and keep you, may he place his countenance upon you, may He give you peace.
I love you, son.
Your Father, Dan