Let us consider first the external or physical ways angels have communicated through the senses of sight, sound, and feeling, which we call External Communication.

         These manifestations are often times very dramatic, spectacular and emotional; especially when it involves a rescue from sudden death. We will share just a few of the unnumbered accounts of angels and how they work on behalf of suffering humanity.

         External communication is accomplished by angels working through the senses, that is what we hear, see, touch, smell and taste. Feeling a hand on the shoulder, hearing an audible voice, experiencing their physical presence, manipulating external circumstances to guide and lead a person, or appearing visibly in the form of a human or angel.

         The prophet Ellen White was visited countless times by angels and spoke from experience about how angels communicate. In a panoramic view, she was shown angels at work throughout history.

         She saw them announce the birth of Christ, keeping records of those who were persecuted and their persecutors. In vision she saw our present day and observed the angels watching the effect of God's announcement to the world about Jesus' second coming in the clouds. She saw them working in this time of the end to warn and save lost souls, recording the good and evil deeds of individuals, working as guardians and protectors of the people of God during the terrible time of trouble which is still to come.

         Ellen was shown God's people when the death decree for not keeping Sunday as the Sabbath will be given. This is what she had to say about that time which is not far off. "Could men see with heavenly vision, they would behold companies of angels that excel in strength stationed about those who have kept the word of Christ's patience. With sympathizing tenderness, angels have witnessed their distress, and have heard their prayers. They are waiting the word of their Commander to snatch them from their peril. But they must wait yet a little longer. The people of God must drink of the cup, and be baptized with the baptism. The very delay, so painful to them, is the best answer to their petitions. As they endeavor to wait trustingly for the Lord to work, they are led to exercise faith, hope, and patience, which have been too little exercised during their religious experience.... The heavenly sentinels, faithful to their trust, continue their watch. Though a general decree has fixed the time when commandment-keepers may be put to death, their enemies will in some cases anticipate the decree, and before the time specified, will endeavor to take their lives. But none can pass the mighty guardians stationed about every faithful soul. Some are assailed in their flight from the cities and villages; but the swords raised against them break and fall as powerless as a straw. Others are defended by angels in the form of men of war. In all ages, God has wrought through holy angels for the succor and deliverance of His people. Celestial beings have taken an active part in the affairs of men. They have appeared clothed in garments that shone as the lightning; they have come as men, in the garb of wayfarers. Angels have appeared in human form to men of God. They have rested, as if weary, under the oaks at noon. They have accepted the hospitalities of human homes. They have acted as guides to benighted travelers. They have with their own hands kindled the fires of the altar. They have opened prison doors, and set free the servants of the Lord. Clothed with the panoply of heaven, they came to roll away the stone from the Saviour's tomb. In the form of men, angels are often in the assemblies of the righteous, and they visit the assemblies of the wicked, as they went to Sodom, to make a record of their deeds, to determine whether they have passed the boundary of God's forbearance.... Though the rulers of this world know it not, yet often in their councils angels have been spokesmen. Human eyes have looked upon them; human ears have listened to their appeals; human lips have opposed their suggestions and ridiculed their counsels; human hands have met them with insult and abuse. In the council hall and the court of justice, these heavenly messengers have shown an intimate acquaintance with human history; they have proved themselves better able to plead the cause of the oppressed than were their ablest and most eloquent defenders. They have defeated purposes and arrested evils that would have greatly retarded the work of God, and would have caused great suffering to His people. In the hour of peril and distress, "the angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them." (The Great Controversy, pp 631-632, E.G. White)
 

         The working of angels with the mind is far more extensive, intimate and personal than working from the outside. This form of communication is accomplished by stimulating the senses from within and working through thought processes. This is how God's Spirit communicates to man's spirit, and is the direct work of the Holy Spirit on man's mind. This is that "secret place of the Most High" mentioned in Psalms 91:1.

         It is angels (both good and bad) who impress thoughts of their leader into the mind, such as strong impressions, intuitions, giving warnings, sometimes even speaking through thoughts, and giving dreams and visions.

         Holy angels are the still small voice of conscience which tells us when we have done something wrong. From time immemorial they have been that voice in the ear warning of danger, or impressing the person of eminent danger.

         In short angels represent God's Holy Spirit and its activity on the heart and the life, which after the fall meant working through any heavenly means to lead and guide the person, if possible, into the ways of righteousness. They are God's chosen means of reaching humans and working for their salvation.

         The only restriction placed upon them is that they cannot force a person to do good. They can only work by the principle of love, the basis of God's kingdom. In all these activities they have been intimately intertwined with mankind ever since Adam and Eve were created.
 
EVIL ANGELS:

         By contrast evil angels spare no effort to manipulate and control the mind. They never tire and work ceaselessly day and night, spreading their evil influence until the whole world has been saturated with evil. They spread lies as truth, paint black as white, and white as black, evil as good, and good as evil. They tempt with lustful thoughts that appeal to the carnal nature, employ sensuous dreams and experiences, motivate and manipulate men's and women's sex organs to encourage sexual excesses and perversions of all kinds, possess people to murder and destroy. They drive people crazy, create a lust for security, money, the good life, drugs, cause people to be dishonest, full of greed, and commit or are behind every cruel and horrendous act.

         All evil and unholy acts are performed under the influence of these evil angels and Satan himself, teemed with wicked men who act as their servants, agents and messengers who are themselves under demonic control.

          As we learned, all this evil came about because of Adam and Eve's sin. Since that time the weight of sin has been carried by all their posterity. Because there are both good and evil angels, man has always had to continually contend with the forces of evil, even more so now that the end of the world is upon us. But even though this be true, God has always had at his disposal heavenly angels who excel in strength to do battle with the enemy.
 

                  Angels have, on occasion, shared many of heaven's mysteries with believers, and have taken some to heavenly places and to other inhabited planets. They have unlocked the mysteries of scripture and the universe and heaven. They have shared events that are soon to take place. Through angels the Lord has in the past unlocked and is now unlocking truth for our times.

         Much of the information being shared with you in this Monograph originated in heaven and was brought by angels to the believers. These messages have come through dreams, visions, and pictures, as well as God speaking directly to the mind.

         Ellen White in The Upward Look talked about the ministry of angels and supports today's experiences. "How few contemplate the unseen agencies. Men are acting their part either for God or for Satan, the Prince of light, or the prince of darkness. All heaven is intensely interested in human beings who seem to be so full of activity, and yet have no thought for the unseen. Their thoughts are not on the Word of God and its instruction. If they would appropriate the Word of God, they would be astonished that there are agencies, good and evil, observing every word and deed. They are in every assembly for business transactions, in councils, and in meetings for the worship of God. There are more listeners in these public assemblies than can be seen with the natural sight, and every man has his work to do. Those unseen agencies are co-laborers with God or with Satan, and they work more mightily and more constantly than do men.  SOMETIMES THE HEAVENLY INTELLIGENCES DRAW ASIDE THE CURTAIN THAT HIDES THE UNSEEN WORLD, that we may have our minds withdrawn from the hurry and rush, and consider that there are witnesses to all we do and say when we are engaged in business, or when we think ourselves alone.  The Lord would have our perceptions keen to understand that these mighty ones who visit our world have borne an active part in all the work which we have called our own. These heavenly beings are ministering angels, and they frequently disguise themselves in the form of human beings. As strangers they converse with those who are engaged in the work of God. In lonely places they have been the companions of the traveler in peril. In tempest-tossed ships angels in human form have spoken words of encouragement to allay fear and inspire hope in the hour of danger, and the passengers have thought that it was one of their number to whom they had never before spoken. Many, under different circumstances, HAVE LISTENED TO THE VOICES OF THE INHABITANTS OF OTHER WORLDS. They have come to act a part in this life. They have spoken in assemblies, and opened before assemblies human histories, and have done works which it was impossible for human agencies to do. Time and again have they been the generals of armies. They have been sent forth to cleanse away pestilence. They have eaten at the humble board of families. Often they have appeared as weary travelers in need of shelter for the night. We need to understand better than we do the work of these angel visitants." Upward Look, p 84.

         "The angels who do always behold the face of the Father in heaven would prefer to remain close by the side of God. But the Lord gives to every angel his work for this fallen world....Heavenly angels are working to bring the human family into a close brotherhood, a oneness described by Christ as like to that existing between the Father and the Son....Angels will do for you the things you cannot do for yourselves. They are waiting for your cooperation....It is the work of the heavenly angels to come close to the tried, the suffering, the tempted ones." Upward Look, 68.

         Having learned what angels are and what they do, it is time we share just a few of the thousands of personal experiences and encounters that people have had with angels. Because this Monograph is written to warn about the wiles of the enemy and how he is working with and through his evil angels, we will limit these testimonials to those performed by heavenly angels.
 

         Lake Mendosa is a glittering jewel on the banks of Madison, Wisconsin. But when winter comes to the Midwest, the lake surface is transformed into a treacherous terrain of snow and ice. One bleak day in February of 1975, outdoorsman Bill Lindeman set out on a rugged hike across the frozen lake. This is his story:

         I started walking over the lake surface which was rather rough and uneven, windblown and drifted. Snow continued to fall more and more heavily. Finally at one point the shoreline became obscured and I could not tell exactly which direction I was going. I could walk fine, I was mobile, I was not particularly cold, and I was dressed warmly, so I wasn't concerned.

         I was looking at the drifting pattern of the snow on the surface to find three drifts with patterns I could align up and keep in focus. I would reach the first one and the would sight beyond the last one so I was always moving towards one of those drifts in the same direction.

         As I walked along further and further, the snowfall became greater and greater. The wind picked up, blowing and swirling so that finally I could not quite see beyond what was right in front of me.  It was then I knew I was in trouble. I got to the point that I could not tell the difference between the falling snow and the ground. That was a very weird feeling, for when I stepped I couldn't even tell whether I was stepping on packed snow.

         I was totally disoriented so that I couldn't tell whether I was vertical. I could not take more than a couple of steps. I began this pattern of standing, stepping falling to one side then the other. I completely lost my sense of direction. If something didn't happen to change this situation, if the storm didn't clear, I knew I was good as dead.

         I decided to crawl on the ice until I died. I recognized how frail and marginal life is. At that point I totally gave up. I cried out to God, "Hey God, if your out there and have any intention of me surviving this, then you're going to have do something because I'm dead."

         At that point I heard a very deep horn like a fog horn. I had no idea where it came from. I said to God, "If that was a sign, you're going to have to make it loud and clear, because otherwise I am not going to get it. I need to know where it came from. Again I heard this sound. I locked on to it, and remember moving off into the direction it came from.

         As I began crawling across the ice, I heard a sound coming from the back of my head which startled me. It was like someone had sneaked up behind me and then whispered, "Watch out for the break water." I realized the moving break water could have possibly kept the ice from freezing up, and that if I fell into it I would probably drown.

         Bill let himself be guided by the mysterious voice, skirting the breakwater, he struggled up the bank where he collapsed. There was a person who reached out and put his arms around me, gripping me under the arms which felt like a bear hug, in effect saying to me, "get in, get out of cold you dummy! I felt myself being pulled into the building. Inside the building it was cozy and warm, a fire was burning in the fireplace.

         The man wrapped Bill in blankets, and gave him a cup of warm broth. Bill remembered little for the rest of that night, only that the man revived him and somehow, he found his way home. As the next day dawned bright and clear, Bill returned to the little cabin to thank his rescuer. But when he got there, the station was closed off, and there was a sign on the door that said, "Closed for the Season." There was no sign that anyone had been in the cabin for months.

         I realized then that something very unusual and unexplainable and miraculous had happened to me. Bill concluded his story by saying, I believe I was saved by an angel. If I hadn't believed that guardian angels were real, I wouldn't have asked for help. If I hadn't asked for help, even if it came I am not sure I would have recognized it. You have to conclude that there is a greater power in the universe than the one ticking inside your bodies, and that everyone is part of that greater connection.

         Not everyone gets to a point in their lives where they realize that if they try to maintain absolute control over their lives, their lives are going to end immediately. I had to completely give up control of my life, because I knew at that point, if I was the one in control I would have been dead, it was that cut and dried.
 
SAVED FROM A VICIOUS DOG:

         Vickie with her toddler son Joey was passing out "Jesus Is Coming" papers along a residential street one day. Suddenly she heard a growl behind and turned to see a large dog running toward her with fangs barred and blood in his eye. She saw that he was going to attack her and her son. She grabbed Joey up and held him to her breast, turning away from the dog so that her body was between the dog and Joey. She turned her head to see what the dog was doing and saw him leap in the air toward her. She prayed for protection. Suddenly it seemed as though everything stopped happening. She looked to see the dog suspended in mid-air over her right shoulder, just hanging there as if suspended by a wire. To her amazement she saw the dog then backed down from where he had jumped landing in a crouched position with a very surprised and puzzled look on his face as if wondering what had happened. Suddenly the dog became terrified and took off running with his tail between his legs. Vickie knows without question that an angel protected her and her son.
 
RESCUE FROM THE PRECIPICE:

         One of the most dramatic stories of a rescue by angels is the experience of Chantel Lakey, a women who found herself in unbelievable circumstances.

         This woman did not believe in the existence of angels until they showed up in her hour of very great need. She says at the time she was an agnostic. Her story was aired nationwide on a TV program not too long ago. This is a transcription of her personal testimony. She was interviewed along with the police officer who rescued her. This rescue took place in Curry County on the coast of Oregon at Lookout Rock. She was hiking with her fiancé Dale when the tragedy took place.

         Dale and I were in love, and we had visited his cousin in Oregon and were going back home to San Diego. As we were driving down the coast, Dale said to me "let's stop at this lookout sight and hike to a viewpoint at the top of a giant rock where you have a 360 degree panoramic view of the ocean and shoreline, and the forest behind us." He said that no one had ever been able to make it to the top with him, and challenged me to try, and of course I accepted his challenge. We hiked up a trail that led to the top, and the view was beautiful. We were heading back down, the trail when Dale said to me, "Let's go down this other way, I have never been down this way before. If you want to come with me..." of course I accepted this other challenge. As we started walking down the trail, it was very deceptive because it looked like it was going to be fine and no problem. Hiking down the trail, suddenly we were on a cliff with no place to put our hands or feet, and we were kind of like glued, not knowing what to do. It was very very terrifying. We tried to go back up, but couldn't do it because it was shale rock and the rock was slipping under our feet. The rocks just fell, and we could not get any footing. There was only one way to go and that was down. Dale said, "I'm sorry, we will have to go down." When we looked down it was terrifying because it was at least 450 feet down to the rocks and ocean below. We could not even see where to put our hands and feet.  Dale said, "I am going to go first, and I want you to do whatever I do, just follow my path." So he inched his way down about 3 or 4 feet, then told me it was my turn. I started to do what he did copying each motion he made. But every time I moved rocks would fall, hitting him on the shoulder and head.  He asked my how my fear factor was, and I assured him I was fine, when in fact I was terrified. I couldn't believe what was happening. Yet I knew we had to go down and felt I had to let him know I was Okay, for it was hard enough for him without being concerned about me. Dale although athletic, was not an experienced mountain climber. Dale extended out his hand and told me to put my foot into it. His eyes locked with mine and suddenly he lost his grip and fell backwards. When he started falling, I couldn't believe it, and I screamed "Oh my God! my God help me! help me!" I saw his head hit a ledge and then he kept falling and falling until I could no longer see him. I was so terrified and afraid I didn't know what to do. I was trembling and thought "Oh my God, if Dale who is far more athletic than I am could not make it down, how can I? I started screaming help! help! for someone to hear me, but no one knew we were there, and I thought, I can scream my head off and no one will come and help me. I thought that maybe through some miracle he might be still alive and I could help him. It was at that point I screamed for God. I had this overwhelming feeling or urge to scream for God. I screamed" God, God, please help me, please help me, I don't know what to do, I can't move. I was locked in terror on the cliff actually frozen, I couldn't move. Suddenly a mist came all around me which was strange, because along with the mist came a beautiful chorus which sounded like hundreds and hundreds of voices. I tried to squint my eyes to see through it, but couldn't really see anything. The music got louder and louder. At that point I was urged to make my first move. Even though I didn't know what to do, I knew I had to move. A serenity and peace came over me enough to take the first step. As I made the first move I remember the rocks starting to fall, but I somehow managed to take the next step, and the next. During this time I was asking myself why are these angels here. Were they going to assist me in my life or my death.

         Each move I made was very very terrifying.  For the next 300 feet, I don't remember much of what happened. But when I was about 100 feet from the bottom I started falling and couldn't control the fall. I screamed out, "Oh no God, not now! I've got to find Dale and help him." I knew I was going to die or be injured. Suddenly a powerful force like a hand swooped me up and threw me against the rock, and I was held tight against it. Strangely when I stopped falling, the rocks did also. At that point the singing got louder, and I felt complete peace and serenity and then knew I would make it the rest of the way.  When I got to the bottom I started running in the direction of his body but could not find him at first. Finally I found him sprawled out on a small rock. He was obviously dead, his body all broken up. There was no hope for him. As I went over to him, all around him the singing got much louder. I felt them lift him and they were holding him (his spirit). I knew that I could now go find help.

        When help arrived the officer, who was at the interview, told how the rescue crew was also terrified to have to go down and retrieve Dale's body, stating that that rock juts up out of the water for 500 feet and that it is utterly impossible for anyone to climb down it without help.
 
A COMMENTARY:

        Chantel's experience about the singing getting much louder when she went over to Dale, and seeing the angel holding him or his spirit needs some explanation, for it indicated to her that his spirit was alive and had been taken to heaven.

         This is similar to those who have had near death experiences which we have already considered. Many times families have seen angels at the time of death, take the deceased in their arms as if bearing them up toward heaven, or offering them to Jesus or placing them into His arms. They have concluded, as did Chantel, that their loved ones spirit was still alive and in heaven with Jesus. Here again we see the delusion that "thou shalt not surely die.

         This misconception is based upon one parable Jesus told the Pharisees in Luke 16 about the rich man and Lazarus, and is universally used as proof for life after death and also hell fire, as we discussed in an earlier Monograph. Because of Chantel's experience, we feel it necessary to once again look at this parable and the unscriptural meaning attached to it.

         To use this allegory to prove life after death goes against all the rest of Scripture. It is a delusive and a carefully devised trap that is entrapping many.  Reason refutes this story as being factual, for heaven and hell (if there were such a place) are not close enough together for two individuals to reach up or communicate with each other. To believe this parable is literal, is to make the rest of the Bible's statements about death and hell of none effect and a lie. To take this one text as proof of life after death, means all the other texts in Scripture that say in death there is no consciousness, no afterlife in the form of a spirit must be discarded.

         Why did Jesus tell this parable? When Jesus told this parable to the Pharisees and people, He was meeting them on their own ground, using a story which reflected their belief about life after death to illustrate their responsibility toward the poor, and teach them about stewardship and accountability toward the less fortunate, whom the Pharisees despised.

         All major biblical commentators recognize this was what Jesus was doing. He was not teaching a religious doctrine, but trying to instruct them in the ways of righteousness.

         This erroneous concept of loved ones being in heaven with Jesus when they die is a comforting thought and has lots of emotional appeal. But is it not just as comforting to believe the true Biblical explanation about death, but a truth which is never even considered because of this delusions appeal.

         Like Chantel, belief in life after death puts those who believe this way in a frame of mind to misinterpret what they see and experience. God in His tender love and mercy for people in their time of grief, bears with their misconceptions and does not attempt to correct their thinking, for a time of sorrow and heartbreak is not the time for correction, but rather to comfort and encourage.
 
          Today God shows the same latitude as Jesus did when telling this parable to the Pharisees, reaching people at their level of understanding.  In Chantel's time of great emotional shock and trauma, He let her know that NOW YOUR LOVED ONE IS RESTING IN MY ARMS, PROTECTED UNTO THE DAY WHEN THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL BE RAISED TO IMMORTALITY.

         This viewpoint is totally consistent with Scripture and the only logical conclusion one can come to about what Chantel saw and heard. To know that a loved one is resting in Jesus, asleep until they are called forth from the grave by Him when He comes the second time in the clouds of glory. This is the blessed hope of all who die in Jesus.

THE TOW TRUCK FROM NOWHERE:

         It was just past midnight on December 24, 1983. The Midwest was shivering through a record-breaking cold spell, complete with gale-force winds and frozen water pipes. And although our suburban Chicago household was filled with the snug sounds of a family at rest, I couldn't be a part of them, not until our twenty-one-year-old son pulled into the driveway.

         At the moment, Tim and his two roommates were driving home for Christmas, their first trip back since they had moved East last May. "Don't worry, Mom," Tim has reassured me over the phone last night. "We're going to leave before dawn tomorrow and drive straight through, We'll be fine!" Kids. They do insane things.

         Under normal circumstances, I figured, a Connecticut-to-Illinois trek ought to take about eighteen hours. But the weather had turned so dangerously cold that radio reports warned against venturing outdoors, even for a few moments. And we had heard nothing from the travelers.

         Distressed, I pictured them on a desolate road. What if they ran into car problems or lost their way? And if they had been delayed, why hadn't Tim phoned? Restlessly I paced and prayed in the familiar shorthand all mothers know: "God send someone to help them."

         By now, as I later learned, the trio had stopped briefly in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to deposit Don at his family home. Common sense suggested that Tim and Jim stay the rest of the night and resume their trek in the morning. But when does common sense prevail with invincible young adults? There were only four driving hours left to reach home. And although it was the coldest night in Midwest history and the highways were snowy and deserted, the two had started out again.

         They had been traveling for only a few miles on a rural access road to the Indiana toll way, when they noticed that the car's engine seemed sluggish, lurching erratically and dying to ten or fifteen miles per hour. Tim glanced uneasily at Jim. "Do not--" the radio announcer intoned, "--repeat--do not venture outside tonight, friends. There's a record wind-chill of eighty below zero, which means that exposed skin will freeze in less than a minute."

         The car surged suddenly, then coughed and slowed again. "Tim," Jim spoke into the darkness, "we're not going to stall here, are we?" "We can't," Tim answered grimly as he pumped the accelerator. "We'd die for sure." But instead of picking up speed, the engine sputtered, chugged and slowed again.

        About a mile later, at the top of a small incline, the car crawled to a frozen stop. Horrified, Tim and Jim looked at each other in the darkened interior. They could see across the fields in every direction, but, incredibly, theirs was the only vehicle in view. For the first time, they faced the fact that they were in enormous danger.

         There was no traffic, no refuge ahead, not even a farmhouse light blinking in the distance. It was as if they had landed on an alien, snow-covered planet. And the appalling, unbelievable cold! Never in Tim's life had he experienced anything so intense. They couldn't run for help; he knew that now for sure. He and Jim were young and strong, but even if shelter was only a short distance away, they couldn't survive. The temperature would kill them in a matter of minutes.

         "Someone will come along soon." Tim said, "You heard the radio. Everyone in the world is inside tonight--except us." "Then what are we going to do?" "I don't know." Tim tried starting the engine again, but the ignition key clicked hopelessly in the silence.

        Bone-chilling cold had penetrated the car's interior, and his feet were already growing numb. "Well, God," he prayed, echoing my own distant plea, "You're the only one who can help us now." It seemed impossible to stay awake much longer...

         Then, as if they had already slipped into a dream, they saw headlights flashing at the car's left rear. But that was impossible. For they had seen no twin pinpricks of light in the distance, no hopeful approach. Where had the vehicle come from? Had they already died? But no. For, miraculously, someone was knocking on the driver's side window. "Need to be pulled?" In disbelief they heard the muffled shout. But it was true. Their rescuer was driving a tow truck.

         "Yes! Oh, yes, thanks!" Quickly, the two conferred as the driver, saying nothing more, drove around to the front of the car and attached chains. If there were no garages open at this hour, they would ask him to take them back to Don's house, where they could spend the rest of the night.

         Swathed almost completely in a furry parka, hood and a scarf up to his eyes, the driver nodded at their request but said nothing more. He was calm, they noted as he climbed into his truck, seemingly unconcerned about the life threatening circumstances in which he had found them.

         Strange that he's not curious about us, Tim mused, and isn't even explaining where he came from or how he managed to approach without our seeing him.... And had there been lettering on the side of the truck? Tim hadn't noticed any. He's going to give us a big bill, on a night like this. I'll have to borrow some money from Don or his dad.... But Tim was exhausted from the ordeal, and gradually, as he leaned against the seat, his thoughts slipped away. They passed two locked service stations, stopped to alert Don from a pay phone, and were soon being towed back through the familiar Fort Wayne neighborhood. Hushed, Christmas lights long since extinguished and families asleep, Don's still seemed the most welcoming street they had ever been on.

         The driver maneuvered carefully around the cul-de-sac and pulled up in front of Don's house. Numb with cold, Tim and Jim raced to the side door where Don was waiting, then tumbled into the blessedly warm kitchen, safe at last. Don slammed the door against the icy blast. "Hey, what happened?" he began, but Tim interrupted. "The tow-truck driver, Don--I have to pay him. I need to borrow--" "Wait a minute."

         Don frowned, looking past his friends through the window. "I don't see any tow truck out there." Tim and Jim turned around. There, parked alone at the curb, was Tim's car. There had been no sound in the crystal-clear night of its release from the chains, no door slam, no chug of an engine pulling away. There had been no bill for Tim to pay, no receipt to sign, no farewell or "Thank you" or "Merry Christmas...."

         Stunned, Tim raced back down the driveway to the curb, but there was no taillights disappearing in the distance, no engine noise echoing through the silent streets, nothing at all to mark the tow truck's presence. Then Tim saw the tire tracks traced in the windblown snowdrifts. But there was only one set of marks ringing the cul-de-sac curve. And they belonged to Tim's car. (Where Angels Walk, pp 133-135, Joan Wester Anderson)
 
RUNNING ON ANGEL POWER:

         It happened in the wintertime, January to be exact. For a number of days I had been studying the biblical concept of faith. While Scripture speaks of vast numbers of people having had their lives ruled by distrust of God and unbelief, it also reveals how certain persons acquired a living faith by developing an unfaltering trust in our heavenly Father, and in the power of His Holy Spirit. In those days I was a salesman, and that evening I had a 9:00 p.m. appointment with a building contractor living on a rural road about four miles west of Castile, New York. Our home was in Curriers, about seven miles north of Arcade. To avoid a route that would have forced me to go east in a roundabout way, I had gotten instructions to go cross-country on some country roads that would supposedly save me a lot of travel time. Unfortunately, it didn't. I got lost three times because of the constant crossroads, and I made wrong turns. It meant stopping and asking directions at farms, and I arrived almost an hour late. On my way there I realized that my gas gauge had dropped rather low, but reasoned that the best thing to do was to fill the tank in Castile afterward. We got involved talking business, and time flew by. When I had finished writing up an order and was ready to leave, my watch indicated almost midnight. By then the thought of getting gasoline had left me. The contractor, desiring to save me going into Castile in order to take Route 39, a state road that would carry me west into Arcade and home, suggested that I drive three miles west from his residence, then take a left that would get me directly unto Route 39. I was reluctant to go that way, but he said I couldn't make a wrong turn, because of a huge landmark at that intersection. As I stepped out on the porch, the cold chilled me instantly. He looked at his thermometer, which read five degrees below zero. "I hope you have a good battery," he said. "Yes, sir. One of the best for winter driving." Waving goodbye, I left. Because of the bitter cold, it took longer than usual to get heat into the car, and it absorbed all my attention. I had traveled about five miles when all of a sudden the engine began to lose power. A glance at the gas gauge told me the tank was empty. Terror struck my mind as I realized that the last farm I had passed was more than a mile away, and no more were in sight. Like a flash I saw myself in a hospital bed with my toes cut off. You see, when I was 17 years of age, I froze all my toes one morning in northern Quebec when the temperature had gone down to 42 below. I spend five months in the hospital. The flesh turned black and actually fell off my toes. Afterward I had a number of operations, skin grafts, etc. And the day of my discharge the surgeon who had worked on my feet sat me down and stated that I should no longer live in that part of the world. He believed that my feet would quickly freeze if exposed to the cold, and that the only thing that could be done then would be to amputate. Now in a burst of fear I cried out, "Dear Jesus, please help." Many times before when certain destruction stared me in the face, I had made that call for help, and Jesus had never failed me. Immediately a great calm came over me. But the car was still slowing down. "Forgive me for being so panicky, seeing that You have never failed me." I thought. "O Lord, I know that the Spirit of God that transported Philip 20 miles so long ago can get me and this car over those hills into Curriers if He so chooses. Dear Jesus, may the Spirit of God (through angels) that controls the atoms please fuel this car so it will take me home without stopping. Thank You. Lord, for Your help." It was almost as if something hit the back of my automobile, and it shot forward; then the motor started to accelerate and hummed like never before. The speedometer climbed and when it reached the speed limit I had to release my foot from the pedal as the vehicle kept dashing ahead. Eagle Hill--which I had never climbed without the transmission shifting down--I now sped up in high gear, jubilantly I praised the Lord for His miracle-working power. I began quoting verses of Scripture, such as Psalm 107:1,2, and 8. "O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy." "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men."... After I pulled into the driveway, up a small grade, and past the side entrance of our house, the car stopped. It did not reach the garage. Turning the ignition off, I ran into the house surprised to see the lights on in the kitchen. About 11:45 p.m. Hilda, my wife, had awakened, and realizing that I was not home yet, got on her knees and prayed for God's loving care over me. As I entered, she knew that something great and wonderful had happened. "You look excited. What's the good news?" I recounted how the Spirit of God had brought me home 27 miles without any gas in the tank. We had a praise session to the Lord that probably lasted an hour, then went to bed but could not sleep most of the night as we kept talking about my experience. In the morning I tried to start the car, but it would not. We had to fetch gasoline from the neighbor's farm to get it going." (Incredible Answers To Prayer, Roger Morneau pp 30-33)
 
WHEN TWO CARS PASSED THROUGH EACH OTHER:
 
       Dale and Ilene were traveling from Minnesota to California. It was late at night, and rain was falling in sheets as they made their way toward a small town several miles ahead. There were no cars in sight either behind or ahead of them. Finally way in the distance they saw lights of an oncoming car.

         As they approached a long low lying bridge two cars wide, like the many that span washes and water drainage channels, the oncoming car had also reached the other end of the bridge. The rain coming down in torrents made it hard to see.

         As the two cars approached each other, to their horror Dale and Ilene saw that the car was halfway in their lane and there was no way for them to avoid a head on collision.

         Just before the inevitable crash, Ilene screamed out "God help us!" and closed her eyes as did Dale. But there was no crash. They opened their eyes and no car in front of them. Dale looked into his rear view mirror and could see the taillights of the car still in his lane going off into the darkness. The two cars had passed right through each other yet never touched.
 
RESCUE ON A MOUNTAIN CURVE:

         Another Dale and his girlfriend Artie were traveling east of San Diego on a date, headed for the mountains.

           As they wound their way up a canyon and came to a place where the road made a sharp curve to the left around a steep stone faced hill, suddenly coming around the bend from the other direction, was a car headed straight for them on their side of the road. There was no where for them to go but right toward a sharp cliff.

         Dale pulled over on the shoulder as far as he could to avoid the oncoming car driven by a man who was drunk, but to no avail. In desperation he turned more to the right and felt the car drop slightly as the right wheels went completely off the road into the air. The other car careened behind them narrowly missing them and plunged over the cliff.

         Instantly Dale pulled the car back onto the highway and stopped. He knew a miracle had happened and went back to look for tire tracks, and sure enough, he could see where his car skidded off the road and the tire tracks left the road, and where they came back onto the road, and he knew an angel had saved their lives.
 

        It was July of 1942 that Dave, a Christian young man of 18 years faced a crisis in his life about whether to marry a girl whom he loved and had gone with for several years. Pressure for them to get married was being applied by the girl and her parents, but  Dave felt like he was not yet ready for marriage, for his goal was to go to college and become a minister.

         Finally because of his love for this girl, and because of the pressure of her parents, he consented, and they were engaged and began to plan the wedding. But still he did not feel right about the situation. His parents were not in favor of it, for he was immature for his age and they felt it would be a mistake.

         As the time for the wedding drew near, Dave became more and more ambivalent and concerned and still did not know whether he should go through with the plans. He prayed earnestly about this, and finally decided he had to give her a decision one way or the other.

         As the day came when he decided to go and talk to her, he earnestly pleaded with the Lord to give him a sign so that he would know what to do. He asked the Lord that if he was not to marry her that a unmistakable sign be given to him.

         Having done this, Dave got into his little 1931 Buick and headed down the 20 some miles to see her, not knowing what his decision would be. He was driving up a road that wound between some hills, when all at once the engine quit, just like someone had turned off the ignition switch. He coasted off to the side of the road wondering what had happened.

         He got out, lifted the hood and checked the wiring to the coil, but all seemed fine. He next took off the distributor cap with the 8 wires going to the spark plugs, to look at the points which open and close to make the spark which fires the spark plugs. And lo, to his amazement, a part called the rotor, which distributes the spark to each of the 8 spark plugs as it rotates on a shaft was laying down along side the points. The rotor fits tightly on a shaft coming up from the engine. The only way with the rotor to have come off is if it had broken, or if the distributor cap had come off. Neither of which happened.

         That was the first of two signs the Lord gave him that he was to break off the plans for the wedding. Amazed at what had happened, he put the rotor back on the shaft, snapped the cap back into place, and the car started up instantly and ran perfectly for several miles. He had just turned a corner at an intersection, when the car began to act up again, but this time differently. It acted like it was out of gas, even though he the tank was 3/4's full.

         He pulled over and took the gas line loose thinking that maybe some dirt had gotten into the line, but it was clean. He turned over the starter to see if the fuel pump was working, and it was fine. He finally screwed the line back on the carburetor and started the car, which again ran perfectly.

         It was with a heavy heart that Dave continued on to see his girl and tell her the bad news. He dearly loved her, but an angel of the Lord had indicated to him most clearly what he must do.
 

A Voice from Beyond:

        Margaret walked the dog every morning; Her husband, Paul (not their real names), did so at night. There was a small park across the busy street in front of their house, and Paul usually took the dog there. He was a reserved man who enjoyed solitude and rarely showed his emotions.

         About nine one April evening, Paul and the dog started out on their customary jaunt. "I'm never in the garage after dinner," Margaret relates. "But that night, I happened to go there for something. The garage door was open even though it was almost dark outside.
 
       I had a perfect view of Paul going down our driveway to the sidewalk." Paul had to wait a few moments until there was a break in the traffic. While he was standing there, Margaret heard a voice calling. "Paul!" That was all.  "It was a male voice, the kindest-sounding voice I'd ever heard," she says.

         "There is shrubbery alongside our driveway, and I  assumed our next-door neighbor, hidden from my view by the garage wall and the foliage, was calling Paul. "But I know his voice, and this wonderful voice was not his. A second later I remembered that the neighbor wasn't home." Paul did not appear to have heard the voice. Maybe it had been her imagination. OR the sound of the wind? But there was no wind. Someone in a passing car? But the voice had been coming from her direction, as if the caller was near. Puzzled, Margaret wondered what, if anything she should do.

         Again, as her husband started to step down from the curb, the kind voice called his name. "Paul!" Now Margaret saw Paul stop. Had he heard the voice this time? Incredibly, a large tree in the park started to fall. Down it came, almost in slow motion, until, with a loud crash, it came to rest across the park path, its highest branches lying almost into the street. The spot was where Paul always walked, where he would have been at that moment had a voice not delayed him. Stunned, Margaret stared at the tree.

         Paul, in his usual unemotional manner, crossed the street, went around the tree, looked at it for a moment, and continued on his way. But by the time he returned he had had a chance to think. "Someone called my name," he said to Margaret. "It happened twice, Did you hear the voice?" "Yes. I wondered if you had." "But there wasn't anyone around, unless you saw someone." "No, I didn't," Margaret told him. "And from the garage, I would have had a good view." They looked at each other. "Well, then," Paul said in his usual calm fashion, "it had to have been my guardian angel." (Where Angels Walk, pp 133-135, Joan Wester Anderson)
 
IN EVERYDAY LIFE:

         Beyond the occasional manifestation of angels that appear to people and working through circumstances, events, there are a scant few individuals who have the gift of an awareness of supernatural activities, such as happens to prophets of God.

         These persons are aware of the presence of angelic beings, both good and bad. They can see the spiritual warfare that is going on within and around. They both see and hear the great controversy being fought on the battleground of their heart.

         Angels may present themselves in their true angelic form or sometimes visit in the form of humans. They have told their names, and at times may present themselves while a person is at work. They come to encourage, comfort, or instruct.

A Gift Received:

        Some people experience the continual presence of angels in their home and communicate with them almost as if they were speaking with them face to face. Angels have left gifts like Bibles and books which they inspired people to write. On one occasion an angel hid a small book of poems entitled "Pictures of Silver" under a pillow to be found later by the recipient of the gift. This is a small book of poems many may have seen in Christian book stores.
 
A Heavenly Token of Faith:

        Angels have performed otherwise unexplainable acts in giving and comforting. One individual suffered an extreme personal tragedy. Burdened down with extreme grief he grasped for the meaning of faith. All seemed hopeless to him and God seemed ever so far away. He asked the Lord for some small token that He was really with him.

         A few days later while looking for something to read, he came across a book on faith by Watchman Nee which he had been reading but laid it aside for a time because the truths about faith in that book seemed too simple and too good to be true. At the time he had asked the Lord to indicate in some way whether these statements were really true.

         A few days later he picked up Nee's book again, and something unusual caught his eye, a self sticking note paper was pasted over the title of the book. It was so perfectly aligned with the edges of the book, that it would have taken considerable effort to align it that neatly.

         The strange thing about this instance is that no one else had access to this room except the son and father, and neither of them had ever purchased this kind of self sticking note paper which was distinctly different. It had white clouds on a light blue background, which nearly obscured the words beneath it, but when pressed down on the book, the title could then be read through the clouds. Just below the bottom edge of the note paper a bird printed on the cover was symbolic to the man of the Holy Spirit coming down from the clouds.

         When the man realized an angel had put it there, he broke down and wept in gratitude and praised and thanked the Lord for this sweet, simple, yet miraculous token of the Father's loving care. The Lord accomplished two things by this act. First it answered the questions about the truthfulness of Watchman Nee. He also found the answers to his questions about faith in that book. This token of God's concern encouraged this struggling believer in the Lord.

Angels Care About Families and Children:

        Angels have been observed by seers dedicating new-born infants and anointed them with the Father's Spirit. They have spent many Sabbaths with families, even taking walks with them and fellowshipping with them. There are angels of motherhood and fatherhood who guide and instruct young couples in bringing up their babies and children, although unknown to them.

         Angels are anxious to fellowship with us face to face. They long for our company and are looking forward with great anticipation toward the time they can fellowship with all of us, and have expressed this openly. They are sad when people reject and disbelieve what is being shared with you.

Miscellaneous Angel Activities:

        Angels have left heavenly articles in the homes of some, such as a spiritual sword of light. They are always present and heavily involved in the deliverance of saints from the power of the enemy.

         Frequently angels are seen worshipping with those seeking the Lord's Spirit. They sing with believers and have favorite songs. Three of them said on one occasion that their favorite songs are, "Fairest Lord Jesus," "Holy, Holy, Holy," and "Joy to the World." At times they will sing or play music in a person's ear as they are driving or walking or working.

An Angel's Sense Of Humor:

        One angel came to the aid of a young pregnant mother in a beautiful but yet humorous act of caring, which shows how our God cares for us even in the mundane things in our lives. The mother was standing in a long line in a post office waiting to buy some stamps.

         A man ahead of her was smoking and the smoke was engulfing the expectant mother, nauseating her. She offered a silent prayer the Lord would intervene on her behalf. She had no sooner offered the prayer than a tall, well-built man, looking like a woodsman, walked through the door of the post office.

         With a light in his eye that indicated he was an angel of the Lord, he walked up beside the man smoking and accidentally-on purpose bumped his arm, causing the cigarette to fall onto the floor. As the cigarette fell to the floor, his next step landed right on it and snuffed it out. He excused himself and turned around and walked out.

         The man fumbled around for another cigarette and muttered in astonishment that his full pack of cigarettes, just opened, didn't have a single one left in it. The young mother being witness to all of this was almost beside herself trying to suppress her laughter.

         The following account happened in the year 1987 to a follower of the way.

The Angel Of Encouragement:

        One noon hour, as was my custom, I went to my favorite table in a local park to eat lunch. On this particular day a young man with long blond hair was sitting at the table reading a newspaper, and a backpack laying beside him on his left. As this was the only table in the area, I approached the traveler to ask if he would mind if he sat across from him at the other end of the table. No, he did not mind. I took out my lunch and Bible and began to read. The young man seemed interested in the Bible, so I tried to engage him in conversation, eager to share my faith.

         "Where do you come from?" I asked. "Alaska," he replied. "Where are you going?" He implied he was going right where he was, to the park. "Have you been hitchhiking?" He politely answered that he did not need to hitchhike.

         Obviously the traveler did not want to talk, so I turned my attention to my lunch and Bible. After a few minutes the traveler arose, folded his newspaper and put on his backpack.

         As he began to leave I looked up to watch him leave and maybe signal a friendly goodbye, but to my surprise no one was there. Thinking he might be behind one of the big trees in the park, I quickly, but hoped unobtrusively, got up and moved to where I could see behind them. Still he was not there.

         Months later a Christmas cantata brought my family and me to a large popular church in the valley. As the music began, the Holy Spirit opened my eyes and I could see several heavenly beings in the sanctuary. On the way home that night I cautiously broached the subject with my family and to my joy discovered two others had seen them also.

         These angels were very large, standing approximately 16-18 feet tall. They wore bright, shining robes and appeared to be standing in the air. Three of them played trumpets and behind them six or seven others sang along with the cantata and gracefully swayed in cadence with the music. Their long golden trumpets sounded much like beautiful, flowing synthesizer music. They had a bell-like clarity and sweet purity of sound that is not of this world.

          Another angel sitting alone on the opposite side of the room looked familiar to me. Suddenly I realized that this angel was the very one I had met in the park. I recognized him by his hair and by the shape of his nose.

         The Lord told me his name was The Angel Of Encouragement. I saw him two more times as I worked alone in the woods with my chain saw, just sitting on a log. He seemed to be watching over me.

         This angel could have well been my guardian angel, for while going up the steep path to cut wood, I saw two dark forms whisk past me which I recognized as evil angels. I knew they were out to, if possible, cause me to have an accident, which is not difficult when working on steep terrain, felling trees and working with a chain saw. Especially would this have been opportunistic for them because I was alone. If I had gotten badly hurt, there would have been no way I could call anybody to come help me.

         The angel of the Lord does encamp around about those that love and fear God. He did send His angel to keep me.
 
The Lost Is Found:

        It was the summer of 1946 Dave, whose prayer was answered about whether to marry or not, had hired himself out to farmers in the vast rice fields in northern California. At the time of this incident, he was asked to mow a 700 acre field of alfalfa. He began very early in the morning running the tractor until late that night by tractor lights.
 

         About 11:00 that night he pulled the tractor back into the barn, got into his car and drove to where he was staying. He began to empty his pockets to take off his clothes and prepare for bed, when to his consternation, he discovered his wallet was not in his pocket. He became extremely concerned for all his money and valuable identification cards were in that wallet.

         He immediately went out to his car to see if perchance it had slipped out of his pocket while he was in the car. It was not there. He had trouble sleeping as he worried about how he was going to find his wallet. He prayed about it but did not have much faith, and slept very little that night.

         Very early the next morning, he got into his car and drove back to the farm, tracing his steps to the tractor, but it was nowhere to be seen. The worse case scenario had happened. His wallet was out in that 700 acre field somewhere, and to make matters worse would probably be buried and covered by the mowed alfalfa.

         It is hard to imagine the helpless feeling he had as he headed out into the field which seemed endless. Where could his wallet be? Where should he begin looking? Talk about a needle in a haystack, this was much worse, for he had no idea when the wallet slipped out of his pocket.

         With these thoughts racing through his mind, he wandered aimlessly out into the field, looking and walking aimlessly back and forth toward the center, but there was no wallet to be seen. But he continued for a time, offering a silent prayer as he walked. Finally the futility of looking any further was obvious and he decided to quit. Standing in the vast expanse of the field, he bowed his head, asking for help one last time.

         As he finished and opened his eyes, there not 3 feet away from him was his wallet. He could not believe what he saw, for he had just looked over this area over before he prayed. That day Dave was one happy person, thanking and praising God for this wonderful answer to prayer. Many times since that time, when things have been discouraging, this young man now grown old, still looks back on that experience as proof that God is always with us and never forsakes us even when all seems lost.
 
SUMMARY:

         In summary, the Great Controversy between Christ and Satan is being played out in the lives of every individual in the world today. Heavenly angels are working with great haste to bring God's last warnings and messages to mankind before the world's probation closes. They also work with countless individuals, giving help to people in need, in times of crisis, and strength to those struggling in mortal combat against an enemy who seeks their destruction. Satan and his angels are moving in force to deceive the whole world. Slowly he has been conditioning people to accept the work of his angels through paranormal manifestations. All this is preparatory to his great and final master delusion which is about to burst upon the world.

         It is our prayer that each reader may seek the help that is available to them now as angels of mercy and love, reach out to protect those who love God and keep His commandments.