Angels Not Dead Men

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, Cal. · May 27, 1886

FromThe Signs of the Times, Vol. 12, No. 20

Angels Not Dead Men.

A NEW Spiritualist paper published in Oregon quotes the Bible in support of that deception as follows:—

“After the clairvoyant and clairaudient John had heard and seen the matters recorded in his revelations, he fell down to worship his angel informant; but the latter quickly stopped this superstitious obsequiousness, by saying: ‘See thou do it not; . . . for I am of thy brethren the prophets.’”

“Though this prophetic spirit did not give his name, these clear words would warrant me in claiming this as the fifth human being of Bible record who returned, after the death of the body, and identified himself.”

There are many who do not call themselves Spiritualists,

who give Rev. 22:9 the same application. But that application can be made only by garbling the text, as is done above. The text reads: “See thou do it not; for I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book.” Some people honestly suppose that the word “one” must be supplied, so as to make it read, “I am thy fellow-servant, and one of thy brethren the prophets.” But the construction of the text will not allow that. In this case, a literal translation, according to the Greek idiom, gives the exact meaning. Literally it reads thus: “I am the fellow-servant of thee, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book.” Here we see that the word to be supplied is fellow-servant. The angel declared that he was not worthy of worship, because he was only a servant. This agrees with Paul’s statement that they are all “ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.”

Angels do the commandments of God, “hearkening unto the voice of his word;” but they are not immortalized dead men. Angels were created such. Their nature is different from that of men (See Heb. 2:16), and men never become angels. There is a promise that the just shall be made “equal unto the angels;” but that very promise shows that men never become angels; for “equality” can exist only when there are two distinct classes.