The Angel Trap
The Angel Trap
by Victor Brodt, MDiv
Colossians 2:18 (ESV): 18 Let no one disqualify you, insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind,
Absolutely yes, angels are real.
You know I find it odd that I have to even mention this but we live in a world today where many people pretend there is no such thing as good and evil. On one hand we lock our doors backed with high tech security systems, we are outraged by political issues and injustices, we despise government waste and big corporations taking all our money, but when it comes to the spiritual personal level there is no such thing as good and evil. It seems almost silly to say this but that is absolutely wrong; it is untrue. There is a battle and you are smack-dab in the middle of it. We all love fairy tales, we want to wrap ourselves in happy endings and warm fuzzy feelings but we live in the real world. Ignoring problems quadruples the danger and opens us up for a kind of spiritual whiplash that will hit you from behind like a gigantic truck. I call it the Angel Trap.
What I am about to say could be disruptive, but my heart intent is respectful and meant to be said in the kindest most loving way I know how. I have personally gone through these spiritual angelic issues nose-to-nose. I am talking down to earth reality- on a spiritual, on a cultural level, and a biblical level. There is a ton of misunderstanding out there and for good reason. Any well-crafted Trap will catch you unaware.
Our culture is full of messages that will make you feel warm and comfortable. It will be a message tailor made to your interests and will lure you along by telling you how wonderful you are. The irony is that you are wonderful in God’s sight because he loves you. The Trap entices us and the purpose is to divert; in other words it is to lead you and I away from the Truth… I repeat; it is to distract you from true fulfillment and genuine love. Essentially saying: “‘ …no, no come over here, this way is so much better. Pay attention to this glittery warm cutesy thing. Isn’t it sweet’”?
We are all attracted, we all like sweet, but too much sugar will ferment and turn into poisons. Over and over I have discovered that this can rot you from the inside out.
The Trap makes us drunk on the poisons of our little sweet comforts and desires. Strangely we thirst for more and more. We are easily sucked into the Trap! It never satisfies. It happened to me. It happened to loved ones, to close friends, to people I have counseled and yes to those who have openly sold their souls over to evil.
It is a Trap and it is more real than the air you require and are presently breathing.
Angels are real and nearly all of them appear to be wondrous beings of light. But hold on a minute; there is good and evil. To many it is impossible to tell the difference. It is really not impossible but we are all easily fooled.
True angels are messengers of God. The word angel means simply: messenger. The biblical idea of God’s angels is that they are His messengers sent for His purposes of good. They are not bumblebee sized babies with wings no; not at all. The first angel mentioned in the Bible is an awesome fearsome being that guards the entrance to Eden with a sword like lightning. Angels protect and guard but only at God’s direction and for his purposes. They do not shoot arrows which cause people to fall in love; that’s a whole different culture and mythology. That is not found in the Bible and runs contrary to it. In fact it is because of God’s love that they protect. When God’s people are attacked, God sends forth his mighty angel. I am reminded of this real history, when Judea was surrounded by a gigantic army of 185,000 arrogant, God-mocking, bloodthirsty invaders, God sent one angel. Get that- one angel, and 185,000 warriors were wiped out; ultimately the Assyrian super-power simply disappeared from historical significance. Angels are definitely not described as cute little cherubs.
Biblically angels are highly dignified messengers, warriors, burning holy ones. When they are sent for example, to protect little children it is entirely possible that it is only service to God that motivates angels. We like to think that they love us but they don’t, or at least they cannot love us like Jesus does. To whatever degree an angel may watch over our lives and protect us, it only comes out of and because of God’s love. It is God Himself that sends His angels to protect. Do not miss the point, it begins and ends with God’s love. Without God’s underlying orders without His compassion the angels would most likely stand back in confusion and disgust.
Because God loves His children and because God loves His creation He sends forth His messengers at His bidding. It is His love not some cuddly winged creatures’. If glory goes to an angel it is going to the wrong place; in fact I would say without a doubt, it is going to Satan and his dominions; they are also called angels of light. These warring angels want to get attention in any way they can. They want to steal the glory that belongs to God. They want to distract you and lead your soul away from God. God has a very good plan for you, but Satan and his dominions have their plans as well and they are not for good. For a while they might make you feel warm and fuzzy, but also oddly empty at the same time. It is a Trap.
The book of Revelation closes with John’s experience of an angel, in the last chapters of that book John sees this awesome messenger of God. The angel is glorious beyond belief. Even after all the prophetic and profound visions John experienced, visions of a magnitude beyond all other prophets, even so in the presence of this angel he fell at his feet and worshiped. And here is the great clue. A real angel will always stop. He does not receive worship. He does not receive glory; he refuses such things, and any true angel of God gives this type of command: “I am but a servant of the almighty God, worship Him and Him alone.”
There is a real Trap set for you. Angels are real and so is the battle.
Please my dear friend, understand… Worship Him and Him alone.
***We have tried to make this as brief and digestible as possible. We can provide references and study notes or guides for those who sincerely want to search these things out. Contact me about your issues at GreendogLoving [at] gmail [dot] com for more. (a sister site of our nonprofit, 501 c 3 Prayersforpets1.org) Or you can reach Caren at PrayersforPets1 [at] gmail [dot] com
Most of all; do all you can to find out who Jesus really is.
His Best,
Victor
Colossians 2:18-19 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind. They have lost connection with the head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.
We sometimes have people on the Facebook group (or page)…
…who think that their pet in heaven can help to heal or guide other pets on earth. From a biblical perspective this is a severe error and will lead your soul astray, it is eternally serious. I asked Victor as our expert Theologian to address this. Here is his answer:
Hi, Victor here, I wanted to bring some clarity on some things. Sometimes in our struggle we don’t realize how much Jesus loves His creation. All of it is completely and totally loved and will be renewed. Not to discount our feelings in the least but his love is greater. He will put death to an end forever. When we pray for healing we want it to last for our lifetime, but he designs it to last forever and it will. We must be careful to recognize that he ALONE is the one who heals. Please be careful to remember that NO angel or other CREATURE has Authority like Jesus. Biblical trust is in Jesus and Him alone. If we trust in anything else in any way it diminishes our foundation. Our Comfort must lie in Him alone, or we will find ourselves standing on sinking sand.
Perhaps the saints, the angels and even other creatures look forward to reuniting but be assured there is no one more eager and loving than Jesus himself. We can’t go around Him or skip Him, he is the one who heals. He is the one who answers.
Victor Brodt MDiv
A letter from Caren to a Catholic person in the community who asked if Animal Communicators are biblical:
No sweetheart I can’t tell those things. I am not an animal communicator that’s a very dangerous occultic practice. When I pray for pets God often gives me a sense of how they are and if they will recover but it’s not always absolute.
I do have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as any of us may have if we ask him to save us from our sins and be on the throne of our lives as ruler and Savior. If you ask him to forgive you of your sins and ask him to be the director of your life submitting to his power as displayed in the Bible you can ask him to give you insight into what is happening in your pet’s mind and body. The ability to read animals is not a gift God gives per se you will not find that in Scripture. But if you are submitted to His Holy Spirit and in a relationship of communion with God on a moment-by-moment basis in your life you can ask him to reveal things through his Holy Spirit to you that only he knows.
God definitely does know these things he reads our hearts and our minds. His compassion for animals is great. Not a sparrow falls to the ground apart from the will of the father. He has great love for animals; all lives matter deeply to God; he has created them all.
I recommend that you get yourself into Scripture and begin to understand who God is and how he works. I know that Catholics have varying views on Scripture, but I believe that you all see Scripture as God’s word to us for our instruction straight from his mouth.
Here is a link to help you get started. I know it’s an overwhelming task it’s a big book. But the best way to start is one bite at a time. If you have a smartphone it’s the best way to start in scripture; listening to it can give you many insights into the heart of God.
Gracie’s mom wonders if her older sibling who died is haunting her in the middle of the night
Can our pets appear to us after death? Animal Communicators
Victor Brodt, MDiv
Pastor Victor: “We do not know exactly what kind of spirit this could be. ‘Haunting spirits’ could be demons who are spiritual counterfeits of animals they inhabit. For example: the man with the Legion of demons had the demons in him cast into pigs Mark 5:1-20, Luke 8:26-39. If that’s the case only a Christian’s prayer will be heard and this is how you become a Christian.
I doubt there are any animal communicators out there who are Christians, those who sell themselves as that are in it for the money or manipulation. Any Christian can pray for a pet and for an owner and work through the spiritual realities. But some Christians don’t have enough confidence. We hope to encourage people and strengthen them through Bible truths.”
Caren Brodt
Caren: “God can communicate scripturally sound principles to those who are his own. If an animal Communicator is truly a Christian whatever they would pray for would be biblically provable and if it’s not provable by Scripture then it’s not biblical and it’s incorrect. If you are a Christian and read God’s Word (the Bible) on a daily basis, God will show you if the vision you have of your pet after death is from Him or is a demon. 1 John 4:1-6“
More Helpful resources
We highly recommend getting the Real Life with Jack Hibbs app then listen to these 2 messages from Real Life with Jack Hibbs radio on angels and demons: https://subspla.sh/k5z4rm5 https://subspla.sh/tdf25js Real Life with Jack Hibbs YouTube channel
Spiritual Warfare is a Truth Encounter excellent podcast with Stand to Reason’s Greg Koukl. It begins to focus on the topic about 20 minutes into the podcast.
1 Timothy 4:1 ESV Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,