JUDGING THE ANGELS

In 1 Corinthians 6:3, the Apostle Paul asks an interesting question: "Know ye not that we shall judge angels?" The saints are going to judge angels.

What angels will we judge?
It can't be fallen angels. Jude 6 says, "The angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he (God) hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." The fallen angels already know their fate. They know there is a time coming. So which angels will we judge? Every person has at least one guardian angel assigned to him. I believe each of us will judge our angel on this account: Some of you have been mad at your angel because things haven't been working out right. Examine yourself, and you will probably find that you have provoked him. When you say things that don't agree with God's Word, you provoke your angel.

Many times your words are the problem. You say things like: "Well, this deal will probably be just like all the others. Just at the last minute, something always happens to stop the whole deal." By grumbling and complaining, you call your angel from his assignment. You have provoked him, and you will have what you say! I'm convinced that the angels we will judge are our personal angels. We will judge the angels that have ministered for us to see whether they did a good job.

I know of one individual who said he fired his angel after somebody broke into his house. Some people won't even lock their homes. They say, "My angels are watching over it." Now, there is no need to overwork your angels. They will do things you can't do, but don't put everything off on them! If you could have locked your house, but didn't, and somebody stole your furniture, shame on you, not your angel! The angels are here to minister for you the things you can't do. They aren't here to cook for you or overhaul the transmission on your car. If they did, you would want them to change the plugs and overhaul the motor. They do things you can't do. When you can lock your house, lock it. Don't go around commanding angels to do things that are your responsibility.

I will share with you a tragic situation that happened several years ago. A man and his wife were killed in a car wreck. Everyone wondered why it happened. He was such a good man. Months after the funeral, someone just happened to mention that the man said, "We have prayed that we will die together." Don't get the idea that their angel killed them. He just stood there and let it happen.

Let's consider this hypothetical situation:
Some guy, 29 years old, gets killed in a car wreck. He makes it to heaven, but is a little put out with the whole deal. When time comes for him to judge his angel, the conversation will probably go something like this: "Now, guardian angel, I want to know why you allowed me to get killed at 29 years of age. Where were you?" "I was right there with you in the car. "Well, why didn't you stop it?"
"Listen to your words: 'I'll tell you, that old car is crazy! Right in the middle of an intersection, it coughed and died. I almost got hit by an eighteen-wheeler! You watch and see, that thing will be the death of me yet! It will probably fall to pieces before we get it paid for.' You said that over and over. Then one day a drunk driver ran a stop light, and your car fell to pieces all over the road!"

Angels are, more or less, spiritual machines. It doesn't make any difference to them when you go to heaven. You can assign them things to do by your words, or you can call them off of their assignment. The Word of God says they hearken to the voice of God's Word and they hearken to men. Jesus said, "If you confess Me or My Word before men, I'll confess you before the angels of God." (Luke 12:8.) In other words, if you will say what God said, you will get an audience with angels.

I heard one guy say, "Well, I better go on home because the way my luck is running, I'll probably get run over by a freight train.'' He didn't get run over by a freight train just because he said that once. But if he keeps saying it, his angel will believe that's what he wants to happen. You may pick up the newspaper one day and read where he was run over by the 9:23 freight. His angel was sitting right there with him until the train came along. Then the angel just got out. If that's the way he wants to go, it doesn't matter to his angel. Parents have said to their children, "If you play in the street, you will get run over by a car." The angel doesn't know if that's right or wrong. He doesn't dispute your words.

This explains why many tragedies happen. Wrong speaking and wrong praying provokes angels. A husband and wife have a disagreement about buying a new car. He wants it; she doesn't. She says, "You watch and see—you'll get laid off! Then we won't have the money to make the payments — and the note is due on this house at the end of the year. We'll lose our house, sure as the world!" Now, just stop and ask this question: What is she doing? She is calling things that are not as though they were, but she is doing it on the negative side —using the principle in the wrong direction. The Scriptures say if a man will believe and not doubt in his heart, he will have whatsoever he says. This principle runs throughout the Bible—Old Testament and New Testament. God told Joshua, "Don't let the Word of God depart out of your mouth. In other words keep it in your mouth." When you keep God's Word in your mouth, you will get an audience with angels. "Then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, then thou shalt have good success." Angels will be listening to what you say. They will help make your way prosperous.

Even when we call things that are not as though they were on the negative side, it will work. For most people it will work faster than if they were working on the positive side. They say, "Why is it that when I make a negative statement, it comes to pass almost overnight? When I make good confessions, it seems to take weeks and months to come to pass."
It's very simple. They are more highly developed in fear than they are in faith. Let the Word of God stay in your mouth. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God. Now that being true, where do you suppose fear comes from? Hearing the words of the devil. The more highly developed you get in fear or faith, the quicker the manifestation of what you are saying and believing will come to pass. As Jesus said, by your words you will be justified, by your words you will be condemned. Your words are going to be judged. There will be people in heaven saying, "But, Lord, I couldn't help it. I couldn't give to this missionary because I never had any money. Every time I got a job I lost it."

The Lord is going to say, "That was your trouble on earth. You kept saying what you had, and I said you could have what you said. If you believe and doubt not in your heart, believe what you say and it will come to pass."

Too many Christians don't have faith in what they're saying on the positive side, but lots of faith in the negative. They say so many foolish and negative things that they can't release any faith in positive things. You must believe that the things you say will come to pass. Your words assign angels. You either assign angels things to do, or call them off the assignment by your words. Jesus says whatever you bind on earth will be bound, whatever you loose on earth will be loosed. So it's not God's responsibility at all; it's your responsibility. Yes, we will judge our angels. (charles Capps)