Entertaining Angels: Demystifying Angelic Encounters & Testimonies

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels (Hebrews 13:2).

I know of many people who have been rescued by or met people who were no longer there after they received a particular message—or simply were encouraged by a person who came out of nowhere.

Recently, Heather and I were flying home from a ministry event and found ourselves in the company of a unique lady who seemed to stick with us everywhere we went. There was something about her. The way she looked at us and talked with us, even repeating simple phrases I had said earlier before speaking with her. It seemed to us that she was assigned to us on that particular journey. As interesting as it may sound, this experience has happened to me repeatedly.

A Tall Man

Several years ago, early on in our marriage, Heather and I stopped at a fast-food restaurant in Minneapolis. On the way into the restaurant, I noticed a man sitting on the curb with a cloak on. I ordered food, came back out, and saw that the man was still sitting there. As I got into the car with Heather, we began to drive away. I was overwhelmed with a sense to go back and give that man all the cash that was in my wallet. I fought with it for a moment, as we didn’t have much money, and this would be a sacrificial thing to do. Finally, we turned the car around and arrived back at that same restaurant parking lot. The large man was still sitting on the curb. I got out of the car, walked up to him, and handed him everything in my wallet. I said to him, “God bless you, sir, I just wanted to give this to you.” He started to laugh, and then he stood up! It was striking how tall he was! He seemed to me as if he was nearly seven feet tall! He looked down at me with powerful eyes and dreadlocks around his shoulders. This large man, with a striking appearance, began to declare over me, “Your Father is so pleased with you! You have done something very pleasing!” He said other declarations that I wish I could remember, but basically he started prophesying to me about the blessings that were to come upon me. It was powerful! He also hugged me nearly off of my feet while laughing!

Now, could this have been a nearly seven-foot-tall, joyful home- less man with well-kept dreadlocks and a large, hooded cloak who also happened to prophesy about my future? Maybe, but there was also a sense in the air—a strong sense of holiness. As we drove away, I remember looking back and not seeing him any longer. It was a powerful experience that Heather and I still talk about sometimes. I personally believe it was an angel.

Holding the Door

Another time I was at a clinic getting my blood drawn for a physical. As this took place, a nurse came into the room where Heather and I were waiting. I was prompted by the Holy Spirit to give her a prophetic word about her life and current relationship, with many other details following. She was about to administer a blood draw, which she did, and the power of God hit her and she began to weep at the same time as she placed a needle in my arm! It was a very uncomfortable Holy Spirit moment! This nurse nearly fell on Heather and me as she explained how she had been crying out to God for direction and if He would please send someone to come talk to her. After this encounter, we were leaving the clinic and an older black man was standing there holding the door for us. It didn’t make sense that he had been waiting at the door with it held open for us. I walked past, then paused, stepped back, and looked into this man’s eyes. We had just been in a Holy Spirit encounter in the other room, and I sensed the power of God in this situation. I said to him, “Sir, you have very unique eyes, angelic eyes.” They had a very bright blue color to them. He smirked at me, and said, “You have a wonderful day.” I guess you had to be there, but there was a connection as he looked at me, as if to say, “You got me!” Heather and I both looked at one another and said, “That was an angel watching over our divine assignment!”

Peter’s Angel

Dr. Gerald Derstine was a person who was pivotal in starting the charismatic movement back in the 1950s. When I was in my teen years, he took me to minister with him and his wife Beulah. He would tell me stories of his ministry in Israel and the Middle East. One story of interest fascinated me. As I recall it, Dr. Derstine was ministering in a particular meeting when a man approached at the end of the service. The man was adamantly thanking him for coming to see him and his family in a closed Middle Eastern country. The man explained how Dr. Derstine showed up in their living room and began explaining to them that they needed to hear about Jesus and where they should go to hear about Jesus being preached. The man followed the directions and found the place where believers were preaching about Jesus in this closed nation. As a result, he and his entire household became born again! The man was thrilled to see Dr. Derstine again, thanking him for telling them where they could hear the preaching of Jesus in their city. The only thing was, as Dr. Derstine explained, he had never been to the nation mentioned and certainly had never been to this particular city. The man protested saying, “No, you were in our home! You explained to us where to go in detail! Thank you!” Dr. Derstine didn’t know how to respond. Later, after thinking about it, the Holy Spirit led him to the account of Peter when he was released from prison.

And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. But they said to her, “You are beside yourself!” Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, “It is his angel” (Acts 12:13-15).

What a fascinating passage, leading up to a remarkable statement! Dr. Derstine was convinced that he experienced what these believers declared to the servant girl, Rhoda, in the Book of Acts: “It is his angel.” He was convinced that this was what happened to him—that his angel appeared to that family and told them how to find where the gospel was being preached. It is an interesting point that angels do not preach the gospel, but they can point people where to go. What a powerful story.

Heather Spoke to an Angel

There was an experience that Heather had when she was seventeen years old. She was shopping at a store and a tall, blonde-haired lady came up to her. Throughout her time in the store, she kept running into this woman. Heather noticed that every time she ran into her, her basket was empty. As Heather came outside, there was a com- motion outside the doors, with bad characters. As Heather walked outside, she stood at the curb to enter the parking lot, waiting for her mom to pick her up. Suddenly, the tall, blonde-haired woman was standing next to her. Heather again noticed that she didn’t have any bags with her from the store. The woman looked down at Heather, and for a moment she stood right next to her, nearly touching Heather. The woman then looked up and straight ahead. Heather looked away and saw her mom pulling up with the car and she looked back to say goodbye to the woman standing there. The moment she looked back, the woman was gone! Amazingly enough, they were standing at the end of an open parking lot and there was literally nowhere for her to have gone. Heather said to her mom when she pulled up, “Did you see that woman?” her mom replied, “No, what woman?” Heather felt such a sense of peace when this woman was by her. It was likely for protection. She was most likely an angel.

A Holy Roar

One encounter that stands out mightily in my mind is from a moment that took place during a conference in Minneapolis. I was leading worship with several musicians and singers. As we stepped into a place of praise, it elevated to a place of prophetic music and then erupted into a spontaneous song! It came in wave after wave of song and proclamation. What started out as prophesying and spontaneous singing continued ascending until a holy shout began to fill the room! First by the people in attendance, then by the singers and even musicians. A shout that seemed to continue for quite some time! At the height of this moment, the shout grew into what I can only describe as a roar. The volume became bigger than the space we were in! Volume and Holy Spirit power were present and even became palpable as this roar grew. Suddenly, the roar was beyond what we could generate in the ballroom we were meeting in! It’s as if to say we started the roar, but others joined in to finish it! Volume escalated, our shouting rose, and for a moment it seemed as if it was suspended in time. There was a stadium-sized roar in that ballroom. It was not human—it was beyond any of us and well beyond the possibility of a manufactured shout. Whether we were brought into the spirit realm or the spirit realm invaded us, there was a holy reverence that I carried all the way out of that service. One of my team members looked at me later that night and said, “What happened? Were those angels shouting with us?” What marked it so powerfully was the presence of God at that moment. Not only was there an unbelievable roar from Heaven in the room, but it was marked by an intense presence of holiness.

Special Message from the Throne of God

One of the reasons I chose to write my book, Servants of Fire, is due to the most notable time I’ve directly encountered an angelic messenger. It was the time Heather and I were doing a live broadcast from our home. After finishing the broadcast, there was a strong presence of the Holy Spirit resting upon us. She was sitting on the stairway near the living room, while I was sitting with my back to a wall and a window directly behind me. As this moment began to increase with intensity, I began to weep from the sense of power filling the room. Our setting changed. An environment of peace and stillness turned into a spiritually charged atmosphere; holiness and reverence were mightily in the room—and increasing with intensity! I looked over to Heather with tears now streaming down my face and said, “Something is happening!”

As the power of God continued filling the space, there was a point I almost began to shout and cry due to the intensity in the room. When suddenly a voice spoke from behind me with power, saying, “I come to you from the throne of God and carry a message! There is coming a turn of the tide, and the great God of Heaven has more need of you after the 2020 election than He does now at this time. Prepare! There will be a new team, and new ways.” Among many details that this angelic messenger said to me, there were particular events regarding my family and how I was to go forward regarding them. Additionally, this messenger spoke directly to me about a specific assignment that had been sent to destroy us and that the Lord would deliver us from it. It turned out to be exactly what the messenger had said and played out how we were told.

There were many things said, and that particular encounter even engaged the gift of prophecy that works in my life. Prophecy burst out of me at that moment regarding things that would come. The intense presence of God will do that. It was monumental and powerful for us to the point I was so overwhelmed, it seemed as though I was going to collapse or scream. Many more details were shared with us that day and it was very encouraging with clear direction for us.

And there are even more! I mention more of these encounters in my book, Servants of Fire!