This is the third in a brief series of posts on angels.

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Most of the work of holy angels is performed in heaven, where angels minister to God with praise and worship (Ps. 148:2; Rev. 5:11-12). At the same time, angels carry out important duties on earth. In Angels Dark and Light, Gary Kinnaman says this earthly ministry falls into at least eight broad categories.

Angels are messengers

Angels deliver good news, such as the birth of Christ (Luke 2:9-14). They bring prophetic messages, such as the unlikely birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:5-25). Angels also bring commendation and condemnation, as in the messages to the seven churches in Asia Minor (Revelation 2-3). “Herald angels” announce spectacular and significant events, like the resurrection of Christ (Matt. 28:5-7) and the resurrection of the just (1 Thess. 4:16-17). Last, angels provide instruction and direction (Matt. 2:13). 

Angels are bearers of God

Angels bring something of God’s presence with them. That may be one reason so many people in Scripture are terrified at the sight of angels – because they come directly from the presence of God. Angels are beings of light, and their messages pulsate with the holiness and authority of the One who sent them.

Angels bring answers to prayer

God, not angels, answers our prayers. But sometimes God uses angels to deliver his answers. Daniel’s encounter with an angel on the banks of the Tigris River is a good illustration (Daniel 10). So is Peter’s miraculous deliverance from prison (Acts 12:1-19).

Angels provide protection and deliverance

Angels protect us, deliver us from dangerous situations, and intervene on our behalf. This service seems to be reserved for believers who are faithfully performing the work of God and does not appear to be available to those seeking to escape the consequences of sinful acts. In the record of Daniel in the den of lions, Daniel reports to the king, “My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths. They haven’t hurt me, for I was found innocent before Him” (Dan. 6:22).

Angels dispense supernatural provision

On several occasions in Scripture, angels provide for the physical needs of people in urgent situations. A good example is Genesis 21, where an angel ministers to Hagar, the handmaiden of Sarah and the concubine of Abraham, after Hagar has been sent away. “Don’t be afraid,” the angel tells Hagar after she sets her son down to await his death, “for God has heard the voice of the boy from the place where he is. Get up, help the boy up, and sustain him, for I will make him a great nation” (Gen. 21:17-18). In another passage (1 Kings 19), an angel ministers to Elijah after the prophet flees for his life from Jezebel.

Angels are ministering spirits

Holy angels care for God’s people. Heb. 1:14 says, “Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve those who are going to inherit salvation?” The Greek word for “ministering” refers to sacred service, the service of God.

While the Incarnate Christ is on earth, angels minister to him. For example, they come to Jesus after his temptation in the wilderness (Mark 1:12-13). And an angel ministers comfort and strength to Daniel as he wages war in prayer for God’s purposes on earth to unfold (Dan. 10:1ff).

Good angels bring bad news

Angels play a major role in carrying out God’s judgments. The Bible contains dozens of references to angels of judgment – from death angels assigned to take a single life (Acts 12:21-23) to the angels of God’s wrath responsible for the punishment of vast numbers of people (Rev. 8:10-11).

Holy angels always follow through on their assignments from God – even when those assignments include burning up the earth (Rev. 8:8), killing the firstborn of the Egyptians (Ex. 12:23), or judging rebellious Israelites (1 Cor. 10:10).

Angels help shape history

Angels are guardians of nations. John Calvin wrote, “When Daniel introduces the angel of the Persians and the angel of the Greeks (Dan. 10:12-13), he undoubtedly intimates that certain angels are appointed as a kind of precedence over kingdoms and provinces.”

In 2 Kings 6:13-17, Elisha, surrounded by the armies of the king of Aram, tells his servant, “Don’t be afraid, for those who are with us outnumber those who are with them.” Then the Lord opens the servant’s eyes to see the hills full of horses and chariots of fires – angels, we may presume.

Angels are guardians of people, cities, and nations. God has unique plans for each nation, and angels are part of that plan. In the book of Revelation, for example, angels often are connected with geographical areas. They may even be partly responsible for some natural disasters – an earthquake at the tomb of Jesus (Matt. 28:2); an earthly calm prior to the judgments of Christ (Rev. 7:1); and flashes of lightning, peals of thunder, and an earthquake at the heights of the great tribulation (Rev. 16:17-18).

What holy angels don’t do

According to Kinnaman, there are some things good angels just won’t do. Among them:

• Holy angels never try to change Scripture.
• They refuse to be worshipped.
• They do not allow humans to initiate conversation with them; they start any earthly conversations.
• They do not pretend to be omnipotent, omniscient, or omnipresent … because they are not.
• They do not violate the free will of humans.

Guardian Angels

Charles Wesley once wrote: 

Angels, where e’re we go, 

Attend our steps whate’er betide.

With watchful care their charge attend,

And evil turn aside.

Are there really guardian angels? If so, does everyone have one? Are guardian angels always with us, or just when we need them? Can we call on guardian angels for help? And can we trust them to get us out of any kind of trouble?

Guardian angels in history

The belief in guardian angels is rooted deeply in Jewish and Christian history. Judaism in New Testament times, for example, taught that each individual has his or her own personal angel. Early church leaders held the same view. Origen, one of the best-known writers of early Christian history, wrote, “All the faithful in Christ, no matter how small, are helped by an angel, and Christ says that these angels always see the face of the Father who is in heaven…. We must say that every human soul is under the direction of an angel who is like a father.”

It’s fairly clear that within the first few centuries of church history, many Christians believed that every man and woman, and especially every child, had a personal guardian angel. In fact, even today, some teach their children that a good angel sits on their right shoulder and a bad angel on their left, and they must choose between the two every moment of every day.

Evangelical Christians generally support the concept of guardian angels, and that a major role of angels is to protect the saints. But they would not all agree that every individual has a personal – or guardian – angel.

Guardian angels in Scripture

The Bible actually says little about guardian angels. Of the several hundred references to angels in the Scriptures, only a handful suggest that people have angels assigned to watch over them.

Psalm 34:7: “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them.” Angels may protect the Godly from untimely calamities.

Psalm 91:11-12: “For He will give His angels orders concerning you, to protect you in your ways. They will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Satan uses this passage to tempt Jesus to prove He was the Son of God by throwing Himself down from the pinnacle of the temple; Jesus overcomes the evil one with Scripture (Matt. 4:5-7). A lesson for us is that angels cannot be expected to rescue us from reckless deeds or free us from the consequences of sinful acts.

Acts 12:15: “Then they said (of Peter at the gate), It is his angel!” The context of this passage is Peter’s miraculous delivery from prison at the hands of an angel. The response of those who are praying for his release to his presence at the gate indicates – but does not prove – that some in the early church believed each person has an accompanying angel who looks like that person. A word of caution: Even if some believed this, Luke’s recording of the incident doesn’t prove the belief true, for there is an absence of scriptural instruction on the topic. Also, keep in mind that Paul used a lot of ink to correct false beliefs in the early church.

There are numerous examples in Scripture where angels protect individuals (Dan. 3:24-28, 6:20-23) and armies (2 Kings 6:16-17); deliver believers from physical harm (Rev. 7:1-8); and provide encouragement (Acts 5:19-20). Angels also may harass our enemies (Ps. 35:5) and deliver us from their wicked works (Ps. 34:7). And probably they’re involved in physically preserving God’s own for their future inheritance in his presence and kingdom (Heb. 1:14).

So, does everyone have a guardian angel? The Bible doesn’t rule out the possibility, but it doesn’t state specifically that we do. We must be careful not to add to, or take away from, the plain teaching of God’s Word on this matter.

What are we to do about guardian angels?

If we do have guardian angels, what are we to do about them? While Scripture tells us little about guardian angels, the following guidelines for our response are consistent with Scripture:

• Do not attempt to initiate contact with angels – guardian or otherwise.
• Do not worship angels; worship is reserved for God alone.
• Understand that when you pray for protection, provision, deliverance, etc., God may send an angel to answer your prayer. Or, he may not.
• Do not expect guardian angels to protect you from the consequences of your decisions – even godly decisions. Remember that while an angel delivers Peter from prison, no one delivers James from death (Acts 12:1-2).
• Remember that we have only tasted the powers of the coming age (Heb. 6:5); until Jesus returns, both good things and bad things continue to happen to God’s people.
• Don’t become obsessed with guardian angels; focus on Christ, who in his power, wisdom, and grace may or may not send an angel to our aid. The words of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego should be ours: “If the God we serve exists, then He can rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and He can rescue us from the power of you, the king. But even if He does not rescue us, we want you as king to know that we will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up” (Dan. 3:17-18).

What about children?

Doesn’t the Bible say children have guardian angels? Do angels watch over them until they reach the “age of accountability?” What then? These are questions the Bible does not directly address, but there appears to be more evidence for guardian angels for children than for adults.

Jesus said, “See that you don’t look down on one of these little ones, because I tell you that in heaven their angels continually view the face of My Father in heaven” (Matt. 18:10). Somehow the angels of God care for our children. Yet the Bible doesn’t tell us why some children die in the womb, or shortly after birth; we must appeal to the sovereignty of God in these instances.

Next: The Angel of the Lord