Angelology

Christians have not guardian angels

Mormons deny the existence of guardian angels assigned by God to the righteous, for they say: ‘This well-known guardian function of angels has given rise to an assumption on the part of some that all persons, or at least the righteous, have individual angels assigned to them throughout life as guardians. There is no scriptural justification for this tradition, although it has been entertained sometimes among Latter-day Saints and others’ (Encyclopedia of Mormonism, New York-Toronto 1992, vol. 1, page 42). Unfortunately even some Pentecostals deny that Christians have guardian angels. For instance Myer Pearlman in his well-known book Knowing the Doctrines of the Bible, translated in Italian with the title Le Dottrine della Bibbia [Doctrines of the Bible], does not accept the doctrine of ‘guardian angels’ (cf. page 67 of the Italian Version published by Adi-Media, Rome 1988)

Confutation

First of all, I want to remind you that angels are “ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14). Therefore angels serve those who are eagerly waiting for the Lord who will appear to them for salvation (cf. Hebrews 9:28), and we are among those who are waiting for the Lord.

There are some passages of the Scripture which somehow attest that we believers have some angels around us who protect and serve us.

● The Psalmist says: “The angels of the Lord encamp all around those who fear Him, and deliver them” (Psalm 34:7 – Italian Bible Diodati Version), and also that because we have made the Lord our dwelling place, He shall give His angels charge over us to keep us in all our ways (cf. Psalm 91:9-11). Therefore, according to these Scriptures we have some angels around us who keep us. This is confirmed by many visions God has given to both believers and unbelievers over the centuries, in which angels were seen around the saints dressed in white robes or dressed normally like us. I would like to mention just two of these visions taken from the book Delivered from the power of darkness written by Emmanuel Eni Amos, who was a wizard prior to his conversion to the Lord Jesus Christ. Here are his words concerning two incidents happened to him while he was under the power of the devil: ‘There was this Pastor - Pastor I.K. (name withheld). He was pastoring a church in Ebute Metta. He became my target and his offences were: 1. He disturbed our peace by carrying out early morning calls i.e. preaching in the early hours. 2. He went about with his megaphone and stationed himself at N.° 2 Bus stop along Akintola Road, Ebute Metta. There he would preach. He would not stop at that but would keep binding demons, etc. 3. In his church he would preach, exposing the works of darkness, after which he started binding demons. 4. He prayed a lot. 5. He was always singing and praising God. I sent my messengers to him but they could not kill him so I decided to carry out the mission myself. On the said day, I saw him walking along the new G.R.A. A thing worth mentioning here about this Pastor is: anytime we went for him, we would see pillars of cloud by his right and left hands, walking along with him, so these hindered us. But this particular day I saw nothing, so I was doubly sure my mission would be very successful. I commanded rain to fall to enable me to strike him with thunder. The rain started and the thundering began. The whole trees in the area started loosing their branches, but this Pastor was singing joyfully. I still remember the chorus: “IN JESUS NAME EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW.” As he continued with this chorus the rain stopped, the thundering ceased and there appeared immediately two angels, one on each side, with flaming swords. Their eyes and the swords were like flames of fire. Then a strong wind carried me away and I found myself in another town! In fact I was baffled, but because we were so hardened, what I said was: “This man has escaped again!” The Pastor did not know the spiritual war that was fought on his behalf’ (Emmanuel Amos Eni, Delivered from the powers of darkness, Scripture Union Press and Books Ltd, P.O. Box 4011, Oyo Road, Ibadan, Nigeria, First Published 1987, page 57), ‘The second testimony is about a Christian who boarded the same taxi with me. He was very zealous and started distributing Gospel tracts inside the taxi. When he gave me the tract I rejected it. He started preaching. So I became disturbed and knocked him with the ring on my finger. That was to kill him. This boy shouted: “THE BLOOD OF JESUS!” and immediately lightning and fire and an angel appeared. A strong wind again removed me with great force out of the taxi and into the thick jungle. Had it not been that I was a man backed by evil powers I could have got lost in the jungle. The Christian did not know the war that went on his behalf. All he knew, including the other passengers, was that I had disappeared from the taxi!’ (Ibid., page 58). Emmanuel Amos Eni says also another interesting thing, that is to say, he says how, while he was a wizard, was able to know the true Christians, listen to his words: ‘When a Christian was walking along, WE SAW ANGELS WALKING ALONG WITH HIM/HER, ONE BY THE RIGHT, ONE BY THE LEFT, AND ONE BEHIND. This made it impossible for us to come near him/her. The only way we succeeded was by making the Christian sin, thereby giving us a loophole to come in. When a Christian was driving a car and we wanted to harm him/her, we found that he/she was never alone in the car. There was always an Angel by him/her’ (Ibid., page 29).

● Jesus said: “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 18:10). I want you to note that Jesus said that those little ones had angels, therefore God has assigned at least one angel to each one of the little ones who believe on Him to keep him.

● Luke says that after Peter was delivered from prison by an angel of the Lord, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark “where many were gathered together praying. And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate. And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel. But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished. But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place” (Acts 12:12-17). As you can see, those believers believed that the apostle Peter had an angel, and I am persuaded that their belief was based on the above mentioned words written in the Psalms.

● In the book of Daniel we read: “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people ….” (Daniel 12:1). Michael is the same heavenly being who, according to Jude, defended the body of Moses against the devil who wanted to lay hold of it (Jude 9). Therefore, if the children of Israel have the archangel Michael who defend them, why should we consider a strange thing that we children of God have some individual angels of God who defend us?

● Mark says: “And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him” (Mark 1:13). Why then should we not believe that we also who live in the midst of this desolate world, who are tempted by the devil and surrounded by serpents and wolves ready to hurt us, have some angels of God who keep and serve us?

We believe in God, we serve Him and Him we invoke in the day of trouble, and Him we glorify after we have been delivered from our troubles; we do not glorify the angels that God uses to deliver us. We believe that God has put some angels around us, this is a further manifestation of His goodness, of His love, and of His care toward us. The kings of the earth recruit bodyguards and put them around their children to protect them against possible murderers or kidnappers, and they pay the bodyguards for their service. Likewise the King of Kings has put around His sons some guards to protect them day and night, but their guards are more powerful than men, for they are angels. To God, who is the One who keeps us, be the glory now and forever. Amen.

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