There’s not much practical Christianity in the man who lives on better terms with angels and seraphs, than with his children, servants and neighbors.
Whether or not each believer has a single angel assigned to him for his defense, I dare not positively affirm.
In Scripture the visitation of an angel is always alarming; it has to begin by saying “Fear not.” The Victorian angel looks as if it were going to say, “There, there.”
An angel is a spiritual creature created by God without a body for the service of Christendom and the church.
Nowhere does Scripture encourage us to have an angel-fetish, or to look for evidence of angels in everyday life… [Furthermore] biblical appearances of angels – unlike those of popular lore – often cause trauma and great fear (Matt. 28:4; Luke 1:29; 2:9).
The Heavenly Host taken from The Glory of Heaven by John MacArthur, copyright 1996, Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton Illinios,60187, www.crosswaybooks.org, page 150, 160.
I have no doubt that some who claim to commune with angels really have been able to establish a link with angelic beings – though not in the way they seek. Scripture warns us plainly that Satan and his messengers often appear as angels of light (2 Cor. 11:13-15). In other words, demonic beings take advantage of the gullibility of people who are actively seeking to communicate with the spirit world. “Angelmania” turns out to be sheer occultism, with all its horrible effects. Many people have been drawn into serious demonic bondage by these practices, and Christians should be strongly warned against them.
The Heavenly Host taken from The Glory of Heaven by John MacArthur, copyright 1996, Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton Illinios,60187, www.crosswaybooks.org, page 149-150.
Angels – like all other intelligent creatures – were designed to render worship to God, not to receive worship themselves. In fact, in every case in Scripture, whenever angels are offered any form of worship, they always rebuke the worshiper and redirect all worship to God alone (cf. Rev. 19:10; 22:8-9).
The Heavenly Host taken from The Glory of Heaven by John MacArthur, copyright 1996, Crossway Books, a division of Good News Publishers, Wheaton Illinios,60187, www.crosswaybooks.org, page 152.
Notwithstanding what has been said, many Christians remain functional deists. They don’t deny that God exists or that there is a spiritual realm in which angels and demons are active. They simply live as if neither God nor spiritual beings of either sort have any genuine, influential, interaction with them. God isn’t dead, but He might as well be. Angels and demons might exist, but what does that have to do with my life?
Jesus believed in and experienced the ministry of angels:
1. His conception was announced by an angel (Gabriel).
2. His birth was announced by angels.
3. He was tempted by a fallen angel.
4. He was ministered to by angels subsequent to the temptation.
5. His teaching is filled with references to angelic beings.
6. He experienced the ministry of angels in Gethsemane.
7. He could have appealed to twelve legions of angels (Mt. 26:53).
8. [Angels] were present at His tomb following the resurrection.
9. [Angels] were present at His ascension.
The point is that angels were an integral part of Christ’s birth, life, ministry, teaching, death, resurrection, ascension, and will accompany Him at his second advent. To deny the reality of the angelic world is to undermine the integrity of Jesus Himself.
Angels, November 8, 2006, www.enjoyinggodministries.com, Used by Permission.