Beliefs about angels are typically an amalgam of what people pick up from popular culture, what they remember from childhood cartoons, and what they have culled from casual Bible reading.
Consequently, there are a lot of misconceptions — some harmless, others theologically problematic. For instance, the idea that people become angels when they die seems to persist, despite having no biblical support. (I blame Looney Tunes.)
What Do We Know About Angels in the Bible?
The Bible refers to angels in sixteen of the Old Testament books and seventeen of the New Testament books, and yet the primary focus of Scripture is on God and our relationship with him. This means that a lot of details about angels aren’t spelled out with specificity. They aren’t supposed to be.
Why?
Because they are a sidelight to the central plot of the Bible and unnecessary information for us to have at this point. A lot of what we can discern about angels, then, is inferred from what is revealed in the text.
Nevertheless, when we look at the totality of the Bible, we see that angels are active from beginning to end. Graham Cole, who served as a professor of biblical and systematic theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, highlighted how angels were present at these key moments of redemptive history: “The exodus of God’s people from Egypt (Ex. 14:19) and subsequent journey (Ex. 23:23), the giving of the law (Gal. 3:19), the incarnation of the Son of God (Luke 1:26), his ordeal in the garden (Luke 22:43), his resurrection from the dead (John 20:12), and his return in judgment (2 Thess. 1:5–8).”
What Can We Know About Angels Today?
Although Cole recognizes that angels were “minor players in the drama of redemption,” their activities clearly made a difference in a lot of ways during biblical times and — if various accounts are credible — in the contemporary era as well. So when exploring the supernatural realm, it makes sense to delve into what we can know with confidence about these elusive celestial spirits.
“The greatest of Christian thinkers have consistently recognized that angels and demons are far more than a divine embellishment designed to make the Bible interesting,” said theology professor Peter R. Schemm Jr. “Angels are actual beings whose existence affects human life.”
Ron Rhodes agrees. “Angels are real. Angels are alive. And though we rarely perceive their presence, they are very much with us here on the earth,” he wrote in The Secret Life of Angels. “A vast world of intelligent, powerful, invisible spirit beings is all around us and warrants careful study.”
To investigate how these spirit beings influence our lives, I flew to Charlotte, North Carolina, to meet with Douglas Potter, a professor who had collaborated with prominent theologian and apologist Norman Geisler to write a book called The Doctrine of Angels and Demons.
Potter earned a master’s degree in apologetics and then a Doctor of Ministry degree from Southern Evangelical Seminary (SES). Now in his mid-fifties, Potter serves as a professor of apologetics and theology and director of the Doctor of Ministry program at SES.
What About Guardian Angels?
At one point in the interview, I broached a controversial topic that Australian theologian Michael Bird has conceded is “complex”: Does each individual have a “guardian angel” assigned to them by God to watch over and protect them?
“The issue is not whether angels guard,” Graham Cole observed. “They clearly do. The issue is whether a specific angel is assigned guardianship of a specific human person. The great early church Bible translator Jerome (347–419) certainly thought so. … In the medieval period, Aquinas, following Jerome, whom he quotes, certainly thought so.”
Catholic philosopher Peter Kreeft put it this way: “There are twice as many persons as we see in every place, every kitchen or classroom, every hospital or nursery. Only half are human persons. There is an angel standing next to each bag lady.”
Moreover, the Orthodox tradition teaches that at baptism God assigns every individual a guardian angel.
Theologian Herman Bavinck is among the scholars who disagree. “There is not even a hint that every elect person is assigned his or her own angel,” he wrote. “The idea is found only in the apocryphal book of Tobit.”
I said to Potter, “One scholar says the idea of individually assigned guardian angels is a text-less doctrine. What’s your opinion?”
“I wouldn’t characterize it as a text-less doctrine,” he said. “How many biblical texts do you need to establish a doctrine if there’s a fairly clear reference? And there is a reference to guardian angels in Matthew 18:10, where Jesus himself says, ‘See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven’” (NIV).
Potter cleared his throat. “Notice that Jesus is referring to their angels. T-H-E-I-R. Jesus doesn’t elaborate, but that doesn’t diminish the reference here. This is Scripture, and it’s not denied anywhere else in the Bible.”
I interrupted to point out that according to Graham Cole and Michael Green, the emphasis of that text is not on guardianship but on representation of these “little ones” before God.
“Still,” said Potter, “it’s a reasonable inference that guardian angels exist based on the specific language of the verse. There’s another interesting passage too.”
“Which one?”
“In Acts 12, Peter, fresh from escaping prison, showed up at the house of Mary, the mother of Mark, where some Christians had gathered. He knocked on the door and the servant Rhoda recognized his voice and announced it was Peter, but the others doubted it because they thought he was still imprisoned. So in verse 15, they say, ‘It must be his angel.’”
I pointed out that some scholars believe this reflects a popular Jewish belief in the first century that every Jew had a guardian angel and that the author of Acts is reporting this rather than endorsing this view.
Potter shook his head. “Given Jesus’ teaching, I don’t think the author of Acts would intentionally mislead readers if the belief about Peter’s angel was a falsehood. Why would he do that?” said Potter. “All in all, it’s a reasonable inference that guardian angels are real. The texts are sufficiently clear, and they aren’t negated elsewhere. Besides, we know there are certainly a sufficient number of angels to carry out this task.”
“How does it affect you personally to believe there’s an angelic being who is overseeing your life?” I asked.
“It’s encouraging. It’s comforting. It’s such an expression of God’s love,” he replied. “You know, we can protect ourselves from physical harm by learning martial arts or getting a permit to carry a gun. But what protection do we have in the spiritual realm? There are battles going on there that affect us personally. And knowing I’ve got some protection immediate to me is reassuring.”
He paused. “I’ll add this,” he said. “The overall study of angels has highlighted to me that what I see and touch — this physical world in which we live — is only part of reality. There’s an enormous but hidden supernatural arena populated by angelic spirits that are as real and active as you and me. And when I think that God created them to minister to us — well, that’s a blessing that deserves our gratitude.”
Adapted from Seeing the Supernatural: Investigating Angels, Demons, Mystical Dreams, Near-Death Encounters, and Other Mysteries of the Unseen World by Lee Strobel.
Discover solid answers to the provocative questions you have been asking about the supernatural world — healings, angels, demons, mystical dreams, near-death experiences, heaven, hell, and more — through the investigative work of a former spiritual skeptic.
