Guardian Angels.

[KBCid]

Thank you @KBCid ...that gives me lots to read, and re read..and process. Bless you for that!!

My hope is not to gain blessings for myself because it is not me who provides the understanding. I am nothing more than a carrier of understanding which I was given to support those who have a desire to know God. Bless God and his Son since it is by their power that I have any capacity to do anything at all.

 

[prashanthd]

Guardian Angels. Does anyone know anything from the scriptures about this?

Psalm 34
7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

We can understand the role of Angels from the life of Jesus on earth.

Mark 1: 13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the Angels ministered unto him.

Luke 22
42 Saying,Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

Luke 1: 30 And the Angel said unto her Fear not Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

Matthew 28: 5 And the Angel answered and said unto the women Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus which was crucified.

I don't think that the Angels are always there to protect so as to refer to them as "guard" - ians. It can be understood with these verses:

Luke 4
9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:
10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
12 And Jesus answering said unto him,It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Matthew 26: 53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of Angels?

I think that an Angel will only protect or minister upon the will of God. And it is beyond our perception/recongition as we are ordinary people whereas Jesus was a perfect person to fear God.(Psalm 34:7)

Luke 22
42 Saying,Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

All glory to God.

 

[Josho]

Psalm 34
7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

We can understand the role of Angels from the life of Jesus on earth.

Mark 1: 13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the Angels ministered unto him.

Luke 22
42 Saying,Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

Luke 1: 30 And the Angel said unto her Fear not Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.

Matthew 28: 5 And the Angel answered and said unto the women Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus which was crucified.

I don't think that the Angels are always there to protect so as to refer to them as "guard" - ians. It can be understood with these verses:

Luke 4
9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence:
10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee:
11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
12 And Jesus answering said unto him,It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Matthew 26: 53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of Angels?

I think that an Angel will only protect or minister upon the will of God. And it is beyond our perception/recongition as we are ordinary people whereas Jesus was a perfect person to fear God.(Psalm 34:7)

Luke 22
42 Saying,Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

All glory to God.

Good post.

From what I know, people who have a closer relationship to God tend to see more of the supernatural, not saying none of you are close or anything, but there are a few preachers, prophets and others out there who spend hours & I mean hours with God, out of the loving friendship for God and not a religious heart, and God is able to reveal a lot of stuff to them because the noise of the world and the noise of the mind is silenced to absolute stillness, that they can hear the voice of God often and clear as anything, they are able to see visions clear as anything and see & meet angels messengers from God, saints from heaven and all the amazing things happening in the supernatural.

 

[Angelina]

Iv'e encountered angelic beings in my walk with God since I was a child.
My last encounter was with the Angel who is assigned over the state of Florida. Angelic Beings?
I have not met my assigned angelic being but I have noted his presence in my life over the years. Here's once incident out of many.
Why do you love God?

 

[Angelina]

Well said prashanthd ~ indeed!

 

[Rollo Tamasi]

I don't know if I can believe we all have a guardian angel or not.
But I have met people who do believe it.
They talk so much about their guardian angel, and make no mention of Jesus or the Holy Spirit.
I find that very suspect.

 

[Angelina]

That's fine. If you have never encountered an angelic being, doesn't mean that do not exist. I know they exist because they were sent by God and I have personally encountered them. You can be as suspect as you like, doesn't change a thing in my walk with God. God is so good. The angel I encountered while in prayer for Florida was mighty scary but the Holy Spirit within me gave me peace about the whole situation.

 

[Rollo Tamasi]

That's fine. If you have never encountered an angelic being, doesn't mean that do not exist. I know they exist because they were sent by God and I have personally encountered them. You can be as suspect as you like, doesn't change a thing in my walk with God. God is so good. The angel I encountered while in prayer for Florida was mighty scary but the Holy Spirit within me gave me peace about the whole situation.

Why would God show you an angel?
What was the reason?
What came of it?

 

[Angelina]

I wouldn't know where to start answering your question since you don't believe such things anyway. I don't like to waste my time so how bout we just agree to disagree

 

[Rollo Tamasi]

I wouldn't know where to start answering your question since you don't believe such things anyway. I don't like to waste my time so how bout we just agree to disagree

Very well.
I'm not here to cause trouble.

 

[Angelina]

 

[Rollo Tamasi]

Yes, every picture tells a story.

 

[KBCid]

Why would God show you an angel? What was the reason? What came of it?

The better question I would ask is "how did you test the spirit".

1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God...

2 Cor 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 15Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

It would be a fearful thing to not listen to a true messenger of God but, it would be even worse if we listen to a messenger who did not come from God which is why we were admonished to test the spirits by God.

 

[Helen]

If God wills that anyone should be protected then that person would indeed have a guardian angel but, to assume that everyone has a guardian angel goes beyond scripture.

But does it?

Hebrews 1:14 - Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? I found this verse interesting. The shall be also speaks to me of the yet unsaved. Because God wills that all men everywhere come to the knowledge of the truth...why would children have an angel as in Matt 18:10 shows...but not everyman?
Matthew 18:10 - 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.

Ive been thinking on this...and I am leaning to believe that we have an angel of God given to each of us at birth..and through life until the last breath.
I was wondering , when the bible says..."And there appeared an angel " whether the angel was always there and whoever he appeared to , just had their eyes opened to see him.

But- "And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried.." doesn't sound like it was 'his' angel.
Sigh. I guess this is just one of the subjects , like many others...that we will never really know about.
One thing I do know is...I Believe In Angels. And I believe they are a lot more involved in our lives than we even think.

 

[Helen]

I know they exist because they were sent by God and I have personally encountered them.

Me too..no one can unbelieve once they have actually had them in the same room.
Not something to easily forgotten.

I just read your link to the other thread...awesome!

 

[tabletalk]

ummm yes the OP did state that ;

"The only scripture I am aware of is Matt 18:10 -
"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."
It sounds there as if we each have a guardian angel from birth...



I can certainly take note of the "shall be" and this is where translation can take on a life / meaning of its own. Depending on how the translator words things we can read into the text things that may not have been meant. Let's look at various translations to gain an understanding of this thing;

International Standard Version
All of them are spirits on a divine mission, sent to serve those who are about to inherit salvation, aren't they?
Young's Literal Translation
are they not all spirits of service -- for ministration being sent forth because of those about to inherit salvation?
Berean Literal Bible
Are they not all ministering spirits, being sent forth for service for the sake of those being about to inherit salvation?
Weymouth New Testament
Are not all angels spirits that serve Him--whom He sends out to render service for the benefit of those who, before long, will inherit salvation

See these translations imply the angels are sent at a time when the believer nears his inheritance point and does not imply from birth.

Jubilee Bible 2000
Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth in service for the love of those who are the heirs of saving health?

and here they imply service for those already saved.

Here are some commentaries on this subject;
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
To the English reader it may seem that those who in Hebrews 1:7 are God’s ministers are here represented as servants of man. It is not really so, for the words properly mean, . . . sent forth (that is, continually sent forth) to do service (to God), for the sake of them who are to inherit salvation.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
and so the Ethiopic version renders it, "who are heirs of salvation"; nor should it be rendered, "who shall be heirs", but rather, "who shall inherit salvation"; for this character respects not their heirship, but their actual inheriting of salvation: and the ministry of angels to, and for them, lies in things temporal and spiritual, or what concern both their bodies and their souls

Your concept that God knows who his chosen are before they are even born is not born out by scripture. God made us in his image and that image includes the power of choice. To assert that one is born with their choice already made removes from them their godly image and renders them as automaton. What sense does it make for God to say;

Ezekiel 18:21-23 “But if a wicked person turns away from all his sins that he has committed and keeps all my statutes and does what is just and right, he shall surely live; he shall not die. None of the transgressions that he has committed shall be remembered against him; for the righteousness that he has done he shall live. Have I any pleasure in the death of the wicked, declares the Lord God, and not rather that he should turn from his way and live.

If there was no possibility for us to have the power of choice?

You said: "Your concept that God knows who his chosen are before they are even born is not born out by scripture."

From Ephesians chapter 1 (emphasis is mine):
3. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4. just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5. having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6. to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved."

Looks like He knows who His chosen are.

 

[bbyrd009]

Me too..no one can unbelieve once they have actually had them in the same room.
Not something to easily forgotten.

I just read your link to the other thread...awesome!

ayahuasca reveals them too, not that i suggest going that route. Necessarily.

 

[KBCid]

You said: "Your concept that God knows who his chosen are before they are even born is not born out by scripture."
From Ephesians chapter 1 (emphasis is mine):
3. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4. just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5. having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6. to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved."
Looks like He knows who His chosen are.

God chose those who would be holy and believe in him to be adopted as sons. In other words God set the rules ahead of time for what type of person would be acceptable so if you fit the description / intent then you can be an adopted son.
The same can be seen in what man does for instance, different sects of religions set predetermined rules for who they will accept within as their members so, this doesn't mean they know who those people will be before birth, it simply means that they have defined the pattern they will accept. Whether you conform to the pattern or not is your free will choice.
Now to prove by God's word that this interpretation is correctly dividing his word let's look at some other scriptures;
1 Timothy 2:4 Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.

If everything was predetermined before birth then the above verse would by implication mean that all men will be saved because this is God's desire however, as we see in the next verses;

Matthew 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

If God had a predetermination for who would succeed and fail then there would have been no need for either of the above scriptures simply because it would not have mattered in fact there would be no reason for him to allow the birth of those who would not make it since it would have been known already. To assert predestination is to assert that God is also subject to predestination since we are made in their image. If we don't have the freedom to choose then neither does God.

Heb 12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.

Heb 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 15Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; 16Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. 17For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

None of scripture would make sense with an interpretation of predestination occurring

 

[bbyrd009]

God chose those who would be holy and believe in him to be adopted as sons. In other words God set the rules ahead of time for what type of person would be acceptable so if you fit the description / intent then you can be an adopted son.
The same can be seen in what man does for instance, different sects of religions set predetermined rules for who they will accept within as their members so, this doesn't mean they know who those people will be before birth, it simply means that they have defined the pattern they will accept. Whether you conform to the pattern or not is your free will choice.

nice! or i mean, "rings true to me."