I recently watched a TV programme on warfare, where it described how modern combat methods are needed to operate in the ‘Grey Zone’, that is in the shadows.

Modern electronic warfare relies on lies and disinformation in order to create distrust and confusion. The programme ended by saying that every person has a responsibility to protect themselves in the grey zone and to ensure they know the provenance of the information they receive from an invisible enemy. The programme further stressed the importance of calling the enemy’s ‘shadow’ activities out into the light.

New Age practice

This method of working applies equally to spiritual warfare. For example, we need to be careful what we are reading or looking at on the internet and particularly what we are teaching our children.

There seems to be an increasing fascination with angels these days; one that is shared by Christian believers and non-believers alike. It has become common practice in the New Age Movement to consult angels on a regular basis and many books have been written on the subject. Very often those who write these books profess a belief in God but encourage their audience to talk to their guardian angels. Undoubtedly there is an attraction in looking to a non-judgemental angel for comfort rather than to a God who holds us to account for our actions – even though there is total forgiveness in Jesus if we confess our sins.

Lorna ByrneFortunately, there is material available from people such as Doreen Virtue, once an advocate for talking to angels, but who renounced New Age and occultic practices and now offers helpful biblical advice to those seeking the truth.

In best-selling New Age books such as ‘Angels in my Hair’ by Lorna Byrne, there is no mention of Jesus or of the Holy Spirit. In this week’s Mail on Sunday supplement (11th April) there is a two-page article on Ms Byrne, ending with an offer for her latest book, ‘My Guardian Angel, My Best Friend’, which is written for children, encouraging them to talk to their guardian angel.

Angels in the Church

Hopefully, Christians would have discernment and know to avoid such books, but it becomes more difficult when books about angels are written by Christians.

By no means all angel testimonies are false or demonic. Far from it. When the topic of angels was raised at a recent Issachar Ministries team meeting, it was surprising how many of the team were able to share what seemed to be very genuine experiences of angelic assistance, provision or encouragement (usually in human form) on specific occasions.

Indeed, several very encouraging books have been written by those who have been helped by angels when circumstances required an intervention, such as the wonderful ‘Angels: True Stories of how They Touch our Lives’ by Hope Price.¹ It is a great comfort to know that God does send his angels to help at certain times.

However, there are now books appearing, written by Christians, that encourage us to actively look for angels. This can become a dangerous activity because Satan, the Angel of Light, will always be happy to oblige.

Seeing angels

One such book is the highly popular ‘The Veil’, by Blake Healy. Blake HealyHealy is the director of Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry in Redding, California, and he reports to having seen angels since he was a child. He regularly lays hands on people to impart the gift or ability to see them. Some of his experiences may be quite genuine, but we know from the Bible that we cannot impart gifts from God to one another. Rather, we can lay hands on people and pray that God will impart the gift. However, it is possible to impart to another that which is not from God and this can have serious consequences.

It is surprising that Mr Healy does not seem to have the fear or awe that accompanied the experience of those in the Bible who encountered angels as angels (rather than as humans). And he says he doesn’t always understand the purpose or meaning of what he is seeing – unlike the recipients of the biblical encounters.

Paul warns us in Colossians 2:18; “Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind”. Healy indeed states we should not worship angels. But why actively seek to see them, if not to satisfy an unhealthy need for supernatural visions?

Talking to angels

Even though Jesus was accompanied by angels at certain times in his life, such as after his temptation in the desert and his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, we never read of him talking to angels, or teaching the disciples to do so. When he prayed, it was always to his Father in heaven.

Kenneth Copeland declares that we can command angels and put them to work. But humans have no right to make such commands. Even Jesus didn’t do so, but said he could ask the Father who would send angels on his behalf, “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matt 26:53).

In all biblical accounts of angels appearing to humans, it is at the will of God and not of man. The only person mentioned in the Bible who can summon angels is Jesus himself, and he could only do so after his resurrection; “The son of Man will send out his angels” (Matt 13:41) and “They will see the Son of Man…and he will send his angels” (Matt 24:30- 31).

In Job we learn that angels were present before the creation of the world (38:4-7); elsewhere we learn that all things were made through Jesus and that included the angels (John 1:3, Col 1:15-17). This should put paid to the idea that people can become angels when they die. Angels are a different order of creation to us.

Guardian angels

Many people have assumed from Jesus’s teaching in Matthew 18:10 that we all have a guardian angel; “See that you do not despise these little ones. For I tell you that their angels always see the face of my father in heaven.” But this verse only tells us that people have angels in heaven, not that they are assigned to regular earthly duties.

It is well known that Roman Catholic children are taught to pray to their guardian angels, but this is certainly not what Jesus taught. He said; “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come’” (Luke 11:2) and “Pray to your Father, who is unseen” (Matt 6:6).

Why encourage people to consult the angels for advice and help when we have the Holy Spirit? When Jesus left this earth, he said he was sending the Holy Spirit to lead us into all truth (John 14:26).

Look to the Father

The Church has remained largely silent while many unbiblical laws determining how we live our lives have been allowed to pass. As a consequence, much unbiblical truth is now taught in our schools. With Lorna Byrne’s new children’s book now on the market, it is important we do not remain silent when our children and grandchildren are being encouraged to look for, and talk to, angels, rather than to their heavenly Father.

Never has the latter part of the Lord’s Prayer seemed more urgent; “Lead us not into temptation” (Matt 6:13).

Endnotes
1. Pan Books 1994. 

All biblical quotations are from the NIV.