Do Angels Visit us Today?

Do Angels Visit us Today?

The answer is a simple NO. The reason being is because Jesus Christ has given us the Holy Spirit.

John 14:15-18

¹⁵ “If you love Me, keep My commandments. ¹⁶ And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. ¹⁸ I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

From a casual reading of Scripture, a person might get the idea that angelic appearances were somewhat commonplace, but that is not the case. Likewise, in our society there has been a radical increased interest in angels, and it would seem that angelic appearances are commonplace today. Angels appear in every religion, and generally seem to have the same role of messenger. In the Old Testament angels seldom visited people and when they did come it was under very special or dire circumstances. Below I have listed every visitation of an angel mentioned in scripture (except the book of Revelation). In just over 4000 years, angels have appeared approximately 16 times.

1. Genesis 3:24, when Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden. God placed guardian angels, or cherubim, to block the entrance with a flaming sword.
2. Genesis 16:7, about 1900 years later. Hagar, the Egyptian servant who bore Ishmael to Abraham, was instructed by an angel to return and submit to her mistress, Sarai.
3. Genesis 18:2, Abraham was visited by God and two angels, when God informed him of the impending destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
4. Genesis 19:1-11, The same two angels visited Lot and instructed him to escape the city with his family before it was destroyed.
5. Genesis 32:1, When Jacob saw angels he immediately recognized them as the army of God.
6. Exodus 23:20-22, God sends an angel to lead Moses
7. Daniel 6:19-22, Daniel in the Lion’s Den
8. Numbers 22:22, An angel confronted the disobedient prophet Balaam, but Balaam did not see the angel at first, although his donkey did.
9. Matthew 2:13, Mary received a visit from an angel who told her that she would be the mother of the Messiah, and Joseph was warned by an angel to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt to protect them from Herod’s edict.
10. (Judges 6:22; 1 Chronicles 21:30; Matthew 28:5) Often when angels appear, those who see them are struck with fear,
11. Luke 2:13, The shepherds were visited by a heavenly choir as they were told of the birth of Jesus.
12. John 20:11-15, The Resurrection of Jesus – Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping, she bent over into the tomb and saw two angels in white sitting there.
13. Acts 12:7-10, Peter is saved by an angel out of prison.
14. Acts 1:10-11, After Jesus ascended to heaven.

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Let’s look at the Holy Spirit and what He has to offer.

Below are some of the names and descriptions the Bible uses for the Holy Spirit:

He is the Author of Scripture: (2 Peter 1:21; 2 Timothy 3:16) The Bible is inspired, literally “God-breathed,” by the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity. The Holy Spirit moved the authors of all 66 books to record exactly what He breathed into their hearts and minds. As a ship is moved through the water by wind in its sails, so the biblical writers were borne along by the Spirit’s impulse.

He is a Comforter / Counselor / Advocate: (Isaiah 11:2; John 14:16; 15:26; 16:7) All three words are translations of the Greek parakletos, from which we get Paraclete, another name for the Spirit. When Jesus went away, His disciples were greatly distressed because they had lost His comforting presence. But He promised to send the Spirit to comfort, console, and guide those who belong to Christ. The Spirit also “bears witness” to our spirits that we belong to Him, and thereby assures us of salvation.

He is the Convicter of Sin: (John 16:7-11) The Spirit applies the truths of God to men’s own minds in order to convince them by fair and sufficient arguments that they are sinners. He does this through the conviction in our hearts that we are not worthy to stand before a holy God, that we need His righteousness, and that judgment is certain and will come to all men one day. Those who deny these truths rebel against the conviction of the Spirit.

He is our Deposit / Seal / Earnest: (2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5; Ephesians 1:13-14) The Holy Spirit is God’s seal on His people, His claim on us as His very own. The gift of the Spirit to believers is a down payment on our heavenly inheritance, which Christ has promised us and secured for us at the cross. It is because the Spirit has sealed us that we are assured of our salvation. No one can break the seal of God.

He is our Guide: (John 16:13) Just as the Spirit guided the writers of Scripture to record truth, so does He promise to guide believers to know and understand that truth. God’s truth is “foolishness” to the world, because it is “spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). Those who belong to Christ have the indwelling Spirit who guides us to the knowledge of all we need to know in regard to spiritual matters. Those who do not belong to Christ have no “interpreter” to guide them to know and understand God’s Word.

He Indwells the Believer: (Romans 8:9-11; Ephesians 2:21-22; 1 Corinthians 6:19) The Holy Spirit resides in the hearts of God’s people, and that indwelling is the distinguishing characteristic of the regenerated person. From within believers, He directs, guides, comforts, and influences us, as well as producing in us the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). He provides the intimate connection between God and His children. All true believers in Christ have the Spirit residing in their hearts.

He is our Intercessor: (Romans 8:26) One of the most encouraging and comforting aspects of the Holy Spirit is His ministry of intercession on behalf of those He inhabits. Because we often don’t know what or how to pray when we approach God, the Spirit intercedes and prays for us. He interprets our “groanings,” so that when we are oppressed and overwhelmed by trials and the cares of life, He comes alongside to lend assistance as He sustains us before the throne of grace. – This is NOT Tongues!

He is a Revealer / Spirit of Truth: (John 14:17; 16:13; 1 Corinthians 2:12-16) Jesus promised that after the Resurrection, the Holy Spirit would come to “guide you into all truth.” Because of the Spirit in our hearts, we are able to understand truth, especially in spiritual matters, in a way that non-Christians cannot. In fact, the truth the Spirit reveals to us is “foolishness” to them, and they cannot understand it. But we have the mind of Christ in the Person of His Spirit within us.

He is Spirit of God / the Lord / Christ: (Matthew 3:16; 2 Corinthians 3:17; 1 Peter 1:11) These names remind us that the Spirit of God is indeed part of the triune godhead and that He is just as much God as the Father and the Son. He is first revealed to us at the creation, when He was “hovering over the waters,” denoting His part in creation, along with that of Jesus who “made all things” (John 1:1-3). We see this same Trinity of God again at Jesus’ baptism, when the Spirit descends on Jesus and the voice of the Father is heard.

He is the Spirit of Life: (Romans 8:2) The phrase “Spirit of life” means the Holy Spirit is the one who produces or gives life, not that He initiates salvation, but rather that He imparts newness of life as opposed to the Law, which, according to Romans 7, produces death and condemnation. When we receive eternal life through Christ, the Spirit provides the spiritual food that is the sustenance of the spiritual life. Here again we see the triune God at work. We are saved by the Father through the work of the Son, and that salvation is sustained by the Holy Spirit.

He is our Teacher: (John 14:26; 1 Corinthians 2:13) Jesus promised that the Spirit would teach His disciples “all things” and bring to their remembrance the things He said while He was with them. The writers of the New Testament were moved by the Spirit to remember and understand the instructions Jesus gave for the building and organizing of the Church, the doctrines regarding Himself, the directives for holy living, and the revelation of things to come.

He is our Witness: (Romans 8:16; Hebrews 2:4; 10:15) The Spirit is called “witness” because He verifies and testifies to the fact that we are children of God, that Jesus and the disciples who performed miracles were sent by God, and that the books of the Bible are divinely inspired. Further, by giving the gifts of the Spirit to believers, He witnesses to us and the world that we belong to God.

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No Christian will EVER prefer an angel or want to see an angel over having the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Who in their right mind would want to see a lesser being than have Jesus himself abide in you and give you all the above? Jesus, who made the angels and receives their worship, has promised us His own presence in our lives. Jesus Himself has said, “Surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20)

I do believe however that Angels can and will help people out of dire circumstances, for example; a person’s life saved by an angel. Like when the Apostle Peter was in prison the angel came to rescue him.

But for an angel to bring us messages, healing, gifts, comforting us, teaching us, guiding us, etc? Never!
Satan on the other hand loves to appear as an ANGEL OF LIGHT and will gladly parade himself in front of you, full of stories that contradict the Bible.

2 Corinthians 11:14–15 ¹⁴ And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. ¹⁵ Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.”

All Satan hopes for is that you are gullible enough to fall for his lies and then he’s got you in his claws. And the chance that you do fall for it is great because NO ONE reads, let alone UNDERSTANDS the Bible. And why do people not understand their bibles? Because they think they are Christian, but they aren’t and have not the Holy Spirit abiding in them.

By Decerning The World
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See also:

Who will left behind?

Rapture Alert! Make Sure You don't Left Behind

What Will You Do If You Are Left Behind?

After the Rapture

The Tribulation