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| Do guardian angels protect us? |
Sadly, ancient prophecies that predicted a great apostasy (falling away) within the Christian church in the last days are being fulfilled in the time we're living in. In what way? In the way of occultism that has increasingly found a comfortable home in the church behind the facade of biblical Christianity.
For example, a growing number of churches now teach that Christians have "spirit guides" that can be called upon to protect them and supply them with wisdom as they go through life. While that belief may seem bizarre to a lot of people, it really isn't. The Roman Catholic Church has historically taught that everyone has a guardian angel assigned to them by God.
Who or what are spirit guides? Are they truly guardian angels sent by God to guide and protect us on earth? Or, are they something else? And if everyone really has a guardian angel or spirit guide assigned to them, then why do some people die in mishaps and accidents? Evidently, their guardian angels failed to protect them.
What does the Bible reveal about angels interacting with human beings? According to Psalm 91:9-12: "If you say, 'The Lord is my refuge', and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone."
Indeed, the Bible reveals that God's angels protect His people here on earth. However, it never reveals that everyone has their own guardian angel. That's a fallacy taught by the Catholic Church.
And it's a fallacy that's similar to the spirit guides promoted by the New Age Movement. The New Age Movement teaches that the spirits of human beings who died a long time ago can be contacted to teach us and guide us on paths of righteousness and wisdom. These so-called spirits are also referred to as "ascended masters" or spiritual mentors.
But they aren't spirit guides, mentors or ascended masters. Rather, they're demons under the authority of Satan that are tasked with preventing the salvation of human beings by denying Jesus Christ's death on the cross for all sin and His resurrection from the dead. They're very clever at hiding their true identities. And they're very clever at promoting Satan's lies by mixing truth with falsehoods.
Certainly, they can't arbitrarily show up in your life and deceive you. They must be invited in. But in what ways? Through involvement in the occult, eastern mysticism and hallucinogenic drugs. Those are the three prime door-openers to demonic deception.
But aren't Christians forbidden from getting involved in such practices? Yes they are. However, some techniques that are being promoted in the church are occult methodologies disguised as Christian practices. One such example is the New Age-Hindu technique of creative visualization that involves contacting the spiritual realm through the mind via channeling or an altered state of consciousness.
That practice is known as spiritism that's condemned in the Bible: "I (the Lord) will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people." (Leviticus 20:6)
What happens when a person attempts to make contact with the spiritual realm? They come in contact with demons that will influence, oppress and even possess them. Back in 1988, John Ankerberg and John Weldon wrote this in regards to the growing phenomenon of spiritism within America at that time: "Over 40 percent of all American adults--approaching half the nation--claim to have been in contact with someone who has died. Of these, 78 percent claim they saw, 50 percent heard and 18 percent talked with the dead. From this it is clear the spirits most often claim they are human spirits who have survived physical death." (The Facts on Spirit Guides)
And they also claim that they're angels sent by God to "enlighten" people as to what heaven, God, Christ and angels are truly about. Naturally, they deny sin, judgment and hell as well as the necessity for repentance and being born again by faith into eternal life in Jesus Christ. The very fact that they malign the Bible and its teachings reveals the true identity of these spirit beings.
And these demonic spirits have spread their influence throughout segments of the Christian church for centuries. They seek to seduce Christians by promoting false doctrines such as New Thought-Positive Confession-Word of Faith that substitute faith in God for faith in techniques. And they seek to deceive Christians by appearing as Christ, Mary, saints, angels etc.
What's the antidote for this type of deception? The Bible tells us this: "Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land." (Deuteronomy 6:13-15)
And it's a fallacy that's similar to the spirit guides promoted by the New Age Movement. The New Age Movement teaches that the spirits of human beings who died a long time ago can be contacted to teach us and guide us on paths of righteousness and wisdom. These so-called spirits are also referred to as "ascended masters" or spiritual mentors.
But they aren't spirit guides, mentors or ascended masters. Rather, they're demons under the authority of Satan that are tasked with preventing the salvation of human beings by denying Jesus Christ's death on the cross for all sin and His resurrection from the dead. They're very clever at hiding their true identities. And they're very clever at promoting Satan's lies by mixing truth with falsehoods.
Certainly, they can't arbitrarily show up in your life and deceive you. They must be invited in. But in what ways? Through involvement in the occult, eastern mysticism and hallucinogenic drugs. Those are the three prime door-openers to demonic deception.
But aren't Christians forbidden from getting involved in such practices? Yes they are. However, some techniques that are being promoted in the church are occult methodologies disguised as Christian practices. One such example is the New Age-Hindu technique of creative visualization that involves contacting the spiritual realm through the mind via channeling or an altered state of consciousness.
That practice is known as spiritism that's condemned in the Bible: "I (the Lord) will set my face against anyone who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute themselves by following them, and I will cut them off from their people." (Leviticus 20:6)
What happens when a person attempts to make contact with the spiritual realm? They come in contact with demons that will influence, oppress and even possess them. Back in 1988, John Ankerberg and John Weldon wrote this in regards to the growing phenomenon of spiritism within America at that time: "Over 40 percent of all American adults--approaching half the nation--claim to have been in contact with someone who has died. Of these, 78 percent claim they saw, 50 percent heard and 18 percent talked with the dead. From this it is clear the spirits most often claim they are human spirits who have survived physical death." (The Facts on Spirit Guides)
And they also claim that they're angels sent by God to "enlighten" people as to what heaven, God, Christ and angels are truly about. Naturally, they deny sin, judgment and hell as well as the necessity for repentance and being born again by faith into eternal life in Jesus Christ. The very fact that they malign the Bible and its teachings reveals the true identity of these spirit beings.
And these demonic spirits have spread their influence throughout segments of the Christian church for centuries. They seek to seduce Christians by promoting false doctrines such as New Thought-Positive Confession-Word of Faith that substitute faith in God for faith in techniques. And they seek to deceive Christians by appearing as Christ, Mary, saints, angels etc.
What's the antidote for this type of deception? The Bible tells us this: "Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; for the Lord your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land." (Deuteronomy 6:13-15)
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