J. Lee Grady gives some good advice for folks ready to proclaim the message they got from “an angel of light”:
When I look at what the New Testament teaches us about angels, and specifically what the book of Acts shows us about them, here’s what I find:
- Angels who looked like men told the early disciples that Jesus would return one day (see Acts 1:11)
- Angels are actively working behind the scenes to minister to the saints, especially to offer protection (see Acts 12:7-11)
- In one case an angel directed Philip where to preach (see Acts 8:26)
- Angels sometimes appeared in visions to give instructions, as one did for Cornelius (see Acts 10:3,7,22)
- An angel came to Paul to strengthen him and to assure him that he would preach to Caesar (see Acts 27:23-24).
If we look at Paul’s epistles, we find only a few references to angels—and most are actually warnings to the early church about a wrong emphasis on angels:
- Paul warned the Galatians that false angels can bring deception (see Gal. 1:8)
- Paul warned the Corinthians about “angels of light” that are messengers of Satan (see 2 Cor. 11:14)
- Paul warned the Colossians about misguided people who worship angels and deceive people with their emphasis on mystical experiences that are rooted in their hyperinflated egos (see Col. 2:18).