A man sits on a television set before a live audience and tells the host about a Bible translation he claims Jesus commissioned him to write. When he is asked about the origin of the translation’s name, he states that an angel named Passion was seen by him and known to be assigned to his ministry.

During an online interview, a woman shares that an angel came into her room when she was five years old. He tells her his name is Timothy and that he is her guardian angel. He proceeds to play with her and her dollhouse. They talk for a while, she touches his wing, and then he says he has to leave.

A well-known professing prophet at Bethel church regaled a story years ago about an angry shirtless angel standing at the end of his bed wearing wrestling tights. In sharing this story with another professing prophet, he was told that he had seen Michael the archangel, who is always in a bad mood. Another well-known professing prophet recently shared a vision of fifty-five angels surrounding the United States, awaiting to judge each state individually based on what that state has sown. These angels would be released based upon the response of the church, and they would determine the direction of the United States.

There are many stories and countless claims of extrabiblical revelation alleged from those sharing their angelic encounters. Many seem to simply see an angel without an important message from God, or the angel comes to have a good time with that individual. Others are laying claim to angelic visitation and visions in order to declare a prophetic word or decision from authority. At any rate, it brings questions to the forefront concerning these accounts and for what purpose these encounters and visions serve.

It is important to keep in mind that angels are not commanded by us to do anything. Angels serve at the command and instruction of God, and they are made to worship Him. They are messengers noted both in the Old Testament and New Testament. We see them in Genesis 19 as they deliver the message to Lot about leaving Sodom. We see angelic interaction with prophets in delivering revelation concerning the people of Israel and the temple. In Luke 1:13,30, we note that an angel proclaimed the coming births of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, and in Luke 2, an angel delivered the news of the birth of Jesus to shepherds tending their flocks. Angels ministered to Jesus during His earthly ministry in the wilderness after the temptation and in the garden of Gethsemane before his arrest. They proclaimed Christ’s return in Matthew 25:31 and Acts 1:11, and according to Revelation, they will be a part of God’s final judgment.

What should be noted based on Scripture is that angels are commanded by God for His purposes. We do not order angels to do things, and when Scripture speaks of angelic activity, it was purposeful and specific, pointing back to God. The account in Acts 12 surrounding Peter in prison is a good example of God intervening in response to the prayers for Peter. After the angel comes and sets him free and leads him out of the prison, Peter said, “Now I am sure that the Lord has sent this angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and form all that the Jewish people were expecting.” (Acts 12:11) Note who gets the glory for God’s sovereign intervention. The focus is never on the angelic being but on the One who created and sent that angel with His purpose and plan.

In many of these accounts, it is difficult to hear Christ being glorified. It brings to mind the passage in Colossians 2:18-19 where Paul instructs the believers there to not fall into deception from those who come “insisting on asceticism and worship of angels, going on in detail about visions, puffed up without reason by his sensuous mind.” There is no holding fast to the Head who is Christ. Those who share such things would state that they are not worshiping angels or encouraging such behavior. Though that may be the case, there is a fascination with them and a focus on them. They are appealing to these visions and visitations in an authoritative way, and they are causing others to place their faith in their visions and claims than in Christ. When people are told that angels will perform certain acts based on our bidding and our actions, it places our trust and faith in ourselves rather than in God.

We do not find playful angels in Scripture playing with doll houses. We do not see them sitting near us and trying to startle us. Angels are not bored or waiting to be commissioned by people for revival. In listening to many leaders in the hyper charismatic movement allege angelic visitations and visions, it sadly seems to place that man or woman at the center of attention without little to any mention or focus on the Lord. The accounts highlight the individual being special in seeing angels and conversing with them. The question to ask is why would an angel conduct himself differently than noted in Scripture? Why would he show up before someone for an obscure visit? Who is being glorified or exalted in these stories? Is it possible that these claims are distractions from the Word of God and from God Himself?

Scripture tells us that angels exist, and we can trust Scripture. We can also trust that it shows us why they came and for what purpose they were created. If you ever hear a story like the ones I briefly shared here, I encourage you to test it against the Word of God. Remember who is to be exalted above all and understand that claims to such experiences are not what defines someone as having substantial fellowship with the Lord.

Listen to this episode concerning claims of visions of angels in the hyper charismatic movement: The Lovesick Scribe Podcast: Angels in the Spiritual Outfield on Apple Podcasts