045. Please explain Matthew 18:10 : “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for...

Please explain Matthew 18:10 : “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of My Father which is in heaven.” Has every child a guardian angel? This seems to be the plain teaching of the text. Some explain the text in another way, that the angels of the children spoken of here are the departed spirits of the children in the glory, but there is not a hint in the Bible anywhere that the departed spirits of human beings are angels. The clearest distinction is kept all through the Bible between angels and men. The old hymn “I Want to Be an Angel” has no warrant whatever in Scripture. The angels of the children here spoken of are the angels who watch over the children. It is the office of angels to minister in behalf of those who shall be heirs of salvation (Hebrews 1:14), and each child seems, according to the Bible, to have a guardian angel, and these angels occupy a position of special favor and opportunity before God. They stand in His very presence and always behold the face of the Father.