From 1921:
Harp of God p.303
Whom would the true Christian first expect to meet in the kingdom? Necessarily he would look for some one who had been a special friend to him during the time of his humiliation. If a person who expected to be presented to an earthly king or potentate had an acquaintance or friend at that court, he would first desire to consult his friend and receive some advice and suggestions
Harp of God p.304
before entering the presence of the noble one. Entering heaven, the Christian expects to see the Lord Jesus, and ultimately the heavenly Father, according to the promise. As the Christian looks over the precious promises given to the church, he finds many assurances that he has had an unseen friend during his earthly pilgrimage, namely, his guardian angel. Of such the Psalmist wrote: ?The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.? (Psalm 34:7; Hebrews 1:14) These angels are doubtless messengers for Jehovah, because of them Jesus said: ?In heaven they do always behold the face of my Father.? (Matthew 18:10)
This carries over from Russell's days:
Watch Tower August 1, 1898, p. 240 In this connection we are reminded of our Lord's words respecting his faithful disciples, his ?little ones.? He assures us that the very humblest of those who are his have high connections with the heavenly throne, saying, ?Their angels do always behold the face of my Father in heaven.? (Matt. 18:10) That is to say, as the angels are all ?ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who shall be heirs of salvation? (the Gospel Church), there are some of them who have a charge, a watch, a care over each member of the body of Christ. Perhaps one guardian angel to each saint, perhaps more than one; but we have the Lord's assurance that his provision is ?sufficient.?
There was no further specific comment on this in the 30s and 40s, though the term "guardian angel(s)" was sparingly used, primarily for Lucifer aka as the "guardian angel" over Adam and Eve.
The idea of a "general" type of guardian angel continued into the 60s:
*** w63 1/15 p. 36 Do You Stumble over Imperfection? *** What if the guardian angels of Jehovah?s earthly people said: ?Jehovah, we cannot associate with these imperfect men and women that you are using on earth to do your will. Either they go or we do?? No, you cannot picture the angels taking that position, but is that not the position you are taking if you stumble over your brother?s imperfection?
The move away from this idea started in the mid-70s:
*** w76 4/1 p. 224 Questions from Readers *** What about a spirit messenger, an angel? God had often used angels in dealing with and guiding his worshipers. For example, Jacob spoke of ?the angel who has been recovering me from all calamity.? (Gen. 48:16) The Jews knew this. Also, it appears that there was a widespread belief, though not based directly on the Bible, that an angel was assigned to watch over each Israelite, as a sort of guardian angel.
*** w76 8/15 pp. 494-495 Jehovah, a Helper Without Equal *** 11 Are Jehovah?s powerful angels still willing and eager to serve in behalf of his people on earth? Most assuredly! When alerting his disciples to the seriousness of stumbling others, Jesus stressed the concern of the angels in the matter: ?See to it that you men do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that their angels in heaven always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.? (Matt. 18:10) Jesus? words do not necessarily mean that each devoted Christian has a special guardian angel assigned to him. But apparently angels are looking out for the spiritual welfare of true Christians as a whole. This is confirmed in question form at Hebrews 1:14: ?Are they not all spirits for public service, sent forth to minister for those who are going to inherit salvation?? What marvelous aid is available to us through the angels!In the late 90s they come as close to breaking with this idea as possible, without actually saying so:
*** w98 11/15 p. 4 Do You Have a Guardian Angel? ***
In these stressful and difficult times, it is appealing to believe that we have our own guardian angel, whose duty it is to protect us. What does God?s Word, the Bible, say about this? Should we try to contact angels? Do they care about our moral standards and religious beliefs? What help can we expect from them? These questions will be answered in the following article.
*** w98 11/15 pp. 6-7 How Angels Can Help You ***
Guardian Angels
Do angels care for people and protect them? The apostle Paul asked: ?Are they [angels] not all spirits for public service, sent forth to minister for those who are going to inherit salvation?? (Hebrews 1:14) Clearly, the answer to Paul?s question is yes.
Because of their refusal to bow down before a golden image erected by Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar, the three Hebrews Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were hurled into a superheated furnace. However, those faithful servants of God were untouched by the fire. When the king looked into the furnace, he saw ?four able-bodied men,? and said that ?the appearance of the fourth one [was] resembling a son of the gods.? (Daniel 3:25) Some years later, Daniel found himself in a lions? pit because of his faithfulness. He too escaped unharmed and declared: ?My own God sent his angel and shut the mouth of the lions.??Daniel 6:22.
With the establishment of the congregation of Christ?s followers in the first century C.E., angels again appeared, freeing the apostles from prison. (Acts 5:17-24; 12:6-12) And when Paul?s life was imperiled at sea, an angel assured him that he would arrive safely in Rome.?Acts 27:13-24. Present-day servants of Jehovah God are fully convinced that God?s invisible angelic forces are real and are able to provide protection, as they did for Elisha and his attendant. (2 Kings 6:15-17) Indeed, ?the angel of Jehovah is camping all around those fearing him, and he rescues them.??Psalm 34:7; 91:11.
Notice that last Scripture quoted: Psalm 91:11.
That's a subject for another thread.
Craig