Thursday, April 16, 2015

Are Angels Real?

The Headlines:

People love Angels.

The good news is they're real.

But they may NOT (technically) be what you think.

Every night, since my son was about 1 year old, I sing him a the chorus of a popular song as I take him to bed:

You are my sunshine
My only sunshine
You make me happy when skies are grey
You never know dear how much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away
(which is where the song typically ends but on the last round I add...)
Don't you dare take my sunshine away...
Don't even think... about taking him away.

As I sing, it's as though someone's listening.  Like my audience is more than a party of one.  Almost as if I'm instructing the listener(s) to protect and serve my little guy.  It's not necessarily God... but maybe the Angels that surround him everyday.

Do YOU believe in Angels?

First, you should know I'm not a theologian, nor a pastor, preacher or priest.  I'm not a researcher of the heavens in any way and I'm far from angelic.  Oh, and I'm also not a wack-a-doodle Jesus freak of any kind, promise!  But I am a Christian.  I know a fair amount about the bible, my grandfather was a Lutheran Pastor, my Uncle a Lutheran College President and I attend church as much as I can fit into our incredibly busy schedule.  I recently attended a service where the topic was... Angels.  It was so interesting that I wanted to bring the information to you here.  You may or may not agree but if you believe in the Bible you kind of have to... this stuff is straight out of the big book.  I will also admit that I myself, being a religious person, was not fully aware of the true biblical perspective of an Angel.  Now I am.  This information is cited from scriptures and complied by Dr. A. L. Barry - President of the Lutheran Church, Missouri Synod.

Now that you know that... let's proceed.  Have you ever seen an angel?  I, myself, have not.  But I've felt them.  I bet a lot of you have.  Sometimes it's during a near death experience.  Or a scary accident.  Others may feel them when they're laying with their child or maybe in church or during travel.  They can come during a time of despair or a time of pure joy.  It's funny.  Many of us believe in Angels but don't believe in the book that first brought them to us... the Bible.

So, what are Angels?
At their very core they are, essentially, the "liaison" between humans and God.  They are messengers of God.  In fact, their name is actually a description of what they do.

Angels came to be when everything was created (during the first 6 days), as written about in the first book of the Bible, Genesis

Angels are spirits.  
They are beings that don't have a body like you or me.  They're not people on earth (though some people are just so incredible they make us feel that way), they're not "Gods" or ghosts and they're not friends and loved ones who have died (so Grandma isn't one either).  That is made very clear in the Bible.

Angels are powerful. 
They're described as "mighty ones" (Ps. 103:20; 2 Thess 1:7).  Unfortunately, they can use their power for good or evil.  And while they have power, God didn't give Angels rule over his creation.  He gave that task to human beings (Gen 1:26-28).  In fact, it's quite the opposite.  They are here to serve us (and God).

There are evil angels and good angels. 
The Devil, being the most evil Angel of all.  He is the "prince of demons"  in fact as quoted in (Luke 11:15).  There is strong belief that pride made the good Angels turn bad.  Their work is simply to influence all thoughts and ideas opposite of God.  They fight for the dark and not the light.

The good Angels, however, try to serve and protect believers in their work and callings in life (Ps 91:11-12).  They tend to the dying (Luke 16:22), they're said to care for children (Matt. 18:10).  Believers are able to withstand the temptation of evil Angels through the power of their love for God.  Angels are there when you need them.  I'm pretty sure they've got me out of a lot of tight squeezes.  Perhaps you too, huh?

Angels are intelligent beings.
They have smarts and a will.  That's how they choose to fight for good or evil.  But Angels don't know everything.  According to scripture, they can't know the thoughts of our hearts (1 Kings 8:39).

There are ranks within Angels. 
All Angels are not the same.  There's what's considered "classes" within the Angels.  Scriptures speak of several, i.e.: "Cherubim" (Gen: 3:24) or "Archangels"  (1 Thess 4:16).

Angels can appear before you.
It doesn't happen often but they can live briefly in a physical dimension from time to time.  Think Gabriel.  It happened during biblical times - it can happen again.  Albeit, most people might think you're crazy if you say you saw one - but it is possible in your lifetime.   Just not probable.

There are MANY Angels - but it's a finite number.  
No specific number - but the Bible teaches there are incredibly large numbers of Angels who serve God.  "Ten thousand times ten thousand Angels"  it says specifically (Dan. 7:10).  But it also says the amount of Angels will never go up or down.  The number is fixed.  They are immortal and they do not have children or marry (Mark 12:25).

Good.  Then they can stay focused on us.  Let's be honest, we need all the help we can get!!

Whether you agree or not, I hope you found this interesting.  Since we, as a society, have talked so much and so long about Angels.  We all yearn to know more about them.  For lots of us, they're a mystical and magical topic.  We see them as characters in books, movies, tv shows.  Many of us have our own beliefs as to what Angels are and we all hope what we believe is true.  I believe Angels are what they're outlined as in the Bible (above)... but that assumption is fully based on faith.

I will not say I'm right and you're wrong because it's impossible to prove or disprove here.  But I do hope you now know, technically, what Angels are supposed to be and where the notion of them came from.  Take it or leave it but knowing it, for me, is a comfort, a joy and an honor all rolled into one.  I hope it is for you and your "Sunshines..." too.

What about you?  Do YOU believe in Angels?


  1. I totally believe in Angels, whether they be in the heavens looking down at us or someone around us who looks out for us like a "real life angel"...they exist in my book. One of my daily prayers is my "Guardian Angel" and sometimes when I have to get through something or am worried, I do rely on my faith in an angel who is not only looking down and protecting me, but also guiding me. So yes, I believe and I feel one is watching me right now... :)

  2. I def believe in angels and I loved this article! I learned a lot!

  3. I've never thought about it to be honest. I suppose I do...but I'll think about it now!

