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The Swish of Angel Wings A young mother was standing in the kitchen making breakfast one spring morning. Her little garden was in full bloom with fresh flowers and the smell of honey suckles filled the air. It seemed as thought winter had finally passed and spring was here. As she looked out the window into the backyard, she noticed that the garden gate had been left open. Her little three-year-old daughter, Lindsay, had toddled through the gate and was sitting there on the railroad tracks playing with the gravel as if it was a perfectly safe and sensible place to play.
The mothers heart stopped and panic took over her body when she saw a train coming around the bend and heard its whistle. As she raced from the house screaming her daughters name at the top of her lungs praying that she would get there in time or that Lindsay would hear her, she suddenly saw a striking figure, clothed in pure white, lifting Lindsay off the tracks and into safety. While the train passed, this being stood by the tracks with an arm around the mothers precious little girl. Together they watched the train go by. When the mother reached her daughters side, Lindsay was standing alone (Smith). Throughout recorded history, angels have touched mankind.
People have admired and feared; welcomed and shunned; honored and rebuked; conversed with and ignored them. Angels have been described as stunning, awesome, wondrous to behold, and so ordinary as to pass unnoticed amidst a crowd. Man has noted warring angels and peaceful angels: they have been declared both improbable and undeniable. Despite what anyone may think of angels the topic has made its way into peoples hearts and lives; angels are still a constant belief and comfort to many. In the Bible there are angels to be read about from Genesis in the Old Testament to the last chapter of Revelations in the New Testament. Angels are mentioned more than three hundred times in the Bible playing many crucial roles: carrying out Gods commands; forming a heavenly court; and protecting and bringing messages to people (Anderson 8).
The word angel comes from the Latin word angelus, the Greek word angels, and the Hebrew word mal ha; translated these words mean messenger and one who is sent (Charlesworth). For the angels are only spirit-messengers sent out to help and care for those who are to receive salvation (Heb. 1. 14). Three modern religions acknowledge the existence of angels: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam; while each of these religions have different ideas on angels, at the same time they do believe in their presence (Anderson 8). There are three purposes of angels: to worship God, to serve as heralds between God and His people on earth, and to act as the caretakers of Gods people. For He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands (Ps. 91. 11 - 12).
St. Paul assigned different types of angels into groups, and there are nine different types of angels; all of them have a duty and purpose. The seraphim and cherubim love and worship God. The thrones and dominions regulate angelic duties. The virtues work miracles on earth, and the powers protect people from demons.
The principalities and archangels minister and guard people (Anderson 9). A guardian angel is on each of His childrens shoulders at this very moment watching over them, guiding them, and protecting their every move. After creating angels as magnificent spirits to surround His throne, God subjected the angels to a trial of obedience. Lucifer, one of the most exulted angels, rebelled at the thought of someone being in a higher position than he, and then a third of the angels took up Lucifers rebellious cry (Medeiros 6). And there was a battle in the heaven: Michael and his angels battled with the dragon, and the dragon fought and his angels. And they did not prevail, neither was their place found any more in heaven.
And that great dragon was cast down, the ancient serpent, he who is called the devil and Satan, who led astray the whole world (Rev. 12. 7 - 9). The archangel Michael led the other angels in a victory for heaven and God resulting in the opinion theologians have that Michael surpasses in the glory and power of all other angels (Medeiros 8). Two great events bound the history of the world according to the Christian tradition: the War in the Heaven and the Last Judgment. In both episodes Michael plays a leading role (Underhill 97). The archangel Michael, St.
Michael, is the most venerated of all the angels therefore he was the first angel the Catholic Church granted special observance. Angels, His appointed helpers, His right hand; invisible to the living, or are they? Gallup polls say more than one half of Americans believe in angels and one in seven believe they have had a personal encounter with an angel (Tada 15). People vary in their willingness to trust in the supernatural. Angels do not submit to test, testify in court, or slide under a microscope for examination; their existence cannot be proved by any means humans call valid. The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched.
They must be felt with the heart (Keller). The multitude of heavenly host on that long ago Bethlehem hillside has relevance in present day life. The promise of God to send angels to protect and rescue each of His children is a faithful pact. The Talmud says, every blade of grass has an angel bending over it saying, grow, grow (Tada 45). Angels guard people from danger or drift in and out of their lives to help them at fortuitous moments. Sometimes they come in disguise, Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unaware (Hebrews 13: 23).
Angels come to the rescue in a time of need and crisis; then they often disappear just as quickly. They come; they disappear, never to be seen again: their home is in heaven, yet their ministry is on earth. Many stories have been told of these spirits who visit us today; some call them reassuring evidence of a loving God, who is always, forever watching over us. The Bible tells that when God has a special work for a person to accomplish, He often sends an angel. The angel may appear in a vision, in waking hours, or as a human (Tada 56).
Some accounts have been of flashing lights, voices, or just a touch; while the wings may not be apparent to the eye, they shine with an inner, not outer, glow. Many stories of angel encounters have involved deathbeds, where those keeping vigil see radiance on the face of the dying one. Other stories involve people who have changed an individuals life or someone who has created an atmosphere of love. In many of the instances one aspect was constant; all stories were unexplainable happenings that left the person puzzled and in awe. Far from being outdated, angels are a part of the present world. The message of the angel is one of peace and love.
Angels brought the news of the baby Jesus to the world and told the disciples of the risen Christ. One half of the worlds population wants and chooses to believe in the beauty, awe, and protection these angels, sent by God to watch over His children, can bring into their lives. The angel is not only a part of religion, but also a constant reminder from above that someone, somewhere is watching out for every one of Gods children. Angels come in many different forms, shapes, and sizes; no one person can tell what an angel will look like to another person. The angel may be just a messenger, or may be a friend and companion who lightens a life, yet whatever they may be, one thing holds true angels are present in the hearts and minds of many.
Every day, everywhere someone hears the swish of angel wings. 337
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