Angels

Are Angels Real?

An Angel like figure appears in a photo overlooking a terrible road traffic accident. The driver miraculously survived.

You are driving home at night. You slow down and stop at an intersection because the light turned red. The light turns green and suddenly instinctively or that little voice in your head tells you to not go. You hesitate and less than a second later, a fast-moving car shoots across that same intersection. The other driver ran a red light at high speeds and if you had not hesitated or stopped, the car would have collided into you. Have you ever had a similar story of a strange or miraculous coincidence? One thing that seems to differ from those individuals that have had this experience and have seen the blessings of a guardian angel in action versus those who have not and have none, is belief and faith.

Angels are all around us. By definition an angel is a supernatural being or spirit that can be both good and bad. They are icons discussed in various religions, faiths and mythologies. Christian religions reference angels as spirits of God whom under the grace of God direct and protect all living things. But Lucifer (The Devil) was also an angel, he is known as a “Fallen Angel”.

According to the biblical Abrahamic religions they are often depicted as servants of God and celestial beings who act as intermediaries between heaven and Earth.

In Zoroastrianism and Native American religions angels are depicted as a guiding influence or a guardian spirit. Spiritualists have an individualist and personal view of Angels and how we interact.

There are different types of Angels and different levels of angels.

Guardian Angels:

Believers say that God has assigned guardian angels to protect each individual person on Earth, but he often sends archangels to accomplish earthly tasks of a larger scale. For example, the archangel Gabriel is known for his appearances delivering major messages to people throughout history. Christians believe that God sent Gabriel to inform the Virgin Mary that she would become the mother of Jesus Christ on Earth, while Muslims believe that Gabriel communicated the entire Qur’an to the prophet Muhammad.

Archangels:

Archangels are the highest-ranking angels in heaven. God gives them the most important responsibilities, and they do their work both in the heavenly dimension and in the earthly one. The word “archangel” is from the Greek words “arche” (ruler) and “angelos” (messenger), signifying archangels’ dual duties. Archangel’s rule over the universe’s daily operation on missions from God, while also delivering messages from God to human beings.

Believers say that God has assigned guardian angels to protect each individual person on Earth, but he often sends archangels to accomplish earthly tasks of a larger scale. For example, the archangel Gabriel is known for his appearances delivering major messages to people throughout history. Christians believe that God sent Gabriel to inform the Virgin Mary that she would become the mother of Jesus Christ on Earth, while Muslims believe that Gabriel communicated the entire Qur’an to the prophet Muhammad. 

Angels Who Comfort the Dying

Accounts of angels comforting dying people abound from those who have watched loved ones die. When their loved ones are about to pass away, some people report seeing angels, hearing heavenly music, or even smelling strong and pleasant scents while sensing angels around them. Those who care for the dying (such as hospice nurses) say that some of their patients report deathbed encounters with angels.

Caregivers, family members, and friends also report witnessing dying loved ones talk about or reach out for angels. For instance, in his book Angels: God’s Secret Agents, Christian leader Billy Graham writes that immediately before his maternal grandmother died, “the room seemed to fill with a heavenly light. She sat up in bed and almost laughingly said, ‘I see Jesus. He has his arms outstretched toward me. I see Ben [her husband who had died some years earlier] and I see the angels.'” 

Angels of Death:

Many people struggle with fear when they approach death, or even when they simply think about dying. The fear of death is so common, in fact, that it has a name: Thanataphobia. A variety of research studies have shown that the fear of death is universal among human beings worldwide. People are afraid of the suffering they may have to endure when they die, and they fear what will happen to them after death, wondering if they may go to hell or even not exist at all anymore.

But what if there is nothing to fear about death after all? What if there is one or even a group of angels who comfort people when they are dying and escort their souls into an afterlife?

The Angel of Death’s personification as an evil creature wearing a black hood and carrying a scythe (the Grim Reaper of popular culture) originated from the Jewish Talmud’s descriptions of an evil Angel of Death (Mal’akh ha-mavet) who represents the demons associated with the fall of mankind (one consequence of which was death). However, the Midrash explains that God does not allow the Angel of Death to bring evil to righteous people. Also, all people are bound to encounter the Angel of Death when it’s their appointed time to die, says the Targum (the Aramaic translation of the Tankah), which translates Psalm 89:48 as: “There is no man who lives and, seeing the angel of death, can deliver his soul from his hand.”

The Muslim Qur’an also mentions an Angel of Death: “The Angel of Death who is charged with taking your souls will take your souls; then you will be returned to your Lord.” (As-Sajdah 32:11). The Hadith tells a story that illustrates how reluctant people can be to see the Angel of Death when he comes for them: The Angel of Death was sent to Moses and when he went to him, Moses slapped him severely, spoiling one of his eyes. The angel went back to his Lord, and said, you sent me to a slave who does not want to die. (Hadith 423, Sahih Bukhari chapter 23).

The Christian Bible does not name one specific angel as the Angel of Death. But it does say that angels are “all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14) and makes it clear that death is a holy event for Christians (“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints,” Psalm 116:15), so in the Christian view it’s reasonable to expect that one or more angels will be present with people when they die.

The Buddhist Tibetan Book of the Dead (also known as the Bardo Thodol) describes how people who are not yet ready to enter God’s presence when they die may find themselves in the presences of bodhisattvas (angelic beings) after death. Such bodhisattvas may help and guide the deceased souls in their new state of existence.

Angels Who Escort Souls to the Afterlife:

When people die, angels may accompany their souls into another dimension, where they will live on. It may be just one angel who escorts a particular soul, or it may be a large group of angels who make the journey alongside a person’s soul.

Muslim tradition says that the angel Azrael separates the soul from the body at the moment of death, and Azrael and other angels who help him accompany it to the afterlife. Jewish tradition says that there are many different angels (including Gabriel, Samael, Sariel, and Jeremiel) who may help dying people make the transition from life on Earth to the afterlife.

Here is a thought about Angels. If Angels exist, then does that mean Demon’s exist?

Depending on who you are and your faith or belief, you will answer your own question ” Do Angels Exist”? 

You be the Judge.