How many times have we felt that somebody is watching us. There are moments when we feel that somebody is actually watching and protecting us. Don’t worry, they are not stalkers. They could be your angels.
Angels are said to be messengers of God. Not only do they communicate with God, but they also communicate with humans. Actually, some would believe that everybody has their own angels. But is it really possible to talk and communicate with angels? Some would say that angels communicate with humans through mental telepathy and do not usually uses words to say what they would like to say.
A lot of people are testifying to angelic encounters and at the same time writing down their encounters so that people would also understand the supernatural beings’ calling. Some would say talking to angels actually help them deal with challenges in their life. They would also feel being protected from bodily harm and at the same time recovering from serious mental and physical injuries.
How do you start talking to them?
You just start talking. You can ask for their guidance and support through your everyday life. You can ask for peace in life or just talk to them about how you feel and what you think about life. Just like anybody else, you cannot have anything unless you ask for it. Sometimes all you need to do is just ask.
Now, communication is a two-way process. You talk, others listen. But you have to listen too. Listening to angels does not need to be aloud nor require psychic powers. Angels are said to communicate through mental telepathy. So to hear and understand them, we would have to listen very hard. Some would meditate to be able to hear their angels.
Aside from listening, you could also try understanding different things that fall on our path. Angels work with coincidences. Angels would put things on our path, that sometimes we would ignore. We need to pay more attention to these “coincidences”, since these may contain the answers and the messages that we are looking for.
When these situations happen to us, our first reaction would be fear. Fear for the unknown and fear of failure. But we must be ready to accept, receive without any expectations. Let us enjoy the symbolisms that angels have provided us and understand their meaning and their relevance to our lives.
Actually, our angels may have been talking to us for a long time already but we fail to either listen carefully or understand their signs. We are living in a very fast-paced life, than even cooking for more than 15 minutes is a luxury of time. We can find it difficult to allot time to listening to something that we are not sure that we ca hear anyway.
We have to have faith. Faith is very difficult to hold onto. It is also something challenged in today’s world and culture. With the very much improvement of science and technology, people seem to be doubtful of the divine. Aside from meditation, prayer is also an effective way of getting in touch with your angels and with God.
Talking to our angels is not to get even with somebody or get rich by winning the lottery, it is to enrich our souls and lives and help those who are also having the same issues like us. This is actually a road to a better life.
09 October 2009
19 September 2009
Biblical Facts About Angels
One of the most notable and significant proof about the existence of angels are actually the famous Biblical facts about angels.
Among the most common questions governing such are the age old questions like What are angels? How and why were they created? What do angels do?
Since time immemorial, man always held a strong and devoted fascination for angels and similar spiritual beings.
For centuries, many popular and renowned artists have tried to immortalize the image of angels on canvas and murals.
But it would come as a surprise to many once they get to realize that the Bible describes angels invoking a much more different description of angles as with how they are typically and artistically rendered or presented, like cute and cuddly babies with wings and draped in white cloth.
Here are some common Biblical facts about angels.
One may not be aware, but the Bible has made 273 references to angels and although we do not aim to get to each and every one of those descriptions and references, we hope to show some examples that provide proof of angels in the Bible.
The first reference can be found in the first book of the Bible, where everything else started – the Book of Genesis.
In the second chapter of Genesis, it mentions ‘Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished’ to which the term ‘host’ refers to the description of God’s spiritual messengers commonly known as angels.
This is also cross – referenced in the first chapter of the new testament book of Colossians where it says ‘For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.’
The Bible also provided reference to the fact that angels were created to live for eternity, as stated in Luke 20:36 .. nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.
One proof that angels were present when God created the world can be found in Job 38:1-7 where it says that “Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said: ‘...Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? ...while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?"
It is also a fact that angels cannot marry or be bethroted to someone as stated in Matthew 22:30 where it says that ‘At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.’
Angels are also wise and intelligent, as the Old Testament book of 2nd Samuel 14:17 that says “Your maidservant said, ‘The word of my lord the king will now be comforting; for as the angel of God, so is my lord the king in discerning good and evil. And may the LORD your God be with you.”
Also in Daniel 9:21-22 while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. He instructed me and said to me, "Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding."
These are just some of the Biblical facts about angels and there are even more similar entries you may find in the Bible, so go ahead read and discover.
Among the most common questions governing such are the age old questions like What are angels? How and why were they created? What do angels do?
Since time immemorial, man always held a strong and devoted fascination for angels and similar spiritual beings.
For centuries, many popular and renowned artists have tried to immortalize the image of angels on canvas and murals.
But it would come as a surprise to many once they get to realize that the Bible describes angels invoking a much more different description of angles as with how they are typically and artistically rendered or presented, like cute and cuddly babies with wings and draped in white cloth.
Here are some common Biblical facts about angels.
One may not be aware, but the Bible has made 273 references to angels and although we do not aim to get to each and every one of those descriptions and references, we hope to show some examples that provide proof of angels in the Bible.
The first reference can be found in the first book of the Bible, where everything else started – the Book of Genesis.
In the second chapter of Genesis, it mentions ‘Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished’ to which the term ‘host’ refers to the description of God’s spiritual messengers commonly known as angels.
This is also cross – referenced in the first chapter of the new testament book of Colossians where it says ‘For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.’
The Bible also provided reference to the fact that angels were created to live for eternity, as stated in Luke 20:36 .. nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.
One proof that angels were present when God created the world can be found in Job 38:1-7 where it says that “Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said: ‘...Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? ...while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?"
It is also a fact that angels cannot marry or be bethroted to someone as stated in Matthew 22:30 where it says that ‘At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.’
Angels are also wise and intelligent, as the Old Testament book of 2nd Samuel 14:17 that says “Your maidservant said, ‘The word of my lord the king will now be comforting; for as the angel of God, so is my lord the king in discerning good and evil. And may the LORD your God be with you.”
Also in Daniel 9:21-22 while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. He instructed me and said to me, "Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding."
These are just some of the Biblical facts about angels and there are even more similar entries you may find in the Bible, so go ahead read and discover.
13 September 2009
Angels: Faithful Messengers of Different Faiths
There's a lot of angel imagery hanging around in out modern world. Angels on greeting cards, commercials, movies, and television shows. Some of them are really hokey and reaching for it, but some are actually pretty good depictions of them. There are some depictions that actually push the limits of what some consider as appropriate, Supernatural's rather uncaring Castiel for one. There's actually some pretty good reasons from departing from what most people see as angels being Micheal Langdon-like figures of cheap salvation.
Let's be pretty clear: angels aren't exactly unique to the Christian faith. Christianity is based on Judaism and it also shares roots Islam. Angels have been mentioned in the Bible's Old Testament and the Hebrew Faith is pretty much based on the Old Testament, with the prophet Daniel having the honor of being the person who has the most dealings with them; although they were briefly mentioned in the stories of Jacob and Lot.
Elohim is what the Jews called angels and they're actually what early Christians based their belief in angels on. Popular angels Gabriel, Raphael and Michael have their roots in Jewish literature. It's pretty safe to say that the early Christians, the core group of which were converted Jews, co-opted quite a bit of this imagery into their own beliefs.
Christianity, the faith most associated with angels, has angels a-pleny. Some theologians believe that some were actually made up out of the blue to correspond with a particular idea or theme, but nonetheless, most Christians still believe in them. The New Testament pretty much has a whole army of them marching through - announcing Christ's birth to Mary, Joseph, and random shepherds, angels at Christ's tomb on his resurrection and various other tales where they helped apostles escape imprisonment.
Christianity, with its large and early dominance, also has the honor of having a multitude of depictions of angels ranging from mosaics to stained-glass to sculpture. Even today's modern icons of angels are pretty much Christian-based - who can forget Micheal Langdon's classic Highway to Heaven and the more recent Touched by an Angel starring Roma Downey.
Not to be outdone, Islam has its own share of angelic beings - they are a cousin faith to Christianity after all and actually have a surprising similarity in angelic beliefs. One of the six basic beliefs in Islam is the belief in angels or Malaekah, which pretty much means if you don't believe in them then your faith isn't exactly up to snuff. We can see also see the appearance of the popular trio of angels: Gabriel as Jibril, Michael as Mikaaiyl, and Raphael as Israfil. However, angels in Islam are viewed pretty differently - all angels have no free will and were created expressly to serve God.
Zoroastrianism and the Bahá'í faith also share a belief in angels, although Zoroastrianism's belief probably developed around the same time as that of Judaism's. The ancient faith had a dozen angel-like figures who were representatives of Mazda, the Supreme God, though they were more like his limbs rather than his creations.
Bahá'í is a fairly new religion and combines several belief systems into one, emphasizing that all faiths had a similar underlying component: the love of God. It's no wonder that it managed to gain angel figures - though these are people who have been totally embraced by God that they have overcome their human frailties and now are more spirit than human.
As you can see, angels aren't just a Christian monopoly. They can be seen in all faiths and sizes. So you'll always be sure that an angel's got your back.
Let's be pretty clear: angels aren't exactly unique to the Christian faith. Christianity is based on Judaism and it also shares roots Islam. Angels have been mentioned in the Bible's Old Testament and the Hebrew Faith is pretty much based on the Old Testament, with the prophet Daniel having the honor of being the person who has the most dealings with them; although they were briefly mentioned in the stories of Jacob and Lot.
Elohim is what the Jews called angels and they're actually what early Christians based their belief in angels on. Popular angels Gabriel, Raphael and Michael have their roots in Jewish literature. It's pretty safe to say that the early Christians, the core group of which were converted Jews, co-opted quite a bit of this imagery into their own beliefs.
Christianity, the faith most associated with angels, has angels a-pleny. Some theologians believe that some were actually made up out of the blue to correspond with a particular idea or theme, but nonetheless, most Christians still believe in them. The New Testament pretty much has a whole army of them marching through - announcing Christ's birth to Mary, Joseph, and random shepherds, angels at Christ's tomb on his resurrection and various other tales where they helped apostles escape imprisonment.
Christianity, with its large and early dominance, also has the honor of having a multitude of depictions of angels ranging from mosaics to stained-glass to sculpture. Even today's modern icons of angels are pretty much Christian-based - who can forget Micheal Langdon's classic Highway to Heaven and the more recent Touched by an Angel starring Roma Downey.
Not to be outdone, Islam has its own share of angelic beings - they are a cousin faith to Christianity after all and actually have a surprising similarity in angelic beliefs. One of the six basic beliefs in Islam is the belief in angels or Malaekah, which pretty much means if you don't believe in them then your faith isn't exactly up to snuff. We can see also see the appearance of the popular trio of angels: Gabriel as Jibril, Michael as Mikaaiyl, and Raphael as Israfil. However, angels in Islam are viewed pretty differently - all angels have no free will and were created expressly to serve God.
Zoroastrianism and the Bahá'í faith also share a belief in angels, although Zoroastrianism's belief probably developed around the same time as that of Judaism's. The ancient faith had a dozen angel-like figures who were representatives of Mazda, the Supreme God, though they were more like his limbs rather than his creations.
Bahá'í is a fairly new religion and combines several belief systems into one, emphasizing that all faiths had a similar underlying component: the love of God. It's no wonder that it managed to gain angel figures - though these are people who have been totally embraced by God that they have overcome their human frailties and now are more spirit than human.
As you can see, angels aren't just a Christian monopoly. They can be seen in all faiths and sizes. So you'll always be sure that an angel's got your back.
Angelology, Knowing Your Angels
Angels are a popular image in modern culture. A lot of this popularity comes from popular culture: images of kindly messengers running around helping the underprivileged and giving those who've been through dark times a chance at redemption. This image isn't exactly a new one. The Bible has had quite a few angel tales in it. Everyone knows the story of Mother Mary and there's an entire book, Tobias to be specific, in the Old Testament where an angel pretty much sets up a guy for marriage.
But still all those Bible stories are kind of sparse compared to the whole field of literature and study that has sprung up around them. After all, the idea of angels has been around since the Old Testament and quite a few scholars, starting from Jewish tradition in the Biblical times, have taken up the opportunity to study this field of theology, calling it angelology. It might all seem hokey, but they're all pretty passionate about this stuff and it shows in the large amounts of stuff they have managed to come up with from the ancient times onwards. There are actually some pretty active angelologists around.
Of course, since angels are kind of hard to find on the ground, much of their ideas of angels come from the Bible and more fanciful sources like the Apocrypha, technically non-official books of the bible, along with more mystical sources like the Kabbala. All of those sources are mixed in with personal theories, assumptions and a few choice bits of folklore. It all seems a bit of a mish-mash of ideas, but like fine wine, the development of angelic theory has pretty much settled down through the ages to a definitive set of beliefs.
Medieval Christian theologians pretty much set down the definitive angelic hierarchy. Since they were pretty much enamored by the number three, the holy number of the trinity, these theologians divided the angels into three spheres, basing most of their beliefs from New Testament books like Ephesians and Colossians. Each sphere was then divided into another three sets. The first sphere is composed of the angels seen in the Old Testament: the Seraphim, Cherubim and the Thrones.
These angels worked to guard God's divine throne. The next sphere were governors of the heaven, making sure everything ran smoothly. They are divided into the Dominions, the Virtues, and the Powers. Finally, the last sphere dealt the most with humans, delivering messages to them and guarding them against demons: the Principalities, Archangels, and just plain Angels.
General divisions like these helped systematize the theology behind angels. It was all very serious business back then. Both the Fourth Lateran Council and the First Vatican Council each had definite things to say about angels based on the research of angelologists. Even then, study did not stop of course.Shifting on individual angels, especially the named ones in the Bible were another part of angelology.
The popular belief in seven Archangels is pretty much one of the results of these studies. The archangels, according to angelologists, were charged with the protection of nationes. Also, each had a specific name that could be used to invoke their protection: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Raguel, Zerachiel and Remiel. Occult imagery has co-opted some of these ideas and usually use them in magical rituals of protection.
As you can see, the study of angels can be pretty complicated. A lot of work has been put into it through the years and it's become part of modern mythology. Angels aren't just winged fellows with harps and all of this is proves that.
But still all those Bible stories are kind of sparse compared to the whole field of literature and study that has sprung up around them. After all, the idea of angels has been around since the Old Testament and quite a few scholars, starting from Jewish tradition in the Biblical times, have taken up the opportunity to study this field of theology, calling it angelology. It might all seem hokey, but they're all pretty passionate about this stuff and it shows in the large amounts of stuff they have managed to come up with from the ancient times onwards. There are actually some pretty active angelologists around.
Of course, since angels are kind of hard to find on the ground, much of their ideas of angels come from the Bible and more fanciful sources like the Apocrypha, technically non-official books of the bible, along with more mystical sources like the Kabbala. All of those sources are mixed in with personal theories, assumptions and a few choice bits of folklore. It all seems a bit of a mish-mash of ideas, but like fine wine, the development of angelic theory has pretty much settled down through the ages to a definitive set of beliefs.
Medieval Christian theologians pretty much set down the definitive angelic hierarchy. Since they were pretty much enamored by the number three, the holy number of the trinity, these theologians divided the angels into three spheres, basing most of their beliefs from New Testament books like Ephesians and Colossians. Each sphere was then divided into another three sets. The first sphere is composed of the angels seen in the Old Testament: the Seraphim, Cherubim and the Thrones.
These angels worked to guard God's divine throne. The next sphere were governors of the heaven, making sure everything ran smoothly. They are divided into the Dominions, the Virtues, and the Powers. Finally, the last sphere dealt the most with humans, delivering messages to them and guarding them against demons: the Principalities, Archangels, and just plain Angels.
General divisions like these helped systematize the theology behind angels. It was all very serious business back then. Both the Fourth Lateran Council and the First Vatican Council each had definite things to say about angels based on the research of angelologists. Even then, study did not stop of course.Shifting on individual angels, especially the named ones in the Bible were another part of angelology.
The popular belief in seven Archangels is pretty much one of the results of these studies. The archangels, according to angelologists, were charged with the protection of nationes. Also, each had a specific name that could be used to invoke their protection: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Raguel, Zerachiel and Remiel. Occult imagery has co-opted some of these ideas and usually use them in magical rituals of protection.
As you can see, the study of angels can be pretty complicated. A lot of work has been put into it through the years and it's become part of modern mythology. Angels aren't just winged fellows with harps and all of this is proves that.
12 September 2009
All About Angels
Angels are necessary part of our faith. They are said to be the guardians that help us avoid disasters and also help us weigh in things and choose the right path. Of course, there are people who also say that angels go both ways – the good and the bad. It is up to us to choose which advice we will follow. There are even depictions of angels from both heaven and hell sitting on both sides of the conscience. They are each saying their own tips for the day and influencing the way we think.
Despite this, angels have always been depicted as the good and kind ones that help us along the way. They are even sometimes pictured in artworks as small cuddly ones, the cherubs, that do harmless mischief. They also have the trademark wings, white cloth and halo.
The word angel comes from old French word angele and the old English term engel. These words are said to mean messenger. In the bible, angels act as go betweens. They tell the message of God and what He wants to enforce on earth. The very first biblical figure that made a reference to God is Daniel who referred to angels by their names. He particularly had a scene with Angel Gabriel.
The earliest known depiction of an angel was in the catacomb of Priscilla, which was in existence since the third century. The angel there do not however have wings. There were also angels found in sarchophagus, lamps and reliquaries. One of the most famous example is the Angel in the Sacrifice of Isaac picture in the sarcophagus of Junius Bassus.
Angels eventually had wings. In 1930, a sarcophagus in Istanbul was discovered to have an image of an angel with wings. The time frame for the sarcophagus was set to the time of Theodosius I. According to St. John Chrysostom, the addition of wings into their image is a symbolism of the heights they can reach and the sublimity of their existence.
The most famous of the angels is Angel Gabriel, which is believed to be the leader of all the angels. He is classified as an archangel, which is at the top of the hierarchy. He has been mentioned several times in the bible and is believed to be even the one who delivered the Koran to the prophet Muhammad.
Another famous angel is Raphael, who is said to be the healer. He helps sick people and is generally called upon to help with terminal illnesses and grave wounds.
Angel Barchiel on the other hand is the Angel for the month of February. He is actually not an angel of love but is dubbed as the bringer of hope for mankind.
Angel Michael on the other hand is often depicted as the warrior, defending the heavens from demons. He has a military cloak on and has a profile that is symmetrically perfect.
There is also Metatron, which is very popular in Judaism. This angel is mentioned in Merkabah and Kabbalist texts and beliefs and is considered to be the highest in rank. He is also mentioned in the Talmud.
There are many more mentions of angels since then. In fact, it has become for us a symbol of goodness, of peace and of hope.
Despite this, angels have always been depicted as the good and kind ones that help us along the way. They are even sometimes pictured in artworks as small cuddly ones, the cherubs, that do harmless mischief. They also have the trademark wings, white cloth and halo.
The word angel comes from old French word angele and the old English term engel. These words are said to mean messenger. In the bible, angels act as go betweens. They tell the message of God and what He wants to enforce on earth. The very first biblical figure that made a reference to God is Daniel who referred to angels by their names. He particularly had a scene with Angel Gabriel.
The earliest known depiction of an angel was in the catacomb of Priscilla, which was in existence since the third century. The angel there do not however have wings. There were also angels found in sarchophagus, lamps and reliquaries. One of the most famous example is the Angel in the Sacrifice of Isaac picture in the sarcophagus of Junius Bassus.
Angels eventually had wings. In 1930, a sarcophagus in Istanbul was discovered to have an image of an angel with wings. The time frame for the sarcophagus was set to the time of Theodosius I. According to St. John Chrysostom, the addition of wings into their image is a symbolism of the heights they can reach and the sublimity of their existence.
The most famous of the angels is Angel Gabriel, which is believed to be the leader of all the angels. He is classified as an archangel, which is at the top of the hierarchy. He has been mentioned several times in the bible and is believed to be even the one who delivered the Koran to the prophet Muhammad.
Another famous angel is Raphael, who is said to be the healer. He helps sick people and is generally called upon to help with terminal illnesses and grave wounds.
Angel Barchiel on the other hand is the Angel for the month of February. He is actually not an angel of love but is dubbed as the bringer of hope for mankind.
Angel Michael on the other hand is often depicted as the warrior, defending the heavens from demons. He has a military cloak on and has a profile that is symmetrically perfect.
There is also Metatron, which is very popular in Judaism. This angel is mentioned in Merkabah and Kabbalist texts and beliefs and is considered to be the highest in rank. He is also mentioned in the Talmud.
There are many more mentions of angels since then. In fact, it has become for us a symbol of goodness, of peace and of hope.
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