Angels are sent on
missions of mercy to the children of God
Angels in Dream, Myth,
Literature and History
by Brian Alan Burhoe
Angel in both Hebrew (mal'ak)
and Greek, means "Messenger."
And Angels appear in every
worldwide Culture, with their messages...
When Jacob, in his dream of
the Ladder (his Ladder was a symbol of the Tree of Life), wrestled
with the Angel, he was involved in an archetypal battle with his
inner self. When Mary dreamed of an Angel, it was to be given a
history-shaping message.
For those of us interested
in Medieval Christian Mysticism, the Biblical presentation has a
power that is mythical in origin and psychologically revalatory in
its potential.
Ellen G White, in "Who Are
the Angels?" wrote:
"The connection of the
visible with the invisible world, the ministration of angels of God,
and the agency of evil spirits, are plainly revealed in the
Scriptures, and inseparably interwoven with human history. There is
a growing tendency to disbelief in the existence of evil spirits,
while the holy angels that 'minister for them who shall be heirs of
salvation.' (Hebrews 1:14) are regarded by many as spirits of the
dead. But the Scriptures not only teach the existence of angels,
both good and evil, but present unquestionable proof that these are
not disembodied spirits of dead men."
Before the Creation of Man,
angels were in existence; for when the foundations of the Earth were
laid, "the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God
shouted for joy." After the Fall of Man, Angels were sent to guard
the Tree of Life, and this before a human being had died. Angels are
by nature superior to Humankind. The psalmist had said the Man was
made "a little lower than the angels."
The Bible records the great
number, and the power and the glory, of the heavenly beings. Of
their connection with the Government of God and of their relation to
the work of personal redemption. The Prophet said, "I heard the
voice of many angels round about the throne." The prophet Daniel
beheld "Ten thousand times ten thousand...were the heavenly
messengers." The apostle Paul declared them "an innumerable
company." As God's messengers, they go forth, like "the appearance
of a flash of lightning," so dazzling their glory, so swift their
flight. The Angel that appeared at Christ's tomb, his countenance
"like lightning, and his rainment white as snow," caused the keepers
to shake in fear and they "became as dead men."
Angels are sent on missions
of mercy to the children of God. To Abraham, with promises of
blessing. To the gates of Sodom, to rescue righteous Lot from its
fiery doom. To Elijah, as he was about to perish from weariness and
hunger in the desert. To Elisha, with chariots and horses of fire
surrounding the little town where he was trapped by his enemies. To
Daniel, while seeking divine wisdom in the court of a heathen king,
or abandoned to become the lion's bloody victim. To Peter, doomed to
death in Herod's prison. To Paul and his companions in the night of
the tempest on the sea. To Cornelius, to reveal the spiritual
insights of the Gospel...
A Guardian Angel, the early
Christians taught, is appointed to every follower of Jesus Christ.
These heavenly watchers protected the righteous from the power of
the Wicked One. Satan himself recognized this when he said: "Doth
Job fear God for nought? Hast not Thou made an hedge about him, and
about his house and about all that he hath on every side?" God
protects us, said the psalmist: "The angel of the Lord encampeth
round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them."
Thus, it was taught in
Medieval times, that God's people, although exposed to the deceptive
power and unsleeping malice of the Prince of Darkness are assured of
the unceasing guardianship of heavenly angels.
In the 5th Century, the
early Church divided the Angels into Nine Orders, including
cherubim, seraphim, and Archangels. The Seven Holy Angels, or
Archangels, were: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Chamuel, Jophiel
and Zadkiel.
Modern thought has changed. Bob Longman expresses the thoughts of
many with these words: "Humans tend to get freaky when an angel
shows up. We often quiver in fear or fall down in awe. But angels
themselves are not really that big a deal. We're more important than
angels are. They are servants, acting on Someone Else's authority,
while we make our own decisions, act as distinct persons, and are
responsible to discern God's ways by what the Lord has given us. God
made us, not angels, in the image of God. Jesus makes His followers,
not angels or even archangels, into God's heirs. Angels go by what
they know : they personally see God's great presence and hear God's
command. We are made to walk not by sight, but by faith. We're told
not to worship angels in Colossians 2:18. (Indeed, any real angel
will urge you not to worship them, but to worship God.) Nor are we
to pray to them, though, like all others in the divine realm, they
are praying with us. The Almighty is approachable, even in heavenly
glory, for the angels do it; how much more will it be so for
creatures like us who bear God's image, once the Kingdom comes in
full! What's much more important than us or the angel is the One for
whom the angels are acting. The author of the letter to the Hebrews
(in chapter 1) takes pains to point out that however awesome we may
think angels are, Jesus is far more important." -Bob Longman
Angels aren't only Biblical
in origin, of course.
They appear to people
worldwide, of all cultures.
The earliest known depiction
of Angels in art is on a Sumerian stone carving showing winged
angels flying over the head of Ur-Nammu, ruler of Ur about 2300 BC.
The prophet Mohammed told how the Archangel
Gabriel appeared to him and "descended in his own form, of such
beauty, of such sacred glory, of such majesty, that all my dwelling
was illuminated. He is of a whiteness brighter than snow, his face
is gloriously beautiful, the waves of his hair fall in long tresses,
his brow is encircled as with a diadem of light on which is written
'There is no god but God'."
The Sioux visionary Black
Elk said: "I looked up at the clouds and two men were coming there,
headfirst like arrows slanting down -- and as they came, they sang a
sacred song and the thunder was like drumming."
Today, angels appear to
people in dreams as much as ever.
Usually appearing as Winged Humans (see the
article "The Winged Human in Dream, Myth and Literature" on
ORN ITHANTHROPUS), they're still bringing Messages of Spiritual
Importance. It is as important as ever that we understand the
Message!
To See More on ANGELS, go to
MEDIEVAL CHRISTIAN MYSTICISM & MODERN DREAM INTERPRETATION. See
more Articles by Brian Alan Burhoe at PUPPY DOGS INFO:
http://www.puppy-dogs.info Or see
The GoArticles of BRIAN ALAN BURHOE
Brian Alan Burhoe is the author of many articles
and short stories. His Home Page is
ORN ITHANTHROPUS Science Fantasy by B Alan Burhoe. Many of his
animal-related articles can be found at <a href="http://www.puppy-dogs.info">PUPPY
DOGS INFO</A>. Or just do an Author Search at GoArticles.
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