The Truth About Angels in the Bible

[moobu2]

Last week a priest appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, at the scene of a car crash in Missouri last week. He prayed with the victim, Katie Lentz, and then vanished without so much as leaving his name. The event sparked a frenzy of religious excitement. Among Christians, speculation grew that this mysterious figure was a guardian angel sent to protect the teenage girl. Bloggers were even hypothesizing about the identity of the angel himself.


When it was revealed that the angel was flesh-and-blood priest Father Patrick Dowling, the news was greeted with mild disappointment. A humble and helpful priest who wouldn’t even take the credit for saving the girl’s life wasn’t quite as flashy as the “Miracle on the Highway.”

What everyone seemed to agree upon was that if angels exist they are helpful supernatural entities there to shield us from harm.

But are they?

In the Bible angels are mostly errand boys, the word itself means "messenger." As God’s intermediaries they give tours of heaven to righteous visionaries like Daniel, deliver messages to God’s chosen ones, and sing eternal praises to God. There are many kinds of angels, from the familiar (the angels, archangels, cherubs) to the strangely inanimate (St. Paul opaquely talks about “thrones, principalities, and powers” which sounds a lot like celestial furniture).

But they have a violent streak.

The first angel mentioned in the Bible is the angel that guards the entrance to the Garden of Eden with a fiery ever-turning sword. Guardian angels are in the Bible, but they’re not there to protect us.

More at the link

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/08/15/the-truth-about-angels-in-the-bible.html

[rug]

1. A side note.

Angel and evangelist share the same root, angelos, meaning messenger or announcer. Add eu, good, and you get evangelist, or, messenger of good news.

[LostOne4Ever]

2. This reminded me of this cracked article

http://www.cracked.com/article_18757_5-things-you-wont-believe-arent-in-bible.html

Shows some depictions of how they are actually supposed to look like.

[Th1onein]

3. The Angel of the Lord is always packing heat.

If you meet an angel you should probably run.

lolol!

[No Vested Interest]

4. The "mild disappointment" is in the eyes of the beholder.

I was quite pleased that Fr. Patrick Dowling is a native of Kilkenny, Ireland, with a brogue so pleasing to the ear.
I'd be so happy to have him appear at the scene if I were to ever be in such a situation.

[cbayer]

6. Here is an article about him and the accident.

http://www.religionnews.com/2013/08/13/mystery-priest-from-mo-accident-scene-steps-forward/

[dimbear]

5. Some angels mean you well, some mean you harm.

Check the story of King Ahab for details. On the whole, it's a little like wild mushrooms. You're better off without.