Are Guardian Angels And Archangels Real

A Matter Of Faith ?

Angels are emissaries of God sent to Earth to protect mortals and transmit divine messages. They only appear in dreams or during vision and most of the time take on a human appearance, often that of an elegant young woman. For this reason, most people dispute their existence since angelic apparitions occur only in very rare situations where an angel intervenes to spare a man from certain death.

Guardian Angels in the Bible

Guardian Angels and Archangels, just like God, are in the Bible creatures preexisting to the creation of the Universe and are in the Book of Genesis guardians of paradise. They interpose passively between men and God and are little more than mere messengers. They mostly appear in vision but sometimes materialize as Jacob's wrestling demonstrates (in Genesis). Isaiah depicts guardian angels and especially seraphim as creatures halfway between men and snakes. The seraphim would have six wings, two of which would be used to fly. The other two pairs would cover their faces and feet.

Depending on religion, angels are organized into categories according to a specific hierarchy. In Catholic religion, guardian angels and archangels are the closest to men. Angels of higher levels like seraphim, followed by cherubim and thrones would be closer to God than mortals. In the Bible, seraphim are at God's side and encircle his throne. Some associate the seraphim with the Babylonian monster Leviathan and aquatic serpents. Christians group angels into nine choirs according to a principle of Trinity (which refers to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit), three hierarchical groups.

The stories of Jesus, especially through the death of Lazarus, mention angels who would accompany the soul of the dead to the hereafter. Satan, on the other hand, would be a fallen angel who would've dared to challenge God.

Angels in civilizations

Angels appear in different forms in many civilizations. In ancient Egypt, for example, there are hybrid beings with human bodies and animal heads whose descriptions are very similar to angels of the Bible. Hermes, a winged god of Greek mythology, would be, according to representations, a messenger angel. In the Middle Ages, angels are perceived as being entirely made up of light whereas during the Renaissance they are rather seen as young naked winged people before one represents them as small puffy cherubs that one calls putti. From the romantic era, angels are portrayed in a multitude of ways.

Angelic appearances

Many people claim to have been saved by the heroic manifestation of an angel who appeared in a dangerous situation. Often, the person witnessing such a phenomenon is sick or dying and therefore not very credible. An angel appears in a dream and is a source of miraculous healing. Sometimes a close relative of the sick is contacted in the form of a doctor or even a friend whom disappears as soon as he is recognized.

Some motorists also claim that they avoid tragedy through communication of a divine messenger; it is usually in the form of an angel silhouette seen on the side of the road or in the passenger seat that beckons them to slow down before disappearing.

Others say that an angel appeared to warn them of a mortal event which allowed them to act before the tragedy. Airplane crashes and suicide attempts are frequently mentioned. Angels would also appear at the bedside of people prey to serious nightmares in an attempt to comfort them.

In a particularly strange case, a child claims to have dreamed of two angels raising something through the ceiling of his room; the next day it was announced that one of his friends was dead.

Angelology

From a scientific point of view, the science devoted to the study of angels and their manifestations in all forms is called angelology. In practice, however, angelology is a very delicate, even impossible, science because angels never leave traces or clues to identify them. Some angelist investigators attempt to capture appearances using clichés that are more often than not little revealing. Either the picture is blurry .. either it is a tickery .. or it is impossible to see the silhouette of an angel ..

Angelic manifestations also can not be the result of hallucinations since people claiming to have witnessed it usually mention a very serious situation, which is not the case of delusional people. It is unlikely that one will someday scientifically prove the existence of angels and it seems to be rather a matter of faith ..?