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ASK
AN ANGEL
Because you are loved!
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NEW YEARS
~ NEW BEGINNINGS
Saying good-bye to one era, and moving
to the next. Time once again moves toward the future, and many
times we are still living in our past.
"Yesterday
is already a dream, Tomorrow is only a vision, but TODAY well
lived, makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, and every
tomorrow a vision of hope". A quote from Kilbran wonderful
words to make today mean something to you. A smile can make
today well lived! A smile brought from memory, or a smile given
to someone.
Henri Nouwen writes:
True Friends
When we honestly
ask ourselves which persons in our lives mean the most to us,
it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions or cures,
have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with
a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us
in a moment of despair and confusion, who can stay with us in
an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing,
not curing, not healing and face with us the reality of our
powerless, that is a friend who cares.
My Angels
are called HARTS
 ™
”Helping Angels
for Renewal in Times of Sorrow”
This group of Angels are
those for people that are in sorrow. They bring hope of Renewal
to those in grief.
To see the Angels please click Here -
Every day all the
young people in Heaven would gather around God, light a candle
and go for a walk... But there was one young lady who always
sat on the side. When they asked her one day, "Laurie,
why do you never walk with us?" She said, "Every time
I light my candle, my mother's tears put it out." That
is Endless Grief (Dr.Phil McGraw)
Angel (Greek angelos,
“messenger”), celestial being believed to be a messenger,
or intermediary, between God, or the gods, and humankind. All
religions are concerned with the relationship human beings have
or may have with the supernatural realm. In ancient Greek religion,
in Judaism and Christianity, and in Islam this relationship is
thought to involve Angels—divine messengers sent to humans
to instruct, inform, or command them. An angel can function also
as a protective guardian, as a Heavenly warrior, and even as a
cosmic power. Moreover, the line between a good angel and a bad
angel, or demon, is sometimes unclear. Hence, Angels can be broadly
described as personified powers mediating between the divine and
the human. Even in its commitment to monotheism—the worship
of one God—ancient Israel was able to embrace the image of
a council of gods by turning all but one of them into Angels who
serve the one God, much as earthly courtiers serve one king. This
acceptance of a belief in Angels was a development made relatively
easy because both lesser gods and Angels could be called sons
of God. In traditional Israelite thought, Angels were assumed
to have the form of human males, and as a consequence they were
sometimes mistaken for men. After the period of Israel's Babylonian
exile (597-538 BC), Jewish thought about Angels was considerably
altered and enriched. Drawing on Mesopotamian iconography, artists
and writers began to provide wings even for anthropomorphic Angels,
and an interest developed in the Angels' garments, names, and
relative ranks. In addition to the Mesopotamian influence, the
Persian dualistic tradition (see Zoroastrianism)added another
dimension to the Jewish conception of Angels by positing hostile
and destructive Angels who are rebellious against God. The Jewish
Qumran sect, or Essenes, for example, saw the world as a battleground,
the scene of a struggle between the Spirit of Truth and the Spirit
of Wickedness, the latter an angelic power opposed to God called
Belial (see Devil). Later developments in both Judaism and Christianity
show a remarkable growth of angelic folklore, in part as the result
of continuing the ancient practice of absorbing the gods of polytheistic
religions by turning them into Angels. Although belief in Angels
is amply attested in both the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures,
many biblical scholars nevertheless suggest that the concept was
adopted not only as a literary device to personify the divine
presence but also as a means of subordinating the gods of polytheistic
religions. In the early and mid-1990s there was a resurgence of
popular interest in Angels. This interest manifested itself in
such diverse phenomena as the proliferation of celestial iconography
on greeting cards and household objects, a spate of television
specials devoted to encounters with Angels, the appearance of
“angelology” among the course offerings of alternative
educational institutions, and the tremendous success of Tony Kushman's
Pulitzer Prize-winning play “Angels in America.”
Contributed By: J. Louis Martyn1
SERAPHIM
They were considered the highest order of the Hierarchy of Angels.
They are the Angels of Love, Light, and Fire. Seraphim are the
closest to God. In the Throne Room, several of the Seraphim were
described as flying directly above the Throne of God and constantly
sing His praise. They are also called "the Burning Ones"
because they are aflame with Love. Isaiah 6 in the Old Testament
speaks of the Seraphim as "having six wings; two covering
the face, two covering the feet, and two were used for flying."
They are associated with the color of white.
CHERUBIM
The second highest Order of Angels. Their name stands for "Wisdom"
or "one who prays." In the Throne Room they were said
to stand next to the Throne of God. They are also depicted on
the Ark of the Covenant as its Guardians. Cherubs are the first
Angels mentioned in the Bible when two Cherubs are placed by God
to guard the gates to Eden with Flaming Swords. "He drove
out the man; and at the east of the Garden of Eden He placed the
Cherubim, and a Flaming Sword which turned every way, to guard
the way to the Tree of Life." Genesis 3:24. The Cherubim
were also known as the record keepers of Heaven. They were not
described as the cute little "cupid like" Angels depicted
by painters, but instead as having four wings.
THRONES
The third ranking Order of Angels. They were also known as "Wheels"
and "the Many-eyed Ones". They were considered Angels
of Justice as they were said to carry out God's decisions. These
Angels were often believed to be deployed like charioteers around
the Throne of God. They were described in Ezekiel 1:13-19 as having
four wings and four faces. They sparkled like the color of burnished
brass. They had the hands of a man under their wings. Their wings
were joined one to the other and they did not turn when they traveled
- they all went straight forward. They had four faces. They had
the face of a man as well as three other faces on their Helmets
- that of a lion, an ox, and an eagle. They moved on Wheels in
the middle of Wheels, blue-green in color. Above their Heads "the
likeness of the firmament," which was the color of crystal,
and under this were their wings, two on each side of their bodies.
The noise of their wings was "like the noise of great waters."
DOMINATIONS
The fourth ranking Order of Angels. According to Jewish traditions,
the success or failure of nations was decided by this Order of
Guardian Angels. Dionysus claims that this realm "regulates
the Angels." Dominations have been described as wearing long
albs, or gowns reaching to their feet, hitched with a golden belt
and adorned with a green sole. They carry golden staffs in the
right hand and the Seal of God in the left. At other times, they
are said to hold an orb or a specter.
VIRTUES
The fifth ranking Order of Angels. They have been called "The
Brilliant or Shining Ones." They were called the Angels of
miracles, encouragement, and blessings, and were particularly
involved with people struggling with their faith. Virtues have
been said to be the chief bestowers of grace and valor. The two
Angels at the Ascension of Jesus were traditionally believed to
be from the Order of Virtues. Virtues were usually represented
in a group.
POWERS
The sixth ranking Order of Angels. Powers have been credited as
being the first Order of Angels created by God. In Romans 13:1
it is written that "The Soul is subject to the Powers."
It is their duty to protect the world from the infiltration of
demons. They protect our souls from these evil beings and act
as ministers of God who avenge evil in the world. It was also
believed that at death, the Powers guided our transition to Heaven.
PRINCIPALITIES
The seventh ranking Order of Angels. The Principalities were described
as the Angels who protect religions. They were also considered
to be the guardians over the nations and the leaders of the world.
It was from this Order that the Angel who aided David in his task
of slaying Goliath was thought to have come. Principalities have
been described as being dressed in soldier's uniforms with golden
girdles.
ARCHANGELS
The eighth ranking Order of Angels. These were considered to be
the Angels in command of ministering to humans. They are also
the most widely known Order of Angels, since the only Angels mentioned
by name in the Bible (Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael) come from
this Order. They carry God's messages to humans and are ultimately
in command of God's Armies of Angels who are constantly in spiritual
warfare with the forces of evil and the fallen Angels. Michael
was almost universally believed to be their leader. The number
of Archangels usually considered to be associated with our system
of worlds is seven, as in the Seven Angels who stand before God
in Revelation 8:2, which is often interpreted to mean the Seven
Archangels. The Seven Beloved Archangels are Michael, Jophiel,
Chamuel, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, and Zadkiel.
ANGELS
The ninth ranking Order of Angels. Angels are the Order closest
to humanity. The word angel derives from the Greek "angelos"
meaning "messenger."
Among
the earliest Angels were ancient Assyrian Cherubim that had the
bodies of lions or other animals, wings of a bird, and human Heads.
These Angels were depicted in stone statues that stood at the thresholds
of ancient temples to ward off evil. Since then, Cherubim have often
served the purpose of guarding doors and entryways. Cherubs first
appear in the Bible at the entryway into the Garden of Eden after
Adam and Eve have been banished from Paradise. It’s their job
to prevent the fallen couple from getting back in. Drawings of winged
creatures appear on Mesopotamian stone tablets starting around 4000
BC Sumerian, Assyrian, Egyptian, Persian and Greek cultures all
may have contributed to ancient conceptions of Angels. Angels serve
many of the same functions as pagan deities and the two are sometimes
fused into one (by both Artist and Poets) Tribal cultures from all
over the world recognize spiritual beings that influence the physical
world.
Recent medical studies have shown that people who pray and have
faith in God are more likely to live longer and recover from serious
illnesses than those who don’t. The studies do not conclude
that God rewards those who pray and have faith, but that faith and
prayer are psychologically effective and can result in physical
as well as mental well-being. Those who lack religious faith tend
to feel less of a sense of purpose and importance for their lives.
Evidently, this attitude has a harmful effect on people’s Health
over time. (Jay Stevenson, PHD The Complete Idiot’s Guide to
Angels) |
