GENTLE BREEZE By  NELLY FAVIS VILLAFUERTE  Nelly Favis Villafuerte The subject of angels continues to fascinate many – even in this modern age.  It is one of the most popular topics of discussion and speculation.  No wonder, the sensational stories told and retold about claims of first-hand accounts of experiences with angels never lose their appeal.  To Bible-believing Christians, the Holy Bible remains their authority that angels are real spiritual beings who serve God and His people.

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The word angel was first mentioned in Genesis 16:7 of the Old Testament, when the angel of the Lord ministered to Hagar, the Egyptian handmaid of Sarah, wife of Abram.

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Let us remember that a third of the angels created by God were led by the angel Lucifer to rebel against God.  The Bible says that angels who rebelled against God became demons.  They are fallen angels that have been cast out of heaven.

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We know that our Lord God created everything that exists.  Including good angels.  The Holy Bible, however, does not specifically say that God created angels.  Nor does the Holy Bible mention when God created angels.  Neither is there mention in the Holy Bible whether or not God created all the angels at one time or on staggered basis, depending on His need for them.  But definitely angels take orders from God.  They serve God only.  And they exercise only what powers God gives them.  Meaning that they are not equal with God.

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The Holy Bible does not give the exact number of angels in Heaven.  But from Biblical accounts, we know that there are thousands and thousands of them.  In Revelations 5:11, we find the following: “Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand.”

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Angels do not have bodies since they are spiritual beings.  But sometimes angels have made themselves look like humans and have appeared to people.  We find in the Book of Genesis a story about three men who appeared to Abraham one day while he was sitting outside his tent.  Abraham thought they were just ordinary men.  He was respectful and hospitable to them.  He fed them. In Hebrews 13:2: “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing, some people have entertained angels without knowing it.”

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While the Holy Bible narrates incidents where angels help people, there is nothing in it that says that one angel watches over one person as a bodyguard.  It is beyond us to explain how God divides the assignments of the thousands and thousands of angels.  Although we usually hear people say that their “guardian angels” are protecting them all the time.

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Angels do not die like human beings.  They do not have physical bodies like us.  They are spiritual beings so they have no flesh or blood.

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Unlike human beings, angels never get tired.  Not even a little bit.  They do not get sick, too.  Nor do they get weak.  They also do not sleep.  The angels are strong and always ready to do what God tells them to do.  Whether as messengers or warriors or whatever task or role God assigns to them, God equips them to enable them to do their tasks.

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From Biblical accounts, we see that angels can open locked doors, roll away huge stones, and wipe out whole armies.  In Matthew 28:2-4: “There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.  His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.  The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.”

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Since angels don’t have physical bodies, they are neither male or female.  It is interesting to note, though, that the angels Michael and Gabriel have male names.  Also, the three angels who visited Abraham in the Book of Genesis were described as three men.

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At one point in the Holy Bible, Jesus explained that angels don’t get married.  In Matthew 22:30: “At the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.”

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Angels are real immortal beings.  Not a myth or a figment of the mind.  But angels are not to be worshipped.  Only God is to be worshipped!  The glory belongs to God.

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This column continues to give out copies of the Holy Bible for free to those who cannot afford to buy their own copies. If interested, please send your letter-request to Ms. Nelly Favis-Villafuerte, 5233 Fahrenheit St., Palanan, Makati City. Kindly mention if it is the Tagalog, English, Cebuano or Ilocano Bible that is preferred. Be joyful and forgiving. (Comments may be sent to Ms. Villafuerte’s email: [email protected]).