Do you believe in angels and other celestial beings?

Do you believe in angels? Do you believe you have a gaudian angel? Fifty-five percent of adult people believe they have been protected by a guardian angel during their life. Sixty-seven percent of people who believe in God believe in guardian angels. According to an Associated Press - GfK poll, 88% of Christians, 95% of Evangelical Christians, and 94% of those who attend weekly religious services of any sort say they believe in angels.

Have you ever seen or encountered an angel? Many believe there are various ways angels can be seen by humans.

LIGHT:  bursts of small, colored lights across your field of vision; glowing orbs; a constant stream of very bright white light which, like the sun, is difficult to look into directly. 

SHADOWS, CLOUDS, OR MISTS: 

WEARING WINGS: Why do angels take this form? Is this what angels "really" look like? The angels sometimes take this form because angels know this form is familiar to humans, so it’s an easy way for angels to identify themselves without a shadow of a doubt.  

AS HUMANS: It is far more common for angels to appear in physical form as humans than wearing wings. Often an angel will appear as a human because the angel wants to offer you assistance—a good Samaritan who changes your tire, a fellow shopper who helps you pick the perfect outfit for a first date. And the best way for angels to work in public around other people unnoticed is in human form.

A DIVINE SCENT

A FLURRY OF FEATHERS: Even a single feather is thought to be one of the most familiar ways an angel messenger may attempt to connect with us. If you keep finding feathers appearing out of nowhere, often in random places, chances are it’s a gift from the angels. Different colours are reported as having different meanings, for example, a white feather can be a comforting sign to reassure you that your deceased loved ones are safe and watching over you. A brown feather, meanwhile, can signify stability in your home life.

MEANINGFUL MUSIC: Listen up when you have a particular song stuck in your head – especially if it isn’t one you’ve heard recently. Or, if you press shuffle on your playlist and the perfect song for your current state of mind and circumstances randomly pops up.

NATURE'S WINGED MESSENGERS: You may already be familiar with the phrase ‘Robins appear when loved ones are near.' You may also have heard the saying ‘Butterflies are the heaven-sent kisses of an angel’. It’s believed that a butterfly – particularly if it catches your eye by doing something unusual, such as landing on your hand – can also be a sign that the spirit of your loved one lives on. 

PENNIES: Find a penny and all day long you’ll have good luck! A coin in your path – a penny from heaven – is said to be a token to remind you that you are truly precious. If you’re finding coins are cropping up in unexpected places a lot in your life, see them as a special gift to treasure from an angel messenger. Collect them as a sign of celestial support and cherish them as little keepsakes to remind you of the angels.

THE POWER OF WORDS:When you ask the angels for a sign, sometimes you will receive literally just that! An advert on the side of a bus, a street sign with the name of an angel or a billboard that contains something that may resonate with your current situation. Pay special attention to any recurring themes. 

FEELING THEIR PRESENCE: When angels are near, some experts say you may notice a cool breeze, a dip in temperature in the room or feel a warm, loving presence close by. Some have experienced ringing in the ears or tingling on the crown of their head, which they believe are signs that the angels are trying to communicate.

NUMBERS: Have you ever noticed how you seem to look at the clock at exactly the same time every day, for example, 23:23? Or how the same numbers keep coming up over and over again as you go about your daily life? Angels are thought to use repeating sequences such as 111, 222, 333 etc as a way of catching your eye. Put your trust in the angels that this is not purely by chance – they could be trying to convey an important message. Each number has a different meaning so, if it doesn’t already have significance to you, you might want to make a note and do some research of your own into what the numbers mean. 

DREAMS: It’s thought that an angel messenger may make contact through our dreams. This could be because when we’re fully relaxed, we’re particularly open to receiving messages. As soon as you wake, make a note of anything that stood out in the dream – it may be a symbol, a character, an animal or a conversation. See if you can interpret it.

But are there more beings in the divine unknown realm assisting us in our lives?   

Today I awoke feeling a little down for no particular reason. So I asked God to give me a reading to lift my spirits. I felt a pull towards the book of Peter. I was going to read 1 Peter then 2 Peter, but the pages kept flipping to 2 Peter so I just started there then read 1 Peter.

My eye got stuck on 2 Peter 2:10-12 for some reason so I did a study on that today and pray ALL of my reading adds to me in some way.

2 Peter 2:10 "This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority. Bold and arrogant these men slander CELESTIAL BEINGS; yet even ANGELS, though they are STRONGER and more POWERFUL, do not bring slanderous accusations AGAINST such beings in the presence of the Lord. But these men blaspheme in MATTERS they do not understand. They are LIKE brute BEASTS, creatures of INSTINCT, born only to be caught and DESTROYED, and like beasts they too will PERISH."

Most of the commentaries tried to dodge the word "CELESTIAL BEINGS" interpreting it as the 'glories' of God. Man has a tendency to choose what they want to believe when reading the Word and pull other verses to prove their point. It is a good practice because the Word verifies the Word, but man can still interpret scripture wrong, even with good intentions.

I choose to believe Peter's words meant CELESTIAL BEINGS and that we don't understand about them so we tend to speak wrong and teach wrong about them, if we teach about celestial beings at all. Here Peter says there is authority, a ranking of power people despise. He then procedes to talk about celestial beings, strong powerful angels, and then people lacking knowledge of authority being like wild animals just acting on base instinct, not thought, which will make them perish. A heirachy is being shown.

It is easy to discern Peter is concerned with submission to authourity by his first letter he wrote (1 Peter) dealing with authority: Submit to every authority instituted among men etc., slaves submit to masters, wives submit to husbands, and young men be submissive to the elders. So, the theme of understanding authority continues in 2 Peter.

I looked up CELESTIAL BEINGS and Protestant Christianity (Western christianity) does not teach about celestial beings as other Christian denominations/branches do, such as the Jews, Catholics, and Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Christians. We do acknowledge the angel Micheal and Gabriel and the existence of angels, but not so much celestial beings.

We know angels are agents of God, but is there more to learn? In a world of 'enlightenment,' crystals, astrology, witchcraft, and devil worshipping, people can go astray. 2 Peter 2:14 says they (bold arrogant men) can SEDUCE the UNSTABLE. Is it any wonder we FEAR understanding celestial beings?

Wesley Baines wrote in "The Spheres of the Christian Angelic Hierarchy" there is a heirarchy to angels and I will list his writings here to be pondered. We all know there are still mysteries of God we do not know and will not know. But Peter wrote for us not to be so quick, without thought, to disclaim things in a realm we don't understand. There are forces we don't know or understand, created by God, other than ourselves at work in areas we don't know, understand, and cannot see. The only sure truth is that they are all under God's authority. The first of the 10 Commandments says "You shall have no OTHER God's BEFORE me." There is acknowledgement of other gods, but they are all under God. God did NOT say to NOT have any OTHER god. He said NOT to have one BEFORE him and I always found that kind of strange. I would never encourage any type of other god worship and I'm not doing so now. God was always angry when people worshipped and depended on other gods before him. God demonstrated even though the gods Pharoah prayed to answered his prayers, our God could outdo every Egyptian god called upon.

So, here is the list of Celestial beings according to their heirarchy and if nothing else I hope you find it interesting.

(1) First Sphere:

SEREPHIM: Tradition places seraphim in the highest rank in Christian angelology and in the fifth rank of ten in the Jewish angelic hierarchy. They are mentioned in the Book of Enoch and the book of Revelation.

CHERUBIM: The cherub is depicted as having two pairs of wings, and four faces: that of a lion (representative of all wild animals), an ox (domestic animals), a human (humanity), and an eagle (birds). Their legs were straight, the soles of their feet like the hooves of a bull, gleaming like polished brass. Satan has been thought to be a fallen Cherub.

THRONES: Thrones are a class of angels, based on an interpretation of Colossians 1:16.

(2) Second Sphere

DOMINATION OF LORDSHIP: The Dominations regulate the duties of lower angels. It is only with extreme rarity that the angelic lords make themselves physically known to humans.

VIRTUES: The Virtues are known for their control of the elements. In addition to being the spirits of motion, they also assist in governing nature. They also assist with miracles, as well as encourage humans to strengthen their faith in God.

POWERS OF AUTHORITIES: Are given their name because they are angels who have power over evil forces, which the angels are able to restrain to keep them from doing harm.

PRINCIPALITIES OR RULERS: Are the angels that guide and protect nations, or groups of peoples, and institutions such as the Church. The Principalities preside over the bands of angels and charge them with fulfilling the divine ministry. There are some who administer and some who assist.

ARCHANGELS: The word archangel is only used twice in the New Testament: 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and Jude 1:9. There are Seven Archangels said to be the guardian angels of nations and countries, and are concerned with the issues and events surrounding these, including politics, military matters, commerce and trade.

In Christian traditions GABRIEL is also considered an archangel. Archangel RAPHAEL appears only in the Book of Tobit (Tobias). Tobit is considered deuterocanonical by Catholics (both Eastern and Western Rites) and Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Christians, as well as Anglicans. Archangel URIEL. Uriel's name is not mentioned in the Western Christian Bible, but plays a prominent role in an apocryphal Book of Enoch read by Anglican and Russian Orthodox Christians. The apocryphal Books of Enoch (especially 3 Enoch) tell that METATRON was previously the biblical Enoch, who, upon his ascension to Heaven, was transformed into an archangel and given the name Metatron. He was then bestowed the positions of chief of the archangels, and told the secrets of creation.

ANGELS: The angels are the lowest order of celestial beings, and the most recognized. They are the ones most concerned with the affairs of men and women. Within the category of the angels, there are many different kinds, with different functions. The angels are sent as messengers to humanity. Personal guardian angels come from this class (Matthew 18:10).

PERSONAL GAUDIAN ANGELS: Personal guardian angels are not of a separate order of angels. It is a common belief among Christians that they are assigned to every human being, Christian or not.

(3) INDIVIDUAL ANGELS AND DEMONS FROM THE CHOIR: Archangels belong to this choir ("archangel" has here the meaning of "most powerful angel", not the members of the second lowest choir). Beelzebuth is also addressed as prince of the seraphim in witchcraft litanies. Beelzebub and Azazel were cherubim before their fall. Thomas Aquinas in "Summa Theologica" states that Satan belongs to this choir, not to the seraphim.

There are many unknowns in our world. People are quick to dismiss what they don't understand. At one time people believed touching blood contaminated a person and various other falsehoods due to lack of knowledge. We learn we when we decide to open our minds to new possibilities. Women were burned as witches for having perceived knowledge other than what was accepted by the ruling powers. Christianity frowns on delving into what is labeled as the 'supernatural' when angels and other celestial beings are acknowledged within the Christian Bible. There is clearly more than we know when it comes to the celestial world.