Are We Entertaining Angels Unawares?

“An angel can illuminate the thought and mind of a man by strengthening the power of vision.”

St. Thomas Aquinas

There have been many shows dedicated to Angels over the years. Touched by an Angel, Highway to Heaven, Good Omens. The list could go on.  Today I was reading Hebrews, I had been toggling between Hebrews and Revelation. I parked on Hebrews 13:2: Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it. What a profound scripture. Why Angels? Revelation is full of Angels and their place in Heaven. It is a fascinating study. Back to the question. Do Angels dwell among us? 

Angels appear throughout scripture

Throughout Scripture Angels appeared to many to impart God’s plan to those with open hearts. Some Christians argue that this was before the Holy Spirit descended like a dove in Acts and dwelled in believers. However if you stay with me, perhaps we can say that Angels do indeed dwell among us. Let’s start with the appearances of Angels in Scripture. 

When did the first Angel appear? 

In Genesis 18 three Angels appeared to Abraham. In that visit, the Angels told Abraham of his son that would be born to his wife Sarah. In that son, a nation would be founded.  Later in Genesis after the birth of his son, Abraham was instructed to take Isaac as a sacrifice to God. At the moment of sacrifice, God provided an Angel to intervene and a ram. A sacrifice in Isaac’s place. Some scholars say that this is foreshadowing to Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice. Personally, I believe this to be true. Back to the matter at hand. Can you imagine God asking you to sacrifice your own child? I would probably say to God, “Are you sure? My precious child?” Abraham probably did so as well, but by his faith in God, there must have been a part of him that knew that God would indeed provide a sacrifice in his son’s place. Right as Abraham was about to plunge the knife and Angel appeared to him and said that God honored his willingness to obey him and because of that, God would multiply his descendants like the stars of the heavens.  Genesis 22

In the book of Daniel God sent Angels to help

What was one of the many stories of Daniel? He was in the Lion’s Den. Daniel was appointed as a satrap in the Kingdom of Persia. A satrap was a ruler. Daniel was so distinguished in that he garnered the attention of those in a higher station. The king himself had set his sights on making Daniel a ruler over all of the satraps. You can only imagine what that promotion stirred in the hearts of the others who wanted to be in charge; the age old feeling that sometimes gets us all. The green eyed monster that is called jealousy. The other rulers were so jealous that they implored King Darius to make an edict that only the citizens could pray to him and not their God. Daniel knew that he served his God and that he was to pray to Him each and every day. When the satraps caught him praying they reported him to the king. The king, knowing his word was law, threw Daniel into the lion’s den. Again, can you imagine? I’d be a mess. Yet Daniel went willingly. The king was so distraught over Daniel that he did not eat or seek entertainment that evening. The next morning, the king called to Daniel in the lion’s den and Daniel answered. The king marveled at what had happened. When he asked Daniel how he survived, Daniel told him that God had sent an Angel to close the mouths of the lions. The king threw the jealous satraps into the lion’s den for their deception. 

Angels have appeared in other portions of scripture to help others. 

This evening I pulled out my physical Bible. I have not done that in quite some time, I have a Bible on my tablet. I went to the index and looked up Angels, they appear over 200 times in the Bible. In Job the scripture states that they were there when God created the stars. Who appeared to Mary when she was told that she would have God’s only son? An Angel. One of my favorite scriptures in the Bible is contained in Psalms. Psalm 37 to be specific. The scripture states that the Angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear God. What does it mean to encamp? They set up a camp around us. That says to me that indeed, angels are among us. 

If demons dwell on the earth perhaps Angels can too

There are several scriptures that do state that Satan roams the earth. In Job the Lord says to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered, “From going to and fro on the earth and walking up and down on it.”  I Peter tells us that we need to be watchful and on alert because Satan prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Satan disguises himself as an Angel of light to draw us away from God. Jesus cast demons out of an insane man, they even uttered their name. Legion. Why? There were many of them. If those minions of hell can dwell on the earth. Angels must be amongst us as well. 

How can we know there are Angels? 

I really don’t have an answer for that but as the scripture says in Hebrews, be kind to the stranger. You may be entertaining an angel. Do I think that God can reveal angels to us today? Yes. Absolutely. He is God. I don’t think that just because Jesus has ascended to heaven the work of Angels is done on earth. I trust if God wants to show us an Angel, He will. There are compilations of stories that you can read online of people who truly believe God sent an Angel to watch over them. 

Can we look for Angels?

At the moment it seems like things are just divided. Social media is a blessing and a curse. I’ve struggled a great deal with it myself. I was quite discouraged today reading the news. I honestly believe that God led me to Revelation today, particularly to chapter 4. In that chapter it describes just how big and powerful God is. He is bigger than what is going on here in America or the world. While we wait we can put on the whole Armor of God. The Belt of Truth. Be truthful in all things. The Breastplate of Righteousness. We know that we are in right standing with God through our faith in Him. Our feet are to be fitted with the Gospel of Peace.

Why? When our doubt comes, we have the scripture to fall back on to give us hope. The Shield of Faith to help us withstand the darts and arrows of life that are hurled at us. The Helmet of Salvation and The Sword of the Spirit round out our wardrobe. Those are there to give us more protection, more grace, more assurance that we are God’s loved ones. 

Do angels dwell among us? That is for you to decide but maybe we really are entertaining angels unaware. Also, if you want some really interesting depictions of the Bible on Instagram check out AI Bible. Read their purpose if you choose to visit, it is pretty profound.