How Many Angels Are There?

TODAY'S INSPIRATION IS ABOUT ANGELS

 It is common opinion that there are officially nine orders of angels:  angels, archangels, virtues, powers, principalities, dominations, thrones, cherubim and seraphim.  Michael ~ Raphael ~ Gabriel ~ Ariel ~ Azrael ~ Chamuel ~ Haniel ~ Jeremiel ~ Jophiel ~ Metatron ~ Raguel ~ Raziel ~ Sandalphon ~ Uriel ~ Zadkiel are the names of the most recognized archangels.  Their Divine counterparts are Faith, Christine, Charity, Hope, Mother Mary, Aurora, Amethyst. 

How many angels do you have?  Everyone has one that is their "Never Leave You" angel or commonly known as your Guardian Angel.  If you ask the angels how many you have they will say, "All of us!"  Angels have assignments or jobs to perform like we do.  They have their area of expertise so to speak.  Some are angels who show mercy, some help with healing, others carry great wisdom and some are there to help with problems like finances,  romance, etc.  There are warrior angels who will provide protection, guidance and security.  The thing to understand though, is that you must illicit their assistance by asking them directly or praying to God to send help. They have their areas of expertise but need to be asked before they are allowed to intervene on your behalf.  

How does one become an authority on angels, an Angelologist?  I have no clue but I do know what the Bible has to say about them.  I am sure everyone can agree that angels are God's messengers.  The following are a couple scriptures referencing angels of God.

Hebrews 13:2 - Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

How many angels are there...evidently there is a virtual sea of angels that exist in the ethereal world.  

Daniel Chapter 7

¹⁰A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

There is reported to be 'a Heavenly Host of angels' watching over us humans...

reminding us about our angels and their presence in our lives.For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

Daniel 7:10
A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.
Hebrews 12:22
But you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly,
Jude 1:14
Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones
Revelation 4:4
Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.
Revelation 4:6
Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back.
Revelation 5:6
Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.
Revelation 5:8
And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God's people.
Revelation 5:14
The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Revelation 9:16
The number of the mounted troops was twice ten thousand times ten thousand. I heard their number.

Obviously there are numerable references in scripture regarding the ever-presence of angelic beings.  In the next couple of days I will be sharing with you, dear reader, my personal experiences with angels and do my best to describe how they appeared.  See you tomorrow.

Ways to Experience Angels

There are innumerable ways to experience angels.  Sometimes they come to you as "angels unawares" where they appear to be humans but are really angels who have been sent to see you through a life experience. They will come to you in a form that you will accept.  

  Angels my have familiar faces or most likely will be strangers to you but their actions will prove who they are.  Angels do not all have wings and they are not all angelic looking.  When you do encounter an angel unaware you will see them as an ordinary person.  What happens during your encounter will make you realize or just wonder if they were angels after all.  More about this later.

Times of great stress and/or when in a very traumatic situation angels will appear to surround and bring comfort.  

  Experiencing angels can be a mystical experience like pictured here or they may appear to you as wispy, ethereal beings.  They may show up as dancing white lights or you might get a glimpse of them as an array of colors.  The colors are emanating from archangels.  

Some say that the wings you see on angels is merely the vibrations they give off.  That could very well be.  The bottom line is that you will experience them in a way that is right for you and that you can believe and accept.  

Envisioning angels in any form makes them more real to you.  Talking with your angels, praying to angels, or calling on angels for help makes them very real. Focusing on scripture verse or meditating will definitely get their attention.  Worship, especially in a group setting calls to the angels and they love to join in the praise offering to God.  Angels are God's thoughts passing to mankind...they are God's messengers.  Their job is to bring comfort, encouragement, enlightenment and peace to mankind on behalf of God.  

These images may be how you think of angels.  We always want to think of them watching over our children and indeed they do.  We all have our own angel who is always at our side.  That is a comforting thought for the most part.  

Personally I have experienced angels in different ways.  They often leave me little signs of their presence like a penny lying on the ground or floor or a single feather that seems to appear out of nowhere.  Sometimes I can feel them touching me, especially in the way of holding my hand.  This has happened a lot while driving in the car alone.  Many people say they see signs of angels in repeated songs or the word angel repeatedly appearing or in repeated numbers on digital clocks, grocery receipts or any number of places you may find numbers.  Numbers like 3:33 am, 4:44 pm, 11:11.  There are books that will tell you the meaning of seeing these numbers repeated and what angel message they impart.  How and when you see your angels is a very personal experience and is created specifically for you so there is no set way to experience angels.

  Calling on your angels, acknowledging their presence or just talking with them creates an awareness in you that you are never without help and gets their attention. They never hang around to be thanked but I am quite sure they will hear when you do thank them for 'having your back'.  

Next I will tell you the story of my first encounter with beings of light, angels, who came to share wisdom.

Personal Experience with Angels

Here is the story of my first encounter with angels...at least angels who appeared to me in a visible form.  They did not appear to have wings, at least I don't remember them having wings.  Their appearance was muted but they were very bright white beings as if made of pure white light.  Their countenance was one of assurance and loving acceptance, like I could do no wrong in their eyes.  This made me both comfortable with their presence and willing to listen to their message to me.  They looked rather like this...

I never got any names.  It just didn't seem necessary to ask them.  This is how it happened.  

I was in my early twenties and had not been married for long.  It had been my great pleasure and honor to go through a special training with a teacher to get accreditation to be a Christian Science Practitioner/Healer.  That had been a wonderful experience.  Besides my new husband and family there were only two things that were dear to my heart.  One was to have a child and the other was to learn as much as possible about God.  

My new husband and I had moved in with my elderly father for a brief time to take care of him after the loss of my mother.  We had to stay in the bedroom I had as a child and there were only bunk beds available.  I remember lying awake in my bunk bed, my husband sound asleep in the bed a few feet away and being surprised by an unusual sight.  Gathered around my bed appeared a group of beings that looked like pure light.  They radiated a calm and loving presence so I took it all into stride.  I did not hear actual words but understood what they were saying to me.  They were speaking of Higher Truth that I had not heard before.  I listened to them and watched them while they communicated with me.  Suddenly they were gone.  This happened a few times over the course of a couple months.  It has not happened this way since, sadly!

Listening to their words of wisdom seemed natural or normal at the time but later I began to wonder if it was my mind playing tricks or if I was just dreaming.  After every session with them I was led to either read or watch something that said the exact same things they had shared.  I took this as my confirmation that I was not losing my grip on reality but really was being visited by angelic beings.  Since this time I have encountered angels in other ways and under quite different circumstances.  I know they are always with me and speak with them every day.  Not in the way of my first encounter which was a lot like visiting a tribunal or counsel of some sort but in a very quiet and assuring way.  I do walk with my angels.

Tomorrow I will share the next major experience with angels where I literally walked with them.  

I have written a eBook called Angels Among Us which is in PDF format and I would be glad to send you a copy.  Please go to my CONTACT FORM and mention you want your free copy.  I will be glad to send it to you.  

Another Personal Experience with Angels

My next story begins with a long walk to church.  This happened while my son was away visiting with his father and I was living in an apartment which was about eight miles from the church I attended.  On Monday nights members met at the church for intercessory prayer vigils.  It is something I never missed and it was very important to me.  Transportation was something that my friends supplied as I was without a car and it was a rural type area so no buses.  I literally had no money so taxi was not an option.  It was Monday afternoon and there was no one available to take me to church so I set out to walk there.

The journey began on the roadside but most of the walk was down a dirt road through a forest type setting.  It was a beautiful day and although a long walk, most enjoyable.  As I walked I prayed.  About three-quarters of the way there I realized the path had become kind of misty.  I felt a presence surrounding me.  It wasn't something fearful but comforting and really quite beautiful.  I could smell clear, cool water as I walked but there was no source of water in sight.  It was very strong and stayed with me for a long period of time, or so it seemed.  By the time I reached the church there were others just arriving as well.  They were surprised I had walked to the church and thought I must be very tired.  Oddly, I was not a bit tired and went straight to the alter to kneel and pray some more.  My thought was if there was no one who could take me home after prayer ended I would just walk back.  There were several who offered to drive me home so that worked out well.   

There are those who say that angels will be experienced as a smell.  Over the years I have had many times when I could smell clean, fresh water where there was no water around me at the time.  Also, angels are beings of light and not material form (unless they are given a task to appear as human to be of assistance).  So, when they do visit they bring a light.  This is a light like the sun's rays shinning through the trees or maybe a misty-like light.  It could be that angels were with me on my long walk.  When you speak God's Word angels are attracted.  You are literally speaking their language.  In prayer or meditation I often use scripture which may have set the scene so to speak.

All this happened during a time when I was unemployed and had no, NO, money.  Looking for work was something I did as much as possible but it was really difficult as I had NO money, no transportation and no phone.  The majority of my day was spent pouring over the Bible looking for references to wisdom.  I desperately wanted to know what wisdom was and how I might gain some. I lived this way for almost three months.  I had the first month's rent when I moved into the apartment and sold almost everything I owned for the second months rent.  The third month's rent was due and on the due day when I awoke I simply said, (in a matter-of-fact way as I recall), "Okay Lord, my rent is due today and it is $250.  I have no clue how you will provide this today but I am anxious to see how this happens.  Thank you for taking care of my rent."   With that I went about my usual day.

Not much time had passed when there was a knock at my door.  I opened the door to see one of my good friends from church.  She lived and worked in the next town so seeing her at my door on a weekday morning was most usual.  She smiled at me and said she was a little embarrassed but that she felt she must be obedient.  She explained that during her morning prayers God had told her to go to my home and give me some cash that I needed.  She reached out her hand and offered me an envelope.  I was amazed at all this and took the envelope she offered.  Inside I found exactly $250 in cash.  My rent was paid.  Here is the thing though.  I had told no one, and I mean no one about needing rent nor how much money the rent was that I needed.  Vickie may have been a friend from church but that morning she was my angel.  People often do God's bidding and when they do they are very angelic.  At least in my mind.

 This is called an "Orb" and is considered a spirit or ghost.

This is more of an angel light as it has a shape.

This image is how I often experience angels.  They are more of an angelic light that usually leads the way when I ask for their help.

Tomorrow the story continues and I will share how I walked with my angels to a job interview.  

Angels at My Job Interview

Angels will show up to offer guidance, protection and loving support when called on or when they are needed the most...like going to a much needed job interview.  If you read the previous post, this is a continuation of that story.  I was almost 37 and living alone in a small apartment.  It had been three months with no visible means of support, no job and nothing left to sell.  My son had moved to Georgia to live with his dad and new step mom.  My days were spent mostly pouring through scripture.  Rent somehow turned up and daily meals somehow happened.  Truly I cannot explain how because I literally had not a penny to my name for weeks.  No car, no phone and yet I had a good job interview.  The importance of landing this job was, well, you can imagine.  

Needless to say, prayer was a big part of my preparation for the all important job interview.  The job was as a visiting care giver for elderly and disabled clients of this company.  Did I have prior experience in this field...no, not a lick.  I had been, however, a live-in nanny for a family for three years and did have a son of my own.  The job was to drive to client's homes and perform services for them that they needed like cleaning house, doing laundry, cooking, personal care and shopping for them.  Being that I had no car it was necessary to walk to the job interview which was for a person who owned a car.  Hmmm...So, I prayed to God and thanked Him for his infinite resources and reminded myself that man is always employed.  Employed as a servant of God showing loving kindness and lending a helping hand wherever needed.  I called on my angels for their assistance and set out to the interview.  

This time I didn't actually see my angels but their presence was so strong,  feeling them around me was undeniable.  As I walked down the road to the place where the interview was being held I asked my angels to do something it had never occurred to me to ask before.  I said, "Angels, thank you for your help.  Please go ahead of me and prepare the way for my interview. "  In that moment I swear I saw two angels go ahead of me and disappear from sight.  I felt that things were being prepared on my behalf and that the interview would go well.  

It did feel for all the world that as I walked the rest of the way to the interview I was walking hand-in-hand with my guardian angel.  Be it true or not did not matter.  I could feel my angel by my side.  

THE INTERVIEW

After three miles of walking down a dusty road on a hot day I arrived in perfect timing and without any signs of wear and tear on my person and clothing.  How is that possible?  I don't know.  The interview went extremely well.  When asked if I could handle the job and did I have transportation, I answered with confidence, YES!  Had I lied?  NO.  Why?  Because when you ask God for help you must do so with the belief it will actually happen.  If you do not believe in what you ask of God, then why ask?  I believed with my whole heart that I would have a car and that I would be able to do a good job.  There was NEVER A DOUBT IN MY MIND!  ...   I left with the job!  It would be one week before it started.

So the car looked a lot like this except it was dark brown and the side mirror was falling off.  I cannot remember for the life of me how I came to own this car nor the correct details except that I did have a car to start work and it did run...at least for a while.  The job turned out to be very rewarding and I did enjoy visiting a variety of people who needed my help.  

I believe angels are beautiful light beings and even though they seldom appear in angelic visible forms like this picture, they are loving and protective and offer gentle guidance and wisdom when asked.  I never get behind the wheel of my car without asking my angels to go before and prepare the way, to protect and care for myself and all those I may encounter along the way. Superstitious?  Maybe a little but the one day that I forgot to do this my brand new car got sideswiped and I still have the dent from that little mishap.  So, yes, I always ask for the help of my angels.

Just as a little side detail to this story.  This happened during a time when I was losing a lot of extra weight.  It was just happening naturally and not from any dieting or exercise.  On the way home I was thinking that the bra I had was almost useless as it was so big now.  I thought to myself, "God, I really need a bra that fits."  That was it.  No more thinking about bras.  When I arrived back home there was a grocery shopping bag in front of my door.  I looked inside and it was filled with bras...many different types and sizes.  There was a note from the mother of my friend who worked at the local Salvation Army.  She said, "I hope this doesn't offend you but I felt led to bring you these bras.  I am hoping you will find at least one that will fit. I know you have lost a lot of weight recently.  Love, Pat"  God has infinite resources with which to bless mankind and many unusual ways of provision.  Just believe!  Thank you God!

An Angel Came to My Job

Angels are pure beings of light and their mission is to watch over us humans. They are gentle and come as a whisper. Sometimes they do take human form when the situation is required but once they have completed their task they are gone from sight. You have probably met them at different times in your life but just didn't realize. They don't announce, "Hey, I am an angel, look at me." They are pure love as they bring God's message of love and protection. Invite your angels into your life. Thank them for their presence.

Sometimes angels are given the task of appearing in human form in order to offer their assistance even when you don't ask.  So since my last story things changed again.  The first job in health care had led to another job working in an adult foster care home.  That was a lovely experience and it ended up being a kind of ministry.  However, my son was living with his dad in Georgia and I was still in Michigan.  There had to be a way to move to Georgia.  Two individuals from the church I attended decided they would set out to Florida to begin their own church and they asked me to go with them.  I decided to go along as it would at least be an opportunity to stop in Georgia and see my son.  

This is where we ended up,Tampa Florida, and the best part was the beach, although we only went there once and just to perform baptism.  Still, it was something to remember.  The three of us had pooled all of our available funds and we piled as much of our immediate belongings into his small red car as possible.  Once there we had enough to get a small and very meek apartment to share.  We were all fasting for long periods of time so we didn't need much for food but it was necessary to get jobs quickly.  My friend Vicki and I set out walking into town to see if we could find work.  We were both hired immediately to work at an S & S Cafeteria as floor help.  This was WAY outside of my wheel house.  Carrying things without spilling them was never one of my talents.  But, it was a paycheck.  

So then this happened...

This wasn't the restaurant but it looked a lot like this on Sundays.  It was my job to work the floor and that meant doing a lot of waitressing.   Again, not my talent at all!  It didn't take long before I found myself almost in tears...overwhelmed with the confusion and my inability to handle the many full drink trays, etc.  At the point of almost shear panic a customer touched my arm as I passed by his table. He was so calm and reassuring some how. I stopped in my tracks, filled tray in hand, and stood there staring at him.  He said, "What is wrong child?"  I was stunned and not sure what to answer.  In that moment all of the noise and confusion melted away and I felt sunshine and an instant calm came over me.  I told him I was struggling with the job and he said, "It will all be fine."  I thanked him and continued to the back with my tray.  When I walked out to the front again he was gone.  I asked everyone who worked there and some of the customers near his table if they had seen where the man went and they all said they had seen no man there.  There had been two ladies there and they had just left.  No one had seen the man!  I had and I will never forget him.  He appeared and then was gone.  The rest of my time working in the restaurant did go well and things did work out in a much unexpected way.  

There is no doubt in my mind that that was an angel that i had encountered unawares...it was a feeling that I just do not know how to explain.  

There are many ways that angels will appear.  Next i will tell the story of how angels appear in yet a different form.  I do however, love to think of angels like this..

And Then This Happened...

Sometimes God sends angels disguised as butterflies.  This is a common consensus among those who view themselves as angel authorities.  

Maybe seeing butterflies makes us think of angels.  That could be the only connection?  

Maybe we love butterflies because the angels themselves love butterflies.  Perhaps they are kindred spirits? 

Butterflies and fairies seem to be connected...at least in the images you see of them.

Butterflies are gentle creatures and so are angels.  Perhaps it is their gentleness of nature that makes us think of the angels when we see butterflies?

Lost loved ones are known to appear or at least be connected to butterflies that appear.  Before my ex-husband passed he met a woman who was already dying of cancer.  She told him to watch for butterflies as that is how she would come back to say hello after she passed.  Just after her passing my ex said how he had seen a butterfly land on his window ledge and he instantly knew it was her saying hello.  I said, "Okay."  Then he decided that is how he would come back to say hello after he passed. I said, "Okay."  A couple years later after his passing my family reported seeing butterflies that they were sure were connected to dad.  I said, "Okay."  

Then butterflies started showing up in odd places around me.  They caught my attention and now and then one lingered and just rather stared at me or at least in my direction.  I began to wonder and I said to myself, "Okay."

And then this happened...

I was driving down the road when I realized there was a butterfly perched on my window wiper.  I wondered at first if it was dead but it turned slightly and appeared to be looking into the windshield at me.  The car was going at a good speed and I actually accelerated to see if the butterfly would get blown off.  At 65 MPH the butterfly remained on the wiper blade.  This went on for about three miles until I just had to pull over.  I pulled into an empty parking lot and stopped the car all the while watching the butterfly.  Surely I thought, it must be dead.  It was not and I got a very strange feeling as I watched it slowly turn around and face me. It stayed there for a couple minutes and appeared to be watching me as I watched it.  Then it slowly flapped its wings and turned heading up into the sky.  I got out of the car and watched as it flew higher and higher into the sky until it disappeared into the distance.

Some folks believe that lost loved ones will become angels after death that are there watching over you.  I don't know about that one.  If you go by feelings then that feeling is there that my departed loved ones are there from time to time and are watching over me.  It is a feeling.  A common saying is that if you say I love you to a butterfly it will fly off to heaven to deliver your message.  Loved ones live in your heart and come alive as you remember them and speak of them.  It could be possible that they can come to you as a butterfly just to say, "Hello, I am watching over you and waiting until we meet again."  I guess the answer lies in your own heart and mind.  What do you believe?  

I found this poem.  Isn't it lovely!

Tomorrow is another story about angels visiting unawares.  Whether it was a Divine Intervention or angels visiting I am not sure but it is a story of faith that should be told.