ANGELS ARE NOT EXTINCT

            We were discussing about Angel encounters in our earlier posts. I would like to hi-light one more such incident. A few months back my wife and I were bringing our daughter and her two little ones to our home town. It is about thirty hours train journey from her place. When we reached railway station, younger child, who was three, was running a slight fever. Unexpectedly the train was late due to fog. Train which was to come by six in the evening was  late and was only expected by four early next morning. So we took a room in a nearby hotel. At about 11 night, the child's fever had gone up, and we urgently needed the prescribed medicine. But there were no medical shops open around as it was almost midnight.  So, we left the kids in hotel under the care of my wife.  We wanted to try our luck at a pharmacy attached to a hospital which is about two kilometers away.   My daughter and myself somehow got a bus going to that direction, may be  the last one, but unfortunately the medicine was not available with them. The pharmacist suggested that we might get this medicine in another new pharmacy which was further one kilometer down the road. As it was nearing midnight, and the roads were deserted, walking down that road  with my daughter was a risk. When we were discussing and thinking what to do, there came two stout men in a car to buy some medicines. One  is the driver, and other seems to be his friend. They overheard our conversation and voluntarily offered to give us a lift to that new pharmacy. We could find no other choice to get this medicine, but to go along with these two strangers. They dropped us by the new pharmacy, but the medicine was not available there either. This pharmacist referred us to another pharmacy which is further half kilometer away in a different direction. When we came out dejected, this car with two men were waiting at the gate. Seeing our plight they again offered  to drop us at the referred pharmacy.

Luckily we got the medicine from there. Now the problem is how to get back to our hotel in the middle of this night.  When we came out of the pharmacy with the medicine, we were happy to see  again that car with two men at the gate. When they dropped us at our hotel, the time was past midnight. We did not know how to thank them. We thought of offering them money, but they refused, and suddenly sped away telling us to remember them in our prayers, not to be seen again. Suddenly our eyes opened, we knew they were Angels. They were there to guide and protect us.

I do not really know whether the status of Angels are much above human beings or below. It is written that human beings are created in the image of God. Same is not written about Angels. Salvation,  and to be one with the God,  is promised  only to humans. But as far as I know , nowhere the salvation is promised to Angels. They are only servants of God, not sons of God. The God incarnated as human and lived amongst us for our salvation. It is not known any incarnation of God as Angels to give them salvation. So, the angels may have to take birth as humans to get their salvation. Is that the reason we are seeing many Angels amongst us in human forms? Really I do not know! 

I close this chapter with a fine certificate from the scriptures " God will give orders to his Angels about you;  they will hold you up with their hands,  so that not even your feet will be hurt on the stones"   

John P.K

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Statutory warning :  Beware of Demons in Angels costumes
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ENCOUNTER WITH AN ANGEL

It was in 1997, before the start of the Mobile Phone era in India. We were travelling by our car to Palakkad, about 6 hours drive. We were going to Palakkad Engineering college for my daughter's joining there the next day. I was driving.  My wife, son, and daughter were with me. It was about 8 at night. The area where we were passing through at that time was a hilly terrain--ups and downs with a number of sharp bends. It started drizzling.  There were large stretches and miles of rubber or teak wood plantations at either side of the road.  No houses nearby. Pitch darkness except for our headlights. Occasionally some long distance buses and lorries were passing by. The situation was like what we read in horror books --- pitch darkness, at the dead of the night, thick forest, rain, no humans around, dead silence except for the crying of owls etc---but no, situation was not that bad, but bad enough if our car breaks down. But that was exactly what happened! Our car stalled, and stopped. It would not move. We were terrified and out of options.

Suddenly, from darkness a drunkard appeared.  While trying to balance himself on the ground, he studied the situation with what sense he had left of him. He was trying to stop the passing vehicles for a lift, none of them stopped. He finally attempted to stop a mini lorry.  He got into it and offered me a lift to get the mechanic from the nearest place he knows--- God knows where! I was afraid to go with the drunkard, but more afraid to leave my family in the pitch darkness. Entrusting my family and car to God, I went with him in the mini lorry in search of a mechanic. After travelling about two kilometers he brought me to a workshop. The mechanic was closing the shop, he would have left if we were late by a few minutes. Together we brought this mechanic back to the car.  I was relieved to find my family safe. The car was fixed in an hour. It was still drizzling when we started the car, and meanwhile the drunkard had disappeared to darkness, never to be seen again. Suddenly my eyes opened.  I knew it was an Angel. An Angel in the guise of a drunkard, to help us in our distress.

I have never read anywhere or knew that Angels can come as drunkards. We may also add to the description of Angels that not only they are beautiful, fair complexioned, blue eyes, golden hair, wings, white overflowing gowns and so on,  but some of them are ugly, in rags, black complexioned, with soiled hands and dirt under the nails, without wings, and even drunkards.

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Statutory warning---Beware Demons in Angels costumes

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ANGELS & HUMANS

As per our known concepts,  Angels are very beautiful beings created by God . They are normally male,  having fair complexion, with golden hairs and blue eyes, with wings, wearing long white overflowing gowns, brave, and some of them armoured with sword in their hands. They are Gods servants for carrying out God's tasks. They deliver Gods messages to human beings, protecting and guiding them. Angel Gabriel is a God's messenger, but Michael is a fighter and warrior. They appear from nowhere during our distress, and disappear to nowhere.  They can assume any forms, including human. 

So, God created Angels to carry out  many of  His jobs and deal with us, instead of Him doing it directly.  See, He did not come personally but sent Angel Gabriel for delivering His message to mother Mary, and so on-- Even though He is not personally coming, He sent clouds to give us rain, sun for heat and light, fire for burning, breeze for air, plants for grain, and trees for giving  fruit, horses for riding, even guide dogs to help the blind etc..Are they Angels in disguise sent from heaven to do these tasks ? we do not know.  May be we are not able to comprehend such a beautiful golden haired, blue eyed angels in that not so beautiful guide dog.

It is read in Bible, that in many earlier occasions Angels had taken human forms and interacted with us.  Once the Lords Angels came to Abraham as men and taken rest in his house. Abraham served them food and they ate.  These Angels also went to the house of  Lot and stayed with him during the night. Are we encountering them in our day to day life ? Many of my experiences tells me that they are amongst us in disguise to help  in our distresses.  I remember one incident when my 3 year old son lost in a busy Mumbai market. I was doing shopping along with my 3 year old son. My son was with me all along, when I turned after making payment at the cash counter, suddenly he was not there, missing. No traces of him. I ran the length and breadth of the market searching for my 3 year old son enquiring with all shop keepers. Nobody has seen a 3 year boy with blue T shirt and red cap. I was desperate and in deep distress not knowing what to do. If you lost 3 year boy in busy Mumbai market, you lost him for ever. From the market place I came to the main road enquiring for my son in blue T shirt, but in vain. . I taken a turn from the main road to the pocket road which leads to my house--all along running in desperation and enquiring. After covering further quarter of a kilometer I seen an old woman holding my sons hand and walking slowly in the direction of my house. My son was still crying and pointing with his hand the direction towards my house which she was following. Then I know that I was also crying. she told me that my son was wandering in foot path crying and she knew he was lost. I could only mumble some thanks to her, not even a proper thanks in that sense. After handing over my son safely, without telling anything, she just walked away , just disappeared in the busy road. Suddenly my eyes opened, and I knew she was an Angel in disguise. I never seen that woman again.

There are number of such incidents in my life. These direct encounters with the Angels changed my perception that they are living in heaven with beautiful golden hair, blue eyes, wings, and in white gowns.  But living amongst us as human beings to help us in our distress. We can easily recognise them. They suddenly appear in time, and disappear immediately after the task. They will never ask your name or address, neither give theirs . They never ask anything in return.

They are the Angels who appears in a lonely stretch of highway with long unending paddy fields at both sides to show us the direction whenever we are in doubt. They will appear all of a sudden at the side of the road as if they are waiting for us to ask them the direction. Otherwise what are they doing in that lonely stretch of no mans land ?. Those are again the Angels in farmers cloth to show  the repair shop whenever our tyre punctures in an unfamiliar abandoned road. Most probably, that repair shop also put up temporary by another Angel only to attend to our vehicle ! Otherwise what other business he expects from such an abandoned stretch of  road ?   If you try to recollect, you can remember many such encounters.

John P.K

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Statutory warning :  Beware of Demons in angels costumes
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