Do angels look the same to everyone?

[louis]

First off - lets presume that you already know and serve Jesus and that nothing you read here or anywhere else will bring your relationship into question.

Ok? Done.

I see glimpses of the spirit world every now and then. Earlier today it happened again.

Now –

here’s my question part 1: do you believe that people’s sightings of angels are “personalised” or “brain filtered”? In other words when I see an angel, do I see the same thing you see when you see an angel? Is your observation of the angel tainted with your cultural references or presumptions?

Or, is it like seeing any other person or object – where it is what it is and we all see the same thing when we look at it?
I ask this because when I see an angel, his/her/its appearance does not correspond with the cherubic, gentle, winged and smiling image depicted in popular references.

My question’s part 2 is this: if you see them, what do they look like when you see them, and why do you think that is?

 

[strawberry]

I think if there's an angel in the room manifested as a human, we'll see the same thing, and not suspect it's an angel. Some of us might discern and 'know' anyway. I believe there are angels here ministering to us like that and they don't look stereotypical; they're here to blend in, so yes scruffy, weathered, fat, thin...

 

[louis]

Wow...
I completely forgot about the "Secret Service" element, but you're right.

 

[strawberry]

^ I was thinking more about this and I remember a relative seeing an angel just before she died. Other family members were in the hospital room with her, but didn't see anything. She was talking to something where it appeared she was having a dialog. To everyone else it seemed like she was losing her mind because she was talking to something that nobody else could see. She said it was an angel. This happened around the day she died.

I know babies sometimes laugh in their cribs like maybe they're seeing an angel.

What was your experience like the other day? What did you see? I'm curious.

 

[rizen1]

I've seen demons and know they can be as beautiful or ugly. God being the creator and making us as diverse as we are, it would be fitting that all his creations have some sort of diversity.

“personalised” or “brain filtered”

Both.... hollywood have given us more a descriptive idea of what angels look like. So yes our perception of what angels and demons look like would be personal or brain filtered. If you grew up watching" touch by an angel" , City of angels , Charmed or any other movie that depict an angel, their personality or character does affect our judgment.

Angels through out the whole bible have been " Messengers ".
It's always good to use the bible as a guide. Angel is from the greek word aggelos meaning " messenger. "
We can find many examples of how they appeared, they purpose for visiting and a brief description of what people saw.

(Daniel 10:5-6)
5 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz:

6 His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.

Matt28: 2-7
1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.

3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:

4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.

5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.

6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.

So there be no confusion, let me brake this down. 3 His countenance was like lightning. Countenance is appearance, or expression of face. So his appearance or face was like lightning.
and his raiment white as snow:
Raiment is clothing. His clothing was white as snow.
Nothing indicates him being Caucasian but illuminated being, light.

Revelations 4 : 5-8
5 And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.

6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.

7 And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.

8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.

9 And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,

We can find many more scripture with angel visitations. What is clear in all those stories is that there was a mission. Their visitation was for purpose, to minister, instruct, protect, provide and deliver a message from God.

The bible helps with our discernment and judgement if we need to identify these beings. For there are 2 types of angels, Holy angels of God and Fallen angels whose master is Lucifer. All with a mission and goal to serve their master and do their earthly ministering.

I strongly believe in familiar spirits, and we must test all things. I don't trust pastors or Christians until I see their fruits and test what they say to be the word of God. I don't entertain spirits or those who entertain spirits until I know that spirit is of God.

1 John 4

1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess that[a] Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.
4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

Out of the mouth of Jesus he describes" a spirit."

Luke 24 : 36-39
36 And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.

37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.

38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?

39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

And Jesus said " 39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.


Whatever being that presents itself to you, don't be afraid to test it. Every biblical example shows man talking with angels that visited. So ask if they are sent from God and what is the purpose of their visitation. Their purpose is more important that their appearance. Hollywood and art are man's interpretation of angels.

Be blessed.

 

[louis]

Sightings

Thanks Rizen - well said and referenced.

In answer to strawberry's question, the "sightings" ive had started with the first in 2004. I've kept a kind of record and I've drawn some drawings of what I've seen, but in all the cases, the following were true:

I didn't see these things as a "superimposed" or as a physical item or object or persona - i saw them in my mind's eye, while NOT looking at the scene in which they appeared. In other words, it's almost like I saw these things by proxy.

In yet another set of words, I'd look at a scene (people shopping, people in a restaurant, a landscape, my garden, etc), then turn my head and continue whatever else I was doing, and then experience the scene I just saw in my minds eye but this time with distinctive "other" things also present.

I've seen more of what I believe to be angels than demons, and to me the difference in appearance between the two has always been very clear, simply by their appearance.

How do I know that I've just "seen" something?

• what i see doesn't follow or fall in with my current train of thought. it's almost like it gets "dropped" in there, as if something is saying "oh by the way, this just happened".
• I have perfect recall of every single one of these experiences. i can't forget them (not that i've tried).
• a strange exhilaration always follows... like a thrill but deeper.
• normally these things happen at times when they will direct my actions a certain way - mostly to get someone closeby who is able to discern what to make of it, and for them to act on it.
• normally, such a sighting will re-affirm something i've been thinking about, or i get the feeling that knowing about what i've seen at a time and place will re-assure and comfort someone if i share it with them (as the sighting in 2004 when my brother in law lost a child and i saw what i call "angelic bouncers" in and around the church during the funeral, and at his house afterward).
• only the sightings of what i believed were demons invoked any kind of apprehension - the same kind you get when you just read a ghost story or seen a movie with hauntings - the "afraid to look under the bed" type of fear.

THE FOLLOWING IS NOT AN ATTEMPT TO DESCRIBE THINGS AS THEY ARE, but as they appeared to me

Demons as in my sightings/visions/whatevers:

• Almost always absurd in appearance, either brightly coloured and sometimes completely multi-coloured, or grey, or black and shiny. Always ugly.
• Sometimes even comical looking.
• Never very big (8ft max) when compared to the bigger angels, and the smallest of these i've seen was about 3ft in height.
• Not always humanoid. Sometimes even insectoid.
  

Angels as in my sightings/visions/whatevers:

• Very rarely friendly,
• very rarely acknowledging me,
• always seem to be looking around as if on the look out for something.
• Smallest ones i've seen are around 5-6ft.
• Largest ones i've seen were at a great distance and seemed to tower above buildings, visible accross city a skyline from a distance of around 10miles - was how big they seemed (that particular sighting struck me as utterly ridiculous at the time, but it had the same hallmarks that i associate with one of my 'sightings'.
• Always humanoid
• Always clothed
• They dont have noses.
• They have wide set eyes, and wide slit like mouths, all set in a face with a very human bone structure. slightly prominent but not sloped forehead, and strong chins and cheekbones. (no, they don't look like any rosswellian alien)
• They're eyes are always in shadow and never visible, but you just know what they're looking at, be it you, some other person or object.
• No wings, ever
• Grey complexion, like the colour of an old, dirty, white pc.
• Clothed in dull grey full body length flowing cape or shroud, reminiscent of rough canvas.
• Once there were a couple dressed in what appeared to be battle-dress, but that seemed to date from biblical times - i.e. tan leather harnass, what appeared to be sandals...?
• Some of them carried swords, always heavy looking shiny long and broad.

there it is. if you think it's a big fat lie, then think so, but i'm just putting down here what i've experienced. i dont drink, i dont take drugs. i dont lie, and i am not looking for attention (i get more than enough from my kids, thanks very much).