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[Note: the \u201cangel of the LORD\u201d is, on several occasions, but not always, equated in context with God Himself. Keep in mind, then, that in those instances it may be God Who is being addressed, not a created angel, which is a different scenario than what the present argument is addressing.]<\/span><\/p>\n* *<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Genesis 19:1-2<\/span> The two angels came to Sodom in the evening; and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and bowed himself with his face to the earth, and said, \u201cMy lords, turn aside, I pray you, to your servant\u2019s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise up early and go on your way.\u201d They said, \u201cNo; we will spend the night in the street.\u201d<\/p>\nNumbers 22:34-35<\/span> Then Balaam said to the <\/b>angel of the LORD, \u201cI have sinned, for I did not know that thou didst stand in the road against me. Now therefore, if it is evil in thy sight, I will go back again.\u201d And the <\/b>angel of the LORD said to Balaam, \u201cGo with the men; but only the word which I bid you, that shall you speak.\u201d So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak.<\/p>\nPsalm 103:20 <\/span>Bless the LORD, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, hearkening to the voice of his word! (cf. 148:2)<\/p>\nZechariah 1:9, 13-14, 19 <\/span>Then I said, `What are these, my lord?\u2019 The angel who talked with me said to me, `I will show you what they are.\u2019 . . . And the LORD answered gracious and comforting words to the angel who talked with me. So the angel who talked with me said to me . . . And I said to the angel who talked with me, \u201cWhat are these?\u201d And he answered me, \u201cThese are the horns which have scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem.\u201d<\/p>\nZechariah 2:1-3<\/span> And I lifted my eyes and saw, and behold, a man with a measuring line in his hand! Then I said, \u201cWhere are you going?\u201d And he said to me, \u201cTo measure Jerusalem, to see what is its breadth and what is its length.\u201d And behold, the angel who talked with me came forward, and another angel came forward to meet him,<\/p>\nZechariah 4:1, 4-5<\/span> And the <\/b>angel who talked with me came again, and waked me, like a man that is wakened out of his sleep. And I said to the <\/b>angel who talked with me, \u201cWhat are these, my lord?\u201d Then the <\/b>angel who talked with me answered me, \u201cDo you not know what these are?\u201d I said, \u201cNo, my lord.\u201d (cf. 5:5,10; 6:4-5)<\/p>\nLuke 1:18-19<\/span> And Zechari\u2019ah said to the <\/b>angel, \u201cHow shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.\u201d And the <\/b>angel answered him, \u201cI am Gabriel, who stand in the presence of God; and I was sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news.<\/p>\nLuke 1:30, 34, 38 <\/span>And the <\/b>angel said to her, \u201cDo not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. . . . And Mary said to the <\/b>angel, \u201cHow shall this be, since I have no husband?\u201d . . . And Mary said, \u201cBehold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.\u201d And the <\/b>angel departed from her.<\/p>\nRevelation 10:8-9<\/span> Then the voice which I had heard from heaven spoke to me again, saying, \u201cGo, take the scroll which is open in the hand of the <\/b>angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.\u201d So I went to the <\/b>angel and told him to give me the little scroll; and he said to me, \u201cTake it and eat; it will be bitter to your stomach, but sweet as honey in your mouth.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Men Making Requests or Petitions of Angels (That Are Granted)<\/span><\/p>\n* * *<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Genesis 19:15, 18-21 <\/span>When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, \u201cArise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.\u201d. . . And Lot said to them, \u201cOh, no, my lords; behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life; but I cannot flee to the hills, lest the disaster overtake me, and I die. Behold, yonder city is near enough to flee to, and it is a little one. Let me escape there<\/span> \u2014 is it not a little one? \u2014 and my life will be saved!\u201d He said to him, \u201cBehold, I grant you this favor also<\/span>, that I will not overthrow the city of which you have spoken.<\/p>\nGenesis 32:24-29<\/span> And Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and Jacob\u2019s thigh was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, \u201cLet me go, for the day is breaking.\u201d But Jacob said, \u201cI will not let you go, unless you bless me<\/span>.\u201d And he said to him, \u201cWhat is your name?\u201d And he said, \u201cJacob.\u201d Then he said, \u201cYour name shall no more be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.\u201d Then Jacob asked him, \u201cTell me, I pray, your name.\u201d But he said, \u201cWhy is it that you ask my name?\u201d And there he blessed him<\/span>.<\/p>\nGenesis 48:14-16<\/span> And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it upon the head of E\u2019phraim, who was the younger, and his left hand upon the head of Manas\u2019seh, crossing his hands, for Manas\u2019seh was the first-born. And he blessed Joseph, and said, \u201cThe God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has led me all my life long to this day, the angel <\/span>who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads<\/span>; and in them let my name be perpetuated<\/span>, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude<\/span> in the midst of the earth.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Angels Pray to God For Men and Give Grace<\/span>
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Zechariah 1:12 <\/span>Then the angel of the LORD said, `O LORD of hosts, how long<\/span> wilt thou have no mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these seventy years?\u2019<\/p>\nTobit 12:12a, 15<\/span> And so, when you and your daughter-in-law Sarah prayed, I brought a reminder of your prayer before the Holy One<\/span>; . . . I am Raphael, one of the seven holy<\/span> angels who present the prayers of the saints<\/span> and enter into the presence of the glory of the Holy One.\u201d<\/p>\nRevelation 1:4<\/span> . . . Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne<\/span>,<\/p>\nRevelation 8:3-4<\/span> And another <\/b>angel came and stood at the altar with a golden censer; and he was given much incense to mingle with the prayers of all the saints<\/span> upon the golden altar before the throne; and the smoke of the incense rose with the prayers of the saints from the hand of the angel<\/span> <\/b>before God<\/span>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\nAngels Communicating to Men From Heaven<\/span>
\n(Thus Implying That the Reverse is Also Possible)<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\nGenesis 21:17-18<\/span> And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven<\/span>, and said to her, \u201cWhat troubles you, Hagar? Fear not; for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him fast with your hand; for I will make him a great nation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Men Seeing Angels in Heaven<\/span><\/p>\n* * *<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Genesis 28:12-13<\/span> And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven<\/span>; and behold, the<\/span> angels of God were ascending and descending<\/span> on it! And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, \u201cI am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your descendants;<\/p>\nJohn 1:51<\/span> And he said to him, \u201cTruly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven<\/span> opened, and the <\/b>angels of God ascending and descending<\/span> upon the Son of man.\u201d<\/p>\nRevelation 5:11 <\/span>Then I looked, and I heard around the throne<\/span> and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many <\/b>angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands,<\/p>\nRevelation 7:11<\/span> And all the <\/b>angels stood round the throne<\/span> and round the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God,<\/p>\nRevelation 8:2<\/span> Then I saw the<\/span> seven<\/span> <\/b>angels who stand before God<\/span>, and seven trumpets were given to them.<\/p>\nRevelation 10:1<\/span> Then I saw another mighty<\/span> <\/b>angel coming down from heaven<\/span>, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head, and his face was like the sun, and his legs like pillars of fire.<\/p>\nRevelation 12:7 <\/span>Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his<\/span> <\/b>angels fighting against the dragon<\/span>; and the dragon and his <\/b>angels fought,<\/p>\nRevelation 14:17 <\/span>And another<\/span> <\/b>angel came out of the temple in heaven<\/span>, and he too had a sharp sickle.<\/p>\nRevelation 15:1<\/span> Then I saw another portent in heaven<\/span>, great and wonderful, seven<\/span> <\/b>angels<\/span> with seven plagues, which are the last, for with them the wrath of God is ended.<\/p>\nRevelation 18:1<\/span> After this I saw another<\/span> <\/b>angel coming down from heaven<\/span>, having great authority; and the earth was made bright with his splendor.<\/p>\nRevelation 20:1<\/span> Then I saw an<\/span> <\/b>angel coming down from heaven<\/span>, holding in his hand the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain. (cf. also Paul\u2019s experience of being caught up to the \u201cthird heaven\u201d: 2 Cor 12:1-4)<\/p>\n\n
Protection of Angels \/ Guardian Angels<\/span><\/p>\n* * *<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Psalm 34:7 <\/span>The angel of the LORD encamps<\/span> around those who fear him, and delivers<\/span> them.<\/p>\nPsalm 91:9-12<\/span> Because you have made the LORD your refuge, the Most High your habitation, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent. For he will give his angels charge of you<\/span> to guard you in all your ways<\/span>. On their hands they will bear you up<\/span>, lest you dash your foot against a stone.<\/p>\nIsaiah 63:9 <\/span>In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them<\/span>; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.<\/p>\nDaniel 6:22<\/span> My God sent his<\/span> <\/b>angel and shut the lions\u2019 mouths<\/span>, and they have not hurt me, because I was found blameless before him; and also before you, O king, I have done no wrong.\u201d<\/p>\nTobit 12:12b-13<\/span> . . . when you buried the dead, I was likewise present with you<\/span>. When you did not hesitate to rise and leave your dinner in order to go and lay out the dead, your good deed was not hidden from me, but I was with you<\/span>.<\/p>\nMatthew 18:10<\/span> \u201cSee that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their<\/span> <\/b>angels always behold the face of my Father<\/span> who is in heaven.<\/p>\nLuke 4:10<\/span> for it is written, `He will give his<\/span> <\/b>angels charge of you, to guard you<\/span>,\u2019 (cf. also Matthew 26:53)<\/p>\n* * * * *<\/div>\n
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One Dead Man Petitions Another (Abraham), and is Twice Refused<\/span><\/p>\n* * *<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Luke 16:19-31 <\/span>\u201cThere was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Laz\u2019arus, full of sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man\u2019s table; moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham\u2019s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried<\/span>; and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes, and saw Abraham far off and Laz\u2019arus in his bosom. And he called out, <\/span>`Father Abraham, have mercy upon me, and send Laz\u2019arus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in anguish in this flame.\u2019<\/span> But Abraham said<\/span>, `Son, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Laz\u2019arus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, in order that those who would pass from here to you may not be able, and none may cross from there to us.\u2019 And he said, `Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father\u2019s house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.\u2019 But Abraham said,<\/span> `They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.\u2019 And he said, `No, father Abraham; but if some one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.\u2019 He said to him, `If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if some one should rise from the dead.'\u201d<\/p>\n\n
Saul Petitions the Prophet Samuel After the Latter\u2019s Death and is Refused<\/span><\/p>\n* * *<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
1 Samuel 28:15-16<\/span> Then Samuel said to Saul, \u201cWhy have you disturbed me by bringing me up?\u201d Saul answered, \u201cI am in great distress; for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams; therefore I have summoned you to tell me what I shall do<\/span>.\u201d And Samuel said, \u201cWhy then do you ask me, since the LORD has turned from you<\/span> and become your enemy?<\/p>\n\n
Dead Saints Pray For Those on Earth<\/span><\/p>\n* * *<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Jeremiah 15:1 <\/span>Then the LORD said to me, \u201cThough Moses and Samuel stood before me<\/span>, yet my heart would not turn toward this people. Send them out of my sight, and let them go!<\/p>\n[Moses and Samuel were renowned among both Jews and Christians for their powerful intercession (Ex 32:11-12; 1 Sam 7:9; Ps 99:6; Jer 15:1) ]
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\n2 Maccabees 15:11-16<\/span> He [Judas Maccabeus] armed each of them not so much with confidence in shields and spears as with the inspiration of brave words, and he cheered them all by relating a dream, a sort of vision, which was worthy of belief. What he saw was this: Onias, who had been high priest, a noble and good man, of modest bearing and gentle manner, one who spoke fittingly and had been trained from childhood in all that belongs to excellence, was praying with outstretched hands for the whole body of the Jews. <\/span>Then likewise a man appeared, distinguished by his gray hair and dignity, and of marvelous majesty and authority. And Onias spoke, saying, \u201cThis is a man who loves the brethren and prays much for the people and the holy city, Jeremiah, the prophet of God.\u201d<\/span> Jeremiah stretched out his right hand and gave to Judas a golden sword, and as he gave it he addressed him<\/span> thus: \u201cTake this holy sword, a gift from God, with which you will strike down your adversaries.\u201d<\/p>\nRevelation 5:8 <\/span>And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints<\/span>; (cf. Tobit 12:12,15; Rev 8:3-4)<\/p>\nRevelation 6:9-10<\/span> When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne; they cried out with a loud voice, \u201cO Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before thou wilt judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell upon the earth?\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n[these are what is called \u201cimprecatory prayers\u201d; cf. Ps 35, 59, 69, 79, 109, 139; Jer 11:18 ff.; 15:15 ff.; 18:19 ff.; 20:11 ff; Zech 1:12]<\/p>\n
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Dead Saints Appear on Earth Again and Talk to Men<\/span><\/p>\n* * *<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
1 Samuel 28:7-20<\/span> Then Saul said to his servants, \u201cSeek out for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.\u201d And his servants said to him, \u201cBehold, there is a medium at Endor.\u201d So Saul disguised himself and put on other garments, and went, he and two men with him; and they came to the woman by night. And he said, \u201cDivine for me by a spirit, and bring up for me whomever I shall name to you.\u201d The woman said to him, \u201cSurely you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the wizards from the land. Why then are you laying a snare for my life to bring about my death?\u201d But Saul swore to her by the LORD, \u201cAs the LORD lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.\u201d Then the woman said, \u201cWhom shall I bring up for you?\u201d He said, \u201cBring up Samuel for me.\u201d When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice<\/span>; and the woman said to Saul, \u201cWhy have you deceived me? You are Saul.\u201d The king said to her, \u201cHave no fear; what do you see?\u201d And the woman said to Saul, \u201cI see a god coming up out of the earth.\u201d He said to her, \u201cWhat is his appearance?\u201d And she said, \u201cAn old man is coming up; and he is wrapped in a robe.\u201d And Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground, and did obeisance. Then Samuel said to Saul, \u201cWhy have you disturbed me by bringing me up?\u201d<\/span> Saul answered, \u201cI am in great distress; for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams; therefore I have summoned you to tell me what I shall do.\u201d And Samuel said<\/span>, \u201cWhy then do you ask me, since the LORD has turned from you and become your enemy? The LORD has done to you as he spoke by me<\/span>; for the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand, and given it to your neighbor, David. Because you did not obey the voice of the LORD, and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Am\u2019alek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you this day. Moreover the LORD will give Israel also with you into the hand of the Philistines<\/span>; and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me; the LORD will give the army of Israel also into the hand of the Philistines.\u201d Then Saul fell at once full length upon the ground, filled with fear because of the words of Samuel<\/span>; and there was no strength in him, for he had eaten nothing all day and all night.<\/p>\n[the current consensus among commentators is that this is Samuel the prophet, after his death, not a demon impersonator as a result of the occultic practices of the medium (see, e.g., New Bible Commentary<\/span>, p. 301; Wycliffe Bible Commentary<\/span>, p. 292). This was also the view of the ancient rabbis, St. Justin Martyr, Origen, and St. Augustine, among others. Samuel was in Sheol<\/span> or Hades<\/span>, which explains his being \u201cbrought up\u201d and saying that Saul would \u201cbe with\u201d him when he dies. Samuel\u2019s true prophecy of the Israeli defeat and Saul\u2019s death (28:19) mitigates against an impersonating demon, as does the medium\u2019s stunned reaction (28:12-13). Samuel speaks prophetically just as he did while on the earth.]<\/p>\nSirach 46:19-20<\/span> Before the time of his eternal sleep, Samuel called men to witness before the Lord and his anointed: \u201cI have not taken any one\u2019s property, not so much as a pair of shoes.\u201d And no man accused him. Even after he had fallen asleep he prophesied and revealed to the king his death, and lifted up his voice out of the earth in prophecy<\/span>, to blot out the wickedness of the people.<\/p>\nMatthew 17:1-4 <\/span>And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain apart. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Eli\u2019jah, talking with him<\/span>. And Peter said to Jesus, \u201cLord, it is well that we are here; if you wish, I will make three booths here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Eli\u2019jah.\u201d (cf. Mk 9:2-5; Lk 9:29-33)<\/p>\nMatthew 27:50-53 <\/span>And Jesus cried again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom; and the earth shook, and the rocks were split; the tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many<\/span>.<\/p>\nRevelation 11:3-12 <\/span>And I will grant my two witnesses power to prophesy <\/span>for one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.\u201d These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands which stand before the Lord of the earth. And if any one would harm them, fire pours out from their mouth and consumes their foes<\/span>; if any one would harm them, thus he is doomed to be killed. They have power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall <\/span>during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to smite the earth with every plague, as often as they desire. And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that ascends from the bottomless pit will make war upon them and conquer them and kill them, and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which is allegorically called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. For three days and a half men from the peoples and tribes and tongues and nations gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets<\/span> had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet<\/span>, and great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, \u201cCome up hither!\u201d And in the sight of their foes they went up to heaven in a cloud.<\/p>\n[The actions of the two witnesses echo those of Moses before Pharaoh and Elijah; especially the turning of water into blood, and the plagues (cf. Mal 4:4-6; Matt 17:11, Transfiguration accounts). As for the stopping of the rain, cf. Elijah: James 5:16-18. Elijah also went up to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Ki 2:1,11). Many Church fathers thought they were Enoch and Elijah, because Enoch, like Elijah, never died (Gen 5:24; Sir 44:16; 49:14; Heb 11:5) ]<\/p>\n
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In summary, then, what have we learned about biblical data for the notion of asking angels and dead saints to pray for us and intercede before God for us? Plenty:<\/p>\n
1) Men talk to angels (16 scriptural examples given)<\/p>\n
2) Men make requests or petitions to angels and their wishes are granted (Gen 19, 32, 48).<\/p>\n
3) Angels pray to God on behalf of men; they intercede for us (four examples given).<\/p>\n
4) Angels even participate in giving grace (Rev 1:4; cf. Tob 12:12,15).<\/p>\n
5) Angels talk to human beings from heaven (Gen 21:17-18).<\/p>\n
6) Men see angels in heaven (11 examples given).<\/p>\n
7) Angels protect and guard men (seven examples).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
It is obvious that angels are aware of earthly events, and care about us. All of the data above leads to the deductive conclusion that it is perfectly permissible to ask an angel to pray for us. Three explicit examples occur in Holy Scripture of this very thing. It matters not where the angel is <\/span>when it hears (#1) and grants the prayer request or intercedes before God, because, in fact, angels are not in space anyway. Our relation to them is the same wherever they \u201care.\u201d<\/p>\n
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