2016-06-30
Find Out: Some enquiring minds want to know, “Where were my guardian angels? Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?” Many people are frustrated because they spend their time agonizing over these difficult questions while ignoring the equally important questions, “Why do good things happen to good people? And how do the angels help?”

In the book “Why Good Things Happen to Good People,” by Dr. Stephen Post and Jill Neimark, there is surprising evidence that a number of good things do happen to good people. A person doesn’t have to be a complete paragon of virtue to be the recipient of these good things.

“Good people” is the popular term Post and Neimark use in place of the technical and scientific term other studies describe as “generous givers.”  Good people are those who:

  • help others grow
  • forgive
  • have courage
  • use humor with its healing power, connecting with joy
  • respect others by offering tolerance, civility, acceptance, and even reverence
  • respond with compassion by feeling for others
  • are loyal
  • listen offering a deep presence, which is the gift of caring
  • are creative, spontaneous, and joyful in the expression of life

Those who  give unselfishly also make themselves more open to receive the grace and favor of God. They experience the truth of Romans 8:28: “God works all things together for good for those who love God.”

God uses his angels to work things together. We are most aware of this when an angel takes a form that can be seen by humans. Other times the intervention may be by “angels unaware,” or angels who appear as humans. More often, God’s angels are unseen as they work, influencing people and situations in ways that often go unnoticed. At other times they become apparent, sometimes in surprising ways, causing us to wonder, “Why did that good thing happen?”

See also:

  • When Good Angels Help Bad People
  • Angels for Better or Worse

    Someone I recently met professes to be a "clipped" or "fallen" angel. He said he did something he wasn't supposed to do , but is now here trying to make amends and regain his wings.Can this be true? I have an open mind to many things and I am a firm believer in God, angels, miracles, the whole nine yards. I believe God puts people in our lives at just the right time for many reasons. I try to learn lessons from everyone in my life, and I try not to turn people away. I’m just not sure what to do in this circumstance.
    - Ladshea


    According to the Bible, the fall of angels happened only once in the past. The fallen angels are under the judgment of God. There never has been a “clipped” or “fallen” angel who comes to earth to make amends and regain his wings. After the fall, the holy angels have become confirmed in holiness and do not sin. There are no lessons for you to learn from this person.

    See also:
  • Good Angels, Bad Angels
  • The Fall of Satan

  • There's a rumor that I've been hearing. Are angels jealous of the fact that we [humans] are able to be forgiven while they cannot?
    - Bernadette Gee


    Are the good angels jealous? No. The good angels, who wholeheartedly embrace the will of God, are delighted for us that God offers forgiveness to humans even though, for reasons unknown to us, God did not extend forgiveness to the fallen angels. The “rumor” that you have been hearing is based on 1 Peter 1:12. The Apostle Peter, after writing about how great our salvation is, wrote, “Even the angels long to look into these things.” Instead of being jealous, the good angels are merely puzzled that God’s love for us is so great.

    Are the fallen angels jealous? Yes. Fallen angels are always frustrated and they are furious for any good thing that comes our way. This is especially true of our forgiveness. To say the fallen angels are jealous of us is a cosmic understatement.

    Is it necessary to wear a man-made ornament, pendulum, or medallion depicting angels to get closer to them?
    - Christine F.


    Absolutely not! Do not believe those who tell you that you can attract angels through clothes, candles, certain colors, fragrances, flowers, movements, or dances. I color the nectar in my birdfeeder red to attract hummingbirds. A moth is attracted to a flame. But these are not to be compared to an angel. According to the Bible, angels are marvelous, magnificent beings far superior to humans in intelligence and wisdom. Their one consuming desire is to please God who created them to be ministering spirits. We misunderstand the greatness of these spirit beings if we think they can be manipulated by fragrances, flowers, colors, or religious items. In the Bible, there isn't a single time when angels appear as a result of the things listed above. If we were to summon angels in such a way, the Bible would certainly give us instructions on how to do it.

    I know there are guardian angels and messenger angels, but where do people get the idea that there is an angel army?

    God is called “the Lord of Hosts” or “the Lord of Sabaoth” over 200 times in the Bible. “Hosts” refers to the heavenly hosts or the angels, and the word in the original language is a military word. It literally means “army.” Similarly, “The Lord of Sabaoth” can be translated as “the Lord of Armies.” Indeed, some translations do: "This is what the LORD of Armies says..." (Zechariah 8:14, God’s Words Translation)

    However, readers will not find “the Lord of Hosts” or “the Lord of Sabaoth” in the widely-used New International Translation (NIV) Bible. Does this mean that angelic armies are now missing in action? Not at all. In their effort to have a translation in clear and natural English, the NIV translators recognized that the phrases “the Lord of Hosts” and “the God of Hosts” have little meaning for most readers today. Instead, the translation became “the Lord Almighty” and “God Almighty.” Both refer to God as the commander-in-chief of heavenly armies.
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