Find Out:

• Was I touched by an angel?
• Is my father seeing angels in his dreams?
• Do angels visit through another person?

A long time ago, I worked as a hospice sitter. A gentleman I was assigned to was very near death. One day, the family, worn out and overcome by grief, wanted to get some rest. The daughter quietly asked me to come get them if or when I felt that the "end was here." I was young and really nervous about this--how was I to know exactly when he was going to pass away? I felt a tremendous amount of stress that I wouldn't notice in time and the family wouldn't see their loved one until it was too late.

They went to sleep and I was alone with this man. Suddenly, I got incredibly tired. Even though I had a full night's rest, I could not keep my eyes open. I dozed off, but next thing I knew, something touched my right cheek. It was like a very mild electric shock, but it didn't hurt. Embarrassed to be caught "sleeping on the job," I jolted awake, but no one was there. I looked over to my patient and just sensed he was going to die very soon. I went to summon the family. They all gathered around his bed, said their goodbyes, and he passed away within five minutes.

Was I touched by an angel?
--Christine Anderson

Thank you for sharing this experience. I will use this as a case study to help others who have wondered if they have been touched by an angel.

Your experience happened a long time ago. The fact that you sent this question indicates that this was one of those unforgettable moments in your life. You give several reasons why this has stayed in your memory:

1. You were young and found yourself confronting the reality of someone’s death.
2. A great deal of responsibility was placed on you to call the family when the end was near.
3. You felt helpless because you didn't know when the man would be near death.
4. Although you tried to stay awake, you felt guilty for falling asleep.

Wow! That’s a lot for a person to deal with when they are young.

If you had not awakened, and not called the family in time, this event probably would have been a troubling memory for the rest of your life. But thankfully your story had an unexpected happy ending; I believe you were touched by an angel.

Is there proof that could be presented in a court of law that you were wakened by an angel? No, of course not. But that does not mean it didn't happen. Angels are spirit beings that carry out their ministry without leaving fingerprints, DNA, or other evidence of their presence.

So we must ask different questions if we are to determine whether or not this was an angelic presence. Here is the kind of the evidence we would look for:

1. Is this something a kind and loving God would do?
   A: Yes. It is like God to send an angel at a time like this to comfort the family and to lift a burden of guilt from your memory.
2. Is there any reason for you to believe it was coincidence that you roused from your sleep when you did?
   A: No, you were awakened at just the right time, when the family needed to be called.
3. Are there any indications that an angel was involved?
   A: Yes. You wrote, “...something touched my right cheek. It was like a very mild electric shock, but it didn't hurt.” You were awakened by an unusual touch and you saw no one. Not a person, not an angel. This is typical of angels. They complete their mission and then disappear. They do not wait to be thanked. They want all the glory to go to God.

I believe you were blessed by God when he sent an angel. You were a blessing to a family in their time of need.

My father is being treated for bone and prostate cancer. Every night he has visions (dreams) of black angels. This has been happening more and more.

Today, while trying to relax in his chair, he closed his eyes and saw these same visions. My father has always been a strict religious man, but he has found these visitations quite upsetting, so today my mother gave him rose crystal and quartz crystal to help him relax.

I understand that the drugs that he is taking may have something to do with these visions. What do you think?
--Dan Liptrott
Portsmouth, England

I am not an expert on dreams, but while doing postgraduate work at Yale Divinity I did study dreams in the Bible. In your father’s case it is quite possible that his dreams of black angels may be a side-effect of his medications.

Here are some comforting thoughts you can share with him. Encourage him to trust in the clear teachings of the Bible rather than being disturbed by the troubling dreams. Here are some biblical promises that can help him through this difficult time:

• “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” (Hebrews 13:5)
• We do not need to fear spirits or black angels in dreams, “because the one (God) who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)
• Trust in God’s promise: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Is it possible for angels to come to you through another person?
--Valerie Browns, Mills, NJ

In the Bible there are no examples of angels coming through another person. They always appear directly to the person that God sends them to help.