Bible: Expert claims communion wafer turned 'red' in 1996
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Guardian angels are mentioned at various points throughout the Christian Bible, with references found in the Old and New Testaments alike. In the Gospel of Matthew, some argue, Jesus Christ revealed the existence of guardian angels when he said: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.”
The “little ones” in this context are said to be believers, and the passage could indicate each believer has an angel looking after them.
In the Old Testament, the Book of Psalms speaks of God sending forth his angels to protect those whom he loves.
Tom Meyer, a professor in Bible studies at Shasta Bible College and Graduate School in California, US, has now told Express.co.uk how the scripture comes together to support a heartbreaking 19th-century ghost story attributed to the American physician Silas Weir Mitchell (1829 to 1914).
As the story goes, Dr Mitchell was approached by a little girl dressed from head-to-toe in rags on a particularly cold and bitter night looking for help.
Professor Meyer explained: “The famous evangelist Billy Graham (Angels: God’s Secret Agents) recounts the testimony of Dr S.W. Mitchell, a celebrated Philadelphia neurologist, who had gone to bed after an exceptionally tiring day.
“Suddenly he was awakened by someone knocking on his door.
“Opening it, he found a little girl, poorly dressed and deeply upset.”
The girl told the physician her mother was gravely ill and in need of desperate help.
Dr Mitchell was promptly led to a house where a woman was suffering from pneumonia.
Professor Meyer said: “After arranging for medical care, he complimented the sick woman on the intelligence and persistence of her little daughter.
Bible 'refers to dragons multiple times' says expert
“The woman looked at him strangely and then said, ‘My daughter died a month ago.’
“She added, ‘Her shoes and coat are in the clothes closet there.’
“Dr Mitchell, amazed and perplexed, went to the closet and opened the door.”
After peeking behind the door, the Dr was surprised to see the very same coat worn by the girl that came knocking on his door.
Since the coat was dry and the woman’s daughter had died a month earlier, many believe Dr Mitchell was visited by a ghost that night.
Or, as Professor Meyer put it, the physician was visited by the mother’s guardian angel.
The Bible expert said: “There are similar testimonies of Christians from around the world who have been helped or comforted in their hour of trouble by their guardian angel.
“In fact, I myself have quite possibly been visited by angels three times, though I suspect one encounter could have been with a fallen angel.
“Nevertheless, the Bible is persistent that these heavenly beings exist and that they deliver from trouble those who love the God of the Bible.”
There are some problems with the story, however, as not all historians agree it truly happened.
The story emerged at some point in the late 1800s and followed the physician until his death.
But it has been argued Dr Mitchell concocted the story, believing it would not be taken as seriously as it was.
The one shred of evidence to support this theory is a 1910 novel the physician published, in which one of his characters describes an eerily similar ghost story.
The character says: “‘It is dangerous to tell a ghost-story nowadays,’ I returned. ‘A friend of mine once told one in print out of his wicked head, just for the fun of it.
“‘It was about a little dead child who rang up a doctor one night and took him to see her dying mother. Since then he has been the prey of collectors of such marvels.
“‘Psychical societies write to him; anxious believers and disbelievers in the supernatural assail him with letters. He has written some fifty to lay this ghost.
“How could he predict a day when he would be taken seriously?'”
Whatever the case may be, Professor Meyer is certain guardian angels are just one of many different ranks of angels described in the Bible that are well and truly real.
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