Lifted by Angels

Book excerpt: Explores the relationship between people and angels, through the eyes of the early church. Heaven is closer than we realize. Its boundaries overlap our own, and angels move in and out of our porous present, this moment that seems to us so solid and concrete. If that reality seems dim to us now, it beamed for the early Christians. Through their writings, sermons, songs, and art, the ancient faithful confessed a powerful and vivid belief that angels help carry us on our journey to God. Rooted in the Scripture and following this ancient understanding, Lifted by Angels reveals: the role that angels play in the lives of people and in God’s plan of salvation the different ranks and functions of angels how Satan and his demons fell from grace and plagued humans the functions of guardian angels and how God assigns them to fit our personal needs how guardian angels help us resist evil, temptation, and the devil the way angels join with us in our prayers, even adding their own to ours the service angels provide in worship Featuring examples of angels in ancient icons and frescoes and supported by extensive research on the early church and its pastors, poets, theologians, and artists, Lifted by Angels answers universal curiosity about angels and the unseen world, leaving readers inspired and hopeful about the nearness of God.