Are Angels Real?

​I am from a small town in Minnesota. I often drive through the “main drag” of town. At a stoplight I see a woman sitting on the corner with all of her belongings in a shopping cart. She is known in town as Nicole. 

Everyone knows about Nicole but no one does anything to help her. I often think, “Maybe I should stop and talk with her.” Then I drive on. What if she was an angel waiting for someone to show her mercy?

Hebrews 13:2 says “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it”. 

Do you believe in angels? In the Bible, angels are described as heavenly beings, but most often they are described as looking just like you and me. 

In Genesis 18:1-15 three men visited Abraham. Abraham offered them hospitality by granting them water, food and shade under a nearby tree. 

The three men then told Abraham his wife, Sarah, would have a son. Sarah overheard this and laughed because she was advanced in years and past the age of childbearing. The men responded by saying “Is anything too wonderful for the Lord?”

In this instance the three men were thought to be God and two angels. Did Abraham know that these men were actually angels? Did Sarah? It sounds like they entertained angels and did not know it. 

Years ago there was a young man, probably in his early 20’s, who visited our church. He came out of nowhere and his name was Ron. He was striking because he had a beard and looked exactly how we might envision Jesus. He didn’t know anyone in the area and he drove a beat up Chevette. I often thought, “Where did he come from?”  

Ron attended church every Sunday and even read from a Hebrew Bible. Instead of listening to the sermon, I often found myself staring at Ron. Could he be Jesus in the flesh coming back to check us out? Could he be an angel? 

After attending our church for a few months, Ron left just as mysteriously as he came. No one knew where he went. 

Ron left a big impression on me. I can think of many, many times that I have come across someone who I thought, “Could that be…?” Then I said “No”. But how do we know?

Public opinion on the subject of angels finds that 7 out of 10 adults believe in them; I am one. 

Whether they are a homeless person or a stranger in town, we could be entertaining angels and not even know it. Jesus would want us to help them and be kind to them.  

Just an update on Nicole, she no longer frequents the street corner. I heard that she lives at a home in town. Someone had pity on her and helped her. Jesus would have been proud. 

Dear God, please help us to help others and offer hospitality to those in need. Help to remind us that they may be angels in disguise. Amen

Comments

  1. Pamela M. SteinerJune 27, 2026 at 5:52 AM

    Yes, I do believe in angels, and I believe we've encountered them probably many more times than we realize. God puts "people" in our lives at just the right moment, to give us the help we need or a word of encouragement, or sometimes to rescue us from a perilous situation. Oftentimes when we turn around to thank them, they are gone. We just never really know, so we should definitely be ready and able to "entertain strangers", who may be angels in disguise. May God give us discernment to recognize those who are His.

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