Give me a Warrior Angel, Not a New Age Wimp!

Angel with the Flaming Sword by Edwin Blashfield (1893)

I'm very fond of angels, especially my personal guardian angel. But, please, I want a real guardian not a wimpy angel like the ones portrayed by new agers who like girly imitations. They love a nicy-nice vision of a Pillsbury Doughboy God surrounded by wraith-like dancing angels more fit for Islam's "heaven" than for the real thing. They finger their crystals and listen to new age music from lotus positions dreaming of a heaven where all are welcome, unrepentant sins and all, where they can continue to mock God for all eternity. Silly angels and a marshmallow God! What an insult to truth! And what a shocking revelation they're in for on Judgment Day! Pray for them!

Give me a strong, young, masculine angel any day -- one with a big flaming sword!


To be honest, I also enjoy artists' renditions of the cherubs. Jesus came to earth, after all, as a baby and I absolutely delight admiring, holding, cuddling, and loving babies. I'd gladly gather with baby angels around the Christmas crib thinking about the pure innocence of babes.

The role of the "cherubim," however, is really much different than what we see in artists' works filled with plump, naked baby angels. The cherubim are the first angels mentioned in the bible. What was their role? Protecting the Garden of Eden with flaming swords.

"And the Lord God...placed before the paradise of pleasure cherubims, and a flaming sword, turning every way, to keep the way of the tree of life." (Gen. 3:23) 

Doesn't sound like a job for a baby angel, does it? Can you see a baby in the picture below wielding that sword? Not a very scary image is it? But angels always begin their conversation with humans by saying, "Do not be afraid." Why would they do that if they aren't big and bright and scary?

Adam and Eve Driven Out of Eden -- Gustave Doré 

When it comes to protection from the powers of evil, send me a warrior angel with a weapon who will surround me with a wall that keeps out all the demons of hell. There are certainly plenty of those in the neighborhood these days! And I'd like somebody stronger than I am between me and them!

I'm not sure where the idea of baby angels came from, but they aren't biblical at all. If you read the roles of the nine choirs of angels, none could be performed by a baby. From what I've read, the little chubby cherubs originated with the secular: ancient pagan mythology in art which depicted the "putto," a naked, chubby male child -- Cupid, for example. During the Renaissance, there was a resurgence of interest in classical art and the winged babies became popular in Christian art. Raphael's Sistine Madonna is a famous example and the little angels even made the Christmas postage stamp one year.

Add caption

I love babies as everyone who reads my blog knows. But give me grown up angels for a dangerous world where Satan roams like a prowling lion seeking whom he can devour! Here's what St. Michael did to Lucifer. That's God's mission for His angels!

One more by Gustave Doré  from the illustrations for Milton's Paradise Lost.

Have an angel-filled Christmas and don't forget to thank your Guardian Angel who is definitely a big boy and loves you more than you can imagine! It delights me to think that I have a spiritual "twin" who is so much wiser than I am, not to mention holy -- who worships every moment before the throne of God! Please pray for me, Angelito!