There are around 900 angels mentioned in the Bible, and none of them are actually described as having wings. The medieval artists added the wings and the halos and the harps, but the bible just says that angels are superior to human beings, and act as messengers. They are usually described as human-like, clad in radiant clothes, and are often described as being very tall.
Throughout history, a number of prominent people claimed to have met angels. One of these people was George Washington. Washington was a very religious man, who was often mocked because he used to go into the bushes to pray.
During the dark days of the American War of Independence (1775-1783), Washington emerged from his house looking very pale. When Anthony Sherman, one of his staff, asked him if he was feeling okay, Washington told him he had just had an encounter with an angel. Washington made Sherman swear he would not tell anyone about the matter until the President died. Washington gave an account of how he had been sitting in his study, browsing through his collection of books, when a light shone brilliantly through the room.
He turned around, and there was an extremely beautiful woman standing there in a one-piece silvery blue garment. "Who let you in? I gave strict orders that I am not to be disturbed." Washington told the woman, thinking she was an important person.
According to Washington, the woman said "Son of the Republic, look and learn!" and she pointed to a ball of mist that appeared in front of her.
In this mist, Washington saw terrifying scenes of warfare, and a strange flag with an 'unchristian cross of stars' and the faces of black people crying. This has been interpreted as the American Civil War, which erupted about a century later. Then the mist cleared and Washington saw a futuristic age when North and South America and the entire free world would be united under a blue and white banner depicting the entire Earth. Then the angel faded away. This story is actually mentioned in Sherman's biography, although a lot of historians dismiss Washington's tale as an example of religious mania.
The United Nations banner: was this the strange flag Washington saw centuries ago?
This story reproduced with permission from Tom Slemen
© Copyright 2004 by Tom Slemen. All Rights Reserved.
November 8, 2007