Angels

Watch this short video to hear why a tender experience at his mother’s grave forever impacted Greg Olsen’s art.

Here are six takeaways about the ministry of angels that can inspire us in our lives today.

This article is part of a series called “12 Days of Christmas: A daily study guide to bring the Savior into the season.” See the full list of days in the study guide and learn more about how it’s formatted here.

This excerpt was originally published by LDS Living in August 2018 and is being shared again in honor of the anniversary of the night the angel Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith.

My wife’s ancestors Parshall and Hannah Terry lived in Palmyra, New York, and knew the Prophet Joseph Smith. Their son Jacob was the exact same age as Joseph and was his schoolmate and friend. In 1817, three years before the First Vision, the Terry family moved from New York to Canada and lost contact with the Smiths until 1837, when missionaries taught them. The family was amazed to learn about all that had transpired with the Smith family. The Terrys were baptized the following year and moved to Missouri, anxious to reconnect with their friends the Smiths. Instead, they got there just in time to be expelled from the state because of the extermination order.

Another missed call notification flashed across Brooke's cell phone.

Four days into the MTC and Matt knew learning Spanish wasn't going to be easy.

Angels have played a prominent part in the Lord’s plan of salvation in all dispensations, and our own dispensation is no exception. Here are 20 things we know about these heavenly beings and how they interact with us in mortality.

When you hear the words family history, do you go into a coma? Believe me, until a few years ago, I could have matched my coma with yours any day.

The angel Moroni statue is seen atop many a Latter-day Saint temple. But what do you really know about its history? Here are 10 fun facts you might be surprised to learn about the statue and where it came from.

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we have a plethora of resources to help us in times of need or struggle. The scriptures, prayer, words of modern-day prophets and apostles, Church leaders, family, temple worship, priesthood blessings, and, most importantly, Jesus Christ are all assets that provide divine assistance and strength.

Some angels are on God's errand; some are from the realm of Satan himself. “Believe not every spirit,” John counseled, “but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1). The problem that most men have is to discern the spirits so that they may know what is of God and what is not.

A Utah high schooler who fell while rock climbing and fractured her skull over the weekend never hit the ground.

I never expected I would be the mother of a child with disabilities, let alone two children with disabilities. But sometimes life detours have a way of teaching us things Heavenly Father knows we need to learn.

On assignment one day in Oklahoma, I had the opportunity to meet with a few of the families devastated by mighty twisters that had recently swept through that area. As I visited with the Sorrels family, I was particularly touched by the experience of their daughter, Tori, then a fifth grader at Plaza Towers Elementary School.

One of our hymns teaches us that “angels above us are silent notes taking” of each one of our actions. I’m sure that is true. And when we keep our covenants, they are doing so much more.

On September 23, 2015, Bre Lasley was in her bedroom when a complete stranger climbed through her window and attempted to murder her. For six minutes, Lasley and her younger sister, Kayli, fought their attacker before a police officer arrived and shot her attacker, killing him.

This story was originally published on tofw.com and is published on LDS Living with TOFW's permission.

"We wanted to write a song in celebration of the #lighttheworld movement that emphasizes celebrating the Christmas season through Christlike service," Latter-day Saint artists from the group TREN wrote on YouTube. "We ended up with this less traditional Christmas song, thinking of all the everyday 'angels' that make a difference through daily acts of kindness."

Throughout his service in the Church, President Nelson has often spoken of our Savior and the sacred night of His birth. Here are a few of President Nelson's teachings on the topic, excerpted from the new book Teachings of Russell M. Nelson.

In a recent interview with the Deseret News, Lindsey Stirling discussed her new Christmas tour as well as the way angels and a priesthood blessing helped her survive Dancing with the Stars.

Jerald Simon doesn’t remember anything from the first eight years of his life. His baptism, the birth of his four siblings, family vacations, learning to play the piano, childhood games and friends—all of these milestones are erased from his consciousness, marked in his mind only by a vast blankness.

As we begin gearing up for general conference, we will be highlighting past conference talks to help us review, remember, and grow closer to the Spirit so that we can better recognize the Lord's voice and direction this coming October. This talk was given by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland in October 2008. (Read the full talk here.) After discussing the myriad ways heavenly angels minister to us in mortality, Elder Holland shared this touching story:

What is the meaning of the tree of life? The symbolism involved may furnish clues. Trees have several standard symbolic meanings. Green trees often represent the righteous, whereas dry trees can symbolize the wicked. 76 M. Catherine Thomas noted that "most often in scripture . . . the tree is an anthropomorphic symbol. A tree serves well as such a symbol because it has, after all, limbs, a circulatory system, the bearing of fruit, and so forth. Specifically, scriptural trees stand . . . for Christ and his attributes."77 Elsewhere we read, "In ancient times, sacred trees . . . were [representative of the] attributes of the gods." 78 Susan Easton Black wrote: "The tree of life is connected with the cross, the two having somewhat the same significance. Both relate to the resurrection, eternal life, the Lord, and the 'Love of God.' . . . Before the crucifixion of Christ, the tree of life symbol was used extensively. After the crucifixion the cross seems to have replaced it to a degree." 79 When Nephi wished to know the meaning of the tree that his father saw in his dream (1 Nephi 11:9–24), the angel showed him a vision of the birth of Christ. The angel then said to Nephi, "Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son of the Eternal Father! Knowest thou the meaning of the tree which thy father saw?" (1 Nephi 11:21). To this Nephi responded, "It is the love of God" (1 Nephi 11:22). Jesus is the "love of God" (John 3:16) and the "tree of life."

From time to time, in the face of wickedness, the Lord dispatches an angel to destroy one or more persons. In fact, both the scriptures and modern prophets use the expression “destroying angel.”

A story about Joseph Smith and his bodyguard Allen Stout provides yet another example of an encounter with a translated person who concealed his angelic status while fulfilling his mission upon the earth. As Joseph Smith and Allen Stout were walking on a road west of the Mississippi River, “they saw a man walking along a road leading in from the south and coming towards them. The Prophet told Allen to remain where he was while he stepped over to speak with this pedestrian. Allen turned his back towards them and for a time forgot the Prophet and became engaged with his own thoughts, while he stood whipping a low bush with the cane he carried.

The following is an excerpt from President Wilford Woodruff's October 1881 general conference talk published in theJournal of Discourses, Volume 22. The Church recently made all of President Woodruff's journals available online, which you can study and access here.

President Harold B. Lee’s experience on an airplane illustrates the truth that angels may participate in healing a mortal who has an illness. President Lee recalled: “I was suffering from an ulcer condition that was becoming worse and worse. We had been touring a mission; my wife, Joan, and I were impressed the next morning that we should get home as quickly as possible, although we had planned to stay for some other meetings.

On the grand anniversary of the American Independence, the glorious 4th of July, his father being instructed and warned, by an Angel of the Lord, in a vision of the night, burst his chains, threw open his prison doors, and emerged forth from the prison.

President Hinckley had been speaking several minutes. He paused and explained that there was another person from the other side of the veil he had not mentioned. In a strong voice filled with emotion and joy, President Hinckley exclaimed, “Welcome, Father Lehi! Oh, how your heart must rejoice!”

"I want you to know there are angels from across the veil that are with us as well," Sister Jones said. "I have a feeling there are a lot of family members and friends of yours that are very, very aware of what you're doing, the sacrifice you're making to create this wonderful, faith-promoting experience."

President Thomas S. Monson, in addressing the women of the Church in April 2005, gave evidence of his loving nature: “My dear sisters, may God bless you. We love you; we pray for you.” President Monson’s words reiterated a significant teaching: “Remember that you do not walk alone. The Lord has promised you: ‘I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up.’”1 In at least three general conference addresses, President Monson has also declared, “How glorious and near to the angels is youth that is clean.”2

This article is republished with permission from Book of Mormon Central. For more inspiring and instructive content on the Book of Mormon visit Book of Mormon Central, subscribe to our mailing list, see our YouTube videos, and follow us on Facebook.

What an incredible story of how we can be angels to those we least expect.

The LDS Bible Dictionary states: “These are messengers of the Lord, and are spoken of in the epistle to the Hebrews as ‘ministering spirits’ (Hebrews 1:14). We learn from latter-day revelation that there are two classes of heavenly beings who minister for the Lord: those who are spirits and those who have bodies of flesh and bone. Spirits are those beings who either have not yet obtained a body of flesh and bone (unembodied), or who have once had a mortal body and have died, and are awaiting the resurrection (disembodied). Ordinarily the word angel means those ministering persons who have a body of flesh and bone, being either resurrected from the dead (reembodied), or else translated, as were Enoch, Elijah, etc. (D&C 129)” (“Angels,” 608).

Let me share one example of a divine signature that has special significance for me personally. This was a tender mercy in the fullest sense of the word tender. My father, typical of many other men from his generation, did not express emotion openly very often. In all my growing-up years, I can never remember him telling me or any of my brothers and sisters that he loved us. We knew that he did, because he was a good father. He read stories to us almost every night. He taught us to work and how to be responsible.

There is another kind of reunion with departed family members. It sometimes occurs even before we enter into the spirit world.

In October 1998, President Gordon B. Hinckley stated in general conference, “I think about the power and force of angels that stand among us.”1 Indeed, scriptural texts indicate that the Lord’s angels have extraordinary capabilities and powers, making them formidable beings. Angels may have power over the elements, and the various earthly forces that exist in this telestial world do not bind them. These great powers of angels enable them to fulfill their missions here upon the earth and to assist mortals, who are, in comparison, delicate and frail. As we discuss the extraordinary powers of angels, however, we must remain cautious and open about those powers, because there is so much that we do not know. We must also remember that many scriptural statements, especially those from John the Revelator, contain symbolisms.

In a book published in 2015, President Nelson wrote about his experience with armed robbers he mentioned in general conference.

One of our hymns teaches us that “angels above us are silent notes taking” of each one of our actions. I’m sure that is true. And when we keep our covenants, they are doing so much more.

“He was visited constantly by angels,” Elder George Q. Cannon said of Joseph Smith. “These various angels, the heads of dispensations, . . . ministered unto him. . . . He had vision after vision in order that his mind might be fully saturated with a knowledge of the things of God, and that he might comprehend the high and holy calling that God had bestowed upon him” (Journal of Discourses, 23:362). Historical records of early Latter-day Saints, Doctrine and Covenants, and early Church documents reveal that Joseph Smith's visions and visits by heavenly messengers are too numerous to count.

"After a while, I saw this man standing in the corner of the room in a white robe with a beard," Thelonious said, according to WKRG. "White skin, brown beard, brown hair. He smiled at me and it was like I was back in my body. I thought it was really strange but after that, it was just... kept getting better and better after that point."

Twenty-nine years ago, 15-year-old Nicole poured out her heart in a handwritten letter addressed "To my dear future daughter" after a seminary teacher challenged the class to write a letter to a future spouse or child.

What a powerful witness of angels in our lives from Catherine Keddington Arveseth.

This article is republished with permission from Book of Mormon Central. For more inspiring and instructive content on the Book of Mormon visit Book of Mormon Central, subscribe to our mailing list, see our YouTube videos, and follow us on Facebook.