I have a friend who almost drowned trying to save his young daughter. They were on vacation in Ocean City, Maryland. They were both having fun riding the waves one afternoon, when John noticed his daughter was farther out than she should be. As he swam to bring her back in, he got caught in the same undertow she was in. Desperately, he tried to get them both free from the current, but he could not get them any closer to shore.
John said at that point, he started praying silently, even though at the time he did not believe in God. He started to realize they were not going to make it back to shore when he heard a man speak to him. He felt his daughter being pulled from his grasp and an arm wrap around his own waist. Two men, incredibly strong, tried pulling them toward the beach. The undertow was too much. John was surprised when the man holding him tossed him towards shore, swam to him, and tossed him again, until they were out of the current. He saw the other man do the same with his daughter.
Utterly exhausted, all John could do was collapse on the sand when the stranger got him to shore. He watched in helpless amazement as the other man came out of the surf holding his precious daughter. He carefully placed John’s child on the sand next to him. Rolling over, John retched onto the sand before turning to thank the men. They were gone, and he noticed other people running towards them.As others helped them, he asked about the men. No one else had seen them.
The Bible says that one of the roles angels have is to be ministering angels for those who care for those who “will inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14). This was certainly true for John and his daughter. Both of them became followers of Jesus Christ after their dramatic rescue.
While angels are mentioned a few times in the Old Testament, they are described frequently in the New Testament. Their presence in the world has increased since the days Jesus walked this earth. That includes fallen angels, as well. There are more mentions of angels in the Gospel of Matthew than the Old Testament combined!
As I am writing the sequel for One Will Be Taken, I imagine that in the End Times the presence of angels ministering to those who will believe in Jesus will increase again. Reading through Revelation, it is obvious demons will be actively battling in the world of men. I believe angels will as well.
It has been exciting for me to write about these ministering angels in One Will Be Left. The scenes they are in have been a real opportunity to explore what it might be like for a believer to talk with the angel who is their guardian face to face. I hope that my readers will find those particular scenes an encouragement as much as I did!
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