Can animals see angels? I first started wondering about this when I came across a daring blog post suggesting to ghost hunters that they bring their dogs to work. Autumnforest, one of the classiest bloggers on the web, says dogs are quite useful on ghost hunts because of their ability to sense things we can’t:When I was growing up at Aspen Grove, our family dogs were the first warning sign when something was in the room with us. Their reactions were amazing, from hair standing up down their backs, tail between their legs, growling and barking at the unseen, to rushing from the room and hiding under beds. One time, they were so upset, they appeared to try to lunge and grab at something, one of them suddenly squealing as if he were kicked. He rushed out of the house with the other dog and cowered under the barn for several days!
If a dog won’t venture into a space, I know it’s a hot spot. If a dog stares at the unseen, I know it’s telling. If the dog refuses to enter, I know it’s bad.
We all know the story of Moses leading Israelites’ out of Egypt. Pharaoh wouldn’t let the Israelites leave so God sent down the 10 plagues on Egypt. The tenth plague on Egypt was the death of every first-born son. The Jews, in order to escape God's wrath, had to spread the blood of a lamb on their doors. The angel of death, seeing the blood on the doors, would know to skip over those houses. What I found particularly interesting is when God is talking to Moses about the plague:
But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.
- Exodus 11:7 (ESV)
So where the angel of death passed through Egypt all the dogs growled. But where the angel of death passed over Israel, because of the blood on their doors, the dogs didn't growl. That's the distinction this verse is talking about.
Is it possible that animals can see with their natural eyes what humans can only see with their spiritual eyes?
In the case of Balaam, an angel stood on the road with its sword drawn and was about to slay him. Balaam's donkey saw the angel and stopped going forward, saving his master's life. Numbers 22:22-27 recalls:
Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him. And the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand. And the donkey turned aside out of the road and went into the field. And Balaam struck the donkey, to turn her into the road. Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on either side. And when the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she pushed against the wall and pressed Balaam's foot against the wall. So he struck her again. Then the angel of the Lord went ahead and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam. And Balaam's anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. (ESV)
Over and over again the donkey tried to avoid the angel standing in the path with a sword in his hand. The donkey could see what Balaam could not.
Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face. And the angel of the Lord said to him, "Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me. The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live."
- Numbers 22:28-33 (ESV)
In distinction from Balaam, whose spiritual eyes the Lord had to open so he could see the angel, the angel states the donkey could see him before and “turned aside.”
I conclude that animals can definitely see things in the spiritual realm that we can't. I once served with a pastor who whole-heartedly believed his dog saved his life. One day, when he was walking his dog, it tugged hard on the leash and pulled my pastor several feet away from where they were standing. Just then a car sped around the corner and slammed into a tree where they had just been standing. To this day this pastor believes his dog was warned by an angel to get out of there. I don't doubt it. I'm not a ghost hunter but, if I were, I would find a dog most helpful.
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I'm glad that I sparked a curiosity for you that sought you searching for evidence. You found some very good passages to confirm what I believe we all know--animals have access to things that we don't see and hear. When I lived in California, the neighborhood dogs went insane before earthquakes and before aftershocks. They became my personal barometer. They definitely have our backs. I'm excited to hear that the Bible recognized their special purpose.
ReplyDeletethere is such a contrast between how God loves Israel and how he doesn't love Egypt is shown in the destruction that takes place in Egpyt while in Israel there is such peace and quiet and still that a dog doesn't even bark there. Peace was imposed on Israel by God to that extent to make the contrast most noticeable. Is this because the animals notice the angel of death which passed over Israel and not Egypt? What you have written indicates the dogs can sense such peacefulness. Interesting.
ReplyDeletethat's a really cute puppy
ReplyDeleteC, I really believe this passage says more about the dogs in Egypt than it says about the dogs who remained quiet in Israel. The dogs in Egypt growled because they saw something. It's not that the dogs in Israel recognized a special "peace," they had nothing stirring them.
ReplyDeleteAutumnforest, I agree that dogs definitely have our backs and that they have a special psychic ability. You mentioned dogs' abilities to sense coming disasters, such as earthquakes. What's amazing to me is the stories that come out every other year (or so) about a dog being separated from its owners. In some accounts the owners move away without their dog or go on vacation without their dog or accidentally leave their dog on vacation. But in all these stories the ending is the same. The dogs will travel hundreds (sometimes thousands) of miles, through places they've never been before, and reunite with their owners at the exact location where they're staying. So-called "scientists" have tried explaining this by suggesting that dogs have can pick up on their owners' scents and follow that scent until they reach their owner, but you and I both know that would be impossible to do for days on end with literally thousands of other scents through adverse weather conditions. The only thing that makes sense, the easiest explanation in this case, is that dogs can tap into a psychic energy that allows them to connect spiritually with their owners, like finding their owners by picking up on their psychic scent or something. I've often wondered if the conversation that Eve had with the serpent (Genesis 3) might have been some kind of psychic or telepathic conversation that we could have with animals nowadays if we only knew how.
i think you're reading too much into that exodus passage. i don't think it was ever the author's intent to suggest that because the dogs in israel were quiet that means the dogs in egypt could see the angel of death.
ReplyDeleteit seems like too much of a stretch. the angel of death did pass over israel, skipping the houses with blood on the doors. surely, though, the dogs would have seen the angel during the passover.
- D. A.
D. A., I know what you are saying but I still disagree. I probably should have explained this better in my post.
ReplyDeleteThe angel of death would have struck down the firstborn of all the animals as well. The Israelites would have known this and brought their animals in under the protection of the blood. The animals in Israel were inside. That's why the dogs were quiet and why they couldn't see the angel of death. They were inside:
"For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and animals" - Exodus 12:12
that's a good clarification because the first born of animals were killed to. Israel didn't have any cattle or outdoors animals? Maybe the angel of death could tell if an outdoor animal belonged to a homeowner who had "painted" the mantel? I think we see this the same but I'll write it to see. The way I've imagined the first passover. The angel of death looked at each door. If it was correctly "painted" he passed over it to check the next. I didn't think of it as totally skipping Goshen. Hypothetically, if an Egyptian household had the door thing done, it would have been immuned to the death from the angel.
ReplyDeleteFrom Christian History Mag:
ReplyDeleteIt was often reported that wild animals—rabbits, birds, even a wolf—became tame before Francis of Assisi. He especially cared for animals that were associated with Christ. If he saw a lamb being led off to slaughter, he would try to rescue it by pleading or trading for it. Though Francis revered all creatures, he was not a vegetarian.
Ever since i have had the kitty that i have, he has watched something in the room. He will perk up all of a sudden and I will watch his eyes watch something move around the room. Sometimes he won't come into a room Im in, he will squat down and watch me like he's scared. It is pretty frightning sometimes but since I am a christian and believe that God takes care of me, I have to rebuke the fear and move on. Its pretty interesting what has happened, but I do fully believe that animals see the spiritual realm.
ReplyDeletei always thought of animals to be a tiny bit similar to angels(like that they do not have a soul and and that they know God is God, they do not have a choice in the matter as it is wiht an angel it is just ingraved or something) they know they are Gods creatures and if they had the power to speak they would tell us that there is a God.So to me i see no reason why they would not be able to see angels and demons, if not all the time then when God allows it.Animals were created for us for our enjoymentand sometimes for our protection i suppose .Any one that owns an animal know that science will never be able to do justice in explaining the actions soem animals display. I have heard poele say how animals do not love or care and smooching licking cuddling is all this scientific explanation ,whoever said that obviously never had a pet cause as a pet owner and i think other animla lovers would agree animals can love and can care its not hard to see
ReplyDeleteGreat blog! I do believe that animals can see the spiritual realm. A long time ago, my mom was under some bad spiritual conflict. We had a couple cats and they would perk up and hiss for the longest time whenever my mom was under a spiritual battle. It scared me since I was only a small kid. But, God was with my family and I and He protected us. :) Now that I am older, I understand that my cats were most likely seeing the spiritual realm and were disturbed by it. Now, I have two domesticated rats and I put them on my bed whenever I am about to do devotions with the Lord. Whenever I am reading the Bible and praying, they are ALWAYS cuddled on me and licking and nibbling my fingers. (If you don't know rats and about them, licking and nibbling means that they are calm and at rest.) :) They don't do that when I am just sitting on the bed. They usually run around or go under covers. I think it's because they can sense the presence of the Lord and they are comforted by it when I am reading and drawing closer to Him. :D It's so cool. Alright, that's enough rambling from me. I like the blog though! :D
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