1. Gabriel means: "God is my strength" or "God is mighty." Gabriel is one of only two angels mentioned by name in the Bible. Michael is the other. Raphael is mentioned in the Apocrypha, which is included in the Catholic Bible.
2. Gabriel appears in the Bible as a messenger on important occasions. The most famous example of this is the Annunciation when he visited the Virgin Mary and told her to prepare for the birth of Jesus Christ (Luke 1:26-38).
3. Gabriel has always had a close association with maternity. An ancient legend says that she announced the birth of Samson. She appeared to Zacharias to tell him that he and his wife Elizabeth should prepare for the birth of a son, John the Baptist (Luke 1:5-25). In the Jewish tradition it is believed that Gabriel instructs the baby while it is in the womb.
4. Although not identified by name, many Christians believe that Gabriel announced Christ's birth to the shepherds, warned Mary and Joseph that Herod's soldiers were searching for Jesus, and rolled away the stone that sealed the tomb of Jesus.
5. Gabriel is considered the Archangel of Dreams, Premonitions and Clairvoyance. This came about after she helped Daniel to understand the significance and symbolism of his strange dreams (Daniel 8:16-27).
6. In 98 C.E. a strange letter containing "the Commandments of Jesus Christ" appeared. It was supposedly written by Gabriel and became a relic of the early church. The originals of this letter have never been produced, but copies were sold in England as lucky charms to provide safe childbirth and to protect the owner from evil and harm.
7. According to the Harmonists, a nineteenth-century religious sect, Gabriel visited their leader, Father George Rapp, in New Harmony, Indiana, and even left her footprint on a limestone slab. It can still be seen today.
8. In the Christian tradition, Gabriel will blow the horn to wake the dead on Judgment Day. The Judgement card in the Tarot deck illustrates this. Cole Porter wrote the song Blow, Gabriel, Blow for his 1934 musical Anything Goes.
9. Gabriel appeared to Muhammad and dictated the Koran to him. In the Islamic tradition, Gabriel also taught Noah how to build his ark from the famed cedar trees of Lebanon. Muslims also believe that Gabriel presented Abraham with the Black Stone of the Kaba. Everyone who makes the annual pilgrimage to Mecca kisses this stone.
10. One of the most remarkable stories about Gabriel is the Islamic belief that she invented coffee. One night, when Muhammad was extremely tired, Gabriel brought him a cup of coffee. This not only kept him awake, but also gave him the necessary strength to defeat forty horsemen, and to satisfy forty women.
Richard Webster is author of more than eighty books including Gabriel, Spirit Guides and Angel Guardians, Michael, Raphael, and Miracles. His website is http://www.psychic.co.nz
The contrast between the two men could not have been... Read More
There is a chronology of events from creation to the... Read More
Who is God? This question would sound awkward to 80%... Read More
When I first heard Donnie McClurkin's song, "We Fall Down... Read More
Sometimes you have to see something to believe it. Like... Read More
An interesting question that frequently comes up is "Which Gods... Read More
My mentor, a brilliant Ph.D, with a powerful marriage counseling... Read More
In my work with clients who have physical illnesses there... Read More
Imagine the Bible is a sharp and deadly double-edged sword,... Read More
One of the most touching stories in New Testament scripture... Read More
What better example than Jesus' life to explain about having... Read More
Is it not true that only after gaining Enlightenment (Self-Realization)... Read More
The good that Paul writes about is a commitment of... Read More
I have a long-term goal--a life-long goal really--to develop the... Read More
Rose Ann Schwab is an internationally and world renowned professional... Read More
Does this ever happen to you? You ask God for... Read More
We know that David did much to stabilize the Kingdom... Read More
AN ARISTOCRATIC UPBRINGING:There are many people who write about sex... Read More
We humans are a funny, funny breed. We spend our... Read More
Your guardian angel is your link to the divine. The... Read More
Heaven is a place of abundance and earth is a... Read More
Do you have a servant's heart? Has God blessed you... Read More
In his book, Stress Without Distress, Dr. Selye suggests that... Read More
"There must be a higher love/Without it life is wasted... Read More
We all have spirit guides and we all benefit from... Read More
We make sense of our world via the senses. The... Read More
One day Gilligan ventures off as usual into the jungle.... Read More
Lately, I have been asked a lot of questions in... Read More
There is a specific technique that a Shaman uses to... Read More
I finally went to the dentist today. I had been... Read More
Rabbi Kushner in his book "When Bad Things Happen to... Read More
John Eldredge writes in his book Waking the Dead, "God... Read More
Natural laws exist that serve to maintain order in the... Read More
Yes, we are living in a world where we are... Read More
The human nature means the soul and the body. A... Read More
I am a Falun Dafa practitioner. Maybe you've heard... Read More
What's a cosmic 2 x 4 you ask? It's actually... Read More
We want to hear from God so that we may... Read More
Walls as a blockade seem to be an integral part... Read More
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself... Read More
In Corrogue the air is chill and the frost is... Read More
Luke 11:1 And it came to pass, that, as... Read More
I can truly say to this day of August, 2005,... Read More
We are living in highly challenged times. Our mass consciousness... Read More
In the movie "A Beautiful Mind" John Nash (played by... Read More
"What does it profit a man to have gained the... Read More
Hiking is gaining popularity within the African-American community. We're beginning... Read More
Do you realize you are creating your future by the... Read More
Each time our children graduate from one stage to another... Read More
If you've been on a conscious spiritual journey for any... Read More
Spirituality |