10 Interesting Facts about Archangel Gabriel

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

---

Slow Leak

In God's world, everything can be used as an anology... Read More

We Fall Down -- But We Get Up

When I first heard Donnie McClurkin's song, "We Fall Down... Read More

Time Changes-- Spring Forward Or Fall Back!

In the game of billiards there are two things you... Read More

I Saw An Angel At Work

Sometimes you have to see something to believe it. Like... Read More

You Are What You Think

One of the first things you will find that God... Read More

Keeping The Faith

Well I had a website that I was posting on... Read More

How Useful is a Dream Dictionary Really?

At the start of your dream journey, one of the... Read More

100 Steps To Eternity

There is a chronology of events from creation to the... Read More

Resonance

Have you ever heard something that really "resonated" with you?... Read More

Christian Religious Addiction in Hawaii?

Surveys show that religion and spirituality play a central role... Read More

DREAMS, Does God Still Use Them Today?

The bible has many accounts throughout time that He used... Read More

Anam Cara - Making Sense of Life

We make sense of our world via the senses. The... Read More

Heroes and Heroines - Contemplating Conscious Evolution

The myths of man have been with us throughout time.... Read More

The Dark Side of Spirituality

On reading Susan Cato's Time Magazine Canada piece titled, "In... Read More

The Mystery of Purpose

Some men see things as they are and say, "Why?"... Read More

The Psychical Research Foundation

Karen was the name of the reception person, who sat... Read More

Getting the Feel of Your Faith

Whether we admit it or not, we operate by emotion.... Read More

Discipline of Prayer: Always Connected

Every workday, five days a week, I take the light... Read More

Gods and Energy

An interesting question that frequently comes up is "Which Gods... Read More

Spiritual Healing: In The School of Christ

Spiritual healing of the sick in Christ has many Christians... Read More

Be Still

Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God;I... Read More

The Gods Of Our Planet Earth

Remember me! It's me! Joseph here in touch with you... Read More

God Lives and Heals Today

I have a confession.I used to have doubts about God's... Read More

How To Solve Any Problem

Contrary to popular beliefs, we are not our mind, our... Read More

Good News from Mars (Part 2)

Paul is led up a 512 ft. hill, Mars Hill,... Read More

Communion - The Key to Experiencing the Abundant Life of God

Now, we all know that we shouldn't be lead by... Read More

Where is Your Brother?

The story of Cain and Abel stands very close to... Read More

The Abundant Life!

Count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in... Read More

Do Feng Shui Remedies Really Work?

THE PREMISEFeng Shui is an ancient Chinese art that has... Read More

Zen and Peace (The Road To Lasting Harmony)

Presently, many of us live in uncertainty. Due to the... Read More

Equal In the Eyes of God

There was a time in my life when I seriously... Read More

Did You Use Your Sword Today?

It's real easy to look at the physical world around... Read More

Solitons and Wavelets

Everything in the entire universe, big and small, visible and... Read More