The Third Man

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Faith1960

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Last night during Bible Study I heard two different stories about how angels helped my fellow members in times of severe distress. I kept wondering if these encounters were real or if they were a phenomenon caused by the brain. It would be so comforting to know that these friends of mine were helped by angels, but…
A few months ago I’d learned of a book called The Third Man Factor: Surviving the Impossible, by John Gieger. I haven’t read the book, though maybe some of you have. In it, the author explores the various explanations for the Third Man. There seem to be studies suggesting that these encounters weren’t supernatural but are, instead, a result in brain activity in very stressful situations. What are your thoughts? cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife/11/08/third.man/index.html
 
Interesting article, thank you for sharing!

I haven’t read the book, but wonder if the “brain activity” that was stimulated caused the ability to physically sense our angels or even loved ones who have passed.

When my grandmother was in the hospital for radiation treatments, my teenaged daughter and I went to visit her. She was wide awake and lucid, and she told us very matter-of-factly that her old friend Charlie (who had passed away years before) had come to visit her. “I can’t explain it,” she said, “because I know he’s been gone for years, but he sat down right over there and we had a nice conversation.”

If she had been spaced out on drugs, or on her deathbed going in and out of consciousness, I might have dismissed this. But she was calm and logical and rational, and to this day I believe Charlie did visit her. She would not have been in a “stress mode” at that time, either, as the radiation was working at that point and her prognosis was good.

Miz
 
We know angels exist. We know angels have visited humanity. The Annunciation, the message to sheperds in the fields during the first Christmas, the angels at the tomb who informed the women that Jesus was not among the dead. In 1913 the “Angel of Peace” visited the three children of Fatima and taught them to pray to save souls from hell. We know we each have an angel assigned to us as our guardian.

Therefore, do not let the world confuse you. Our guardian angels can assist us in times of crises, and they are not figments of our imagination or brain visions.

Saint Theresa Liesuex (spelling) tells in her biography of sitting with her angel and they each tried to say the name “JESUS” with more and more love each time.
 
Miserys_Fence said:
Interesting article, thank you for sharing!

I haven’t read the book, but wonder if the “brain activity” that was stimulated caused the ability to physically sense our angels or even loved ones who have passed.

Miz
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The brain activity written about didn’t enable the subject to sense their loved ones, but it also didn’t “have the active, benevolent and intelligent presence that others often cite during Third Man encounters.”
 
In my limited experience of life, it has struck me how very often “second chances” are given to those who seem to be far from God (eg in the referenced article in the OP, the survivor was a man who “disdained organised religion”).

Having read other similar stories as that referenced in the OP, it is interesting how very often it seems to be non-believers who experience this phenomenon of a voice or figure leading them back from the brink.

Likewise, I have noticed many cases of extremely sick people who as non-believers (in the Catholic/Christian faith) seem often to make amazing recoveries, whereas often it is the faithful who move on from this world. These are purely my own observations through life. Have others noticed this at all?

Could it possibly be that the infinite Mercy and Love of God extends out to those who have not yet recognised the truth and that God “leads back” many of the unfaithful from the brink (using his angels as agents) in order to give them more time on earth to awaken to the truth? Whereas those who follow our Lord will be accepted into His heavenly kingdom at a time when they are ready for that kingdom…?

The Mercy of God knows no bounds - even more so towards those who reject or deny Him…

Patrick
 
Patrick_Cox said:
In my limited experience of life, it has struck me how very often “second chances” are given to those who seem to be far from God (eg in the referenced article in the OP, the survivor was a man who “disdained organised religion”).

Having read other similar stories as that referenced in the OP, it is interesting how very often it seems to be non-believers who experience this phenomenon of a voice or figure leading them back from the brink.

Likewise, I have noticed many cases of extremely sick people who as non-believers (in the Catholic/Christian faith) seem often to make amazing recoveries, whereas often it is the faithful who move on from this world. These are purely my own observations through life. Have others noticed this at all?
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Now that you mention it, yes, it does seem to work that way, unless we just hear more about the non-believers second chance and spiritual awakening.
 
When I was very young, about 5 years old, I was alone in my Grandpa’s rental car. I sat in the driver’s seat and put the car into gear. The car went backwards down the driveway and over a pretty steep cliff; trees mainly broke the fall on the way down. I only got some bumps and bruises but was otherwise all right, thank God.

After the car crashed, someone helped me out of the car. Then I went up the hill to meet my family who was running down after the car. They asked how I got out of the car and I told them someone helped me out, even though nobody was there. To this day I think that someone was my Guardian Angel. 🙂
 
Faith1960 said:
Now that you mention it, yes, it does seem to work that way, unless we just hear more about the non-believers second chance and spiritual awakening.
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I would surmise it might work the other way. In other words, I suspect that a lot of non-believers would, not long after their experiences, start to doubt what they actually experienced and perhaps be reluctant to talk about it, or attempt to explain it, because in doing so they are opening themselves up to some kind of super-natural or Godly phenomena - which goes against what they believe, or their own sense of reality. So some of them might find ways to explain their experience away over time…

Whereas those who firmly believe in the supernatural and spiritual workings of our Lord would perhaps be less surprised and more willing to share these experiences - just as the previous poster Open Source has done. They would be open to accepting that this was indeed God acting very directly in their life at that moment in time, and be less likely to explain it away. Again, just my thoughts…

I think supernatural experiences are far more common than many people think. Yes, there are people who might be deluded, or those who are in a temporary state of extreme tension, or a medically induced state, leading to them thinking they are seeing or hearing things which possibly aren’t there, and of course there are those who are just spreading fake stories in order to cause a stir and claim a bit of attention.

But personally I am completely confident that the Holy Spirit is extremely active, as are God’s agents (the angels and saints). The great majority of the time they are acting for us and around us without our ever even knowing it…
 
Patrick_Cox said:
But personally I am completely confident that the Holy Spirit is extremely active, as are God’s agents (the angels and saints). The great majority of the time they are acting for us and around us without our ever even knowing it…
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The best part is when you get to the point where it is obvious to you that the Holy Spirit is blowing wind in your sails and you see God in all beauty, and the face of Jesus in every person. You see the extraordinary in the ordinary. Too many people just let life pass them by. What’s the point?
 
OpenSource said:
The best part is when you get to the point where it is obvious to you that the Holy Spirit is blowing wind in your sails and you see God in all beauty, and the face of Jesus in every person. You see the extraordinary in the ordinary. Too many people just let life pass them by. What’s the point?
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Absolutely!

To expand on what you are saying, I have found that constant faith and prayer and obedience to the will of Christ seems to allow one to see certain situations (in very small ways) as if from God’s perspective. I say this carefully before anyone jumps on me as if I am claiming God-like properties for myself! Not at all! But to clarify, it is the gifts of the Holy Spirit - particularly the gifts of understanding and wisdom which present us with the means to see good amidst bad, joy amidst misery, love amidst horror and pain and as you say, the extraordinary amidst the ordinary…

… but perhaps we are digressing from the topic now… 🙂
 
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