I remember being taught that there are three Archangels Gabriel, Michael, Lucifer/Satan
Some thing to think about is this verse as example of dividing a group into three parts (thirds)
2Sa 18:2 And David sent forth a third part of the people under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said unto the people, I will surely go forth with you myself also.
It does say that each part has the same number of people only that they were divided into groups- could this be true with the angels also?
An example of angels apparently remaining obedient to God
Mat 26:53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
A Roman legion of that time contained from 3,000 to 5,000 combatants so this is 36,000 to 60,00 angels- It is also interesting to note that there were 4 legions stationed in Syria (the Holy Land) and there were probably only 23 legions in the entire Roman Empire. Therefore 12 legions of Angels would have been enough to liberate Israel and stand against the entire might of Rome.
Another example of apparently obedient angels:
Rev 5:11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
This is over 100 million spirit beings mentioned.
This is the only verse I could find in a quick search that mentioned the downfall It does net say that the number was equal to one third of the total
Rev 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Blue leter bible is a website that incorporates strongs and other resources with a searchable Bible
I've not done much study in this area, but I have come across it a number of times as I was studying other subjects.
Anyway, I thought this might interest some of you. . . .
Archangels are generally taken to mean "chief or leading angels" (Jude 9; 1 Thes 4:16), they are the most frequently mentioned throughout the Bible. They may be of this and other hierarchies, such as the Archangel Michael, who is a princely Seraph, Gabriel among the seraphim, and Raphael among the ophanim (Cherubim), while all these three are sometimes named as the ruling princes of the Virtues.
The Archangels have a unique role as important mediators between God and mankind; they are God's Messengers to the people at critical times in history and salvation (Tb 12:6, 15; Jn 5:4; Rv 12:7-9) as in The Annunciation and Apocalypse. A feast day celebrating the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael is celebrated throughout the Church Sep 29. A special part of the Byzantine Liturgy invokes the "Cherubic Hymn" which celebrates these archangels and the guardian angels particularly.
The archangels are believed to command the heavenly army in an ongoing war with Satan and his legion of angels. They are the special emissaries of the Principalities, transmitting the good intentions that the Angel Virtues bring from the Powers to humanity. They have a protective and special love for all the persons of earth, intervening in crises and times of need to protect and guard nations, cities, airports, churches, houses, and families. They bring great goodness and much happiness to those they aid.
One source says that an Archangel can travel from one end of the universe to the other in a second, and can be in many places at one time, even though these places may be millions of miles apart, like the light of the sun - appearing in several places at one time without it's power lessened in any of those spots.
The word archangel has often been misapplied, used as a generic term that refers to all angels above the order of Angels. In most angelic hierarchies, they are one step above the Angels (the second order of the third division).
The Koran of Islam (Arabic: al-Qur'an) mentions four archangels, naming only Jibraiil (Gabriel, who is said to have revealed the Koran to Muhammad) and Mika'il (Michael) - the other two being Azrael (another form of Raphael, Angel of Death), and Israfel, Angel of Music who plays the flute at the end of the day and will sound the trumpet that wakes the dead on the Day of Judgment. These angels were not created at the same time. Israfel was first, Mika'il was created 5000 years later, Jibra'il after another 500 years and and perhaps Azrael later still.
Judaism and Christianity recognize seven archangels: Raphael, Gabriel, Michael, Uriel and three others whose names are uncertain - a source of debate by theologians for centuries. They are thought of to be three from the following list of possible candidates: Raziel, Remiel, Sariel, Metatron, Anael, Raguil, Barakiel, Barbiel, Chamael, Jophiel, Zadkiel, Jeduhiel, Simael, Zaphiel, and Aniel.
One post-Talmudic source increases the number to twelve, linking them with the signs of the zodiac, while kabbalists name, with Metatron named first and then repeated as a tenth.
Some new age angelologists also believe there to be twelve archangels instead of the traditional seven: Anthriel, Aquariel, Chamuel, Gabriel, Jophiel, Michael, Omniel, Perpetiel, Raphael, Uriel, Valeoel, and Zadkiel.
The Book of Enoch (or Henoch) names seven archangels:
Uriel, who rules the world and Tartarus;
Raguel, who takes vengeance on the world of the luminaries;
Michael, who is set over the most part of mankind and over chaos;
Saraquael, who is set over the spirits;
Gabriel, ruler of paradise, the serpents and the cherubim;
Ramiel, whom God set over those who rise; and
Raphael, who rules the spirits of men.
Enoch places only four around God's throne, backed up by their followers: Michael, Raphael, Gabriel and one named Phanuel (possibly synonymous with Ramiel) who is responsible for overseeing the repentance of sinners.
The seven angels which the Book of Revelation describes standing before God are also usually interpreted as archangels.
Michael, Uriel, Gabriel and Ramiel have all been credited with defeating the 185,000-strong Assyrian army of Sennacherib in 701 B.C. The syllable 'el' or 'it' at the end of angel and of so many angel names means bright', 'shining' or 'shining being'.
"Nine Choirs of Angels," Catholic Online (which includes sections on Seraphim, Cherubim, Principalities, and Archangels), plus individual articles on angels, St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael.
The Archangels Themselves
The Archangel Michael, whose name means 'who is as God', is generally considered to be the foremost of the seven archangels and the leader of the Host of Heaven. He derives originally from the Chaldeans by who he was worshiped as something of a god. He is the chief of the order of virtues, Prince of the presence, angel of repentance, righteousness, mercy and sanctification: also ruler of the 4th Heaven, tutelary sar (angelic prince). According to the Book of Daniel, Michael is one of the chief princes' and the one responsible for the defense of the nation of Israel which makes him at least of the higher order of principalities. He is also described as the leader of the forces of heaven in their triumph over Satan and his followers. According to the Book of Revelations, Michael and his angels' are described as fighting the dragon and his angels. Hence Michael is often shown fighting or overcoming a dragon armed with spear or sword as God's Warrior.
St. Michael has been invoked as patron and protector by the Church from the time of the Apostles. The Eastern Rite and many others place him over all the angels, as Prince of the Seraphim. St. Michael is the patron of grocers, mariners, paratroopers, police and sickness.
Source: The Archangels Page (off-line as of August 2004), Catholic Online Saints
The Archangel Gabriel, whose name means 'God is my strength', was an important figure in the Bible, and appears first in the Book of Daniel (chapters 8 and 9) as a messenger and revealer announced the prophecy of 70 weeks (Dn 9:21-27). Gabriel explained to Daniel his vision of a ram and a billy-goat foretelling Alexander the Great's conquest of Persia and a prophecy foretelling the freeing of the Israelites. In both these cases the archangel is mentioned by name but it has also been suggested that Gabriel is the angel who wrestles with Jacob in the form of a man and that he was involved in the destruction of Sodom and Gommorah. Enoch says that Gabriel was sent to destroy the giant children of the fallen "watchers" and did so by turning them against each other In 'Paradise Lost'.
In the New Testament he appeared to Zechariah to announce the birth of St. John the Baptist (Lk 1:11). It was also Gabriel which proclaimed the Annunciation of Mary to be the mother of Jesus (Lk 1:26). In the Book of Enoch, part of the pseudepigrapha, he is one of the seven archangels who stand close to God. Later Christian tradition made him the trumpeter of the Last Judgment. A popular figure in art, Gabriel is often pictured appearing to Mary or with trumpet raised. In Islam he is Jibril, the principal of many tales, who revealed the Koran to Muhammad.
St. Gabriel is the patron of communications workers.
Sources: The Archangels Page (off-line as of August 2004), Anthony J. Salsarini, Catholic Online
The Archangel Raphael, In Hebrew this means 'God Heals'. The angel Raphael first appeared in the apocryphal Book of Tobit (Tobias) Tb 3:25, 5:5-28, 6-12. He appears as the companion and guide of young Tobiasto whom he eventually reveals himself saying: "I am the Angel Raphael, one of the seven who stand before the throne of God." (Tb 12:15). In the Book of Euoch he is the guide to Sheol, the Judaic underworld and it was he who was sent to bind the fallen "watcher" Azazel, burying him under rocks in a desert place on earth. Raphael is not named in the canonical books.
Raphael's name means "God heals." This identity came about because of the biblical story which claims that he "healed" the earth when it was defiled by the sins of the fallen angels in the apocryphal book of Enoch. Raphael is also identified as the angel who moved the waters of the healing sheep pool. He is also the patron of the blind, of happy meetings, of nurses, of physicians and of travelers.
Source: The Archangels Page (off-line as of August 2004), Catholic Online.
Camael (Camiel, Camael)
One of the 7 Archangels who attend the throne of God, as stated in Enoch I. He is described as "one of the holy angels whom God has set over those who rise". He is the same angel who, in the apocalypse of Baruch, destroys the army of Sennacherib.
Source: The Archangels Page (off-line as of August 2004)
Raguel (Raguil, Rasuil, Rufael, Suryan, Akrasiel -"Friend of God")
One of the 7 Archangels listed in the Enoch writings. Raguel is an angel of earth, a guard of the 2nd (or 4th) Heaven. He 'takes vengeance on the world of luminaries," which is interpreted to mean that, for cause, he brings other angels to account.
Source: The Archangels Page (off-line as of August 2004)
Saraqael (Sarakiel)
The prince of ministering angels, officiating when these angels convene at judgment councils. Although Saraqael usually appears as a holy angel, he is sometimes mentioned as one who has fallen from grace. He has even been known as the angel of death.
Source: The Archangels Page (off-line as of August 2004)
Uriel
One of the leading angels in noncanonical lore, and ranked variously as a seraph, cherub, regent of the sun, flame of God, angel of the presence. Presided over Tartarus (Hades), archangel of salvation. In the latter work he acts as heavenly interpreter of Ezra's visions. In Enoch I, he is the angel who "watches over thunder and terror." In The Book of Adam and Eve he presides over repentance. Uriel "is supposed to be the spirit who stood at the gate of the lost Eden with the fiery sword." The Book of Adam and Eve designates him as this spirit. He is invoked in some of the ancient litanies. He has been identified as one of the angels who helped bury Adam and Abel in Paradise. He is known as the dark angel who wrestled with Jacob at Peniel; as the destroyer of the hosts of Sennacherib ; as the messenger sent by God to Noah to warn him of the impending deluge, all of which feats or missions have been credited to other angels, as elsewhere noted. In the view of Louis Ginzberg, the "prince of lights" in The Manual of Discipline refers to Uriel. In addition, Uriel is said to have disclosed the mysteries of the heavenly arcana to Ezra; interpreted prophecies, and led Abraham out of Ur. In later Judaism we find Uriel instead of Phanuel" as one of the 4 angels of the presence. Uriel is also the angel of the month of September and may be invoked ritually by those born in that month. The Magus claims that alchemy "which is of divine origin" was brought down to earth by Uriel, and that it was Uriel who gave the cabala to man, although this "key to the mystical interpretation of Scripture" is also said to have been the gift of Metatron. Milton describes Uriel as "Regent of the Sun" and the "sharpest sighted spirit of all in Heaven"
Source: The Archangels Page (off-line as of August 2004)
Also, in some of the reading I have done - Jewish folklore says that in Genesis when God says "let us make man" it is literally plural. God was consulting with the angels to get their opinions. The angels under Michael and Gabrial disagreed with God and did not want Him to create man, so God destroyed them. In other versions God cast them down to earth.
Additionally, Jewish folklore has between seven and twelve archangels, depending on if one studies Kabala or not.
Lucifer(Light Giver) Erroneously equated with the fallen angel Satan due to a misreading of Isaiah 14:12; "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning," an apostrophe which applied to Nebuchadnezzer, king of Babylon. It should be pointed out that the authors of the book of the old testament knew nothing of fallen or evil angels, and do not mention them, although, at times, as in Job4:18, the Lord "put no trust" in his angels and "charged them with folly," which would indicate that angels were not all that they should be. The name Lucifer was applied to Satan by St. Jerome and other Church Fathers.
Abigail- you might enjoy this site if you haven't used it already. It has a lot of the info you posted and more
"Lucifer, how art thou fallen?" applies to each of us.
Perhaps its 1/3rd of our being (specifally that part which is made of light and sound) has fallen from where it was created.
The great work is to restore this wayward son, just as Jesus the Christ himself demonstrated.
Perhaps Lucifer = Christ within, not some arch-fiend (though the dark hole where Lucifer is missing may seem like an arch-enemy in our lives until it is filled again).
Sirguess- Thst angels site had a chart that tied the names of archangles to chakras(points within the body- in yoga?), which kinda fits with your suggestion that angels may be part of our being.
I came across an excellent website the other evening that features two online translations of "I Enoch" and other Enoch literature, as well as some decent background info:
An interesting quick study of "one third" in Rev 12 is to look at the word for "third," as well as where else it is used.
Is it "one third of the stars?"
Or "the third star?"
Or "three of the stars?"
Or something else?
;)-->
ckeer, I've yakked this to death around here, but here it is again, in light of this thread.
My belief is that the 7 spirits of God = the 7 chakras = the 7 days of Genesis = the first 7 manifestations = Christ, which is the shape of the universe. In other words, the entire universe is the same basic organic/living shape, which shape (logos) is called Christ, which each of us manifests as a being in the form of 7 "churches." Our relationship with the very essence of light itself can be a full-spectrum experience, not white and black.
These 7 planes are the essence of the angelic realm, whether it manifests as a form or not.
Which is why "God consulted with them" how to make man in his own image (the 7 spirits of God being the very form of all that is divine.)
Yoga is a very very diverse word. The idea of yoga (yoke/union) is often based on the centermost point of the spectrum (#4 - the heart - compassion). And both arms of 3 revolve around it in an eros meets agape meets eros meets agape dance (which marriage is quite erotic and holily so).
When the higher chakras/churches/angels are "sleeping" or dormant, "Lucifer" has fallen (as in fallen asleep, as in waiting to be born - which is not some moral evil, just still in a state of unconscious development).
Our spiritual development is an unfolding of all of these "angels" at once, to varying depths and degrees. Again, love is the ultimate centerpoint (whether or not it is an unmoveable point depends on....well, whether we believe love is or can be such a thing, I guess).
The symbolic caduceus represents all this very well. I believe it was also the raised brass serpent Moses lifted up in the wilderness for healing (which raised serpent (as opposed to the belly-crawler) IS Christ).
In a sense, when the serpent is NOT lifted up, Lucifer is fallen, and illness follows. Be it a person, or family, a village, a church, a nation, etc...
Wow, I can see I'm going to have my reading cut out for me this week! I'm looking forward to it. I have never really done an indepth study on angels, just run into bits and pieces as I've studied other subjects.
Sir,
"My belief is that the 7 spirits of God = the 7 chakras = the 7 days of Genesis = the first 7 manifestations = Christ, which is the shape of the universe. In other words, the entire universe is the same basic organic/living shape, which shape (logos) is called Christ, which each of us manifests as a being in the form of 7 "churches." Our relationship with the very essence of light itself can be a full-spectrum experience, not white and black."
EXACTLY! I've never "seen" it laid out quite the way you put it, particularly with the angels, but I have often thought this about Jesus. I see his story as an allegory and have often thought the entire Bible is an allegory, (if that is the right word) though I've never been able to piece it all together.
One of the principles I've come across in studying Judaism and Kabala is that the tree in Kabal is just that, an allegory. It is not an image to be worshipped and even the allegory itself is not perfect. If one takes the allegory literally, one falls into idolotry.
All of these terms, like the human terms applied to God in the Bible, are just ways to communicate ideas, the ideas are sparks of the light. We hinder the light when we try to see the ideas in a literal way.
By Adin Steinsaltz, from The Thirteen Petalled Rose, p. 7-31
The living creatures of the world of Yetzira are, in a general way, called "angels". They function on that plane as we function in the world of Asiya. The world of Yetzira may be said to be, in its essence, a world of feeling. It is a world whose main substance, or type of experience, is emotion of one kind or another, and in which such emotions are the elements that determine its patterns. The living beings in it are conscious manifestations of particular impulses - impulses to perform one or another act or respond in one or another way - or of the power to carry through an incentive, to realize, to fulfill the tendency of an inclination or an inspiration.
" An angel is a spiritual reality with its own unique content, qualities and character..."
An angel is a spiritual reality with its own unique content, qualities and character. What distinguishes one angel from another is not the physical quality of spatial distance but rather a disparity with respect to the fundamental purpose of such an essence. The substantial quality of an angel may be an impulse or a drive, i.e. an inclination to love, fear, or pity.
To express a larger totality of being, we may refer to "a camp of angels". In the general camp of "love", for example, there are many subdivisions, virtually innumerable shades and gradations of tender feeling. No two loves are alike in emotion, just as no two ideas are alike. Thus, any general and inclusive drive or impulse is a whole camp and is not consistently the same at every level. Whereas among human beings emotions change and vary either as persons change or according to the circumstances of time and place, an angel is totally the manifestation of a single emotional essence.
The nature of the angel (in Hebrew, "malach", which also means "messenger") is to be, to a degree, as its name in Hebrew signifies, an envoy, constituting a permanent contact between worlds. An angel's missions transpire in two directions: it may serve as an emissary of G-d toward the earthly, to other angels and to worlds and creatures below the world of Yetzira, and/or it may also serve as the one who carries heavenwards from below, from our world to the higher worlds.
The real difference between man and angel is not the fact that man has a body, because the essential comparison is between the human soul and the angel. The soul of man is most complex and includes a whole world of different existential elements of all kinds, while the angel is a being of single essence and therefore in a sense one dimensional. In addition, man, because of his multi-faceted nature and capacity to contain contradictions (including his gift of an inner power of soul) has the capacity to distinguish between good and evil. It is this ability which makes it possible for him to rise to great heights, and by the same token creates the possibility for his failure and backsliding, neither of which is true for the angel.
From the point of view of its essence, the angel is eternally the same. It is static, an unchanging existence, whether temporary or eternal, fixed within the rigid limits of quality given at its very creation.
" Those that have existed from the very beginning of time...constitute the channels of plenty through which the divine grace rises..."
Among the many thousands of angels to be found in the various worlds are those that have existed from the very beginning of time, for they are an unfaltering part of the Eternal Being and the fixed order of the universe. These angels in a sense constitute the channels of plenty through which the divine grace rises and descends in the worlds.
But there are also angels that are continuously being created anew, in all the worlds, and especially in the world of Asiya, where thoughts, deeds, and experiences give rise to angels of different kinds. Every mitzvah that a person does is not only an act of transformation in the material world, it is also a spiritual act, sacred in itself. And this aspect of concentrated spirituality and holiness in the mitzvah is the chief component of that which becomes an angel. In other words, the emotion, the intention, and the essential holiness of the act combine to become the essence of the mitzvah as an existence in itself, as something that has objective reality.
It is this separate existence of the mitzvah, by being unique and holy, that creates the angel, a new spiritual reality that belongs to the world of Yetzira. So it is that the act of performing a mitzvah extends beyond its effect in the material world. The power of the spiritual holiness within it - holiness in direct communion with all the upper worlds - causes a primary and significant transformation.
" The person who performs a mitzvah...creates an angel..."
More precisely, the person who performs a mitzvah, who prays or directs his mind toward the Divine, in so doing, creates an angel, which is a sort of reaching out on the part of man to the higher worlds. Such an angel, however, connected in its essence to the man who created it, still lives, on the whole, in a different dimension of being, namely in the world of Yetzira. And it is in this world of Yetzira that the mitzvah acquires substance, and, in turn, influences the worlds above. It is certainly a supreme act when what is done below becomes detached from particular physical place, time, and person and becomes an angel.
An angel cannot reveal its true form to man, whose being, senses, and instruments of perception belong only to the world of Asiya, in which there are no means of grasping the angel. It continues to belong to a different dimension even when apprehended in one form or another. However, angels have been revealed to human beings in either of two ways: one is through the vision of the prophet, the seer, or the holy man - that is, an experience by a person on the highest level; the other is through an isolated revelation by an ordinary person suddenly privileged to receive from higher levels.
When such a person or prophet does in some way experience the reality of an angel, his perception, limited by his senses, remains bound to material structures, and his language inevitably tends to expressions of actual or imagined physical forms. Thus, when the prophet tries to describe or to explain to others his experience of seeing an angel, the description verges on the eerie and fantastic. Terms like "winged creature of heaven" or "eyes of the supreme chariot" can be only a pale and inadequate representation of the incident because this experience belongs to another realm with another system of imagery. The description will necessarily be anthropomorphic.
" One who sees an angel...does not always know that it is an apparition..."
Thus, all the articulated visions of prophecy are nothing more than ways of representing an abstract formless spiritual reality in the vocabulary of human language; although, to be sure, there may also be a revelation of an angel inquire ordinary form, clothed in some familiar vessel and manifested as a "normal" phenomenon in nature. The difficulty is that the one who sees an angel in this way does not always know that it is an apparition, that the pillar of fire or the image of a man does not belong entirely to the realm of natural cause and effect. And at the same time, the angel - that is to say, the force sent from a higher world - makes its appearance and to a certain extent acts in the material world, being either entirely subject to the laws of our world or operating in a sort of vacuum between the worlds in which physical nature is no more than a kind of garment for some higher substance. For example, in the Bible, Manoah, the father of Samson, sees the angel in the image of a prophet, yet he senses in some inexplicable way that it is not a man he sees, that he is witnessing a phenomenon of a different order; only when the angel changes form completely and becomes a pillar of fire does Manoah recognize that this being which he has seen and with whom he has conversed was not a man nor a prophet, but a being from another dimension of reality, an angel.
The creation of an angel in our world and the immediate relegation of this angel to another world is, in itself, not at all a supernatural phenomenon. It is an integral aspect of life. When we are in the act of creating the angel, we have no perception of the angel being created; the act seems to be a part of the whole structure of the practical material world in which we live. Similarly, the angel who is sent to us from another world does not always have a significance or impact beyond the normal laws of physical nature.
Indeed, it often happens that the angel reveals itself in nature, in the ordinary common-sense world of causality, and only a prophetic insight or divination can show when, and to what extent, it is the work of higher forces. This is because man, by his very nature, is bound to the system of higher worlds, even though ordinarily this system is not revealed and known to him. It may be said that the realities of the angel and of the world of Yetzira are part of a system of "natural" being which is as bound by law as that aspect of existence we are able to observe directly.
To continue this discussion of the nature of Angels, Angels 2: Wings on Fire, click here
Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz is internationally regarded as one of the leading rabbis of this century. The author of many books, he is best known for his monumental translation of and commentary on the Talmud.
Wow! What a thread! How'd I miss it??? Oh well, I'm here now.
We were watching the Discovery History channel the other night. The program was about angels. The program kept mentioning the "Testament of Solomon". Solomon, this program pointed out, was so wise because he knew the code or something about how to command the angels. The program also said that in the Testament of Solomon is all of this wisdom.
Anyway, here's what I found online about this. Haven't read it yet...but am going to later on. :D-->
Hermas 2:1 "Hear now," saith he, "concerning faith. There are two angels with a man, one of righteousness and one of wickedness."
Hermas 2:2 "How then, Sir," say I, "shall I know their workings, seeing that both angels dwell with me?"
Hermas 2:3 "Hear," saith he, "and understand their workings. The angel of righteousness is delicate and bashful and gentle and tranquil. When then this one enters into thy heart, forthwith he speaketh with thee of righteousness, of purity, of holiness, and of contentment, of every righteous deed and of every glorious virtue. When all these things enter into thy heart, know that the angel of righteousness is with thee. [These then are the works of the angel of righteousness.] Trust him therefore and his works.
Hermas 2:4 Now see the works of the angel of wickedness also. First of all, he is quick tempered and bitter and senseless, and his works are evil, overthrowing the servants of God. Whenever then he entereth into thy heart, know him by his works."
Hermas 2:5 "How I shall discern him, Sir," I reply, "I know not." Listen," saith he. "When a fit of angry temper or bitterness comes upon thee, know that he is in thee. Then the desire of much business and the costliness of many viands and drinking bouts and of many drunken fits and of various luxuries which are unseemly, and the desire of women, and avarice, and haughtiness and boastfulness, and whatsoever things are akin and like to these--when then these things enter into thy heart, know that the angel of wickedness is with thee.
Hermas 2:6 Do thou therefore, recognizing his works, stand aloof from him, and trust him in nothing, for his works are evil and inexpedient for the servants of God. Here then thou hast the workings of both the angels. Understand them, and trust the angel of righteousness.
Hermas 2:7 But from the angel of wickedness stand aloof, for his teaching is evil in every matter; for though one be a man of faith, and the desire of this angel enter into his heart, that man, or that woman, must commit some sin.
Hermas 2:8 And if again a man or a woman be exceedingly wicked, and the works of the angel of righteousness come into that man's heart, he must of necessity do something good.
Hermas 2:9 Thou seest then," saith he, "that it is good to follow the angel of righteousness, and to bid farewell to the angel of wickedness.
Hermas 2:10 This commandment declareth what concerneth faith, that thou mayest trust the works of the angel of righteousness, and doing them mayest live unto God. But believe that the works of the angel of wickedness are difficult; so by not doing them thou shalt live unto God."
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year2027
God first
Hi The Song Remains The Same
That is a good question since I have not read it saying 2/3 in the Bible or any other writtens of old
Now that was at the fall of Adam when he was 30 years old
Why 30 years old that another subject
But can I add that if it was 1/3 of the angels at the fall what is the count today
Note angels are just messergers of God which = stars, animals, water, wind , mankind and others
all of these have been messergers of God
I believe 1/3 of all things in 3973 BC sided with Lucifer
could it been 1/3 of Adam body, soul and spirit turn against God
just a lot of things to think about
with love Roy
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ckeer
Some thoughts of mine on angels-
I remember being taught that there are three Archangels Gabriel, Michael, Lucifer/Satan
Some thing to think about is this verse as example of dividing a group into three parts (thirds)
2Sa 18:2 And David sent forth a third part of the people under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and a third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said unto the people, I will surely go forth with you myself also.
It does say that each part has the same number of people only that they were divided into groups- could this be true with the angels also?
An example of angels apparently remaining obedient to God
Mat 26:53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
A Roman legion of that time contained from 3,000 to 5,000 combatants so this is 36,000 to 60,00 angels- It is also interesting to note that there were 4 legions stationed in Syria (the Holy Land) and there were probably only 23 legions in the entire Roman Empire. Therefore 12 legions of Angels would have been enough to liberate Israel and stand against the entire might of Rome.
Another example of apparently obedient angels:
Rev 5:11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
This is over 100 million spirit beings mentioned.
This is the only verse I could find in a quick search that mentioned the downfall It does net say that the number was equal to one third of the total
Rev 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Blue leter bible is a website that incorporates strongs and other resources with a searchable Bible
http://www.blueletterbible.org/
This is an interesting site on Angels
http://www.sarahsarchangels.com/archangels/info.html
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WordWolf
You're referring to Revelation 12:4-9.
In regards to the other 2/3 being loyal, I think it is not a big leap
to say that saying 1/3 rebelled means 2/3 stayed loyal.
If one were to complicate the subject (I've done that thinking on my
own), one might imagine that the 1/3 that rebelled were not all entirely
composed of the 1/3 originally under the dragon when he was in office.
I would expect some of his subordinates to stay loyal to God, and some
of them would be replaced by disloyal malcontents serving in the other
2/3. Either way, it is speculation and how I imagine it in my mind.
I also think it's not a critical matter, or else it would have been
outlined for us.
Some stayed loyal, some rebelled. Period.
The only place I've seen numbers on anybody was the garden of
Gethsemane, when Jesus said at his arrest that he could call upon
reinforcements of "over 12 legions of angels". If that can be taken
literally, that means "72,001 or more angels". I do not believe Jesus
was speaking of every single angel currently serving under God, but
only some of them. (Since they outnumber devils 2:1, that means there's
a minimum number of 36,000 angels on the planet, including the ones
in prison who were disobedient at the time of the Flood in the Noah's
Ark incident. I don't know how many of THOSE were imprisoned, either,
but they're part of the original rebelling 1/3.)
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Abigail
I've not done much study in this area, but I have come across it a number of times as I was studying other subjects.
Anyway, I thought this might interest some of you. . . .
Archangels are generally taken to mean "chief or leading angels" (Jude 9; 1 Thes 4:16), they are the most frequently mentioned throughout the Bible. They may be of this and other hierarchies, such as the Archangel Michael, who is a princely Seraph, Gabriel among the seraphim, and Raphael among the ophanim (Cherubim), while all these three are sometimes named as the ruling princes of the Virtues.
The Archangels have a unique role as important mediators between God and mankind; they are God's Messengers to the people at critical times in history and salvation (Tb 12:6, 15; Jn 5:4; Rv 12:7-9) as in The Annunciation and Apocalypse. A feast day celebrating the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael is celebrated throughout the Church Sep 29. A special part of the Byzantine Liturgy invokes the "Cherubic Hymn" which celebrates these archangels and the guardian angels particularly.
The archangels are believed to command the heavenly army in an ongoing war with Satan and his legion of angels. They are the special emissaries of the Principalities, transmitting the good intentions that the Angel Virtues bring from the Powers to humanity. They have a protective and special love for all the persons of earth, intervening in crises and times of need to protect and guard nations, cities, airports, churches, houses, and families. They bring great goodness and much happiness to those they aid.
One source says that an Archangel can travel from one end of the universe to the other in a second, and can be in many places at one time, even though these places may be millions of miles apart, like the light of the sun - appearing in several places at one time without it's power lessened in any of those spots.
The word archangel has often been misapplied, used as a generic term that refers to all angels above the order of Angels. In most angelic hierarchies, they are one step above the Angels (the second order of the third division).
The Koran of Islam (Arabic: al-Qur'an) mentions four archangels, naming only Jibraiil (Gabriel, who is said to have revealed the Koran to Muhammad) and Mika'il (Michael) - the other two being Azrael (another form of Raphael, Angel of Death), and Israfel, Angel of Music who plays the flute at the end of the day and will sound the trumpet that wakes the dead on the Day of Judgment. These angels were not created at the same time. Israfel was first, Mika'il was created 5000 years later, Jibra'il after another 500 years and and perhaps Azrael later still.
Judaism and Christianity recognize seven archangels: Raphael, Gabriel, Michael, Uriel and three others whose names are uncertain - a source of debate by theologians for centuries. They are thought of to be three from the following list of possible candidates: Raziel, Remiel, Sariel, Metatron, Anael, Raguil, Barakiel, Barbiel, Chamael, Jophiel, Zadkiel, Jeduhiel, Simael, Zaphiel, and Aniel.
One post-Talmudic source increases the number to twelve, linking them with the signs of the zodiac, while kabbalists name, with Metatron named first and then repeated as a tenth.
Some new age angelologists also believe there to be twelve archangels instead of the traditional seven: Anthriel, Aquariel, Chamuel, Gabriel, Jophiel, Michael, Omniel, Perpetiel, Raphael, Uriel, Valeoel, and Zadkiel.
The Book of Enoch (or Henoch) names seven archangels:
Uriel, who rules the world and Tartarus;
Raguel, who takes vengeance on the world of the luminaries;
Michael, who is set over the most part of mankind and over chaos;
Saraquael, who is set over the spirits;
Gabriel, ruler of paradise, the serpents and the cherubim;
Ramiel, whom God set over those who rise; and
Raphael, who rules the spirits of men.
Enoch places only four around God's throne, backed up by their followers: Michael, Raphael, Gabriel and one named Phanuel (possibly synonymous with Ramiel) who is responsible for overseeing the repentance of sinners.
The seven angels which the Book of Revelation describes standing before God are also usually interpreted as archangels.
Michael, Uriel, Gabriel and Ramiel have all been credited with defeating the 185,000-strong Assyrian army of Sennacherib in 701 B.C. The syllable 'el' or 'it' at the end of angel and of so many angel names means bright', 'shining' or 'shining being'.
"Nine Choirs of Angels," Catholic Online (which includes sections on Seraphim, Cherubim, Principalities, and Archangels), plus individual articles on angels, St. Michael, St. Gabriel, and St. Raphael.
The Archangels Themselves
The Archangel Michael, whose name means 'who is as God', is generally considered to be the foremost of the seven archangels and the leader of the Host of Heaven. He derives originally from the Chaldeans by who he was worshiped as something of a god. He is the chief of the order of virtues, Prince of the presence, angel of repentance, righteousness, mercy and sanctification: also ruler of the 4th Heaven, tutelary sar (angelic prince). According to the Book of Daniel, Michael is one of the chief princes' and the one responsible for the defense of the nation of Israel which makes him at least of the higher order of principalities. He is also described as the leader of the forces of heaven in their triumph over Satan and his followers. According to the Book of Revelations, Michael and his angels' are described as fighting the dragon and his angels. Hence Michael is often shown fighting or overcoming a dragon armed with spear or sword as God's Warrior.
St. Michael has been invoked as patron and protector by the Church from the time of the Apostles. The Eastern Rite and many others place him over all the angels, as Prince of the Seraphim. St. Michael is the patron of grocers, mariners, paratroopers, police and sickness.
Source: The Archangels Page (off-line as of August 2004), Catholic Online Saints
The Archangel Gabriel, whose name means 'God is my strength', was an important figure in the Bible, and appears first in the Book of Daniel (chapters 8 and 9) as a messenger and revealer announced the prophecy of 70 weeks (Dn 9:21-27). Gabriel explained to Daniel his vision of a ram and a billy-goat foretelling Alexander the Great's conquest of Persia and a prophecy foretelling the freeing of the Israelites. In both these cases the archangel is mentioned by name but it has also been suggested that Gabriel is the angel who wrestles with Jacob in the form of a man and that he was involved in the destruction of Sodom and Gommorah. Enoch says that Gabriel was sent to destroy the giant children of the fallen "watchers" and did so by turning them against each other In 'Paradise Lost'.
In the New Testament he appeared to Zechariah to announce the birth of St. John the Baptist (Lk 1:11). It was also Gabriel which proclaimed the Annunciation of Mary to be the mother of Jesus (Lk 1:26). In the Book of Enoch, part of the pseudepigrapha, he is one of the seven archangels who stand close to God. Later Christian tradition made him the trumpeter of the Last Judgment. A popular figure in art, Gabriel is often pictured appearing to Mary or with trumpet raised. In Islam he is Jibril, the principal of many tales, who revealed the Koran to Muhammad.
St. Gabriel is the patron of communications workers.
Sources: The Archangels Page (off-line as of August 2004), Anthony J. Salsarini, Catholic Online
The Archangel Raphael, In Hebrew this means 'God Heals'. The angel Raphael first appeared in the apocryphal Book of Tobit (Tobias) Tb 3:25, 5:5-28, 6-12. He appears as the companion and guide of young Tobiasto whom he eventually reveals himself saying: "I am the Angel Raphael, one of the seven who stand before the throne of God." (Tb 12:15). In the Book of Euoch he is the guide to Sheol, the Judaic underworld and it was he who was sent to bind the fallen "watcher" Azazel, burying him under rocks in a desert place on earth. Raphael is not named in the canonical books.
Raphael's name means "God heals." This identity came about because of the biblical story which claims that he "healed" the earth when it was defiled by the sins of the fallen angels in the apocryphal book of Enoch. Raphael is also identified as the angel who moved the waters of the healing sheep pool. He is also the patron of the blind, of happy meetings, of nurses, of physicians and of travelers.
Source: The Archangels Page (off-line as of August 2004), Catholic Online.
Camael (Camiel, Camael)
One of the 7 Archangels who attend the throne of God, as stated in Enoch I. He is described as "one of the holy angels whom God has set over those who rise". He is the same angel who, in the apocalypse of Baruch, destroys the army of Sennacherib.
Source: The Archangels Page (off-line as of August 2004)
Raguel (Raguil, Rasuil, Rufael, Suryan, Akrasiel -"Friend of God")
One of the 7 Archangels listed in the Enoch writings. Raguel is an angel of earth, a guard of the 2nd (or 4th) Heaven. He 'takes vengeance on the world of luminaries," which is interpreted to mean that, for cause, he brings other angels to account.
Source: The Archangels Page (off-line as of August 2004)
Saraqael (Sarakiel)
The prince of ministering angels, officiating when these angels convene at judgment councils. Although Saraqael usually appears as a holy angel, he is sometimes mentioned as one who has fallen from grace. He has even been known as the angel of death.
Source: The Archangels Page (off-line as of August 2004)
Uriel
One of the leading angels in noncanonical lore, and ranked variously as a seraph, cherub, regent of the sun, flame of God, angel of the presence. Presided over Tartarus (Hades), archangel of salvation. In the latter work he acts as heavenly interpreter of Ezra's visions. In Enoch I, he is the angel who "watches over thunder and terror." In The Book of Adam and Eve he presides over repentance. Uriel "is supposed to be the spirit who stood at the gate of the lost Eden with the fiery sword." The Book of Adam and Eve designates him as this spirit. He is invoked in some of the ancient litanies. He has been identified as one of the angels who helped bury Adam and Abel in Paradise. He is known as the dark angel who wrestled with Jacob at Peniel; as the destroyer of the hosts of Sennacherib ; as the messenger sent by God to Noah to warn him of the impending deluge, all of which feats or missions have been credited to other angels, as elsewhere noted. In the view of Louis Ginzberg, the "prince of lights" in The Manual of Discipline refers to Uriel. In addition, Uriel is said to have disclosed the mysteries of the heavenly arcana to Ezra; interpreted prophecies, and led Abraham out of Ur. In later Judaism we find Uriel instead of Phanuel" as one of the 4 angels of the presence. Uriel is also the angel of the month of September and may be invoked ritually by those born in that month. The Magus claims that alchemy "which is of divine origin" was brought down to earth by Uriel, and that it was Uriel who gave the cabala to man, although this "key to the mystical interpretation of Scripture" is also said to have been the gift of Metatron. Milton describes Uriel as "Regent of the Sun" and the "sharpest sighted spirit of all in Heaven"
Source: The Archangels Page (off-line as of August 2004)
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Abigail
Also, in some of the reading I have done - Jewish folklore says that in Genesis when God says "let us make man" it is literally plural. God was consulting with the angels to get their opinions. The angels under Michael and Gabrial disagreed with God and did not want Him to create man, so God destroyed them. In other versions God cast them down to earth.
Additionally, Jewish folklore has between seven and twelve archangels, depending on if one studies Kabala or not.
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ckeer
This is from the site I mentioned earlier- I thought it was interesting.
http://www.sarahsarchangels.com/
Lucifer(Light Giver) Erroneously equated with the fallen angel Satan due to a misreading of Isaiah 14:12; "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning," an apostrophe which applied to Nebuchadnezzer, king of Babylon. It should be pointed out that the authors of the book of the old testament knew nothing of fallen or evil angels, and do not mention them, although, at times, as in Job4:18, the Lord "put no trust" in his angels and "charged them with folly," which would indicate that angels were not all that they should be. The name Lucifer was applied to Satan by St. Jerome and other Church Fathers.
Abigail- you might enjoy this site if you haven't used it already. It has a lot of the info you posted and more
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sirguessalot
imo...
"Lucifer, how art thou fallen?" applies to each of us.
Perhaps its 1/3rd of our being (specifally that part which is made of light and sound) has fallen from where it was created.
The great work is to restore this wayward son, just as Jesus the Christ himself demonstrated.
Perhaps Lucifer = Christ within, not some arch-fiend (though the dark hole where Lucifer is missing may seem like an arch-enemy in our lives until it is filled again).
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ckeer
Sirguess- Thst angels site had a chart that tied the names of archangles to chakras(points within the body- in yoga?), which kinda fits with your suggestion that angels may be part of our being.
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dmiller
Another good on-line site for Strong's concordance is HERE. I find myself using it more than I do the book.
:)-->
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TheInvisibleDan
Abigail,
Very interesting stuff on Enoch.
I came across an excellent website the other evening that features two online translations of "I Enoch" and other Enoch literature, as well as some decent background info:
http://www.reluctant-messenger.com/enoch.htm
There's also a translation of "The Book of Jubilees" at the same website:
http://reluctant-messenger.com/book_jubilees.htm
Danny
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sirguessalot
An interesting quick study of "one third" in Rev 12 is to look at the word for "third," as well as where else it is used.
Is it "one third of the stars?"
Or "the third star?"
Or "three of the stars?"
Or something else?
ckeer, I've yakked this to death around here, but here it is again, in light of this thread.
My belief is that the 7 spirits of God = the 7 chakras = the 7 days of Genesis = the first 7 manifestations = Christ, which is the shape of the universe. In other words, the entire universe is the same basic organic/living shape, which shape (logos) is called Christ, which each of us manifests as a being in the form of 7 "churches." Our relationship with the very essence of light itself can be a full-spectrum experience, not white and black.
These 7 planes are the essence of the angelic realm, whether it manifests as a form or not.
Which is why "God consulted with them" how to make man in his own image (the 7 spirits of God being the very form of all that is divine.)
Yoga is a very very diverse word. The idea of yoga (yoke/union) is often based on the centermost point of the spectrum (#4 - the heart - compassion). And both arms of 3 revolve around it in an eros meets agape meets eros meets agape dance (which marriage is quite erotic and holily so).
When the higher chakras/churches/angels are "sleeping" or dormant, "Lucifer" has fallen (as in fallen asleep, as in waiting to be born - which is not some moral evil, just still in a state of unconscious development).
Our spiritual development is an unfolding of all of these "angels" at once, to varying depths and degrees. Again, love is the ultimate centerpoint (whether or not it is an unmoveable point depends on....well, whether we believe love is or can be such a thing, I guess).
The symbolic caduceus represents all this very well. I believe it was also the raised brass serpent Moses lifted up in the wilderness for healing (which raised serpent (as opposed to the belly-crawler) IS Christ).
In a sense, when the serpent is NOT lifted up, Lucifer is fallen, and illness follows. Be it a person, or family, a village, a church, a nation, etc...
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sirguessalot
I just read the angel info you posted, Abi. pretty cool.
I've seen the angelics depicted as 7 (or more) on a verticle line (based on 3),
and 12 (or 24 in the case of the eldest of the elders) on a horizontal plane (based on 4).
The whole thing looks like a temple/sundial.
Very multi-dimensional and animate.
Sometimes you gotta close your eyes to see it.
;)-->
Even like a tree, where there is verticle growth and horizontal growth at the same time.
Sometimes, "how many" is not clear.
I mean, how many pieces can you cut a rope into?
Its like choosing only metrics over standard as the truth.
When the length of that which they measure is the same.
(unless it is alive, of course)
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dmiller
Dan -- Thank you for the reluctant messenger site!
:)-->
I've been wanting to take a look at the book of Enoch for some time now.
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Abigail
Wow, I can see I'm going to have my reading cut out for me this week! I'm looking forward to it. I have never really done an indepth study on angels, just run into bits and pieces as I've studied other subjects.
Sir,
"My belief is that the 7 spirits of God = the 7 chakras = the 7 days of Genesis = the first 7 manifestations = Christ, which is the shape of the universe. In other words, the entire universe is the same basic organic/living shape, which shape (logos) is called Christ, which each of us manifests as a being in the form of 7 "churches." Our relationship with the very essence of light itself can be a full-spectrum experience, not white and black."
EXACTLY! I've never "seen" it laid out quite the way you put it, particularly with the angels, but I have often thought this about Jesus. I see his story as an allegory and have often thought the entire Bible is an allegory, (if that is the right word) though I've never been able to piece it all together.
One of the principles I've come across in studying Judaism and Kabala is that the tree in Kabal is just that, an allegory. It is not an image to be worshipped and even the allegory itself is not perfect. If one takes the allegory literally, one falls into idolotry.
All of these terms, like the human terms applied to God in the Bible, are just ways to communicate ideas, the ideas are sparks of the light. We hinder the light when we try to see the ideas in a literal way.
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sirguessalot
yes.
Our very shape of our faith/convictions is more like pottery.
We (as gods in the form of God/Christ via angels) shape it with the hands of our minds (or not).
Thus, we can take all the time to bake it and find a crack and still have no need to weep.
Because we can crush the material to powder and use it again in another pot.
We never need fear tossing a broken pot.
The pot is never me for longer than a moment, anyway.
Our faith is ephemeral, like the streams, tides, winds, a leaf reaching for the sun, etc...
Thank God.
Like an ice sculpture.
Fluid. But always melting.
Which is also like a lense,
as water and ice and mist are.
Wisdom/hair as white as snow down to his feet, ya know?
The language of light and truth is one of depth of form.
(truth is not flat, like words on a page or tablet)
To the depth and degree that what we perceive fits some little key hole, a door is opened.
So take care.
Jacob saw his angels climbing up and down a ladder that stretched from earth to heaven, no?
hmmmm
too cool
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year2027
God First
Hi All
Since I believe Angels were created on the fifth day of Genseis
Because I read animals being used as nessergers in the bible
Now I allso call believers Angels because bring the news of God's truth as a messerger too
Now stars and water and many other things of heaven and earth have done the work of angels
Now think about the wars that place
The Good against the bad and the bad against the good
Within our own bodies the whites blood cells fight a war over the bad cells until you die
these angels are all the parts of all things
they are the atoms in your car which fight to run while after it breaks to many times you give up on it
What is the sun made of but living atoms and netrtons or elements like H or O
Some elements are good some bad but ever changing as one fights the other
fire burns away parts of the gas elements of the Sun
What does wind do here some good some bad
We can even study what elements or atoms are in a gain of dust
Just as the dust is ever changeing as it fights to live until its good parts are ate by plants and it dies
Then comes the worm who eats the bad and then makes it good again
life is ever changing as the battle of good and evil fights inside us, around us, above us and in the other four planes
just some thinking about it
with love Roy
PS the reason I know Adam was 30 years at the fall is that Jesus was 30 at the repair of what lost
Jesus was batize into life at 30 and began his ministry of living spirits
than was batize into death at 30 and began his ministry of dead souls
with love Roy
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def59
Let us not forget the Angel of the Lord which many believe was the pre-Incarnate Christ or Yaweh Himself at times.
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TheSongRemainsTheSame
To The Cyber Space Greazers this thread:
AWESOME ! ! !
THANK YOU and my appreciations all the information, thoughts etc. More than a few perusals required to assimilate.
This is a field day for me!!!
;)-->
I will respond in kind!!! Fer sure.
Please by all means continue on or long as it continues.
Rok On
Song
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Abigail
Rack em, my old friend. . . this bud's for you
"
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Angels 1: the True Story
By Adin Steinsaltz, from The Thirteen Petalled Rose, p. 7-31
The living creatures of the world of Yetzira are, in a general way, called "angels". They function on that plane as we function in the world of Asiya. The world of Yetzira may be said to be, in its essence, a world of feeling. It is a world whose main substance, or type of experience, is emotion of one kind or another, and in which such emotions are the elements that determine its patterns. The living beings in it are conscious manifestations of particular impulses - impulses to perform one or another act or respond in one or another way - or of the power to carry through an incentive, to realize, to fulfill the tendency of an inclination or an inspiration.
" An angel is a spiritual reality with its own unique content, qualities and character..."
An angel is a spiritual reality with its own unique content, qualities and character. What distinguishes one angel from another is not the physical quality of spatial distance but rather a disparity with respect to the fundamental purpose of such an essence. The substantial quality of an angel may be an impulse or a drive, i.e. an inclination to love, fear, or pity.
To express a larger totality of being, we may refer to "a camp of angels". In the general camp of "love", for example, there are many subdivisions, virtually innumerable shades and gradations of tender feeling. No two loves are alike in emotion, just as no two ideas are alike. Thus, any general and inclusive drive or impulse is a whole camp and is not consistently the same at every level. Whereas among human beings emotions change and vary either as persons change or according to the circumstances of time and place, an angel is totally the manifestation of a single emotional essence.
The nature of the angel (in Hebrew, "malach", which also means "messenger") is to be, to a degree, as its name in Hebrew signifies, an envoy, constituting a permanent contact between worlds. An angel's missions transpire in two directions: it may serve as an emissary of G-d toward the earthly, to other angels and to worlds and creatures below the world of Yetzira, and/or it may also serve as the one who carries heavenwards from below, from our world to the higher worlds.
The real difference between man and angel is not the fact that man has a body, because the essential comparison is between the human soul and the angel. The soul of man is most complex and includes a whole world of different existential elements of all kinds, while the angel is a being of single essence and therefore in a sense one dimensional. In addition, man, because of his multi-faceted nature and capacity to contain contradictions (including his gift of an inner power of soul) has the capacity to distinguish between good and evil. It is this ability which makes it possible for him to rise to great heights, and by the same token creates the possibility for his failure and backsliding, neither of which is true for the angel.
From the point of view of its essence, the angel is eternally the same. It is static, an unchanging existence, whether temporary or eternal, fixed within the rigid limits of quality given at its very creation.
" Those that have existed from the very beginning of time...constitute the channels of plenty through which the divine grace rises..."
Among the many thousands of angels to be found in the various worlds are those that have existed from the very beginning of time, for they are an unfaltering part of the Eternal Being and the fixed order of the universe. These angels in a sense constitute the channels of plenty through which the divine grace rises and descends in the worlds.
But there are also angels that are continuously being created anew, in all the worlds, and especially in the world of Asiya, where thoughts, deeds, and experiences give rise to angels of different kinds. Every mitzvah that a person does is not only an act of transformation in the material world, it is also a spiritual act, sacred in itself. And this aspect of concentrated spirituality and holiness in the mitzvah is the chief component of that which becomes an angel. In other words, the emotion, the intention, and the essential holiness of the act combine to become the essence of the mitzvah as an existence in itself, as something that has objective reality.
It is this separate existence of the mitzvah, by being unique and holy, that creates the angel, a new spiritual reality that belongs to the world of Yetzira. So it is that the act of performing a mitzvah extends beyond its effect in the material world. The power of the spiritual holiness within it - holiness in direct communion with all the upper worlds - causes a primary and significant transformation.
" The person who performs a mitzvah...creates an angel..."
More precisely, the person who performs a mitzvah, who prays or directs his mind toward the Divine, in so doing, creates an angel, which is a sort of reaching out on the part of man to the higher worlds. Such an angel, however, connected in its essence to the man who created it, still lives, on the whole, in a different dimension of being, namely in the world of Yetzira. And it is in this world of Yetzira that the mitzvah acquires substance, and, in turn, influences the worlds above. It is certainly a supreme act when what is done below becomes detached from particular physical place, time, and person and becomes an angel.
An angel cannot reveal its true form to man, whose being, senses, and instruments of perception belong only to the world of Asiya, in which there are no means of grasping the angel. It continues to belong to a different dimension even when apprehended in one form or another. However, angels have been revealed to human beings in either of two ways: one is through the vision of the prophet, the seer, or the holy man - that is, an experience by a person on the highest level; the other is through an isolated revelation by an ordinary person suddenly privileged to receive from higher levels.
When such a person or prophet does in some way experience the reality of an angel, his perception, limited by his senses, remains bound to material structures, and his language inevitably tends to expressions of actual or imagined physical forms. Thus, when the prophet tries to describe or to explain to others his experience of seeing an angel, the description verges on the eerie and fantastic. Terms like "winged creature of heaven" or "eyes of the supreme chariot" can be only a pale and inadequate representation of the incident because this experience belongs to another realm with another system of imagery. The description will necessarily be anthropomorphic.
" One who sees an angel...does not always know that it is an apparition..."
Thus, all the articulated visions of prophecy are nothing more than ways of representing an abstract formless spiritual reality in the vocabulary of human language; although, to be sure, there may also be a revelation of an angel inquire ordinary form, clothed in some familiar vessel and manifested as a "normal" phenomenon in nature. The difficulty is that the one who sees an angel in this way does not always know that it is an apparition, that the pillar of fire or the image of a man does not belong entirely to the realm of natural cause and effect. And at the same time, the angel - that is to say, the force sent from a higher world - makes its appearance and to a certain extent acts in the material world, being either entirely subject to the laws of our world or operating in a sort of vacuum between the worlds in which physical nature is no more than a kind of garment for some higher substance. For example, in the Bible, Manoah, the father of Samson, sees the angel in the image of a prophet, yet he senses in some inexplicable way that it is not a man he sees, that he is witnessing a phenomenon of a different order; only when the angel changes form completely and becomes a pillar of fire does Manoah recognize that this being which he has seen and with whom he has conversed was not a man nor a prophet, but a being from another dimension of reality, an angel.
The creation of an angel in our world and the immediate relegation of this angel to another world is, in itself, not at all a supernatural phenomenon. It is an integral aspect of life. When we are in the act of creating the angel, we have no perception of the angel being created; the act seems to be a part of the whole structure of the practical material world in which we live. Similarly, the angel who is sent to us from another world does not always have a significance or impact beyond the normal laws of physical nature.
Indeed, it often happens that the angel reveals itself in nature, in the ordinary common-sense world of causality, and only a prophetic insight or divination can show when, and to what extent, it is the work of higher forces. This is because man, by his very nature, is bound to the system of higher worlds, even though ordinarily this system is not revealed and known to him. It may be said that the realities of the angel and of the world of Yetzira are part of a system of "natural" being which is as bound by law as that aspect of existence we are able to observe directly.
To continue this discussion of the nature of Angels, Angels 2: Wings on Fire, click here
Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz is internationally regarded as one of the leading rabbis of this century. The author of many books, he is best known for his monumental translation of and commentary on the Talmud.
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Raf
Actually, we don't know that. Book simply doesn't say.
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CoolWaters
Wow! What a thread! How'd I miss it??? Oh well, I'm here now.
We were watching the Discovery History channel the other night. The program was about angels. The program kept mentioning the "Testament of Solomon". Solomon, this program pointed out, was so wise because he knew the code or something about how to command the angels. The program also said that in the Testament of Solomon is all of this wisdom.
Anyway, here's what I found online about this. Haven't read it yet...but am going to later on.
:D-->
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TheSongRemainsTheSame
Ahhh WordWolf, it's more than a "Period"!
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year2027
God first
Hi All
Just read somthing about Angels
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Hermas 2:1 "Hear now," saith he, "concerning faith. There are two angels with a man, one of righteousness and one of wickedness."
Hermas 2:2 "How then, Sir," say I, "shall I know their workings, seeing that both angels dwell with me?"
Hermas 2:3 "Hear," saith he, "and understand their workings. The angel of righteousness is delicate and bashful and gentle and tranquil. When then this one enters into thy heart, forthwith he speaketh with thee of righteousness, of purity, of holiness, and of contentment, of every righteous deed and of every glorious virtue. When all these things enter into thy heart, know that the angel of righteousness is with thee. [These then are the works of the angel of righteousness.] Trust him therefore and his works.
Hermas 2:4 Now see the works of the angel of wickedness also. First of all, he is quick tempered and bitter and senseless, and his works are evil, overthrowing the servants of God. Whenever then he entereth into thy heart, know him by his works."
Hermas 2:5 "How I shall discern him, Sir," I reply, "I know not." Listen," saith he. "When a fit of angry temper or bitterness comes upon thee, know that he is in thee. Then the desire of much business and the costliness of many viands and drinking bouts and of many drunken fits and of various luxuries which are unseemly, and the desire of women, and avarice, and haughtiness and boastfulness, and whatsoever things are akin and like to these--when then these things enter into thy heart, know that the angel of wickedness is with thee.
Hermas 2:6 Do thou therefore, recognizing his works, stand aloof from him, and trust him in nothing, for his works are evil and inexpedient for the servants of God. Here then thou hast the workings of both the angels. Understand them, and trust the angel of righteousness.
Hermas 2:7 But from the angel of wickedness stand aloof, for his teaching is evil in every matter; for though one be a man of faith, and the desire of this angel enter into his heart, that man, or that woman, must commit some sin.
Hermas 2:8 And if again a man or a woman be exceedingly wicked, and the works of the angel of righteousness come into that man's heart, he must of necessity do something good.
Hermas 2:9 Thou seest then," saith he, "that it is good to follow the angel of righteousness, and to bid farewell to the angel of wickedness.
Hermas 2:10 This commandment declareth what concerneth faith, that thou mayest trust the works of the angel of righteousness, and doing them mayest live unto God. But believe that the works of the angel of wickedness are difficult; so by not doing them thou shalt live unto God."
with love Roy
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TheSongRemainsTheSame
Lourdy have the Merci 'pon me soul all this information here.
When this thread slides to the second page is when I will take its contents a full review of study and contemplations
Main Entry: con·tem·pla·tion
Pronunciation: "k?t&m-'plA-sh&n, -"tem-
Function: noun
Date: 13th century
1 a : concentration on spiritual things as a form of private devotion b : a state of mystical awareness of God's being
2 : an act of considering with attention : STUDY
3 : the act of regarding steadily
4 : INTENTION, EXPECTATION
Thanks all your input
Song
Rok On
"It's only a matter of time in eternity all will be revealed." author unknown
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