I have some really fun things to share with you about angels on this page.  Yes I know this page needs some serious work.  I answer questions for people frequently about angels and the information in those messages should be on here for everyone to read.

There are rules and facts that one must always keep clearly in mind when dealing with these subjects.
Jesus said test all the spirits to see who sent them.  Understand these always apply.

Angels serve as the eyes, ears, and messengers of God and have done so since the very begining.

Angels of God will not speak ill of God or the Bible.

Fallen angels however will speak ill of God and or the Bible without hesitation.

One having exelent insight into actual angels is Mr. Payne.  The Payne Family Singers have a song you may find helping in understanding angels.  It's called "Angels Step Back" and it's on YouTube.

Angel is the word used to described a heavenly messenger.  Heaven's messengers are spiritual beings.  They do not sense time, distance, light, darkness or temperatures like living human beings neither do they sing the songs of humans.

A multitude of people try to relate to the songs of angels and imagine in their minds how they will sing these songs when they arrive in Heaven to be with God and the angels.

Living humans can not sing the songs of the angels because the songs of the angels is the very sound of creation's engine.  This is a very common misconception made by humans.  For now just understand that angels and humans are dramatically different.  Angels who appear in human form are the rarest kinds of angels.  The majority of the angels are dramatically different in form, size, power and function.

Angels sometimes come in human form and sometimes God sends humans to be the angel
.  It happens far more often than you might realize.  If you click on the Coke Blue Angel link at the top right of this page you can read one of those stories you never saw in the news.  You can also use this link to read the same story with more links on the page.

People frequently send messages asking questions to help them understand how these things work.  Now and then when I answer someone I will post a message out here so everyone can share and understand.

Some believe God has the same love for His angels as He does for His humans. When I try to explain this isn't the case since God's created angels are just that, like machines designed to fulfill a purpose.  We might design and build something but we can't have the same affection for it as we might a friend or family member.  Sometimes I go into great detail to explain the differences between God's love for angels and God's love for us.  It can be put in a few simple sentences.  God did not incarnate into the flesh, live suffer and die for an angel.  He did this to redeem human kind.  God does not shed grace, forgiveness or second chances to angels, but he does for humans.  If an angel errors and does not fulfill God's intended purpose that angel is toast. God is not patient with angels but generally is with humans.  God can literally spit and create an angel but he can't create a human without putting some time into it.

Humans know God's grace and forgiveness.  Humans can know God's love for them.  Humans can know their Creator as a personal friend and redemer.  Angels can not call their Creator their friend.

Most angels and demons / evil entities are spiritual energy and most of them appear as orbs of invisible light.  The energy contains their identity, information their characteristics.  These angels are sent by another more advanced entity.

Other angels are made up of other kinds of energy.  When Enoch went into heaven with an angel who looked like a man the angel escorted him through the heavens to see the going's and comings of celestial bodies.  He described the angels that power the sun as being like huge lion like creatures miles high.  Reading things like this in biblical type scrolls the scientific community tend to disbelieve / misunderstand the meaning.  This is why Creationists and the scientific community are constantly at odds with each other.  They can not comprehend that God created nature and uses it as He desires.  So if they can explain an event as natural then it couldn't have been God's doing.  The truth is not only could have been but was God's doing.

For example if it was a wind that blew that parted the red or reed sea allowing the children of Israel to cross with Moses then to some it couldn't have been God's miracle.  The problem is they can't see the angel who was working for God who caused the wind to blow.  They think if they can explain it they can remove God from the picture.  Then Creationists who believe in God want to constantly believe in super natural miracles, things that defy nature itself.  Sure God can do that but usually doesn't, because He uses nature to accomplish most of His miracles.  He all ready commands all the angels of nature.

The angels of nature are preprogrammed energy angels.  They do not think they just preform their function.  They do not look human and for the most part are not even aware of people.  Some of them are aware of the results of human's changing ecology on earth and throwing nature out of balance.

When people pray to God they send out energy from themselves with their spiritual signature in it.  Sometimes that energy has their message in it some times it doesn't.  That energy forms into a tiny orb with their message and it goes out looking for who ever the message is addressed to.   Believe me most of these prayers never reach the Creator God or the Father and that's one reason why most prayers are not answered.  A lot of them do reach "someone/something" out there who by the signature in the orb of energy can be recognized and sometimes traced back to the person who sent it.  God is not the only one who responds to people's prayers.  People are all the time praying to something they think is God but their prayers don't go to God they go to another intelligent entity who has another agenda.

The Holy Spirit is the key to the father and it is also an orb of energy but it has the signature of the Creator in it.  When a person with this energy sends out a prayer it comes to the father with the one signature the Father recognizes.  When God speaks to someone He usually doesn't establish a direct link.  He responds to certain people's prayers and then sends an angel that is an energy orb with a message to that person.  This message may play out in dream form or in vision form or in some other way depending on what the prayer was about and how God chose to answer it.

The angels who retrieve the souls of the dead do have a human form but generally won't talk with the person they retrieve.  They simply preform a function for God by keeping track of the souls of the dead.  Since they are mostly automated sometimes they fail to find every soul at the moment they die.  As a result there are ghosts walking among us.

Only the very highest form of angels or demons can actually carry on a two way conversation with a human being.  Demons send out what I call "shadow entities."  Demons live mostly in the underworld.  Demons can appear to be human or angel or just about anything else.  Of course so can angels because they are made up of thinking psychic energy and they have substance, not mortal bodies but spiritual bodies.

Demons on the other hand had bodies like that and then were transformed into bodies more fitting their deeds.  Now and then someone sees them, usually in dreams.  A lot of them are identified as aliens.

The angels who appeared to Abraham are among the highest level of angels.  These were beings who have human form and a body.  They can carry on a two way conversation with anyone they choose.  They can eat and walk among people without anyone knowing who they are, unless they want someone to recognize them.  They walk dress and act just like the people they blend in among.
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At 08:09 AM 3/31/2008, you wrote:
Do you think it's possible that the multitudes are hearing calls for a reason?

In the last days it was prophesied that "your sons and daughters will prophesy having dreams and visions."

God let the angels send me back but the entire thing was with purpose.  Then I didn't understand it very well.  The only two female angels I've ever seen in my life were asking me what I wanted to do.  That was years ago and just now I understand why they were both female.  Angels have no gender.  They can appear either male or female, animal or invisible.  It depends on what they are doing at that time.  Angels directly under God's command are to the best of my knowledge always male.  But these angels were asking me what I wanted to do and they were female.

The angel that came to tell me my mother was sick and going to die was a huge tan colored Great Dane dog.  This thing was the size of a Shetland pony.  It's eyes glowed with such a white brilliance that looking into them there was nothing but energy.  Nothing for my eyes to focus on.  Yes it was an angel and when I saw it I was wide awake and started laughing.  I said "What in the world are you doing here?"  Suddenly something was at the door, fire and it moved like a tornado.  I thought the devil was coming after me but what I saw was a woman all dressed in bright red.  I couldn't see her face.  It was my nephew right next door who saw it was his grandmother, my mother, all dressed in red.

When the shadow of death took me when I died the first time I swore it was the devil or a demon coming after me but it wasn't, it was death and it was sent by God.  Then two angels took me to see God at a great city of Light.  They also returned me to my body.

You see God can send angels with messages and people can become afraid and certain it's the devil when it isn't.  Likewise the devil and demons can come to people and they would swear it was an angel sent from God, when it isn't.

These are things people need to learn and understand.

God was preparing me to help the leaders He would call.  He is calling them now.  A lot of these people are people you wouldn't expect to be special to God.  Some of them wouldn't even be considered Christians by some.  This is what I was describing as "calling them out of the woodwork."  The majority of these people will have messages from God that will not be accepted by the general Christian and religious world community.  They will literally be treated as the religious world treated Jesus in his day.

The highly religious just won't get it.  They will be thinking all the while they are the worthy but if they could see themselves as God sees them they would be horrified!
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Angels In Human Form and Angels that are Human?
I've met all kinds in my adventures and I try to help those who want help who can be helped but if a person comes up to you telling you they are an incarnated angel be suspicious.  Most angels are energy beings that function more like a computer.  They follow orders they are given, they do not make decisions on their own.  To put one inside a human body for more than a few moments would destroy both the angel and the body.

The workings of the angel messenger mind is not as complex as a human mind because it doesn't have to be.  Everything in the heavens is compartmentalized.  Angels are like computers and robots that are designed to preform certain specific functions.

It is possible for an Angel of God to do a walk-in, and speak through the mouth of a mortal.  It was done in the Bible, it's happened to me and in one case in the Bible the angel spoke through the mouth of Balam's ass to set him on the right path.  But the angel doesn't remain there more than a few seconds or perhaps a min or two at the most.

I've had people come to me identifying themselves as prophets of God or even incarnated angels sent to ah, correct my thinking on certain things.  These tell me they are teachers and that everything I have believed in is wrong.  What they fail to understand is who I am, where I've been and why I'm still here.  Everything in Creation functions by certain rules that someone outside that realm will usually not be acquainted with.

1. If an angel or prophet of God comes to you (sent by God) they will know who you are and why they were sent.
   (
I don't mean just who you are by name but will know you as God knows who you are.)

2. If the angel or prophet sent by God comes to another prophet of God they will also reveal something to that prophet that will identify them to that person upon their first meeting.  Sometimes this involves a supernatural encounter or something that functions as a password or secret sign that will be recognized by the recipient.  Both of them will know what the sign or symbol means and it will have some heavenly significance.

3. No real angel of God will deliberately speak against or go against God's commandments.  You don't need to be an expert on the subject to know this.  Angels know what happens to angels who do not follow God's commands.  A human can be forgiven for making a mistake but an angel will not.

4. Demons will frequently speak against the bible or God and or God's commandments without hesitation.  Anyone who is posessed by a sub-demon will express the same views as that demon.  If someone says they are an incarnated angel and the bible is a joke to them you can know quickly they are posessed by one of these evil entities.

Years ago God told me in a powerful night vision speaking to me as He did then showing me in writing saying that if a prophet of God or angel comes to me I am to ask them for a sign to show me who sent them.  This is valid for all prophets of God and the angels are no exception.

If a person tells me they are a prophet or angel or incarnated angel and they don't know who I am in relationship to God and if they cannot provide the symbol or sign they are a false prophet or fallen angel. 
They are not of God.

There are angels who walk among us in human form but they are immortals.  They are a much higher class than the average angel.  In fact some of these are ascended beings and some of them have been aliens working on God's behalf.  Ascended beings also command angels.

Gravelings! / Sub-Demons
Everyone has heard of the concepts and theory of reincarnation and if you have read that area of this website you know many times what seems to be reincarnation isn't at all.  Nothing in creation is ever lost.  The essence of who you are will remain in energy format until after the Great Judgment.  Here's the catcher! There are tiny little evil entities that have been called by many names around the earth.  Sub Demons, shadow entities, gremlins, gravelings are just a few spoken by English speaking people.  These things are not demons but they work for demons.  They are to demons what God's angels are to God.  They serve as their eyes, ears, and mouth for demons.  They carry their host's information within them.  They can speak and even mimic any person they have been with.  They can transfer memories from one person to another sometimes so clearly the recipient will come to the conclusion they were someone else in a past life, when they weren't.

Since demons were once angels and since some of them try to cheat their sentence they will sometimes tell a person they are in fact the
human incarnation of an angel.  If the host will accept this lie then the sub demon has a mental hold upon them and can use them for other things.  This is a habitation and type of possession upon that individual.  In order for that person to reclaim their life they must recognize this spirit is not them speaking and make an effort to get rid of the sub demon for good and quickly replace it with the indwelling Holy Spirit.  If they don't this evil entity will not only return but it will bring even more powerful perverted sub demons with it to help it protect its home.






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Seraphim
by Micha F. Lindemans
Divine creatures from the Old Testament, associated with the
Cherubim <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/c/cherubim.html>, and later taken to be angels <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/a/angels.html>. The root of Seraphim comes either from the Hebrew verb saraph ('to burn') or the Hebrew noun saraph (a fiery, flying serpent). Because the term appears several times with reference to the serpents encountered in the wilderness (Num. 21.8, Deut. 8.15; Isa. 14.29; 30.6), it has often been understood to refer to "fiery serpents." From this it has also often been proposed that the seraphim were serpentine in form and in some sense "fiery" creatures or associated with fire.
It is said that whoever lays eyes on a Seraph, he would instantly be incinerated due to the immense brightness of the Seraph. They are described as very tall, with six wings and four heads, one for of the cardinal directions. One pair of wings are for flying, one for covering their eyes (for even they may not look directly at God), and one for covering their feet (which is almost certainly a euphemism for genitalia). They are in the direct presence of God.
In Isaiah's call-vision in the Temple, he sees Seraphim surrounding the throne of God, singing praise to God; the "Thrice Holy" hymn (ch 6). In this instance they are angelic beings but in the Book of Numbers, seraph-snakes are sent to punish the Israelites.
Some of the Seraphim are
Metatron <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/m/metatron.html>, Kemuel, Nathanael, Gabriel <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/g/gabriel.html>, and Lucifer <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/l/lucifer.html>.
Singular: Seraph.
Cherubim
by Micha F. Lindemans
Winged creatures who support the
Throne of God <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/t/throne_of_god.html>, or act as guardian spirits. They appear in the Bible (the book of Ezekiel) as bearing the throne and chariot of God, and hence later conceived as a type of angels. They are also mentioned in Genesis 3:24 as guardians (or protectors) of the Garden of Eden <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/g/garden_of_eden.html>. They were placed at the gates of the Garden to prevent humans from re-entering and thus gaining access to the Tree of Life. They also formed the mercy seat on the Ark of the covenant http://www.pantheon.org/articles/a/ark_of_the_covenant.html (Exodus 25:18-20).
In Jewish and Christian religion they are second in the order of angels, directly after the seraphim <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/s/seraphim.html>. They were usually depicted as angels with four wings and four faces (human, lion, bull and eagle). Artists in later times made them appear as the chubby, rosy-faced, winged infants of which they are known today. They are usually clothed in blue, while the seraphim are clothed in red. They originated from the winged and human-headed bulls of Babylon (also named cherubim), a lesser order of deities, which guarded the gates of the royal palace.
Singular: Cherub.
Metatron
by Ilil Arbel, Ph.D.
The myths of Metatron are extremely complicated, and at least two separate versions exist. The first version states he came into being when God created the world, and immediately assumed his many responsibilities. The second claims that he was first a human named
Enoch <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/e/enoch.html>, a pious, good man who had ascended to Heaven a few times, and eventually was transformed into a fiery angel <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/a/angels.html>. Some later books adopt the first version, some the second, and in other literature both are combined. There are even two versions of the name Metatron, one spelled with seven letters, the other with six, lacking the Hebrew letter "yod." The Kabbalists explained that the six-letter name represents the Enoch-related Metatron, while the seven-letter name refers to the primordial Metatron. Despite the elaborate debate, the origin of Metatron's name is not clear. Many attempts have been made to explain it, but none of them is satisfactory, since the word has no real meaning or root in any language. Some authors think it may be derived from private meditations and visions, or even glossolalia. This article concentrates on the Metatron-Enoch version
Metatron is one of the most important angels in the heavenly hierarchy. He is a member of a special group that is permitted to look at God's countenance, an honor most angels do not share. In the literature, Metatron is often referred to as "the Prince of the Countenance."
In the Babylonian Talmud, Metatron is mentioned only three times, but the references are important. All three relate to the problem of Metatron's immense power, which may have caused some people to confuse him with God. In later literature he was even mentioned as the "lesser Yahweh" -- a serious blasphemy for the strictly Monotheistic Judaism. Later, some authors tried to resolve the issue by showing how the Hebrew letters of the name of a mythical predecessor, the angel Yahoel (later to be entirely identified with Metatron), were the same letters as those in the name of
Yahweh <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/y/yahweh.html>. Another legend states that God himself named him so, out of affection. A fascinating legend tells of a particularly interesting and famous Jewish heretic, Elisha ben Avuyah, who saw Metatron sitting by God's side, occupying the same type of throne. This made Elisha suspect that two equal powers operated in the universe -- God and Metatron. The legend continues to explain that he made a false assumption, which indeed cost Elisha his position within the Jewish community. According to these scholars, God permitted Metatron to sit because, as God's scribe, he recorded the good deeds of the Nation of Israel. This story works very well with two of Metatron's many heavenly tasks: a scribe and an advocate, defending the Nation of Israel in the heavenly court.
Enoch, a pious teacher, scribe and leader of his people, is famed for the part he took in the tragedy of the fallen angels (see
Watchers <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/w/watcher.html>). Living during a time of great sins, around the flood, he had visited Heaven more than once. However, the time was ripe for a most significant trip. One night, two angels woke him up and commanded him to prepare for his journey. They took him on their wings, and showed him all the Heavens and their inhabitants, including a side trip to Paradise and to the place of punishment and torture of the sinners, which strangely enough was located not too far from paradise. He observed the activity of the sun and the moon, and made a visit of consolation to rebellious angels, the Grigori, succeeding in bringing them closer to God. After the tour, the great Angels Gabriel http://www.pantheon.org/articles/g/gabriel.html and Michael http://www.pantheon.org/articles/m/michael.html lead him straight to God's Throne <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/t/throne_of_god.html>.
Sitting next to God, Enoch was instructed in wisdom, and using his skills as a scribe, prepared three hundred and sixty-six books. When he learned everything, a most significant thing happened. God revealed to him great secrets -- some of which are even kept secret from the angels! These included the secrets of Creation, the duration of time the world will survive, and what will happen after its demise. At the end of these discussions, Enoch returned to earth for a limited time, to instruct everyone, including his sons, in all he learned. After thirty days, the angels returned him to Heaven.
And then the divine transformation took place. Additional wisdom and spiritual qualities caused Enoch's height and breadth to become equal to the height and breadth of the earth. God attached thirty-six wings to his body, and gave him three hundred and sixty-five eyes, each as bright as the sun. His body turned into celestial fire -- flesh, veins, bones, hair, all metamorphosed to glorious flame. Sparks emanated from him, and storms, whirlwind, and thunder encircled his form. The angels dressed him in magnificent garments, including a crown, and arranged his throne. A heavenly herald proclaimed that from then on his name would no longer be Enoch, but Metatron, and that all angels must obey him, as second only to God.

Gabriel
by Joshua Ellis
In Judeo-Christian belief, the archangel of Annunciation, Resurrection, Mercy, Revelation and Death. Also known in Hebrew orthography as Gabri-el. The angel who gave the Annunciation of Christ's birth to the Virgin Mary, and also the angel responsible for blowing the Trump on Judgment Day.
In Islamic belief, the angel who dictated the Q'uran to Muhammad <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/m/muhammad.html>, and the angel of Truth.
Some theological thought holds that Gabriel is (as much as angels can be) female, the only one among a male or androgynous Host. The name is derived from the Sumerian root GBR, governor.
Michael
by Micha F. Lindemans
"Who is like God?" An archangel, the great prince of all angels and leader of the celestial armies. With
Gabriel <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/g/gabriel.html>, Michael is the only angel http://www.pantheon.org/articles/a/angels.html mentioned in the Bible. In the Aggadah, he is seen as the guardian of Israel.

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Angels
by Rabbi Geoffrey W. Dennis
In Judaism an angel is a spiritual entity in the service of God. Angels play a prominent role in Jewish thought throughout the centuries, though the exact meaning of the word has been subject to widely, at times wildly, different interpretations.
A number of numinous creatures subordinate to God appear through the Hebrew Bible; the Malach (messenger/angel) is only one variety. Others, distinguished from angels proper, include Irinim (Watchers/High Angels), Cherubim http://www.pantheon.org/articles/c/cherubim.html (Mighty Ones), Sarim (Princes), Seraphim http://www.pantheon.org/articles/s/seraphim.html (Fiery Ones), Chayyot http://www.pantheon.org/articles/c/chayyot.html ([Holy] Creatures), and Ofanim (Wheels). Collective terms for the full array of numina serving God include: Tzeva, (Host), B'nei ha-Elohim or B'nai Elim (Sons of God), and Kedoshim (Holy Ones). They are constituted in an Adat El, a divine assembly (Ps. 82; Job 1). A select number of angels in the Bible (three to be precise) have names. They are Michael <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/m/michael.html>, Gabriel <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/g/gabriel.html>, and Satan <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/s/satan.html>.
Angels can come in a wondrous variety of forms, although the Bible often neglects to give any description at all (Judges 6:11-14; Zechariah 4). They appear humanoid in most Biblical accounts (Numbers 22) and as such are often indistinguishable from human beings (Gen. 18; 32:10-13; Joshua 5:13-15; Judges 13:1-5) but they also may manifest themselves as pillars of fire and cloud, or as a fire within a bush (Ex. 3). The Psalms characterize natural phenomenon, like lightning, as God's melachim (Ps. 104:4). Other divine creatures appear to be winged parts of God's throne (Is. 6) or of the divine chariot (Ezek. 1). The appearance of cherubim is well known enough to be artistically rendered on the Ark of the Covenant (Ex. 25). Perhaps the most ambiguous creature is the Malach Adonai, an angel that may or may not be a visible manifestation of God.
Biblical angels fulfill a variety of functions, including conveying information to mortals, shielding, rescuing, and caring for Israelites, and smiting Israel's enemies. The Book of Daniel includes a number of ideas about angels that would be elaborated upon in post-Biblical tests, including named angels and guardian angels, that all the nations of the world have their own angelic prince, that angels are arranged hierarchically, and that angels have delimited spheres of authority.
Jewish sources of the Greco-Roman period expand on the traditions of angels found in the Hebrew Scriptures. We especially see the first systematic organization of Biblical hosts of heaven into a hierarchy of different castes of angels governing and serving on different levels of heaven. Zechariah's reference to the seven eyes of God (4:10) is understood to refer to either seven archangels, or the seven angel hosts in the seven heavens (I Enoch 61; Testament of the Patriarchs, Levi).
We also see the resurgence of a quasi-polytheistic view of the divine order recast in monotheistic terms. Now instead of having minor gods with specific spheres of power, lists of angels appear, all subordinate to God, but each designated with their sphere of authority (3 Enoch). This is accompanied by a proliferation of named angels. For the first time we hear of
Uriel <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/u/uriel.html>, Raphael <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/r/raphael.html>, Peniel, Metatron <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/m/metatron.html>, and many, many others (I Enoch, Tobit, IV Ezra).
There also an increasing awareness of an affinity between angels and mortals. It seems that the boundary between human and angelic states is permeable. Elaborating on cryptic passages found in the Bible (Gen. 5:24; II Kings 2:11), it is taught that exceptional mortals, such as
Enoch <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/e/enoch.html>, may be elevated to angelic status (I Enoch).
A sense of dualism, stronger than what is found in the Hebrew Scriptures, appears in Late Antiquity and leads to angels being divided into camps of light and darkness, as exemplified by the angelology informing the Manual of Discipline found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. The mythic allusion to the misadventures of the Sons of God in Gen. 6:2 becomes the locus classicus for this belief. Thus the legend of fallen angels first appears in the pseudo-epigraphic writings (I Enoch 6, from the section sometimes called the Book of the Watchers). It is here also we first see the idea that angels envy humanity. The mythos of fallen angels eventually becomes a major theological motif in Christianity, but remains largely in the background in Rabbinic Judaism, exerting far less influence over subsequent Jewish cosmology (see
Demons http://www.pantheon.org/articles/d/demons.html and Satan <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/s/satan.html>). The belief that angels may be invoked and employed by human initiates, later a staple element of Merkavah mysticism, first appears are this time (Testament of Solomon).
Generally speaking rabbinic literature deemphasizes the importance of angels when compared with their role in the Apocalyptic and Mystical traditions. For the first time the idea is suggested that angels have no free will (Shab. 88b; Gen. R. 48:11). But they do have intellect and an inner life; they argue and are capable of errors (Sand. 38b; Midrash Psalms 18:13). Angels exist to do a single task (BM 86b; Gen. R. 50:2) and exalted as they may be, angels are subordinate to humanity, or at least the righteous (Gen. R. 21; Sand. 93a; Ned. 32a; Deut. R. 1).
Still, references to angels in rabbinic literature are almost as vast as the Hosts of Heaven themselves. Many divine actions described in Scripture were now ascribed to various angels (Deut. R. 9; Gen R. 31:8; Sand. 105b). Contrary to this trend, however, the Passover Haggadah pointedly denies that angels played any role in the pivotal event of delivering Israel from Egypt (Magid).
Angelic functions are revealed to be even more varied and their role in the operation of the universe even more pervasive. For the first time the figure of Mavet (Death) in the Bible is identified as the Malach ha-Mavet (the Angel of Death). The Early Jewish concept of personal angels, of melachei sharet, and memuneh, "ministering" or "guardian" angels and "deputies," also comes to the fore in rabbinic literature. The idea that the angels form a choir singing the praises of God also captures comment and speculation by the Sages (Gen. R. 78:1).
While rabbinic writings offer no systematic angelology comparable to that coming out of contemporaneous Christian and magical circles, certain parallel notions can be seen. Thus we learn in Talmud that Michael, the angelic prince over Israel, serves as High Priest in Yerushalyim shel malah, the heavenly Jerusalem (Chag. 12b). Legends concerning the prophet-turned-angel Elijah become one of the most commonplace angelic tales. Elijah frequently appears among mortals, bearing revelations from heaven and resolving inscrutable questions.
That all angels (and not just seraphim and cheruvim) have wings is first mentioned during this period (Chag. 16a). The size of angels may vary from small to cosmic (Chag. 13b).
There also emerges a fundamental disagreement about the nature of angels. Some consider angels to God's "embodied decrees," elementals made of fire, like an Islamic ifrit, or from an impossible combination of fire and water (
Sefer Yetzirah http://www.pantheon.org/articles/y/yetzirah_sefer.html 1.7; S of S R. 10; T.Y. Rosh. H. 58). Others regard them as immaterial, disembodied intellects.
Unlike the Biblical writers, the Sages allow themselves to speculate on the origins of angels. They teach, for example, that angels did not pre-exist creation, but were formed as part of the heavens on the second day (Gen. R. 1:3; 3). Another Rabbi posits they came into existence on the fifth day, along with all winged creations.
In late antiquity angelology becomes a major element in Merkavah mysticism. Any adept wishing to ascend the palaces of the heavens and achieve a vision of the Divine Glory needed to know how to get past the angelic guardians (usually by knowing and invoking their names) at each level. Perhaps even more important to this mystical tradition, angels can be summoned and brought down to earth to serve a human initiate. Many rituals and practices devoted to this end have been preserved in the Hechalot writings. Starting in late antiquity, angels are increasingly related to and bound up with the everyday life of individuals.
Medieval Midrash reiterates and further develops earlier teaching about angels, but it is during this period that individual philosophers start to offer systematic and idiosyncratic interpretations of angels. Maimonides, for example, talks about them at length in his Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Yisodei HaTorah (Laws of the Foundations of the
Torah <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/t/torah.html>). While he meticulously classifies angelic rankings (there are ten), in his rationalistic system Maimonides equates them with the Aristotelian "intelligences" that mediate between the spheres. As such they are conscious and govern the spheres in their motion, but in his Aristotelian context Maimonides is saying they are forms of natural causation rather than supernatural beings. He also expands his definition to include natural phenomenon and even human psychology (he refers to the libidinous impulse as the "angel of lust"). Based on his he concludes there are two types of angels, eternal and ephemeral, the latter of which constantly pass in and out of existence. He also denies that angels ever take corporeal form; the encounters described in the Bible are only the dream visions of the patriarchs and matriarchs. By contrast other thinkers, like the German Pietist Eleazer of Worms, adhere to esoteric and unapologetically supernatural angelologies. Because of the exalted status of Torah study among Ashkenazi Jews, rituals for summoning angels, especially angels who could reveal secrets of the Torah, like the Sar ha-Torah and Sar ha-Panim (The Prince of the Torah and the Prince of the Presence), became widely known.
The early Medieval magical work
Sefer ha-Razim http://www.pantheon.org/articles/r/razim_sefer_ha.html catalogues hundreds of angels, along with how to influence them and to use their names in constructing protective amulets, throwing curses, and otherwise gaining power. Zohar, along with continuing the tradition of angelic taxonomy, sorting them into seven palaces and ranking them according to the four worlds of emanation (1:11-40), assigns angels feminine as well as masculine attributes (1:119b).
Visitations by angels were widely reported among kabbalists. The mystic-legalist Joseph Caro wrote of his maggid, the genius of the Mishna, who visited him in the night and taught him Torah ha-Sod, the esoteric Torah.
The main contribution of Chasidic thought to angelology was a distinctly anthropocentric, even psychological, interpretation of angelic nature. Specifically, early Chasidic masters held that ephemeral angels were the direct result of human action. Goodly deeds created good angels, destructive behavior created destructive angels, etc. In other words, most angels are ontologically the creation, really a byproduct, of humans rather than God! Thus the balance between the angelic and demonic forces in the universe is a direct result of human decision and action.
In the last quarter of the 20th Century, there has been renewed interest in angels is evidenced throughout the Jewish community.
Magical uses: The names of angels have apotropaic properties and frequently appear on amulets, magical inscriptions and formula. In the bedtime ritual Kriat Sh'ma al ha-Mitah, the angels Michael, Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael are invoked for protection through the night. Angels have areas of specialization and can be summoned to assist mortals in these areas, such as learning and memorizing Torah.
Greek: angelos, messenger. Hebrew: Malach, Irin, Cheruv, Seref, Ofan, Chayyah, Sar, Memuneh, Ben Elohim, Kodesh. Article copyright 2004 Geoffrey Dennis.

Angels
by Rabbi Geoffrey W. Dennis
In Judaism an angel is a spiritual entity in the service of God. Angels play a prominent role in Jewish thought throughout the centuries, though the exact meaning of the word has been subject to widely, at times wildly, different interpretations.
A number of numinous creatures subordinate to God appear through the Hebrew Bible; the Malach (messenger/angel) is only one variety. Others, distinguished from angels proper, include Irinim (Watchers/High Angels), Cherubim http://www.pantheon.org/articles/c/cherubim.html (Mighty Ones), Sarim (Princes), Seraphim http://www.pantheon.org/articles/s/seraphim.html (Fiery Ones), Chayyot http://www.pantheon.org/articles/c/chayyot.html ([Holy] Creatures), and Ofanim (Wheels). Collective terms for the full array of numina serving God include: Tzeva, (Host), B'nei ha-Elohim or B'nai Elim (Sons of God), and Kedoshim (Holy Ones). They are constituted in an Adat El, a divine assembly (Ps. 82; Job 1). A select number of angels in the Bible (three to be precise) have names. They are Michael <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/m/michael.html>, Gabriel <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/g/gabriel.html>, and Satan <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/s/satan.html>.
Angels can come in a wondrous variety of forms, although the Bible often neglects to give any description at all (Judges 6:11-14; Zechariah 4). They appear humanoid in most Biblical accounts (Numbers 22) and as such are often indistinguishable from human beings (Gen. 18; 32:10-13; Joshua 5:13-15; Judges 13:1-5) but they also may manifest themselves as pillars of fire and cloud, or as a fire within a bush (Ex. 3). The Psalms characterize natural phenomenon, like lightning, as God's melachim (Ps. 104:4). Other divine creatures appear to be winged parts of God's throne (Is. 6) or of the divine chariot (Ezek. 1). The appearance of cherubim is well known enough to be artistically rendered on the Ark of the Covenant (Ex. 25). Perhaps the most ambiguous creature is the Malach Adonai, an angel that may or may not be a visible manifestation of God.
Biblical angels fulfill a variety of functions, including conveying information to mortals, shielding, rescuing, and caring for Israelites, and smiting Israel's enemies. The Book of Daniel includes a number of ideas about angels that would be elaborated upon in post-Biblical tests, including named angels and guardian angels, that all the nations of the world have their own angelic prince, that angels are arranged hierarchically, and that angels have delimited spheres of authority.
Jewish sources of the Greco-Roman period expand on the traditions of angels found in the Hebrew Scriptures. We especially see the first systematic organization of Biblical hosts of heaven into a hierarchy of different castes of angels governing and serving on different levels of heaven. Zechariah's reference to the seven eyes of God (4:10) is understood to refer to either seven archangels, or the seven angel hosts in the seven heavens (I Enoch 61; Testament of the Patriarchs, Levi).
We also see the resurgence of a quasi-polytheistic view of the divine order recast in monotheistic terms. Now instead of having minor gods with specific spheres of power, lists of angels appear, all subordinate to God, but each designated with their sphere of authority (3 Enoch). This is accompanied by a proliferation of named angels. For the first time we hear of
Uriel <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/u/uriel.html>, Raphael <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/r/raphael.html>, Peniel, Metatron <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/m/metatron.html>, and many, many others (I Enoch, Tobit, IV Ezra).
There also an increasing awareness of an affinity between angels and mortals. It seems that the boundary between human and angelic states is permeable. Elaborating on cryptic passages found in the Bible (Gen. 5:24; II Kings 2:11), it is taught that exceptional mortals, such as
Enoch <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/e/enoch.html>, may be elevated to angelic status (I Enoch).
A sense of dualism, stronger than what is found in the Hebrew Scriptures, appears in Late Antiquity and leads to angels being divided into camps of light and darkness, as exemplified by the angelology informing the Manual of Discipline found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. The mythic allusion to the misadventures of the Sons of God in Gen. 6:2 becomes the locus classicus for this belief. Thus the legend of fallen angels first appears in the pseudo-epigraphic writings (I Enoch 6, from the section sometimes called the Book of the Watchers). It is here also we first see the idea that angels envy humanity. The mythos of fallen angels eventually becomes a major theological motif in Christianity, but remains largely in the background in Rabbinic Judaism, exerting far less influence over subsequent Jewish cosmology (see
Demons http://www.pantheon.org/articles/d/demons.html and Satan <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/s/satan.html>). The belief that angels may be invoked and employed by human initiates, later a staple element of Merkavah mysticism, first appears are this time (Testament of Solomon).
Generally speaking rabbinic literature deemphasizes the importance of angels when compared with their role in the Apocalyptic and Mystical traditions. For the first time the idea is suggested that angels have no free will (Shab. 88b; Gen. R. 48:11). But they do have intellect and an inner life; they argue and are capable of errors (Sand. 38b; Midrash Psalms 18:13). Angels exist to do a single task (BM 86b; Gen. R. 50:2) and exalted as they may be, angels are subordinate to humanity, or at least the righteous (Gen. R. 21; Sand. 93a; Ned. 32a; Deut. R. 1).
Still, references to angels in rabbinic literature are almost as vast as the Hosts of Heaven themselves. Many divine actions described in Scripture were now ascribed to various angels (Deut. R. 9; Gen R. 31:8; Sand. 105b). Contrary to this trend, however, the Passover Haggadah pointedly denies that angels played any role in the pivotal event of delivering Israel from Egypt (Magid).
Angelic functions are revealed to be even more varied and their role in the operation of the universe even more pervasive. For the first time the figure of Mavet (Death) in the Bible is identified as the Malach ha-Mavet (the Angel of Death). The Early Jewish concept of personal angels, of melachei sharet, and memuneh, "ministering" or "guardian" angels and "deputies," also comes to the fore in rabbinic literature. The idea that the angels form a choir singing the praises of God also captures comment and speculation by the Sages (Gen. R. 78:1).
While rabbinic writings offer no systematic angelology comparable to that coming out of contemporaneous Christian and magical circles, certain parallel notions can be seen. Thus we learn in Talmud that Michael, the angelic prince over Israel, serves as High Priest in Yerushalyim shel malah, the heavenly Jerusalem (Chag. 12b). Legends concerning the prophet-turned-angel Elijah become one of the most commonplace angelic tales. Elijah frequently appears among mortals, bearing revelations from heaven and resolving inscrutable questions.
That all angels (and not just seraphim and cheruvim) have wings is first mentioned during this period (Chag. 16a). The size of angels may vary from small to cosmic (Chag. 13b).
There also emerges a fundamental disagreement about the nature of angels. Some consider angels to God's "embodied decrees," elementals made of fire, like an Islamic ifrit, or from an impossible combination of fire and water (
Sefer Yetzirah http://www.pantheon.org/articles/y/yetzirah_sefer.html 1.7; S of S R. 10; T.Y. Rosh. H. 58). Others regard them as immaterial, disembodied intellects.
Unlike the Biblical writers, the Sages allow themselves to speculate on the origins of angels. They teach, for example, that angels did not pre-exist creation, but were formed as part of the heavens on the second day (Gen. R. 1:3; 3). Another Rabbi posits they came into existence on the fifth day, along with all winged creations.
In late antiquity angelology becomes a major element in Merkavah mysticism. Any adept wishing to ascend the palaces of the heavens and achieve a vision of the Divine Glory needed to know how to get past the angelic guardians (usually by knowing and invoking their names) at each level. Perhaps even more important to this mystical tradition, angels can be summoned and brought down to earth to serve a human initiate. Many rituals and practices devoted to this end have been preserved in the Hechalot writings. Starting in late antiquity, angels are increasingly related to and bound up with the everyday life of individuals.
Medieval Midrash reiterates and further develops earlier teaching about angels, but it is during this period that individual philosophers start to offer systematic and idiosyncratic interpretations of angels. Maimonides, for example, talks about them at length in his Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Yisodei HaTorah (Laws of the Foundations of the
Torah <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/t/torah.html>). While he meticulously classifies angelic rankings (there are ten), in his rationalistic system Maimonides equates them with the Aristotelian "intelligences" that mediate between the spheres. As such they are conscious and govern the spheres in their motion, but in his Aristotelian context Maimonides is saying they are forms of natural causation rather than supernatural beings. He also expands his definition to include natural phenomenon and even human psychology (he refers to the libidinous impulse as the "angel of lust"). Based on his he concludes there are two types of angels, eternal and ephemeral, the latter of which constantly pass in and out of existence. He also denies that angels ever take corporeal form; the encounters described in the Bible are only the dream visions of the patriarchs and matriarchs. By contrast other thinkers, like the German Pietist Eleazer of Worms, adhere to esoteric and unapologetically supernatural angelologies. Because of the exalted status of Torah study among Ashkenazi Jews, rituals for summoning angels, especially angels who could reveal secrets of the Torah, like the Sar ha-Torah and Sar ha-Panim (The Prince of the Torah and the Prince of the Presence), became widely known.
The early Medieval magical work
Sefer ha-Razim http://www.pantheon.org/articles/r/razim_sefer_ha.html catalogues hundreds of angels, along with how to influence them and to use their names in constructing protective amulets, throwing curses, and otherwise gaining power. Zohar, along with continuing the tradition of angelic taxonomy, sorting them into seven palaces and ranking them according to the four worlds of emanation (1:11-40), assigns angels feminine as well as masculine attributes (1:119b).
Visitations by angels were widely reported among kabbalists. The mystic-legalist Joseph Caro wrote of his maggid, the genius of the Mishna, who visited him in the night and taught him Torah ha-Sod, the esoteric Torah.
The main contribution of Chasidic thought to angelology was a distinctly anthropocentric, even psychological, interpretation of angelic nature. Specifically, early Chasidic masters held that ephemeral angels were the direct result of human action. Goodly deeds created good angels, destructive behavior created destructive angels, etc. In other words, most angels are ontologically the creation, really a byproduct, of humans rather than God! Thus the balance between the angelic and demonic forces in the universe is a direct result of human decision and action.
In the last quarter of the 20th Century, there has been renewed interest in angels is evidenced throughout the Jewish community.
Magical uses: The names of angels have apotropaic properties and frequently appear on amulets, magical inscriptions and formula. In the bedtime ritual Kriat Sh'ma al ha-Mitah, the angels Michael, Gabriel, Uriel and Raphael are invoked for protection through the night. Angels have areas of specialization and can be summoned to assist mortals in these areas, such as learning and memorizing Torah.
Greek: angelos, messenger. Hebrew: Malach, Irin, Cheruv, Seref, Ofan, Chayyah, Sar, Memuneh, Ben Elohim, Kodesh. Article copyright 2004 Geoffrey Dennis.




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