Fallen Angels - Reason For Theyre Fall

[Beattie~Babe]

Fallen angel - Reasons for their fall

There are a number of beliefs regarding fallen angels. Many focus on issues of free will, lust, pride, or the incomprehensibility of the acts of God.


Fallen angel - The Different Facets of God

This hypothesis focuses on the concept that God has two opposite sides — a divine (or bright) side, and a shadow (or dark) side. It is believed that if mortals were to see God's bright side, His radiance would incinerate them instantly. Therefore, a dark side was necessary for Him to communicate with mortals.

As Judaism evolved, so, too, did the sides of God. Initially, the shadow side became "God's Word" and then the "Voice". In time, it came to be considered a separate being with its own free will, far removed from the bright side of God. The dark side began to take on some negative aspects with which mortals were familiar — destruction, betrayal, temptation, etc. Eventually, the dark side of God became known as Satan. It should be noted that there is no Biblical evidence supporting this hypothesis. The word "Satan" is a version of the Hebrew word "satan" or "ShTN", meaning "adversary". [1]


Fallen angel - Consequences of Free Will

No matter what the belief system, it is generally accepted that the fallen angels were cast out of Heaven due to free will. Pride, being the most grave of sins, is usually taught as the reason the angels were expelled from Heaven.


Origen, a father of the early Christian Church, believed that God had created all angels to be equal and free. However, possessing the power of free will, some of them began to move further away from God of their own volition.

Origen maintained that those who drifted the least remained in the regions closest to God, while those who moved further out fell into lower air, and became what we know as "angels". This is the lowest order of the angels' hierarchy. Those who moved still farther away became humans, and finally those who moved the farthest away from God became "demons", who reside in Hell.

Origen states metaphorically that, although some angels fell and became humans or demons, all hope is not lost. By practicing virtue, men and demons can again become angels.

It is interesting to note that Origen, while considered an early Father of the Church, was deemed a heretic as a result of some of his writings and teachings, which did not conform to accepted scripture or tradition. Mainly, his concept of Apokatastasis, the belief that all beings (humans, fallen angels, demons and Satan) will return to God through God's love and mercy, is what was not accepted at the time. His excommunication was reversed posthumously.


The following comes from a series of ancient texts referenced in the Bible called "The Three Books of Enoch", a set of books found in the Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament.

According to these books, it is because of lust that some angels fell from Heaven. God asked the "Watchers" (Grigori), a select group of angels, to assist the Archangels in the creation of Eden. Those Grigori who descended to Earth saw the daughters of men and became enchanted with them. Consequently, the Grigori began to reveal to man some of the secrets of Heaven, such as astrology, weapons production), and the vanity of enhancing the face and body with perfumes and cosmetics. The Grigori then fell in love with human women. According to the text, some of the Grigori even took wives and created offspring, giants known as the Nephilim. This made God so angry that he cursed those Grigori who had betrayed Him, threw them out of Heaven, made them mortal and transformed them into demons. God sent the Great Flood to cleanse the Earth of the wanton killing and destruction perpetrated by the Nephilim. Notable angels who fell in this account are Semyazza, Samael, and Azazel. A single verse from the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament alludes to the "sons of God" intermarrying with the "daughters of Man" to create a species known as "Nephilim".


This belief involves Lucifer's rebellion against God, well known amongst Christians. Pride, the gravest of the seven deadly sins, eventually led to the expulsion from Heaven of certain beings, up to and including the highest orders of angels. Lucifer, who himself succumbed to pride, was the first and mightiest angel to be created. With intelligence, radiance, beauty, and power unmatched among angels in Heaven, Lucifer was second in majesty only to God Himself.

Unfortunately, Lucifer became ambitious and self-centered, eventually deciding to prove his power by raising his throne to the height of God's throne. Other angels did not approve of Lucifer's plan; they did not want a lower being trying symbolically to become the equal of God. When Lucifer enacted his scheme, he was instantly hurled out of Heaven. It should be noted that this account of the rebellion might have come from several ancient Canaanite manuscripts that deal with Shahar, one of their own deities.

Catholic theologians have speculated that the incarnation of Christ was revealed to the angels. The idea that all of Heaven must bow before Christ, formed in part from the lesser nature of humanity, supposedly motivated the prideful actions of Lucifer (cf. Suarez, De Angelis, lib. VII, xiii).


Fallen angel - Bowing to mankind

This belief states that God mandated that angels bow before men. It is said that when God created man, He wanted His angels to acknowledge man by bowing down to Him, but some of the angels did not obey His mandate. The origin of this idea is most likely the "Book of Adam and Eve", an apocryphal text which most scholars agree was written somewhere near the end of the 1st century AD.

XIII: The devil replied, 'Adam, what dost thou tell me? It is for thy sake that I have been hurled from that place. When thou wast formed, I was hurled out of the presence of God and banished from the company of the angels. When God blew into thee the breath of life and thy face and likeness was made in the image of God, Michael also brought thee and made (us) worship thee in the sight of God; and God the Lord spake: Here is Adam. I have made thee in our image and likeness.' XIV: And Michael went out and called all the angels saying: 'Worship the image of God as the Lord God hath commanded.' And Michael himself worshipped first; then he called me and said: 'Worship the image of God the Lord.' And I answered, 'I have no (need) to worship Adam.' And since Michael kept urging me to worship, I said to him, 'Why dost thou urge me? I will not worship an inferior and younger being. I am his senior in the Creation, before he was made was I already made. It is his duty to worship me.' XV: When the angels who were under me heard this, they refused to worship him. And Michael saith, 'Worship the image of God, but if thou wilt not worship him, the Lord God will be wroth with thee.' And I said, 'If He be wroth with me, I will set my seat above the stars of heaven and will be like the Highest.' Anon. Book of Adam and Eve, 13–15. [2]

In John Milton's epic poem, "Paradise Lost", Azazel is the standard-bearer of the infernal host led by Satan. According to the Quran, when God commanded the angels to worship Adam, Azazel replied: "Why should the son of fire fall down before a son of clay?" and God cast him out of Heaven. His name was then changed to Eblis, which means "despair".

Then straight commands that, at the warlike sound Of trumpets loud and clarions, be upreared His mighty standard. That proud honour claimed Azazel as his right, a Cherub tall: Milton: Paradise Lost, Book I, vv530–533. [3]
The version that appears in the Quran appears to be a slightly modified version of the "Book of Adam and Eve" account.


There is a Sufi version of the story that states that Lucifer was the angel who loved God the most. At the time of the angels' creation, God told them to bow to no one but Him.

However, God created mankind, whom he considered superior to the angels, and commanded the angels to bow before the new figure, forgetting his previous commandment. Lucifer refused, partly because he could not forget the first commandment, but also because he would bow to his beloved God only. The other angels saw Lucifer as insubordinate, and expelled him from Heaven.

Those who believe in this version do not consider Lucifer or the fallen angels to be demons, since they did not rebel against God by refusing his mandate, but rather believed that creatures should bow before only God, and no one else.

www.experiencefestival.com/a/Fallen_angel_-_Reasons_for_their_fall/id/1381762

[Beattie~Babe]

The Fallen Host & The War in Heavens

The Fallen Host

These are angels that have fallen from God's grace. Although rarely mentioned in biblical scripture these beings serve as a warning to the reader of what the wrath of God can bring. Angelologists have a certain interest in these creatures because they have quite an air of shadowy mystery which surrounds them.

Fallen angels can be split into two main groups namely:
The angels who sided and allied with Lucifer during the war in Heaven and the fallen Watchers or Grigori.
In both of these cases the angels tuned on God, their creator, by misusing the free will that had been granted to them by God.

The War in Heaven

Generally there is a belief that at some point in time Lucifer joined forces with a third of the divine host in an attempt to place themselves as rulers in the Kingdom of Heaven, by overthrowing God and the faithful angels.
One theory about the cause of the conflict is that when God created man he called upon all of angelic forces to bow before his new creation. Lucifer at that time being one of the highest Archangels found this too humbling by far and refused to debase himself in this manner and duly asked if
"a son of fire should be forced to bow before a son of clay?".

A similar theory and one very much like the latter suggests that Lucifer should bow before Jesus the son of man. Whatever the reason for the conflict Lucifer appeared to be outgrowing his post as highest of the Seraphim and chief of Angels.



It somewhat unclear how many angels were actually engaged in the war in Heaven and the exact number of the host open to conjuncture for many.

In the 15th century though it was estimated that 133,306,668 angels fell from the Heavens in a total of 9 days according to the Bishop of Tusculum (c. 1273), and this was reaffirmed by Alphonso de Spina (c. 1460).

I am sure that this number astounds even the most open minded. I my self was not surprised by the total figure of the fallen angels, I expected the number to be very big for the simple reason that it is reported that the number of angels is very big and that one third of them fell, so this third should be a very large figure also, but I was and still am very skeptic about the accuracy of this number when I first came upon it.

There is also a question as to when the war took place. In the Old testament and Hebraic writings there is no mention of Hell or fallen angels. However because of the role that Satan plays in the bible, perhaps the most likely time for the battle to have happened, lies somewhere between the Old and New Testament. Whatever the case, Christ made it clear that Lucifer/Satan is the enemy.

Indeed Satan is described in the book of Revelation as a creature which takes the form of a ten headed dragon as he does battle with the armies of God, led by Archangel Michael. Another belief suggests that the battle lasted for several days with Satan's armies building great war machines and even gaining a temporary advantage over the divine forces. However, there is a tale of a Final Battle between the two forces where the Angelic Armies will finally crush the fallen for once and for all.



Revelation 12:7-10 (KJV):
Michael the Archangel Defeats the Great Dragon

Revelation 12:7-10:
A supernatural battle occurs between the Angels of God and the Fallen Angels of Satan.

The Angels of God prevail:

• And there was war in Heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the Dragon; and the Dragon fought and his angels,
  
  
• And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in Heaven.
  
  
• And the Great Dragon was cast out, that Old Serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceived the whole world: he was cast out into the Earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
  
  
• And I heard a loud voice saying in Heaven, 'Now is come Salvation, and Strength, and the Kingdom of our God, and the Power of His Christ: for the Accuser of our Brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God Day and Night.'
  
  

[Bexerika]

Good, Interesting (get it its a angel lol) anyway;

I really like how youve touched upon many of the mythological suspicions and theories surrounding the Fallen Angels. I myself am extremely fascinated by the Fallen Angels (As i assume you are to)
I just like to add a little more information.
The Book 'From The Ashes of Angels-The Forbidden Legacy of a Fallen Race' by Andrew Collins, goes into detail about the origins of The Watchers/Grigori/Fallen Race. (I suggest you read it)
It is that the pseudo-christian theories of who the watchers are and how they fell is in fact a rather shallow interpretation of the story,
As you mention the Book of Enoch is an extremely detailed analysis of the fall of man, with pseudo-judaism traits and qualities, and the myth can be traced back to early Zoroastrian sects and the Yezidi people.
The myth itself contains a rather striking amount of fact.
The story tell of a race of people, whos features represent that of archaic religions representations, ie; tall, long white hair, glowing. Collins in his book gives evidence to support the theory that those angels actually represent features of a fallen race of people.
thats basically the crux of it in its shallowest form, but i havnt read the book in a while.
Im not going to go into more detail until ive read the book again, but i advise anyone who is interested should most definetly read it...

[adrianbain]

Hi. I'm new here, my name is Adrian, and I've read some of these posts with a great deal of interest. The members are very knowledgeable and the posts are always interesting.

I just wanted to ask, in regard to Archangel Gabriel - he was the angel sent to instigate a civil war among the children of the angels and human woman, right?

Angel Gabriel is not mentioned too many times in the Bible and in actual mythology, but he seems to have played an important part in the history or at the least the downfall of the Nephilim.

Would there be a strong connection between Gabriel and the fallen angels? Such as animosity between he and Azazel? And have you ever heard of the theory that at least one angel researcher has that some archangels - and possibly even Lucifer himself - have incarnated as humans in times of great trouble or upcoming extraordinary events in human history?

Do you think this is possible and could happen in our lifetimes?

Sorry for all the questions! This is truly one of the best forums I have found and I am glad to be on here.

Thanks for any information you can provide.

(PS Also I have since read on the forum that Lucifer and Gabriel were both seraph and close to the throne of God. There may be a connection there as well?)

[Beattie~Babe]

I doing this from my hospital bed, but I think this kind of covers a fair bit .....

Book of Watchers

In the Genesis, we are given a very brief description of the causes of the great Biblical Flood. This took place before Noah built his vessel, the great ark.

And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
And the LORD said, "My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years."
There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
Genesis 6:1-5
Who were these sons of God that were referred to in some translations as supernatural beings? And were these giants or old, men of renowned (the Good New Bible called them famous men of long ago and heroes)?

The Haggada gives us an abbreviate version that I have already related that the sons of Gods were angels of heaven, who were known as the Watchers, and the giants were their children.

It is in the Book of Enoch (Enoch 1) that we are given more details about these events. Enoch 1 could be divided into 5 sections, of which the Book of Watchers (chapters 1-36) relates to the fallen angels and giants.

During the time of Enoch's father, Jared, a group of angels, known as the Watchers, looked from heaven and saw that the daughters of mortal men to be beautiful and they desired to sleep with them. They consulted with Semjaza, but he refuse to lead them unless they all make a pact that each one was responsible for this act. They agreed and swore oaths that they will mate with mortal women.

Two hundred angels followed Semjaza's descent to earth, under the leadership of twenty captains and divided accordingly. Among the Watchers was Azazel, one of the leaders. Each angel took wives for himself - mating with them and siring children that grew and became giants.

The children grew as tall as three thousands ells. These giants were also called Nephilim. They were given other names - the Rephaim, the Anakim, Zuzim, and Emim.

The angels had also taught the mortals forbidden arts and lores of enchantment and divination. The Watchers also taught their children all manner of things. They learn not only sorcery and astrology, but also how to make weapons for war.

The giants' appetites were in proportion to their size, so they quickly devoured cattle and food of men and other wild animals until they were all short of food. Then the giants began slaughtering men and devouring their flesh. Some even drank their blood. The cries of dying men reached the heaven.

Not all Watchers who looked down from heaven were evil. There were Holy Watchers were the archangels - Michael, Uriel, Gabriel and Raphael. These archangels were the leading Watchers, who heard the cries of men that perished under the hungry giants. They holy angels told God what has been happening on earth.

God gave each of his archangels a task. He told Uriel to instruct Noah to hide, and reveal the secret destruction of the world. Since the angels had defiled themselves by having sexual intercourse with mortals, these Watchers became fallen angels, unable to return to heaven. God sent Raphael to bind and bury Azazel in a desert until judgement day where Azazel shall be cast into fire. The Lord sent Gabriel to wreak confusion and destruction upon the children and descendants of the fallen angels; they will begin killing one another. And with Michael, God instructed him to go and confine Semjaza and the other evil Watchers in the abyss (Tartarus).

Before the archangels' meeting with God and His judgement, the narrative returns to the time of Enoch. Enoch had been hiding in the wildness avoiding men and giants. Enoch's absence from the earth for a time was that he was allowed to visit God in heaven. Enoch had also seen the communities and hierarchies of the angelic world. Enoch was allowed to see all levels of heaven, and even hell, where the wicked were punished.

The Watchers had nicknamed Enoch as the Scribe. After Enoch's first visit in heaven, God sent him to the Watchers with a dire prophecy and warning for the Watchers and their giant children. Enoch also foretold that Noah and his family would be saved, when the earth becomes inundated. Although, Enoch was a human, Azazel and the other Watchers trembled at his terrible words.

It was at this point that the Watchers realised not only fates of their children, but also they could never returned to heaven, because they have cohabited with daughters of men and teaching them and their children about forbidden secrets from heaven; they are fallen angels, which people would label as evil spirits or demons. The Watchers could not even pleaded their cases nor convey their apologies directing to God, which was why they required to communicate with God via Enoch.

Though, the giant were killing humans at the time of Enoch, when Gabriel destroyed the children of the Watchers it would have inadvertent effects; the giants' death won't stop them troubling humans. Since the giants were children from the union of mortal women and the spirit from heaven, their death would release the spirits of these giants that would cause problems for mortals till the end of time. They are evil spirits that will remain bound to the earth, so mankind won't have any peace.

After this, various archangels took Enoch to various parts of the earth, where he saw various wonders. Here is the earliest mention of the seven archangels (1 Enoch 20) - Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Raguel, Saraqael and Remiel.

Enoch saw where spirits were punished for sinning; he saw great mountains and forests, creature of great size and small. One of the places Enoch visited was the Garden of Eden, where Enoch saw the Tree of Wisdom, which was known as the Tree of Knowledge in the Genesis.

There are many portals to the heaven, if one could travel to the ends of the earth. There are portals on the four quarters of the earth, north, south, east and west.

Though the two books of Enoch were considered pseudepigrapha, they were nevertheless influential because of the details about heavens, the hierarchies of angels and fallen angels, which Jews and early Christians seemed to use. Fragments of texts about these events were also in the texts known as the Dead Sea Scrolls found at Qumran. Both works were influenced by the Persian religion, known as Zoroastrianism, which has a complex system or mythology of angels and demons.

[laurapyper]

that makes understanding the fallen angels even more complicated: i always thought the Fallen andgels were angels who fell from grace bacause (to put it plainly) they shagged prostitues out of lust. i have no idea how i thought that but i did!