I haven't had a chance to really research this fully, but it has occurred to me that there does not seem to be any support for the idea that the land is populated by "fallen angels." That seems to be an extra-biblical superstition.
That is not say that the Jews of the NT are not said to worry about them.
In my book I cover "unclean spirits," or, I as translate the phrase, "filthy breaths" and show that these are mosquitoes - more specifically, the Sand Fly (about 1/3 the size of a mosquito) that invisible confer the most horrific diseases of the Middle East (and elsewhere) such as "Mountain Leprosy" aka "Popalemoia" aka "the Baghdad Boil."
This came to mind this morning when I realized the reference to the Agents ("angels") that "left their first home" (in the sky) and mated with human women before the flood WERE SENT TO PRISON IN TARTAROO (the Roman version of hADES, or "the underworld"), kept in the underground silo until judgment. So they are not wandering around free on the land.
Ge 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
Ge 6:4 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.
Jude 1:6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
1Pe 3:
19 By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
20 Which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.
So they could not be Legion:
Mr 5:9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.
Mr 5:15 And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.
Lu 8:30 And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him.
So, modern demonology is just a fanciful imitation of non-biblical myths.
4 comments:
I found this in the Jewish Encyclopedia about fallen angels. Interesting reading:
http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=24&letter=F
It notes that, in Genesis, the women were the cause of both the fall of men and the fall of angels!
Wow! Aren't women powerful? Men and angels--not so together.
This is some pretty interesting stuff, Bill.
This may or may not be a reference to the angels that lusted after women. The verse is obscure to say the least. But it seems to be saying that a woman should have a veil over her head to not inspire lust in the sons of God (angels). See verse 10:
7 For a man indeed ought not to have his head veiled, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.
8 For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man:
9 for neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man:
10 for this cause ought the woman to have a sign of authority on her head, ***because of the angels***.
If so, it gives a new and creepy meaning to the phrase "there are angels watching over me!" Watching and lusting?!
It might also give new meaning to the idea of "entertaining angles unawares!"
Perhaps angels wear long raincoats and ride subways?
This matter dovetails nicely with my other post, asking of God is a eunuch. Apparently angels are all male and yet there are not females and they do not marry. A huge percentage apparently rebel... and one wonders why? One would have thought that God would have learned his lesson and made the sex-assistant from the beginning, instead of as an afterthought when Adam started humping heifers.
One thing I don't find makes sense about covering one's head with long hair to prevent lust... a woman looks sexier WITH long hair than not, IMHO, and certainly sexier than bald!
However, here on Sand Mountain, many of the women are "holiness" and have long hair (to fulfill this Corinthians passage), but wrap it up in a hideous pile on top of their head to avoid "looking like a whore" who are described in the Bible as having unrestrained hair.
Of course, braided hair is also apparently too much excitement for men and angels:
1Ti 2:9 ¶ In like manner, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefastness and sobriety; not with braided hair, and gold or pearls or costly raiment;
The Muslims are so freaked out by women's allure that they just dump her into a body bag and forbid fraternization entirely.
Jesus suggested plucking out one's eyes if the eye has been contaminated with lust:
Mt 5:29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.
Mt 18:9 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire.
I'm wondering if the 2/3 of the angels that don't rebel are all blind by reason of self-mutilation?! Maybe if you feed blind men in long raincoats, you will increase your chances of "entertaining angels?"
I will say this, Eve must have been pretty hot looking, all naked and everything, to get Adam to eat that fruit, knowing he would die. But this is actually quite credible. Sexual desire has thrust many a man off a cliff.
Ya gotta love the Bible!
Here's a thought... tradition has it that whenever a bell rings, an angel "gets his wings." Silly, I know, as angels are just men and have no wings.
Maybe a more Biblical idea is, "whenever a woman shaves her head, an angel loses his right eye!"
"What I lack in youth I make up for in immaturity!"
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