~ This is a continuation of a blog that I posted previously "The First Warrior-Defender and Commander-Michael the Archangel" http://raf1027.multiply.com/journal/item/158
WAR IN HEAVEN
According to Christian mythology, the War of Heaven was a defining moment in the universe, when the archangel Lucifer led a third of the Angels in an open revolution against God and his loyal angels.
Background to the War
The most common catalyst considered to have driven Lucifer towards his unsuccessful coup was the Creation of Man, whereupon God ordered all his angels to bow down to Mankind. Lucifer considered this an insult, and rallied discontent amongst other angels who felt the act was degrading since they were God's first creation themselves.
The War
In 1273, Pope John XXI, then Bishop of Tusculum, estimated that the total number of angels who sided with Lucifer's revolt numbered 133,306,668, which would suggest that they were fighting against a force of 266,613,336 angels who remained loyal to God. This number was later affirmed by 15th-century scholar Alphonso de Spina. Filled with hubris, Lucifer issued a declaration of war stating that "I will ascend to Heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High."
In the end, Lucifer and all the angels under his command were thrown out of Heaven as punishment for their insurrection. Several millennia afterwards, Jesus Christ reported that he had been present and saw Lucifer being thrown down like a flash of lightning.
Religious interpretations and variations
The Muslim tradition draws on Quran 7:12, which claims that Lucifer's pride was seen in his insistence that he was better than Mankind, being forged from fire, rather than clay. Some Sufi traditions assert that Lucifer espoused a great love of God – and that he had sworn to never bow to anyone except God. (See section on Persian and Sufi Traditions in article on Lucifer)
According to the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Lucifer fomented the revolution after God rejected his alternative plan of salvation, wherein he had volunteered to take Jesus' place as God's emissary to humanity. Lucifer believed that mortals should have their free will revoked to prevent them from committing sins, to ensure their entry into Heaven.
Some excerpts from Catholic Theology - http://www.saintaquinas.com/angels.html
- It is important to realize that an angel is not a dead human; in other words we do not become angels when we die and pass on to heaven. Angels are as different from humans as animals are from us. Humans are endowed with sentience, conscience and a measure of intellect which divides us from the animals. In a similar manner, angels are endowed with a power and intellect not proper to man. In a sense, man is a composite creation which blends the nature of the animal (corporeality, instinct, passions) with the nature of the angels (free will, intellect, conscience, sentience and rationality). Thus the angels are not humans, and we can never become one. -
The Nature of Angels~
St. Thomas Aquinas speculated on the nature of the angels from the vantage point of Scholastic philosophy. Aquinas used a synthesis of philosophy and Scripture (called Scholasticism) to speculate on the nature, powers and ordering of the angels.
* He believed that angels had three primary roles given to them by God. Their first role was to worship God.
* The second major role of the angels is to implement the will of God
* Finally, angels serve as messengers from God.
Goodness of the Angels~
Moral goodness is not something that is dependent on the nature of a created being. The nature of a creature is the innate powers and potential given to a being by God. Because free will is a necessary part of the nature of man and angel, there exists the possibility of sin. Angels can, and have, sinned. Indeed, the original creation of God was perfect and moral in every possible way. Unfortunately, Satan (for reasons we can only speculate on) a good Cherubim, decided to selfishly seek and increase his own glory and power beyond the limits set by God.
When he refused to submit to the will of God he committed the first of all sins: the sin of pride. When Satan sinned in pride, he convinced many other angels to follow him into submission and evil. For this sin, he was expelled from heaven forever and was denied the immediate vision of God.
The good angels who resisted Satan’s temptations were admitted into the immediate vision of God and became firmly rooted in virtue. For this reason, the angels who resisted the first sin are no longer capable of sinning; they have made a permanent and indelible choice to submit to the love of God. The fallen angels, or devils as we now call them, are likewise permanently rooted in sin. It is not possible for a devil to repent of his sins.
This fact partially explains why belief in angels is a primary dogma of Catholic faith. Without belief in angels, there is no possible explanation for the existence of evil in the good creation of God
Christian angelic hierarchy
v • d • e
First Sphere (liberated)
Seraphim • Cherubim • Ophanim (Thrones/Wheels)
Second Sphere (active)
Thrones • Dominions • Principalities
Third Sphere (active)
This is not meant to be a religious post but more of a study into different perspectives~ Ana
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