Board index ‹ Specific Bible verses, texts, and passages ‹ Revelation

[Seven]

In the War in Heaven which angels defected? What types of angels were they?

I ask this because I am confused on somethings:

Did any seraphim betray God?

Did any of them even partake in this war?

Michael led the angels that fought against the dragon and Lucifer. But Michael was an archangel which is ranked lower than a seraphim?
Why didn’t a seraph lead the good angels to fight against the dragon and the rebel angels?

Wouldn’t that make sense since a seraph should be stronger than an archangel? Because the seraphim are the highest ranking angels according to angelology.

[jimwalton]

In Greek, "angels" is the common word for "messenger." The seraphim are not angels, but instead a different sort of spiritual being.

> which angels defected?

The text doesn't mention any angels defecting. It's a war between two spiritual armies of apparently loyal followers.

> Did any seraphim betray God?

There is nothing in this text or the whole Bible to indicate that seraphim have ever betrayed God.

> But Michael was an archangel which is ranked lower than a seraphim?

No seraphim are mentioned in the text, and so no ranking between archangels and seraphim is possible.

> Why didn’t a seraph lead the good angels to fight against the dragon and the rebel angels?

Seraphim are mentioned in only one place in the Bible: Isaiah 6. They are thought to have looked like glowing winged serpents. Their role seems to be to worship at the throne of God, not to deliver messages or to do battle.

> Wouldn’t that make sense since a seraph should be stronger than an archangel?

There is no reason, from the Bible, to believe that seraphim are stronger than archangels. We are not told anything about the strength of seraphim.

> Because the seraphim are the highest ranking angels according to angelology.

This aspect of angelology is not from the Bible, but only from various traditions. We look at it with interest, but it has no authority.

[Seven]

Thank you for the insights. One more question: What type of angel was Lucifer; would it be correct to call him a Cherub because of Ezekiel 28:14-16?

[Yacneh]

Lucifer is never called an angel and doesn't feature in Ezekiel 28. The only passage that mentions "Lucifer" is Isaiah 14. The figure here is called helel ben sahar (Shining One, son of Dawn) in Hebrew, "lucifer" is just the Latin translation of helel. The figure is to be identified with the "morning star," Venus.

These verses are directed at the king of Babylon, but the imagery of a figure associated with Venus that tries to usurp the throne of Mount Zaphon before being cast down comes from a Canaanite myth about the god Athtar's failed attempt to usurp the throne of Baal. So there's no angel here, it's about a king using a metaphor from Canaanite mythology, which was basically pop culture for an ancient Israelite.