Biblical Angelology part five: Armies of Flame

We come now to what is probably the least explored of the Angelic Spheres.

The Messenger Yahweh, the Angel of Death and the Logos are pretty well known, if misunderstood. Everybody knows about Michael, the Watchers, the Cherubim and the Seraphim.

But the Armies of Heaven, however popular, don't really have any nuance to them in the popular imagination.

At best, they are presented as one side of the great cosmic battle, a featureless sea of white robes, perhaps with some white horses thrown in.

Here comes the Calvary (pun intended)

But in fact, as we'll see in this post, the Armies of Heaven are really cool, and the wars they fight are more than a symbolic representation of the Christian's fight against sin or something.

Have you ever heard of the Lahat Ha-Hereb Hammithappeket?

Almost certainly not (unless you've read a ridiculous amount of weird articles like I have). And yet the term is found directly in a fairly well-known Bible passage.

Genesis 3:24: After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

The Cherubim are familiar . Obviously, there's a Cherub with a sword, and it's on fire and he's swinging it back and forth to prevent entry.

Wrong!

Let's look at a more literal translation of this verse:

He drove out Adam and dwelt Cherubim before the Garden of Eden with a flame of the whirling sword to guard the path to the Tree of Life.

Okay, so this is no longer a flaming sword, this is a 'flame of the whirling sword,' a 'Lahat Ha-Hereb Hammithappeket,' as the Hebrew of this verse puts it. But what does that even mean?

Well, it means that this is not simply a weapon being used by the Cherubim. It is a separate object.

One common interpretation holds that the Lahat Ha-Hereb Hammithappeket was a lightning bolt.

Personally, I find this explanation unsatisfying.

Why use such a strange metaphor? What does the sword have to do with this?

The second explanation is that the Lahat Ha-Hereb Hammithappeket is some kind of magical weapon wielded by Yahweh's invisible hand, appearing to spin by itself in midair.

The problem is that the Flame, not the sword, is placed with the Cherubim. It is not that the flame is a property of the sword, rather the Whirling Sword is the grammatical accessory of the Flame.

In both explanations, there is an unsettling lack of symmetry between the Cherubim and the Lahat Ha-Hereb Hammithappeket.

My favored explanation proposes that these Flames were a class of Heavenly Beings, in the same mythological category as the Cherubim.

P.D. Miller J.r. points out that fiery beings as servants of the gods are common in Caananite, Phonecian and Israelite mythology. All throughout the Bible, fire is a symbol of the Heavenly Realm (the Burning Bush, the Pentacost, Seraphim etc).

One passage in particular seems to reinforce this interpretation:

Psalm 104:4: [Yahweh] made the winds His angels, the flaming fire his servants.

An ancient Caananite inscription reads: 'a flame, two flames appear. In their right hands are sharpened swords.'

A similar Akkadian text describes a deity, 'Fire,' in similar terms: 'Fire, that famous slayer whose hands are suited to wield his terrible weapons and to make his fierce swords flash.' In the Zend-Avesta, Fire is repeatedly called 'the son of Ahuru Mazda,' the supreme deity. This could reflect ancient Indo-Iranian deification of fire as an elemental incarnation of the Infinite, similar to the Holy Spirit's appearance as 'tongues of flame' at Pentacost.

The West Semitic God Resep, whose name means 'flame,' was a god of war, pestilence and fertility. In three Phonecian inscriptions, two altars and a hearth are dedicated to him, namely by the title 'Resep of the Arrow.'

That title, which could be alternatively translated 'the Flame of the Arrow,' is arranged with precisely the same grammatical form as 'Lahat Ha-Hereb Hammithappeket.' The divine name, 'flame,' with the possessed weapon, in the case of Genesis the 'whirling sword.'

This deity Resep is found in the Bible, too.

Habakkuk 3:5 : Plague [deber] went before him; pestilence [resep] followed his steps.

Some modern scholars believe that both Deber and Resep are gods, or possibly demons. It is possible that Deber is some kind of incarnation of the Sevenfold Spirit of God, and Resep is the Archangel. Much of ancient Jewish interpretation holds these two beings that accompany Yahweh in his Theophany to be angels of death, the same beings mentioned in Job 33:22.

Elsewhere, the word Resep is translated coal, flame, lightning, or arrow. Many of these passages have been obscured by translation, but were traditionally held to be talking about spiritual beings of death, war, fire and pestilence. Various forms of the word appear seven times in the Old Testament.

In one Ugaritic astrological text, Resep is described as the gatekeeper of the sun-goddess. This, of course, further strengthens the parallel to the flaming guardians of the way into Eden.

But the plural form, Resepim, is also found in ancient texts (and possibly referenced in Job 5:7), suggesting that Resep is the chief deity in a group of flaming warrior spirits, just as the Destroyer is the chief being among the messengers of death, or the Messenger Yahweh among the Malakim.

And these divine Flame warriors are also parallel to Cherubim in that both would be considered taboo in the Jewish classification system. Cherubim are a conglomeration of creatures from conceptually different categories, whereas Flames lack the features necessary to be categorized (as fire is not one of the categorical types). Both creatures are anomalies- one because of excessive features, the other by lack of features.

Both are holy, and that holiness is accompanied by the corresponding taboo. Just as God's face is holy, and therefore taboo to see, or his image holy, and therefore it is taboo to create an image of Yahweh. In Israelite culture, things that are holy are taboo.

Just as the Garden the Flames and Cherubim protected was holy, and therefore off-limits to us fallen, unclean humans.

Before discussing the Erelim and Hashmallim, we need to look at the Heavenly Host as a whole.

We've already discussed their leader, Michael the Archangel. In that article we discussed Jesus' pre-incarnate identity as the Captain of the Hosts of Yahweh.

The Heavenly Armies are also an important characteristic of God the Father's identity. 'Yahweh of Hosts' or 'God of Hosts' is a title used many, many times throughout the Bible, and is translated from the Hebrew YHWH Saboath or Elohim Saboath.

Though Saboath is sometimes translated 'almighty,' the literal meaning is 'armies.' Throughout the Bible this title of God is used to refer both to his role as protector of Israel's armies and leader of the armies of Heaven.

Though we tend to think of God in a very pacifist, non-militaristic light, God's role as the Heavenly General and Commander is an important part of who he is.

2 Kings 6:15-17 : When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked. “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Throughout the Bible, military terms are used to describe angels. In Genesis 32, Jacob meets a group of angels and declares that the place is 'the camp of the gods.' He then names the place 'Mahanaim,' which means 'two companies.'

Deuteronomy 33:2 : He said: "Yahweh came from Sinai and dawned upon us from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran and came with myriads of Holy Ones, with flaming fire at His right hand.

Isaiah 66:15 : For behold, Yahweh will come with fire--His chariots are like the whirlwind--to execute His anger with fury and His rebuke with flames of fire.

Psalm 68:17: The cavalry of God is a myriad, doubly thousand. Adonai is in Sinai, his holy place.

Revelation 19:14 : And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.

Though some believe these 'armies which are in heaven' to be Christians, I personally am not counting on getting to Heaven and being given a sword, then being sent to earth to attack all my unsaved fellow humans (see this article: Who are the Armies of Heaven?).

It seems far more reasonable to assume that these are the same armies of Heaven mentioned so often elsewhere in Scripture- that is, the angelic host, led by Michael the Archangel, especially in light of other scripture indicating that Christ's second coming involves angelic warriors (Matthew 16:27, 2 Thessalonians 1:7).

Matthew 26:53 : "Or do you think I cannot call on My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?

Jesus here uses Roman military terminology, 'legions' being groups of about 5,000 soldiers.

Probably the most famous description of angelic battle is that found in Revelation 12:7 :

Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the Dragon, and the Dragon and his angels fought back.

I would actually argue that the role of Heavenly Beings as soldiers is their most prominent aspect! Though the most common word to describe them is 'messenger,' most of the times we see them in action they are employed in military roles of some kind.

We've talked a lot about Cherubim. They are almost always seen guarding God's holiness from the corrupt world around it. But their guarding is more than just a symbolic stance. If somebody tries to violate God's holiness, they will act.

In 1 Samuel 7:1, Uzzah touches the Ark of the Covenant and is instantly killed.

Exodus 23:20: Lo, I send my angel before you to protect you along the way and bring you to the place I have prepared.

Most people have heard that verse, but they've never considered how the angel would protect the Israelites, or from what.

Four passages show us the contrasting roles of the angelic armies- guarding God and his people versus destroying God's enemies.

Psalm 34:7 : The Messenger Yahweh encamps around those who fear him, and arms them.

Psalm 91:11 : For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;

In contrast:

Matthew 13: 49-50 : This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Revelation 9:15 : So the four angels, which had been prepared for that hour and day and month and year, were unleashed to kill a third of mankind.

Anyway, these Armies of Yahweh are not some new kind of angel. It seems that the Armies include most of the Heavenly Beings we've talked about so far.

The word Erelim, or Arelim, is only found in Isaiah 33:7. It is a mysterious word, and though traditional Jewish interpretation holds it to be a reference to angelic warriors, modern Jews and Christians alike simply translate it 'heroes,' or 'valiant ones.'

Isaiah 33: 3-7 : At the uproar of your army, the peoples flee; when you rise up, the nations scatter.... Behold, their brave men cry in the streets, the ambassadors of peace weep bitterly.

At first glance, this has nothing to do with angelic beings.

But the word translated 'ambassadors' is actually the word 'malake,' the same word typically translated as 'angels!' When read in this way, we notice a contrast between the 'brave men' (that's the word Erelim) and the angels of peace. That is, between the warrior Heavenly Beings and the peaceful malakim!

In Apocryphal writings, the angel Ariel (meaning 'Lion of God') is often seen as a lion-headed warrior angel. Some scholars believe that there is etymological connection between the Erelim/Arelim and the Lion-Headed angel Ariel.

If we accept the Erelim as connected conceptually with Ariel, another passage comes into a new light.

2 Samuel 23:20 : Benaiah son of Jehoiada, a valiant man from Kabzeel, performed great exploits. He struck down two ariels of Moab. He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.

Some scholars have suggested that the word ariels, in this case, refers to some kind of lion-human creatures, seeing as they are different from the lion, which he also killed. Why not use the same word, if these are also just lions?

In light of what we saw with the Erelim and Ariel, warrior angels of God, could it be that these two 'ariels' were some similar type of spirit being, perhaps demonic fallen ones? Perhaps these ariels are demon soldiers, and Erelim are angelic soldiers.

We do know that Satan, king of the demons, is compared to a lion.

1 Peter 5:8 : Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

At any rate, Benaniah has something against lions.

In summary, we don't know what the word means. But the context mentions malakim and God's armies. The ancient Jews thought it referred to warrior angels. There is probably etymological connection between the word and the apocryphal angel Ariel. And yet modern translators blatantly mistranslate the word 'malakim' and force a made-up meaning on the word Erelim, all to support their naturalistic bias.

There are a couple other classes of spirits from Jewish angelic myth that seem to fit into the category we have labelled 'the Armies of Fire.'

First off, the Hashmallim.

Ezekiel 1:4 : I saw, and behold, there was a stormy wind* coming from the north, a great cloud with flashing fire** and a brilliance surrounding it. In the center of the fire was a glow of Hashmal.

*The Hebrew here is 'ruach.' Ruach is usually translated breath or spirit, and is used particularly as the 'Spirit' of God, that is, the Holy Spirit. This is the Presence of God, the Shekinah Glory of Yahweh.

**Just as at Mt. Sinai, the Shekinah solidifies and settles as a cloud with flashes of fire and lightning within it.

The word 'Hashmal' appears two other times, both in the Book of Ezekiel. This suggests that the writer of Ezekiel invented the word to describe the strange essence he saw in the vision.

Ezekiel 1:27 : From what seemed to be his waist up, I saw a glow of Hashmal with what looked like fire within it and all around. From what seemed to be his waist down I saw what looked like fire, and brilliant light surrounded him.

Ezekiel 8:2 : I looked, a behold! A figure of an appearance like fire. Below what looked like his waist was fire, above his waist was what looked like brightness, the glow of Hashmal.

So what is this Hashmal stuff? There are three possibilities.

1. It is amber, copper, or some type of stone.

Frankly, there's just no justification for this viewpoint. If Ezekiel wanted to describe copper, he could have used the very common word 'nechushah.' The word 'leshem' seems to have meant amber. Though this interpretation became popular from the Middle Ages onward, and is partially responsible for the English word 'electricity,' the fact that this mysterious substance is only mentioned in Ezekiel seems to indicate that more is going on than just random mentions of minerals.

2. The Hashmal is a type of Heavenly Being.

This one makes a bit more sense, and was the most common interpretation in Second-Temple Judaism. It basically holds that Hashmallim are creatures, akin to Seraphim and Cherubim, that dwell within the presence of God. The river Dinur, the river of fire that flows from under God's Throne (Daniel 7:10), was said to be the collected sweat of the Hashmallim. This poetic image, though interesting, is unwarranted.

There is no good reason to label the Hashmal as a spiritual being, and it just plain does not make sense in the latter two passages. The context rather seems to place Hashmal in the same category as the fire, cloud, ruach and brilliant glow, which brings us to the third option.

3. It is the Spirit of God.

The Ruach, the cloud, the fire and the glow are all part of the Shekinah Glory of Yahweh, that is, the Holy Spirit. It follows that the Hashmal, and its accompanying 'glow,' is also part of the Shekinah. It's just the most reasonable explanation within context.

This interpretation is particularly interesting in light of the two Hashmallic passages describing visions of Yahweh. In Ezekiel 8:2 especially, Yahweh seems to be conflated with the Spirit.

Ezekiel 8: 1b - 3a : the hand of the Lord GOD fell upon me. I looked, a behold! A figure of an appearance like fire. Below what looked like his waist was fire, above his waist was what looked like brightness, the glow of Hashmal. He stretched out what looked like a hand and took me by the hair of my head. Then the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven and carried me in visions of God to Jerusalem .

So 'the Lord GOD' reaches out and touches Ezekiel, who looks up and sees a Hashmal-and-fire figure which then lifts him up by his hair, and then the Spirit carries him. It seems that, in this passage, the Spirit of God and Yahweh are acting as one.

So in conclusion, the Flames of the Whirling Sword are flaming warrior spirits, led by the spiritual being known as Resep.

They, along with most other Heavenly Beings, are part of the Armies of Heaven, the Host of Yahweh led by Michael the Archangel. Together they are known as the Erelim. They have the dual purpose of defeating God's enemies, both human and spiritual, while guarding God's holiness and protecting his people.

The Hashmal is some kind of spiritual essence, an incarnation of the Spirit of God that pervades all of Creation and alights on the souls of men to comfort them and lead them towards the New Heaven and the New Earth. Even when researching God's armies and his wrath of judgment on sin, we are led back to reminders of God's mercy and kindness.

"About His chariots numberless were poured

Cherub and seraph, potentates and thrones,

And virtues, winged spirits and chariots winged,

From the armoury of God, where stand of old

Myriads."

Paradise Lost, vii. 196.