METAHISTORIE.COM
Introduction
In addition to the visible world, there is also an invisible world that cannot be perceived with physical senses and scientific methodology. This is a spiritual world in which angels and demons are present and which is connected to the visible world. Secular scientists are skeptical about the existence of this world.
Earlier it was written that nations are under the influence of guardian angels. This is apparent from Jewish and Christian literature. Bible commentaries by Jewish scholars include Rashi, Nachmanides, Pirkei en De Rabbi Eliezer in the Zohar (1) testify to this. God divided the earth into nations. On the nations God appointed angels. With the task of overseeing and caring for the nations (2) (Moshe Chaim Luzatto, Derech Hashem, Translated by Arey Kaplan,1997). The angels influence the culture, the language, the collective behavior etc. (Tzvi Fisman, Medinat Yisrael, August 7, 2020).
Christian Bible students also write about this. These include Michael Heiser 9 (3), Jean Danielou (4), Calvin (5) and Origen (6) in the time of the church fathers. Of course there are other rabbinic and jewish scholars who have published on this subject.
Question: What effects will develop over time when a nation keeps or turns away from the commandments of God??
It is based on the Torah (7), which also contains a law for non-Jews. Those are the seven Noahide commandments. 1. forbidden from idolatry, 2. blasphemy, 3. murder, 4. incest 5. theft, 6 cutting off one of the limbs of a living animal, 7. the commandment of judgment.
Gentile' means being subject to the seven Noahide laws, which apply to all descendants of Noah to this day. These commandments apply to all mankind, because all humans are descended from Noah. Whoever adheres to this will enter the Hereafter. The seven Noahide commandments are the minimum guidelines for any civilized society. When these commandments are kept, there is a chance for a peaceful world. If these precepts are not observed, society is doomed to fail. Human society decomposes for lack of a basic foundation (Rabbi Evers, Religions of the world, April, 2010).
Method and aim of the study
To find clues, Jewish sources, the Bible, and articles by political, sociological, and philosophical scientists have been used. The research is an inventory and is considered qualitative. The aim is to collect information about the behavior in societies and the influence of the spiritual world through metahistorical research. Firm conclusions are difficult to give, because the spiritual world cannot be proven with current measuring methods. It is stated that firm conclusions are difficult and debatable. The problem area is too complicated for that. Supernatural clues cannot be measured and are not shared by everyone. It is also that it is not always known what historical reliability the articles have. It is a concept model and not a compelling argument (J.H. Segers, sociological research methods, 1977). Qualitative research is used to understand concepts, thoughts or experiences. Qualitative research can provide insight into topics about which little is known.
Societies show different behavior
Human actions and behavior in a society can be positive and negative. For example, positive as the rule of law, with just norms and values, etc. Negative, as misbehavior, cruelty, normlessness, etc. (Dr. H. de Jager and Dr. A.L. Mok , Fundamentals of Sociology, 2014). As far as the Bible is concerned, living according to the commandments of God or without these commandments.
What are the consequences?
Examples are found in both the Jewish and Christian Bibles. When the people behave according to God's commandments, the nation is blessed (8) and the status of the angel rises. When the reverse takes place, the angel's status descends and there is disaster (9) for the nation (Moshe Chaim Luzatto, Derech Hashem, Translated by Arey Kaplan, 1997).
If a nation turns away from God, it can be gripped by demons (10) and dark forces (Nachmanides Commentary on Exodus 20:3). Some demons even rule the nation, replacing the angel, as it were (Michael Kara-Ivanov, Greatest Creative and Intellectual Masters of Nations on The Ladder of Jacob, 2005). God will then decree that this nation will be dominated by a stronger nation and its angel. An example is the conquest of the Babylonian Empire by the Persian Empire (Daniel 5).
Michael Kara-Ivanov cites Nazi Germany under Hitler and communist Soviet Russia under Stalin as examples. In both nations there was cruelty and oppression etc. The Russian writer Danill Andreev (11) wrote about this during the Soviet period in his book The Rose of The World, 1959. Of course there have been more violent dictatorships in the world that still exist in our time. The existing religion is and has been supplanted and replaced by a new religion or ideology.
Psalm 82
Psalm 82 bears witness to the decline of nations. Angels have been and are being punished by God (even after a long time) for being unfaithful to Him and for the sinful behavior in their nations (Michael Schulman, Ask Noah.org., October, 2021). A number of facts have been mentioned in the preceding paragraph. Both the Nazi Empire and the Soviet Empire have fallen. World empires such as those of Egypt, Greece and Persia and Rome have lost their world power, Babylon and Assyria do not even exist anymore (12). Nations can be mixed with other nations, disintegrate and lose their independence. Their angels have become so weak that they come under the influence of stronger angels or demonic powers. According to the Bible, every nation has one or more demons that confuse people and a guardian angel. Behind the scenes is a great spiritual battle going on for the good or the bad of each country (Roger Preach it, Teach it).
Examples
A Midrash statement states: It is because the Holy One, blessed be He, cast out from heaven the guardian angels of the seven nations of Canaan (Deuteronomy 1:21). "Behold, the Lord God hath set before you the guardian angels of the land" - there is no more power in them (cf. Midrash Tanchuma, Masei 4 and Rashi (13) on Deuteronomy 2:31, The Complete Jewish Bible).
The prince (angel) of Babylon is thrown down. God does not punish the nations until He first punishes their heavenly princes (Isaiah 24:21). In it it says: The Lord will visit the heavenly multitude on high, and then the kings of the earth. How did you fall from heaven, Morning Star? This is the lamentation over the heavenly prince of Babylon, who shall fall from heaven (Chabad.org, Isaiah, chap. 14:12, The Complete Jewish Bible with Rashi commentary).
The Assyrian Guardian Angel (Shidu Lamassu) (UTC+3 Nineveh, Assyria, Ashur Glwairlagis, Beirut, Translation: Mary Challita June 14, 2017).
The name appears in Assyrian records. The word "Lamassu" is from Sumerian (Lammu). The name was also applied to a female jinn and a male jinn protector. Known in Sumerian as (Alad-Lammu). Known as "Shidu" in the ancient Assyrian (Akkadian) language. "Shida" or Shidda” is still used in the modern Assyrian language, which also means ”jinn” (14).
When the Assyrians led by Sennacherib besieged Jerusalem, King Hezekiah prayed to God in the temple. Isaiah sent God's answer to Hezekiah: "I will defend this city to save it (2 Kings 19:34). During the next night the Angel of the Lord (Michael) in the camp of the Assyrians struck 185,000 men. Sennacherib went back to Nineveh (2 Kings 36), where He prostrated himself in the temple of his god Nisroch (15) (2 Kings 37).
An accumulation of crises
The current world is no longer in balance(16). The crises are piling up in the world and certainly also in the Netherlands. Nitrogen, purchasing power, corona, energy, homes, inflation. At the time, the period before corona still seemed in balance. The war between Russia and Ukraine is still ongoing. Politics continues to polarize, making solving problems more difficult (Nick Oosterlaken, October 3, 2022). The West is currently also indirectly involved in the war (vrt nws, October 16, 2022). Today's world is confronted with natural disasters much more frequently than in the past.
Explanation
The world is in fact a (social) system, where all kinds of interactions between nations take place. The system remains in balance if these activities are kept under and in control. If not, the system is likely to disintegrate (17) or fall into disorder). For example, in a car where the mechanic knows exactly how the parts of the engine are connected. If a new mechanic does not know this enough, damage to the engine will result (Meadows, Meadows and Randers, Beyond the borders, 1992). Disruption of the balance by wrong actions will lead to chaos in the system (H. Dubbelman, Societal consequences in hydraulic engineering, 1999). Wallerstein's (18) modified concept will provide some more information on this.
The concept of Wallerstein
His concept is that the nations of the world are interconnected in a closed system. Wallerstein defines this as the world system. There is a world order between the nations. The regions of the world consist of three parts: the core, the semi-periphery and the periphery.
The theory deals with the relationships between these three parts. The core areas are now the western world, China and Russia. These nations are militarily, technologically, politically and economically dominant over the rest of the world's nations.
The periphery countries are economically, militarily, politically and technologically weak and are also largely dependent on the core countries. The semi-periphery consists of the areas that combine core and periphery features. These may be core areas in decline, or peripheral areas under development.
At the core there is always one nation that is more powerful and stronger than the rest of the strong nations and largely maintains order in the world. When this nation weakens, a new nation takes its place. This situation causes a power struggle at the core and unrest in the world until a new equilibrium is established. Geopolitical processes thus ensure that the positions of states in the world system can change. There is currently a power struggle at its core between the West and Russia.
The conflict between the West and Russia is being fought in Ukraine
Russia and the West have already clashed in Syria and Venezuela. But the conflict in Ukraine is much more sensitive. "For Putin, the stakes are threefold: it's personal, it's against NATO (19) and it's against the West." Because of its geographical location and because of its special place in Russian history, Ukraine has become a symbol of the rising tensions between Russia and the West," said Serhy Yehelchyk, a Ukrainian-Canadian historian who wrote several books on the Russian-Ukrainian confrontations (Stephanie de Smedt, De Tijd, March 4, 2022).
Over time, Ukrainian identity became increasingly associated with ideas of freedom and democracy. But it does get to the point: the EU and the West are metaphors for freedom, a good life, not corruption.
According to political scientist Rajan Menon (20), its impact cannot be underestimated. “NATO is not just a fixation of Putin,” he says. “Michail Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin have also repeatedly opposed further eastward expansion.”
The battle for the new world order
The war in Ukraine is the first full-scale confrontation between major powers in decades. It is becoming clear that we are living through crucial hours and days that will determine the world order of the future. How different will the cards be after the conflict? How will this war evolve? And what can China do in this? China expert and international keynote speaker Pascal Coppens was a guest at an inspiration session by Van Breda The SQUARE this week. He presented his new book 'Can we trust China?'. We couldn't resist asking him about his view on the situation (Bank of Breda, March 10, 2022).
Prior to new world order, the West lives in anarchy. Due to the energy crisis, the war in Ukraine, the growth of Islamism in Afghanistan, Iraq and the rest of the world, concerns about global warming and mass migration, chaos prevails over order. The post-Cold War order is ebbing, Afshin Ellian observes. A new era has yet to begin ((Afshin Ellian, EW, Aug 12, 2022).
Metahistory
In the heavenlies there is a battle between the angel of Russia (21) and the angels of the Western nations. The angelic horde of Eurasia against the angels of the West (Alexander Dugin, The metaphysics of national-bolshevism 1996). According to Dr. F de Graaff, the angel of the West is the genius of Rome (The First Thousand Years of Christian Civilization in Western Culture, 1993). Western culture was/is led by an intermediate being, an angel or a deity who was intermediate between the highest God and Christian (Western) Europe. The reason is that the angel of Ukraine is breaking away from the pantheon of the angel of Russia and wants to join the pantheon of angels in the West.
De Graaff argues that Esau's principle is the prototype of the empires that would oppress Israel in the future and oppose the redemption of the world (The First 1000 Years of Christian Civilization in Western Culture, 1993). The Angel of Esau (22) and Edom is considered by the rabbis to be the Roman Empire and, while contemporary Western culture is not Roman per se, it descends directly from Roman culture and ideas ((Miyodeya, July 9, 2013 and The Zohar).
Evaluation and conclusion
The seven Noahide commandments are guidelines for a stable society. If nations abide by this, God will bless them. This also applies to their angels. If not, the reverse will happen. Psalm 82 describes what the consequences might be. Examples of this have been presented. It is true that judgments occur in a variety of ways. Great empires have lost their power. Some no longer exist, others still exist, but they no longer play a significant role in our time. It is even so that after a long time heavy periods start. Their angels have grown weak and descend into the heavenly realms. Demonic powers and godlessness then set in. If we now look at the western nations, we see here that the commandments of God are increasingly being abandoned. If you follow the media you can see for yourself which commandments those are. The question is what are the consequences of this, if we apply Psalm 82 as a control. Or are some of them already up-to-date. It is wise to think about this.
Finally, after a reasonable period, which is prosperous for the West, there is now uncertainty. Because of the complex issues, the situation tends to get out of hand. Scarcity, migration, security, logistical bottlenecks, inflation, security, etc. show a few examples of this.
There is also an increase in natural disasters in the world (Yonous Omarjee, Group of the European Parliament, reply of the Committee on Regional Development, 6-9-2022).
(1) A collection of commentaries on the Torah (the five books of Moses) and is often considered the most important work of Jewish mysticism (Wikipedia).
(2) The angels receive power from God for their duties (Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, The Way of God, 1997).
(3) Michael Heiser Psalm 82: The Divine Council of the Gods, The Judgment of the Watchers and the Inheritance of the Nations Paperback – March 22, 2018.
(4) fr. Jean Danielou discusses the mission of the angels by following a historical order, looking at guardian angels, the angels and the sacraments, the spiritual life, death, and the Second Coming., March 1, 1987.
(5) Institute, 1977.
(6) Adam Ployd, Participation and Polemics: Angels from Origen to Augustine* .Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 July 2017. Origen, like his teacher St. Clement of Alexandria, believes that "the presiding powers of the angels are divided among the nations and the cities'. He writes, "Some certain spiritual powers have come into presidency over certain nations in this world" (https://www.copticchurch.net/patrology/schoolofalex2/chapter11.html).
(7) 613 commandments for the Jews, which are in the first 5 books of the Bible.
(8) The culture is flourishing and with cohesion in society .
(9) Society disintegrates, polarizes with dissolution of culture, tyranny etc.
(10) Nachmanides (Ramban) commentary on Exodus 20:3. Sometimes demons seize the power of a nation and can force a nation into idolatry. Demons are also referred to in the Bible as unclean spirits, Satan's angels, and evil spirits (Hundred Bible Studies, December 28, 2017). A demon is a mythical, supernatural being that, according to various religions, is somewhere between humans and gods. Demons are less powerful than gods. Among the Greeks, demons were lower in power than a god. Like the gods, demons were not decidedly good or bad (Wikipedia). Demon is a word of Greek origin (daimon) for beings of a higher order (Catholicism encyclopedia, EDITED BY PROF. DR. J.C. GROOT).
(11) He was convinced of the harmfulness of any dictatorship in relation to the violent nature of a state.
(12) See previous articles on the angels of the nations.
(13) And the Lord said unto me: Behold, I have begun to hand over Zion and its land before thee; begin to drive him out so that you may inherit his land.' I have begun to redeem...for you: God forced the guardian angel of the Amorites from above, under the feet of Moses, and made him step on his neck (Rashi commentary).
(14) The jinn (Arabic: جن ǧinn, singular جني ǧinnī; sometimes transliterated as jinn) are supernatural beings in pre-Islamic Arabic mythology and later in theology and Islamic mythology. Djinns are not a strict Islamic concept; they may be an example of a pagan faith incorporated into Islam (Wikipedia). Lamassu is also a force that combines the four elements of perfection (the lion for courage, the bull for strength, the eagle for glory and man for wisdom). For example, Ezekiel who was imprisoned in Assyria speaks of a chariot over the river Khabor, with a human head, calf feet, a lion's body, and faces that look in all directions (Ezekiel, 1:1-14). Lamassu is a form of mythical creature with mixed composition, it is more often a winged bull with a man's head and lion's feet, or with a man's head and bull's feet - Lamassu took different forms during the various periods of history, even in Assyria (Ashur), it sometimes took the form of an unwinged lion.
(15) Nisroch is the Assyrian god of agriculture, in whose temple Sennacherib worshiped when he was murdered. Josephus calls him Dagon. According to the etymology, the name would mean eagle (tumbler, Mesopotamia).
(16) The balance is only noticed when it is no longer there (Nick Oosterlaken, Ondernamen, 20ctober 2022).
(17) These effects are caused by the occurrence of unexpected latent effects. Perrow calls these effects system accidents (Perrow Normal Accidents living with High Risk Technologies, 1984).
(18) Maurice Immanuel Wallerstein (September 28, 1930 – August 31, 2019) was an American sociologist and economic historian. He is known for his development in sociology that led to the emergence of his world systems approach. He was a Senior Research Scholar at Yale University from 2000 until his death in 2019.
(19) Despite this resistance, NATO expanded from the 1990s with 14 new member states deep into Eastern Europe, with even three member states on the border with Russia: Poland, Latvia and Estonia. "Let's be honest. If another world power were to meddle in the backyard of the United States like that, it wouldn't be without effect," Menon says.
(20) Rajan Manon is a researcher at the Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies at Columbia University.
(21) The Angel of Russia is an integration angel who tries to unite other angels with a common ideology or religion. Their social, political and religious institutions reflect the system of forces in the angelic world.
(22) The angel of Esau is, according to rabbinical tradition, Sammael, the adversary of the Jewish people. See also the articles on the angels of the nations, the angels of the nations 2 and the contrast between Esau and Jacob.
The angels of the nations, 3, dr H. Dubbelman