Introduction
History shows a lot of conflict between nations. An obvious explanation is that economic and political tensions are the cause. But could spiritual powers also play a role here? In the Bible book Daniel 10: 13-21 you can read that there are angels who rule over world empires, nations and their cultures. In Daniel 10:13 it says: But the prince of the kingdom of the Persians stood against me for 21 days. But Michael, one of the chief princes, came to my aid. So that I prevailed there among the kings of the Persians [1]. The angel of the Persians wanted to expand his empire, partly to subdue Israel (The Complete Jewish Bible with Rashi Commentary, 2016).
In the text Daniel 10: 20-21 it is written: Do you know why I have come to you? Immediately I must return to fight with the prince of Persia, and as soon as I have gone out, see, the prince of Greece will come…. And not one stands firmly with me against them, save for your prince Michael. There also appears to be a difference between angelic princes and principal angelic princes. This prince Michaël differs from the other princes [2] (Dr. F. de Graaff, Anno Domini 1000 - Anno Domini 2000, 1976). According to Jude 9, Michael is an archangel and the guardian angel of Israel (Rashi, Daniel 12).
Question
When there is “no one stands by me” then there must be more angels or princes of nations, communities and cultures? An attempt is made to clarify this on the basis of literature. Before going into this, a detailed description of the angel Michael follows.
The angel Michael [3]
Michael is a great prince in the heavenly realms. He is an Archangel No. 1, advocate and protector of Israel. Michael fights against the hostile angelic princes of Israel. During Israel's exile he assists them (Dr. R. Boon, About the Good Angels, 1983 and The Complete Jewish Bible with Rashi Commentary on Daniel 12, 2016).
Seventy nations and their angels
It is surprising that other divine beings are described in the Jewish pantheon. These beings assist God in governing both the heavenly realms and the earth (Howard Schwartz, The Mythology of Judaism, 2004).
Humanity was divided by God into 70 different peoples / nations or language groups [4] (The Zohar, volume III, 1984). Each people with their specific guardian angel and religion / culture and angel prince and their own angel [5]. God thus delegates tasks / assignments to the angels and holds them accountable for them (Chaim Luzzatto, Derech Hashem, 1997). Despite the fact that currently people from different countries are mixed in the current nations / peoples through emigration, among other things, they come from the original 70 nations / peoples and cultures (Aish.com, October 2016). That is why it is referred to as multicultural societies.
The texts in Daniel 10, 11 and 12 open a chink in the heavenly veil over the Heavenly Court. The angelic princes of the various nations make their pleas and counter-pleas here (Avraham ben Yaakov, Azamra, 10/1/2016). In the Zohar, volume III, the angelic princes of Egypt, Babel and Rome are mentioned. In Isaiah 19: 1 it says that the idols of Egypt tremble before Him. This text is explained in the Zohar, volume III, 1984: These gods are not mere idols made of stone and wood. They are spiritual powers in the heavenly places and earthly spiritual powers. When Israel was in captivity in Egypt, God watched them. The people of Egypt and their gods (the angelic prince and lower spiritual powers) had to render an account to God for the way they treated the People of Israel. When they treated the people well, Egypt became a world power. After the period of Joseph, Egypt oppressed the people of Israel, and they were punished.
Israel and the Nations (Lopes Cardozo, August 4, 2016)
In the Zohar, volume III, it is written that there is a contrast between the nation of Israel and the other seventy nations. Around the land of Israel, as a beautiful and holy area full of Light, the different countries were designed. These areas (countries) were under the authority of mighty angels. Their mission is that their peoples spread the Light and keep their areas "pure". However, when humanity became corrupted, the earth became corrupted. Even the angels were drawn into impurity (Isaiah 24:21 [6]). This was not the case with the Fall (Chaim Luzzatto, The Future Temple, 1999).
Rabbi Nathan Lopes Cardozo writes of the 70 angels charged with overseeing their nations. These angels are spokesmen for their people before the Throne of God, as described earlier. When their peoples go to war, they also go to war with each other. If there is peace between the nations, then there is peace between the angels. The angelic princes [7] are the symbols of the different ideologies and religions. But when the angels and their nations neglect the commandments of God, sooner or later they will be faced with judgment. That could be the downfall of their empire. That has happened in history, where great empires have lost their power. Despite Israel's captivity, God promises salvation and that He will judge the nations. The angels of the nations in heaven will be fatigued and confused in the time of redemption. This will also apply to world leaders.
In the Zohar, Volume III, 1983, it says: God can exalt an angelic prince who previously stood under another angelic prince to rule over Israel in exile. Each nation has its own representative in heaven. When God exalts an angel, He degrades another angel [8]. Examples are the angels of Babel. Then Persia, Greece, Rome [9] etc. So the fate of a specific nation below on earth depends on the status of their guardian angel. When an angel is successful, so is his nation. When he falls, his nation falls too. Isaiah 24:21 states that at some time God will punish the angels of the nations in the heavenly realms and the kings of the earth (The mythology of Judaism, Howard Schwartz, 2014). This also applies now. When nations persecute the Jewish people and make it difficult, God will hold them accountable for it.
Angels higher than the angels of the seventy nations
The Angel of Esau-Rome
The Bible says that Satan [10] is the ruler of the world and that he showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the earth [11]. Satan, according to rabbinic tradition, is the angel Samael who was in charge of angels and spiritual powers. (The Zohar, part III, 1984 and Pieter van der Horst, 3 Enoch, The Book of Heavenly Palaces, 1999). Samael is greater than the angelic princes of the nations and has been called the Prince of Rome, Israel's adversary and prosecutor par excellence. According to the book Pirke the Rabbi Eliezer, Samael was a high archangel (prince) in heaven. He rebelled against God and was removed from the highest heaven by God and became a prince of the demons. He is also identified with the Angel of Death (Helen Spurling, Pirke de Rabbi Eliezer, University Cambridge, 2007). Samael is in the rabbinic view the angel of Esau [12] / Edom and Rome (The Complete Jewish Bible, Genesis 32 with Rashi Commentary, 2016). This angel is not one of the seventy angels of the nations. It empowers dark forces and nourishes the life force of the planet Mars. So this means that there will always be a war in every generation with Amalek [13] (Avi Weinstein, Gates of Light [14], 1998).
Angels in the Edom-Rome pantheon
Under the camp of the angel Edom-Rome there are numerous national angels. These national angels are divided among themselves [15].
The Angel of Ishmael
In the Zohar [16], part III, 1983, it says that Ishmael also has a guardian angel. As God has placed the seventy nations under angelic princes, God has bestowed upon Ishmael 12 angelic princes (princes) for each nationality (Avi Wenstein, The Gates of Light, 1998).
Why are the angels of Esau / Edom / Rome and Ishmael not part of the seventy nations?
The division of the seventy nations among seventy angels took place after the tower of Babel. At that time, the nations of Moab, Ammon, Ishmael and Edom, Israel, etc., did not yet exist (Mi Yodeay site, 10/1/2016). Said nations are seen as descendants of Terah (Genesis 11). God, like Ishmael, is said to have added an angel to the nations of the descendants of Terah. This with the aim that they could exist as new nations. When God decided that He is the head of Israel, it also means that nations cannot exist without an angel.
The spiritual energy that the angels receive from Esau (Rome etc.) and Ishmael (Islam) are from a higher source [17] than the other seventy nations (Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask Noah, 2016). It is striking that the angel Esau-Rome (ruler of the World, Matthew 4) is a world power [18] in the Roman Empire when Jesus came to earth (Dr. F. de Graaff, Jesus the Hidden, part I, 1987 ). Radical Islam is currently causing a lot of unrest in the world and the Jewish people.
[1] The angel of the Persians wanted to expand his kingdom. This partly to subjugate Israel (The Complete Jewish Bible with Rashi Commentary, 2016).
[2] According to Jude 9, Michael is an archangel and the guardian angel of Israel (The Complete Jewish Bible with Rashi Commentary, Daniel 12, 2016).
[3] Michael is the prince of the angels. His titles are: 1. Commander in Chief. 2. Prince of Wisdom and the World (Dr. R. Boon, About the good angels, 1983).
[4] In Deuteronomy 32: 8 it is stated that the Most High determined the borders (borders) of the 70 nations according to the number of the children of Israel or the sons of God (angelic princes). God spread mankind after the Tower of Babel and the confusion of tongues about the earth (Genesis 11).
[5] These angels are also called gods (Calvin, Institution, p. 78). The famous Jewish rabbi Schneur Zalman or Liadi writes that outside the land of Israel, the (spiritual) energy (the word of God) is bestowed by the guardian angels of the seventy nations. From God energy radiates to the angels (intermediaries) and flows to the nations. That is why the angels are called other gods. While they call Him the God of the gods, they can regard themselves as independent deities and have themselves worshiped. The nations then engage in idolatry with these powers (De Tanya {de Doctrine}, 1796).
[6] It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will visit the hosts of the high on high, and the kings of the earth. He will strike down the angels of the nations first (The complete Jewish Bible with Rashi Commentary, 2016). This may also be related to Palm 82, where God punishes them in the assembly of the gods (the angelic princes).
[7] The angel as a heavenly being is appointed to watch over every nation on earth. The angel is an intelligent shining being as God's thought and in the culture of the nation. The angel can be recognized in the social and religious institutions that manifest character in national culture. The angel can reveal himself in divine kings, priests and saints in traditional societies. In modern societies, the angel reveals itself in a collective form, such as a police structure / elite (A Dughin, Artogia, 1998).
[8] Thus, the fate of a particular nation down on Earth depends on the status of their Guardian Angel. When an angel is successful, so is his nation. When he falls, his nation falls too. Also, the angel's power becomes weak because of the sins of his nation (Moshe Chaim Luzatto, Derech Hashem, translation by Aryeh Kaplan, 1997).
[9] The Germanic angel resists the influence of the angel of Rome (Dr. F.de Graaff, The first 1000 years of Christian civilization in Western culture, 1993).
[10] Satan in Hebrew means adversary and accuser of Israel (Jewish Encyclopedia)
[11] Matthew 4.
[12] Jacob fought with the angel of Esau, according to Genesis 33:10 (Rashi). According to the rabbis, this angel is also the angel of the Roman Empire and the great adversary (satan) of Israel (Helen Spurling, Pirke de Rabbi Eliezer). The Romans destroyed the Temple. Samaël later infiltrates Western culture etc. Examples are anti-Semitism and replacement theology in the church. He is also recognized as Lucifer (Jewish Encyclopedia). It is difficult and perhaps impossible to understand and accept these spiritual connections.
[13] Exodus 17:16.
[14] Originally written by Joseph ben Abraham Gikatlla in the 13th century.
[15] These nations waged war with each other throughout history. For example England against France, England and France against Germany etc. God allows this to happen to preserve the Jewish people. This is to prevent these nations from uniting before the Messiah comes and using their aggression against the Jews (Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask.Noah, 2016). Most of the nations in Europe in the 14th century did not want Jews in their country. This was an earthly reflection of the drama that took place in the heavenly realms. the angels of these nations did not want Jews in their area. With the exception of the angel of Poland, who allowed the Jews to settle in his area before 2/3 of the Jews lived in the kingdom of Poland (Rabbi Rephael Nachman Kahan, Chaba.org. 2016).
[16] For 400 years the angel of Ishmael stood before God and pleaded that Ishmael also deserved a reward because he was circumcised (Zohar, part III, 1983).
[17] The nations of Esau and Ishmael are given permission by God to become world powers (Dr. Michael Schulman, Ask noah, 2016).
[18] The principle of Esau is the guiding principle of the Roman Empire. Esau-Rome feels like the savior of the world. A title of the Emperor, the world becomes savior, the savior. Rome offered justice and peace to the subject nations. They were not destroyed, but maintained as allies of their own nature. The Pax Romania is an empire with Roman peace and justice, in which all peoples could live in harmony under the supreme authority. It is the Salvation State of the Roman Empire and is called Ecumenism, which means the inhabited world (Dr. F. de Graaff, Jesus the Hidden, part I, 1987).
the angels of the Nations, dr. H. Dubbelman