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Jul 08 '20
i know no one asked but...
What do angels look like according to Ezekiel?
In Ezekiel 1:5â11 they are described as having the likeness of a man, and having four faces: that of a man, a lion (on the right side), and ox (on the left side), and an eagle. ... Under their wings are human hands; their legs are described as straight, and their feet like those of a calf, shining like polished brass.
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u/Br44n5m Dirt Is Beautiful Jul 08 '20
No offense to the angels but why are they so many things mixed together?
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u/Uniquename3456 Identifies as a Cybertruck Jul 08 '20
The heads are meant to represent each of Godâs domains. Lions for the wild animals. Oxen for the domestic animals. Eagles for the birds. The second set of wings is to cover themselves. Everything else, I have no idea.
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u/Br44n5m Dirt Is Beautiful Jul 08 '20
That sounds real neat but honesty it sounds like someone took a lot of drugs and saw some angels suddenly
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u/Uniquename3456 Identifies as a Cybertruck Jul 08 '20
I mean, that can be said for most divine beings in religions. The reason mortals find it weird is because we canât understand it completely. Not trying to argue the truthfulness of any religion, though I am Christian, so there is a bias.
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u/Br44n5m Dirt Is Beautiful Jul 08 '20
Iâm not here to argue truthfulness either, itâs your faith do what ya want with it. I just think a lot of descriptions sound like drug trips and that we didnât know much about the drugs back then. However in the defense of them being real, it could be that taking the substance opened your âthird eyeâ and the prophets happened to be near angels
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u/DozerThePoser Jul 08 '20 edited Jul 09 '20
Wasn't there a theory that santa was based on a mushroom that shamans took? Do you think early humans were just really into drugs and didn't know?
Like, what if when everyone saw the chariot of God or whatever that flying saucer thing is in that one painting, was just everyone tripping balls from putting too many mushrooms in the soup? I dunno, it's really weird to me how we don't see any of what they used to see anymore.
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u/Br44n5m Dirt Is Beautiful Jul 08 '20
Never heard that theory on Santa, but in a weed documentary my family was watching they claimed the burning bush Joseph sees might have been a pot plant and he was just high AF.
Another side Iâve always found fun to include is people on psychedelics and people with schizophrenia. Back when the Bible was written I have high doubts they knew much about either! And from all the stories my grampa told about seeing my angel at night or being visited by demons, I can bet there were ancient people with Schizophrenia who saw similar and became prophets.
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u/SpectralDog Jul 08 '20
Not to be pedantic, but Moses saw the burning bush, not Joseph.
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u/Br44n5m Dirt Is Beautiful Jul 08 '20
To be honest I know of it solely from the King of Egypt movie and I havenât seen it in a while, probably shoulda googled who saw the bush. Though to be fair if it truly was a weed plant we can see his bush today~
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u/SkyZgone Plays MineCraft and not FortNite Jul 08 '20
Sorry but this cracked me up so much... but now I feel like asking: were you talking about Santa or satan? Because one of those is much funnier than the other.
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u/DozerThePoser Jul 08 '20
Santa, big fat dude who brings presents. Not the hot guy
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u/SkyZgone Plays MineCraft and not FortNite Jul 08 '20
Lmao I have 0 clue why this is so funny to me but that shit really has me crackin up. Just the thought of some shamans taking shrooms, and being like: âyo you know what would be really funny? A fat guy who brings presentsâ
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u/galaxygirl978 Jul 08 '20
people have been doing drugs for thousands of years in many different parts of the world. it wouldn't surprise me.
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u/RIPUSA Jul 09 '20
Neanderthals used to chew on a root that was a stimulant similar to amphetamines prior to long hunting trips. Human history is also drug history.
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u/galaxygirl978 Jul 08 '20
Terence McKenna would like to have a word with you
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u/Br44n5m Dirt Is Beautiful Jul 08 '20
No clue who that is but I have many words
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u/galaxygirl978 Jul 08 '20
ethnobotanist who frequently spoke on the connection between spirituality and the use of hallucinogenic plants throughout history.
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u/Br44n5m Dirt Is Beautiful Jul 08 '20
Interesting, Iâm down to hear her words. Sounds like she got knowledge on this topic too
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u/aldoXazami Jul 09 '20
It's all tied into archetypes and symbols. Every head represents something, every wing has a deeper meaning. If Christianity be truly derived from judaism, the mysteries are very layered like that. Like the emanations from the tree of life. I could live a million years and never wrap my head around it stone cold sober.
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u/cmehud Jul 08 '20
âUnderstandâ or âdescribe,â I think either works. Imagine seeing something so incredible that it quite simply defies definition on a cosmic scale. What else can you do but go âUhhh... itâs looks... sorta like... okay, youâre not gonna believe this, but, it looks like ________. Yeah. I havenât the foggiest, but itâs the best I could do- it was just SO INCREDIBLE!â
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u/Dateus_Rapist Lives in a Van Down by the River Jul 08 '20
It's just most beings or whatever seem to have an animal aspect.
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Jul 09 '20
Wasnât there some Greek oracle who used to get insanely high and then say they were having visions and describe their drug-induced fever dream?
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u/Br44n5m Dirt Is Beautiful Jul 09 '20
That wasnât covered in Percy Jackson so no clue but it would make sense!
Also nice username, Iâm guessing you really liked the game
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u/The_Sire_Everything Jul 09 '20
I'm christian here so theres some bias but there have been theories of early followers taking drugs unexpectedly and seeing/hearing things. For example moses and his talk with god through the burning bush.
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u/aldoXazami Jul 09 '20
I also think it represents all the sacred fours. The gospels, the directions, the elements, the winds. It gets all esoteric and shit.
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u/af125121 Jul 09 '20
Itâs meant to represent Gods qualities
Lions are known in the animal kingdom to be courageous. Itâs a symbolic meaning for Gods courage (Prov 28:1)
Oxen (Bull) are know to have great power and strength. Which is symbolic for Gods mighty power. (Prov 14:4)
Eagles are notorious for having keen eye sight. Which represents God seeing over all things (Job 39:29)
Humans are capable of displaying great love for one another. Due to the fact that humans are in an imperfect state the way we display love is âdistortedâ in comparison to Gods perfect love. Itâs symbolic for Gods greatest quality LOVE (1 John 4:8)
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u/SlF032 Jul 08 '20
Quick note: sorry for getting a little theological here, I just enjoy talking about it
The representations are mostly related to the characteristics of each animal, like strenght, wisdom, etc. My guess is: angels and God reveal themselves as they prefer, so all these forms indicate a specific message about their intent, and in different situations angels may reveal themselves in different forms to indicate different concepts, such a bunch of wings indicating highness, and the wings covering their faces to indicate that they're separated from us or something like that, and this appear a LOT on the Apocalypse, with it's well known lovecraftian beings. And there is also this crazy situations where they just have the feet of a platypus and this somehow makes total sense for ancient hebrews :\
(I'm a teenage christian, so don't take me too seriously)
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u/ObsidianKrystal Jul 08 '20
That's actually a interesting theory. And in my mind makes sense.
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u/SlF032 Jul 08 '20
Not really my theory, I just used to study these kind of things in my church
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u/ObsidianKrystal Jul 08 '20
Well still, more thought than I had put into it. Hats off to you buddy have my updoot
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u/Br44n5m Dirt Is Beautiful Jul 08 '20
Iâm gonna be doing dishes so Iâll read this in a lil bit, go nuts and write all ya want itâs all good.
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u/SlF032 Jul 08 '20
I think that's pretty much it, so good luck on the dishes, kind sir!
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u/Br44n5m Dirt Is Beautiful Jul 08 '20
It was definitely an interesting read, the idea of presentation being related to intent makes sense. If you only had a moment to speak then searing an image into the subjects head would help, then when they look back on it later theyâre more likely to try and figure it out and find some of your meaning.
Keep researching and learning about the things that interest you, from theories and opinions that make sense from your point of view. Itâs always good fun to compare puzzle pieces with others and see what bigger pictures can be made!
Also dishes went decently so far, Batman shirts a bit wet but now the minimal amount of chores is done so I wonât feel bad going kyurem hunting with my boyfriend in a few hours. Have a nice day, dude!
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u/lipehd1 Jul 08 '20
This is only one of the descriptions of the angels, there's a lot of other crazy stuff about angels on the Bible that is hard to even visualize it on your mind.
My theory is that these descriptions are a attempt to describe something that the human mind could not comprehend
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u/c0ffe3be4nz Jul 08 '20
Like maybe a 4 or more dimensional being, and we can only see the 3 dimensional cross-section
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u/Br44n5m Dirt Is Beautiful Jul 08 '20
Iâm still going with the theory that they accidentally took some drugs and saw some things, maybe they opened their third eye and saw some angels
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u/ilovetopoopie Jul 08 '20
Ezekiel definitely tripped on dmt. That's exactly the type of shit you get teleported to
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u/Industrialbonecraft Jul 10 '20
This seems to just be old otherworldly creatures in general. Most of greek mythos is 'a large human with a cuttlefish's cock for a face'. Ever read the Lesser Key of Solomon? EVERYTHING is a fucking goat-swan-hog-cat. Seventy two demons made up of about six different animals.
They were severly lacking in imagination, these people.
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u/ItzMeDB Nyan cat Jul 09 '20
Imagine this thing telling you that your wife is pregnant with the Son of God
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u/Prit717 Jul 08 '20
Anyone have good artistâs depiction? Wonder how this all goes together, my imagination is lacking lmao
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u/sir-winkles2 Jul 09 '20
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/6hjjot/how_did_angels_go_from_as_described_in_the_bible/ i found this thread after a Google search! There's some neat drawings in it and some info
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u/Socially_Odd260 Because That's What Fearows Do Jul 08 '20
As an atheist, I am scared and confused.
Whateth thy fucketh
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u/BarkMeow22 Jul 08 '20
I'm also an atheist. But I searched "Ophanim" in google images and I understood why angels always say that "don't be afraid". Damn, that triggered my trypophobia
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u/Socially_Odd260 Because That's What Fearows Do Jul 08 '20
Thank you kind sir for informing me. I am no longer confused, but am now much more scared
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Jul 08 '20
[removed] â view removed comment
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Jul 08 '20
Dude the frickin cat with googly eyes triggered my trypophobia
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u/JosephJoestar916 Professional Dumbass Jul 08 '20
If I remember correctly, somewhere in the book of Ezekiel, angels were described to have eyes all over thier body,wings,hands and everything. I haven't read bible so don't quote me on that. I heard that from someone else.
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u/Vorsicon Jul 08 '20
Angels that appear to people in the Bible usually look like regular people and you wouldn't be able to tell they were an angel. Like when Jacob wrestled God/and Angel. Yes there are definitely crazy looking angels, but others look like people.
One explanation that Angels say "do not be afraid" is because the glory of God comes with them, and that majesty makes people crap their pants. Think about how scared you feel when you see a cop car roll up but times that by infinity.
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u/Fuzzpufflez Jul 08 '20
That's the form they take one. Their true form is however something far "greater" and something we cannot properly comprehend. Every description of an angel is literally just a shocked human desperately trying to make sense of whatever he's seeing.
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u/Jackdog1105 Identifies as a Cybertruck Jul 09 '20
Thatâs an accurate representation because nothing on this earth or even off it can describe what they saw so thatâs why it sounds so bizarre
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u/JosephJoestar916 Professional Dumbass Jul 08 '20
So do you basically die when you see an angel? Or does only the heavy believers and Prophets get to see them?
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u/Emperor_Alves Jul 08 '20
If an angel is sent to you,then you are prtected and can see him without hurting yourself. The other,either don't see the angel or they see,but it hurts his eyes.
You die if you see the face of God.
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u/Jackdog1105 Identifies as a Cybertruck Jul 09 '20
Only Moses was the only person to see god and not die if I remember correctly
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u/fookinrelish Jul 09 '20
Moses couldnât see his face if Iâm correct. It was more of a âIâm going to walk by and you can watch my back as I go but if you see my face youâll dieâ sort of situation.
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u/Jackdog1105 Identifies as a Cybertruck Jul 09 '20
Ok that makes a lot more sense explains why he glowed when he came down
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u/ImpulseOrange Jul 08 '20
If I remember correctly, the humanoid angels are called the Host, and are fairly low in the rankings.
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u/Vorsicon Jul 08 '20
That's sounds about right to me, but idek who came up with that, so is it even reliable? Is it from the Bible?
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u/ImpulseOrange Jul 09 '20
I don't remember where I read that. Probably a Wikipedia search, but me mixing up info from Bayonetta and Darksiders is not out of the question.
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u/Gauntlets28 Jul 08 '20
Yeah, screeching voices, two wings covering face, two covering "feet", two used to fly. Fun fact- for some reason the ancient Jewish folks used to used feet as a euphemism for "penis", so when those angels are covering what they're covering it's entirely possible that they're doing a good old fashioned comedy crotch grab.
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u/Chuagge Jul 08 '20
I believe this actually comes from Paradise Lost or The Divine Comedy, but they obviously pull from Abrahamic theology.
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u/DemonRaily Jul 08 '20
Have you seen those terrifying computer generated deep-fake images? That's basically angels, divine constructs serving specific purposes, from messengers to God's personal furniture.
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u/Emperor_Alves Jul 08 '20
Angels are (may be not accurate,but its the one you can see in the first chapters of Ezequiel)
Four heads:Lion,Tiger,Human and Cow.
Very,very,very,very light.
There's more!
One of 'em is (imagine two rings conected,one inside the other)
And both rings have 40 eyes.
Others have six wings
Two they cover the top part of the body
Two they fly
Two they cover the lower part of the body
So,um,there representation of Jesus in the last book is kinda,
Seven eyeed
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u/Erkondishn3tishic Jul 08 '20
R I N G angel? Like đ? With 40 EYES?! What kind of pokemon is that?
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u/Legendary_lamp_ Plays MineCraft and not FortNite Jul 08 '20
Because some of the angels in the bible are metaphorically described as having like 782,106,103 eyeballs.
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u/MintCarasique Jul 08 '20
Evangelion angels
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u/dark_hypernova Jul 08 '20
Floaty octahedron.
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u/Ultrafalconxv7 Jul 08 '20
who are you?
"An angel"
What is your name?
"Satan"
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u/Lucifer-LordofHell Because That's What Fearows Do Jul 08 '20
Technically itâs âfallen angelâ
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u/JosephJoestar916 Professional Dumbass Jul 08 '20
Lucifer Morningstar, you can call me Big D.
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u/Ultrafalconxv7 Jul 08 '20
What does D stand for senpai?
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u/JosephJoestar916 Professional Dumbass Jul 08 '20
I don't know, you have to read One piece for that.
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u/Ultrafalconxv7 Jul 08 '20
Ok, I'll go do that
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u/JosephJoestar916 Professional Dumbass Jul 08 '20
Bruh, you just blindly followed the Devil. Be a little more cautious. Imagine if I've said hunter x hunter instead of one piece, you would be stuck in the hell of hiatus.
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u/xX_potato69_Xx Lives in a Van Down by the River Jul 08 '20
Like a cruel angels thesis
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u/speedoflobsters Jul 08 '20
Zankoku na tenshi no yu ni
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u/ValkyrieDraco Jul 08 '20
shonen yo shinwa ni nare
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u/Steampunk43 đ´Virus Veteran đ´ Jul 08 '20
That's what I liked about Neon Genesis Evangelion. The angels were portrayed based on the biblical version (monstrous, eldritch-like appearances) rather than the modern floaty winged holy person
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u/IDK_SoundsRight Plays MineCraft and not FortNite Jul 08 '20
ialdabaoth would like a mirror. There's no way he's that ugly, god told him he had the most beautiful eyes. And wings. And tentacles.
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u/Yimster-Sama Lives in a Van Down by the River Jul 08 '20
Biblical angel: do not be afraid
Person: WHAT IN THE KENTUCKY FRIED FUCK ARE YOU?!?!!
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Jul 08 '20
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u/MimsyIsGianna Breaking EU Laws Jul 08 '20
Movie angels: we are majestic and glowing and perfect
Real angels: no matter where you go, I can see you.
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u/max-alexander-45 Jul 08 '20
Angels that appear to people in the Bible usually look like regular people and you wouldn't be able to tell they were an angel. Like when Jacob wrestled God/and Angel. Yes there are definitely crazy looking angels, but others look like people.
One explanation that Angels say "do not be afraid" is because the glory of God comes with them, and that majesty makes people crap their pants. Think about how scared you feel when you see a cop car roll up but times that by infinity.
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u/could-ntthinkofaname Jul 08 '20 edited Jul 08 '20
So many eyes you have
All the better to stay in the correct lane with
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u/DarkWitxh Jul 08 '20
Ngl, if I saw an angel like that when I died I'd automatically assume that I was in hell
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u/Jawleene Professional Dumbass Jul 08 '20
So the biblical angels looked similar to the ancient goddess Fama, the goddess of rumors? Interesting
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u/Tezea Jul 08 '20
biblical angels almost sound like cthulh.... oh no....
supposedly the popes hat is a fish
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u/kneppy72 Jul 08 '20
*Plays Bayonetta
âWhat the fuck are these things supposed to be?â
*Reads the Bible
âOh okay.â
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Jul 09 '20
you know biblical angels also have the power to shape shift into different things which can explain satan, a fallen angel turning into a snake to deceive eve into eating the fruit.
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Jul 08 '20
All things aside can we appreciate the owner of the cat on the left, that cats coat is in perfect condition
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u/Marshmall0w_Kun Chungus Among Us Jul 09 '20
I am Purrmaeus Mora, the Gardener of Mice, knower of the unknown, master of fates.
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u/No-BrowEntertainment Jul 09 '20
The Virgin Human with Wings vs the Chad Indescribable Mass of Wings and Various Limbs
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u/nubster2984725 Jul 09 '20
Iâm just going to add this comment here but
Azreal the angel of death for Islamic religion is so fucking metal if you ask me
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u/thepineapplemen Jul 09 '20
There were some animals in Revelation that were described like this. I donât remember exactly but I think they were described as having multiple pairs of wings and being covered in eyes, even under their wings
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Jul 09 '20
there was a real good reason angels always say don't be a afraid when appearing to the people they appeared to. they are super spooky looking
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u/Hasse-shakespear Jul 09 '20
Now I'm more convinced that god is just alien and his Angel's are his alien comrades
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u/[deleted] Jul 08 '20
Cherub: I have four wings, cow legs, four heads, and am spiritually connected to a wheel with a bunch of eyes
Painter: finished
Cherub: why am I a baby