Angels, humans and rank (was OT: Concert Etiquette)

[davewitley]

Pip wrote (speaking in the context of Christianity):

> Humans were most certainly 
> *not* the only intelligent beings in creation. 
> 
> They weren't even the superior beings: humans rank between the 
> Angels and the Devils; not a bad description of the human 
condition 
> really. The Earth was created solely for the use of human beings - 
> but frankly, it wasn't that great a place (the Fall, you know 
> [grin]). 

This caught my eye, and it has a distinct advantage as a topic for 
debate as our conclusions can't be verified by recourse to official 
statistics ;-)

I think there are different conceptions of 'rank' here.  Since 
devils (or demons, thrones, principalities, powers etc) are fallen 
angels, they have the same status as angels in terms of creation.  
In terms of delegated authority from God, both angels and devils are 
temporarily ranked above humans.  However, for devils this is 
definitely temporary, and for angels it may be too: the book of 
Hebrews implies that Jesus (as son of God) was temporarily made 
subject to angelic government (ie he lived on earth), so that he 
could lead humans, who are in the same condition, back to his own, 
superior, condition: 'bringing many sons to glory', understood both 
now and at the time to include women.

I think that the idea of man as 'pinnacle' does have a basis in the 
Bible, as the incarnation was apparently a unique event *as far as 
our planet is concerned*.

None of this, I think, has any bearing on the biblical view of 
whether other worlds can be or are inhabited by intelligent, or 
morally capable, beings.  (By Bible I mean the Hebrew/Aramaic canon 
of 39 books plus the 27 books of the New Testament.)

David