Azazel: The Fallen Angel Behind the Biblical Flood

After being kicked out of Heaven, Azazel caused the biblical flood. In the first Book of Enoch, he led people into sin.God told the archangels to punish them.Uriel was supposed to warn Noah about the flood.The flood.Raphael got orders to handle Azazel:

Bind Azazel's hand and foot. Cast him into darkness. Make an opening in the desert in Dudael and throw him in there. Place rough, jagged rocks on him and cover him with darkness. Let him stay there forever. Cover his face so he cannot see light.

Azazel is so evil that anything linked to him is hellish. His name issynonymous with Hell.or Gehenna in the Jewish tradition. Azazel hasclose ties to the desert.There is a namesake valley in Israel.

Most importantly, Azazel relates to having toHe will spend eternity in the hot, dark pits of Hell.He spends eternity in the hot, dark pits of Hell.

One text is a.This is the Slavic version.of the Book of Enoch, said Azazel was an impure bird—a fallen angel "He is soiled." by his sin. In the Apocalypse of Abraham,"Azazel was a snake.with human hands and feet and 12 wings.

He.He closely associates.with the serpent in the Garden of Eden who tempted Eve. But Azazel usually appears as a goat—a scapegoat.Dedicated to Azazel and sometimes released, scapegoats symbolically carried others' sins.

Thenon-biblical, apocalyptic.Book of Enoch details the rise of angels called the Watchers, includingAzazel.In Aramaic, the Watchers became known as'iyrin., which means "the awake/woken up ones."

Thesespecial angels.were some of God's favorites. The Watchers had to watch humans and keep them out of trouble. But Azazel and his group started doing more than just watching.

Azazel and his fellow Watchers became too interested in the world of man. This happened from the first Book of Enoch.Azazel and his fellow Watchers became too interested in the world of man. This came from the first Book of Enoch.:

And it happened that when people multiplied, beautiful and comely daughters were born. The angels, the children of heaven, saw them and wanted them, saying to each other: "Come, let us choose wives from the children of men and have children."

The Watchers came to Earth and took human lovers.

After reaching Earth, Azazel taught humans weapon arts. TThe Book of Enoch states:

And Azazel taught men to make swords... knives... shields, and breastplates. He showed them the earth's metals and how to work them.

Azazel also promoted vanity. Under his teaching, men and women learned about "bracelets... ornaments... the use of antimony... beautifying eyelids... all kinds of costly stones, and all coloring dyes."

This caused much godlessness. They committed fornication and went astray, becoming corrupt in every way.

Lore says Azazel will stay chained on the rocks in the desert until Judgment Day. In the Book of Enoch,God told Raphael.:

On judgment day, he faces fire. He heals the Earth the angels damaged. He proclaims the Earth's healing so the plague ends. This stops all children of men from perishing due to the Watchers' secrets they shared with their sons.

God banished all other Watchers from Heaven. Azazel was the worst. God said, "To him ascribe all sin."

Faiths differ on details, but Azazel appears in all Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The Book of Leviticus used two goats for sacrifice. One goat went for Yahweh; the other went for Azazel.For AzazelCasting lots decided which goat went to which figure. The goat assigned to Azazel ended up sent into the wilderness.

Judaism sees Azazel as impurity itself. Christianity links Azazel with Satan. He is evil personified, just as Jesus Christ is to [God].vanquish on Judgment DayIn Islam, Azazel is a companion to, or perhaps an alias for, Iblis. Some view the two as forms of Satan.forms of Satan.

The biblical concept of a scapegoat links to Azazel. Leviticus shows High Priest Aaron had to put two goats out for this.the expiationof his sins.

Book 16of Leviticus reads:

He takes the two goats and sets them before Jehovah at the tent of meeting door. Aaron casts lots; one lot for Jehovah, the other for Azazel.

Aaron presents the goat chosen for Jehovah and offers it for a sin-offering. The goat chosen for Azazel stays alive before Jehovah to make atonement and send it into the wilderness.

Later years, the High Priestput his handson the goat for Azazel, cast the people's sins upon it, and sent it into the wilderness. Rabbis interpreted "Azazel" as the rugged mountain cliff where the scapegoat was cast.

The Apocalypse of Abraham The Apocalypse of Abraham involves Abraham and Azazel, figures that seem separate. But the patriarch and the ex-angel share more than we think. When he left Heaven, Azazel lost his cloak of purity and goodness. In the Apocalypse, Abraham inherits Azazel's angelic mantle.

The angelleading Abraham exclaims:

Shame on you, Azazel! Abraham’s share is in heaven; yours is on earth because you chose this spot and became obsessed with your flaw. So, the Eternal Ruler, the Mighty One, gave you a place on earth.

Like Azazel the Watcher in Jewish tradition, his counterpart Iblis left Heaven in Islamic tradition.Iblis was an angelwho refused divine orders. What exactly he did wrong is debated. Some sources say he chose not to bow before Adam, though Iblis was a keeper of paradise.keeper of paradise.

Forced out of Heaven, Azazel faces his final punishment on Judgment Day.

Islamic tradition shows Azazel maintains a close link to the jinn, also called genies. Azazel was once "of a race called the jinn."According toreligious authorities, Azazel/Iblis acts like other jinni.Azazel consists of fire.Azazel also has links to the Jinn in Islam.

When Azazel refuses to bow to Adam as God commanded, he claims he is made of fire while Adam is just clay.