Tobit 12:15

Deuterocanon

12 So now when you and Sarah prayed, it was I who brought and read the record of your prayer before the glory of the Lord, and likewise whenever you would bury the dead. 13 And that time when you did not hesitate to get up and leave your dinner to go and bury the dead, 14 I was sent to you to test you. And at the same time God sent me to heal you and Sarah your daughter-in-law. 15 I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who stand ready and enter before the glory of the Lord." 16 The two of them were shaken; they fell face down, for they were afraid. 17 But he said to them, "Do not be afraid; peace be with you. Bless God forevermore.

Revelation 1:4

New Testament

1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must happen very soon. He made it clear by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who then testified to everything that he saw concerning the word of God and the testimony about Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy aloud, and blessed are those who hear and obey the things written in it, because the time is near! 4 From John, to the seven churches that are in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from “he who is,” and who was, and who is still to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ—the faithful witness, the firstborn from among the dead, the ruler over the kings of the earth. To the one who loves us and has set us free from our sins at the cost of his own blood 6 and has appointed us as a kingdom, as priests serving his God and Father—to him be the glory and the power for ever and ever! Amen.

 Notes and References

"... After his ceremonial introduction, Raphael claims that he is one of the seven angels who are in front of God’s glory. The image of God’s throne surrounded by angelic beings appears already in the Old Testament. It suffices here to evoke two prophetic commission narratives: in Isaiah, God’s throne is surrounded by seraphim (Isaiah 6:2–7), while in Ezekiel the reader is given the additional information that there are four beings around the throne-chariot of God (Ezekiel 1:4–25). Along with the differentiation of the angelic world within early Judaism, we can also observe the development of more prominent angelic figures. Sometimes they appear individually, at other times in a group of four or seven. For the number four, the model is evidently Ezekiel. For the number seven, the motivation might be that it is a perfect number. The appearance and naming of the tetrade in the Book of the Watchers is of great significance. When they first appear, they look upon the created world from a (heavenly) sanctuary (1 Enoch 9:1–2), which shows that their role is primarily a cultic one: “And then Michael, Sariel, Raphael, and Gabriel looked down from the sanctuary of heaven and saw much blood being shed upon the earth, and all lawlessness being wrought upon the earth ..."

Xeravits, Géza G. The Angel’s Self-Revelation in Tobit 12 (p. 1399–1417) Supplements to the Journal for the Study of Judaism, 2017

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