*Note: there is an audio version of this article:
*Note: images below come from Borderlands Wiki and YouTube.
In Borderlands 2 there are several weapon and item ranks. The second most powerful is the Seraph classification.
In the Seraph category, there are three items I would like to point out:
The Might of the Seraphs:
The description of the Might of the Seraphs is “Become the unstoppable force!:”
“Thou, [God] even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?” (Psalm 76:7)
This item also “Enhances melee ability” by 30%. Depending on the player character this gives a massive increase in strength and damage:
“He [God] teacheth my hands to war; so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms.” (2 Samuel 22:35)
The Blood of the Seraphs:
The description of the Blood of the Seraphs is “Their power courses through you…:”
“God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongeth unto God.” (Psalm 62:11)
“One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” (Ephesians 4:6)
“O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God.” (Psalm 68:35)
The Breath of the Seraphs:
The description of the Breath of the Seraphs is “Their return is to be feared…” Compare that to descriptions of “the day of the Lord:”
“Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt: And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.” (Isaiah 13:6-11)
Look at this important verse from 1 John:
“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” (1 John 5:7)
The names of the three Seraph items previously examined match notable traits of the three persons of the Trinity:
Might (The Father):
“O Lord God, thou hast begun to shew thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might?” (Deuteronomy 3:24)
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” (Matthew 28:18)
“Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:” (Ephesians 1:20-21)
Blood (The Word-Jesus):
“And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,” (Revelation 1:5)
“In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:” (Colossians 1:14-16)
“How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Hebrews 9:14)
Breath (The Holy Ghost):
“Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost:” (John 20:21-22)
“And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2:1-4)
This data corresponds with the Bible in two ways. First of all, this is putting God’s might, power, glory, etc. in the hands of the player:
“I am the Lord: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images.” (Isaiah 42:8)
[God speaking] “For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it: for how should my name be polluted? and I will not give my glory unto another.” (Isaiah 48:11)
Second, this is feeding into the desire of man to be God:
“Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord God; Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God:” (Ezekiel 28:2)
Later on in the chapter…
“Therefore thus saith the Lord God; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God; Behold, therefore I will bring strangers upon thee, the terrible of the nations: and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of thy wisdom, and they shall defile thy brightness.
They shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shalt die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas. Wilt thou yet say before him that slayeth thee, I am God? but thou shalt be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slayeth thee.” (Ezekiel 28:6-9)
Seraph-level weapons and items are primarily earned by defeating “Seraph Guardians.” These beings are both extremely powerful and “invincible” (as evidenced by names like Hyperius the Invincible).
Invincibility is defined by Dictionary.com as: incapable of being conquered, defeated, or subdued:
[God speaking] “See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.” (Deuteronomy 32:39)
To come into the presence of a Seraph Guardian, you must pay a fee or offering of 8 Eridium:
“Thus shall Aaron come into the holy place [the very presence of God]: with a young bullock for a sin offering, and a ram for a burnt offering.” (Leviticus 16:3)
Some Seraph Guardians are even worshiped, as in the case of Voracidous the Invincible:
[From Borderlands Wiki] “Voracidous is a Stalker the size of a small building that is only accessible once The Fall of Nakayama has been completed. The natives believe he is a god”
“And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. As the nations which the Lord destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 8:19-20)
The fact that Seraph Guardians share certain characteristics with God is interesting, especially considering that Seraphs are actually mentioned in the Bible. Created by God, they are described worshiping him in Isaiah 6:
“In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.” (Isaiah 6:1-3)
As a side note, Borderlands mocked this worship with the description of their Seraphim gun:
The description:
Holy? Holy? Holey!
- Burst fire while zoomed
- Highly effective vs Flesh
“But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;
How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.” (Jude 1:17-19)
This sets up the Seraphs-the created beings-in a place of worship above their Creator:
“Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” (Romans 1:24-25)
Video Games and the Bible 