This whole picture of the confrontation between the Church and militant paganism ends in the same way that we have already met at the end of Chapter VI, after the opening of the sixth seal: with a great earthquake (VI, 12-17). And here, too, we have an earthquake, although it is described in more concise terms. Here it is simply stated that "in the same hour" (i.e., simultaneously with the victorious ascension of both witnesses to heaven) "a great earthquake occurred" (13), for which, however, certain boundaries are defined: "a tenth of the city fell, and seven thousand names of men perished in the earthquake" (these numbers, of course, are apocalyptic). The rest, in contrast to their impenitence in IX, 20, after the sixth trumpet, "were seized with fear and gave glory to the God of heaven" (13). Obviously, what is described here is not one and the same thing, but something else, or one of the many historical upheavals and catastrophes that have befallen and are befalling mankind and, despite their destructiveness, turn out to be salvific for it. This, in fact, ends the eleventh chapter (1-13). It is easy to see that in its exposition it is distinguished by special difficulties connected with its concrete, but at the same time allegorical images, which do not lend themselves to literal interpretation. According to the general plan of Revelation, the content of Chapter XI is an episodic digression, which, it would seem, could not have happened, without breaking the general connection between the previous and the following. However, together with the previous chapter, X-oi, it seems to break off the general order of the chapters, so far as it is determined by the count of the seven trumpets. The place of the seventh trumpet (as well as the seventh cup) is moved aside, it is occupied with images piled one on top of the other and as if bursting into the contemplation of the seer, who does not seem to immediately regain his prophetic self-control. Nevertheless, at the end of Chapter XI, as if somewhat unexpectedly, he returns to the interrupted story of the seven trumpets and the three "mountains" that he described above, in Chapters VIII and IX. Parallel to what has been said above (IX, 12): "One sorrow has passed, now two more sorrows follow it," here (XI, 14) it is suddenly said: "The second sorrow has passed, now the third sorrow is coming soon." It's like a new title for the next chapter. And yet here, on the spot, in the immediate continuation of the chapter, we do not find this third grief either, we have to look for it in the further exposition (and it is not even found there directly, so that it has to be established only in connection with the general content of the subsequent twelfth and thirteenth chapters). The exposition is interrupted by the seventh trumpet of the angel and the revelations that follow it. It should be noted that there is a characteristic "synchronicity" in connection with the sequence of revelations of the "three woes": the first grief is preceded by the prayers of all the saints before the altar (VIII, 3); the second, by the voice of the four horns of the altar standing before God (IX, 13); the third is the seventh trumpet and is accompanied by a new aperture of the sky. This again testifies to the basic idea of Revelation, that the earth is not abandoned even in the most difficult trials, which at the same time signify heavenly accomplishments. At the same time as the seventh trumpet, "loud voices were heard in heaven, saying, 'The kingdom of peace has become (the kingdom of) our Lord and His Christ, and will reign forever and ever.'" (15) These voices, which are heard in heaven when the third, last and most difficult trial or "woe" is approaching the world, testify that God's enthronement is not accomplished simultaneously, but sequentially, by several accomplishments, and moreover, first in heaven and then only on earth. (Later it is testified to more than once: XIX, 6; XX, 6; XXII, 5). At the same time, it speaks not only of the enthronement of Christ, but also of "our Lord and His Christ." In other words, this already corresponds to the last accession which the Father receives from the Son, according to 1 Cor. XV, 24-28: Christ "must reign until he has put all enemies under his feet," and "then the end, when he has delivered up the kingdom to God and the Father, when he has abolished all rulership and all authority and power." This last accomplishment includes in its content not only the history of the world, but also the Parousia, as well as the enthronement of Christ, which takes place after the Parousia and extends to the whole of creation: "God be all in all." In this way, the mystery of the Divine enthronement in the world, incomprehensible to man in this age, is revealed here, which begins in the heavens before the Parousia of Christ, but in its power is manifested and realized in the world in its further zone, or, more precisely, zones, "centuries of ages." Of course, these heavenly times and dates, this "synchronicity" are only testified to here, but not explained by the seer, who does not even try to explain the inexplicable. But in heaven this accomplished enthronement presents a certain self-evidence for the powers of heaven: not only the "loud voices," obviously angelic, "beasts" testify to this, but also "the twenty-four elders sitting before God on their thrones, fell on their faces and worshipped God, saying, 'We thank Thee, O Lord God Almighty, Who, if there be (and are,[42] that Thou hast received power and reigned)."17 Heavenly and earthly time do not coincide, and what has already been accomplished in the ontology of heaven is still far removed in the earthly chronology of this world. And indeed, in response to the heavenly hymn about the reign of God in the world and over the world, we read: "And the Gentiles were angry, and Thy wrath came, and the time has come to judge the dead, and to give vengeance to Thy servants, to the prophets and saints, and to those who fear Thy name, small and great, and to destroy them that destroy the earth" (18). In this new "synchronicity" of heaven, the time of retribution is indicated, although it has not yet come, the final and decisive clash of good and evil and God's judgment over the world is approaching. And this corresponds to the signs in heaven seen by the seer: "And the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple" (19). The symbolic meaning of the ark of the covenant in the heavenly temple should be understood by analogy with the earthly, Old Testament ark, which signifies the union of God with Israel, the center of the holy of holies, the sanctity of the temple. This is the New Testament union of God with the Church, God-manhood, the power of which was accomplished in the Incarnation, is the deification of man. And this accomplishment again, as above (cf. VIII, 5; X, I, 18), is accompanied by a great upheaval in the natural world, and we must also understand the spiritual one: "And there were lightnings, and voices, and thunders, and earthquakes, and hail" (19). This is the usual eschatological gamut of Revelation, which sounds essentially similar in the small Gospel Apocalypse (Matt. XXIV, 29; Mk. XIII, 24; Lux. XXI, 25). This is one of the proleptically repeated pictures in Revelation of the coming wrath of God and the judgment of the world.

CHAPTER XII

THE WOMAN CLOTHED WITH THE SUN AND THE WAR IN THE SKY

This chapter is one of the most central in Revelation in terms of the significance of its content. In relation to the preceding and subsequent chapters, it is a certain independent part, although, of course, included in its general context. It contains a number of essential images relating to the fate of the world and, moreover, distinguished by a special character, prompting religious-historical exegetes to seek for them primary sources, according to custom, outside the boundaries of revealed religion, in remote pagan antiquity. Several different pictures are combined here, and at the same time, in the same chapter, in connection with the following one, one can also see the revelation of the third "grief", which in itself does not have a direct designation.

Chapter XII opens with the appearance of a "great sign." [43]

In heaven it is "A woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars." These astronomical and astrological features of the sign make it necessary to look for their origin in Babylonian, Persian, Greek, Egyptian myths, outside the boundaries of Jewish apocryphal writing. Of course, any such application of one or another mythology raises new and difficult to solve problems as to how these images got into the text of Revelation. But whatever may be the original origin of these images, there is no doubt that since they occur in the Christian Apocalypse, "they must be interpreted in the Christian sense." [44] Obviously, at the time of the writing of Revelation, there was a presence of used images in the literary language of a certain kind of writing, a kind of apocalyptic lexicon. However, this in itself does not in the least detract from either their religious-mystical content or divinely inspired significance. And if we do not limit our task to "religious-historical" exegesis (although it can also be taken into account), but seek a dogmatic interpretation, then our attention is concentrated, first of all, on the religious-dogmatic understanding of these images. What then is the sign of the woman, clothed in the glory of the sun, moon, and stars, of all the celestial starry world? To this is added the trait that "she was with child, and cried out in the pangs of childbirth" (2). The image of the woman, according to the usual language of comparisons between the Old and New Testaments, as well as the apocrypha, makes us see here, first of all, a certain human society, the people of God, in other words. The Church ("wife and bride" of Christ). A further question may also be how far this personification of the Church can be carried out, according to this image? In particular, what does this possession in the womb and the wife's labor pains mean here? If we see here the Church, spiritually giving birth, but at the same time persecuted, persecuted and even martyred, then this image is quite natural. The details of this image: the sun and moon, the twelve stars, the signs of the zodiac – these attributes of the pagan goddess – are translated, of course, into the Christian language, receive a Christian interpretation, signify the duodecimal of the old or new Israel, the patriarchs or apostles. A further question arises: is it possible to see in a woman clothed with the sun not only a Christian community – the Church, but also a Person, namely the Mother of God? In themselves, both interpretations are quite compatible with each other and correspond to the general principles of ecclesiology. However, they also encounter some difficulties, as it becomes clear from further analysis of the text. The wife is opposed by another mythological image: a large red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads; seven diadems. This image is clearly demonic in nature, which is repeatedly repeated in various forms in Old Testament writing. [45] The opposition to the dragon's wife, of course, expresses the general idea that the Church is in a direct and bitter struggle with the dragon and the "ancient serpent," Satan himself, who is fully armed and together with earthly or seduced powers. This fullness of anti-Christianity is denoted in the same way as the opposite divine fullness, by the septenary number: the dragon has seven heads, i.e., the seven kingdoms subject to it, in whatever order, simultaneously or sequentially, we calculate this septenary (we leave the most accurate solution to this political cipher, at least approximate and arbitrary). The seven heads of Satan are crowned with ten horns (a new sign of the fullness of evil is the tenfold), and on the heads of these there are seven diadems. All these are signs of the royalty of the one who wishes to become the prince of this world, and for this he must abolish the opposing power of the woman clothed with the sun, and eliminate all rivalry. What he applied to the first-born of man Eve and then succeeded, is also applied, although in a different way, to the new Eve, the Church of Christ. But, as we have already said, the image of the woman here – although not entirely – coincides with the image of the Mother of God as the personal head of the Church, and the temptation of Satan stops powerlessly before the holiness of the Most Holy Theotokos. We do not know at all from the Gospel about such a temptation of Her (although it is invented, for example, even by such an authoritative church writer as Chrysostom). It is difficult not to admit that the temptation from Satan, which befell even Christ Himself, in its own way did not extend to the Most Holy Mother of God, in Her standing at the cross and spiritual co-crucifixion with Her Son. But this time only one of Her words sounded in Her soul: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord," as well as the word of Her Son: "Thy will be done." The dragon with the diadems of the state power, which nailed Christ to the cross, could still stand before Her, although it powerlessly tempted Her. But after this temptation, after the resurrection of Christ, new personal temptations became completely powerless for the Most Holy Theotokos, even if they did exist (of which we are not told), and after Her Dormition She remains "more honorable than the cherubim." The Spirit-bearer was inaccessible to temptation either from intimidation or from deception, and the "new Eve" revealed Herself to be different from the first, who was tempted herself and drew the entire human race into temptation along with herself. As to how this happened in the spiritual world, we also have no direct information in the Word of God, which deals with the already accomplished fact of the presence of fallen evil spirits, demons, as is especially evident in the New Testament, more than in the Old. And the only direct evidence of this we find in the chapter of Revelation under consideration. It is here that this is said about the dragon, i.e. Satan: "His tail took away a third part of the stars from heaven and threw them to the earth" (3). The "tail" is, obviously, the power of the tempting influence of the fallen first angel Lucifer (whose own fall and temptation is allegorically described in the images of the kings of Babylon and Tyre in Isaiah XIV, 12-16 and Ezekiel XXVIII, 12-17). But even there it speaks only of the personal pride and fall of the kings of Babylon and Tyre, but nothing is said about the fall of the "third of the stars" that followed them and with them (the number, of course, is allegorical, to denote a large number of the fallen). The casting down of a third of the angels to earth is apparently reported in connection with the fact that together with the dragon himself, they also participate in the temptation of the woman, "an unfaithful and perverse generation," of which the long-suffering Lord Himself says: "How long will I be with you? How long will I endure you?" (Matt. XVII, 17). "This dragon stood before the woman who was to give birth, so that when she gave birth, he might devour her child." The dragon's desire to destroy the infant is explained, of course, by the desire for the final mastery of the world. "Infant" in general means spiritual birth in the Church, the singular is taken here clearly allegorically. To see Christ in the infant here and to time the event to the Nativity of Christ is hardly appropriate, although with all the ambiguity of this allegory even this meaning is permissible, but in this case the image of the woman must be interpreted not in the collective sense of church society, but in the personal sense of the Mother of God. Although the Gospels do not directly mention the participation of the dragon in the persecution of the Divine Infant born in Bethlehem, it obviously existed, and King Herod was the instrument of his inspiration. However, this assumption does not abolish the entire general ecclesiological significance of this image. The rest is depicted as follows: "And she gave birth to a male child, who is to shepherd the nations with a rod of iron, and her child was caught up to God and His throne" (5). Who can this Child be if not Christ, the King of kings, "who shepherds the nations with a rod of iron" (Rev. 2:10). II, 27; cf. Isa. II, 9; 1 Cor. XV, 25), who leaves the world in the Ascension and sits at the right hand of the Father? The Church can be viewed in the person of the Most Holy Theotokos: as Her personal incarnation, as His Mother. The event of the Ascension is depicted here in a different way than in the Gospel, from a different point of view, in the aspect of the struggle with the prince of this world, which is also a general aspect of the Christology of Revelation, as we will see more than once throughout it. That which in the whole New Testament is the glorification of Christ and the completion of His salvific work, in Revelation is a withdrawal from the world as an "rapture to God and His throne" from the malicious and power-hungry claims and attempts of the prince of this world. Although Christ leaves the world with the words: "All power in heaven and on earth is given to Me," this authority given to Him, i.e. acquired by Him through His saving ministry, still has to be exercised throughout the long time of the earthly existence of the Church (as it is said in the Apostle Paul: "He must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet... He will deliver up the kingdom to God and the Father, when he has abolished all authority and all authority and power... all things are subject to Him" (1 Cor. XV, 25, 24, 27). It is Revelation, and it alone, or at least it predominantly, that is characteristic of this aspect of Christology, which can be defined as the teaching of Christ's enthronement in the world, which takes place on the basis of His accomplished salvation.

However, the "child" here can also be understood allegorically as the multiplicity of unity of the catholic apostolic Church, which is present in heaven in Her saints, who pray for the Church and fight for her and together with her. It is this truth that is revealed in Revelation in its various places and in its general context, and this also allows us to speak of the rapture of the infant to God, let us accept the militancy with a rod of iron already refers to the spiritual strength and invincibility of the Church. In every sense, it is obvious that the fate of the Church is fulfilled in heaven and "on earth, and not only on earth. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where a place had been prepared for her by God, that she might be nourished there a thousand and sixty days" (6), i.e. 42 months, or three and a half years. This is a period already known to us and constantly repeated, as applied both to the kingdom of Christ and to the Antichrist – a certain mystical period of time. What does this flight into the wilderness mean? It can refer to the persecution of the Church, both ancient, contemporary with the writing of Revelation, and recent, up to our days. The Church, in the person of its true spiritual leaders, seems to hide in the desert, becomes invisible. This does not mean that it is inaccessible to persecution, which, on the contrary, can take the most severe forms and the widest dimensions. But the Lord hides from the eyes of the persecutors and preserves the "holy remnant," the "seeds" of the Church, which in good time unexpectedly give sprouts and fruits, so that the Church is indestructible on earth, in spite of all the fierce malice and persistent enmity of the dragon and his army. What is spoken here is precisely about the miracle of the Church's sojourn and preservation in the world in spite of all persecutions, no matter how they may seem and how destructive they may actually be. This word of Revelation is a confession of faith and a voice of Christian courage, which resounded in one of the difficult epochs of its history, together with the testimony that the very existence and preservation of the Church is a miraculous deed, the direct intervention of God's Providence. This thought affirms the faithful sons of the Church in their Christian courage and fearlessness in the face of that which is natural, human, and truly capable of frightening.

Beginning with chapter XII, verse 7, a new picture opens up, of the same importance and significance of theme and content as the previous one (verses 1-6). This is a war in the sky. Here we are talking not about the initial fall of Satan, which took with it "a third" of the angelic world, but also about the continuation of this "prologue in heaven", which then continues in the earthly, human tragedy. "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels rebelled against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels rebelled against them" (7). In other places of the Word of God we find nothing at all about this war, which is accompanied by mutual irreconcilability (this is evident from the twice-repeated "fought" in application to the armies of Arch. Michael and his angels, as well as to the dragon and his angels) (7). This war is evidenced as a kind of new event in the "sky", which, obviously, comes in connection with a certain maturation of the spiritual process and the final self-determination and affirmation in each of the contending parties. And indeed, in the Old Testament we still observe a certain mutual tolerance and, as it were, even complacency. Otherwise, it is difficult to understand what is said in the Prologue of the Book of Job. It describes how the "sons of God" (i.e., evidently the holy angels) "came to stand before the Lord, and Satan also came among them" (I, 1; II, 1). In the same tone the conversation between God and Satan is narrated, who, in response to his doubt, receives permission from God to tempt Job, although with a certain restriction: "Only save his soul" (II, 6). The story of 1 Kings is completely similar in meaning. XXII, 19-22, of how, in the face of the host of heaven, "one spirit" receives permission from God, if not directly commissioned, "to become a lying spirit in the mouth of all the prophets," in order to persuade Ahab to make him decide. [46] It is difficult to determine whether before or after the war Christ was tempted in heaven in the wilderness, to which He was led by the Holy Spirit (Matt. IV, 1; Mk. I, 12; Lux. IV, 1), but the former is also possible. Early commentators see in the overthrow of Satan Arch. Michael is already his first fall. However, this is difficult to reconcile with the above facts, which rather force us to assume that he is still in a certain intermediate state, between heaven and earth, in the region under heaven. In this case, the casting of Satan from heaven should be considered one of the consequences of the Incarnation, and in this sense it should be attributed even to the time before the crucifixion of Christ, then rather after the temptation in the wilderness. Is this not what Christ is talking about in response to the disciples' joy that the demons obey them in His Name? "And he said to them, 'I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning,'" and so on (Lk. X, 17-20). Of course, this is also said proleptically, in relation to his final overthrow and expulsion from this world (which Christ also announces in the Gospel), but as a pre-accomplished event.

War in heaven is the participation of the angelic world in our salvation and redemption through the Incarnation. There is ontological synchronicity here, although it does not lend itself to the nearest disclosure. This connection is also hinted at in the above-mentioned text of Luke, where the 70 disciples sent to preach said that the demons obey them (which is preceded by the authority given to them when they are sent to preach). First of all, "having called the 12 disciples, He gave them power over unclean spirits, that they might cast them out" (Matt. X, I; Mk. III, 15; VI, 7; Lux. IX, 1: "power and authority over all demons"). Christ's last word to the disciples according to Mk. XVI, 17 also includes: "In my name ye shall cast out demons."

A hint that the overthrow of Satan is connected with the Incarnation is also the fact that at the head of the host of heaven stands Michael, not only "one of the chief princes" (Dan. X, 13), but also "the great prince who stands for the sons of thy people" (XII, 1), chosen by God to serve the Incarnation, to begat the forefathers of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, the fathers of the Son of Abraham, the Son of David, the Son of God. This speaks not only of the participation of the entire angelic world in the work of redemption, in its concelebration with the ministry of Christ, but also definitely connects it with the personal ministry of the guardian angel of Israel, the Archangel Michael.

This event, the war in heaven in the angelic world, is told only in Revelation, and it constitutes his own dogmatic contribution to biblical angelology. What is this war? How can it be understood in its application to the spiritual world? There can be no answer to this in human language. But it is clear that the power of Christ's incarnation, His descent from heaven, was also at work here, because it speaks directly of the victory of the angels: "They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and did not love their own souls even unto death" (XII, 11). The last words are incomprehensible, since we are talking about bodiless spirits and therefore already immortal. Obviously, the victory of Satan in the angelic world somehow threatened spiritual death, just as the whole struggle was spiritual. The victory was accomplished not only by the blood of the Lamb, but also by "the word of his testimony," i.e., by the confession of the angelic faith in the power and mystery of the Incarnation of God. This is evidenced, in particular, by the fact that it is specifically said: they "conquered by the blood of the Lamb" – by faith in its saving power. Even if we accept that the overthrow of Satan from heaven took place even earlier than the crucifixion of the Son of God, then His very descent from heaven and His incarnation contained the possibility and even predetermined the outpouring of the sacrificial blood of the Lamb. And just as the Eucharistic sacrifice in all its power and fullness was accomplished at the Last Supper before, and not after, Christ's death on the cross, so here the victory of the angels "by the blood of the Lamb" could and did take place even before its actual outpouring on the cross, before the death of Christ. Thus, all this Christological context makes it necessary to attribute the event of the war in heaven precisely to the time of the descent from heaven and the Incarnation of Christ. Satan's defeat is described in these terms: "The dragon and his angels could not stand, and there was no longer a place for them in heaven" (8). From this we conclude that such a place in heaven – in any sense – still remained, which is precisely what is evident at least from the story of Job. In this sense, Satan was an unloving and ungrateful "slanderer" not only of the world of God, but also of "our brethren, who slandered them before our God day and night" (10). This duality of his position, which had once already proved fatal to the world, as a result of the temptation of the forefathers and their original sin, was evidently still tolerated and tolerated in heaven. St. The angels were also tempted by Satan and his angels ("his tail dragged a third part of the stars from heaven to earth") (4), but they somehow still suffered temptation from their fallen brother, without being tempted by him themselves. But when, with the Incarnation, the decisive struggle for the salvation of the world against the prince of this world began, then this indefinite and ambiguous state of tolerance and condescension became unbearable, impossible, and inadmissible, and perhaps – we do not know this, but only admit it – could also prove harmful on the path of salvation. In any case, we know about Satan's attempts to interfere in the matter of our salvation, about the temptations of Christ Himself and His apostles, first of all Peter and Judas, and then all the others (except for one beloved disciple), who fell into the "fear of the Jews." We know about the decontamination of the entire Jewish Sanhedrin, the high priests, rulers and soldiers. But we do not yet know, and cannot know, whether spiritual sabotage in heaven remained a threatening possibility, which could no longer remain permissible and unhindered. At the time when the Son of God descended from heaven to be crucified on earth, a mocking, envious, and slanderous voice also became impossible and unbearable, still seeking new victims for temptation in heaven. The time has come for a decisive and final war with Satan and his army. Thus, in Chapter XII we find in this narrative, so to speak, a kind of parallel to the revelation of the descent of Christ from heaven and the Incarnation of God. A spiritual battle took place, decisive and final. We cannot say why it was a threat to both sides, but it was a real battle, terrible and formidable, since it could be said of it that the holy angels "did not love their souls even unto death," i.e., of course, not death itself, not the abolition of their very existence (which is impossible), but the threat of its deep damage. We are not able to explain it any more, but such was the active participation of the angelic world in our salvation. "And the great dragon was cast out, the old serpent, called the devil and Satan, cast out to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him" (10). This, of course, was the greatest catastrophe for the "son of the dawn". "How thou hast fallen from heaven, Lucifer, son of the morning!" (Isa. XIII, 12). But this fall was salutary, because it deprived Lucifer, if not of claim, then of hope for a dominant position in heaven and on earth. A loud voice in heaven testifies to this: "Today is the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ, because the accuser of our brethren has been cast out" (10). This means that such was indeed the threat and danger from the slanderer, who wanted to take advantage of the "descent from heaven" of the Son of God in order to take His place in his madness, for he said of himself: "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. I will be like the Most High" (Isa. XIII, 14). "And I cast you down as unclean from the mountain of God, I cast you out" (Ezek. XXVIII, 16). The prologue of our redemption in heaven has been completed, the path to heaven has been spiritually cleared, and its first precondition has been fulfilled.

However, the following question arises: if Satan, even after his fall, until it was revealed in all its final power, was not deprived of being in "heaven" with his host as "sons of God" (Gen. 2:10). VI, 2, 3) (which are spoken of in connection with pre-Flood humanity), then how can we connect with it the manifestation of its actions on earth, and first of all the temptation of the ancestors in paradise? How can we further reconcile his earthly images, which were mentioned above (Leviathan and others), and in general his destructive action in the earthly elements, which was the consequence of the primordial power of sins in the natural world and over people, which he received through it? "And the Lord said to Satan, 'This is all that he has in your hand, only do not stretch out your hand against him' (Job I, 12; cf. II, 6-7). It remains, obviously, to understand that Satan's continued sojourn in "heaven," i.e., his not yet final overthrow from there, is combined with his participation in the affairs of earthly life, just as this participation is given to the heavenly angels, the messengers and servants of God on earth, and to the guardians of creation. Participation in mortality is thus not incompatible with being in heaven, even if it is basic or predominant. The same can obviously be admitted with regard to the fallen angels, as long as God's long-suffering left them in heaven, although, of course, their participation in earthly life already had a different character from the ministry of good angels. It manifested itself in the general corruption of world existence, in spontaneity and harmfulness, and, finally, in mortality. However, this sabotage of Satan, while he still appeared before the face of God together with the angels, was brought within the boundaries by God's Providence, as the prologue of the Book of Job testifies, and even served his salvific purposes. The same can be said about God's allowance regarding the temptation of the forefathers in the Garden of Eden. The tempting serpent is depicted here as one of God's earthly creatures (Gen. 2:10). III, 1), which is possessed by Satan. In this sense, he is a heavenly-earthly being, over whom, as such, God's twofold judgment is also carried out: on the one hand, as over a serpent, and on the other, as such a spiritual being, for whom God lays enmity between him and his seed and the woman and her seed (III, 15). It is mysterious and incomprehensible that even such a sentence of God does not yet contain as a direct consequence the final casting of Satan from heaven, although he remains "a slanderer of our brethren before God" (Rev. 2:10). XII, 10), who deceives the whole universe (9). This testifies, of course, to how lofty were the gifts of God entrusted to him and how difficult it is to take them away (this, of course, is also important for the understanding of the coming apocatastasis). No matter how destructive Satan's action in the world, both in heaven and on earth, did not yet entail for him as a consequence of his casting down from heaven, i.e. the final deprivation of angelic dignity. However, as we must conclude from Rev. XII, 10, Satan's bewilderment continued in the heavens, and his poisonous influence sought to spread for itself even in the angelic world, where "his tail took away from heaven a third part of the stars and threw them to the earth" (3), i.e. he succeeded in depriving them of the angelic rank and ministry. But the "slanderer of our brethren" continued to slander them "before our God day and night" (10), and this slander, of course, was accompanied by an attempt to tempt them, which, however, remained powerless. But Satan's descent from heaven, connected with his final bewilderment and resistance to God, took place in connection with the descent of the Son of God from heaven and the Incarnation of God. In his face all ambiguity, inconsistency and inconclusiveness lost their place. Against the Son of God, who is coming to reign in the world, Satan has already come out as an open rival with a claim to become the "prince of this world," hence begins his direct war for the world as God's creation and for power in this world. This war now begins in heaven, in the angelic world. Here Satan also suffers the first defeat by the power of the faithfulness of the angels, who "did not love their own souls even unto death" (11). There is no longer any place for Satan in heaven, and he is cast down to earth together with his angels, who henceforth become definitely demons. It is remarkable that the Old Testament does not yet know demons, but the Gospel and New Testament history is full of them. It may seem unexpected and as if incomprehensible that demons accompany Christ's earthly ministry. As if, in spite of the coming of the Son of God to earth, He finds Himself, as it were, surrounded by those suffering from unclean spirits, He expels them, heals the possessed, but at the same time He Himself exclaims: "How long will I be with you, how long will I endure you." The Lord, sending the Apostles to preach, first of all gives this authority and commandment: "Cast out demons." The fact of mankind's demonic possession at the time of Christ's coming can be understood in the light of Revelation, which testifies to the exorcism of Satan from heaven precisely in connection with the Incarnation. There is an ontological synchronicity here: the fallen angels, affirming themselves in their fall, become demons, and Satan is their leader. The entire history of the Church after Christ is this ongoing war between him and Christ and His kingdom. The content of Chapter XII is a revelation of this struggle in its very origin.

The last question of Gospel Satanology, which arises in this connection, remains unexamined. Does the temptation of Christ by Satan in the wilderness already refer to his being in the state of being cast down from heaven, or is he admitted to the New Job in the same form in which he was admitted to the ancient Job? There is no direct answer to this question in the Gospel, but there is an indirect one. The fall of Satan from heaven, which Christ "saw" "falling from heaven" (Lk. X, 18), in any case, took place already during His earthly ministry as a consequence of the war of the angels in heaven, and yet, according to the direct content of the Gospel narrative, before the Passion of Christ and that direct participation in them of Satan, who in turn tempted the apostles and all the enemies of Christ. Having been cast down from heaven and having become not only a tempter and slanderer, but a direct enemy and rival of Christ, Satan no longer tempts Him. The time for such temptations has already passed, and Satan does not try Who He is, as he still temptively asked in the wilderness: "If You are the Son of God." Now he is directly at enmity, waging an open war with Him, but he is already tempting His disciples. And only in this sense did it give a continuation of Christ's temptation in the wilderness, after which Satan left Him only "for a time" (Lk. IV, 13). This, however, binds together the first and last temptations of Christ by Satan. From this it follows that the war in heaven and the overthrow of Satan from there occurred precisely because of the Incarnation of Christ. The Gospel refers to Christ's temptation in the wilderness to the time after baptism and the forty-day fast, and it says that "Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil" (Matt. IV, I; Mk. I, 12-13; Lux. IV, 1-2). If Job's temptation was directly permitted by God, then this temptation, although it is the tempter's own, self-willed work, is not only allowed, but is directly indicated by the Holy Spirit, apparently as irremovable in the ways of Christ's ministry: "Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil" (Matt. IV, 1; Mk. I, 12; Lux. IV, 1-2). All this combination of signs does not allow us to think that Christ's temptation in the wilderness was the work of a tempter who had already been cast down from heaven after the war of the angels. Consequently, it took place, in any case, no later than the baptism of Christ. True, Herod's evil intent to kill the Divine Infant, accompanied by the slaughter of the innocents of Bethlehem, can be seen as the beginning of the dragon's struggle to "devour the child" (Rev. 2:10). XII, 4). However, this assumption has no direct confirmation in the Gospels and therefore belongs only to theological speculation.