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Chapter 34. About the War of Angels and Demons and the Fall of Satan Rev. 12:7–8. “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels made war with the serpent, and the serpent braced himself and his angels. And they were not able, and no place was found for them in heaven.” This may correspond to the first fall of the devil from the rank of angels for pride and envy, and his overthrow by the cross of the Master, when, as the Lord said, the prince of this world was condemned and expelled from his former dominion (John 12:31). Not tolerating his exaltation, the Divine Angels, together with the Archangel Michael, rightly cast him out from their presence, as Ezekiel says; The cherubim cast him out from among the stones of fire (Ezek. 28:16), as I think, the ranks of angels, because iniquities were found in him. At the coming of Christ, the Angels serving Him, after temptation, again abhorred him as a dishonest slave. You need to know, as the Fathers thought, that, according to the structure of the sensory world, he was so overthrown for pride and envy that the former dominion of the air was left to him, as the Apostle said (Eph. 6:12). And Papias literally says this: to some of them, i.e. He gave the formerly divine angels authority over the government of the earth, and instructed them to rule well. And then he says: but it happened that they turned their rank into nothing. Rev.12:9. “And the great serpent, the ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, who flattered the whole universe, was cast down, and he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him.” And the great serpent was cast down to the earth. Truly so, for heaven did not tolerate earthly wisdom, because it has no communication with heaven. Although the word “Satan” is put with the term 4, as if it were someone different from the devil, although it is put separately “the devil and Satan,” these are only two names for the same thing. He is called a devil (slanderer) because he slanders virtues and those who love them and God Himself to people, just as Adam presented God to the envious; Satan is called as one who opposes the Master and His servants. One should know that the fall of the devil after the cross was not as local as the fall of the forefathers due to weakness, just as he himself admitted to the great Anthony that the psalm’s word was fulfilled on him: the enemy will run short of weapons to the end (Psalm 9:7). So, his fall is the destruction of his evil plans, after he was cast out of heaven and his former superiors, as has already been said. It was said by Blessed Justin the Philosopher and martyr that after the coming of Christ and his condemnation to Gehenna, he became an even greater blasphemer, although he had blasphemed God before, but not so shamelessly. Therefore it is rightly said about him: his heart is hardened like a stone (Job 41:16), due to its persistence in evil. If the expectation of punishment made him the most wicked, then how, by enduring torment, either himself or his slaves, through burning, can be cleansed from the filth of sin? And without receiving this, how will they expect the end of their torment, according to the vain wisdom of the heretics? Rev.12:10. “And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying: Now is salvation and power and the kingdom of our God, and the domain of His Christ: for the slanderer of our brethren was brought down, slandering them before our God day and night.” For the slanderer of our brethren was quickly deposed. Accusation or slander against people gives a name to the devil, who he is, as has already been said. The angels rejoice over his overthrow, for some part I will return with the infidel (2 Cor. 6:15). Rev. 12:11–12. “And they conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and did not love their souls even to death. For this reason, the heavens and those who live on them rejoice: woe to those who live on earth and sea, for the devil has come to you, having great wrath, knowing that time is short.” And she won with the blood of the Lamb. The saints, accused and, like Job, slandered by him before all those who submitted to him, defeated him by suffering for Christ. The powers on high rejoiced at his fall and were god-likely sorrowful at his slander against those who were attached to earthly things. Woe to those who live on earth and sea, i.e. those whose residence is not in heaven, but on earth. For many of those living on earth have conquered and will defeat the enemy, although he is now very angry at those who strive, because of the proximity of his torment. That is why it is necessary to mourn those who are wise about earthly things and those who are overwhelmed in the sea of ​​life. Rev. 12:13–14. “And when the serpent saw that he was cast down to the earth, persecuting the woman who had given birth to a man. And the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, so that she soared into the desert to her place, where she was nourished for a time and a time and half a time, from the face of the serpent.” When the devil, who fought with Christ after the rebuke, was defeated and, armed against the holy Apostles, was ashamed, seeing that they acquired life through death, and when he was condemned to drag along the earth like a serpent and eat the earth, i.e. earthly wisdom, then he again began to persecute the Church, which gave birth and is giving birth to the male sex, the people of God, not weakened by pleasures. But from the very beginning she was given love for God and neighbor and the intervening Providence of Him crucified for us and two covenants, which signify the wings of an eagle, so that, having flown to the heights, she would be nourished in a life free (desert) from all pampering pleasure. This is always the case, especially at the coming of the Antichrist, who, as has been written many times, will reign for the appointed time - three and a half years. At this time, those hiding in the sensory desert - in the mountains and caves - may perhaps escape from it. Rev. 12:15–16. “And let the serpent send out water from his mouth like a river for his wife, so that he may drown her in the river. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth, and devoured the river which the serpent brought out of its mouth.” And let the serpent send forth water like a river from his mouth after his wife. When the Church flees to waterless places, impassable for the delusional to enter, then from his mouth, i.e. at his command, water will follow her like a river, i.e. many godless people, or crafty demons, or various temptations will come out against her in order to enslave her. The earth, it is said, helped her, delaying the aspiration of the evil ones either by the distance of the path, or by lack of water and dryness of places, and thus absorbing the river of temptations or by the humility of the saints, who said from the heart: I am earth and ashes (Gen. 18:27), breaking apart all the snares of the devil, as was said to the Divine Anthony. Rev.12:17. “And the serpent was angry with the woman, and went to make war on the remaining seed of her, who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.” And the serpent went to make war on those who remained. When the best teachers of the Church and the overseers of the earth move to disaster in the desert, although the Antichrist will lose sight of them, he will raise a battle against those who fight for Christ in the world in order to triumph over them, finding them carried away in the affairs of life, as if sprinkled with ashes, drying up the softness of the oil. But many of them will defeat him for their sincere love for Christ. Chapter 36. About the beast with ten horns and seven heads Rev.13:1. “And I walked on the arctic fox, and I saw a beast come out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on its roses a ten crown, and on its heads the names of blasphemy.” Some understood by this beast a certain secondary force of Satan, which has power over other demons, and over the one emerging from the earth after him - the Antichrist. Saints Methodius and Hippolytus and others took the real beast for the Antichrist himself, emerging from the troubled and agitated sea of ​​this life. Ten horns with crowns and seven heads mean the unity of the devil with the Antichrist (for it is interpreted above that this refers to him), also the division in the last time of the earthly kingdom into ten, and the seventh kingdom corresponding to this world, measured in seven days, and divided into seven successions, as will be said later. For this reason, Satan, who is active in him, is called the prince of this age. The name of blasphemy is on its heads, i.e. on his assistants. For they did not cease to blaspheme Christ from the beginning until the appearance of the great and most pious Constantine, after whom Julian and Valens were blasphemers against Christ. Rev.13:2. “The beast that I saw was like a lynx, and its nose was like a bear, and its mouth like the mouth of a lion.” The leopard (trot) signifies the kingdom of the Greeks, the bear the Persians, the lion the Babylonian kingdom, over which the Antichrist will rule, coming as the king of Rome and destroying their power when he sees their clay toes (Dan. 2:41-42), which signifies the weak and easily destroyed division of one kingdom into ten. “And the serpent gave him his power and his throne and a great region.” For Satan, this mental serpent, gives the Antichrist all power in signs and lying wonders to destroy the unconfirmed. Rev.13:3. “And I saw one of his heads slaughtered to death, and the wound of his death was healed.” The head, as if slain, means either that one of its leaders will be killed and will be deceptively shown to have rebelled by the Antichrist through sorcery, as Simon the Magus did and was exposed by the Apostle Peter, or that the kingdom of Rome from the division will suffer, as it were, mortification, but having received autocratic rule (from the Antichrist) like Augustus Caesar, it will be healed. Rev. 13:3–4. “And the whole earth marveled at the trail of the beast, and worshiped the serpent, who had given domain to the beast. And he bowed down to the beast, saying: Who is like the beast and who can fight with him.” And the whole earth marveled. A miracle on the Antichrist (revealed fraudulently) will be attributed to the devil operating in him. For for his sake they will worship the serpent; through him, for those blinded by the eyes of reason, he will appear to be raising the dead and performing signs. Rev. 13:5–6. “And a mouth was given unto him, speaking great things and blasphemous things: and he was given a region to work for a month of forty-two. And he opened his mouth to blaspheme God, to blaspheme his name, and his village, and them that dwell in heaven.” Forty-two months show that, by God’s permission, three and a half years will have the power to blaspheme God and embitter the saints. And the village of God is also the dwelling of God the Word in the flesh, i.e. His incarnation and abiding in the saints, against whom He will turn for blasphemy, as well as against the holy Angels. Rev. 13:7–8. “And it was given to him to make war against the saints, and I was victorious: and a region was given to him in every tribe (of people), and in the nations and nations. And all who dwell on the earth will worship him, even though the names of the creatures of the Lamb were not written in the book of the creatures from the foundation of the world.” And power was given to him over every tribe and tongue. He will use, it is said, evil power over every tribe and tongue. However, he will own only those whose names are not written in the book of life. Rev. 13:9–10. “If anyone has an ear, let him hear. Whoever leads into captivity will go into captivity: if anyone kills with a weapon, it is fitting for him to be killed with a weapon; here is the patience and faith of the saints.” And whoever leads into captivity will himself go into captivity. Everyone, he says, will receive a worthy reward for their deeds: those who are ready to do evil to their neighbor will be captured by the devil and subject to spiritual death from the satanic sword; By those who were conquered for the sake of works, they will become slaves, as the great James says (2 Pet. 2:14). But those who have maintained pure faith and steadfast patience will not be blotted out from the book of life. May the All-Merciful God deign to be their fellows and us, who honor that the present temporary sufferings are worth nothing in comparison with the future glory that will be revealed in the saints (Rom. 8:18), and courageously walk along the narrow path, so that at the end of it in the next century we will find glory, and peace, and breadth in the kingdom with Christ, with whom all thanksgiving and worship is now due to the Father with the Holy Spirit and ever and ever. Amen. Which in Greek is used to indicate a specific, one thing.