Part 110 (1/2)

”There was a war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought, and his angels, and prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world, he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”[386:1]

The cause of the revolt, it is said, was that Satan, who was then an angel, desired to be as great as G.o.d. The writer of Isaiah, xiv. 13, 14, is supposed to refer to it when he says:

”Thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of G.o.d; I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the North; I will ascend before the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.”

The Catholic theory of the fall of the angels is as follows:

”In the beginning, before the creation of heaven and earth, G.o.d made the angels, free intelligences, and free wills, out of his love He made them, that they might be eternally happy.

And that their happiness might be complete, he gave them the perfection of a created nature, that is, he gave them freedom.

But happiness is only attained by the free will agreeing in its freedom to accord with the will of G.o.d. Some of the angels by an act of free will obeyed the will of G.o.d, and in such obedience found perfect happiness. Other angels, by an act of free will, rebelled against the will of G.o.d, and in such disobedience found misery.”[386:2]

They were driven out of heaven, after having a combat with the obedient angels, and cast into h.e.l.l. The writer of second _Peter_ alludes to it in saying that G.o.d spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down into h.e.l.l.[386:3]

The writer of _Jude_ also alludes to it in saying:

”The angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.”[386:4]

According to the _Talmudists_, Satan, whose proper name is Sammael, was one of the Seraphim of heaven, with six wings.

”He was not driven out of heaven until after he had led Adam and Eve into sin; then Sammael and his host were precipitated out of the place of bliss, with G.o.d's curse to weigh them down. In the struggle between Michael and Sammael, the falling Seraph caught the wings of Michael, and tried to drag him down with him, but G.o.d saved him, when Michael derived his name,--the Rescued.”[386:5]

Sammael was formerly chief among the angels of G.o.d, and now he is prince among devils. His name is derived from Simme, which means, to blind and deceive. He stands on the left side of men. He goes by various names; such as ”The Old Serpent,” ”The Unclean Spirit,” ”Satan,”

”Leviathan,” and sometimes also ”Asael.”[387:1]

According to _Hindoo_ mythology, there is a legion of evil spirits called _Rakshasas_, who are governed by a prince named _Ravana_. These Rakshasas are continually aiming to do injury to mankind, and are the same who fought desperate battles with _Indra_, and his Spirits of Light. They would have taken his paradise by storm, and subverted the whole order of the universe, if Brahma had not sent _Vishnou_ to circ.u.mvent their plans.

In the _Aitareya-brahmana_ (Hindoo) written, according to Prof. Monier Williams, seven or eight centuries B. C., we have the following legend:

”The G.o.ds and demons were engaged in warfare.

The evil demons, like to mighty kings, Made these worlds castles; then they formed the earth Into an iron citadel, the air Into a silver fortress, and the sky Into a fort of gold. Whereat the G.o.ds Said to each other, 'Frame me other worlds In opposition to these fortresses.'

Then they constructed sacrificial places, Where they performed a triple burnt oblation.

By the first sacrifice they drove the demons Out of their earthly fortress, by the second Out of the air, and by the third oblation Out of the sky. Thus were the evil spirits Chased by the G.o.ds in triumph from the worlds.”[387:2]

The ancient _Egyptians_ were familiar with the tale of the war in heaven; and the legend of the revolt against the G.o.d Ra, the Heavenly Father, and his destruction of the revolters, was discovered by M.

Naville in one of the tombs at Biban-el-moluk.[387:3]

The same story is to be found among the ancient _Persian_ legends, and is related as follows:

”Ahriman, the devil, was not created evil by the eternal one, but he became evil by revolting against his will. This revolt resulted in a 'war in heaven.' In this war the _Iveds_ (good angels) fought against the _Divs_ (rebellious ones) headed by _Ahriman_, and flung the conquered into Douzahk or h.e.l.l.”[387:4]

An extract from the Persian _Zend-avesta_ reads as follows:

”_Ahriman_ interrupted the order of the universe, raised an army against _Ormuzd_, and having maintained a fight against him during ninety days, was at length vanquished by Honover, the divine Word.”[388:1]

The _a.s.syrians_ had an account of a war in heaven, which was like that described in the book of Enoch and the Revelation.[388:2]

This legend was also to be found among the ancient Greeks, in the struggle of the _t.i.tans_ against _Jupiter_. t.i.tan and all his rebellious host were cast out of heaven, and imprisoned in the dark abyss.[388:3]

Among the legends of the ancient _Mexicans_ was found this same story of the war in heaven, and the downfall of the rebellious angels.[388:4]