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TheWar in Heaven is amythical conflict betweensupernatural forces in traditionalChristian cosmology, attested in theBook of Revelation alongside proposed parallels in theHebrew Bible and theDead Sea Scrolls. It is described as the result ofSatan, who is often identified as the angelLucifer, rebelling againstGod and leading to a war between his followers and those still loyal to God, led by the ArchangelMichael.[1][2] Within theNew Testament, the War in Heaven provides basis for the concept of thefallen angels and for Satan's banishment toHell. The War is frequently featured in works ofChristian art, such asJohn Milton's epic poemParadise Lost, which describes it as occurring over the course of three days as a result ofGod the Father announcingJesus Christ ashis Son.
The War in Heaven is attested to only in theBook of Revelation:
Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
— Revelation 12:7–10 (NIV)[3]
The Christian tradition has stories about angelic beings cast down from heaven by God, often presenting the punishment as inflicted in particular onSatan. As a result of linking this motif with the cited passage of theBook of Revelation, the casting of Satan down from heaven, which other versions of the motif present as an action of God himself, has become attributed to the archangel Michael at the conclusion of a war between two groups of angels, of whom (because of the mention of the dragon's tail casting a third of the stars of heaven to the earth) one third are supposed to have been on the side of Satan, in spite of the fact that the casting down of the stars (Revelation 12:4)[4][non-scripture source needed] is recounted as occurring before the start of the "war in heaven" (Revelation 12:7).[5][non-scripture source needed].
Commentators have attributed Satan's rebellion to a number of motives, all of which stem from his great pride. These motives include:
Jonathan Edwards states in his sermonWisdom Displayed in Salvation:
Satan and his angels rebelled against God in heaven, and proudly presumed to try their strength with his. And when God, by his almighty power, overcame the strength of Satan, and sent him like lightning from heaven to hell with all his army; Satan still hoped to get the victory by subtlety[.][10]
In theCatholic Encyclopedia (1911) article "St. Michael the Archangel",Frederick Holweck wrote: "St. John speaks of the great conflict at theend of time, which reflects also the battle in heaven at the beginning of time." He added that Michael's name "was the war-cry of the good angels in the battle fought in heaven against the enemy and his followers".[11]
Several modern Bible-commentators view the "war in heaven" in Revelation 12:7–13 as aneschatological vision of the end of time or as a reference tospiritual warfare within thechurch, rather than (as inMilton'sParadise Lost) "the story of the origin of Satan/Lucifer as an angel who rebelled against God in primeval times."[12][13][14][15] Some commentators have seen thewar in heaven as "not literal" but symbolic of events on earth.[16][17]
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) teaches that Revelation 12 concerns an actual event in thepre-mortal existence of man. TheBook of Moses, included in the LDSstandard works canon, references the war in heaven and Satan's origin as a fallen angel of light.[18] The concept of a war in heaven at the end of time became an addendum to the story of Satan's fall at the genesis of time—a narrative which included Satan and a third of all of heaven's angels. Evidence for this interpretation comes from the phrase "the devil and his angels";[19] this specific phrasing became paramount to the reinforcement of the notion that people associated angels with thedevil preceding the writing of Revelation.
The LDS Church believes that the war in heaven started in the premortal existence when Heavenly Father (Elohim) created thePlan of salvation to enable humanity to become like him. Jesus Christ as per the plan was the Savior and those who followed the plan would come to Earth to experience mortality and progress toward eternal life. Lucifer, another spirit son of God, rebelled against the plan's reliance onagency and proposed an altered plan that negated agency. Thus he became Satan, and he and his followers were cast out of heaven. This denied them participating in God's plan, the privileges of receiving a physical body, and experiencing mortality.[20][21]
InSeventh-day Adventisttheology, theGreat Controversy theme refers to thecosmic battle betweenJesus Christ andSatan, also played out on earth. One of the28 fundamental beliefs (the eighth, the 'Great Controversy') of Seventh-day Adventists states:
All humanity is now involved in a great controversy between Christ and Satan regarding the character of God, His law, and His sovereignty over the universe. This conflict originated in heaven when a created being, endowed with freedom of choice, in self-exaltation became Satan, God's adversary. He led into rebellion a portion of the angels. He introduced the spirit of rebellion into this world when he led Adam and Eve into sin. This human sin resulted in the distortion of the image of God in humanity, the disordering of the created world, and its eventual devastation at the time of the worldwide flood. Observed by the whole creation, this world became the arena of the universal conflict, out of which the God of love will ultimately be vindicated. To assist His people in this controversy, Christ sends the Holy Spirit and the loyal angels to guide, protect, and sustain them in the way of salvation. (Rev. 12:4-9;Isa. 14:12-14;Eze. 28:12-18;Gen. 3;Rom. 1:19-32; 5:12-21; 8:19-22;Gen. 6-8; 2 Peter 3:6;1 Cor. 4:9;Heb. 1:14.)[22]
The chief proponent of the "war in heaven" among SDAs wasEllen G. White, who expanded the concept in her book, Great Controversy between Christ and Satan (1884), where she reinterprets and extends Milton's portrayal in Paradise Lost as a metaphor for religious conflict throughout the Christian age.
Parallels are drawn to the passage in Isaiah 14:4–17,[23] which mentions the "son of the morning" who had "fallen from heaven" and was "cast down to the earth". In verse 12 of this passage, theHebrew word that referred to themorning star was translated into Latin aslucifer. With the application to the Devil of the morning-star story, "Lucifer" was then popularly applied to him as a proper name. The termlucifer, theLatin name (literally 'Light-Bearer' or 'Light-Bringer') for the morning star (the planetVenus in its morning appearances), is often given to the Devil in popular stories. The brilliancy of the morning star—which appears brighter than all other stars, but is not seen during the night proper—may have given rise to myths such as theBabylonian story of Ethana and Zu, who was led by his pride to strive for the highest seat among the star-gods on the northern mountain of the gods (an image present also in Ezekiel 28:14),[24] but was hurled down by the supreme ruler of the Babylonian Olympus.[25] Stars were then regarded as living celestial beings.[25][26]
TheJewish Encyclopedia states that the myth concerning the morning star was transferred to Satan by the first century before theCommon Era, citing in support of this view theLife of Adam and Eve and theSlavonic Book of Enoch 29:4, 31:4, where Satan-Sataniel is described as having been one of the archangels. Because he contrived "to make his throne higher than the clouds over the earth and resemble 'My power' on high", Satan-Sataniel was hurled down, with his angels, and since then he has been flying in the air continually above theabyss. According to Jewish thought, the passage in Isaiah was used to prophesy the fate of theKing of Babylon, who is described as aiming to rival God.[27]
Some scholars discern the concept of a war in heaven in certainDead Sea Scrolls: namely, theWar of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness (also known as the War Scroll; 1QM and 4Q491–497), Song 5 of theSongs of the Sabbath Sacrifice (4Q402), and theMelchizedek document (11Q13).
In the War Scroll, according to Menahem Mansoor, the angels of light, who are identified with Michael, the prince of light, will fight in heaven against the angels of darkness, who are identified withBelial, while the Sons of Light fight the Sons of Darkness on earth, and during the last of the seven battles described in the scroll will come and help the Sons of Light win the final victory.[28]
James R. Davila speaks of Song 5 of the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice as describing "an eschatological war in heaven similar to that found in11Q13 and to traditions about the archangel Michael in the War Rule and the book of Revelation". He suggests thatMelchizedek, who is mentioned both in the Melchizedek document and the fifth song of the Songs of the Sabbath Sacrifice, may be a divine warrior who is involved in the conflict with the archangel Michael in thefuturist sense.[29]
However, that the Melchizedek document (11Q13) concerns a war in heaven is denied by Fred L. Horton, who remarks that "there is no hint in the extant portion of the 11Q Melchizedek of a revolt of heavenly beings against the heavenly council, and the only dissenting spirit is the traditional Belial";[30] the view of Davila, however, is that the document originally was about an eschatological war in heaven, with Melchizedek as angelic high priest and military redeemer.[31]
Themotif of the fall of Satan and his angels can be found in Christianangelology andChristian art, and the concept of fallen angels (who, for rebelling against God, were downgraded and condemned to being earthbound) is widespread.[32]
Anatole France in the 1914 novelLa Révolte des Anges adapted the Christian references to make a parable about revolts and revolutionary movements.
In Milton'sParadise Lost (1674), the angel Lucifer leads a rebellion against God before theFall of Man. A third of the angels, includingpagan gods such asMoloch andBelial, are hurled byGod from Heaven.[33]
The subject of the War in Heaven has been depicted by many noted artists, both in paintings and in sculptures, including works byPieter Paul Rubens,Guido Reni andJacob Epstein.
A choralantiphon for the feast ofMichaelmas,Factum est Silentium, paraphrases the events described in Revelation 8:1[34] and Revelation 12:7–12:[35]
Factum est silentium in caelo,
Dum committeret bellum draco cum Michaele Archangelo.
Audita est vox millia millium dicentium:
Salus, honor et virtus omnipotenti Deo.
Millia millium minestrabant ei et decies centena millia assistebant ei.
Alleluia.
Dum draco committeret bellum et Michael pugnavit cum eo et fecit victoriam.
There was silence in heaven
When the dragon fought with the Archangel Michael.
The voice of a thousand thousand was heard saying:
Salvation, honour and power be to almighty God.
A thousand thousand ministered to him and ten hundreds of thousands stood before him.
Alleluia.
For a serpent was waging war; and Michael fought with him and emerged victorious.
The antiphon has been set as a choralmotet by a number of composers includingFelice Anerio,Richard Dering,Melchior Franck,Alessandro Grandi andCostanzo Porta.[36][37] Ahymn written by the German poet andhymnodistFriedrich Spee in 1621,Unüberwindlich starker Held ("Invincible strong hero"), also makes reference to the Archangel Michael overcoming the dragon.[38] Bach's cantataEs erhub sich ein Streit, BWV 19 is on this subject.
Other pieces of media to have referenced the War in Heaven, either as direct depictions or textual allusions, includeWarhammer 40K,Babylon 5 and theDoom series.The War in Heaven is a 1999 Christian-themedDoom clone developed by Eternal Warriors and published by ValuSoft.[39]
[...] but not so wak'd / Satan, so call him now, his former name / Is heard no more [in] Heav'n; he of the first, / If not the first Arch-Angel, great in Power, / In favour and præeminence, yet fraught / With envie against the Son of God, that day / Honourd by his great Father, and proclaimd / Messiah King anointed, could not beare / Through pride that sight, and thought himself impaird. / Deep malice thence conceiving & disdain, / Soon as midnight brought on the duskie houre / Friendliest to sleep and silence, he resolv'd / With all his Legions to dislodge, and leave / Unworshipt, unobey'd the Throne supream / Contemptuous [...].
{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)The ejection of the Accuser from heaven is not (as in Milton'sParadise Lost) the story of the origin of Satan as an angel who rebelled against God in primeval times. Neither here nor elsewhere do biblical authors give speculative 'explanations' about the origin of Satan or evil. Such a myth had developed in pre-Christian Judaism (1–2 En.), and there are fragmentary echoes of it in the New Testament (Jude 6; 2 Pet. 2:4). That is not the picture in this story, which does not take place in primeval times but at the eschatological time of the establishment of God's kingdom by the life, death, and exaltation of Jesus [...].
It is generally agreed by the most learned expositors that the narrative we have in this and the two following chapters, from the sounding of the seventh trumpet to the opening of the vials, is not a prediction of things to come, but rather a recapitulation and representation of things past [...].
It is generally agreed by the most learned expositors that the narrative we have in this and the two following chapters, from the sounding of the seventh trumpet to the opening of the vials, is not a prediction of things to come, but rather a recapitulation and representation of things past, which, as God would have the apostle to foresee while future, he would have him to review now that they were passed, that he might have a more perfect idea of them in his mind, and might observe the agreement between the prophecy and that Providence that is always fulfilling the scriptures.
12:7–11 The attempts of the dragon proved unsuccessful against the church, and fatal to his own interests. The seat of this war was in heaven; in the church of Christ, the kingdom of heaven on earth. The parties were Christ, the great Angel of the covenant, and his faithful followers; and Satan and his instruments. The strength of the church is in having the Lord Jesus for the Captain of their salvation. Pagan idolatry, which was the worship of devils, was cast out of the empire by the spreading of Christianity. [...] The servants of God overcame Satan by the blood of the Lamb, as the cause. By the word of their testimony: the powerful preaching of the gospel is mighty, through God, to pull down strongholds. By their courage and patience in suffering: they loved not their lives so well but they could lay them down in Christ's cause. These were the warriors and the weapons by which Christianity overthrew the power of pagan idolatry; and if Christians had continued to fight with these weapons, and such as these, their victories would have been more numerous and glorious, and the effects more lasting. The redeemed overcame by a simple reliance on the blood of Christ, as the only ground of their hopes.
What, now, is the war in heaven? Of course not literal war, nor literally in heaven; not the actual clash of arms between Michael and his angels, and Satan and his wicked cohorts. But something on earth worthy to be represented by such a Titanic contest. What can that be, if not the contest in the visible church concerning true and false doctrine?
The brilliancy of the morning star, which eclipses all other stars, but is not seen during the night, may easily have given rise to a myth such as was told of Ethana and Zu: he was led by his pride to strive for the highest seat among the star-gods on the northern mountain of the gods (comp. Ezek. xxviii. 14; Ps. xlviii. 3 [A.V. 2]), but was hurled down by the supreme ruler of the Babylonian Olympus. Stars were regarded throughout antiquity as living celestial beings (Job xxxviii. 7).
