While reading Advent texts since the season began my ideas about the so-called "Fall of Heaven" were challenged. When I read the text in the Revelation to John regarding the Dragon and the Woman I began to rethink Satan's position chronologically.
The story of the Dragon and the Woman is obviously the mixing of many meanings. Most obviously the Woman is Mary, but she also is an image of Israel and of the Church. The Dragon, we know to be Satan. The event taking place around this battle between the Dragon and the Woman is the birth of Christ. And it is the advent of Christ into the Woman's world which apparently sparks the rebellion of Heaven, what sounds a lot like what we call the "Fall of Heaven".
Now, I had grown up under the impression that the "Fall of Heaven" took place before Creation. But the chronology of this story has thrown me off. Look at the role of Satan (Hebrew, "hasatan", "the accuser") in Job' tale. He is like a prosecuting lawyer of sorts, testing and tripping up the acussed. We find this role also in the Garden and I believe in some apocryphal texts. But then, Christ bursts onto the human scene and Satan is now more than a court adversary, but an angry, viscious foe. What percipitates this change in our perception of Satan? Is it just our perception that changes or does the first Advent instigate the rebellion of Heaven?
Now I am going to do a lot of assuming and somedangerous reading into the texts. You have only three angels specifically mentioned in the Scriptures, and only two by name. Gabriel, Michael, and this one we call "The Accuser". Appearantly there is some sort of inner circle or hierarchy in Heaven of which Satan was a part of. Was there some expectation on Satan's part that was shattered by God making is own Son the King of kings? Was Satan expecting himself to be elevated in some way? Was Satan's desire to destroy Jesus (ref: the story again in Revelation) out of jealousy? And so, lastly, is the change we perceive in Satan between the Testaments to be his role as "accuser" for the good testing purpose of God twisted for his own purposes to destroy all which God loves?
None of this is really important. You can be an excellent disciple without ever knowing the answers to these questions. (So, perhaps I should never have asked). But, it got me wondering
chrismon
The story of the Dragon and the Woman is obviously the mixing of many meanings. Most obviously the Woman is Mary, but she also is an image of Israel and of the Church. The Dragon, we know to be Satan. The event taking place around this battle between the Dragon and the Woman is the birth of Christ. And it is the advent of Christ into the Woman's world which apparently sparks the rebellion of Heaven, what sounds a lot like what we call the "Fall of Heaven".
Now, I had grown up under the impression that the "Fall of Heaven" took place before Creation. But the chronology of this story has thrown me off. Look at the role of Satan (Hebrew, "hasatan", "the accuser") in Job' tale. He is like a prosecuting lawyer of sorts, testing and tripping up the acussed. We find this role also in the Garden and I believe in some apocryphal texts. But then, Christ bursts onto the human scene and Satan is now more than a court adversary, but an angry, viscious foe. What percipitates this change in our perception of Satan? Is it just our perception that changes or does the first Advent instigate the rebellion of Heaven?
Now I am going to do a lot of assuming and somedangerous reading into the texts. You have only three angels specifically mentioned in the Scriptures, and only two by name. Gabriel, Michael, and this one we call "The Accuser". Appearantly there is some sort of inner circle or hierarchy in Heaven of which Satan was a part of. Was there some expectation on Satan's part that was shattered by God making is own Son the King of kings? Was Satan expecting himself to be elevated in some way? Was Satan's desire to destroy Jesus (ref: the story again in Revelation) out of jealousy? And so, lastly, is the change we perceive in Satan between the Testaments to be his role as "accuser" for the good testing purpose of God twisted for his own purposes to destroy all which God loves?
None of this is really important. You can be an excellent disciple without ever knowing the answers to these questions. (So, perhaps I should never have asked). But, it got me wondering
chrismon