The Fallen Angels

The reality of the demons and the Church’s sober teaching about spiritual warfare.

Not all of the angels remained faithful to God. Some, through pride, turned away from their Creator and became what we call the fallen angels, or demons. Their leader is known in Scripture as Satan, the adversary, the devil, the ancient serpent.

The Church has always taken this reality seriously, but never sensationally. The demons are real. They hate God and they hate those who are made in His image. They tempt, accuse, deceive, and seek to draw human beings away from the life of God. Yet they are not equal to God, nor are they free to do whatever they wish. Their power is limited, and they have already been defeated by the Cross and Resurrection of Christ.

The Archangel Michael stands in the tradition of the Church as the great warrior against the forces of darkness. In the book of Revelation we see the war in heaven: Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. The icon of Michael casting down the dragon is not a celebration of violence. It is a proclamation that evil does not have the final word.

For the Orthodox Christian, spiritual warfare is not primarily about dramatic confrontations. It is the daily struggle of repentance, prayer, fasting, watchfulness, and the keeping of the commandments. We resist the demons first of all by clinging to Christ, by frequent participation in the Holy Mysteries, and by refusing to give the passions a place in our hearts.

The Church does not encourage curiosity about the demonic. We are not called to study the darkness, but to walk in the light. When we speak of the fallen angels, we do so only so that we may be sober, watchful, and confident in the victory that Christ has already won.

Greater is He who is in us than he who is in the world.