PRedictions, PRojections, PRaise, and PRedators: The Difference Between Angels and Demons

Milton’s imagery was genius, but he’s also a product of his time: In his story, the warring angels “invented” gunpowder and cannons — which, of course, was cutting-edge military technology in the 1600s. And that makes sense, I suppose, because Milton’s audience probably wouldn’t have accepted a story where human technology was superior to angelic ingenuity.

Wouldn’t be realistic. You’d lose the audience.

So, if Milton were writing Paradise Lost today, he probably would’ve included nukes, drones, and tanks. (Gotta keep up with the times, yo.)

At its heart, Paradise Lost is a story about the consequences of losing a rebellion — and it gets awfully meta, because Milton actually wrote it after losing a rebellion of his own: He was a strident anti-monarchist who served in the English “rebel” government after the execution of King Charles I. He even wrote papers defending regicide.

Then the government collapsed, the English monarchy was restored, and King Charles II took over. That was it: Milton’s “rebellious” writings were burned in public by a hangman. 

He was briefly imprisoned, went blind, and spent his final days at the mercy of his enemies.

Paradise Lost — an epic story about a failed rebellion — was written by a man whose own rebellion had failed. It’s Biblical fan fiction, a political concession, and human psychology all rolled into one.

Had Milton’s side prevailed, Paradise Lost would’ve been written VERY differently — or, perhaps, he wouldn’t have been inspired to write it at all.

The book is big on consequences but short on explanations. It’s more of an action story than a comprehensive psychological drama. Satan is portrayed as a political revolutionary: Driven by pride, ambition, and envy, he stokes the flames of angelic rebellion by claiming that God is an oppressive tyrant who was imposing unfair “new laws” on His angels.

One-third of God’s angels agreed with Satan. (Which is a lot of disgruntled angels.) Two-thirds didn’t.

Were the angels who resisted temptation smarter? Wiser? Better? More moral?

If so, were they that way because that’s how God made them — or was it something they explicitly chose to become?

‘Cause c’mon, Satan had an uphill sales pitch: God is great. Heaven, I imagine, is heavenly. Plus, the angels knew God intimately — they knew He was all-powerful, all-knowing, all-loving, and all-encompassing.

Yet they were so incredibly unhappy, they waged war against the Almighty!?

You’d think a self-preservation/risk-reward/common-sense instinct would kick in: “Wage war against God? Are you out of your flippin’ mind, Satan?!”

(I wonder if there were angels who actually agreed with Satan’s argument, but opted out of the rebellion because they didn’t think they could win. Hey, if angels could be motivated by envy, why couldn’t they also be motivated by pragmatism?)

Yet above all else, it’s a very human question. Because some people are good — and others are not. 

And good people suffer when bad people do bad things. Over and over again.

Some spouses are loyal and faithful; their vows are eternal and their faith is unbreakable. Yet others will cheat without a second thought. No matter how loving his or her spouse is, some cheaters, alas, will always cheat — because that’s who they are. The trick, then, is to choose someone good.

Or is that a lie?

Maybe there are no unsinkable souls. Maybe we’re all frail, weak, and vulnerable to temptation. Maybe, even in the strongest, most successful, longest-lasting marriages, there were moments of unbearable weakness — and if temptation had struck then, even a good spouse would break.

By the grace of God, your marriage was spared. 

“I believe in free will because I don’t have a choice,” quipped Christopher Hitchens. It’s a funny line, because theological reasoning gets dizzyingly circular: God made you how He made you, how He made you shapes your life, your life shapes your choices — yet you’re responsible for your choices.

Which is why so many people blame God for their hardships: If He had only made you differently, then all your choices would be different, too.

And maybe, if God had made Satan differently, he never would’ve rebelled. ‘Cause two-thirds of his fellow angels didn’t rebel, right? As far as we know, in the entirety of existence, that was the ONLY War in Heaven. 

It was the ultimate black swan event! A historical one-off!

So, to lead the only divine rebellion in history, Satan must’ve been made differently. After all, he behaved in a way that no other angel had ever behaved, before or since.

Why do we blame the creation and not the Creator?

We’re imperfect vessels doing imperfect things in an imperfect world. Everything we see, touch, and feel is tainted. The fog is thick; our sightlines are obscured.

Sometimes the fog is so suffocating that we fail to see God’s guiding light. We wallow in the darkness, seeking refuge in the shadows.

Then the shadows become our home: “Hello darkness, my old friend.”

The paradox is that light can exist without shadows — but shadows will die without light. The light is what it is: bold, beautiful, piercing, and illuminating. Light is life, truth, and goodness.

Shadows are the consequence of goodness.

And goodness is the consequence of our choices. That’s what most people forget: Darkness still exists, but we carry the light with us.

If that’s what we choose.

The difference between angels and demons — and between good people and bad — is the choices we make. We’re free men with free will. Goodness or evil, the choice is ours. 

And once upon a time, the choice was Satan’s.

I don’t know if angels still feel the pangs of temptation, or if that era is over forever. But if it’s not, then angels and people — well, I guess we’re all just human after all. Maybe angels, like humans, must still choose to be good.

If so, then an angel is just a demon that hasn’t sinned… yet.

Keep making good choices. And always follow the light.