There is an interesting commentary here by William Collen entitled “War In Heaven” which reflects on Guido Reni’s 1635 painting “The Archangel Michael Defeating Satan”. The painting depicts the passage in Revelation 12 in which we are given an account of a heavenly battle between the forces of light and darkness. The archangel Michael is defeating Satan. The Bible explicitly names only one archangel, Michael. Coming from the Greek archaggelos meaning “chief angel,” archangels seem to be at the top of the angelic hierarchy in terms of power and authority. This has always been one of my favorite paintings and I own a beautiful Italian figurine of this scene, masterfully crafted in Venice.

The problem of evil is the greatest obstacle for apologetics and one which must be taken seriously. Earlier I posted here on Christus Victor – the theological undertanding in Christianity that Christ’s death and resurrection represents his victory over sin, death, and evil. Evil was defeated at the cross and Resurrection.

Regarding Reni’s painting, Collen concludes, “Seeing this image of Michael triumphant serves to remind the Christian that the battle is already won. Although the day-to-day skirmishes can often seem insurmountable, victory is assured in the end. The power of darkness, strong as it may seem, is insignificant compared with the salvific majesty of God. Guido’s picture dramatizes this assurance superbly, with its vigorous angel Michael arrayed in bright blues and reds towering with poised sword to deal the final blow against the cowering devil crowded into a lower corner of the frame. Evil simply doesn’t stand a chance against the omnipotent power of God.”

Amen.

Mankind, created in the image of God, currently stands just a little lower than the angels (Heb 2:6) because of our fallen state. Even powerful angels like Michael are not created in the image of God. But there is an astonishing verse in 1 Cor 6:3 – “Do you not know that we will judge angels?”, indicating that believers will ultimately have authority to judge even spiritual beings.