When reading through books four through six of Paradise Lost, I was slightly surprised by how much genuine enjoyment I got out of them! Book five, specifically, held my interest the most, just because of how many essay-length topics John Milton decided to tease! From free-will to the invisible, spiritual war Raphael mentions to Adam; I was totally transfixed with the chapter! However, the one multifaceted topic that lured me in and snatched my imagination, were the comparisons Milton laid-out between God and Satan.
When the meeting between Raphael and Adam concludes, and God steps up to speak, He begins by saying, "Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Powers..." Soon afterwards, we realize that His speech is about Jesus, and that God is essentially "teasing" salvation. However, things quickly become interesting when we look ahead to Satan's response.
Satan, in comparison to God, begins his own speech and starts with the exact same words God Himself used! Furthermore, Satan vows to, "...leave unworshiped, unobeyed, the throne supreme."
What I find most interesting about this relationship, is how much light it shines on Satan's dark character. We see, 1. how highly Satan thinks of himself by his copying of God's own words. Satan sees himself as an equal substitute to the Creator. However, we also note that, 2. where God paves the way to salvation, Satan paves the way to doom. This tells us, that even though Satan sees himself as equal to God, he in no way seeks to be the same as God.
I suppose the major reason why I found theses comparisons so interesting, is because as Christians, we are always taught and continually advised to seek and learn more about the character of God.
However, I feel as though we as Christians should never underestimate the evilness of Satan. Just like in war, the heroes study the ways of the enemy so that they can become all-the-more prepared to fight and win against them. As Christians, we fight spiritual battles every day! So why wouldn't we want to know who we are truly fighting against?
Edit - I replied to Jamie Peters and Caroline Tucker.
When the meeting between Raphael and Adam concludes, and God steps up to speak, He begins by saying, "Thrones, Dominations, Princedoms, Virtues, Powers..." Soon afterwards, we realize that His speech is about Jesus, and that God is essentially "teasing" salvation. However, things quickly become interesting when we look ahead to Satan's response.
Satan, in comparison to God, begins his own speech and starts with the exact same words God Himself used! Furthermore, Satan vows to, "...leave unworshiped, unobeyed, the throne supreme."
What I find most interesting about this relationship, is how much light it shines on Satan's dark character. We see, 1. how highly Satan thinks of himself by his copying of God's own words. Satan sees himself as an equal substitute to the Creator. However, we also note that, 2. where God paves the way to salvation, Satan paves the way to doom. This tells us, that even though Satan sees himself as equal to God, he in no way seeks to be the same as God.
I suppose the major reason why I found theses comparisons so interesting, is because as Christians, we are always taught and continually advised to seek and learn more about the character of God.
However, I feel as though we as Christians should never underestimate the evilness of Satan. Just like in war, the heroes study the ways of the enemy so that they can become all-the-more prepared to fight and win against them. As Christians, we fight spiritual battles every day! So why wouldn't we want to know who we are truly fighting against?
Edit - I replied to Jamie Peters and Caroline Tucker.
Comments