How Does the Fallen Angel Respond to the Call of Satan?
How did Satan instigate his followers to fight against God?
Or, What evil design do you find in Satan's character?
Or, How do the fallen angels respond to the call of Satan?
In John Milton’s (1608-1674) “Paradise Lost, Book 1” (1667), Satan is the leader of the fallen angels. After losing the war in Heaven, he and his followers are thrown into Hell. Even though he is defeated, Satan is not sorry. Instead, he becomes more proud, angry, and evil. He speaks to the other fallen angels and tries to make them fight against God again.
Satan’s Evil Character: Satan has an evil plan in his mind. He wants to take revenge on God. He does not think about asking for forgiveness. He says:
This means Satan has decided to always do evil and never do good. He wants to hurt God by destroying His creation. Satan is proud, and he cannot accept that God is stronger than he is.“To do ought good never will be our task,
But ever to do ill our sole delight.”
His Speech to Instigate the Angels: Satan speaks in a strong and clever way. He tells the fallen angels that they are not really defeated. He says that they still have courage and strength. He says that it is better to be free in Hell than to serve in Heaven:
These words make the fallen angels feel strong again. Satan says they should gather together and plan how to fight back. He fills them with hope and pride.“Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav’n.”
How the Fallen Angels Respond: The fallen angels listen to Satan. They are silent at first, but soon they rise up. They become ready to follow Satan. They start to build their kingdom in Hell, called Pandemonium. They prepare for the next step.
In short, Satan shows a truly evil design. Instead of being humble, he becomes proud and angry. He encourages others to rebel against God and leads them into more sin and darkness.