The Final Destruction of Demons – Holy Baptism

Ancient Faith Ministries ^ | January 3, 2020 | Fr. Stephen Freeman

[Carpe Cerevisi]

“Final” is not a word you often hear in Christian teaching. Most Christians leave the final things until, well, the End. But this is not the language of the fathers nor of the Church. A good illustration can be found in the Orthodox service of Holy Baptism. During the blessing of the waters the priest prays:

And grant to [this water] the grace of redemption, the blessing of Jordan. Make it the fountain of incorruption, the gift of sanctification, the remission of sins, the remedy of infirmities; the final destruction of demons, unassailable by hostile powers, filled with angelic might. Let those who would ensnare Your creature flee far from it. For we have called upon Your Name, O Lord, and it is wonderful, and glorious, and awesome even to adversaries.

What can it possibly mean to ask that the waters be made “the final destruction of demons”?

The nature of the waters of Baptism reveals the Orthodox understanding of the world. These waters, now in a font, are none other than the waters of the Jordan. They are an incorruptible fountain and all the things we ask for. They are the final destruction of demons because they are nothing other than Christ’s Pascha. The waters of the font are Christ’s death on the Cross and His destruction of Hades. They are the resurrection of the dead.

For this reason St. Paul can say:

Do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we should walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:3-4).

[Carpe Cerevisi]

Another blog post by Fr. Stephen Freeman.

[Deo et patriae]

Absolutly un-Biblical mubble jumble.

[Telepathic Intruder]

God made the angels immortal. I’d like to say there are happy endings in addition to sad ones. But there are no endings.

[Copeland88]

Good stuff. He is right about the sacraments.

[fso301]

God made the angels immortal.

Unless they were created in accord with the laws of our universe in which case they may cease to exist should our present universe be destroyed.

[Telepathic Intruder]

They were not created in accord with the laws of the universe. There is heaven, and then there is earth. The universe as we know it is temporal, subject to time, entropy, death, etc. Heaven is spiritual, and not subject to those. You either believe that or you don’t. If you don’t, then there is no point in even believing in God.

[fso301]

Heaven is spiritual, and not subject to those. You either believe that or you don’t. If you don’t, then there is no point in even believing in God.

What scripture says a demon can exist outside our universe?

Demons were created (in their angelic state) The universe was also created.

[Telepathic Intruder]

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth". It's the very first thing you read when you open the Bible. The angels themselves are supernatural beings. Supernatural means existing outside of nature, not bound to our physical laws. If they were, they would be no different. There are also many references to God being eternal.

There are many possible scenarios for the universe to end, by the way. It will happen because nothing in this universe lasts forever. The one that will end it quickest is called the "Big Rip" theory, in which the universe is torn apart atom by atom due to ever increasing dark energy. In that, we only have 20 billion years remaining. If nothing else happens, the universe will end in a "heat death" in something like 10¹⁰⁰ years. That's a long time, but it is a certainty based on our knowledge of entropy.

[fso301]

There are also many references to God being eternal.

True and there are many references to the angels being created. Angels have a definite beginning sometime in the distant past.

[Telepathic Intruder]

"there are many references to the angels being created."

That's why they are sometimes called the "Sons of God", by the way. Because they were created directly by God and not born in the way humans are. They have a beginning, but not an end. Our own souls are said to be eternal in the Bible, but not until the resurrection. That's my general understanding.