What do we know about the archangel Michael’s war against the devil?

According to Victorinus of Pettau , this is the beginning of the time of the “antichrist,” when the archangel Michael wages war upon the devil, overcomes him, and casts him down from heaven so that he can no longer accuse the faithful. As a result of this war, the devil falls from his place, spreads all his venom, and exerts all his energy to extract revenge in the limited left to him before he is cast into Gehenna forever. With this, the time of the antichrist begins, and the two witnesses come, who are Elijah and Enoch.

The Holy Bible thus portrays Michael as the commander of the angelic army, while Gabriel is portrayed as the commander of those who preach; the angelic messengers to humanity. Amidst his potency, capability, and rank in his war against the devil, Michael displays humility (Jude 9).

Michael is the greatest among the seven archangels. The archangel Gabriel refers to him as “Michael … the great prince” (Dan. 12:1); and he himself says, “I am the commander of the army of the Lord” (Josh. 5:14), which means that he commands both angels and archangels. The Church’s liturgical texts describe him more than once as “the head of the heavenly angelic warriors of the Lord.” It is a great victory indeed to cast the devil down from heaven so that he cannot accuse us. Till his last moments, he shall not cease from his deceptions. He has been called:

• a. The covering cherub (Ezek. 28:14, 16).

• b. Lucifer (Bearer of Light) (Isa. 14:12).

• c. Satan (Zech. 3:1).

• d. The evil one (John 17:15; Matt. 13:19, 38).

• e. The enemy (Matt. 13:28).

• f. The devil (i.e., the deceiver).

• g. The ruler of this world (John 12:31, 16:11).

• h. The god of this age (2 Cor. 4:4).

• i. The prince of the power of the air (Eph. 2:2).

• j. Beelzebub, the lord of the flies (Matt. 12:24).

• k. Belial (2 Cor. 6:15).

• l. The serpent of old (2 Cor. 11:3, Rev. 12:9).

• m. The great dragon (Rev. 12:3, 7, 9).

• n. The accuser (Rev. 12:10).

• o. The deceiver (Rev. 12:9; 20:3).

• p. The murderer (John 8:44).

• q. The liar, and the father of it (John 8:44).

When the enemy reaches the last moments before his end, St. John the beloved says, “Then I heard a loud voice, saying in heaven: Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time” (Rev. 12:10–12).

These heavenly hosts expose the weakness of the devil, and his defeat is apparent from his fall from heaven. The heavenly hosts rejoice in the glorious day of judgement at the proclamation of humanity’s victory by the precious Blood. In their exultation and love for humanity, they call the Church that fights continuously in this world, their “brothers,” for they become like the angels of God.