Hopefully this is not too stupid of a question but I frequently come across spiritual people, seers, messages etc who, in speaking about the dire state of the world say something like, “ all the demons in hell are released and on the earth right now!” which would imply that they were already in hell previously. However, in our prayer to Blessed Michael, we pray, … cast into hell satan and all the evil spirits who wander throughout the world….” Satan was cast down to earth. Were the demons sent to hell ahead of him?
Certainly priests involved in exorcisms stress that the weakening of the lived-out Faith in the last 60 years has opened the door to greater demonic activity here on earth. I would conclude that living and spreading the Faith is the best means of curtailing such activity; it shortens their leash! By all means, keep praying the St. Michael's Prayer!
“In the year 1864, Lucifer together with a large number of demons will be unloosed from hell; they will put an end to faith little by little, even in those dedicated to God. Appears many have been permitted out of Gehenna a while now. According to Our Lady of LaSalette since 1864. No worries though, it cannot be allowed to remain this way much longer. I think the devil is over playing his hand, ever the lukewarm and non believers are questioning the events that are unfolding.
I find this a little confusing. As we know, satan and his angels were cast down to earth, not hell (Rev 12: 7-12) and as previously mentioned we pray to blessed Michael to cast them from the earth into hell. So were they ever in hell?
These are good questions. We need Fr Ripperger to tell us! or another good theologian. I just don't know. Clearly some demons are in hell because the Fatima children saw them. Also St Faustina and Sr Josefa Menendez. But some must be able to roam the earth and "seek whom they may devour". Its a mystery.
Good question. Scripture seems to have several ideas of "Hell" and what Jesus describes as being left outside of the gates of Heaven with the demons where there will be weeping and knashing of teeth. I think there is probably two versions. One is of course the obvious "hell" in all dimensions of life which is the hell of being deprived of God. The second is the "Hell" talked about at the final judgement when the earth opens up and Satan and all his followers will be cast down forever to burn in the material core of the earth. Many parts of scripture describe God as like a burning fire which only those who love and obey God can stand. Then the Holy Spirit also is presented as tongues of fire so perhaps it's true the devils are already "burning" in these flames, and still able to roam on earth until the final judgement.
There is a very interesting account in Venerable Mary of Agreda's, 'Mystical City of God', of what happened to the devil and the demons after Christ Died and harrowed hell. It seems they were totally petrified and thought they were totally defeated and so stuck to hell for a short period figuring they'd blown it. However after a while some of them emerged and returned to the world and to their astonishment found that they could still tempt men...even Christians ..and so went back to their foul work. This appears to suggest that there is a kind of revolving door in hell and that the more men succumb to evil the more of them get to get loose. https://www.michaeljournal.org/articles/roman-catholic-church/item/the-victory-of-christ-over-hell Here are excerpts from Chapter X of the Mystical City of God, “The victory of Christ over hell”, where the demons are forced to witness their final defeat with the ultimate sacrifice of Christ on Calvary, to redeem all mankind: Lucifer and his demons in the course of the life and miracles our Savior, never could ascertain fully whether the Lord was true God and Redeemer of the world, and consequently what the dignity of the most holy Mary was. This was so disposed by Divine Providence, in order that the whole mystery of the Incarnation and the Redemption of the human race might be more fittingly accomplished. Lucifer, although knowing that God was to assume human flesh, nevertheless knew nothing of the manner and the circumstances of the Incarnation... Lucifer and his demons, as soon as they saw the Lord taking the Cross upon His sacred shoulders, wished to fly and cast themselves into hell; for at that moment they began to feel with greater force the operations of His divine power. By divine intervention this new torment made them aware that the Death of this innocent Man, whose destruction they had plotted and who could not be a mere man, threatened great ruin to themselves. They therefore desired to withdraw, and they ceased to incite the Jews and the executioners, as they had done hitherto But the command of the Most Blessed Mary, enforced by the divine power, detained them and, enchained like fiercest dragons, compelled them to accompany Christ to Calvary. The ends of the mysterious chain that bound them were placed into the hands of Mary, the great Queen who, by the power of Her divine Son, held them all in subjection and bondage. Although they many times sought to break away and raged in helpless fury, they could not overcome the power of the heavenly Lady. She forced them to come to Calvary and stand around the Cross, where She commanded them to remain motionless and witness the end of the great mysteries there enacted for the salvation of men and the ruin of themselves. (...) As soon as Lucifer was permitted to proceed in these matters and arise from the consternation in which he remained for some time, he set about proposing to his fellow-demons new plans of his pride: (...) “O men, so favored and gifted by your God whom I abhor, and so ardently loved by Him! How shall I hinder your good fortune? How shall I bring upon you my unhappiness, since I cannot destroy the existence you have received? What shall we now begin, O my followers? How shall we restore our reign?... Against the law of this Redeemer and against those that follow it, I intend to direct all my wrath and fury, and I shall most bitterly persecute those who hear the doctrine of this Redeemer and become His disciples; against these must our most relentless battle be waged to the end of the world. Chapter X ends with these words of the Virgin Mary: This close imitation and living reproduction of Christ, confronting the demons in the first children of the Church, they feared so much, that they dared not approach and they precipitously fled from the Apostles and the just ones imbued with the doctrines of My divine Son... What is seen in the saints and in perfect Christians in those times, would happen in the present times with all the Catholics if they would accept grace and work with it instead of permitting it to go to waste, and if they would seek the way of the Cross; for Lucifer fears it as much now as in the times thou hast been writing of. But soon the charity, zeal and devotion in many of faithful began to grow cold, and they forgot the blessings of the Redemption; they yielded to their carnal inclinations and desires, they loved vanity and avarice, and permitted themselves to be fascinated and deceived by the false pretenses of Lucifer, obscuring the glory of their Savior and inveigling them into the meshes of their mortal enemies. This foul ingratitude has thrown the world into the present state, and has encouraged the demons to rise up in their pride against God, audaciously presuming to possess themselves of all the children of Adam on account of this forgetfulness and carelessness of Catholics.
I thought this article in link below was very interesting and informative, well worth a read. One sentence stood out like a sore thumb, and shows how giving in to impurity leads to dishonesty. Church scandals come to mind. "Then, when the demons of the flesh have further weakened a person, the demons in charge of the “crimes of money” arrive." https://spiritdailyblog.com/spiritual-warfare/how-various-demons-attack
I seem to remember reading somewhere that Heaven, Purgatory and hell are sometimes described as a PLACE or STATE (circumstance) of being. This would indicate to me that any or all evil spirits carry their torture within themselves. Eventually Jesus Christ will command Saint Michael to cast them to their final destination. I have known people in this life who have already come to a place or state in this life where they are lost, we just have to pray for them. So it would not surprise me if there are evil spirits roaming around land sea and air, internally tortured already like some lost souls of humans on a path to the pit, and blind to the reality. If you tried to warn them, they would laugh in your face. IMHO...Keep Watch and Pray.
We are told , that the End of Time there will be a New Heaven and New Earth and as St Paul tells us all that we see in this imperfect world will end consumed by fire so that the New Heaven and Earth will come into being. We are told too that we will be untied with our Resurrected bodies (the evil along with the good) from hence we shall proceed, all of us unto the Final Judgement where the good shall pass on into everlasting Life in the, 'World without End', the Eternal Kingdom and the evil (along with their Resurrected bodies ) into the place were, 'The worms that eat them do not die and the Fire is never quenched'. At the Resurrection Christ rose not only in the Spirit but physically as indeed He proved to St Thomas that He was no ghost by breaking bread with them. At the Ascension He passed on into His Fathers Kingdom not only in Spirit but in Body. As indeed did the Blessed Mother of God not only in Spirit but in Body at her Most Glorious Assumption into Heaven.. Dies iræ, dies illa, Solvet sæclum in favilla: Teste David cum Sibylla. Quantus tremor est futurus, Quando Iudex est venturus, Cuncta stricte discussurus! Tuba, mirum spargens sonum Per sepulchra regionum, Coget omnes ante thronum. Mors stupebit, et natura, Cum resurget creatura, Iudicanti responsura. Liber scriptus proferetur, In quo totum continetur, Unde mundus iudicetur. Iudex ergo cum sedebit, Quidquid latet, apparebit: Nil inultum remanebit. Quid sum miser tunc dicturus? Quem patronum rogaturus, Cum vix iustus sit securus? Rex tremendæ maiestatis, Qui salvandos salvas gratis, Salva me, fons pietatis. Recordare, Iesu pie, Quod sum causa tuæ viæ: Ne me perdas illa die. Quærens me, sedisti lassus: Redemisti Crucem passus: Tantus labor non sit cassus. Iuste Iudex ultionis, Donum fac remissionis Ante diem rationis. Ingemisco, tamquam reus: Culpa rubet vultus meus: Supplicanti parce, Deus. Qui Mariam absolvisti, Et latronem exaudisti, Mihi quoque spem dedisti. Preces meæ non sunt dignæ: Sed tu bonus fac benigne, Ne perenni cremer igne. Inter oves locum præsta, Et ab hædis me sequestra, Statuens in parte dextra. Confutatis maledictis, Flammis acribus addictis, Voca me cum benedictis. Oro supplex et acclinis, Cor contritum quasi cinis: Gere curam mei finis. Lacrimosa dies illa, Qua resurget ex favílla Iudicandus homo reus: Huic ergo parce, Deus: Pie Iesu Domine, Dona eis requiem. Amen. The day of wrath, that day, will dissolve the world in ashes: (this is) the testimony of David along with the Sibyl. How great will be the quaking, when the Judge is about to come, strictly investigating all things! The trumpet, scattering a wondrous sound through the sepulchres of the regions, will summon all before the throne. Death and nature will marvel, when the creature will rise again, to respond to the Judge. The written book will be brought forth, in which all is contained, from which the world shall be judged. When therefore the Judge will sit, whatever lies hidden, will appear: nothing will remain unpunished. What then shall I, poor wretch [that I am], say? Which patron shall I entreat, when [even] the just may [only] hardly be sure? King of fearsome majesty, Who gladly save those fit to be saved, save me, O fount of mercy. Remember, merciful Jesus, that I am the cause of Your journey: lest You lose me in that day. Seeking me, You rested, tired: You redeemed [me], having suffered the Cross: let not such hardship be in vain. Just Judge of vengeance, make a gift of remission before the day of reckoning. I sigh, like the guilty one: my face reddens in guilt: Spare the imploring one, O God. You Who absolved Mary, and heard the robber, gave hope to me also. My prayers are not worthy: but You, [Who are] good, graciously grant that I be not burned up by the everlasting fire. Grant me a place among the sheep, and take me out from among the goats, setting me on the right side. Once the cursed have been silenced, sentenced to acrid flames, Call me, with the blessed. [Humbly] kneeling and bowed I pray, [my] heart crushed as ashes: take care of my end. Tearful [will be] that day, on which from the glowing embers will arise the guilty man who is to be judged: Then spare him, O God. Merciful Lord Jesus, grant them rest. Amen.
I think with the Saints we can see signs of heaven to come even physically before they die. So that many of the things that we expect to occur when we enter heaven occur even here below. For instance bilocation, which Padre Pio described as an exstension of the Spirit, surviving on the Eucharist as food alone, Luminecense. Heavenly smells, miracles , the ability to read hearts and see the future. These are gifts which we expect to receive in heaven but get right now. I think even we ordinary everyday Catholics get to taste a lot of heaven here below. For instance Peace and joy. By simply keeping the ten commandments we get sheltered from loads and loads of grief, for instance sexually transmitted disease, the physical effects of drug and alchohol abuse, death by physical violence and so on.
You are right, Padraig. That is part of the Beatific Vision that we can experience as a life of grace on earth. I was just reading about that. I think it can be found in the Catechism.
