Stages of Holy War

When Was Satan Cast Down?

David Chilton, commenting upon Revelation 12: 7--12:

And there was war in heaven, Michael and His angels waging war with the Dragon. And the Dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer any place found for them in heaven. And the great Dragon was thrown down, the Serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the Land, and his angels were thrown down with him. Revelation 12: 7-9

When, therefore, did Satan fall from heaven? He fell, definitively, during the ministry of Christ, culminating in the atonement, resurrection, and the ascension of the Lord to His heavenly throne. We can see the stages of the Holy War throughout the message of the Gospels.

Whereas the activity of demons seems relatively rare in the Old Testament, the New Testament records numerous outbreaks of demonism. Open the pages of the New Testament, and demons are almost inescapable. Why? What made the difference? It was the presence of Christ. He went on the offensive, entering history to do battle with the Dragon, and immediately the Dragon counter-attacked, fighting back with all his might, wreaking as much havoc as possible.

And when we see the Lord warring against the devil, we also see Him being given angelic assistance (Matthew 4: 11; 26:53; Luke 22: 43). As Michael leading the angels, Christ led His apostles against the Dragon, driving him out of his position. The message of the Gospels is that in the earthly ministry of Christ and His disciplines, Satan lost his place of power and fell down to the earth. . . .

The definitive accomplishment of this, of course, was Christ's atonement for the sins of His people; thus, just before He offered up Himself as the sacrifice, our Lord said: "Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world shall be thrown out" (John 12:31) In Christ's victory, salvation and the Kingdom came to earth. Satan was defeated. . . .

The message of Revelation is consistent with that of the New Testament as a whole: Christ has arrived, Satan has been thrown down, and the Kingdom has come. By His death and resurrection, Christ "disarmed" the demons, triumphing over them (Colossians 2:15). Satan has been rendered powerless (Hebrews 2: 14--15), and so St Paul was able to assure the believers in Rome that "the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet" (Romans 16: 20). The Cross was the mark, Jesus said, of the judgment of the world (John 12: 31)--or, as John Calvin rendered it, the reformation and restoration of the world.
David Chilton, The Days of Vengeance, p. 316f)