Crushing the devil - Revelations QUESTION from Shirley Tuesday, April 4, 2000 In Revelations it says that Mary will crush the head of the serpent, thus revealing to us that the devil will be defeated in the end. In what context is this referring to? If it is literal, does it mean Hell will exist with all the lost souls but without Satan because he is destroyed? Or is it a figurative meaning, referring to evil in general, being eliminated in the world, but not necessarily Satan himself? (If it IS literal, why is MARY the destroyer and not God directly?) Thank you very much for your response.
ANSWER by John-Paul Ignatius, O.L.S.M. on April 11, 2000 Dear Miss Shirley:
The answer to your question is your first sentence: thus revealing to us that the devil will be defeated in the end.
But in the rest of your comments you refer to destroy for some reason.
Satan and his demons are NEVER destroyed. They will exist forever -- in hell. You are misinterpreting what crush the head of satan means.
The image is literal -- I believe Mary does crush the head of Satan, that is, defeat him. Literal is to defeat.
Mary is given this privilege to be the instrument of Satan's ultimate defeat because God chooses her to do it from His good pleasure. She was the instrument that brought the Redeemer, the Saviour, Jesus Christ into the world. Thus she is the instrument of that which defeats Satan through her Son, Jesus Christ.
In the end, Satan and all of his demons, and all of the condemned human souls will be in hell forever.
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