THEOSISCyrill of Alexandria
And it will come to pass in that day that the Lord will extend His hand toward the heavenly realms and the rulers of the earth. The assembly will be united and confined within the firmament and in places of captivity; their visitation will span many generations. The foundation will crumble, and the barriers will fall. This is the majestic act of the Incarnation of the Only Begotten. After the righteous Sun had shone forth, it became essential for the spiritual gloom that Satan had cast over the hearts of humanity to finally be lifted. He had obscured the minds of the unbelievers, as it is written in Ephesians 4:18, leading them to venerate created things rather than the Creator.
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Those who went astray divided the elements of the world among themselves: some regarded the sun as a deity, others the moon, and still others honored various stars based on their own desires. The people of Judah were afflicted by this wickedness. Therefore, the prophet Jeremiah once sought forgiveness for them. God responded, saying, "You shall not pray for these people nor request that they be forgiven; do not intercede for them, for I will not listen. Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem? Their sons gather wood, their fathers kindle fires, and their wives make dough to bake unleavened bread for the host of heaven, while pouring out drink offerings to strange gods, provoking Me to anger" (Jeremiah 7:16-18). In addition, another prophet asked them, "Did you bring Me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness for forty years, O house of Israel? You have lifted up the shrine of Moloch and the star of your god Remphan, the idols you made for yourselves" (Amos 5:25-26). Therefore, the Lord will bring His hand upon these idols, scattering those who worship those heavenly bodies—namely, the sun, the moon, and the stars. It seems likely that in this context, the reference encompasses all forms of idolatry. When Christ came, there was no longer worship of the elements of creation. If we consider the "ornament of heaven" to mean Satan, the originator of sin, we approach the truth, as it is said of him, “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifier, son of the morning” (Isaiah 14:12). He was once, due to his former glory before his fall, compared to a mighty figure, but now the prophetic voice calls him an ornament of heaven. The Lord declares that He will direct His hand not only at this ornament but also at the earthly kings—those who unlawfully rule over heavenly things and seduce the world's inhabitants into apostasy against the God of love. Consequently, these deceitful rulers will be gathered and confined within dungeons. The authority of the Savior will cast them into a place of punishment, beyond the devastation of any stronghold; demons have begged Him not to command them to descend into the abyss. The prophet further states that they will be visited across many generations. For they have tyrannized since the foundation of the world and have not ceased their hostility against the divine and ineffable glory, their madness persisting until the advent of Christ, the Savior of all. When their time of reckoning finally arrived, they were imprisoned and did so for countless generations. The foundation shall indeed fall, and the walls shall collapse, perhaps likening Satan to a fortified wall—strong in defense but overcome and brought low by Christ, against whose unmatched power he could not stand. With Satan's defeat, the emptiness of idolatry was revealed, and those who had strayed were called to the knowledge of the truth through faith, as if a mighty hand had rescued them. The Savior Himself teaches, “Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man?” (Matthew 12:29). Scripture often likens mighty beings to walls and cities, just as God told the prophet Jeremiah, “Behold, I set you this day as a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls against the whole land: against the kings of Judah, the princes, the priests, and the people of the land. They will fight against you but will not prevail, for I am with you to deliver you,” (Jeremiah 1:18-19). It is worth recalling how Joshua defeated five pagan kings, imprisoning them in a cave and sealing it with stones to prevent their escape. This serves as a symbol of a true barrier. By the power of Christ, the wicked and hostile forces that once ruled the heavenly realms were imprisoned, and along with them, the great fortress—that is, Satan—was dismantled. Thus, through faith, the misled were called to recognize the true Creator and God. Some, holding differing views, interpret this as referring to the celestial bodies, asserting that at the end of the world, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will cease to shine. However, it seems essential that interpretations align harmoniously with the overarching message.