---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ... then there was war in heaven. But it…"
description: "\"... then there was war in heaven. But it was not angels. It was that small golden zeppelin, like a long oval world, high up. It seemed as if the cosmic..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/569/john-milton-191_airpower_then-there-was-war-in-heaven-but-it-was_2040665.png"
---

#  ... then there was war in heaven. But it was not angels…

![“... then there was war in heaven. But it was not angels. It was that small golden zeppelin, like a long oval world, high up. It seemed as if the cosmic order were gone, as if there had come a new order, a new heavens above us: and as if the world in anger were trying to revoke it.” quote by John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/569/john-milton-191_airpower_then-there-was-war-in-heaven-but-it-was_2040665.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/569/john-milton-191_airpower_then-there-was-war-in-heaven-but-it-was_2040665.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/569/john-milton-191_airpower_then-there-was-war-in-heaven-but-it-was_2040665.png)

> “... then there was war in heaven. But it was not angels. It was that small golden zeppelin, like a long oval world, high up. It seemed as if the cosmic order were gone, as if there had come a new order, a new heavens above us: and as if the world in anger were trying to revoke it.”

[John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Depicts a cosmic upheaval where a new order replaces the old, suggesting chaos and divine conflict.

**In simple terms:** Heavenly war brings a new, chaotic order.

Key Takeaway

Accept change while questioning its origins.

Themes

chaos divine conflict transformation

Mood

awe thoughtful

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- spiritual crisis
- philosophical reflection
- artistic inspiration
- personal upheaval

Key Concepts

theology cosmic order

Questions to Reflect On

- What does a “new heaven” mean to you?
- How do you find stability amid cosmic change?

A Different Perspective

New orders may lack moral clarity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Angel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/angel/) [Aviation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aviation/) [Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [“If no war in heaven, then defeat ain't misery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/if-no-war-in-heaven-then-defeat-ain-t-misery/)

[Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/)

> [“War in heaven makes no peace on earth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/war-in-heaven-makes-no-peace-on-earth/)

[Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/)

> [War! war! war! Heaven aid the right! God move the hero's arm in the fearful fight! God send the women sleep in the long,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-clarence-stedman/war-war-war-heaven-aid-the-right-god-move-the-hero-s-arm-in-the/)

[Edmund Clarence Stedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-clarence-stedman/)

> [Nothing is more precious than peace, by which all war, both in Heaven and Earth, is brought to an end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ignatius-of-antioch/nothing-is-more-precious-than-peace-by-which-all-war-both-in-heaven/)

[Ignatius of Antioch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ignatius-of-antioch/)

> [The final war between Heaven and Hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amber-hope/the-final-war-between-heaven-and-hell/)

[Amber Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amber-hope/)

> [“A thought is a Cosmic Order waiting to happen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/a-thought-is-a-cosmic-order-waiting-to-happen/)

[Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/)

> [I know of scarcely anything so apt to impress the imagination as the wonderful form of cosmic order expressed by the "Law of Frequency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-galton/i-know-of-scarcely-anything-so-apt-to-impress-the-imagination-as-the/)

[Francis Galton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-galton/)

> [Art is about cosmic beauty. Science is about cosmic order. Religion is about cosmic purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-g/art-is-about-cosmic-beauty-science-is-about-cosmic-order-religion-is/)

Paul G

> [Science attempts to figure out laws and then uses it later. While the work of art reflects the cosmic order without asking for an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alija-izetbegovic/science-attempts-to-figure-out-laws-and-then-uses-it-later-while-the/)

[Alija Izetbegovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alija-izetbegovic/)

> [It seems to me that, as it is usually presented, the current orthodoxy about the cosmic order is the product of governing assumptions that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nagel/it-seems-to-me-that-as-it-is-usually-presented-the-current-orthodoxy/)

[Thomas Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nagel/)

> [What I do is not curing cancer or rocket science or lead mining - anything tremendously difficult or world changing. I understand where I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-hamm/what-i-do-is-not-curing-cancer-or-rocket-science-or-lead-mining/)

[Jon Hamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-hamm/)

> [You cannot separate any part from the whole: interdependence rules the cosmic order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taisen-deshimaru/you-cannot-separate-any-part-from-the-whole-interdependence-rules-the/)

[Taisen Deshimaru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taisen-deshimaru/)

> [Worship is as natural to the human family as the sing of the sun is to the cosmic order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/worship-is-as-natural-to-the-human-family-as-the-sing-of-the-sun-is/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [“The doctrine of creation of the kind that the Abrahamic faiths profess is such that it encourages the expectation that there will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-polkinghorne/the-doctrine-of-creation-of-the-kind-that-the-abrahamic-faiths/)

[John Polkinghorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-polkinghorne/)

> [“When a loving person dies, God sends angels to escort them on their journey to heaven. Angels are the messengers of God. They could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-storm/when-a-loving-person-dies-god-sends-angels-to-escort-them-on-their/)

Howard Storm

## More by John Milton

> [Love-quarrels oft in pleasing concord end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/love-quarrels-oft-in-pleasing-concord-end/)

[John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/)

> [What better can we do than prostrate fall before Him reverent, and there confess humbly our faults, and pardon beg with tears watering the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/what-better-can-we-do-than-prostrate-fall-before-him-reverent-and/)

[John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/)

> [And, when night Darkens the streets, then wander forth the sons Of Belial, flown with insolence and wine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/and-when-night-darkens-the-streets-then-wander-forth-the-sons-of/)

[John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/)

> [And, re-assembling our afflicted powers, consult how we may henceforth most offend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/and-re-assembling-our-afflicted-powers-consult-how-we-may-henceforth/)

[John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/)

> [Yet hold it more humane, more heav'nly, first, By winning words to conquer willing hearts, And make persuasion do the work of fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/yet-hold-it-more-humane-more-heav-nly-first-by-winning-words-to/)

[John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/)

> [O nightingale, that on yon bloomy spray Warblest at eve, when all the woods are still; Thou with fresh hope the lover's heart dost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/o-nightingale-that-on-yon-bloomy-spray-warblest-at-eve-when-all-the/)

[John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/)

> [The debt immense of endless gratitude, So burthensome, still paying, still to owe; Forgetful what from him I still receivd, And understood not that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/the-debt-immense-of-endless-gratitude-so-burthensome-still-paying/)

[John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/)

> [Knowledge forbidden? Suspicious, reasonless. Why should their Lord Envy them that? Can it be sin to know, Can it be death? And do they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/knowledge-forbidden-suspicious-reasonless-why-should-their-lord-envy/)

[John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/)

> [There is no truth sure enough to justify persecution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/there-is-no-truth-sure-enough-to-justify-persecution/)

[John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/)

> [These eyes, tho' clear To outward view of blemish or of spot, Bereft of light, their seeing have forgot, Nor to their idle orbs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/these-eyes-tho-clear-to-outward-view-of-blemish-or-of-spot-bereft-of/)

[John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/)

> [New Presbyter is but Old Priest writ Large.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/new-presbyter-is-but-old-priest-writ-large/)

[John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/)

> [And what is faith, love, virtue unassayed Alone, without exterior help sustained?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/and-what-is-faith-love-virtue-unassayed-alone-without-exterior-help/)

[John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/)

> [This is servitude, To serve th'unwise, or him who hath rebelled Against his worthier, as thine now serve thee, Thyself not free, but to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/this-is-servitude-to-serve-th-unwise-or-him-who-hath-rebelled-against/)

[John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/)

> [Let us seek Death, or he not found, supply With our own hands his office on ourselves; Why stand we longer shivering under fears,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/let-us-seek-death-or-he-not-found-supply-with-our-own-hands-his/)

[John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/)

> [They are the troublers, they are the dividers of unity, who neglect and don't permit others to unite those dissevered pieces which are yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/they-are-the-troublers-they-are-the-dividers-of-unity-who-neglect-and/)

[John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/)

[Explore all 966 John Milton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/)

## More Airpower quotes

> [There is something more important than any ultimate weapon. That is the ultimate position-the position of total control over Earth that lies somewhere out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/there-is-something-more-important-than-any-ultimate-weapon-that-is/)

[Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/)

> [A thing of orchestrated hell-a terrible symphony of light and flame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-r-murrow/a-thing-of-orchestrated-hell-a-terrible-symphony-of-light-and-flame/)

[Edward R. Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-r-murrow/)

> [This strongly asserted but ill-defined license to kill without accountability is not an entitlement which the United States or other states can have without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-alston/this-strongly-asserted-but-ill-defined-license-to-kill-without/)

Philip Alston

> ["He who wants to protect everything, protects nothing," is one of the fundamental rules of defense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-galland/he-who-wants-to-protect-everything-protects-nothing-is-one-of-the/)

[Adolf Galland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-galland/)

> [Air power alone does not guarantee America's security, but I believe it best exploits the nation's greatest asset - our technical skill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hoyt-vandenberg/air-power-alone-does-not-guarantee-america-s-security-but-i-believe/)

Hoyt Vandenberg

> [Why don't we just buy one airplane and let the pilots take turns flying it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/why-don-t-we-just-buy-one-airplane-and-let-the-pilots-take-turns/)

[Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/)

> [The Navy can lose us the war, but only the Air Force can win it. Therefore our supreme effort must be to gain overwhelming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-navy-can-lose-us-the-war-but-only-the-air-force-can-win-it/)

[Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/)

> [If we had these rockets in 1939, we should never have had this war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/if-we-had-these-rockets-in-1939-we-should-never-have-had-this-war/)

[Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/)

> [I am purely evil; Hear the thrum of my evil engine; Evilly I come. The stars are thick as flowers In the meadows of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-mannin/i-am-purely-evil-hear-the-thrum-of-my-evil-engine-evilly-i-come-the/)

Ethel Mannin

> [Aviation is fine as a sport. But as an instrument of war, it is worthless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferdinand-foch/aviation-is-fine-as-a-sport-but-as-an-instrument-of-war-it-is/)

[Ferdinand Foch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferdinand-foch/)

> [I will ignore all ideas for new works and engines of war, the invention of which has reached its limits and for whose improvement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frontinus/i-will-ignore-all-ideas-for-new-works-and-engines-of-war-the/)

Frontinus

> [In order to assure an adequate national defense, it is necessary - and sufficient - to be in a position in case of war…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giulio-douhet/in-order-to-assure-an-adequate-national-defense-it-is-necessary-and/)

[Giulio Douhet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giulio-douhet/)

> [The weapon where the man is sitting in is always superior against the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-hartmann/the-weapon-where-the-man-is-sitting-in-is-always-superior-against-the/)

[Erich Hartmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-hartmann/)

> [It is not possible . . . to concentrate enough military planes with military loads over a modern city to destroy that city.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-thomason/it-is-not-possible-to-concentrate-enough-military-planes-with/)

John Thomason

> [Aviation is going to control the world economically and militarily whether we like it or not. Airpower is not merely military aviation, it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roscoe-turner/aviation-is-going-to-control-the-world-economically-and-militarily/)

Roscoe Turner

Browse all 82 Airpower quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "... then there was war in heaven. But it was not angels. It was that small golden zeppelin, like a long oval world, high up. It seemed as if the cosmic order were gone, as if there had come a new order, a new heavens above us: and as if the world in anger were trying to revoke it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Milton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/then-there-was-war-in-heaven-but-it-was-not-angels-it-was-that-small/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Airpower"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/then-there-was-war-in-heaven-but-it-was-not-angels-it-was-that-small/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/569/john-milton-191_airpower_then-there-was-war-in-heaven-but-it-was_2040665.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/569/john-milton-191_airpower_then-there-was-war-in-heaven-but-it-was_2040665.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/569/john-milton-191_airpower_then-there-was-war-in-heaven-but-it-was_2040665.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“... then there was war in heaven. But it was not angels. It was that small golden zeppelin, like a long oval…” — John Milton",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "John Milton",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "... then there was war in...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/then-there-was-war-in-heaven-but-it-was-not-angels-it-was-that-small/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/then-there-was-war-in-heaven-but-it-was-not-angels-it-was-that-small/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
