The force Milton has evoked in this passage is eternal and ageless, having been in existence before Creation; as it is a manifestation of God, it is in a sense as old as He is. This lends the passage, and possibly to the work at large, a sense that Milton is dealing with 'issues' on a grand scale or magnitude. Interestingly, despite all the ‘pagan’ and pre-Christian entities mentioned in the work, these lines seem to reveal Milton’s clear preference for and belief in a Christian system. Sin or Death, for example, no matter how fiercome and powerful they may be, must inevitably relent unto God’s influence. Likewise, their ‘leader’, Satan, can never successfully challenge God’s power. Ultimately, no matter how formidable they may be, these forces or individuals simply cannot compare with Christianity’s God, who predated them.

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