Revelation 12:7-12

Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.  And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.  And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.  And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.  Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

This battle in the cosmic war between God and Satan seems to occur in the middle of the tribulation.  Satan has fallen from heaven in the past, but, as of yet, he has not been banished from all access to heaven.  We see this played out in the book of Job where Satan levels accusations against God’s people to Him in heaven.  Apparently, he continues to do such things still today.  There will come a day during the tribulation where this will be terminated.  Satan will be thrown down to the earth.  This reality will be celebrated in heaven but will be devastating to those who dwell on the earth.

SATAN IS DEFEATED BY ANGELS IN HEAVEN: God is omnipotent which means He can do whatever He wants. Satan and his daemons are all created beings that God could annihilate any time He wants.  For some reason He has permitted Stant and the evil angels to continue to fight against the holy angels, afflict humanity, and even taunt God Himself.  God’s toleration of injustice on earth and in the heavens is a mystery but also a demonstration of His grace.  This attribute is the only means by which any of us come to repentance.  There will come a day when God puts an end to all of this.  He will send Michael and his army of good angels to defeat Satan and the demons.  They will be cast down to earth and never again be given access to heaven.  Satan is described as the deceive of the whole world.  That is his strategy and unfortunately, it works all too well.  There will come a day when God puts a stop to it.

SATAN IS DEPORTED BY CHRIST FROM HEAVEN: There will be a loud voice that sounds the victory of the good angels.  Salvation, the kingdom of God, and His power are about to be on full display.  The injustice and tolerance that God has demonstrated in the face of the evil rebellion of Satan and the demons will be stopped.  The accusations of the believers that Satan has leveled throughout the history since creation and the fall will end.  The blood of Jesus gave the holy angels and believers the victory over these unjust and evil creatures.  This battle between the followers of Satan and the followers of Christ still rages today.  As a result, followers of Christ continue to suffer and must strive to maintain their testimony.  Resisting Satan and drawing near to the Lord is a higher priority than life itself.  We cannot love our own life above our faithfulness to the Lord.

SATAN IS DREADED BY PEOPLE ON EARTH: Satan’s defeat will be celebrated in heaven and lamented on earth. When Satan is banished from heaven, he will not be happy and will seek to take vengeance on the inhabitants of the earth.  There has already been so much pain and suffering, but Satan will seek to inflict even more.  God’s judgment of sin and His wrath are going to become even more evident, and the result will be terrible suffering on the face of the earth.  Satan’s presence will simply make this judgment even worse than it already is.  The heavens will be rejoicing over God’s justice finally being revealed and the progression of history toward the final judgment of sin and the eternal reign of the Lord Jesus Christ.

APPLICATION: Be assured of God’s control over the universe and His ability to defeat evil.  Trust in His wisdom when we don’t understand why He allows injustice to continue.  Stand firm against the schemes of Satan and pray for the coming of the kingdom of Christ.

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