Rev 12:7 Michael and the Dragon 9/2/2012
· There Was War in Heaven (Rev 12:1-12, Jude 9)
· The Spiritual War (Rev 12:5,7, Jude 9, Mal 3:1, Gal 4:21-26, Deut 34:6, Rev 22:19, Zech 3:1-4, Isa 63:9, 64:6, Lev 16, Rom 10:4, 8:1)
#1. A Real Spiritual
#2. The Immediate Object of this Warfare? (Rev 12:9-10, Gen 3:15, Num 23:21, Rom 8:29-30)
#3. The Outcome of this Warfare (Rev 12:10-11, 13:3, Luke 10:18, Jude 6, 2Pet 2:4)
Please open your Bible to the Revelation of Jesus Christ, Revelation 12:1. I have written several changes in chapter 45 of the book titled, “The revelation of Jesus Christ” and to make sure that these are indeed the changes that I wanted to make, I have to preach it. We are continuing today in Revelation chapter 12 where God summarizes the history of this world from the beginning of creation down to the beginning of the Final Tribulation Period. We have seen that the woman in Revelation 12:1 symbolizes the body of saints who brings forth the Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One, and that the dragon in Revelation 12:3 represents Satan. Today we will see in this chapter a battle between Michael and the dragon. That is why I chose for the title of this chapter, “Michael and the Dragon”. In the previous chapter, we saw from Daniel 12:1 that Michael is not an angel. Michael is the Lord Jesus Christ. One of the many names of Christ is Michael. Let us now read this portion of Scripture.
Re 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
Re 12:2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
Re 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
Re 12:4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
Re 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
Re 12:6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
Re 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
Re 12:8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
Re 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Re 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down,
which accused them before our God day and night.
Re 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Re 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
The first battle of the dragon, in verse 4, was a battle of the devil against the church on earth, to prevent that Christ would bring to realization the promise first given in paradise. But the battle in verse 7 speaks of another war, this time fought in heaven between the devil and his fallen angels against Christ and all the angels that remained faithful to God, the elect angels. This is the record of a real spiritual battle in heaven.
Some people tend to minimize this battle as just being fought between good angels and bad angels. They point to Jude 9, to show that Michael was just an archangel. Please turn in your Bible to the Epistle of Jude, Jude 9. It is a letter from Jude, the half-brother of the Lord Jesus, to all those in the church who are sanctified by God. Through the pen of Jude God warns us against evil men, who have crept into the church, and who will lead people astray with their false doctrines. But “ye shall know them by their fruits”. Then we read in Jude 9,
Jude 9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
We read in the last chapter of Deuteronomy that Moses died in the land of Moab, and the Lord buried him there in a valley in the land of Moab, but no one knows the place of his grave. However, about 1,500 years later when Peter, James and John saw the glorified Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration, Christ was accompanied by Moses and Elijah. How did Moses get there? God must have resurrected Moses and given him a glorified body sometime after Moses was buried. God chose Moses and Elijah to represent the Law and the Prophets. Historically this was the reason why Moses was resurrected, for we cannot deny that Moses was resurrected and appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration. But when the devil disputed this action of God, Michael did not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke thee”. Why was Christ so polite to the devil? The reason was that the devil was still one of the dignities in heaven. This was not the time to cast the devil out of heaven. This was the time to focus on the burial of Moses and of the Law of Moses. We should see the context in which Jude 9 was stated. The context is this: “Do not speak evil of those who are in authority.” Jude 8 speaks in a condemning way of those who despise dominion, and who speak evil of dignities.” But after Christ atoned for all the sins of all the saints, the devil was stripped of his authority to dwell in heaven as well as on earth, and the devil was stripped of his authority to accuse the brethren, because the Law of Moses was also buried.
The battle we read about in Revelation 12:7 was fought after Christ ascended into heaven and to His throne in Revelation 12:5. Until this time Satan was allowed to be in heaven and be the ruler on earth because he had conquered the rulership from Adam. We see clearly in the first chapter of Job that Satan was allowed to go in and out of heaven freely. But Michael is not an archangel. This is an interpretation by the translators of the King James Bible. Literally the word “arch” means “chief”, and the word “angel” should have been translated “messenger”. Therefore in Jude 9 we should read, “Michael, the Chief-Messenger”. And Christ is certainly a Messenger, for we read in Malachi 3:1 that Christ is “the Messenger of the Covenant”.
Mal 3:1 “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.”
But for every action of God there is also a purpose of God. The purpose for casting Satan out of heaven was to protect the saints who were already in heaven, and to protect the woman in the wilderness on this earth, for after he was cast out of heaven Satan had less power than before. The purpose of resurrecting Moses after he was buried was first of all to make him appear on the Mount of Transfiguration to complete the symbolism of the Scriptures as the Law and the Prophets, but secondly the statements in Jude 9 and in Zech 3 are in the Bible to give us a spiritual picture of the scenario of the burial of the Law of Moses, which burial is an integral part of the Gospel. Romans chapter 7 declares that the saints have died to the Law, and we are now betrothed to Christ. So the Law no longer wields any power over us. For the saints the Law is buried. Many historical events in the Bible show themselves as spiritual pictures of Christ and the Gospel of Christ. God has set up before us the example of Galatians 4:21-26 where Sarah and Hagar represent the New Covenant and the Old Covenant. In Deuteronomy 34:6 we read that God buried Moses in the land of Moab, but no man knoweth of his sepulcher Unto this day. And notice the significant statement: Unto this day. We cannot deny that Moses appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration, for then we would have eliminated those verses from the Bible, and then we would be judged for violating Revelation 22:19 and we would not want to be in those shoes. But there are other reasons why God buried Moses.
First of all, why was Moses not allowed to enter into the land of Canaan? We know the historical reason; Moses struck the Rock instead of speaking to the Rock, which represents Christ. But God orchestrated these events so that Moses was forbidden to accompany Joshua in entering the land of Canaan. Moses represented the Law, and Joshua represented the Lord Jesus who was leading His people into the land of Canaan, which represents the New Testament Kingdom of God. The Law must cease to wield its power to condemn, for Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. Therefore God buried Moses, which was a disappointment for the devil, for now he could not accuse the people of God with the Law of God. Sometime later God resurrected Moses under His terms, but the devil wanted Moses to be resurrected under his terms. This was the dispute in Jude 9. God’s purpose was to resurrect the man Moses, but the devil wanted the Law of Moses to be raised as well. Therefore in Jude 9 the Lord Jesus Christ, as Michael, reprimanded the devil with the words, “the Lord rebuke thee.”
Please turn in your Bibles to Zechariah 3:1. We have here a similar situation recorded in Zechariah chapter 3 where Joshua, the High Priest, stands before the Angel of the Lord, and Satan was standing at the right hand of Joshua. We should not be surprised to see the word “Angel” used in reference to our Savior in His mediatorial capacity. The word “Angel” simply means “Messenger.” Our Lord Jesus Christ is the preeminent Angel of the Lord, the Chief Messenger of God. He is the Angel of the Lord who appeared to men in the Old Testament. He is called “the Angel of His Presence” in Isaiah 63:9. He is the Angel of the Covenant in Malachi 3:1. Our Lord Jesus is not a created angel, but He is the eternal Angel of His Presence, who is Himself our God. What is the contention here in Jude 9 and in Zech 3:1-4? We read in Zech 3:1-4
Zech 3:1 “And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him.
Zech 3:2 And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?
Zech 3:3 Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
Zech 3:4 And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment (Literally: with festal garments).”
And notice what the Lord said to Satan in verse 2, and this is how we should read Zech 3:2,
“And Jehovah (The Lord Jesus / Michael) said to Satan, “Jehovah (My Father) rebuke thee, Satan.” Compare this now with what God says in Jude 9, and there we read,
Jude 9, “Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord (My Father) rebuke thee.”
Now, what is meant by the body of Moses? It refers to the teachings of Moses, the Law of Moses. When we read in Ephesians 5 about the body of Christ we are not talking about the literal body of Christ, but about His church, since the body of Christ is the church. It is only used as an illustration. It is like a human body, because it functions like a human body, but we are not literally talking about the body of Jesus. Likewise, here in Jude 9 the dispute was over the body of Moses, the teachings of Moses, the Law of Moses. And what were some of the important points in the teachings of Moses?
When we turn to Leviticus chapter 16 we read in this entire chapter about the Day of Atonement. It was an atonement made by the High Priest for the sins of the people. This was what the Old Testament Law declared: A blood sacrifice had to be made. The wages of sin is death, and the death of the sinner was required. But the death that God has in view is not to produce a lifeless corpse, but a spiritual death which begins in this life and is completed in the life hereafter. This was one of the things that the dispute was over. The Old Testament Law was written by Moses, under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit, and in the Law of Moses sin demanded a sacrificial death; this was the dispute; this was the quarrel in Jude 9 and this was also the quarrel in Zech 3. In both responses the Lord is rebuking Satan. But when the devil disputed this action of God, Michael did not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, “The Lord (My Father) rebuke thee.” The devil could not have known that the Lord Jesus Christ, Michael, was going to atone for the death in body and soul that was required.
Let us see now that this was indeed the dispute in Zech 3:1-4. Joshua, who represents everyone whom God elected unto salvation, stands before the Lord Jesus Christ, the Angel of the Lord, with filthy garments. These filthy garments represented Joshua’s own works, which are all at least tainted with sin or worse. Even the best of our works are like filthy rags in the sight of God (Isaiah 64:6). The Lord Jesus said to Satan, “The Lord has chosen Jerusalem,” which means that Jerusalem must be representing all the elect of God, both the Old Testament and the New Testament saints, which means that God has the New Jerusalem in view. And pointing to Joshua He said, “Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?” And indeed each of us is scarcely saved, like a brand plucked out of the fire, initially clothed with filthy garments, for we all were on the way to the fires of hell. What are those sins that made our garments filthy? Sin is a transgression of the Law. But if the Law has been buried for the saints, if Christ is the end of the Law to everyone that believeth (Romans 10:4), then the grace and mercy of the Lord has been showered upon us and in God’s sight we are clothed with the righteousness of Christ. The righteousness of Christ has been imputed to our souls. Therefore the Lord Jesus said in Zech 3:4, “Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him (Joshua) he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment (Literally: with festal garments).” And these festal garments represent the righteousness of Christ. This was the issue that Satan disputed in Zech 3. Satan wanted Joshua to continue under the Law of God, by continuing the Law because of the resurrection of Moses. But God resurrected Moses under His condition: The Law has no more condemning power over the saints, for we read in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, which walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” This was essentially the dispute between Christ and Satan both in Jude 9 and in Zech 3:1-4. And this opens up the interpretation of the remainder of Zech 3.
Please return now to Revelation 12:7 where we read about the battle in heaven. This was:
#1. A Real Spiritual
There are not always battles in heaven. This was a one time occurrence in the year AD 33.
Re 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
This was a real spiritual battle. It was a battle in heaven, in the abode of the good and holy angels, in the presence of God Almighty. We should not think of this battle as a lion that kills a mouse. That would not be a battle. No! This was a battle where Satan thought that he had a chance of winning the battle. This was an enormously great battle. Think of it now: the devil and his angels are so powerful that they dare to oppose God. That is how mighty Satan is.
Even the devils believe in Jesus Christ, and they tremble, for they know that such a superficial believing does not save them from going to Hell. No! This was an intense battle that was going on in heaven. But it was a purely spiritual battle. It was not fought with cleverly designed laser-guns, or with stun-guns, or with airborne battleships, like we can see in Star Wars. This battle was fought with spiritual weapons, with weapons of intellect, and shrewdness, and subtlety, with the spiritual weapons of law and of truth, and of righteousness, and with the sword of the Spirit. Those who fought in this war are spirits, pure and simple. Moreover they are immortal spirits, at least in the sense that they have no body, and therefore they cannot die a physical death, and they cannot be wounded physically. This was a spiritual battle that was fought with spiritual means, and therefore this battle also had a spiritual outcome.
On one side we have Christ with all the holy angels. The reason He fights the devil and his angels is because He stands for the people of God, and fights for them in a time of great trouble, when they are evidently in great danger. The accuser of our brethren must be removed out of heaven, for hundreds of years earlier God has declared in Isaiah 65:25, “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain”. If this promise of God could be annulled, then none of God’s promises would be sure.
On the other side are Satan and all his fallen angels, who also until that point in time were free to go in and out of heaven or roam on earth as often as they pleased. We have seen that the devil is a most powerful monster, thirsting for man’s blood, with terrible hatred against Christ and against all those who are IN Christ, who has usurped the power of the Kingdom on earth, but who is limited in that power by the decree of God. He comes with his angels. No doubt he has a large following of fallen angels, for God showed us symbolically that he dragged along in his fall from God a third of the angels in heaven. And so, the devil and his angels were cast out of heaven. They were cast into the earth. And what kind of battle is Satan waging here on earth? It is:
Re 12:8 And (the devil & his angels) prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
What will he do to mankind?
Especially, what will he do to those who have declared themselves to be
servants of Christ? Will he cause them
to be persecuted, and imprisoned, and tortured, and killed, and thrown to the
lions? O, that is what he did initially,
but it had the wrong effect. All
persecutions and physical killing of Christians only made the church grow more
and more. And thus in the fourth
century, under Emperor Constantine, all persecution stopped, and the church
ceased to grow. Again, during the
Reformation, the devil found out that persecution of Christians only made the
church stronger and grow more and more.
Again, in the years of the Iron Curtain in
We need to realize that the devil is a spirit, and therefore spiritual warfare is his specialty. Satan does not crave silver or gold. Satan craves the souls of men. And so, what will Satan do to the people in the church? He will give to them pastors and teachers who bring them gospels that are o-so-close to the true Gospel. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew 24:24, “For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect”. And what will Satan do to those who are already in his clutches?
1. Will He give them a million dollars,
2. or he will give them a divorce and a beautiful new wife which they’d always coveted,
3. or he will give them a pastor who promises them health, wealth, and freedom from their spouse,
4. or freedom from financial responsibility?
In this way he will keep them happy and quiet, and no desire to seek for God. And what will he do with our young people? He will give them a computer. Yes, you heard me right. I am not against new technology. We are using the Internet to broadcast the gospel. But I also realize what a trap the Internet can be for our young people who do not have the wisdom to choose what is right or what is wrong. Parents need to know that the Internet exposes our young people to the filth of this sex-crazy world. It used to be that parents worried about the influence of television on their children’s souls. But believe me the Internet is at least ten times worse than television. The Internet has a much greater influence on our children than all audio-visual media combined. And it comes roaring into our lives as an unstoppable bullet train. Our children can be called “the Internet generation”. Here are just a few facts, and these facts are already outdated since they have been collected in the year 2000:
#1. Over 10 billion dollars are spent on Internet pornography annually.
#2. There are over 2 million known pornography websites.
#3. There are 2,500 new porn websites coming online every week.
#4. 9 out of 10 children between the ages of 8 and 16 have viewed pornography on the Internet.
#5. 25 million Americans visit porn websites between 1 to 10 hours per week, and an additional 4.7 million watch it in excess of 11 hours per week. And so on.
The Internet is not an evil tool, but what they do with the Internet in the area of pornography, that is a great evil. It destroys minds, homes, marriages, children, and more. And it is at the fingertips of those who happen to have an Internet connection, and at the fingertips of our children. That is why the Lord Jesus said in Matthew 24:22, “And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” These are the days we live in. We should not close our eyes to the reality of the new electronic world we live in. But can you see that this warning of Matthew 24:22 also contains a blessing and a comfort to the people of God, for He said, “for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” In other words, even in these dire circumstances, there will still be some saints living on this earth when the Lord returns. Let us now continue in Revelation 12:9 and ask the question: What is
#2. The Immediate Object of this Warfare? (Rev 12:9-10, Gen 3:15, Num 23:21, Rom 8:29-30)
Re 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Re 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Who or what did Christ and the angels fight for? Well they did not fight for themselves. The angels that remained faithful were not in danger of losing their blessed status. Christ was not in danger of losing His seat of authority. He was already tempted by the devil at the beginning of His ministry, and He had been successful in resisting his temptations down to the end of His ministry. But who do Christ and the angels live for?
Their joy is to fight for the people of God. The people of God are the object of the wrath of the devil. The loud voice in heaven does not mention Michael or the angels, but the loud voice in heaven proclaims that deliverance and victory for the brethren has been won. And therefore, it is not likely that the object of Satan’s attack were the angels, or Christ, but rather the people of God who have already entered into glory. The Old Testament saints whose souls were already in heaven were the object of his wrath. Why? What has changed? Why has God tolerated that Satan came in and out of heaven until this point in time? The explanation is very logical.
Christ had not yet come. It means that the debt of the sinners had not yet been paid. The sins of Abel, and Enoch, and Noah, and Abraham, and David, and all the prophets, had not yet been atoned for. These all died as saints, but that is not how they came into the world. They came into the world as enemies of God, and they committed sins until the moment of their death. But all their previous sins still remained on their ledger in heaven. Christ had not yet crushed the head of the serpent, as God had promised in Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her Seed; He shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel.”
And Christ had not yet assumed dominion over all things that He has made. The devil was still some kind of a sovereign, and all the world lay at his feet, because even one sin makes man a slave of Sin and Satan. This was also true all throughout the Old Testament period of time. True, in God’s counsel, it was different. In God’s counsel it was established that Christ was appointed head and mediator of His people, and all His people had been given to Him from before the foundation of the world. In that counsel all the elect from the Old Testament time as well as from the New Testament time period had been given to Christ. They were IN Him. And because God’s counsel is absolutely sure, therefore these souls from the Old Testament did not have to wait for their salvation until all was finished. And being elect in the decree of God from all eternity, they entered into glory before Christ actually had come and paid for their sins. Therefore, we are justified in the decree of election from before the foundation of the world. The elect do not become righteous before God in time by faith, but they are righteous in the tribunal of God from before the foundation of the earth. God beholds them in eternity not as sinners, but as perfectly righteous, as redeemed, as justified in Christ. God says in Numbers 23:21,
Nu 23:21 He hath not beheld
iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in
And God says in Romans 8:29-30,
Ro 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Ro 8:30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
These words are written in the past tense. But Satan did not figure with this counsel of God. Nor could Satan imagine how certain that counsel of the Almighty was. Satan did not read Ephesians chapters 1 and 2, or Romans chapter 9, for they had not yet been written. Satan could not know that all these men were elect from all eternity, and that, in the counsel of God, they were given to Christ from all eternity. On the contrary, it was against that counsel that he fought the battle on earth. Satan had hoped that he could so obstruct the purpose of the Almighty, that the Messiah would never be born, would never be successful in paying the equivalent of an eternity in Hell for the sins of the people of God, and would never enter into eternal glory with them.
Therefore, according to Satan’s view of the matter, all these Old Testament saints entered into heaven as sinners upon whom he had a righteous claim, as sinners who deserved to go to Hell because their sins had not yet been atoned for. And as long as these sinners were in heaven, Satan also had a righteous claim to be in heaven. Now we can also understand why he is called:
Re 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Now we understand why he is called the old serpent, for he is the old Antichrist from the Garden of Eden. Now we understand why he is mentioned as the devil, for he is the slanderer and accuser of the saints of God. He lies about them. He says that they have no right to enter into heaven because they are condemned sinners. But in the process of accusing them and slandering them, the devil at the same time slanders the name and the righteousness of God, who converts sinners into saints and then takes them into everlasting glory. Now we can also understand the nature of the battle to a certain extent. The focal point here is the cross of Christ.
1. The Lord Jesus Christ has finished His task on earth,
2. He ascended into heaven on May 13th in the year AD 33, forty days after He rose from the grave,
3. and there He was crowned King of kings and Lord of lords.
In God’s sight the souls of all the Old Testament saints in heaven were now perfectly clean, free from the stain of sin. But Satan could not see that. He still claimed that they were sinners:
1. they sinned in paradise in Adam,
2. and they have sinned all their lives,
3. and therefore according to the righteousness of God they must go to Hell.
But Christ showed that He has fully paid for all the sins of all those, whose souls are already in heaven. And when the Father agrees that Christ has paid for all those sins, the full price on the cross, the equivalent of an eternity in Hell, that is when it became clear to all, that the saints in heaven are now perfectly clean. This battle must end with the historical realization of the atonement of Christ. It has become plain, so plain that even the devil cannot contradict it, that the saints of the Old Testament had a right to glory on the basis of the forgiveness of their sins and guilt. And therefore the conflict must end here. The devil realizes that he is defeated and that he cannot continue. Christ can now point to the fact of the finished work of His Atonement, and that God was righteous in saving the saints of the Old Testament. Now the Accuser of our brethren stands himself accused.
For if Christ, the sinless Son of God, had to pay for all the sins that God has imputed on Him, and had to suffer the equivalent of the torments of Hell according to the righteousness of God, how much more should the devil and his angels suffer for their sins in Hell also according to the righteousness of God? Moreover, since the devil and his angels were now the only ones in heaven with the stain of sins on them, and since Christ was now crowned as King over heaven and earth, Christ ordered the devil and his angels out of heaven. And so, the devil, the Accuser of our brethren, was cast out of heaven, and he was cast into this earth.
This also settles the matter of extraterrestrial beings on other planets in this universe. There are NONE. The devil and his angels were not cast out into the universe, since there is nothing alive for them out there. It is all dead matter out there. We are all alone in this universe. God created this great universe to show His greatness to all mankind. We read in Psalm 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth His handywork”.
#3. The Outcome of this Warfare (Rev 12:10-11, 13:3, Luke 10:18, Jude 6, 2Pet 2:4)
There was a loud voice in heaven.
This voice tells us that NOW the salvation and the power of the
But there is more. The devil is called ‘The Accuser of Our Brethren”, and by “brethren” is meant those who were saved IN Christ and THROUGH Christ. It is also in that capacity of “The Accuser of Our Brethren” that he fought this spiritual battle, and it is also in that capacity that he was defeated; for the joy in heaven is caused especially by the fact that the accuser of the brethren is cast down.
The same loud voice in heaven speaks of the fact that there were saved in Christ who have overcome through the blood of the Lamb and the testimony which they gave. It means that the focal point of history is the Atonement of Christ on the cross. This is the turning point of all of this earth’s history. This is the hinge on which Old Testament time becomes New Testament time. It was the moment in time when the ceremonial law ended and the “last days” of this earth began. We read in Revelation 12:11,
Re 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Now we can understand why, in this song of victory, immediately after this battle is finished, no mention is made of the angels who worked so diligently to accomplish this victory. Only the brethren who were accused, but who had gained victory through the blood of the Lamb and their faith in Him, are mentioned. Now we can understand why this great voice sings, “Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ”. It is a death-blow to the serpent.
God portrays this death-blow to the serpent when He shows us the beast that comes out of the sea. Please turn to Revelation 13:3, where we read, “And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death”. Now is come, now has appeared, and now has been revealed the salvation and the power and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ.
All this was still hidden in the Old Testament days. And therefore there was room for argument on the part of the devil, and he could wage this war. But now has come the realization of the whole thing. “Satan, you must go; you have no argument left. These souls belong to Christ; their sins have been atoned by Him. These souls have a right to His inheritance, and you do not. Therefore you do not belong in God’s holy heaven”. Please turn in your Bible to the Gospel according to Luke, Luke 10:18. And so, the accuser of the brethren was cast out of heaven and cast into the earth. The Lord Jesus referred to this event in a proleptic vision.
You remember that a proleptic vision is a vision of a future action as if it was already accomplished. The Lord Jesus had sent out seventy of His disciples to preach the Gospel and heal the sick. And when the seventy returned they said, “Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name”. Then Jesus said in Luke 10:18,
Lu 10:18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
It did not mean that at that time Satan was cast out of heaven, for this was a proleptic vision. But it does convey the message that the battle in heaven of which Revelation 12:7 speaks about was not a long drawn out battle. God’s decision was made, and God’s power was exercised. We read about this event of casting out Satan out of heaven in Jude 6. Please turn to the Epistle of Jude, Jude 6. Jude gives us examples of ungodly men, and ungodly angels who will inherit the wrath of God. He says here in Jude 6,
Jude 6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
The fallen angels were cast out of heaven into this earth, and God adds here the information that they were “In everlasting chains under darkness”. These were spiritual chains, and spiritual darkness. In other words, they were roaming on this earth, but their understanding was kept from them. Please turn now to the Second Epistle of Peter, 2Pet chapter 2. Like Jude, the Apostle Peter is giving us examples of ungodly men and ungodly angels who will inherit the wrath of God, and he says there in 2Pet 2:4,
2Pet 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
We see here the same emphasis, that the fallen angels are cast into chains of darkness. It means that they were struck with stupidity. Satan and his angels were cast into this earth, but they were struck with stupidity. Moreover, this earth is now called Hell. Is this earth presently Hell? To be in Hell means to be under the wrath of God. Hell can be a place, or it can be a condition. Presently this earth is under the condition of being under the wrath of God. But after the Judgment of the Last Day this earth will be done away, and there will be a place called Hell where the devil and his angels and all unsaved mankind shall be cast into. “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men;” (2Corinthians 5:11) We must warn people that Satan and all his angels are presently roaming on earth, seeking whom they may devour, and that in joining them we may put ourselves in a condition called Hell. Please turn again to the Revelation of Jesus Christ, Revelation 12:12. We have here a statement that we have heard before in Revelation 8:13. Perhaps you remember that the last verse of Revelation chapter 8 also spoke of:
After the first four trumpets have sounded an angel flying through the midst of heaven was saying, “Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth”. This marks the beginning of the final tribulation period. But this is not the event that is described in Revelation 12:12, for in Revelation 12:12 Satan was cast out of heaven on Ascension Day in the year AD 33. It is true that Satan was cast into the earth at that time, but he was struck with stupidity for many centuries until, at the time of the final tribulation period, he will again be as powerful as before the cross. And so, we read in Revelation 12:
Re 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
The short time that God speaks about already lasted for almost two thousand years. In our timeframe that is not called a short time, but for a spirit being who compares time with eternity, that is a short time. Please turn in your Bible to the prophecy of Isaiah, Isaiah 44:21. When we hear these warnings from the Lord about the wiles of the devil, and the danger we are in, we know that we should be on our guard, and we should study our Bibles to arm ourselves with the sword of the Spirit and be ready for the attacks of Satan. But also remember that our God is merciful toward His people, His elect. If we see in our life that God has done a wonderful work of faith in our soul, then we must not be frightened by the woes that are sounded by the words of Revelation 8:13, or Revelation 12:12, but we must remember that our God preserves His people even unto the end of time. We read in Isaiah 44:21-23,
Isa 44:21 Remember these, O Jacob
and
Isa 44:22 I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.
Isa 44:23 Sing, O ye heavens; for
the LORD hath done it: shout, ye
lower parts of the earth: break forth
into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and
glorified himself in
Who is
AMEN. Let us turn to the Lord in prayer.