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!"
Revelation 12:10-12
There is no doubt that we are involved in a conflict much greater than ourselves. That is one of the lessons of the book of Revelation. We get a glimpse into the spiritual world and the activity there that so drastically effects the lives of human beings.This passage shows us the spiritual battle that leads to the final conflict God has with those who will not turn to Him. And it is summed up in a struggle with Satan.
We don’t have to look for the bizarre manifestations of Neil Anderson’s version of spiritual warfare. Satan goes after the nation of Israel in this passage. When he cannot succeed against them because of God’s protective care, he goes after the Christian believers. He is at war with the people that God has made His own. And He will work non-stop against them because he is against God.
But the passage says something interesting. The saints in heaven are rejoicing at Satan’s fall to earth because the saints have ALREADY conquered the devil through the blood of the Lamb. Satan cannot win. He has already lost. That is the perspective of the saints in heaven that helps us on earth. He is conquered. He is a defeated foe. Satan has no chance at all of winning. He will fight, but He is a loser. Why should we worry ourselves with a beaten foe? That is how we handle spiritual challenges. We remind Satan that he has already lost in the blood of Jesus. And thus ends the conflict.
No comments:
Post a Comment