Now war arose in heaven…In a departure from my normal practice, I am going to speak today on our New Testament reading which comes from the Book of Revelation, chapter 12:7-12. This passage describes a war in heaven between Michael and his angels and the Great Dragon, Satan, and his angels. Michael prevailed and the Dragon was thrown down to the earth along with his angels. A loud voice is heard, telling the author John that the authority of God’s Kingdom and of his Christ have been established because the accuser of the brethren has been thrown down to earth.“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 his time is short!”What is all of this about? First, we have to understand that the Book of Revelation is written in the Apocalyptic genre. Apocalyptic literally means an unveiling. So this book is an unveiling of the spiritual realities that are normally hidden from our eyes. The book does this by using symbolic language and imagery. A lot of the time it is not clear whether it is speaking about an event in the past or the future or indeed if it talking about a specific event at all rather than a pattern that repeats throughout history.Here we see a cosmic battle in progress between two sets of angels. Who are these angels? Most commentators have said that this passage, only with other in Scripture, implies that Satan and his angels were created by God as loyal subjects but that, at some point, they rebelled against him and sought to overthrow his authority.The other angels with Michael their leader represent the angels who remain faithful to God. These loyal angels are spoken about throughout Scripture as those who protect God’s people, those who protect, guide and help them, those who deliver messages from God to humanity, those who strengthen and encourage, those who execute God’s judgement upon the wicked for his people’s benefit, and those who worship God alongside believers. Finally, in a Parable of Jesus, it is implied that angels escort believers into heaven when they die.In our passage, then, we see rebellious angels fighting against those who remain loyal to God, a cosmic war.The Fall of SatanSatan loses this battle and is thrown down to earth. The story implies that whatever influence Satan had in heaven is now transferred to the terrestrial realm, the world that we live in now.The symbolism tells us that the cosmic rebellion of Satan against God has decisively failed. Satan is defeated in the heavens and there is a very real sense that he is defeated in our world as well. However, he is still at large and active today.Interpreters are divided as to whether Satan’s fall is an historical event that happened once at some point in the past. But what we can say from a symbolic perspective is that Satan’s fall is ongoing every time sin and rebellion against God is overcome in this world.What is the activity of Satan now? The first thing we can say is that, due to Satan’s defeat in heaven, he is full of wrath because he knows that the time is short. He has been defeated in the cosmic realm and he has been defeated in our realm also. However, he seems to have been granted a certain amount of time to ply his mischief before his final destruction. He is aware of this and therefore is full of rage. He wants to take people with him to his final destruction.His tactics are deception and accusation. He is called here by the loud voice in heaven (which perhaps is the voice of God himself), “the deceiver of the whole world”. This does not mean that literally everybody in the world is deceived by him but that he has influence to deceive all over the world. He wants to people to believe lies in order that he might lead them away from God.He is also called “the accuser of our brethren” which indicates that his agenda is to condemn humanity. It could be that here is indicated specifically those who are Christians and part of the Church. He accuses of insincerity and failure those who are seeking to live a godly life, to discourage and deflect them from the path to God. He seeks to bring about feelings of guilt and condemnation so that we might no longer believe in God’s grace and therefore wander away from him.To the Pharisees who opposed him in John’s Gospel, chapter 8, Jesus said, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” In his discourse on the Good Shepherd in the same Gospel, Jesus tells us that, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.”The devil is a liar, an accuser, a thief, and a murderer. He seeks to steal, to kill, and to destroy.Why is it important to say all of this? It is because we have to recognise that we, along with the holy angels, are at war with Satan and with the powers of evil. The good news is that we have the victory in Christ (which I’ll say more about in a moment), but we have to be realistic about this. We have an enemy and our enemy has a plan.Friends, do not be deceived. You have an adversary. He will destroy your faith. He will destroy your family. He will destroy your future. He will destroy whatever witness you have for Christ. He will ultimately destroy your soul if you allow him to. Be wise to him and oppose him. As the Apostle Peter said, ‘Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith’ (1 Peter 5:8-9).They have conquered by the blood of the Lamb…And yet perhaps the most important thing of all has not yet been said: “And they have conquered (Satan) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death”.This sentence is a guide to spiritual warfare in a nutshell. What does it tell us? Firstly, that the victory that we have over Satan, sin and death is not from our own power but it is from Christ. Specifically, it is the blood of Christ that overcomes the accusations of Satan.This is a reference to the cross of Christ. It is true that we are guilty of sin. When Satan accuses us, he may at least partially tell the truth. We are all sinners. We have sinned. We will sin. And we do sin. We will fail and fall in our Christian lives. There is no doubt of this. To that extent, Satan is correct. However, he is not correct that there is no hope and that there is no forgiveness. There is hope and there is forgiveness and it is through the cross of Jesus Christ that they are purchased for us. In the words of the beautiful hymn, Before the Throne of God Above:When Satan tempts me to despair and tells me of the guilt within;Upward I look and see him there, who made an end to all my sin.Because the sinless saviour died, my sinful soul is counted free,For God the just is satisfied to look on him and pardon me.Friends, Christ has taken our place upon the cross. He has died for us, receiving whatever penalty was due. We are free from condemnation and guilt in him. As the Apostle Paul said, ‘There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus’ (Romans 8:1). Let Satan say what he will.But, secondly, the saints conquer the devil through the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Here we see something of what we are called to as those who have been set free by Jesus: we are to bear witness to the Gospel in all the world. We are to speak for Jesus, inviting people to believe the truth and to come to know him for themselves.Make no mistake friends, there will be a cost for speaking for Jesus. Jesus promises us this: “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11).This, paradoxically, is how we overcome: by bearing witness to the truth of the Gospel even through persecution and death.Friends, Christians do not employ the same diabolic tactics as these: we do not lie; we do not slander; we do not murder. We bear witness to the truth, even to death. We overcome not through our own righteousness but through the blood of Jesus Christ. Rejoice, friends, therefore with St Michael and the holy angels: the battle belongs to the Lord.In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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