War In Heaven – September 7, 2009

War In Heaven

Revelation 12:10-11

Jim Stephens

09-07-09

 

Scripture:

 

10 Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, “It has happened at last—the salvation and power and kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ! For the Accuser has been thrown down to earth—the one who accused our brothers and sisters before our God day and night. 11 And they have defeated him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of their testimony. And they were not afraid to die.”  (Revelation 12:10-11 NLT)

 

There’s a great deal I don’t understand about John’s Revelation and about the interface between time and eternity and heaven and earth.  However, in today’s reading a couple of things are very clear…

• Even in the heavenly realm, there is conflict.  It is a conflict in which Good ultimately triumphs over evil, but conflict nonetheless.
• Satan is an accuser.  He accuses believers before God and he accuses believers to each other.
• The first thing that protects us from his accusations before God is the blood of Jesus Christ, the only acceptable offering for sin.
• The second thing that protects us from his accusations is our testimony of faith and our willingness to put everything on the line for our relationship with Jesus.

 

It still comes down to a couple of pretty simple things.  The blood of Jesus cleanses from all sin and protects from Satan’s accusations.  Our testimony – telling the truth (with love) about ourselves, our faith, and others keeps us in right relationships.

 

The rest of it – defeating Satan in the heavenlies and determining the course of eternal events, I will leave to Michael and his angels.  They have a better idea of how all this fits together than I do at present.

 

Prayer:

 

Father, I thank you for the hope that comes in knowing that you have the situation in the heavenly realm under control.  Thanks for angels who fight for right.  Thanks for the blood of the Lamb that takes away my sin and the sin of the world.  Thanks for the hope in the statement,  “It has happened at last – the salvation and power and kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ!”  Help me to do my part to believe and tell the truth here on earth.