The Revelation of Jesus Christ 2Sampel

 The Reality of the Battle

Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon.

And the dragon and his angels fought back (Revelation 12:7).

We live in a world of unseen spiritual reality. Ninety-eight percent of matter is invisible, so perhaps it is no surprise that there is an invisible world of spiritual reality. As Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet, “There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy.”

From Genesis to Revelation, we are told of an unseen spiritual world, a world of angels and demons, a world of epic spiritual battle. In Revelation 12, the curtain is pulled back on the spiritual realm, and we see the fierce battle raging across the cosmos:

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 earth, and his angels were thrown down with him (Revelation 12:7–9).

We may not be certain what all the symbols of Revelation refer to, but there is no mistaking the reality of the battle. What does the Bible teach us about this battle?

1. You are a target in the battle. Yes, you. Satan and his demons will try to devour your soul and ruin your life. They use deception, condemnation, accusation, temptation, and intimidation. Be alert.

2. Fight this battle in Christ’s strength. Put on the full armor of God and be strong in the Lord, not in yourself. 

3. Fight the battle with your sword. Just like Jesus in Matthew 4, wield your sword, the Word of God, to defeat the enemy. We ignore God’s Word at our spiritual peril. 

4. Worship is a powerful weapon in the war. The root issue of the war is worship: Satan wants the worship that rightfully belongs to God. When we worship God, we declare our love and loyalty to God and draw near to Him. God pours out His Spirit upon us and demons flee. Worship is warfare.

5. Prayer is a wartime walkie-talkie. John Piper puts it best in Let the Nations Be Glad: “We cannot know what prayer is for until we know that life is war.” Yes, life is war. That’s not all it is, but it is always war. Our weakness in prayer is owed largely to our neglect of this truth. Prayer is primarily a wartime walkie-talkie for the mission of the church as it advances against the powers of darkness and unbelief. It is not surprising that prayer malfunctions when we try to make it a domestic intercom to call upstairs for more comforts in the den. God has given us prayer as a wartime walkie-talkie so that we can call headquarters for everything we need as the kingdom of Christ advances in the world.