SATAN
Of course, Satan is real. Satan is ever at work to do evil in the world and to encourage our involvement with sin. However, we can’t really blame our sin on Satan. We still have freedom of choice. Satan wants to make all sin very attractive so all humans will make the wrong choices. Also, our problems and bad situations are not caused by Satan but he tries to direct us toward those problems through his deceptions. Christians are wise to stay alert to the devil’s work, since he is ever scheming to pull us down. We still have to take responsibility for our decisions no matter where they lead us. The Bible presents a clear picture that Satan will not prevail in his evil. He is defeated by Christ and he is defeated in our lives when we walk with Christ. We will also discover truths to help us when we engage in spiritual warfare. The spiritual warfare we are likely to encounter on earth is nothing like what John tells us about in Revelation 12.
Read Revelation 12:7-9
The apostle John wrote the Book of Revelation while he was exited to the island of Patmos. Revelation 1:9-11 tells how John received the revelation from Jesus that he recorded for us. One of John’s purposes was to encourage believers who faced persecution (spiritual warfare) for their belief in Jesus. Here in these verses (7-9) we are told how Satan will be thrown to earth in the future. It describes the conflict between good and evil: then, now, and to come. One problem many encounter in reading Revelation is to forget it is describing the future. This event fulfills Daniel 12:1. Michael is a high-ranking angel. One of his responsibilities is to guard God’s community of believers.
Much more happened at Christ’s birth, death and resurrection than most people realize. A war between the forces of good and evil was under way. With Christ’s resurrection, Satan’s ultimate defeat was assured. Some believe that Satan’s fail to earth took place at Jesus’ resurrection or ascension and that the 1,260 days (3.5 years) is a symbolic way of referring to the time between Christ’s first and second comings. Others say that Satan’s defeat will occur in the middle of a literal seven years tribulation period, following the rapture of the church and preceding the second coming of Christ and the beginning of Christ’s 1,000 year reign. Whatever the case, we must remember that Christ is victorious- Satan has already been defeated because of Christ’s death on the cross (12:10-12).
The devil is not a symbol or legend; he is very real. Originally, Satan was an angel of God, but through his own pride, he became corrupt. The devil is God’s enemy, and he constantly tries to hinder God’s work, but he is limited by God’s power and can do only what he is permitted to do (JOB 1:6-2:8). Satan actually looks for people to attack (1 Peter 5:6-9). Satan likes to pursue believers who are vulnerable in their faith, who are spiritually weak, or who are isolated from other believers. This is a great case for church and Bible study with other believers.
Even though God permits the devil to do his work in this world, God is in control. And Jesus has complete power over Satan- he defeated Satan when He died and rose again for the sins of everyone. One day, Satan will be bound forever, never again to do his evil work (20:10). Again, we must be careful to understand the time involved in this passage or we merely compound the problem. According to the account, “Now war arose in heaven. Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven” (vv.7-8). The expulsion of Satan from heaven is in the future -not in the past. The Book of Job depicts Satan as traveling back and forth from earth to heaven (Job 1:6-12; 2;1-7). Michael is an archangel or chief angel. The apocryphal Book of Enoch names Michael as one of seven archangels. Ultimately, however, Christ, not Michael defeated Satan at the cross (Luke 10:18).
Read Revelation 12:10
God’s (future) victory over Satan and his followers is announced by “a loud voice in heaven”. This saying that John heard was “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 brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God” (v. 10). As in Job, this passage indicates Satan’s access to God. But here his access is forever barred (9:1). He can no longer accuse people before God like Satan did about Job before God (Job 1:6). The term “Devil” means accuser or slanderer, whereas “Satan” means adversary or opponent.
Two overlapping issues deserve some attention here. First, what is the nature of God’s kingdom? Jesus primarily used parables to describe the kingdom. Many Jews hoped for a national, political kingdom. The Zealots were Jewish political revolutionaries who were willing to use violence to overthrow the Roman rulers. Jesus insisted God’s kingdom was not a political realm. He told Pontius Pilate that His kingdom was not like a human kingdom (John 18:36). The kingdom of God is a spiritual kingdom, established by God, through which people are delivered from the powers of sin, death, and Satan. It is God’s reign or rule over His people. The coming of the kingdom of God also involves the end of the rule of Stan and the judgment of the wicked.
Second, when did the kingdom of God arrive? Many Bible scholars suggest that the kingdom was inaugurated during Jesus’ earthly ministry, especially through His death and resurrection. The kingdom will be completed or perfected at Jesus’ return. The overall witness of Jesus’ ministry and the New Testament writers is to balance the already and the not yet of the kingdom (the kingdom of God has in one sense arrived, but in another sense, will not be fully consummated until Jesus’ second coming. Jesus’ disciples did not always comprehend what He said regarding the nature of His kingdom. For instance, they were still asking about the kingdom in Acts 1:6, right before Jesus’ ascension.
Read Revelation 12:11-12
According to biblical usage, there is only one devil- but many demons, who serve as the devil’s agents. Significantly, the heavenly voice continued to say, “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” (v.11). The expression, “word of their testimony,” probably refers to the Christian confession, “Jesus is Lord”, in contrast with those who said, “Caesar is Lord.” During Domitian’s reign, to confess the lordship of Christ often meant death. Verse 12 consists of both joyfulness and warning, joyfulness for heaven and its occupants, warning for “earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” Thus, the already persecuted Christians were to prepare themselves for another assault by Satan. The brevity of Satan’s time may mean thousands of years to God’s calendar (2 Peter 3:8).
The critical blow to Satan came when the Lamb, Jesus Christ, shed His blood for our sins. The victory is won by sacrifice- Christ’s death is our place to pay the penalty for our sin. And the sacrifices we make because of our faith in Him. As we face the battle with Satan, we should not fear it or try to escape from it, but we should loyalty serve Christ, who alone brings victory (Romans 8:34-35).
The devil begins to step his persecution became he knows that “he has little time”. We are living in the last days, and Satan’s work has become more intense. Even though the devil is very powerful, as we can see by the condition of our world, he is always under God’s control. One of the reasons God allows Satan to work evil and bring temptation is so that those who pretend to be Christ’s followers will be weeded out from Christ’s true believers. What do we think that the Israelites of the Old Testament, who continued to worship idols, teaches us? Knowing that the last great confrontation with Jesus is near. Satan is desperately trying to recruit as great an enemy force as possible for this final battle. We see in Revelation- twice- that Satan did recruit a mass army- once just before Jesus’ second coming and then again when Satan was released at the end of the Millennium. Jesus tells John to record that in both cases the outcome will be the same- Satan loses, and with the last time it will be for keeps.
If you haven’t read Revelation chapters 20 and 21 recently, you need to! They tell us what we, as believers, will be doing as Satan is cast to “his fiery permanent end”. Our basis response to Satan is to follow Christ completely. While we are not likely to be required to die for our faith, but we need to be bold in our witness for Christ