A Plan to Win the War Against Satan Revelation 12

The word 'war' comes to English through the Old English word 'werre' (to confuse or cause confusion). Isn't that exactly what Satan wants to do to followers of Christ? Matthew 13:19 explains, "When anyone hears the message about the Kingdom and does not understands it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart." Satan's goal is to cause confusion and doubt in order to cripple believers, so that they will not be effective in bringing about the Kingdom of God. Since the Garden of Eden, Satan has continued to declare war on God's children. He wants us to see the battle as a war here on earth between him and us. Nothing could be more wrong. The battle is actually taking place in heaven and it is between good and evil. Our misunderstanding is centered around our tendency to not tap into God's sufficient power that he gave us at salvation. He instilled in us the capability to do greater things than even he. In John 14, he tells his disciples just that. In Luke 10, he sends out seventy believers in pairs to do the work of the Gospel. They did miraculous things, and when they returned, they asked Jesus if he had seen. Jesus replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven." We have everything we need to battle Satan. When we tap into the power of God, we are victorious in the heavenly war. Revelation 12 is a recap of how Satan engages us, and how he loses in the end, being thrown down to earth in defeat.

I. War Against the People of God

Revelation 12 opens with a pregnant woman, about to give birth, and clothed with the sun, standing above the moon with 12 stars on her head. Additionally, an enormous red dragon with 7 crowned heads and 10 horns was standing before the woman ready to devour her child. The woman is representative of the church, and the dragon, Satan. As the woman gave birth, the child was snatched to heaven causing war to begin between good and evil. From the beginning of the earth, Satan has tried to destroy the witness of God here on earth. For example, Cain killed his brother over an offering. Then, Pharaoh ordered all the male children destroyed in an effort to kill Moses. Additionally, Solomon's sin and Northern Israel's rebellion caused the Kingdom to be divided, rendering the Kingdom ineffective. Once again, Satan was defeated when Herod failed to murder the baby Jesus. Finally, with the resurrection of Christ, not only did Jesus defeat Satan, but he defeated death and hell as well. In the midst of all these events, God supernaturally protected his children and his divine plan in spite of Satan's efforts to separate and kill. Satan's battleground is not here on earth, but it is in the hearts and minds of the people of God. He stands before the heavenly throne as our accuser. His goal is to confuse and point out our guilt. He wants us to feel disheartened and not forgiven. If he can cripple us in this way, then we are ineffective in doing the work of the Kingdom. Daily, we should echo the praise in Psalm 144, "Praise be to the Lord, my rock who trains my hands for war and my fingers for battle." Why can we not be confident that God has provided to us everything we need to win the battle? As Satan points to our guilt, Christ points to his grace. It is by grace, we will endure, and in the end, Satan will be thrown down, and salvation, power, and authority belongs to the Lord. For believers, in the meantime, it is as easy as believing 1 John 1:9, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." What other thing is there to worry about? Jesus did it all. When we can believe that and know that he has equipped us with all we need, then we will live life victoriously.

II. Winning the War

Verse 11 outlines the formula for winning the war with Satan. This winning formula begins and ends with the shed blood of Jesus Christ. We must realize that the blood of Jesus, shed on the cross, finished the work of salvation. From the cross, Jesus announced that the work of salvation is complete, "It is finished." (John 19:30) He not only became the satisfaction for mankind's sin debt, he also holds the keys of death and Hades.

(Revelation 1:18) An ancillary component of the winning formula is the part believers play in the war. The war can be won by the word of believers' testimony and because they do not love their lives so much that they shrink from death. In the midst of persecution, we must testify about the great power of the Gospel. For example, we must first testify in our own heart. Daily thank God for his saving grace in your life. Also, we must testify in our daily walk. Witness to those around us, especially to family and friends. Last, we must learn to testify in frightening situations, even when facing death. Sometimes, serving God can be risky. God may call you to go into a dangerous place. Sadly, many Christians never answer that kind of call. We must learn to say yes to serving God whatever or wherever he leads. Christine Cain, an Australian evangelist, puts it simply, "I heard Jesus tell me that he didn't give his life and rise again from the dead just so that I can live a nice, little, safe, comfortable, complacent, ordinary life. He called me (and all believers) to live a faith adventure." Ask yourself if your spiritual life is cozy and comfortable. If it is, then maybe you need to listen for God's call. Sometimes we are satisfied with comfortable because uncomfortable is scary. Do not let fear keep you from God's perfect will for your life. If he calls you to it, he will equip you for it. Amen.

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