The Trifecta of victory!

June 11, 2020 (Thursday)

 

                Chapter 12 features one of the most spectacular images of Satan’s defeat. In verses 7 -8 the angel Michael wages war on the Dragon. In verse 9 the Dragon loses and is thrown down to earth. “So the great dragon was thrown down. The old snake, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world, was thrown down to the earth; and his angels were thrown down with him.” [Revelation 12:10 CEB] Verses 10 - 12 feature an anthem of victory. Four things are now clearly registered in verse 10. They are salvation, power, the kingdom of God, and the authority of Christ. Each of these are made clear by the heavenly defeat of Satan. We see another aspect of Satan in verse 10 as the “accuser.” These accusations are brought before God against believers day and night.

                God’s faithful gain victory, in court against the accused, in verse 11 with three things. “And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die.” [Revelation 12:11 NLT] The first is the blood of the Lamb. This blood was shed to redeem us from the slavery of sin. This blood also made atonement (covering) for our sin. Jesus took our place and satisfied God’s justice (see Romans 3). It is important to understand that the blood of the Lamb is not the foundation for victory but the means of our victory. The second weapon of victory is the word of their testimony. This is literally the verbal account and witness to the shed blood of Jesus. The third weapon turns out to be courage. The faithful deny their own lives so much as to not fear death. They are willing to die and many do die for the name of Jesus.

                In verse 13 Satan, unable to reach God, turns on the woman. “When the dragon realized that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.” [Revelation 21:13 NLT] In verse 14 she is given wings to flee into the desert where she will be taken care of for “a time and times and half a time” (three and half years). In verse 15 Satan uses a River of water to try to sweep her away. In verse 16 she is saved by the earth that opens its mouth and swallows the river. “And the dragon was angry at the woman and declared war against the rest of her children—all who keep God’s commandments and maintain their testimony for Jesus.” [Revelation 12:17 NLT] Unable to reach the woman, verse 17 tells us that Satan now turns to make war on the rest of her children. These are those who keep God’s commandments and hold firmly to the witness of Jesus.

                This war will be done through two agents in chapter 13, the beast from the sea, typically identified as the Antichrist, and the beast from the earth, typically identified as his prophet. Generally, futurists put this war in the final 3.5 years before the Millennial kingdom.

                Yesterday, John brought over his power washer. We cleaned the outside of the house. I got to blast the cement porch. This lead to a good deal of the paint coming off, in preparation for repainting. It reminded me of the days when I sanitized a beverage company. After two shifts, the place needed sanitizing. When we were done, the place looked completely different. That’s what God is going to do. Take the pressure hose to this world. Those who will not be made clean, washed in the blood of Jesus, will be washed away under the torrent of events.

                Pressure has a way of doing that… exposing what and who we really are… exposing what we want to believe and what we really believe. The older I get, the more I’m convinced of the difference between believing and becoming. “But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.” [John 1:12 NLT] The word translated “right” means “he authorized” or gave the power of choice, permission. Just because one has a “right” does not mean one exercises the right. In other words, “believing” is a good start but it’s only a start. Pity the one who, ignores the pressure of the Holy Spirit, leaving all the blessings of being a child of God on the table while struggling, or being blissfully blind, through life.