The War in Heaven - Pt. 3

 

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

 

Satan, this vile creature, is cast out permanently from having any access to heaven and is hurled to the earth. That is very good news for heaven, but very bad news for earth. It is always interesting to see the little glimpses into the spiritual realm that scripture gives us. I mentioned earlier that one book that clearly presents this is the book of Job. There we read:

 

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. The LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?" Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it." The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil." Then Satan answered the LORD, "Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But put forth Your hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse You to Your face." Then the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him." So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD. (Job 1:6-12).

 

In this amazing scene, the sons of God, angelic beings, present themselves before God to give an account of their activity. Among them is one called Satan. He has been watching one on earth called Job and when God raises the integrity of Job, His servant, Satan is quick to accuse him and pronounce that he is only faithful to God because of God's blessing and protection. God allows Satan to test Job, but with clear boundaries on what Satan can and cannot do. It is a truly remarkable scene. Now, in our reading today, Satan accuses the brethren before God day and night! We need to acknowledge that we see and understand these things dimly! But what is clear is that with this coming war, this all changes! Never again will Satan have access to the heavenly courts of God's presence. And never again will he be able to accuse one of God's children before the Lord. This begins the greatest affliction Satan could inflict on humanity still remaining on the earth. The end is very near!