Have you ever witnessed someone’s frustration grow as they lost game after game? We experienced this at our house last night during a speed game. James, the oldest, dominated most rounds, leaving Edmund (4 years younger) upset. Meanwhile, the girls and I didn’t fare much better, but we continued to enjoy playing.
On a much larger scale, the dragon (Satan) was furious about
not being able to devour the baby (as we discussed last week). It seems he decided
to wage war in Heaven. Let’s see how that turned out:
Revelation
12:7-12 7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought
against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in
heaven. 9 The
great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole
world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
who accuses them before our God
day and night,
has been hurled down.
11 They triumphed over him
by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of their
testimony;
they did not love their lives so much
as to shrink from death.
12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens
and you who dwell in them!
But woe to the earth and the sea,
because the devil has gone down
to you!
He is filled with fury,
because he knows that his time is
short.”
Did Satan win? Not at all!
In fact, he was defeated not only by Jesus but also by Michael and his angels.
Although Satan is powerful and currently rules this world, it is reassuring to
know that not only is Jesus, but a multitude of angels possess greater power.
As the temporary ruler of
this world, Satan seeks to drag people down with him in a fit of anger and
defiance against Jesus’s triumph. Have we, like many, been deceived by Satan’s lies
and pursued fleeting earthly success and security? Or are we focused on Jesus’s
triumph and pursuing a relationship with Him? We can tap into Jesus’s power to
overcome Satan’s temptations for He has already triumphed over Satan. He reigns
as the true and eternal ruler of Heaven and earth!
