The War In Heaven
Sermon Notes
Today we’re continuing our teaching series on a book of the bible called Revelation, and it’s a series about finding peace in a world of chaos. The text we’re studying today is about a war in heaven. It’s about a war, a spiritual battle between Satan and God, which is something we can’t see with our physical eyes. But just because we can’t see it with our physical eyes doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. For example, we believe in the Northern Lights, even though we can’t see them living in Florida. Last week my wife woke me in the middle of the night talking about the Geo Storm and how people could see the Northern Lights all over the U.S., including Florida. I was trying to sleep, and she’s talking Geo Storms! She wanted to drive somewhere to see them, and I was all for it. But then she told me we can’t see it in Florida with our physical eyes, instead we would have to put our cameras on certain settings, which isn’t worth me losing sleep over. I want to be able to see the Northern Lights with my physical eyes, I don’t want to see it through a digitized lens.
My point is just because I couldn’t see the Northern Lights with my physical eyes, that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. If I adjusted my camera settings or looked at other people’s photos, it could at least help me get a little glimpse of what the Northern Lights are like even though I haven’t seen it with my physical eyes. In a similar way, today’s text can at least help us get a little glimpse into the spiritual world, even though we haven’t seen it with our physical eyes. It can help give us get a little glimpse into a spiritual war, a spiritual battle between Satan and God. So let’s turn to Revelation 12 and check it out. You’ll find Revelation in the back of the bible, it’s the very last book of the bible, and we’ll be in Revelation 12:1-9. Title of the message is The War In Heaven. The big idea is Satan can fight, but he can’t prevail...Satan can fight, but he can’t prevail...
Here’s your context. The book of revelation is about the 2nd coming of Jesus, and what will happen at the end of history when he finally returns. We divided the entire book into four major sections based on four major visions Jesus gives to John the author, and right now we’re in the 2nd vision which is of Jesus and the Cosmos. It’s of Jesus ruling over the entire cosmos, and his wrath being poured out on sin and evil. Over the past few weeks we’ve learned there’s 7 stages in God’s final judgement, and last week ch 11 ended with the 7th stage beginning. But the effects of the 7th stage isn’t discussed until ch 15, and so the focus in ch 12 is more on the war in heaven and the characters in that war. As we study ch 12 we’ll learn about: 1st The Woman, 2nd The Dragon, 3rd The Son, and 4th The War. We’ll learn that Satan can fight, but he can’t prevail. Let’s check it out.
Revelation 12:1-9 states, “A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2 She was pregnant and cried out in labor and agony as she was about to give birth.” John’s teaching us the 1st character involved in the war in heaven is The Woman, and scholars say the woman can represent three things. The woman can either represent Mary the mother of Jesus, the Christian church, or Israel pregnant with anticipation for the coming Messiah. It’s possible John has all three of these in view when writing this, so it’s probably best to say the woman represents God’s people. John describes her being clothed with the sun and moon, which could imply stability in God making sure his people continue to exist. Just like the sun and moon continue to exist daily, God’s people continue to exist daily. The crown of twelve stars most likely represents the 12 apostles or the 12 tribes of Israel representing God’s people in the universal church. John also says the woman was pregnant, which we’ll later learn is a reference to Jesus. God’s people were waiting and crying out for their Messiah, their Savior Jesus to come rescue them. But rescue them from who? The text tells us.
Vs. 3, “Then another sign appeared in heaven: There was a great fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven crowns. 4 Its tail swept away a third of the stars in heaven and hurled them to the earth. And the dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she did give birth it might devour her child.” Okay so now John’s teaching us about the 2nd character involved in the war in heaven, and it’s The Dragon. We’ve learned the woman represents God’s people, and they’re crying out for their Messiah to come rescue them from the dragon. This is starting to sound like “Lord of the Rings” or “Chronicles of Narnia.” It’s starting to sound like a fantasy, but it isn’t a fantasy it’s symbolism. In fact vs 9 tells us exactly who this dragon symbolizes. Vs. 9 says, “So the great dragon was thrown out—the ancient serpent, who is called the devil, who is called Satan.” So the dragon is clearly Satan, and John describes him as a fiery red dragon implying he’s a destructive murderer. Jesus said in John 8:44, “Satan was a murderer from the beginning.” Satan’s a destructive murderer seeking to devour people. John also says he had seven heads, ten horns, and seven crowns, which represents his intelligence, power, and leadership over the evil kingdoms in the world that he’s ruling over.
Now in vs 4 it says Satan swept away 1/3 of the stars in heaven, and some scholars say this refers to the original fall of Satan and demons. It’s where these evil attacks against God’s Kingdom and God’s people originated. Satan wanted to be like God, he wanted to be greater than God, so he rebelled against God and took 1/3 of the stars, meaning 1/3 of the angels with him. Those angels turned into demons when they chose to rebel against God. Satan’s evil attacks against God’s Kingdom started in heaven, and they continue on earth with attacking God’s people. John says Satan was waiting for the woman to give birth, so he could devour the Messiah. It’s why he tempted Cain to kill Abel in Genesis, tempted Pharaoh to kill Hebrew babies in Exodus, tempted Saul to kill David in 1st Samuel, tempted Athaliah to kill all the royal heirs of the house of Judah in 2nd Chronicles, tempted Haman to kill all the Jews in Esther, tempted Herod to kill the babies in Matthew’s gospel trying to get to Jesus. If you study history you’ll see Satan was trying to kill the family lineage of Jesus for centuries, hoping to prevent the birth of Jesus, hoping to prevent Jesus from coming as the Messianic Savior. But he failed every time, which the text mentions next.
Vs. 5, “She gave birth to a Son, a male who is going to rule all nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and to his throne. 6 The woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, to be nourished there for 1,260 days.” John’s teaching us about the 3rd character involved in the war in heaven, and it’s The Son. We’ve learned about the woman, the dragon, and now we’re learning about the son, which is a reference to Jesus as the Messianic Savior. It’s a reference to the incarnate birth of Jesus defeating Satan’s relentless efforts to prevent the birth of Jesus, to prevent Jesus from coming as the Messianic Savior. Satan failed to stop Jesus from coming, and he’ll fail to stop Jesus from returning. He failed to stop Jesus from taking his throne, and he’ll fail to stop Jesus from remaining on his throne. Vs 5 says Jesus was caught up to his throne, which is a reference to the ascension of Jesus into heaven and the victorious power he has over Satan. Satan influenced the Romans and Jews to crucify Jesus on the cross, but he couldn’t keep Jesus crucified on the cross. He had Jesus buried and his body guarded at the tomb, but he couldn’t keep Jesus buried and guarded because Jesus resurrected from the tomb. Satan appeared to be victoriously powerful, but it’s really Jesus who was victoriously powerful. The birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus proved who the real Alpha is, and it isn’t Satan. But even though Satan knows he can’t defeat Jesus, he still wants to attack followers of Jesus. It’s why John says the woman, God’s people flee to the wilderness to be nourished by God. The implication is Satan’s always attacking God’s people, but he can’t take the souls of God’s people, because Christ the Son eternally spiritually secured our souls on the cross. What verses 1-6 are teaching us is the redemptive story of the Bible. They’re teaching us about the past, present, and future hope we have in Jesus as our Messianic Savior. They’re teaching us Satan can fight, but he can’t prevail.
Vs. 7, “Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also fought, 8 but he could not prevail, and there was no place for them in heaven any longer.” This is the 4th thing John’s teaching us about, and it’s The War In Heaven. He taught us about the characters in the war, but now he’s teaching us about the actual war itself. He says war broke out in heaven, and he mentions another character in this war named Michael. In Jude 9 we learn Michael is called an archangel, which is a title indicating he has authority over other angels. He’s a leader in God’s angelic army, which is why he’s leading the way in this fight against Satan and his demonic army. In fact the name Michael in Old Testament Hebrew means “Who is like God?” It’s a rhetorical question asking who is like God, in opposition of Satan who wants to be like God. Michael’s very name is in opposition of Satan, and he’s leading the way in this war against Satan and his demonic army. In Daniel ch 12 we learn one of Michael’s primary responsibilities is to be a guardian over God’s people. This doesn’t mean we have guardian angels guarding us from the physical dangers we face in the natural world, instead they’re guarding us from the spiritual dangers we face from Satan and the demonic in the supernatural world.
So what’s happening here is a supernatural war in heaven, where Michael’s fighting against Satan and the demonic. Scholars debate over when this war actually takes place. Some say it’s a glimpse into the war that took place in the original fall of Satan which we just read in vs 1-6. Some say it’s a glimpse into a war that might have taken place when Jesus ascended into heaven. Some say it’s a glimpse into a war that’ll eventually take place in the future when some of the tribulations start happening in the book of Revelation. But the point isn’t for us to focus on when this war in heaven takes place, it’s for us to focus on who will be victorious when it takes place. We’re to focus on the fact that Jesus, Michael, and the angelic army are the ones who will be victorious. We’re to focus on the fact that Satan can fight, but he can’t prevail. Listen again to what it says.
Again vs. 7, “Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also fought, 8 but he could not prevail, and there was no place for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was thrown out—the ancient serpent, who is called the devil, who is called Satan, the one who deceives the whole world. He was thrown to earth, and his angels with him.” What John’s saying is we need to focus on the fact that Satan and his demonic army fought, but they could not prevail. Satan can fight, but he can’t prevail. He’s saying Jesus ascended into heaven where he’s currently seated on his holy throne, but Satan’s descended from heaven where he’s currently seated on an evil throne. In vs 9 he says Satan’s been thrown to earth, meaning the war in heaven is now happening here on earth. In the supernatural world Satan sparked a war in heaven that’s now transitioned into a war here on earth. He attacked the first humans in the Garden of Eden by tempting them to desire what he desires, which is to be like God. He whispered lies into their ears just like he whispers lies into our ears. The first humans believed his lies, and we believe his lies too every time we sin, reject God, try being our own self-sufficient gods, thinking we can live our lives without God. Every time we do these things, we’re believing Satan’s lies and joining his rebellion. We’ll talk more about this war on earth next week, but for now let me give you 3 takeaways, 3 things to remember when it comes to this war in heaven.
#1 Remember you’re in a war! = This text teaches you need to remember you’re in a war. You need to remember you’re one of the characters in this supernatural war that started in heaven, but is now happening here on earth. Every day when you wake up Satan and his demonic army are seeking to devour you. They’re seeking to discourage you and whisper lies into your ears so you’ll doubt God’s love for you. It’s always fascinating to me how sometimes I’ll go to bed feeling encouraged and joyful in life, but then I’ll wake up the next morning feeling discouraged and depressed in life. I went to bed feeling great, but I woke up feeling miserable. How does that happen when all I did was sleep? It’s because Satan and his demonic army love whispering lies in our ears while we sleep, hoping to discourage us before our feet even hit the ground in the morning. They want to discourage us before we face the day, so we have very little impact on our marriages, families, neighborhoods, cities as we go through the day. They want to discourage us from going to church, reading the bible, praying to Jesus in the morning, so we have very little growth in our relationship and reliance on Jesus as we go through the day. Every morning when you wake up, you’re in a war. It’s a war for your heart, a war against everything Jesus says is good for your heart.
#2 Remember the battle belongs to Jesus! = This text teaches you need to remember you’re in a war, but it also teaches the battle belongs to Jesus. It teaches us to rely on Jesus instead of relying on ourselves, because we don’t have the power to defeat Satan and the demonic by ourselves. We need the help of Christ, because he’s the one who has the power to defeat Satan which he proved through his birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension. What John’s repeatedly teaching us in this text is that it’s Jesus and his angelic army who have the power to defeat Satan and his demonic army. So every day you’re in a war, you’re in a battle you can’t win by yourself, but the good news is you don’t have to battle by yourself. Jesus is the Messianic Savior who’s willing to help you every day, so you don’t have to fight this war by yourself every day. But you need to turn to him and rely on him every day, remembering the battle belongs to him.
#3 Remember Jesus will win the battle! = This text teaches you need to remember you’re in a war, you need to remember the battle belongs to Jesus, but you also need to remember Jesus will win the battle. I know sometimes life is hard and it can feel like you’re having to run for your life like the woman in the text, like God’s people having to run for their life into the wilderness. But this text is showing us we won’t have to run forever. It’s showing us we won’t have to worry about Satan and his demonic army attacking us forever, because when Jesus comes back he’ll be victorious again, except this time Satan and his demonic army will be thrown out of this world forever. They were thrown out of heaven, and they’ll be thrown out of this world forever. The wilderness life you’re living will eventually be turned into a paradise life in heaven. So remember you’re in a war, remember the battle belongs to Jesus, and remember that Jesus will win the battle!
The big idea of the message is that Satan can fight, but he can’t prevail...Satan can fight, but he can’t prevail...Just like adjusting my camera settings or looking at people’s photos can help me see the Northern Lights, the Lord gave John this vision to help us see what’s going on in the supernatural world. It’s a supernatural battle for our hearts against everything Jesus says is good for our hearts, and every human faces the same choice as the first humans. We can follow Jesus or follow Satan in his rebellion against Jesus. It’s a decision we need to make every day, in every situation. When there’s a battle at home in your marriage or family, you can follow Jesus or follow Satan. When there’s a battle at work or school, you can follow Jesus or follow Satan. When there’s a battle with sin and temptation, you can follow Jesus or follow Satan. In every situation, in every battle you need to ask is this action I'm doing, these words I’m saying, these thoughts I’m thinking, helping with the restoration of Jesus’ kingdom, or helping with the rebellion against his kingdom? In every situation, in every battle you need to ask if you’re helping the restoration or the rebellion? It’s a decision we need to make every day, in every situation, because every day there’s a battle.
The good news is behind every situation, behind every battle, behind the curtain of this physical world, is the victorious King Jesus who’s willing to walk with you through the battles of life. He loves you so much, that like a solider he died for your sins on the cross to win the greatest battle against sin and death in your life. He loves you, he died for you, he wants good things for you, your family, your friends, our city and church. So rely on him instead of relying on yourself in the battles of life and in the battle for your heart. Satan can fight, but he can’t prevail with Jesus in the fight. The battle belongs to Jesus, and he’ll win every battle!