Victory Celebration in Heaven

Transcript

GR 1542
10/11/09
Victory Celebration in Heaven
Revelation 12:10-12
Gil Rugh

The Bible tells us about the beginning of things, it tells us about the end of things and we're studying the last chapter, the book of Revelation which tells us about the end of things. Turn to Revelation 1, just to remind you the theme of the book of Revelation is found in verse 7, behold He is coming with the clouds. And every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be, amen. Jesus Christ is going to come to earth with power and great glory, not secretly, not humbly, but with a full display of His power and glory to establish a kingdom on this earth. All history is moving toward this point. We look at the world around us, it's easy to become disturbed, frustrated. You understand everything is on track, it is moving toward the divinely appointed conclusion. And that conclusion is Jesus Christ stepping from heaven and coming to this earth to take control and establish a kingdom over which He will rule and reign.

This plan of God is opposed by Satan. Satan desires to usurp the place of God and establish his rule over all creation. We looked at Isaiah 14:14 where Lucifer's original sin, an act of rebellion—I will make myself like the Most High. We looked at Ezekiel 28, and those two passages together in the Old Testament tell of the original fall of Satan as God had created him perfect in beauty, no iniquity in him until the day that he rebelled against God and lost the glorious position he had as the anointed cherub that covered the throne of God. From that point on there has been a battle going on, a spiritual battle in the spirit world between the angels of God who were faithful to Him and Satan and the fallen angels who serve him. Adam and Eve were caught up in this battle and chose to follow Satan in rebellion. And so now we have Satan, the fallen angels and humanity joined in a battle against God, the unfallen angels, and by God's grace a redeemed portion of humanity.

Turn back to Ephesians 2, a portion we looked at in our earlier study today. The chapter begins, you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. You'll note the power of Satan to work in and through those who are his followers. Among them we, too, all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh. We are born sinners, remember. We were conceived in sin, the fallen nature of Adam was passed on to every subsequent generation. So we all, too, formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind. And note this, were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. So you see humanity is now part of that rebellion of Satan in serving under his authority, under his rule. And we are by nature fallen beings, living in a state of rebellion against God. But God being rich in mercy because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved. And raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. That's why we say we will be trophies of grace for all eternity. For all eternity our presence in the glorious presence of God will be a testimony of the greatness of God's grace. That's verse 7, the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. Now there are those who have been redeemed by God's grace. That's where we have the battles drawn, from the spirit world to the human world, the relentless conflict going on.

Turn to Ephesians 6:10, finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenlies. This is where the conflict takes place.

Back in Ephesians 2:6, He raised us up with Him, seated us with Him in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus. There is a battle, this battle really is focused in the spirit world. Much of it is played out here where we see because we are involved, as humanity is divided between the redeemed and the non-redeemed. But you understand this is primarily a spiritual battle with the spiritual forces of wickedness. By God's grace we have experienced the redemption.

Now this battle continues on today relentlessly. It will not go away, there are no compromises, there is no way to make peace with the devil and his forces. So we as the children of God are in a relentless, unending battle. That's why we can sing about the difficulty, the trials, the pain, the tears. It is an ongoing conflict, it won't go away until we are rescued finally by Christ Himself.

Now you come back to Revelation 12. This seven years leading up to the return of Christ to earth to establish His kingdom is what the book of Revelation is about by and large from chapter 6 to chapter 19. And then chapter 20-22 will have the kingdom that Christ is going to come to establish. Those last seven years are special times as God completes His program and promises to Israel as a nation in anticipation of the coming of the Messiah to establish the kingdom that was promised to Israel. In the middle of that seven years there is a war in heaven and that was recorded in Revelation 12:7-9 in particular. And there we saw Michael the archangel who is particularly identified as the prince who stands on behalf of the nation Israel. He and the unfallen angels join in battle against Satan and the fallen angels in a conflict that takes place in heaven. Because remember Satan lost his position as the anointed cherub that covered the throne of God, but he has not lost his access to heaven. And so in this ongoing struggle coming to a climax now in heaven at a future time, Satan and his fallen angels lose their access to heaven.

It's an event of great significance and importance. All the host of heaven realizes the significance of this event, Satan and the fallen angels recognize the significance of this event. And it's explained here so we can understand why the last 3½ years of that seven-year period are so terrible on the earth. Satan realizes this is the last gasp, time is running out and all of his energy, all of his demonic power now is directed toward attempting to frustrate the plan of God by destroying the nation Israel. Because if there is no Israel there can be no kingdom that God promised to Israel. God will have failed, satan will have won. That explains all the anti-Semitism going on in the world. That will not change. There will be no peace with the Jews in the world. And when there is a seeming peace it will be the most disastrous thing that could happen to Israel. So it helps us to understand and put the events of the world in perspective. Why can't there be peace? Why can't they get along? Because Satan and God cannot compromise, there is no compromise. Satan is determined to try to thwart the plan of God. So the world must hate the Jews. And anti-Semitism seems to run under the surface. Even though people cover up it seems to pop out in countries where you wouldn't have expected it. Why? Because every unredeemed person is anti-Jewish, because the Jews as a nation have been selected by God. Even in their unredeemed state the promises of God hold true for the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable, Romans 11 tells us. And since fallen human beings are by nature children of wrath, they have the devil working in and through them to carry out his will. They are at heart anti-Jewish. And that's where we are going with the conflict that is developed in Romans 12.

As a result of Satan and his angels being defeated and cast out of heaven there is great celebration in heaven and that's recorded in verses 10-12. Look at verse 10, then I heard a loud voice in heaven. That's where the battle has taken place. All heaven is aware of what has taken place here, the victory that has been won by Michael and the unfallen angels. So you have a loud voice in heaven saying, now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come. For the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony. And they did not love their life, even when faced with death. For this reason rejoice oh heavens, and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.

Verse 10 begins, I heard a loud voice in heaven. We're not told the identity of the voice but the context gives us some indication. In the middle of verse 10 this loud voice is saying, the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down. That would seem to rule out angels because unfallen angels are not the object of Satan's accusations. It's the redeemed who are the subject of Satan's accusations. It would seem in the context here we may be talking about the martyred saints because we'll be told at the end of verse 11, they did not love their life to death. In other words they didn't love life over death, they loved the Lord more than their own physical lives and gave their lives. This would fit back in chapter 6 verse 9, you see the people we are talking about here—the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and because of the testimony which they had maintained. And they cried out with a loud voice saying, how long oh Lord, holy and true will you refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth. And they are told, wait a little while. There are more faithful believers who have to give their lives in testimony, verse 11.

Now in verse 10 there is celebration in heaven because they recognize the end is in sight, this is the last phase. And it's a short phase. The thousands of years that the battle has gone on but the forces of Satan are only 3½ years away from being brought to a conclusion so the kingdom can be established and believers can be vindicated. What do they say? Now the salvation, the power, the kingdom of our God, the authority of His Christ have come. All that is coming together—salvation, power, the kingdom, the authority of His Christ have come. Indication the time has come for the establishing of the kingdom. Satan knows this because the end of verse 12, he knows he only has a short time. So you see all recognize, the host of heaven, particularly here talking about martyred saints, but the angels would recognize, too, because Satan knows it. So he as a fallen angel recognizes it, we know the unfallen angels recognize where we are in the plan of God. It's hard for us to get our arms around just what Satan knows and understands about the future. But evidently a significant amount. When he loses his access to heaven he knows time is running out.

This doesn't cause him to change, it causes him to intensify his opposition to God and God's purposes. Because if I'm going to get the job done, I only have a little while to do it. But even though he's read the last chapter, the book of Revelation, and even though he has been in the presence of God and heard the counsels of God regarding the plans of God, he still believes he has the chance to thwart the plan of God.

Of God, verse 10, the salvation, the power, the kingdom of our God. It modifies all that. It's the salvation of our God, it's the power of our God, it's the kingdom of our God. All three of those statements are modified by of our God. It's His salvation, it's His power, it’s His kingdom. His salvation. Now is the salvation of our God come. This is salvation in its final aspect, the fulfillment of God's promises of salvation. We've entered into salvation, we have been saved. We often say we have been saved from the penalty of sin and we are in the process of being saved from the power of sin and ultimately will be saved from the presence of sin. We're talking about the ultimate climax of God's salvation.

Back up to Romans 8. Talking about, in this context, the fact that we are the sons of God. Verse 16, the Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God. If children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope, that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. Not only this, but we ourselves having the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. We are anticipating that time when the curse will be lifted from the creation because in the sovereign plan of God the death of Christ is not only provided for our cleansing, forgiveness and ultimate glorification, but it's provided for the lifting of the curse from the creation itself. So you have the inanimate creation, if you will. And it could be the animal creation, but thinking here of just the earth groaning under the impact of sin. But there will come a time when that will be lifted, the desert will blossom the rose or crocus and so on. That's what we anticipate. So the salvation of our God has come because that is what will happen when the kingdom is established.

Back to Revelation. Not only the salvation, but the power of our God. Power, dunamos, dynamite, dynamic, dynamo. English words we have carried over, just using this Greek word. The might, the power of God. That's when it will be displayed before all creation. His might, His strength, as His enemies have been defeated, and as His creation is restored to the glory and beauty that He created it to have. His power will be displayed.

Turn back to Psalm 110:1, the Lord says to my lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet. The Lord will stretch forth your strong scepter from Zion saying, rule in the midst of your enemies. Great Messianic psalm. Down in verse 4, you are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek, referring to Christ, that time when God's sovereign power is demonstrated and all His enemies are subjected. And His Messiah, His priest, Melchizedek. And that's what the book of Hebrews develops, the Melchizedekian priesthood of Christ. There a footstool for your feet. God in might and power has totally subjected His enemies and delivered His people and delivered His creation from the curse. That verse is quoted in Hebrews 1:13, that the Son is far superior to the angels because God never gave a promise like that to the angels, He gave it to His Son.

Back in Revelation 12:10, verse 10, now the salvation, the power and the kingdom of our God have come. Back in Revelation 11:15, when the seventh angel sounded his trumpet there were loud voices in heaven saying, the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ. And He will reign forever and ever, anticipating that we are at the brink of the establishing of the kingdom. That's the kingdom of our God, that's associated with the authority of His Christ. God has given all authority to the Son. The Great Commission which we studied not too long ago in Matthew 28:18, Christ said, all authority has been given to Me, in heaven and on earth. That's the authority that He has.

Back up to John 17:1, Christ is praying to His Father in anticipation of His impending crucifixion. Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, even as you gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom you have given Him, He may give eternal life. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on the earth, having accomplished the work which you have given Me to do. Now, Father, glorify Me together with yourself with the glory which I had with you before the world was. Jesus Christ is restored to that pre-incarnate glory, now He is restored as the incarnate Savior and has all authority now. Because now God's plan of redeeming fallen creation can be carried out through the finished work of the Son.

This goes back to Psalm 2:8 where the Son of God is referred to as His anointed. The word Christ comes from the Greek word Cristos, it means the Anointed One. It goes back to a Messianic passage like Psalm 2:8, what the Lord will do with His anointed, His Christ. He will take all authority, the kingdom will be established.

You know I am greatly troubled, again it comes up in the commentaries I was reading this week on the book of Romans. But the confusion they keep working in to passages that we are in the kingdom, that Christ is reigning. That just is not so.

Come back to Matthew 25. This will become clear in the next statement we're going to see here in Revelation 12. But look at Matthew 25:31, but when the Son of Man comes in His glory. And this had been told back in Matthew 24 that this will be an event that all will see. But when the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. When He comes in all His glory and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne, that's when He will sit on the Davidic throne, the Messianic throne, establishing His kingdom. And first determining who will and who will not go into the kingdom. Down in verse 34, then the king will say to those on His right, come you who are blessed of My Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. We are now to realize what God had planned and promised from the beginning. Now you enter into the kingdom. The passages we read about those who will inherit the kingdom, well here is when the inheritance is entered into—when Christ comes in glory with the angels and sets up His glorious throne on this earth. Then we will be ready for people to go into the kingdom. Before that there is no kingdom. We are not in the kingdom today. We anticipate the time when we will go into the kingdom.

Over in Revelation 20, and we are yet future, this is after the return of Christ in glory in chapter 19, after the destruction of His enemies and the binding of Satan in the abyss in Revelation 20:1-3. We are told, then there is resurrection in verse 4 and at the end of verse 4, they came to life and reigned with Christ for 1000 years. Verse 6, blessed and holy is the one who has part in the first resurrection, over these the second death has no power. They will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for 1000 years. The kingdom is yet future. I think it is part of the remnants of anti-Semitism and the fallen nature of man that makes even people who claim to believe the Bible twist it so they can say there is no future for the nation Israel. And we are in the kingdom now and it's a spiritual kingdom and we have become spiritual Israel. Some of the writers I was reading this week are saying, and Christ is the true Israel, so all the promises to Israel are fulfilled in Christ and now in us. That's not biblical interpretation, that's goofiness.

Come back to Revelation 12. I mean this is exciting. We are in anticipation of the kingdom and it says the salvation, the power, the kingdom, the authority of His Anointed One has come. But the kingdom won't start right now. It's just they realize this is a momentous event, Satan has been defeated, his host has been cast from heaven, they know the end is in sight. I mean, when it's been promised for millenniums, 3½ years now until the end. Just down the road, around the corner.

Why is the salvation, the power and the kingdom, the authority of His Christ, why has that come now? For the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down. For. That tells us why now we are almost at the establishing of the kingdom. For the accuser of our brethren has been cast down. It tells us that the defeat of Satan in the middle of the 70th week of Daniel is a necessary prelude to the establishing of the kingdom. You cannot have the kingdom before that. I mean, we have any doubt, here are the voices from heaven telling us that. Now is the salvation, the power, the kingdom of our God and authority of His Christ have come. Why? For the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down.

Now it even tells us how long we have until the formal establishing of that kingdom on earth. When Satan is cast down we are told back in verse 6, as we got an overview of this final persecution of Israel, as Israel flees from the persecution of Satan, he has 1260 days, 3½ years. We are told down in the middle of verse 14 that Israel is hiding in the wilderness for a time, times and a half time. Expressions from Daniel's prophecy. And then when we get down into chapter 13 verse 5 we're told it will be 42 months; verse 7, it was given to him to make war with the saints to overcome them, authority over all the peoples and so on, and that authority according to verse 5 is for 42 months. So heaven is celebrating because the time for the kingdom is right here, we're on the edge. We know we only have a short time now, this is such a momentous event with necessary prelude, now you have a clear time mark for the establishing of the kingdom.

Satan is identified as the accuser of our brethren, he has been thrown down. He who accuses them before our God day and night. It is a relentless work of the devil to attack the people of God. Not only attack them on earth, but to attack them with accusations in heaven. You know we sometimes lose perspective that we are part of a battle and Satan is there to accuse us before God.

We have to go back to Job again. I realize the repetition we do, but hopefully we go over things so many times that they become just part of our natural way of thinking when we come to these passages. In Job 1:9. There are two clear portions in the Word—one in Job, two parts in Job, and the other in Zechariah where we have an example of the accusations of Satan taking place before the throne of God. As Satan, having access to heaven, he's in the presence of God, verse 9. 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. Put forth your hand, now, and touch all that he has, he will surely curse you to your face. Interesting here, he is not accusing Job of sin, he is saying, allow me to put the pressure on Job and he will sin. We sometimes think that is just limited to when we sin and Satan is there to accuse us. But you understand the accusations are there. And what Satan is saying, you let me put the pressure on him, he will buckle, he will sin. Good reminder to us. When the pressure comes, the temptation comes, this is a spiritual battle. We think we will sin in the darkness, we'll sin when nobody knows, but you understand Satan is blasting it all over heaven. Let me put this kind of pressure on him, let me put this kind of temptation before him. He'll sin. We think, I can do this and nobody knows. It's already been announced to heaven what Satan says you'll do if he gets the opportunity to put pressure on. Striking passage. What we think as secret and here Satan has blasted it all over heaven before we did it. He say, just let me put the pressure on, let me turn the heat up and see what he does.

That's the same thing over in Job 2:4, Satan answered the Lord and said, skin for skin, yes all that a man has he will give for his life. However, put forth your hand, now, touch his bone and his flesh. He will curse you to your face. Same kind of accusation. Job hasn't sinned yet. I say yet, he doesn't through this, but as far as Satan is concerned, I just haven't been allowed to put enough pressure on. You'll note the pressures put on here are not sometimes what we think. The temptation to be immoral, the temptation to lie or steal or cheat. Just under the natural pressures of life. Tragedy in my family, the painful death of those precious to me, the loss of health. You see the power of the devil as we have talked about before to use the forces of nature, as we call it, to use things like physical sickness, physical death. We are in a spiritual battle that encompasses it all and the battle is relentless. He is the accuser of the brethren.

Turn to Zechariah 3. This is the other major portion where we have an example, we get a window to see the accusation of Satan. And here his accusations have to do with defilement and sin. Joshua the high priest who stands representative of the nation Israel, verse 1, then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, the pre-incarnate Christ. And Satan standing at His right hand to accuse him. The right hand, the position of, if you will, the prosecutor, the one bringing the accusation. The Lord said to Satan, the Lord rebuke you, Satan, indeed the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you. Is this not a brand plucked from the fire? And probably in the context the rescue of the nation Israel from Babylon and the Babylonian captivity. Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, standing before the angel. So here Joshua representing the nation Israel, Israel defiled and unclean by their sin. And Satan there to accuse. But the Angel of the Lord spoke and said to those who were standing before him, saying, remove the filthy garments from him. Again he said, see, I have taken your iniquity away from you, I will clothe you with festal robes, put a clean turban on his head, clothe with him garments while the Angel of the Lord was standing by. So you see the cleansing, but you note Satan there, constant accusation, here against the nation Israel as the people of God. There can be no deliverance for them, their sin, their mind, because then the purposes of God cannot be accomplished. They are a ruined nation, their sin has corrupted them, their sin makes them mine, in effect. But there is the intervention of God's redemption to provide the cleansing and the garments of God's salvation for the nation that He has chosen for Himself.

So you see the accusations of Satan going on. Come back to Hebrews 2:17, talking about Christ to bring redemption. He became a descendant of Abraham so that He could bring redemption for the descendants of Abraham. He didn't become an angel, so there is no redemption for angels who sin, but He took to Himself humanity. Verse 17, therefore He had to be made like His brethren in all things so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. He had to provide the sacrifice, His own body on the cross, that would satisfy the demands of a righteous and holy God in paying the penalty for sin. He was made like His brethren, so He became a human being so as the God-Man He was our high priest and is our high priest.

So when you come to Hebrews 7, in contrast with Old Testament priests, they died and were replaced. There is ongoing succession. Verse 23, the Old Testament priests were prevented by death from continuing on. So they had to be succeeded by another. But verse 24, Jesus on the other hand, because He continues forever holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him since He always lives to make intercession for them. So we have one who is functioning as our high priest, representing us in the presence of God to turn aside the accusations of the devil because His sacrifice provides the cleansing and prevents us from coming under the condemnation that was ours for sin apart from His sacrifice.

I John 2:1, my little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. If anyone does sin, he's writing to believers, we have an advocate. This is that word paraclete, used of the Holy Spirit when John wrote his gospel, the One called alongside to help, the advocate, the one who acts on our behalf for our benefit, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation, the satisfaction for our sins. You see the connection to Hebrews 7:25? He ever lives to make intercession for us, He's the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but for those of the whole world.

So this going on in the spirit world. We would all like to think sin is secret, it's embarrassing to be exposed in our sin. But think how much more embarrassing it is to know the discussion that is going on in heaven about it. I didn't think anybody knew and everybody was talking about it. You understand, the devil is talking about it; you understand, Christ is intervening on our behalf. And that keeps me secure, even when I stumble.

Come back to Revelation 12. There is rejoicing in heaven that Satan is no longer going to be there, bringing his accusations. You know how often he did this? He accuses them, the end of verse 10, before our God day and night. And that expression is used five times in the book of Revelation. We don't have time to look at them, you can chase the cross references down. He is relentless, he is relentless. I mean, he is carrying on the battle here, he is trying to thwart the purposes of God, when it was Israel in the Old Testament to lead them into sin, to lead them in rebellion against God, to necessitate God's judgment and discipline on them, to attempt to have them destroyed by God in Zechariah, to accuse them as defiled. And so God in righteousness has to judge them, except God in righteousness has provided One to bear the judgment. And so for us we have that Savior also.

They overcame him, verse 11, because of the blood of the Lamb and because the word of their testimony. And they did not love their life even when faced with death. You know the battle gets intense and many give their lives. We just read about the martyrs in chapter 6 wondering when final vindication would come. Here we find those that didn't love their lives, even to death. Physical life was not more important to them than their relationship with Christ, so for their testimony they gave their lives. This is all part of the battle going on. We say, how could people do that? Why would they treat people like that? How could they be so cruel? I mean, you understand they are of their father the devil and he was a murderer from the beginning. You understand there is no compassion in the devil, there is no mercy, there is no kindness, there is no love. And his followers are like him.

So you have those who give their lives. They overcame him, the devil, his opposition and his work, because of the blood of the Lamb. Remember the promises to the seven churches, every letter to each of those seven churches ended with a promise to the overcomer. To him who overcomes I will ............, to him who overcomes I will .......
Back up to I John 5:4, just as a reminder. But whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world, our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God. This is our victory, faith in Christ gives us the victory, we become overcomers. We overcome the world, we overcome the devil, we overcome sin. Not by our efforts by through the provision of the Savior, the One in whom we believe.

Back in Revelation 12. They overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony. With the heart man believes unto righteousness and with the mouth he confesses unto salvation. So the blood of the Lamb in whom they had trusted. They stood bearing testimony to their Savior and even though they gave their physical life they were the victors, they won. Now they are in the presence of their Savior, having conquered the purposes and plans of the devil. They didn't love their lives even to death. He who loves his life will lose it, he loses his life for my sake will find it. Jesus gave such a promise also in John 12:25.

Back up to Revelation 2:10, note the promise to the church at Smyrna. Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold the devil is about to cast some of you into prison so you will be tested. You will have tribulation. You'll note they are going to prison. Who is casting them into prison? Those unjust magistrates, those godless rulers. Yes, they are instruments, but they are instruments in the hands of the devil. It's the devil casting them into prison. You understand the real battle that is going on here. So that you will be tested, you will have tribulation for ten days. Be faithful unto death, I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt by the second death. Don't be worried about the first death, physical death, be concerned about the second death. Don't fear those who can kill the body, but have no power over the soul. Fear rather him who, after he has killed the body has power to destroy both body and soul in hell, Jesus warned people. So what can men do to you? They can kill you, they can torture you and cause you pain. Ultimately the believer wins because when you take your last breath the battle is over and we enjoy His glory. And that will be an eternal glory.

Come back to Revelation 12:12, for this reason rejoice oh heavens and you who dwell in them. So the casting out of Satan is cause for great rejoicing of all those in heaven because they are the ones who serve the living God. And unfallen angels can rejoice now that we are getting nearer the climax of this battle, in the final few days, so to speak. The martyred saints can rejoice because the ultimate realization of their victory in the glory that God has promised is shortly to be realized. But there is another side. Rejoice oh heavens and you who dwell in them, but the other side, woe to the earth and the sea because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time. The details of this will be unfolded starting with verse 13. The last half of the tribulation will be like nothing the world has ever seen, on a scale and magnitude, I think that's why he says the earth and the sea. There is escaping the wrath of the devil. There will be special provision of God for His people and a protection for certain numbers of those, but the devil is coming down with a wrath and a freedom, if you will, to pour out that wrath on the earth. And its destruction will be all but unbelievable.

Turn to Mark 13 and we'll stop at this point. This time will be so bad, this last 3½ years and death is so rampant. When you have the devil, remember he is a murderer from the beginning, now he is pouring out his wrath in a way he never has before. And you add to that the judgments of God that are being poured out on an unbelieving world, the world is becoming all but unlivable and Jesus said if He didn't intervene at the end of this seven years, the conclusion of this second 3½ year period, nobody would survive. Mark 13:19, for those days will be a time of tribulation, we're talking particularly now about this last 3½ -year period, this 42 months, 1260 days. Those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now and never will. So take it from the One who has been there from the beginning. There has never been anything like this. Unless the Lord had shortened those days. That doesn't mean He makes them less than seven years. Some people really come up with some weird ideas. I mean, He's told us it is seven years, 42 months, but if He didn't cut it off after those 42 months. I mean, people are dying by the billions, you know, not the thousands or hundreds of thousands or millions, but the billions. Unless the Lord had shortened those days, limited them to 3½ years, no life would have been saved. Period. Not even the elect would have escaped. But for the sake of the elect whom He chose He shortened the days. He has limited this final phase of 3½ years because if He didn't limit it, it couldn't go on for 5 years or 10 years, there wouldn't be even any believers left on the face of the earth. That's how bad it is. In 3½ years you can get to the point that death is happening like this in the destructions that are taking place. You can appreciate the greatness of God's grace, His power, His sovereignty, even through that time everything is right on schedule. Because He has to put Israel through that to bring Israel to their knees. There is nothing so stubborn as the sinful heart. We see that manifest in the devil, we see that manifest all around us. And the hearts of unbelieving Israel are so stubborn it will take this kind of destruction, a holocaust like there has never been experienced by the Jews, to finally bring them to the point, we must have the deliverance of our Messiah. And then they'll cry out to Him and there will be a national conversion, and then the Messiah can come and deliver them. And the plan of God, the purposes of God are accomplished. The devil fails. We read the last chapter. But we ought to be living our lives in light of the battle we are in and the privilege we have to represent God and faithfully honor Him with our lives and our service as we anticipate the time when the victory will be finally realized. The kingdom will be here, the devil will be bound and we will rule and reign.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for your Word for it is a comfort and assurance. Sometimes life seems uncertain, confusing, troubling, hard, painful, difficult. We sometimes despair, we wonder why things are so hard, why it's so painful, why we have to lose what we lose, why the loss of health, loved ones, possessions, reputation. Why the battle. Lord, encourage our hearts with the privilege that is ours, that you have called us to yourself, we are privileged to be identified with you. May those who represent you in the conflict with those who are opposed to you and to give forth the message of life that men, women and young people might come to the Savior who is the only hope for fallen, sinful human beings. Use us in the days of this week in whatever our circumstances, whatever our situation, to be clear and bold testimonies for the Savior that we love and serve. We pray in His name, amen.