People:The Third of the Rebellious Angels Which followed
Satan
Object of the Battle
Satan's Object:
Isa 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into
heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also
upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
Isa 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like
the most High.
The Lord's Object: The casting down of Satan:
Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
GOD's RATIONALE FOR THE WAR AGAINST & CASTING DOWN of SATAN:
For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will
exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of
the congregation, in the sides of the north: Isaiah 14:13-14
Strategies of the Battle
Major Strategy:
Satan lifts up a rebellion against God. God Charges Satan with the
following Sins:
iniquity was found in thee. Ezekiel 28:15 multitude of thy
merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence
28:16
became profane (16) Thine heart was lifted up because of
thy beauty 17
thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy
brightness
Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of
thine iniquities
traffiking 18
which didst weaken the
nations For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the
mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
I will
ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Is
14:14
Is 14;16 made the earth to tremble, that did shake
kingdoms
made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities
thereof
opened not the house of his prisoners? 28:19
Place of the Battle
The Heavens [Heaven] , Earth, and 'The Pit'.
Intelligence
God is omniscient.
Results of the Battle
Satan is allowed to War on Earth for a Season
Satan is cast to the Pit
Satan is cursed to the Pit eternally, but in Isaiah, it is a future
tense:
"thou shalt be brought down...
God brings the following judgments
therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it
shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the
sight of all them that behold thee
All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at
thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never [shalt] thou [be] any
more
Satan is brought down (future tense)
Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
Isaiah 14:15
Satan is despised - Isaiah 14:16
Reward-Spoil
In the Old Testament Passages in Isaiah and Ezekiel: you have a
parallel casting out of Heaven of Satan, the son of light, at some time
past; paralleled with the final casting out of Satan at the end of Earth's
Time, preceding by a 1000 years in which he is bound during the reign of
Messiah.
thou shalt be a terror, and never [shalt] thou [be] any more.
Spiritual Implications
These passages describe the first heavenly war in which Satan, the
angel of music, and some great aesthetic sense, couples it with the
madness of hubris and carnal pride, and corrupts everything beautiful he
touches till the final day. His enemies are God's chosen: the Jew chosen
by the Abrahamic covenant and the Christian chosen in faith and belief and
the Blood. He works daily and over centuries, to undermine, destroy, rob
and kill. "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to
destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have
[it] more abundantly. John 10:10. Satan did not stop his war once cast out
of heaven, in fact he renewed it, this time not ony against God, but what
God loved most. The arrogance of a created being thinking he could take
his creators place defies gravity: but this is the nature of the war we
are in. Again, he is first cast out of heaven to the earth, then cast from
the earth to the pit for 1000 years, and lastly cast forever into the Pit
where his total destruction comes and he reigns no longer.
Implications for Faith
Never underestimate your adversary: he is powerful, clever, cunning
and has practiced deceit and violence for centuries. His aims are the
same. You alone without God are not a match for him.
God has given you the power to overcome him: by His (Messiah's)blood,
in an atonement Satan cannot get near, by his indwelling Holy Spirit, your
walk in it and the Word, and by the surrender and dying to self, even to
the death. A man may be willing to give his life up on the battlefield to
defend loved ones and nation and freedom: are we willing to defend the
eternal Gospel that way? We may say yes, but we are fortunately not tested
too often: in an intense battle it is wrong to judge. But there is another
issue looming for the believer: you must understand before anything, that
once you receive Christ in Salvation, you enter as a soldier into battle.
You are given although you may not understand in the beginning, all the
weapons and armor you need, but you must use them and learn them. That is
why a Christian not daily in the world or in the Holy Spirit will soon be
overcome and give up. You must stay in the Word DAILY; you must walk in
the Word, God's Light, the Holy Spirit, not just hearing but doing,
practicing HIS brand of love; you are protected by the Blood and the Name
of Christ: claim them as your own: Satan can come near to killing you but
he can not destroy under the Blood. Even with these though, you must learn
surrender and the 'putting away' of self. His LIFE for your life: that's
the Great Exchange of Calvary: let Him live through you: in the end it
does not lead to sorrow or destruction (although the world will try to
destroy you, make no mistake) it leads to a holy, righteous power that
enables to face death in peace, knowing it only leads home to Perfect Rest
forever. We keep trying to live life for ourselves, but God sees the
eternal: eternal rest is far better than momentary sorrows. Pray, Trust,
Ask for faith, plead the Blood, and use the Word as the Sword it was
intended to be. The Victory is already ours, even if it takes years.
Cross-references & Other Critical Facts
1See Revelation 12:1-20; and Revelation 20 for descriptions
of the 2nd and 3rd Casting away of Satan.
II. Tribulation
War: The Invasion by Gog Ezekiel 38-39
And in every province, whithersoever the king's commandment and his
decree came, [there was] great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and
weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes. 4:3
Leader:The Woman in the Heavens (at first), with 12 stars, and the
moon beneath her feet, with child.
The Archangel Michael (Rev 12:7)
People: The allusion is to Israel
Rev 12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed
with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of
twelve stars:
The Angels of Heaven, with Michael as leader Rev 12:2 And she being
with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
The Enemy's People & Leaders
Leader: The Dragon, described as :
great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns
upon his heads. Revelation 12:3
People: the 'third of the stars' which are cast from heaven to the
earth, alluding to the third of Angels which fell and followed Lucifer
when he was cast out of heaven for hubris and seeking to be God (see first
study on this page)
Object of the Battle
To Devour Israel and Her Messiah
The Dragon chases the woman who has been placed in the desert in order
to destroy the child as soon as it is born:
And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a
rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and [to] his throne.
This reference is to Yshua Ha Meschiach, the King of Israel, the
Messiah.
Strategies of the Battle
Major Strategy:
Satan , the Dragon, stands before the Woman in unnatural attention
waiting to devour the Child.
the Woman (Israel) and her forthcoming child (Messiah) flees to the
Wilderness for a time and God nourishes them: for 1260 days or 3.45 years.
Rev 12:6
War in Heaven begins
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against
the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not;
neither was their place found any more in heaven. Rev 12:7-8
God prevails by using heavenly force.
The saints prevail by
A. The Blood of the Lamb B. The Word of their Testimony C. Loving
not their Lives unto death
These three divine weapons of the believer still prevail against the
enemies of Israel and the Believer.
Place of the Battle
First in heaven "And there appeared a great wonder in Heaven"...12:1
Intelligence
The War is outright: an interesting note is that Satan 'stands before'
the woman which was ready to be delivered in order to devour the child
which will rule nations: the Dragon will not look away. There is no
'intelligence' or covert information in this divine battle : Satan knows
that God is omniscient and omnipotent: if he looks away, the event could
have been hidden from him. However, God saves the woman in full view.
Results of the Battle
Satan is cast out and the Woman and Child are safe
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the
Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into
the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.12:9
Salvation is Declared:
Revelation 12:10: "And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is
come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of
his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused
them before our God day and night. "
The Saints of Israel win the Grandest Victory: Here is the Joy and
Beauty of Israel and the Believer:
Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the
word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Reward-Spoil
Salvation.
Peace and Safety for Israel, ultimately in the end for the World
The Messiah who will and has prevailed.
The Ways of God left in tact
The Casting out and binding of the Dragon, which is Satan.
Spiritual Implications
The most powerful witness of this passage of the Great Divine Battle
is the Plan of God in Microcosm and Macrocosm. What is seen on earth in
the natural, is a manifestation of what goes on in the divine: the most
essential battles of life will not be won in the flesh, but in the divine,
and therefore: divine weapons must be used to fight them. The events in
Heaven described here are not those of a mythological god and his
adversary, but of the real forces of the Creator in His Glory and his
opposing being, a Created Creature who unlike God, is his antithesis and
seeks to destroy, kill and deceive, and basically undo all that God has
done: the reason is given in Isaiah and Ezekiel: hubris, and the belief
that he could 'be' God. He cannot though: he is a created being, but with
divine attributes, hence he is a powerful force, opposing all that is
good, holy and right in the world.
This passage though also tells the believer how to war: in the Spirit,
with the weapons of the Spirit (see Implications.)
Beyond the Divine battle which is everpresent; the story of Israel and
her God, and her promised Messiah is told. It has been the story of God's
way since the foundation of the Earth, of a Bride and Bridegroom destined
from the Garden to Fall and need Redemption and of the only expression of
real selfless love that has or will ever be seen in this world in its
fullness. That's how important Israel is to her God. All the wars,
pogroms, persecutions, sufferings and deaths, must leave Israel feeling
abandoned, but God emptied himself to fight the battle: the greatest
paradox: God becomes His creation to allow His creation to murder Him, and
uses His blood to atone for THEM. Thats Love, not merely a good deed or
even altruism. It could only be accomplished in the Divine.
There is another note:
In verse 7-8, the war and the casting of Satan from Heaven occurs,
His angels are cast out with him &
he was cast out into the earth This is the first casting: out of
Heaven into earth: He is described here as "prince of the power of the
air, star of the morning, the serpent, the dragon, and many more
uncomplimentary attributes. The second casting is in Rev 20, when the
Serpent, having wreaked his full havoc on earth is once again bound and
cast to the pit, this time for 1000 years as the Millenium of Messiah
begins:
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil,
and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, Rev 20:2
During this time
he has no power on earth.
The Last casting is forever:
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and
brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet [are], and shall be
tormented day and night for ever and ever.
and follows a short
reprisal of Satanic deception on earth in which the nations make war or
attempt to very briefly even after seeing the peace of the Millenial
Reign, and are immediately cast down. This final casting preceeds
immediately the Great White Throne Judgment. (Revelation 20:11.)
Implications for Faith
That a person should walk in faith and Love for God and His Israel are
so apparent throughout scripture they hardly need to be repeated, except
that so many have abandoned that love, particularly for Israel. You cannot
love God and not love Israel: you cannot love the bridegroom and hate His
Bride. The Church today needs to restore and renew a first love to Christ
and His Love for his bride
The other major implication here is regarding spiritual warfare:
We are not to fight any of our battles on earth alone with carnal
weapons. The three things that overcome the Dragon in this horrible war
are:
The Blood
Our Testimony: the Word and our Life
The Cross: laying down our lives even to the death, not for a nation
or even freedom, but for the Gospel, the eternal Gospel of Jesus Christ.
When we understand those weapons, we win.
Cross-references & Other Critical Facts
1Satan 's name comes from El Shatan in Hebrew. He is the
enemy and destroyer of our souls and world. He is called Abaddon and
Apollyon, both the destroyer. His home is notably the Pit, the Lake of
Fire, but on earth where he is cast for now he has two main goals: destroy
and kill. Most notably, towards Israel, and he has tried every strategy
since the beginning. After great destruction, the circle starts over, but
he never fully wins. In the end, his casting down is certain and will be
final. That is when rest and peace return.
People: "the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus"
An Angel of Heaven
Rev 20:1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
The Enemy's People & Leaders
Leader: Satan
People: the fallen angels
Object of the Battle
to bind Satan first, for 1000 years
then forever
Strategies of the Battle
Major Strategy:
God 'takes hold' of Satan (through the Angel with the key to the pit
Satan is Cast into the Pit
Satan is shut up
A seal is set upon him.
He is bound for 1000 years.
And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive
the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.
He is loosed for a short season in which he attempts to rally nations in an insurrection during the millenium vs 12:8
Rev 20:8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom [is] as the sand of the sea.
Satan and the nations come against the 'Holy City', Jerusalem, where Messiah reigns, and are summarily and quickly put down. Fire devours them in one
last show of the LORD's final triumph.
Their aim is to devour the city.
Rev 20:9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
Place of the Battle
Heaven, [where God is] and Earth
The Bottomless Pit [the abyss]
Gog and Magog
The Holy City
The Angel with the key to the pit is sent from Heaven, Satan already on earth is bound into the Pit, at the end
of the 1000 years he arises and 'goes out' to deceive all nations (4 quarters of the earth) Gog and Magog,
and bring them to the Holy City. Here, they are devoured.
Intelligence
At this point the battle is divine: God is at the head and not merely a king of Israel, save for THE King
of Israel, and as such is omniscient and not in need of information as to the enemy's whereabouts.
Results of the Battle
Revelation 20:3 Satan is first bound by an Angel in the bottomless Pit for 1000 years.
The Millenial Reign of Christ begins Rev. 20:4
Jesus, the Messiah reigns over the earth in a 1000 reign of peace and prosperity.
The beheaded Martyrs of Christ are given thrones and reign with Him during the 1000 years 20:4
The rest of the dead do not rise until the last binding of Satan
Rev 20:5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand
years were finished. This [is] the first resurrection.
The enormous army (in emulation to the sands of the sea) which compasses the Saints in Jerusalem is put down, devoured
by fire in the devouring they meant for Israel. 20:9
The devil is cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone, which already holds the Beast and False Prophet;
Rev 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast
and the false prophet [are], and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
The Great White Throne Judgment of the Living and the Dead Commences Rev. 20:11
Reward-Spoil
The Reign of Messiah over Israel and the World
A Great Peace filled with Joy and Prosperity
Rest on the Earth from devouring and deception
The final binding of the Enemy of Man and God, and his minions.
The triumph of utter Divine and Everlasting Justice and Mercy.
Later, the Advent of the New Jerusalem
Spiritual Implications
This passage reveals the hope of all Life: that in the end, no matter how bleak events look to mankind,
the LORD both keeps His Promise in Perfection of the Millenium of Peace, the reign of our God and King, His Messiah,
and the binding forever and permanantly of the one who has devoured houses, reputations, health, nations and life.
He will never be a threat again. Perfect peace, rest and refuge, accompanied by the Joy 'of man's desiring' finally
enter center stage: the perfect Shabbat: the 7th Day rest becomes a literal reality first on earth and then joyously
in Heaven, in a raptured bliss we cannot understand with earthly eyes, hearts and souls.
Still we long for that day:
when the saints of earth who have been beaten, bound, raped, murdered, tortured and slandered for their witness of our
God and King of Mercy, Love and Righteousness, reigns with the first Iron rule that no one will mind. A Tyranny of Love
and Peace will be no burden. When we have hated or despised even others of His for even righteous reasons: it will all
be gone. Sons and daughters will return in peace and love to parents as we are all reunited to our holy Parent in Love.
Wars will end: the land is His. No hopes will be dashed, no envy or jealousy or pride take hold. No false court systems
or judgments any more: utter fairness will prevail. Love will abound. Our work will prosper in joy in the LORD where no
one can ruin it or erase it, or distort it.
We will know we have done the right thing, though the whole world held us
in contempt and hatred. We will be forever in the presence of the One who is perfect freedom. A Love like that...
Implications for Faith
Tthe greatest implication for faith in this passage is the encouragement of our long suffering .
Though the vail was rent on the cross and we now have communion with our God and access to His throne, the corruption
and darkness of the world can sometimes grow overpowering as even members of the Church, his body may take Satan's part
against us. The world will destroy your faith hope and joy, if you allow it too. It takes an ardent soldier of Christ
to stand against every lie and deception that the deceiver hurls in your path: does it look for moments like God is not
real or not there? Refuse to believe the lie. Morning always returns at the shore of night. You have seen the Power
of His Name, of His Blood, of His Word. You have seen it. Hold to that. The greater the belief, the greater the attack,
because true belief draws others to Him, to believe. Does all of this make logical earthly sense? Well, the world does
not make earthly sense why out of every sterile poisonously atmosphered planet, this small earth is filled with life and the
presence and knowledge of God, and yet it is. IT IS A DIVINE WAR. CHOOSE DIVINE WEAPONS. Too many Christians today
are taught a Christian 'philosophy' instead of learning that we are saved as soldiers into a battle instead of fat little
babies who must be constantly cared for. When one is first saved, the infancy is expected, but if you are his, you mature.
You don't lie, cheat, steal, slander, force your will on others, or run roughshod over everyone else in the body. You don't
envy and covet and hate: you grow, and take up weapons to fight HIS WAR, because the battle is an eternal one, not a petty
carnal war against your brothers and sisters in Christ. When you do that, you may even hinder His work.
Our reward is in the end: eternal peace and joy, not momentary carnal pleasure. ARE YOU HIS? MAN ENOUGH OR WOMAN ENOUGH
to "love not your life to death"---is your belief that great? If not, he will strengthen you, if you ask.
In this battle you will, absolutely will be considered insane, inept, dangerous or worse: are you able to stand?
The final binding of Satan will mean that everything trying and devouring which now confronts you will be gone.
It
is the Adversary who gets into your finances to ruin them, your reputation to destroy you, your love for others or God,
and every loss: one day he is bound forever, but for now you have spiritual weapons to confront him. He uses other people
and infects you and others to do his work: his main aim is to stop the way of God which he cannot. You make choices for
now, each day which determine whose side you are on: when you determine not to lie, cheat steal, or kill, or commit idolatries
or adulteries; when you choose to believe in the face of unbelief: you join the battle on the side of the LORD or the adversary.
Choices.
Cross-references & Other Critical Facts
1-From Matthew Henry, [quoted in Blue Letter Bible]Magog we read of in Gen. 10:2. He was one of the sons of Japheth, and
peopled the country called Syria, from which his descendants spread into many other parts. Of Gog and Magog together we only read in Eze. 38:2 2A note; the martyrs that reign with Christ, have died by beheading: martyrs through the centuries have died many ways.
In the endtimes, this form of capital punishment takes hold: it seems a metaphor at the same time, for Satan has continuously tried
to remove Christ as the head of the body. Decapitation was re-instated in the Holocaust and WWII especially for political prisoners
and those who stood against the evil the State had become in the Reich. Today Muslims favor this type of punishment, and throughout
history it has been favored by largely Catholic nations.
