Opposition

“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. 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.” Revelation 12,7-9 (KJV)

"There was war in heaven". This statement can be surprising at first.

It’s quite unexpected that war could break out in heaven. Well, it did.

We live in a time where we have extraordinary access to knowledge; knowledge as given by God through the Scriptures of the Bible. What happened at the beginning of times, what is present and what will unfold in the end of times has all been revealed by God through His Spirit. The Holy Spirit of God is the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. By Him we know and understand what happened, what is happening and what will happen.

Before creation of man, God created the angels in heaven. Lucifer (Satan) was among them. God had given him beauty and splendor as it is narrated in Ezekiel 28,11-15. Until pride got into him.

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, 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. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” Isaiah 14,12-15 (KJV)

Satan convinced a number of angels to rise against God, as we saw in the opening Scripture. But they were all cast out of heaven. It is these angels that are often referred to as demons.

“When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.” 2 Corinthians 2,10-11 (NLT)

Satan outsmarted Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. It's his nature to lie, to deceive and to manipulate in order to oppose God, to steal, kill and destroy.

Satan and his cohorts will oppose anything that is of God and that is for God!

As believers in Jesus Christ, we must be aware of this reality. Not to be afraid of him because there is no reason to be afraid of Satan because Jesus has defeated him on the cross once and for all. Satan has no power and has no authority over the child of God.

The New King James Version of 2 Corinthians 2,11 uses this language: “lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices”. Satan takes advantage when we are ignorant. It’s no surprise that he has deceived even some people to believe that he does not exist at all.

We have an enemy. Satan is the enemy of God and he is the enemy of man. Satan has no good thing to offer. Whatever he claims to provide is just poison in disguise.

Another trick of the devil is accusation. The Bible calls him the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12,10). In addition, he will try to condemn and put guilty and shame on the justified and redeemed children of God. He will even accuse God of the evil that he is responsible for.

“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” (James 4,7 NKJV)

Yes, child of God! The devil flees when we resist him!

Hold on to the Word of God: God’s truth concerning you.

The devil will test and tempt to see if you would fall in his trap; that you give up on God, that you give up on yourself and the destiny that God has for you. He will do so by using people (aware or unaware) and by using adverse circumstances. When you remain standing, he is the one who will give up because he will know he has dealt with a person who knows their identity: seated with Christ in heavenly places far above all principality and power and might and dominion. (Ephesians 1,20-23; 2,4-7)

“Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” Psalm 1,1-3 (NKJV)