Revelation 12
"And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, 'Now the salvation, the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Messiah have come, for the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death." - Revelation 12:9-11
In his vision of the future, the apostle John sees a woman, a dragon, and a child. The dragon stands for Satan, the serpent of the garden of Eden who deceives the whole world and who constantly accuses believers before God. After a war in heaven (v. 7), the dragon is thrown down to earth along with the angels who follow him. It is now time for God and his Son to conquer and rule. Justice will come to the believers who have conquered Satan by Jesus' blood and by the gospel message they announce.
This chapter tells us a lot about Satan. He is a deceiver and an accuser. But his time is short. The only way we, as believers, can overcome his lying and accusations is by the death of our Lord Jesus and by the message of the gospel. Our final victory is assured. Jesus' kingdom is coming, so we must remain loyal to him, even when it's difficult. I am impelled to be more fervent in evangelism as a result of these verses. I want to give people the chance to switch allegiance from Satan to God before it's too late.
Father, I pray that along the Taieri plain and in Dunedin, we will see multitudes of people come to faith in Jesus. May our churches be catalysts for a movement of salvation among us. Satan is deceiving and accusing, but his final defeat is certain. May we have confidence in the blood of the Lamb and in the message of the gospel. May we love you more than our very lives. May we be willing to pay the ultimate price if we have to. When our faith is tested, may we pass the test. In Jesus' name, amen.
- Jeff Coleman