by Dr Jurie Vermeulen
“Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him… But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short” (Rev. 12:7-9, 12 NIV).
Why are all humans born into an active warzone? We come into this world with targets on our backs, surrounded by all kinds of evil: evil spirits plotting our destruction, endlessly repeating wars, violence, racial and nationalistic hatred, oppression, persecution, addiction, and death. Apart from this we face challenges with finances, relationships, health, mental health, uncertainty, insecurity, confusion, loneliness, depression, fear and rejection.
This has inspired some of the darker philosophers and poets to wonder, “What’s the point in living if life is just suffering until you die?” One soul wrote in answer to this question: “Once I accepted that my life has no point and never will, I decided to … live in a way that made me happier.” Others added, “There is no point. Suicide is something I wish I had the courage to do”, and “Well, someone needs to feed my cat and scoop his litter box.”
I fully understand that this is all dark and depressing, but it is also a very real part of our modern society. Running away or denying it will not help the countless hopeless casualties of this war. The Bible explains the presence of this evil in Genesis 3:1, “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden”?’” We all know the outcome of this story: Adam and Eve banished from the garden, the curse of death activated over all living things, even the earth itself, which now produced thorns and thistles! After thousands of years, this ancient evil serpent is still an ever-present threat to all of us.
But why would God create us, only to expose us to the dangers and horrors of this war? I believe we find part of the answer in Genesis 4:6-7, “Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? … if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.’” In Revelation, Jesus repeated no less than seven times: “To the one who is victorious…” (2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21).
Seems to me this war serves a purpose after all – earth is a school, a bootcamp for overcomers! James described it like this: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything … Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised … Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (1:2-4, 12; 4:7).
Peter has something to say about this war as well: “In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Pet. 1:6-7).
God created us in his own image and likeness so that He may train us to represent Him on earth, resist the devil, mature in faith, and rule in His authority and power over all creation (Gen. 1:26). Although our fall from grace complicated matters temporarily, Jesus came to restore His divine authority, redeem us, and to release us again as His representatives on earth. “Since the children have flesh and blood, he [Jesus] too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death” (Heb. 2:14-15).
We now have a decision to make: we can choose either to be bound or free; to live as helpless victims or as warriors; to complain or overcome, surrender or resist! I choose to “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.” And if you agree with me, “[put] on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Eph. 6:10-12).
How are God’s warriors supposed to “struggle” against these dark forces? It’s surprisingly easy – since Jesus already won the war 2,000 years ago, we simply need to enforce God’s victory by taking our stand as Paul explains in the above-mentioned passage. No need for prolonged struggle. We stand in faith and authority, resisting the devil’s schemes, enforcing God’s victory through our attitudes, words, and actions wherever we go. John explains it well: “They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death” (Rev. 12:11). Overcomers stand firm on the immovable foundation of the blood of Jesus, with God’s mighty gospel in their mouths!
There is wisdom in this war! “The Lord is a warrior” (Ex. 15:3) and He is training overcomers to represent Him and His authority on earth.
“The Lord is with you, mighty warrior” (Judges 6:12)!
