Revelation 12:7-17 - The Church At War
- Chad Werkhoven
- Jun 10
- 4 min read
Don't love your life so much that it distracts you from the spiritual war being fought around you.
Revelation 12:7-17 (NIV)
7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 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.
10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have come the salvation and the power
and the kingdom of our God,
and the authority of his Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
who accuses them before our God day and night,
has been hurled down.
11 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.
12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens
and you who dwell in them!
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.”
13 When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. 14 The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach.
15 Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. 16 But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. 17 Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.
Canons of Dordt
Point 2 - Limited Atonement
Article 9: The Fulfillment of God’s Plan
This plan,
arising out of God’s eternal love for the elect,
from the beginning of the world to the present time
has been powerfully carried out
and will also be carried out in the future,
the gates of hell seeking vainly to prevail against it.
As a result, the elect
are gathered into one, all in their own time,
and there is always a church of believers founded on Christ’s blood,
a church which steadfastly loves, persistently worships,
and here and in all eternity praises him as her Savior
who laid down his life for her on the cross,
as a bridegroom for his bride.
Summary
The next time you encounter someone who doesn't read the Bible much because they think it's boring and irrelevant, read through Revelation 12 with them! This chapter has all of the drama and action of an epic movie! The passage opens with war breaking out in heaven.
We don't know what precipitated the war, but it features two distinct groups of angels fighting one another. One group fights with the dragon - that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. The others fight on behalf of Michael, who we know from other passages of scripture is the archangel of God. This battle seems to take place either right before or soon after the creation of the earth, since the dragon and his angels lost their place in heaven, and ultimately were hurled to the earth.
That's what makes this passage so relevant to you. You now live in the midst of this ongoing battle, and the dragon is all the more filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short! Having been hurled to the earth, he now sets his sights on a woman that's near and dear to you: she represents the Church.
But the woman and her male child escape the serpent's reach, so the enraged dragon went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring - those who keep God's commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus. This describes you. In fact, there's nothing more relevant for you to know than that you are the target of an infuriated dragon on the warpath.
Dig Deeper
Revelation 12 doesn’t just describe an ancient cosmic battle—it unveils the spiritual reality in which the Church still lives today. What we see here isn't fiction or future prophecy, but present reality. The war didn’t end when Satan was thrown down; it escalated. And you’re on the front lines. You're a member of what's often called the Church militant - that is, the Church at present and at war.
But notice what Revelation 12 also emphasizes: the victory of Christ has already been secured. Verse 11 gives the strategy and the strength of the Church militant: They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, so you need not fear.
But notice what the loud voice in heaven said next: these victorious members of Christ's Church are they who did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. In other words, as a member of this Church, you must fend off the distractions of this world - which are actually attacks from the devil - and keep your eye on the prize.
You may feel weak. You may be worn down. But you're not fighting alone. You are part of a church that spans continents and centuries, and the Lamb who was slain is your shield and banner.
So don’t lose heart. You’re not just surviving—you’re part of God's conquering army. Hold fast. The dragon's time is short. The militant Church will soon give way to the Church Victorious.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who protects His Church by the blood of the Lamb;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you don't love your life so much that it distracts you from the spiritual war being fought around you;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Ephesians 3
Comentários