1 00:00:04,880 --> 00:00:08,400 According to the Lord Jesus Christ, one of the defining 2 00:00:08,400 --> 00:00:12,600 features of the last days will be the increase of wars and 3 00:00:12,600 --> 00:00:16,079 rumors of wars. And we have already seen hints 4 00:00:16,079 --> 00:00:18,200 of this in our study of the Book of Revelation. 5 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:21,320 And there will be more clashes to come. 6 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:25,200 But this afternoon we are approaching a passage that 7 00:00:25,200 --> 00:00:30,680 describes a future conflict unlike any other. 8 00:00:32,159 --> 00:00:35,000 It is unique because it is not a battle fought between human 9 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:39,000 beings, nor does it take place on the earth. 10 00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:44,920 It is actually an altercation that happens in the heavenly 11 00:00:44,920 --> 00:00:51,960 places and among angelic beings. Now, up to this point in 12 00:00:51,960 --> 00:00:57,160 Revelation, John's visions of heaven are generally described 13 00:00:57,160 --> 00:01:03,160 as places of rest, worship, unending bliss. 14 00:01:04,440 --> 00:01:09,280 But for the first time in this book, we encounter a vision of 15 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:14,720 heaven that is fierce and riotous. 16 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:21,600 And the reason for this unusual commotion is given to us plainly 17 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:25,520 in Revelation chapter 12, beginning in verse 7. 18 00:01:25,600 --> 00:01:29,480 And I invite you to go with me there in your Bibles as we read 19 00:01:29,480 --> 00:01:33,440 it together. Here's what the word of God 20 00:01:33,440 --> 00:01:40,000 says. Now war arose in heaven, Michael 21 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:42,400 and his angels fighting against the dragon. 22 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:46,480 And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was 23 00:01:46,480 --> 00:01:50,240 defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in 24 00:01:50,240 --> 00:01:53,240 heaven. And the great dragon was thrown 25 00:01:53,240 --> 00:01:57,800 down, that ancient serpent who was called the devil, and Satan, 26 00:01:58,600 --> 00:02:02,520 the deceiver of the whole world, he was thrown down to the earth, 27 00:02:03,080 --> 00:02:05,080 and his angels were thrown down with him. 28 00:02:06,080 --> 00:02:08,479 And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, Now the 29 00:02:08,479 --> 00:02:11,600 salvation, the power, and the Kingdom of our God and the 30 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:13,840 authority of his Christ have come. 31 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:18,240 For the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who 32 00:02:18,240 --> 00:02:21,840 accuses them day and night before our God, and they have 33 00:02:21,840 --> 00:02:25,640 conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of 34 00:02:25,640 --> 00:02:28,120 their testimony. For they love not their lives 35 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:31,680 even unto death. Therefore rejoice, O heavens, 36 00:02:31,680 --> 00:02:36,360 and you who dwell in them. But woe to you, O earth and sea, 37 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:40,600 For the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he 38 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:49,400 knows that his time is short. Let's pray, Father, we believe 39 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:53,920 that this is your word, and we believe that you want us to 40 00:02:53,920 --> 00:02:57,560 understand it, but we also believe that we cannot do it 41 00:02:57,560 --> 00:03:00,960 without your help. And so we now, as your church, 42 00:03:00,960 --> 00:03:05,400 your people, come to you in humility, asking for your 43 00:03:05,400 --> 00:03:07,440 guidance. We pray that you protect this 44 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:12,680 message from any confusion, from any distraction and more than 45 00:03:12,680 --> 00:03:16,760 this Lord, that you would empower it, that we would fall 46 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:19,880 more in love with your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ through it, 47 00:03:20,640 --> 00:03:23,680 that we would be inspired to live for him with greater zeal 48 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:28,200 and intentionality. So Lord, guard our minds, open 49 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:32,760 our hearts, fuel our bodies, Even so that we can absorb all 50 00:03:32,760 --> 00:03:34,960 these things to the glory of your name. 51 00:03:35,480 --> 00:03:38,200 We ask these things and the living matchless name of Jesus 52 00:03:38,200 --> 00:03:42,920 Christ, Amen. I believe the way that we can 53 00:03:42,920 --> 00:03:46,760 make most, the most out of this tax is by capturing at least 54 00:03:46,760 --> 00:03:48,320 four things, at least four things. 55 00:03:49,600 --> 00:03:51,640 This is about a war. You heard it in the first few 56 00:03:51,640 --> 00:03:53,720 words of the opening verse of this passage. 57 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:56,840 And so I want us to consider 4 elements of this war. 58 00:03:57,560 --> 00:03:59,360 The first thing is the timing of it. 59 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:01,760 When does this war take place? Is it something of the past? 60 00:04:01,760 --> 00:04:03,320 Is it something currently happening? 61 00:04:03,560 --> 00:04:05,920 Is it something that will take place in the future? 62 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:09,200 The timing of this war? Following that, we want to look 63 00:04:09,200 --> 00:04:13,680 at the outcome of this war, What happened as a result of this 64 00:04:13,680 --> 00:04:17,640 clash. Thirdly, I want us to look at 65 00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:20,640 the celebration of this war because there is victory in 66 00:04:20,640 --> 00:04:24,160 heaven. There is this sense of triumph 67 00:04:25,120 --> 00:04:27,480 and what is this celebration really all about? 68 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:32,680 That's what we'll look at. And lastly and very briefly, the 69 00:04:32,720 --> 00:04:37,440 aftermath of this war. It took place in heaven, but 70 00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:42,480 we're going to feel it on earth. So let's look at the timing of 71 00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:45,040 this war. There are some who believe that 72 00:04:45,040 --> 00:04:48,520 what is described here is an account of Satan's defeat at the 73 00:04:48,520 --> 00:04:53,200 cross, that when Christ died and he rose and he ascended. 74 00:04:53,680 --> 00:04:57,320 What we have here is just that, what we almost get, like an 75 00:04:57,320 --> 00:05:00,560 insight into the spiritual element to what took place on 76 00:05:00,560 --> 00:05:04,160 Calvary. Others say, no, this is more of 77 00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:07,880 a replay of what took place at Satan's original fall from his 78 00:05:08,120 --> 00:05:10,960 initial rebellion when he was removed from his exalted 79 00:05:10,960 --> 00:05:13,600 position in heaven and was cast down. 80 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:16,960 And those who hold to those views would say, well, what you 81 00:05:16,960 --> 00:05:20,480 have here is almost John rewinding the tape, so to speak, 82 00:05:20,840 --> 00:05:24,040 so that we kind of get the back story on the demonic influence 83 00:05:24,040 --> 00:05:27,120 that has been permeating the earth ever since the beginning 84 00:05:27,120 --> 00:05:29,120 of time up until the end of time. 85 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:34,200 It's almost like a flashback, but I don't think that's very 86 00:05:34,200 --> 00:05:36,400 convincing when you consider the context. 87 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:38,720 I think when you actually do a little bit of investigation, 88 00:05:38,720 --> 00:05:42,840 you'll discover that what this war is about has not yet taken 89 00:05:42,840 --> 00:05:45,880 place. It's something concerning the 90 00:05:45,880 --> 00:05:48,680 future. I want to give you at least 91 00:05:48,680 --> 00:05:51,400 three observations from the verses that we just read that 92 00:05:51,480 --> 00:05:53,840 confirm that conclusion. I want you to look. 93 00:05:53,840 --> 00:05:57,240 Notice how the summary of Satan's defeat is that he and 94 00:05:57,240 --> 00:06:00,200 his angels were permanently expelled from heaven. 95 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:02,560 Do you see that? And there was no longer any 96 00:06:02,560 --> 00:06:06,560 place for them in heaven. Why is that significant? 97 00:06:07,720 --> 00:06:11,160 Because a careful student of the Bible will know that even after 98 00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:16,440 Satan's original expulsion and eviction from heaven, he still 99 00:06:16,440 --> 00:06:19,480 had access to the heavenly dwelling place of God. 100 00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:25,760 I don't think there's any more clear of a passage to support 101 00:06:25,760 --> 00:06:29,160 that then the book of Job in the opening chapter of that book 102 00:06:29,160 --> 00:06:34,360 where we find Satan approaching God ready to accuse his servant 103 00:06:34,440 --> 00:06:37,720 Job. And there's no way to to think 104 00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:42,440 that Satan was not expelled in his original fall after that. 105 00:06:42,440 --> 00:06:45,280 That was after his fall, and he still had the ability to 106 00:06:45,280 --> 00:06:49,400 approach God in such a way. You have additional insights 107 00:06:49,400 --> 00:06:52,800 into this, like Zechariah chapter 3, where Zechariah has a 108 00:06:52,800 --> 00:06:57,280 vision of Satan accusing the nation of Israel before the 109 00:06:57,280 --> 00:07:02,720 Angel of the Lord who is Christ. And So what the Bible shows us, 110 00:07:02,720 --> 00:07:05,680 though it's limited in its evidence, is that Satan 111 00:07:05,680 --> 00:07:11,080 alternates between roaming the earth to deceive and destroy and 112 00:07:11,200 --> 00:07:14,520 coming before God. Coming before God to do what? 113 00:07:14,920 --> 00:07:20,000 In his arrogance, in his, in his pride, trying to convince God to 114 00:07:20,000 --> 00:07:26,680 actually turn on his children. And we'll examine examine this 115 00:07:26,680 --> 00:07:29,560 further in the next point. But for now, we can establish 116 00:07:29,560 --> 00:07:33,800 that this eviction from heaven in Revelation 12 proves that 117 00:07:33,800 --> 00:07:37,160 it's an occurrence yet to be realized, since we know that 118 00:07:37,160 --> 00:07:40,560 elsewhere in Scripture, Satan still has limited access to 119 00:07:40,560 --> 00:07:44,840 heaven, but after this war, he'll no longer have access to 120 00:07:44,840 --> 00:07:48,760 heaven. The second point to consider is 121 00:07:48,760 --> 00:07:50,560 in the last verse we read in this section. 122 00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:54,040 So go back to verse 12 and notice what it says in the 123 00:07:54,040 --> 00:07:58,760 second part. This heavenly voice says, But 124 00:07:58,760 --> 00:08:04,560 woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you 125 00:08:04,560 --> 00:08:09,680 in great wrath because he knows that his time is short. 126 00:08:11,440 --> 00:08:15,040 When you combine the the woe upon the earth and the brevity 127 00:08:15,040 --> 00:08:18,440 of time that is mentioned, it makes the most sense when you 128 00:08:18,440 --> 00:08:22,080 consider it in light of the context of the time frame of the 129 00:08:22,080 --> 00:08:25,280 Book of Revelation. You know this already, but the 130 00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:29,280 primary focus of this book is to tell us about what's to come, 131 00:08:29,560 --> 00:08:33,320 the events leading up to the return of Christ, and how Christ 132 00:08:33,320 --> 00:08:36,320 will, when wickedness and evil reaches A feverish pitch, 133 00:08:36,640 --> 00:08:39,440 cleanse it all and conquer it once and for all. 134 00:08:40,840 --> 00:08:43,840 And so it makes the most sense for this short time mentioned 135 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:47,240 here in Revelation after Satan's defeat in this war, to 136 00:08:47,240 --> 00:08:49,840 correspond with everything else taking place in Revelation. 137 00:08:51,000 --> 00:08:53,560 In other words, the shortness of time mentioned here deals with 138 00:08:53,560 --> 00:08:57,480 that time, that tribulation period that will lead up to 139 00:08:57,640 --> 00:09:00,080 Christ's coming and ruling and reigning. 140 00:09:02,080 --> 00:09:05,520 So for those who think that this is something of the past, they 141 00:09:05,520 --> 00:09:08,200 would look at this short time as a general description of the 142 00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:11,920 span of history, which is very, very unlikely. 143 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:14,080 When you again look at the rest of the Book of Revelation, it's 144 00:09:14,080 --> 00:09:18,560 more fitting to see it in this final moment of time. 145 00:09:19,720 --> 00:09:24,480 And as Satan is now thrown down, he realizes my time is running 146 00:09:24,480 --> 00:09:27,840 out. And if these points are not 147 00:09:27,840 --> 00:09:30,880 convincing enough, I think this final observation will settle 148 00:09:30,880 --> 00:09:37,040 any remaining doubts, though this war is over. 149 00:09:37,040 --> 00:09:39,840 And what we just read the scene is not this. 150 00:09:39,880 --> 00:09:41,960 This section doesn't end at verse 12. 151 00:09:41,960 --> 00:09:45,720 It continues down in verse 13 all the way to verse 17. 152 00:09:46,560 --> 00:09:49,280 And when you see what happens immediately following Satan 153 00:09:49,280 --> 00:09:52,480 being cast down to the earth, you get a better understanding 154 00:09:52,480 --> 00:09:55,000 of when this took place or when this will take place. 155 00:09:55,360 --> 00:09:57,480 So let's peek quickly. We're going to look at this next 156 00:09:57,480 --> 00:09:58,960 week. But look down at verse 13 and 157 00:09:58,960 --> 00:10:04,240 verse 14 and Revelation 12. And when the dragon saw that he 158 00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:08,080 had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who 159 00:10:08,080 --> 00:10:10,200 had given birth to the male child. 160 00:10:10,680 --> 00:10:14,520 But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle so that 161 00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:18,240 she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness to the place 162 00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:22,920 where she is to be nourished for a time and times and half a 163 00:10:22,920 --> 00:10:25,440 time. So notice the sequence. 164 00:10:25,960 --> 00:10:29,480 Satan is defeated. He's cast down to the earth. 165 00:10:29,760 --> 00:10:32,760 And verse 13 says when the dragon saw that he'd been thrown 166 00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:34,520 down to the earth, he does something. 167 00:10:35,480 --> 00:10:37,000 He does something. What does he do? 168 00:10:37,280 --> 00:10:40,720 He pursues the woman. Have we seen the woman before? 169 00:10:41,200 --> 00:10:42,440 Yes. Who does she represent? 170 00:10:42,800 --> 00:10:43,920 Israel. Very good. 171 00:10:45,200 --> 00:10:50,080 So the enemy here is going to pursue Israel in a unique way. 172 00:10:50,160 --> 00:10:53,280 Now, as we just heard, we've seen this woman before. 173 00:10:53,840 --> 00:10:56,400 And even the the terminology here in these verses should 174 00:10:56,400 --> 00:10:59,520 remind us of a verse that we read when we were together last 175 00:10:59,520 --> 00:11:01,640 time in the Book of Revelation. But let's just refresh our 176 00:11:01,640 --> 00:11:04,480 memories. Scroll back up to verse 6 of 177 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:06,840 Revelation 12. What does it say? 178 00:11:07,960 --> 00:11:11,560 And the woman fled into the wilderness where she has a place 179 00:11:11,560 --> 00:11:18,080 prepared by God in which she is to be nourished for 1260 days. 180 00:11:19,680 --> 00:11:23,920 So what this is all saying about this woman is that during the 181 00:11:23,920 --> 00:11:28,280 tribulation period, Israel is going to experience a unique 182 00:11:28,280 --> 00:11:32,160 time of persecution, the the most intense oppression she has 183 00:11:32,160 --> 00:11:35,880 ever known. And so fierce it will be that 184 00:11:35,880 --> 00:11:40,240 many of the Jews will actually flee into the wilderness, a 185 00:11:40,240 --> 00:11:44,040 place that has been appointed by God and he will nourish and take 186 00:11:44,040 --> 00:11:47,640 care of them for a specific duration of time. 187 00:11:47,640 --> 00:11:51,480 That's what we see in verse 6. But then it's repeated in the 188 00:11:51,480 --> 00:11:53,760 verses that we read in verse 13 down to verse 14. 189 00:11:55,480 --> 00:11:58,200 So here's what this means. If we understand that after the 190 00:11:58,200 --> 00:12:02,720 dragon is cast out of heaven, he will pursue Israel as she flees 191 00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:05,720 into the wilderness for a specific duration of time, and 192 00:12:05,720 --> 00:12:09,440 that duration of time is unique to the tribulation period. 193 00:12:10,160 --> 00:12:11,640 What does that mean about this war? 194 00:12:12,640 --> 00:12:15,760 It means that this heavenly war must take place during the 195 00:12:15,760 --> 00:12:21,160 tribulation period. This is something that is 196 00:12:21,160 --> 00:12:22,840 obvious. I hope it's clear to us. 197 00:12:23,560 --> 00:12:28,440 I pray. And so this is a future war, and 198 00:12:28,440 --> 00:12:31,080 this evidence shows us that it's not describing something of the 199 00:12:31,080 --> 00:12:35,080 past. But why at this point then? 200 00:12:36,640 --> 00:12:39,400 Why is this battle taking place here and now? 201 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:42,840 And there are many who theorize different ideas or different 202 00:12:42,840 --> 00:12:44,240 proposals. I don't think we need to 203 00:12:44,240 --> 00:12:48,200 theorize. I think there is a great clue in 204 00:12:48,200 --> 00:12:51,760 the very verses we just read that links us to a possible 205 00:12:51,760 --> 00:12:54,360 answer. Look at verse 10 again, 206 00:12:54,440 --> 00:12:59,000 Revelation 12, verse 10, after Satan is thrown down, it says, 207 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:02,720 and I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, now the salvation 208 00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:07,440 and the power and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his 209 00:13:07,440 --> 00:13:13,480 Christ have come. Do these words sound familiar to 210 00:13:13,480 --> 00:13:18,360 us? They should they take us back to 211 00:13:18,360 --> 00:13:22,240 the last thing we read before we looked at these visions in 212 00:13:22,240 --> 00:13:28,560 Revelation chapter 12. In fact, that phrase, His Christ 213 00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:32,200 only appears in one other place in all of Revelation. 214 00:13:33,480 --> 00:13:36,200 Do you remember the announcement that was made when the 7th 215 00:13:36,200 --> 00:13:40,000 trumpet blasted? In case you forgot, look at 216 00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:46,640 verse 15 of Revelation 11. Then the 7th Angel blew his 217 00:13:46,640 --> 00:13:51,240 trumpet and there were loud voices in heaven saying, The 218 00:13:51,240 --> 00:13:55,920 Kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord and of 219 00:13:56,080 --> 00:14:02,120 His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever. 220 00:14:03,040 --> 00:14:07,080 Remember, the 7th trumpet declares the inauguration of the 221 00:14:07,080 --> 00:14:10,240 full manifestation of Christ's Kingdom. 222 00:14:10,880 --> 00:14:16,440 This trumpet blast announces and prepares the world for the full 223 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:18,840 and complete expression of Christ's rule. 224 00:14:19,720 --> 00:14:21,520 Why? Well, because the sealed 225 00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:25,360 judgments are complete. And now the trumpet judgments 226 00:14:25,400 --> 00:14:28,720 are complete and we only have one set of judgments left. 227 00:14:28,720 --> 00:14:31,440 The bold judgments are going to pour out God's wrath. 228 00:14:31,840 --> 00:14:36,800 And so in the 7th trumpet, this vision is about Christ is ready 229 00:14:36,800 --> 00:14:40,480 to come. The Kingdom of our God, the 230 00:14:40,480 --> 00:14:43,880 Kingdom of the Lord and of His Christ is ready to invade the 231 00:14:43,920 --> 00:14:47,400 earth. And that celebration is 232 00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:51,360 reiterated in this vision where after Satan is cast down from 233 00:14:51,360 --> 00:14:54,120 heaven, they almost repeat that celebration. 234 00:14:55,680 --> 00:14:59,640 Meaning what? I believe Satan and his demons 235 00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:03,120 became aware of this announcement as it reverberated 236 00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:07,400 in the spiritual realm that when that 7th trumpet was blasted, 237 00:15:08,520 --> 00:15:11,040 even Satan and his demons understood what that meant. 238 00:15:11,800 --> 00:15:16,200 So what does the evil one do? According to Revelation 12 and 239 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:19,040 his great pride and fury, he tries to stop it from happening. 240 00:15:20,320 --> 00:15:23,800 And so he organizes an all out assault against heaven. 241 00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:28,200 And this war breaks out, thinking that he can actually 242 00:15:28,200 --> 00:15:30,920 put a stop to the purposes of God and of his Christ. 243 00:15:32,280 --> 00:15:36,280 And so he confronts the Lord directly, but as always, he 244 00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:42,960 fails and he is cast down. And the result of this war at 245 00:15:42,960 --> 00:15:45,840 this point of the tribulation period is that the devil will 246 00:15:45,840 --> 00:15:48,320 lose territory as a result. Which brings us to the second 247 00:15:48,360 --> 00:15:49,880 point. We've considered the timing of 248 00:15:49,880 --> 00:15:51,360 this war. It's going to happen in the 249 00:15:51,360 --> 00:15:54,640 tribulation period very near to the actual return of Christ. 250 00:15:54,840 --> 00:15:58,640 Satan is going to try to stop this from happening by engaging 251 00:15:58,640 --> 00:16:02,320 in a face to face combat with God and his heavenly army. 252 00:16:02,840 --> 00:16:06,240 He will fail. And what's the outcome point #2 253 00:16:06,240 --> 00:16:07,920 of this war? Look back at verse 9 of 254 00:16:07,920 --> 00:16:11,520 Revelation 12. And the great dragon was thrown 255 00:16:11,520 --> 00:16:16,520 down, that ancient serpent who's called the devil and Satan, 256 00:16:16,520 --> 00:16:20,120 deceiver of the whole world, he was thrown down to the earth, 257 00:16:20,320 --> 00:16:22,480 and his angels were thrown down with him. 258 00:16:22,480 --> 00:16:24,400 What phrase stands out to you in this verse? 259 00:16:24,920 --> 00:16:28,560 In this one verse, thrown down appears three times. 260 00:16:29,120 --> 00:16:32,440 Other transitions say cast down. So this is what's being 261 00:16:32,440 --> 00:16:36,200 highlighted. And why is it being emphasized 262 00:16:36,560 --> 00:16:38,440 again? To show the embarrassing defeat 263 00:16:38,440 --> 00:16:43,440 of the devil and to show how his activity from this point on will 264 00:16:43,440 --> 00:16:50,000 be restricted to the earth. He'll be confined now to this 265 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:54,800 planet, whereas he had access to go to heaven and accuse the 266 00:16:54,800 --> 00:16:59,240 brethren day and night. He will be barred from doing so 267 00:17:00,040 --> 00:17:03,200 from this point on. And here's what many people 268 00:17:03,200 --> 00:17:07,160 don't realize. Though Satan's defeat, his total 269 00:17:07,240 --> 00:17:10,880 defeat, is certain, it is not immediate. 270 00:17:11,760 --> 00:17:15,520 The Bible shows us that the devil's total defeat will take 271 00:17:15,520 --> 00:17:20,440 place in stages. In fact, I want to show you how 272 00:17:20,440 --> 00:17:26,800 there are actually 4 falls of Satan in the Bible. 4 falls of 273 00:17:26,800 --> 00:17:30,800 Satan described to us in the Book of Revelation alone. 274 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:33,760 Would you like to know it? We don't have to go very far. 275 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:36,520 Go back to the beginning of Revelation 12, verse 3. 276 00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:41,760 Let's look at this again. This is fall #1 we can call this 277 00:17:41,760 --> 00:17:47,040 Satan's prehistoric fall, Satan's eviction from his 278 00:17:47,240 --> 00:17:50,000 exalted position. You have to remember that 279 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:54,320 passages like Ezekiel and Isaiah give us a snippet of Satan's 280 00:17:54,320 --> 00:17:57,760 fall, and both of those prophets actually give us an 281 00:17:57,760 --> 00:18:00,480 understanding that Satan was one of the most highly exalted 282 00:18:00,480 --> 00:18:04,560 heavenly creatures and he served a very, very important role. 283 00:18:04,560 --> 00:18:08,040 But because of his pride and envy, wanting to be like God, he 284 00:18:08,040 --> 00:18:10,480 was removed from that position of authority. 285 00:18:11,360 --> 00:18:15,560 And it happened before creation. And I think Revelation 12 verse 286 00:18:15,560 --> 00:18:19,280 3 and 4 mentions it briefly. Look again. 287 00:18:19,280 --> 00:18:21,640 And another sign appeared in heaven. 288 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:25,960 Behold a great red dragon with 7 heads and 10 horns, and on his 289 00:18:25,960 --> 00:18:30,240 heads 7 diadems. His tails swept down a third of 290 00:18:30,240 --> 00:18:34,640 the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. 291 00:18:35,240 --> 00:18:37,480 The dragon stood before the woman who was about to give 292 00:18:37,480 --> 00:18:40,360 birth, so that when she bore her child, he might devour it. 293 00:18:41,240 --> 00:18:45,240 So this picture of Satan like a dragon and his tails sweeping 294 00:18:45,240 --> 00:18:47,520 1/3 of the stars, We've touched on this. 295 00:18:47,760 --> 00:18:49,640 Those stars symbolize the angels. 296 00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:53,160 He recruits a third of them. He deceives them to join them in 297 00:18:53,160 --> 00:18:56,320 his cause and he's cast down through the earth. 298 00:18:56,560 --> 00:18:59,400 That's fall number one at this point. 299 00:18:59,400 --> 00:19:02,800 Yes, He is removed from His exalted position, but as we see 300 00:19:02,800 --> 00:19:06,880 in Job and places like Zechariah, he can still access 301 00:19:06,880 --> 00:19:10,040 heaven and accuse the brethren day and night. 302 00:19:11,760 --> 00:19:16,640 I believe this fall is what Jesus alluded to in Luke chapter 303 00:19:16,640 --> 00:19:21,440 10 verse 18 after sending out his disciples on a mini mission, 304 00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:25,840 an evangelistic outreach and giving them power to heal the 305 00:19:25,840 --> 00:19:30,040 sick and cast out devils. They come rejoicing saying even 306 00:19:30,040 --> 00:19:35,000 in your name these, these demons submit and Jesus humbles them 307 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:39,880 and reminds them of his power, his authority by saying this in 308 00:19:39,880 --> 00:19:44,200 Luke 1018. And he said to them, I saw Satan 309 00:19:44,200 --> 00:19:50,320 fall like lightning from heaven. When did that take place? 310 00:19:51,760 --> 00:19:55,240 I believe it took place in Satan's original prehistoric 311 00:19:55,240 --> 00:19:59,440 fall. And don't miss the implications 312 00:19:59,440 --> 00:20:01,400 of what Christ is saying here in Luke 1018. 313 00:20:03,080 --> 00:20:08,840 Read your Bible slowly and chew. For Christ to claim that He was 314 00:20:08,840 --> 00:20:14,040 present at the humiliating defeat of Satan, what does that 315 00:20:14,040 --> 00:20:17,640 say about His nature? That He is pre-existing? 316 00:20:18,760 --> 00:20:21,920 That He was there. That He eternally stood as the 317 00:20:21,920 --> 00:20:24,360 Son of God and witnessed these events. 318 00:20:24,360 --> 00:20:28,400 He was present even before the Incarnation, even before the 319 00:20:28,400 --> 00:20:31,040 world was set into motion. Jesus, in this brief 320 00:20:31,440 --> 00:20:35,480 declaration, is letting us know that He always was. 321 00:20:36,320 --> 00:20:41,360 He always was. But more than that, this is a 322 00:20:41,360 --> 00:20:45,640 statement describing the sheer power of God. 323 00:20:46,880 --> 00:20:50,680 He says, I saw Satan fall like lightning. 324 00:20:50,680 --> 00:20:54,040 You didn't see. I saw him fall like lightning in 325 00:20:54,040 --> 00:20:55,640 the sense that he did become lightning. 326 00:20:55,640 --> 00:20:56,600 That's not what he's saying at all. 327 00:20:56,600 --> 00:21:02,320 He's giving a metaphor here. He's giving a picture that in 328 00:21:02,320 --> 00:21:05,240 the same way lightning strikes the earth powerfully and 329 00:21:05,240 --> 00:21:08,800 suddenly Satan's fall and his initial rebellion was just a 330 00:21:08,800 --> 00:21:15,160 swift It was a flash. It's a blink of a moment. 331 00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:20,520 It happened so quickly to again give us an understanding of just 332 00:21:20,520 --> 00:21:25,360 how powerful our God is, the authority he has, and that 333 00:21:25,360 --> 00:21:27,960 authority is proven over and over again when we look at the 334 00:21:27,960 --> 00:21:30,200 next three falls. The second one is in the text 335 00:21:30,200 --> 00:21:33,640 that we just read in the opening of this message that he was 336 00:21:33,680 --> 00:21:37,160 thrown down in Revelation 12/9 to the earth and his angels were 337 00:21:37,160 --> 00:21:41,720 thrown down with him. This is the second fall where 338 00:21:41,720 --> 00:21:43,600 Satan no longer has access to heaven. 339 00:21:45,320 --> 00:21:48,680 What's the third one? Go to Revelation 20. 340 00:21:51,760 --> 00:21:54,280 This is Satan's fall into the abyss. 341 00:21:57,040 --> 00:22:02,480 Revelation 20, verse one, John writes. 342 00:22:03,360 --> 00:22:06,960 Then I saw an Angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand 343 00:22:06,960 --> 00:22:10,200 the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 344 00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:11,920 Pause for a moment. What's happening here in 345 00:22:11,920 --> 00:22:13,520 Revelation 20? Well, Christ came back in 346 00:22:13,520 --> 00:22:18,440 Revelation 19, So what we're reading now is a description of 347 00:22:18,440 --> 00:22:22,240 some of the first orders that Christ will make upon His bodily 348 00:22:22,240 --> 00:22:24,840 return to the earth when He sets up His Kingdom. 349 00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:26,840 This is one of the first things he will do. 350 00:22:28,200 --> 00:22:32,800 Verse 2 And he sees the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the 351 00:22:32,800 --> 00:22:38,040 devil and Satan, and bound him for 1000 years and threw him 352 00:22:38,040 --> 00:22:41,480 into the pit and shut it and sealed it over him so that he 353 00:22:41,480 --> 00:22:45,200 might not deceive the nation's any longer until the thousand 354 00:22:45,200 --> 00:22:48,640 years were ended. After that he must be released 355 00:22:48,640 --> 00:22:52,960 for a little while. So the 3rd fall of Satan is his 356 00:22:52,960 --> 00:22:56,880 fall into the abyss. This will take place at the 357 00:22:56,880 --> 00:23:00,440 beginning of the millennial reign of Christ that after 358 00:23:00,440 --> 00:23:05,000 Christ returns, he's going to see Satan and he's going to 359 00:23:05,000 --> 00:23:09,680 throw them into this pit and conceal it for 1000 years so 360 00:23:09,680 --> 00:23:13,680 that while Christ rules and reigns on the earth, Satan will 361 00:23:13,680 --> 00:23:15,440 not be able to deceive the nation's. 362 00:23:15,800 --> 00:23:18,080 Can you imagine a world like that? 363 00:23:20,160 --> 00:23:23,560 No perverted entertainment, no lies from governments at least 364 00:23:23,760 --> 00:23:26,000 as prevalent. Doesn't mean that the world's 365 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:28,800 going to be absolutely perfect, but there is going to be a 366 00:23:28,800 --> 00:23:33,640 greater sense of holiness and integrity while Satan is removed 367 00:23:33,640 --> 00:23:35,960 from the scene and Christ dominates the world. 368 00:23:38,240 --> 00:23:41,160 And then at the end of that, he's going to release Satan for 369 00:23:41,160 --> 00:23:45,840 a little while, giving that generation a final chance to 370 00:23:45,840 --> 00:23:48,680 either pledge your allegiance to Christ or to rebel against them. 371 00:23:49,160 --> 00:23:53,400 And there will be some who will still rebel against them either, 372 00:23:53,400 --> 00:23:58,080 even after witnessing Christ, enjoying his government, seeing 373 00:23:58,080 --> 00:24:01,520 what what it looks like when Christ is King, people will 374 00:24:01,520 --> 00:24:06,840 still choose to deny him. But that's just the 3rd fall. 375 00:24:07,320 --> 00:24:10,280 Then we have to consider the 4th and the final one, and that's in 376 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:13,400 the same chapter. So after Satan is released for a 377 00:24:13,400 --> 00:24:16,520 little while, he'll recruit the nation's to war against Christ. 378 00:24:16,840 --> 00:24:18,160 And he still hasn't learned his lesson. 379 00:24:18,160 --> 00:24:22,520 He's going to lose. And when he does lose, read here 380 00:24:22,520 --> 00:24:26,240 with me Revelation 20, verse 9. And they marched up over the 381 00:24:26,240 --> 00:24:28,760 broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the 382 00:24:28,760 --> 00:24:32,200 Saints in the beloved city. But fire came down from heaven 383 00:24:32,200 --> 00:24:35,000 and consumed them. And the devil who had deceived 384 00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:40,160 them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur with her beast. 385 00:24:40,360 --> 00:24:41,840 The beast and the false prophet were. 386 00:24:41,840 --> 00:24:45,160 And they will be tormented day and night, forever and ever. 387 00:24:45,160 --> 00:24:49,880 Satan's final descent, his final fall, will be into hell, into 388 00:24:49,880 --> 00:24:52,720 hell itself. So here are the four falls of 389 00:24:52,720 --> 00:24:53,960 Satan. Why do I bring this to your 390 00:24:53,960 --> 00:24:57,600 attention? To show how God alone determines 391 00:24:57,600 --> 00:25:02,840 the boundaries of Satan, how God is the one who determines his 392 00:25:02,840 --> 00:25:06,120 influence and the reach of his activity. 393 00:25:07,800 --> 00:25:11,000 That at any time he can evict the evil 1 he can silence him, 394 00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:14,080 he can restrain him, he can punish him, and he has no 395 00:25:14,080 --> 00:25:18,840 ability to resist God. Satan is not on the same level 396 00:25:18,840 --> 00:25:22,960 as God. He's far more inferior and he is 397 00:25:22,960 --> 00:25:26,680 subject to his sovereignty. And this insight into God's 398 00:25:26,920 --> 00:25:31,800 unstoppable force and decree is a cause for our celebration. 399 00:25:32,080 --> 00:25:34,120 We should rejoice. This is the God that we serve, 400 00:25:34,120 --> 00:25:38,920 and it reveals much of the triumph that we get to share in 401 00:25:39,120 --> 00:25:41,240 because of our faith in Jesus Christ. 402 00:25:42,200 --> 00:25:45,440 Which brings us to our Third Point, the celebration of this 403 00:25:45,440 --> 00:25:47,600 war. Look again in Revelation 12, 404 00:25:47,600 --> 00:25:50,640 verse 10, and I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, now the 405 00:25:50,640 --> 00:25:53,800 salvation and the power and the Kingdom of our God and the 406 00:25:53,800 --> 00:25:55,520 authority of his Christ have come. 407 00:25:55,760 --> 00:25:58,760 For the accuser of our brother brothers has been thrown down. 408 00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:03,480 Who accuses them day and night before our God so soon as Satan 409 00:26:03,480 --> 00:26:05,120 is thrown down. Remember now we're back to the 410 00:26:05,120 --> 00:26:09,760 second fall of Satan. This loud voice breaks out and 411 00:26:09,760 --> 00:26:11,480 declares the triumph of this moment. 412 00:26:12,560 --> 00:26:14,560 And what does he what does he say? 413 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:17,000 What's the statement that highlights the significance of 414 00:26:17,000 --> 00:26:21,120 this victory? That the authority of his Christ 415 00:26:21,680 --> 00:26:25,960 has come, it's here, it has arrived. 416 00:26:27,400 --> 00:26:28,960 Now we know that it's not actually here. 417 00:26:28,960 --> 00:26:32,200 Christ is still going to do a few more things before he 418 00:26:32,200 --> 00:26:36,520 physically returns. But I think the reason why it's 419 00:26:36,520 --> 00:26:41,440 being celebrated here is because we are closer than ever that 420 00:26:41,440 --> 00:26:46,200 after Satan is removed, cleared out of the way so to speak, they 421 00:26:46,200 --> 00:26:48,120 can rejoice in knowing that there is an update to the 422 00:26:48,120 --> 00:26:49,720 arrival and the return of Christ. 423 00:26:50,880 --> 00:26:53,320 You see, it's as though Satan's removed from the heavenly realm 424 00:26:53,320 --> 00:26:56,120 signals a major shift in the preparation for Christ's return. 425 00:26:56,840 --> 00:27:01,160 He's now been confined, both him and his demons to the earth. 426 00:27:01,720 --> 00:27:05,480 He will not be able to interfere in that heavenly realm as Christ 427 00:27:05,480 --> 00:27:09,200 now is ready to make his way to this earth. 428 00:27:11,320 --> 00:27:13,080 But that celebration doesn't end here. 429 00:27:14,800 --> 00:27:19,640 In verse 11, this voice reminds us that Satan's defeat is 430 00:27:19,640 --> 00:27:21,520 something that took place long before this. 431 00:27:22,160 --> 00:27:25,440 We're not just seeing it play out, but there is something that 432 00:27:25,440 --> 00:27:31,600 happened that sealed his defeat and actually shows us why we are 433 00:27:31,600 --> 00:27:35,960 conquerors today over him. What does he say? 434 00:27:37,840 --> 00:27:41,560 And they have conquered him. Verse 11, Who are the day? 435 00:27:42,280 --> 00:27:44,680 The ones that Satan accuses day and night, That's us. 436 00:27:45,400 --> 00:27:49,160 And in verse 11, this voice says they have conquered him with two 437 00:27:49,160 --> 00:27:53,320 main weapons by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their 438 00:27:53,320 --> 00:27:58,200 testimony. So why can we say that even now 439 00:27:58,200 --> 00:28:01,880 Satan has been conquered, that how can we even claim that this 440 00:28:01,880 --> 00:28:04,480 ancient serpent, this grey dragon, this deceiver, the whole 441 00:28:04,480 --> 00:28:08,560 world is defeated at this very moment while we're having 442 00:28:08,560 --> 00:28:12,160 church? Well, the first reason because 443 00:28:12,160 --> 00:28:15,200 the blood of the Lamb by the blood of the Lamb. 444 00:28:16,720 --> 00:28:20,600 Here's what we learned so far. Satan's primary attack, I mean 445 00:28:20,600 --> 00:28:24,200 we we saw it earlier, is to actually approach the presence 446 00:28:24,200 --> 00:28:29,000 of God on a continual basis and attempt to persuade him to 447 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:37,360 change his mind about us to to resurface our sins, to show God 448 00:28:37,360 --> 00:28:42,760 our failures, to show us just how weak we are, how unfaithful 449 00:28:42,760 --> 00:28:49,600 we are with the idea that perhaps God will change his 450 00:28:49,600 --> 00:28:52,800 mind. This is what he occupies himself 451 00:28:52,800 --> 00:28:56,800 with, and he does so as we see here, day and night. 452 00:28:58,600 --> 00:29:02,040 But this verse also teaches us that there is one thing, one 453 00:29:02,040 --> 00:29:07,440 thing that God sees worthy enough to silence Satan, no 454 00:29:07,440 --> 00:29:09,960 matter how many times he comes before God, no matter how 455 00:29:09,960 --> 00:29:12,720 persuasive his argument and his charges are. 456 00:29:13,120 --> 00:29:16,160 And it is the blood of the Lamb, nothing else. 457 00:29:16,760 --> 00:29:21,720 The only hope you and I have in overcoming Satan's charges is 458 00:29:21,720 --> 00:29:25,480 what Christ has done. And understanding and applying 459 00:29:25,480 --> 00:29:29,280 our faith to that reality and realizing that that payment has 460 00:29:29,280 --> 00:29:31,400 now been transmitted to my account. 461 00:29:31,840 --> 00:29:37,920 That is the only thing that silence is the evil. 1 And the 462 00:29:37,920 --> 00:29:41,120 moment you and I put our faith in that truth, that Christ's 463 00:29:41,120 --> 00:29:45,800 death on my behalf wins my righteousness forever and ever. 464 00:29:46,160 --> 00:29:50,640 Satan's voice over your life in the presence of God is muted. 465 00:29:51,480 --> 00:29:54,560 It's muted. He's speaking to nothing. 466 00:29:55,720 --> 00:30:00,800 It's a waste of his time. He smears our name. 467 00:30:00,800 --> 00:30:04,640 He highlights our failures. But according to this verse, in 468 00:30:04,640 --> 00:30:08,080 other places, the blood of Christ speaks a better word over 469 00:30:08,080 --> 00:30:13,200 you always. And this, by the way, teaches us 470 00:30:13,200 --> 00:30:15,960 how to do warfare. When Satan accuses you about 471 00:30:15,960 --> 00:30:21,080 you, he doesn't just accuse God or accuse us before God. 472 00:30:21,080 --> 00:30:25,000 He accuses you about you. He assaults your conscience. 473 00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:27,920 He whispers lies. He reminds you of your past. 474 00:30:28,880 --> 00:30:32,880 What do you do in those moments? Take your hint from this verse. 475 00:30:34,360 --> 00:30:37,080 Don't rehearse your obedience. Don't revisit your 476 00:30:37,080 --> 00:30:39,840 righteousness. Don't tell yourself how 477 00:30:39,840 --> 00:30:43,000 committed you are to the church and to ministry and your charity 478 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:45,800 and your deeds. Cling to the blood. 479 00:30:46,720 --> 00:30:49,520 Always listen. The greater your understanding 480 00:30:49,520 --> 00:30:52,560 of the power of the blood, the sufficiency of the blood, the 481 00:30:52,560 --> 00:30:55,960 efficacy of the blood, the more you will be able to silence 482 00:30:55,960 --> 00:31:03,400 Satan when he accuses you. As that one hymn says, though, 483 00:31:03,400 --> 00:31:08,160 the restless foe accuses sins, recounting like a flood. 484 00:31:08,800 --> 00:31:12,720 Every charge our God refuses, Christ has answered with His 485 00:31:12,720 --> 00:31:16,920 blood. But that's not the only weapon 486 00:31:16,920 --> 00:31:19,560 mentioned here. We also read that it was through 487 00:31:19,560 --> 00:31:22,680 the word of their testimony. Now, what does that mean? 488 00:31:22,800 --> 00:31:25,400 There are a lot of ideas shared about it, but I think it 489 00:31:25,400 --> 00:31:29,080 connects to the first point. It's built on the first reality, 490 00:31:29,080 --> 00:31:31,800 the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. 491 00:31:32,120 --> 00:31:36,480 It's one thing to know intellectually that Jesus Christ 492 00:31:36,480 --> 00:31:39,920 shed his blood 2000 years ago. It's a whole other thing when 493 00:31:40,120 --> 00:31:42,560 you have a testimony about how it's changed you. 494 00:31:44,400 --> 00:31:45,800 What has that blood done for you? 495 00:31:47,600 --> 00:31:50,920 How has it transformed you? What is your history? 496 00:31:50,920 --> 00:31:53,800 What is your story connected to this truth of what Christ has 497 00:31:53,800 --> 00:31:58,480 done on that cross? And it's that public testimony 498 00:31:59,040 --> 00:32:02,840 from a personal realization of what Christ has done that 499 00:32:02,840 --> 00:32:07,400 delivers us and transforms us, that enables us to gain victory 500 00:32:07,400 --> 00:32:11,200 over him. And you know that you have truly 501 00:32:11,200 --> 00:32:15,960 tasted this gospel and what it has to offer when you're willing 502 00:32:15,960 --> 00:32:20,080 to die for it if need be, that it's more precious to you than 503 00:32:20,080 --> 00:32:22,400 your life itself. And that's why later in 504 00:32:22,400 --> 00:32:25,160 Revelation 11, it says, for they love not their lives, even unto 505 00:32:25,160 --> 00:32:29,480 death. If one of the greatest threats 506 00:32:29,480 --> 00:32:33,600 that Satan can present anybody is death, I will kill you. 507 00:32:34,880 --> 00:32:40,680 I will destroy you. Doesn't have any bearing any way 508 00:32:40,680 --> 00:32:43,040 to it, because you love this gospel more than your life. 509 00:32:43,040 --> 00:32:44,240 Then what does he have against you? 510 00:32:45,120 --> 00:32:47,960 Nothing really. If you're willing to die for 511 00:32:47,960 --> 00:32:50,000 this truth, then what can he really throw against you? 512 00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:56,040 What can He intimidate you with if death itself, does that have 513 00:32:56,040 --> 00:32:58,480 that same fear factor that it once did when you were not in 514 00:32:58,480 --> 00:33:02,720 Christ? So the blood of the Lamb and 515 00:33:02,720 --> 00:33:06,680 your personal testimony, connection to that truth enables 516 00:33:06,680 --> 00:33:12,080 us to conquer Satan. And as we heard earlier, there 517 00:33:12,080 --> 00:33:14,840 are 4 falls of Satan that but the Bible speaks of something 518 00:33:14,840 --> 00:33:17,040 unique. You can almost say that there 519 00:33:17,040 --> 00:33:22,120 are 5, but it's different from the four other ones that we saw. 520 00:33:24,200 --> 00:33:28,040 The four ones that we saw speak of His actual descent, His 521 00:33:28,040 --> 00:33:33,320 physical limitations until His total annihilation, so to speak. 522 00:33:34,520 --> 00:33:38,360 But Jesus speaks of another casting out that took place some 523 00:33:38,360 --> 00:33:41,240 time ago. Listen to these words from John 524 00:33:41,240 --> 00:33:45,600 chapter 12, verse 31. In John 12/31, when Jesus is 525 00:33:45,600 --> 00:33:49,240 speaking about His ministry at the cross, he mentions the 526 00:33:49,240 --> 00:33:52,040 following. Now is the judgement of this 527 00:33:52,040 --> 00:33:55,640 world. Now will the ruler of this world 528 00:33:55,640 --> 00:34:01,920 be cast out? And I, when I am lifted up from 529 00:34:01,920 --> 00:34:04,120 the earth, will draw all people to myself. 530 00:34:04,400 --> 00:34:08,560 Similar language, right? The ruler of this world will be 531 00:34:08,560 --> 00:34:13,719 cast out. One of the consequences of 532 00:34:13,719 --> 00:34:18,360 Christ victorious death on the cross is that the ruler of this 533 00:34:18,360 --> 00:34:22,120 world will be cast out. It speaks of a decisive moment 534 00:34:22,120 --> 00:34:26,760 of his defeat. But where is it going to be cast 535 00:34:26,760 --> 00:34:28,080 out too? We already saw that he was 536 00:34:28,080 --> 00:34:30,960 removed from his position, that he'll be removed from heaven and 537 00:34:30,960 --> 00:34:34,080 access to heaven, and then he'll be confined to the abyss and 538 00:34:34,080 --> 00:34:35,960 then thrown into hell to be tormented. 539 00:34:35,960 --> 00:34:38,719 So what does Jesus mean here when he says that the rule of 540 00:34:38,719 --> 00:34:39,800 this will be cast out? I don't. 541 00:34:39,800 --> 00:34:42,239 I don't think it speaks about anything physical necessarily. 542 00:34:42,880 --> 00:34:47,440 It speaks about Satan losing a level of power and authority, 543 00:34:50,520 --> 00:34:52,840 especially for those who have put their faith in Christ. 544 00:34:53,760 --> 00:34:58,680 He will be cast out in the sense that his arguments against you 545 00:34:59,720 --> 00:35:04,160 will be relinquished. His access to you will be 546 00:35:04,160 --> 00:35:07,440 limited. All these protective graces are 547 00:35:07,520 --> 00:35:11,040 now inherited by the one who understands what Christ has done 548 00:35:11,040 --> 00:35:13,880 on the cross and applies their repentance and faith to that 549 00:35:13,880 --> 00:35:17,280 truth. Satan, to some degrees cast out 550 00:35:17,960 --> 00:35:21,920 from that believer's life, and that's why we can say, according 551 00:35:21,920 --> 00:35:23,400 to Revelation, that he is conquered. 552 00:35:24,360 --> 00:35:27,840 For the one who understands what that blood did and has a 553 00:35:27,840 --> 00:35:32,880 personal testimony about it, this is the celebration of this 554 00:35:32,880 --> 00:35:35,920 victory. But we consider now the 555 00:35:35,920 --> 00:35:39,520 aftermath of this war. The aftermath of this war is 556 00:35:39,520 --> 00:35:42,160 found in verse 12 of chapter 12 of Revelation. 557 00:35:42,760 --> 00:35:47,040 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them, but 558 00:35:47,040 --> 00:35:49,840 woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you 559 00:35:49,840 --> 00:35:53,200 in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short. 560 00:35:56,640 --> 00:35:59,320 So this battle, it's, it's fought in heavenly places, but 561 00:35:59,760 --> 00:36:03,440 it will be felt on the earth during the tribulation period. 562 00:36:04,800 --> 00:36:09,040 Aware of greater limitations placed on him, Satan will be so 563 00:36:09,040 --> 00:36:15,880 enraged that he will vent his anger and he will vehemently 564 00:36:15,920 --> 00:36:20,640 seek to do all that he can to bring destruction to all that 565 00:36:20,640 --> 00:36:26,280 represents God on the earth. He will harass humanity on new 566 00:36:26,280 --> 00:36:30,720 levels. He will ramp up his schemes and 567 00:36:30,720 --> 00:36:35,840 his viciousness with a stronger awareness more than ever that 568 00:36:35,840 --> 00:36:40,000 Christ receiving His Kingdom is just around the corner. 569 00:36:41,680 --> 00:36:43,680 And we're going to see one of the things that he is going to 570 00:36:43,680 --> 00:36:47,400 do next week. But for now, let's just 571 00:36:47,400 --> 00:36:50,920 celebrate the fact that we have conquered and we have these 572 00:36:50,920 --> 00:36:54,360 emblems to help us taste and see that reality. 573 00:36:55,880 --> 00:37:00,080 And so I wonder today if you are confident that you've conquered 574 00:37:00,080 --> 00:37:03,040 this ancient serpent, which is a reference to his activity from 575 00:37:03,040 --> 00:37:06,760 Genesis 3, this great dragon, how he will show up in 576 00:37:06,760 --> 00:37:08,560 Revelation in that tribulation period. 577 00:37:08,560 --> 00:37:11,760 I wonder if you can say with absolute certainty, I have no 578 00:37:11,760 --> 00:37:14,240 reason to fear him. I have no reason to fear his 579 00:37:14,240 --> 00:37:15,560 threats. Even if he wants to kill me 580 00:37:15,560 --> 00:37:25,320 because I have a story, I'm saved, I'm delivered, I belong 581 00:37:25,320 --> 00:37:28,880 to Christ. All my sins have been washed 582 00:37:28,880 --> 00:37:35,880 clean. And I'm so certain of the power 583 00:37:35,880 --> 00:37:41,200 of this blood that I can sleep so sweetly at night, even though 584 00:37:41,200 --> 00:37:44,080 Satan stays up all night trying to convince God otherwise. 585 00:37:47,720 --> 00:37:50,280 And I'm growing in my confidence in the power of this blood, that 586 00:37:50,280 --> 00:37:53,760 when I'm driving or when I'm laying in bed or when I'm out 587 00:37:53,760 --> 00:37:56,520 and about and all of a sudden I just feel this guilt and shame 588 00:37:56,720 --> 00:38:01,200 come over me. I rehearse the power of the 589 00:38:01,200 --> 00:38:04,880 blood. I remind myself that God's not 590 00:38:04,880 --> 00:38:10,160 looking anything from me except that blood being applied. 591 00:38:12,480 --> 00:38:16,000 You can know that today. If you can't, if you can't say 592 00:38:16,000 --> 00:38:20,560 with absolute assurance that you have made a conscious decision 593 00:38:20,560 --> 00:38:22,040 of putting your faith in that truth. 594 00:38:22,040 --> 00:38:23,800 Just reserve yourself from partaking in this. 595 00:38:23,800 --> 00:38:27,000 This is for those who know that they've been saved by grace and 596 00:38:27,000 --> 00:38:29,440 believer. Because of this good news, we 597 00:38:29,440 --> 00:38:32,400 have to walk in light in light of it and in line with it. 598 00:38:32,400 --> 00:38:35,720 So if your heart is astray, if your heart is dull, if if you're 599 00:38:35,720 --> 00:38:38,640 living in conscience, unrepentance and repent of it, 600 00:38:39,160 --> 00:38:43,320 get rid of it and prepare yourself to partake into 601 00:38:43,320 --> 00:38:45,600 fellowship with the Lord in this ordinance. 602 00:38:46,680 --> 00:38:49,560 So let's pray, then we'll sing, and then we'll meet together at 603 00:38:49,560 --> 00:38:50,920 this table. Shall we do that? 604 00:38:57,900 --> 00:38:59,620 Thank you, Lord, for this message. 605 00:39:01,760 --> 00:39:04,800 Thank you for showing us the play by play of your total 606 00:39:04,800 --> 00:39:08,720 victory. And thank you, Lord, that this 607 00:39:08,720 --> 00:39:12,400 victory is absolutely certain because of the blood of the 608 00:39:12,400 --> 00:39:18,080 Lamb. Thank you for redeeming us, 609 00:39:18,080 --> 00:39:19,360 though we deserve to be condemned. 610 00:39:19,360 --> 00:39:23,200 Thank you for cleaning us, though we were so filthy. 611 00:39:24,280 --> 00:39:28,800 And Lord, we've come now as your church to declare that it is by 612 00:39:28,800 --> 00:39:33,280 grace alone to declare that it is what you have done in that 613 00:39:33,280 --> 00:39:38,120 body, on that tree, on our behalf that gives us this 614 00:39:38,120 --> 00:39:42,160 victory. In Jesus name we pray, Amen. 615 00:39:43,240 --> 00:39:47,280 Why don't we stand? Let's stand and worship.