War in heaven
"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". Revelation 12v7-8.the scale
Sometimes we wonder where the script writers gain their inspiration for such as star wars etc; perhaps they were reading Revelation 12v7 and letting their imagination run riot. If so, their productions have been fairly tame, because what we have here is way beyond the imagination of any scriptwriter. This is a full scale conflict between demons and angels, between Satan the arch devil and Michael the archangel. The issue is to cast Satan out of the sphere of his domination to the earth, before his final expulsion into everlasting punishment.
We were informed in verse 3 of this chapter that Satan was successful in persuading one third of the angels to rebel against God. Since the number of angels in existence is described as "innumerable" and "myriads upon myriads" we can understand the scale of what is being described here. In 2nd Kings 19 it is recorded that one angel with one stroke slew an army of one hundred and eighty five thousand soldiers. The power of what is here is indescribable. For centuries God has allowed Satan and his demons to roam free in the universe, but no longer. Paul describes the vastness of this demon army as follows: "principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places," Ephesians 6v11.
The archangel Michael sent by God displaces this vast gathering of wickedness from the heavens to the earth. "Michael and his angels fought against the dragon." Five times we read of Michael in holy scripture.
- Daniel 10v13 He is described as "one of the chief princes."
- Daniel 10v21 "Michael your prince" who is said to be mighty in the understanding of holy scriptures.
- Daniel 12v 1 He is " the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people" (Israel).
- Jude verse 9 "Michael the archangel .... contending with the devil, he disputed about the body of Moses."
- Revelation 12v7 He makes war with the mighty forces of evil.
Every time we read of Michael he is opposing Satan or his demons. Here he prevails in the final heavenly battle and Satan's hosts are cast to earth. For centuries demon spirits have been free to operate in the air (Ephesians 2v2, Ephesians 6v12, 2nd Corinthians 4v4, 1st \timothy 4v1). Satan's kingdom is now on the verge of collapse. No longer can he influence the thinking of God's people; no longer can he stand in the presence of God and accuse God's people of their failings, as he has done day and night in the past. The statement in verse 8 is ominous for him "neither was there place found anymore in heaven." The great anointed cherub who stood in the presence of God, who walked up and down amidst the stones of fire, who was perfect in beauty, and perfect in wisdom has been deposed forever from his lofty place. Also he can no longer oppose or hinder the work of angels (as is described in Daniel 10v10-14).
The outcome of this cosmic war is the trigger for the beginning of the great tribulation .
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