Spiritual
Warfare. Overcoming the devil
T.
J. de Ruiter, Pastor and
Teacher in The Netherlands
These
studies are suitable for
personal- and group study.
6. Overcoming the Devil
2. The war
against the woman, her son and offspring
In chapter 12 of Revelation we
find the picture of a woman that had given birth to a son. The child
must be
Jesus, (verse 5). Revelation 12:7 says that there arose a war in
heaven.
Michael, the angel of the people of God and his angels started fighting
the
dragon, that is the devil. He and his angels were defeated and they
were thrown
down on the earth. The reason why the devil was thrown out was
undoubtedly
because of his angry, haughty resistance against God, His Son and His
people.
Many teachers see in Ezekiel 28:11-19 - where is written about the
haughtiness,
the pride, and fall of the king of Tyre – a picture of the devil with
his
spiritual pride against God and His people. The red dragon is
undoubtedly the
being already known in the early history and his red colour symbolizes
his
dangerous, devouring power. He is the same being that manifested
himself in
paradise as the snake that deceived Eve and put an evil thought about
God in
her heart and infected the whole human race with the evil, doubting,
antagonistic, rebellious attitude.
This dragon had seven heads –
verse 3 – that are symbolic of his many sided, kingly and dangerous
intelligence. The ten horns speak of his great, aggressive power and
the ten
horns speak of his ruling authority. He wants to imitate the Lamb on
the throne
and destroy Him and His people, (chapter 5 and 6). The divine order is
restored
in heaven, but because he was thrown down on the earth he is causing
here great
trouble and continuous war. It is the child that was born, Jesus
Christ, the
Messiah and Deliverer, that will with those that follow him, conquer
the devil,
that devilish, sinister, spiritual monster. In verse 9 the various
names of this evil being are given. He is known in some culures as the
red dragon, in the Bible he revealed himself in the beginning as the
ancient serpent and later as the devil and satan, the deceiver of the
whole world. So, let there be no misunderstanding, under which name he
is
presented, it is the same evil, deceptive being, the enemy of God..
The great red dragon knows that he will
surely be defeated by the Child, the Son of God and in His anger he
starts a
war against the woman and her offspring. This offspring is the Church
under the
Old- and the New Covenant. Notice verse 17 and 18, where is says:
“those who
keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus.” The woman
fled into
the wilderness the desert - verse 14 -
where she was nourished for a time, and times, and half a time,”
that is
three and a halve year, the time that she hid from the anger of the
serpent.
But here is the essence of
this study: How shall the saints overcome him? The answer is found in
verse 11,
where we find the threefold way to victory.
b. With the word of their
testimony
The proclamation of your faith
in the Saviour must not be underestimated in the Christian warfare
against the devil. Opening the mouth and
testifying
boldly about your faith in a antagonistic society could be dangerous
for you, but
is an evidence of your faith in and love for Jesus. The spiritual power
of evil
that manifests itself through people that are enemies of Jesus and
oppose those
that believe. God will use your faith and testimony to glorify the Name
of
Jesus and if possible save other souls that don’t know him. Jesus is
closing
watching his children and notices when one of his children boldly
stands for
Him, the Truth, as He once stood and testified of His identity and
relationship
with the Father, (Marc 8:38; Luke 9:26, John 18:36,37, 1 Timothy 6:13;
2
Timothy 1:8,12).
c. With total dedication to
Jesus, the Saviour
Let’s go in
Jesus’ Name for the final victory!
Questions to
think about and to share
Interesting sites and pages