Jump Start # 783

Revelation 12:17 “So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with  the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.”

Revelation 12 is a battle scene. It begins with Satan trying to devour a child, Jesus Christ. When he failed at that, he went after the rest of the children, the faithful of God. This passage is valuable for us because it shows us the world view and what is going on behind the scene. There are several lessons for us from this one verse.

1. We are in a war with Satan. Christians are nice, Satan is not. Christians play by the rules, Satan does not. Christians care, Satan does not. Satan is after Christians. Peter uses the image of a lion seeking someone to devour. We are in enemy territory. We are traveling through lion country. We need to be alert. Our senses need to be sharp. In those nature shows from Africa, the lion is always hiding in the tall grass. He has his eyes on the antelope. They don’t see him, but he sees them. Satan is watching you. You may not see him, but he sees you. Now there are three approaches we can have with this war with Satan. Only one is acceptable.

• First, we can be passive and deny that we are in a war. We can believe that things are not so bad. We can close our eyes to the reality of the missiles Satan is launching toward us. The filth of movies and books, the assault upon our marriages, the aggressive and liberal agenda of those who want to redefine right and wrong, the obsession with materialism, the rebellion towards authority and the mockery towards the God of Heaven and Earth are striking the people of God daily. To say things aren’t so bad is to deny what is going on. Sitting back with folded hands allows the enemy easy access. This approach is sure failure.
• Second, we can go to the other extreme and become militant in our response to Satan. Shooting bad people, bombing abortion clinics, shouting ugly threats and a general “in your face” attitude is not the right approach either. Long ago, emperors in Europe sent troops to recover the Bible lands from the Muslims. Those were called the Crusades. In the name of Christianity, thousands were slaughtered. Remember, in the garden, the Lord told Peter to put the sword away. He told Pilate that if His kingdom were of this world then His disciples would fight. But it’s not. And they do not.

• Third, our enemy is spiritual. That’s what Satan is, wicked as he is, he is a spiritual being. He is to be challenged God’s ways. First, individually, we are to resist temptation. Satan will flee, James tells us. Second, we counter Satan by standing upon the word of God and teaching it. In the temptations Jesus responded to Satan, “It is written,” and quoted from Deuteronomy three different times. The expression, “It is written,” means, “It stands written.” It stands! Nothing has changed. It stands! Alone in the desert, it stands. Hungry, it stands. Many, many years later, it stands. God’s weapons are His word. Teach it. Use it. Believe it. The more that rally around the Bible the less Satan can call his own. Teach God’s word. Don’t be ashamed, afraid, or silent. Satan uses the media. Satan has unlimited money. Satan has tons of followers. It’s time to raise our voices for God.

Begin by protecting your family. Parents, get involved! Know what shows, music and friends are influencing your child’s heart. Talk about God. Say prayers together. Read Scriptures. Talk about the day and what choices they had. Surround them with great people. Develop a servants heart in them.

Be active in your congregation. Don’t be passive. Get involved. Know what is going on. Encourage the leadership and your preacher to teach Biblical lessons that deal with contemporary issues. Encourage them. Let them know you want to be challenged and your family’s faith to grow. Get there. Be there. That’s important.

There is a war going on—the enemy has you in his crosshairs. He’s got your scent. He’s hiding in the tall grass. Be alert today. Be prayerful today. Be strong today. Jesus prayed that the apostles would be kept safe from the evil one. That is my prayer for you!

Roger