THE SUPREMACY OF CHRIST (Part 4).
Revelation 12. Verses 7-11 read:
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. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Yesterday, we said that one of the key factors that establishes the superiority of Christ is his conquest in all realms of existence, that is, in heaven, on earth, and under the earth. Today’s text is a record of Christ’s conquest in heaven. Quite surprisingly, scripture says that there was war in heaven, the realm of God’s abode. This points to Lucifer’s rebellion against the Most High God recorded in Isaiah 14 verses 12-17.
The war in heaven was between the angelic host of heaven and the dragon or Satan and his supporting angels. In rebellion, the worshipping archangel by name, Lucifer took on the evil nature of the dragon. Eventually, the satanic forces lost their position in heaven, and the dragon was cast down to the earth together with his supporting angels to become the demonic host who were on assignment to deceive the nations of the earth.
The conquest of the satanic forces and their expulsion from heaven triggered some pronouncements, which defined the grand redemption and restoration plan of God. Per the pronouncement:
- There was the restoration of salvation, strength, the kingdom of God, and the power of his Christ because the undermining forces of heaven had been cleared. From this pronouncement, it is clear that the war was actually against the kingdom or reign of God and the power or authority of Christ. The truth is that Christ was behind this conquest to establish divine dominion in the heavens. This was essential in replicating the order of heaven on earth.
- The accuser of the brethren has been cast down on the earth. This indicates that the earth would come under a strong voice of accusation and condemnation to hurt and cause offence to many who seek the Lord and his purpose.
- The overcoming forces for the inhabitants of the earth are the blood of the Lamb, that is, Jesus Christ, the word of God, and a sacrificial life. This is the divine provision for victory on earth.
Christ actually championed and facilitated the conquest of Satan in heaven and also made provision through his blood for earthly conquest. The conquest of heaven is still playing out on earthly life. 1 Corinthians 15 verse 57 says that “…..thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Hallelujah!
SHALOM 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏