Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
Revelation 12:7-9 (ESV)
Few passages in Revelation spark my imagination more than this one describing a war in heaven. A clash of two mighty armies. One led by the archangel Michael. And the other led by Satan. And each army is composed of angels. Angels who have sided with either Michael or Satan.
While I try to picture what this battle might look like, I am sure it is beyond my wildest imagination. But the result was decisive. Satan and his forces lost the battle, and they were thrown out of heaven and down to the earth.
When did this battle take place? Has it already happened? Or is it still to come? The account of this battle is followed by a loud voice from heaven announcing that “the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come” (Rev. 12:10). This would, at least to me, point to this battle being connected to the cross and resurrection of Jesus (Col. 2:15).
And the following verse, Revelation 21:11, tells us that it was not just Michael and his angels fighting against Satan. Those who loved not their lives, even unto death, have also conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and their testimony. This brings to mind Ephesians 6:10-12, our struggle as believers is not against other people. Instead, it is against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
An Ongoing Battle
While the decisive blow in this battle was struck at the cross, it is still raging around us today (1 Pet. 5:8). Satan and his forces may have been cast from heaven. However, they are still at war with “those who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus” (Rev. 12:17). So it behooves us to take our stand against our common enemy, putting on the armor of God (Eph. 6:13-18), and standing firm in our faith (1 Pet. 5:9), even to the point of death (Rev. 12:11).
