XXVII. War in Heaven

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · May 30, 1911

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 38, No. 21.

XXVII. War in Heaven

In our last two numbers we have considered two of the great characters of this chapter, the woman, and her foe, the dragon. They were set before the prophet as signs in the heaven, showing their prominence, visible to all, and also indicating that they were in the spiritual field, not the secular.

The woman we learned was a symbol of the church of God. The dragon represented the devil in his attitude to the people of God, working through the great dynasties of earth symbolized by the heads.

The waiting and travailing of the woman was from the time of the Babylonian captivity till Christ the Man Child was born. Satan's wrath was against the woman to destroy the Man Child; then, as soon as the Man Child was born, the wrath was turned against Him, and at last it put Him to death through the Roman power. Yet, notwithstanding all the powers of earth were enlisted by the dragon against the Seed of the woman, the "Child was caught up to God and to His throne." Verse 6 we concluded to study with verse 14. This week we study the war in heaven. What is —

The Answer of the Text?

[The answers to the questions are from the American Revised Version. Omitting questions, and disregarding sometimes the capital at the beginning and the period at the close of an answer, the text may be read continuously. In notes and comments both versions are used without designation.]

1. What occurred in the spiritual realms? And there was war in heaven.

2. Who constituted the forces at war? Michael and His angels going forth to war with the dragon; and the dragon warred and his angels.

3. What was the result to the dragon and his forces? And they prevailed not, neither was their place found any more in heaven.

4. What followed the dragon's defeat? And the great dragon was cast down.

5. Who is this dragon? The old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan.

6. By what other term is he designated? The deceiver of the whole world.

7. Where were the devil and his angels cast? He was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him.

Note and Comment

1. WAR IN HEAVEN.—In the spiritual realm. Not a war with swords and staves or bows and arrows, not a conflict with big guns and battle-ships; but a greater war of principles good and evil, mightier in results than any of the wars of earth. It was a warfare upon which he enters ever who enlists for the right. If he conquers, he may not do so on the principle that might is right, but that right is might. He may not measure success by the world's measure; greater is he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city, let it be Babylon, or Nineveh, or Rome, or Jerusalem. On these great principles was fought out the war in heaven when sin first entered. On that same great battle-field, in which was involved the fate of the universe, that war was continued.

2. MICHAEL means "Who is like God." He is the Archangel, who has power over death. Jude 9; 1 Thess. 4: 16. But it is the voice of the Son of God that raises the dead. John 5: 28, 29. He is "the great Prince," the angel told the prophet, "who standeth for the children of thy people." Dan. 12: 1. There is but one Archangel, or Chief Angel. The Scriptures never speak of archangels in the plural. The Archangel is chief of all the angels of God. He is Jehovah of hosts, or armies, that Angel or Messenger of whom the great Jehovah said, "My name is in Him." Ex. 23: 21. HIS ANGELS are all the shining hosts of God's celestial armies.

THE DRAGON, we are told, is "that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan." The serpent carries us back to the tempter in Eden. It also finds a place in many systems of idolatrous worship from Babylon down. "At the time this divine description is given, the term 'dragon' had no such meaning [as a fabulous creature equipped with wings], among profane or sacred writers. 'The dragon of the Greeks,' says Pausanius, 'was only a large snake.'"—Hislop. It was connected with fire-worship, the symbol on earth of the sun; hence, the RED dragon. The primitive name of the sun was "Shemesh," from which comes "Beth-shemesh," the "house of the sun." The meaning of "Shemesh" is "servant"; so the sun was God's servant. But the apostates from God called the sun-god Baal, or Lord, and worshiped it as such. Associated with him in fire-worship was the tempter of mankind, the serpent. The "fiery serpent" is celebrated in pagan poetry and legend. See Hislop's "Two Babylons" on "The Great Red Dragon," in which he identifies the dragon as the symbol of sun-worship and fire-worship, as also the symbol of Nimrod, deified as the god of fire.

HIS ANGELS, the angels, or messengers, of the devil. See Matt. 25: 41. Those carried away by his defection in heaven. WARRED.—Milton has pictured this war as physical. Mortals can get concrete ideas of it perhaps in no other way, save in that experience of wrestling "not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places," wrestlings that are mightier, agonies which are greater, pains more poignant, than mere physical combatants ever knew. Such was the agony of Gethsemane.

When in that far beginning the Son of God, the Creator, gave Himself for man, His first step in that all-comprehensive sacrifice was to become an angel, a messenger, of God, a servant to do His bidding. His was the chiefest service, and hence He became the chief or arch angel, for greatness in the spiritual realm is measured by devotion, unselfishness, fealty. The Son of God gave all, and from that time till His death upon the cross every step was the demonstration of the purpose and will in the gift. In all this He represented God. He must show to angels as to men that God loved them, because God is love. And therefore we know that a long part of that early struggle with Lucifer and his angels was to induce them to yield to the divine government, to the loving will of God. The great offering of Christ covered their sins. The mighty Sacrifice comprehended all; and its far-reaching results will fill every void in God's universe which sin has made. Eph. 4: 9, 10. We know not how many angels even were saved from apostasy and destruction. This we do know—that among them, as among men, He shall see of the travail of His soul and be satisfied.

Lucifer was "called the Devil," "Diabolus," the accuser. Thus he began his work of accusing God of injustice, of arbitrary government, of partiality in its administration. He came to this world, fair from the hand of God, and accused God before our first parents. God was neither good nor just. He was keeping back from man that which would be for man's good. In his insinuating, beguiling way spoke the serpent, "Ah, what hath God said?" (Spurrell.) As Boothroyd renders, "Hath God indeed said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" Has He placed so unreasonable a restriction upon you? And when the woman told him the penalty of transgression, he generously told her, "Assuredly ye shall not die." God is keeping you from knowledge and exaltation. And so he accused God, and deceived the woman, became man's lord and master, and the prince of the world de facto. As the prince of this world he meets in the divine councils with the sons of God from other worlds. Job 1: 6-12. And there, to deceive

the rulers of other worlds, he accuses God of partiality to Job, and Job, God's servant, of selfish motives in serving his Master. One other instance is given in Zech. 3: 1-5, where Satan accuses God's high priest because of the sins of his people resting upon him. But the adversary is rebuked by Michael, "the Angel of Jehovah," in the name of the Father. The Son of God was in His humiliation in the crucible, under testing, demonstrating in character the goodness and truth and love of God. This is more emphatically presented in Jude 9: "But Michael the Archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing judgment, but said, The Lord rebuke thee." Our Surety had not as yet borne the test, but He had never lost the victory.

The next step in the struggle was to become man, "becoming in the likeness of men" (see Phil. 2: 5-8, A.R.V., margin), and then humbling Himself to the death of the cross. The original purpose of giving Himself was completely met. "He emptied Himself," poured out His soul even unto death. Deity could do no more to demonstrate His love. In all our Lord's ministry the mighty conflict went on, from the Temptation on the mount to the Transfiguration on the mount; from the Transfiguration to the Garden of Gethsemane; from the Garden to the Cross of Calvary. Ever He met the tempter by the Word, "It is written," "It is written." Thus He demonstrated God's mighty power to save from the greatest trouble and danger and peril and foe, thus He proved the falsity of Satan's ages-old accusations, and thus He vindicated God's dealings with man in Eden.

3. THEIR PLACE.—Until that mighty demonstration of God's justice and wisdom and love, even the angels of God were on probation, perplexed over Satan's charges, yet loyal to the Master. They did not, could not understand what it all meant. Until the great question was settled, God in some way held the place of those fallen angels vacant. But when the vindictive hate of the devil and his demons compassed the death of Incarnate Love, they had passed that line on the thither side of which there is no hope, because there is no repentance. Thank God that in it all the spirits of blackness "prevailed not." Expediency was not victorious over duty, principle was not subservient to policy; right was demonstrated to be eternal might.

4. CAST DOWN.—The character of Lucifer was shown to be all that Christ's character was not. Angels of God saw it. To all the circling worlds of God's universe flashed the news. The de facto, usurping prince of this world was revealed in his true character and defeated forever by Redeeming Love. No longer could the accuser enter the councils of God.

5. THE OLD SERPENT is he of Eden. THE DEVIL is Diabolus, the accuser. And this is the meaning of the dragon. The symbol may have a secondary symbolism, but Inspiration reveals its meaning here. The dragon is the devil.

6. THE DECEIVER.—Never does he work in the full, open light. It is deception always on the one side or the other. Even tho he persecutes God's children openly, he makes his agents believe that they are doing God's will and saving their own souls in the persecutions they carry on at his bidding. He "fashioneth himself into an angel of light," and his ministers "fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness." 2 Cor. 11: 14, 15. By every seductive art of deception he lures men to opposition to God, to enmity to truth, to destruction. The one test of genuineness is the law of God, the Word of His Gospel. Let the world go if it will; stand with the Victorious One. Be not deceived.

7. TO THE EARTH. Previous to our Lord's first advent the warfare waged by Satan was in the high superhuman world, among spirits; but when Christ conquered he was cast down, and this little old earth becomes the battleground of eternal principles. Here has been fought out the crisis of the universe, and here have been and are being determined the destinies of millions. The devil is not dead; he is here with all his messengers of evil, demons of deception and duplicity, high and low; but there is for our rescue, our stay, our eternal refuge, our Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal victor. Of Him shall we study in our next.