The War Above All Wars

“War broke out in heaven” (Revelation 12:7).

We hear a lot of talk today about war — war on terrorism, war in the Middle East, nuclear threats from various nations. Never in history has there been such a time of war throughout the earth. And because of the instant communication we have now, almost immediately we receive reports of bombings, ambushes, death tolls.

I am convinced that Jesus spoke about these: “You will hear of wars and rumors of war” (Matthew 24:6). And just as Christ prophesied, people’s hearts are failing them for fear: “Men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth” (Luke 21:26). The wars we are seeing are causing terror throughout the earth, yet these wars are all mere symptoms of a much greater war. You see, there is actually just one war going on and this war-above-all-wars is taking place in heaven — a war between God and the devil.

This war was declared eons ago. Revelation tells us, “Michael and his angels fought with the dragon [Satan]; and the dragon and the angels fought” (12:7). While in heaven, Satan rallied all the fallen angels he deceived to rise up against God because he wanted to usurp God’s authority and take over his throne.

But the devil lost that first battle and God cast him and all the rebelling angels out of heaven. Satan had already deceived those angels and when God created humankind, he determined to deceive them, too.

Satan’s rebellion did not take God by surprise. Even before the foundation of the world, God devised a war plan to defeat the devil. The Lord created man in his own image and allowed him to have a free will — and then he sent his Son, Jesus, to redeem all mankind!

Jesus is patiently waiting for the last harvest to be brought in but until the coming of the Lord, we can live in victory: “We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us” (Romans 8:37).