top of page

Satan's Global Conflict

Updated: Feb 24


MESSAGE SUMMARY

"War in Heaven Brings Wrath on Earth!" That could be the headline of Revelation 12. The ongoing battle of the ages that began in heaven and has played out on earth will reach fever pitch in the coming years. If you're asking What's Next?, the answer in part lies here. The cosmic battle becomes a global battle that will be filled with both woe and worship, both fury and freedom. Let's get more insight into the motivations and actions of the archenemy of God's people.


STUDY GUIDE

Connect Group Recap: March 13, 2016

Speaker: Skip Heitzig

Teaching: "Satan's Global Conflict"

Text: Revelation 12:7-17


Path


So many jokes, movies, and books illustrate misconceptions about the Devil—but the Bible reveals the startling truth about Satan: he is real, he has access to heaven, and he is not in charge of hell, nor will he ever be. Pastor Skip unpacked two major themes in Revelation 12: war in heaven and wrath on earth. In considering them, we learn a few character traits about the Devil:


I. Satan Is Persistent (vv. 7-12)

II. Satan Is Perverse (vv. 9-10)

III. Satan Is Pernicious (vv. 12-17)

IV. Satan Is Preventable (v. 11)


Points


Satan Is Persistent (vv. 7-12)


  • We picture heaven as a place of worship, but in the future, it will be a war zone. Satan fell from heaven and failed to destroy God's Messiah (see Revelation 12:4), but he will try once again during the tribulation to conquer heaven and thwart God's plans.

  • Satan doesn't give up easily, despite his past failures. He knows he's going down, but he wants to create as much chaos and destroy as many lives as he can—like a "roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8).

  • When God said, "Have you considered My servant Job?" (Job 1:8), He acknowledged that Satan had been watching Job, looking for weaknesses—an unnerving thought. Satan studies us and fashions his attacks around our character and weaknesses.

  • One of the biggest lies that Satan tries to spread is that he is the evil opposite of righteous God. God does not fight battles; He wins them. Satan will fight a losing battle against God's angels—particularly Michael, an archangel associated with Israel's protection (see v. 7).

Satan Is Perverse (vv. 9-10)


  • These verses contain six names describing Satan's wicked nature:

  •  Dragon (only seen in Revelation—an indicator of his true character as a fierce tyrant)

  • Serpent of old (his subtle treachery, going back to Eden)

  • Devil (slanderer, gossip)

  • Satan (adversary, enemy)

  • Deceiver (he is the world's pastor, promoting false religion, security, and hope)

  • Accuser (spews accusations against us in heaven)


Satan Is Pernicious (vv. 12-17)


  • Heaven will rejoice at Satan's banishment from heaven, but the earth will recoil: "Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea" (v. 12).

  • The tribulation will be a double-whammy: it will be God's judgment against the earth, but it will also be Satan's great wrath as he and his minions are confined to earth for three and a half years.

  • Satan will vent all his violent outrage on the earth, specifically against Israel. Through his servant, the Antichrist, two-thirds of all the Jews will be killed (see Zechariah 13:8), and the abomination of desolation will occur (see Matthew 24).

  • Though the details are unknown, God will protect His people from the flood of Satan's wrath; Israel's darkest hour will lead to its brightest dawn.


Satan Is Preventable (v. 11)


  • Believers in the tribulation "overcame [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb" (v. 11). Satan has built a case against us, but our defense attorney, Jesus, makes a stronger case by His blood (see 1 John 2:1).

  • Like the martyrs, we overcome Satan by the word of our testimony (see v. 11)—our personal statement of faith that tells others who God is and what He has done for us.

  • "They did not love their lives to the death" (v. 11). Our spiritual loyalty is more important than our physical life. Satan can't touch—in any way that counts in eternity— the person who puts Jesus first and everything else last.

  • Once we know how to die, we know how to live (see John 12:25). When we are pressed to choose either the Lord or our own life, we can take missionary James Calvert's stance when he was discouraged from following the Lord: "We died before we came here."


Practice


Connect Up:  Satan studies how to harm us, but he operates within strict parameters—by God's permission and for God's purposes. God keeps His eye on His children and His finger on the thermostat. What battles in your life do you need to give over to God, trusting that His ultimate victory is sure?


Connect In: The solidarity of Christian brothers and sisters is so important in resisting Satan's influence. What are some ways that you can support each other in the challenges you face?


Connect Out: What is your testimony? Prepare a brief account of what God has done for you and how He has changed your life. Practice it and have it ready at all times. Ask God to provide you with a chance to share it this week.


DETAILED NOTES


I. Introduction

A. People have many misconceptions about the Devil:

1. He is not real at all

2. He is waiting in hell to torment people who go there

B. Satan has never been to hell and will not go there until after the tribulation

1. Satan is not in charge of hell -- God is

2. When Satan finally goes there, he won't be the chief tormentor -- he will be the chief target (see Revelation 20:10)

C. He currently has a certain amount of access to heaven as well as earth (see Job 1:6-7)

D. This passage focuses on two themes

1. War in heaven

2. Wrath on earth

E. We must learn about Satan so we can add to our knowledge about him (see 2 Corinthians 2:11)

II. Satan Is Persistent (vv. 7-12)

A. War in heaven

1. We usually think of heaven as a worship zone, not a war zone

2. This passage refers to a future war

B. Satan finds it hard to give up, though he is fighting a losing battle

1. He wants to create as much chaos as possible

2. He wants to bring as many people down with him as possible

C. Satan personally came to Jesus to tempt Him (see Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13)

1. Satan did not leave Him alone

2. He departed until an opportune time (see Luke 4:13)

3. He is constantly looking for ways to lead us astray (see I Peter 5:*0

D. Satan constantly studies us

1. He studied Job (see Job 1:8)

2. Jesus told Petere that Satan had been asking for him (see Luke 22:31)

3. He fashions his attacks based on information he knows about us

E. Satan's final attempt to take over heaven

1. This is not a battle between God and Satan

a. One of Satan's greatest lies is that he is the evil opposite of righteous God

b. God does not fight battles -- He wins them

2. This will be a battle between Michael and his angels and Satan and his demons

a. They have fought in times past (see Jude 1:9)

b. Michael is the great defender of Isarael (see Daniel 12:1)

3. This war could be triggered by the rapture of the church

a. People who will be raptured will pass through the air (the demons' realm)

b. The demons may try to hinder their passage

4. Michael is an archangel (see Jude 1:9)

a. There is only one other reference to an archangel in the Bible

b. I Thessalonians 4:16: the shout mentioned here could be from Michael as this battle takes place

III. Satan Is Perverse (vv. 9-10)

A. Names of the Devil

1. The Dragon

a. Revelation is the only book that refers to Satan as a dragon

b. Mentioned thirteen times

c. A picture of his character as revealed in the end times

d. A Fierce tyrant

2. Serpent of old

a. Genesis 3

b. Cunning

3. The Devil

a. Slanderer, gossiper, one who defames another

b. Diabolos = slanderous, accusing falsely

4. Satan

a. Enemy

b. Adversary

B. If you have any relationship with the Devil, make sure he is your enemy and not your friend

1. He is a fierce tyrant who is very subtle and crafty, who slanders and defames us and is our enemy

2. "There is something...very comforting in the thought that [the Devil] is an adversary --- I would sooner have him for an adversary than for a friend!" -- Charles Haddon Spurgeon

C. He deceives the whole world

1. He is the world's pastor

2. He shepherds the flock and uses any type of deception he can get people to not think about spiritual things

D. Accuser of the brethren

1. He has access to both heaven and earth

2. He accuses us before the throne of God (see Zechariah 3:1)

3. Some of that spills over into our thought lives

a. We have feelings of inadequacy

b. We doubt our salvation

c. We think there is no way God could want us

IV. Satan Is Pernicious (vv. 12-17)

A. There will come a time when Satan will no longer have access to heaven

B. There will be a great tribulation for two reasons:

1. God's wrath

a. Wrath of the Lamb

b. God's judgments on the earth

2. Satan's wrath

a. Reaction to banishment from heaven

b. Satan and his minions will enter earth en masse

C. Second half of the tribulation = the great tribulation

1. Three and a half years

a. 1,260 days (see Revelation 12:6)

b. Forty-two months (see Revelation 13:5)

2. During this time, Satan will be filled with wrath

a. He will have no more access to heaven or the air

b. "Satan is now like a caged lion, enraged beyond words by the limitations now placed upon his freedom. He picks himself up from the dust of the earth, shakes his fist at the sky, and glares around, choking with fury for ways to vent his hatred and his spite upon humankind: -- John Phillips

c. He will use the Antichrist, who will have made a seven-year peace pact with Israel (see Daniel 9:27)

I. Will be broken at the three and a half year mark

II. Abomination of desolation (see Daniel 12:11)

III. Israel will flee to the wilderness (see Matthew 24:15-25)

d. There will be a wave of anti-Semitism like the world has never seen

I. Two-thirds of the Jews will be slain (see Zechariah 13:8)

II. One-third will be saved (see Romans 11:26)

D. Revelation is a book of symbols that speaks about a reality that will happen in the future

1. Eagles' wings (see Exodus 19:4)

a. God provided protection

b. He will protect Israel again

2. Flood

a. Possibly speaking about a flood of attackers sent to destroy the remaining remnant of Jewish people

b. The earth will help them

c. Possibly an earthquake

I. Five specific earthquakes are mentioned in Revelation (see Revelation 6:12; 8:5; 11:13, 19; 16:18)

II. Jesus predicted earthquakes in different places (see Matthew 24:7)

E. Israel's darkest hour will be followed by Israel's brightest dawn

V. Satan Is Preventable (vv. 11)

A. He can be overcome by the blood of the Lamb

1. In the Old Testament, God told the Israelites to put the blood of a lamb on their doorposts as judgment passed over them (see Exodus 12:21-23)

2. Apply the blood of Christ to your life when Satan hurls accusations at you and tries to get you to doubt

3. God will bless you by your understanding that you are unworthy

4. Because of the work of His Son on your behalf, you are forgiven

B. Satan is the prosecuting attorney who accuses us before God

1. Jesus us our Advocate, our defense attorney (see 1 John 2:2)

2. God is the judge

3. All of Satan's accusations are accurate

4. But Jesus shed His blood to cover our sins so we can overcome all of the accusations

C. Your testimony is your statement of faith

1. Confidence

2. Witness

D. Spiritual loyalty is greater than physical death

VI. Closing

A. Satan hates you and has a miserable plan for your life

1. As Satan studies us, he plans attacks

2. He operates within strict parameters

3. Satan will be sent to hell

B. God loves you and has an amazing plan for your life

1. He allows Satan to attack you to strengthen you

2. He anticipated everything Satan has done and will ever do

3. He always keeps His eye on His children and His hand on the thermostat

4. He created heaven for people


Figures referenced: John Phillips, Charles Haddon Spurgeon


Greek words: diabolos


Cross references: Genesis 3; Exodus 12:21-23; 19:4; Job 1:6-8; Daniel 9:27; 12:1, 11; Zechariah 3:1; 13:8; Matthew 4:1-11; 24:7, 15-25; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13; 22:31; Romans 11:26; 2 Corinthians 2:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; 1 Peter 5:8; 1 John 2:2; Jude 1:9; Revelation 6:12; 8:5; 11:13, 19; 12:6; 13:5; 16:18; 20:10


Topic: Satan


Keywords: Devil, Satan, torment, hell, tribulation, heaven, earth, war, spiritual warfare, chaos, temptation, attack, battle, angels, archangel, demons, Israel, evil, rapture, dragon, serpent, enemy, tyrant, cunning, adversary, deceive, pastor, shepherd, accusation, salvation, tribulation, wrath, judgment, banishment, Antichrist, anti-Semitism, eagle, earthquake, flood, blood of the Lamb, Advocate, sins, testimony





bottom of page