From “Feast of Tabernacles,” Chapter 6- The Blowing of Trumpets: An Introduction to Tabernacles, continued
And so we are told in the Book of Revelation what happens when the powers of heaven are shaken: “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 (ancient) 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” (Rev. 12:7-9). The powers of heaven shaken! Yes, and that means Great Tribulation for the earth-dwellers, but glory and honour and salvation for the saints! “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… Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time” (Rev. 12:10-12).
And then what happens? “And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child” (vs. 13). By this time this man-child company, this group of overcomers brought forth by the travail of the Church, is in a place of power and authority in the “heavenlies;” and the Church that brought forth the man child through much pain and spiritual travail, is left in the earth. For a time she is persecuted by the Dragon who lost his heavenly throne, but soon a place is prepared for the “woman” in the wilderness, where she is nourished and protected.
The Man Child.
The whole picture is a wonderful description of the Church of this hour. We cannot deal at length with the subject here, but a few Scriptures will help us to see the picture more clearly. As we mentioned before, Satan rules and reigns over the earth from his exalted position in “the heavenlies.” That is his fortress; but it is likewise the heritage of the saints. There it is that God hath blessed the Church with all spiritual blessings, even in “the heavenlies” (Eph. 1:3), and there it is that we are called upon to wrestle with Satan, as we become clothed upon with the “whole armour of God” (Eph. 6:12, 13). Now when the saints of God begin to really press into their heritage in Christ Jesus, Satan is going to object–and there will be “war in heaven.” Hence the great “wrestling” that Paul speaks about. Michael the Archangel himself is going to enter the fray on behalf of God’s people in this great Day of the Lord, and he is going to take up their cause in this heavenly warfare. God has promised he would. “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book” (Dan. 12:1). Then angelic hosts are ministering spirits sent forth to wait in service upon the elect; and Michael is one of their chief princes. Consequently the hosts of Satan are cast down; the overcomer takes his place of authority in the place left vacant by these evil hosts of wickedness; and hence the triumphant shout, “therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them…” But the Dragon, having lost his kingdom, roams through the earth in great wrath, tormenting men, and attempting to persecute the Church which was responsible for bringing forth the overcoming man child. But God in mercy has a place prepared for her “in the wilderness”–some secret, spiritual hiding-place, and there she is protected and nourished. God, therefore, promised Daniel: “Thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.” As we shall discover later, when we deal with the priesthood of this overcoming group, they shall be in a place of power and authority with God, and shall be able to administer the help and protection and sustenance that the Church needs. GHW
It seems strange to me that there are some who say, “The fight is over. Jesus defeated the devil on the cross, so all we need to do is rest in Him.” Yes, ultimately the victory is His. Hallelujah! But surely, we can see from the scriptures that the fight continues. The Book of Acts, the Pauline Epistles, the General Epistles, and Revelation all show a church at war. The spiritual battle continues against the world, the flesh, and the devil. We are the victors because Jesus won the war, but our enemies refuse to surrender easily. We must continue to engage. As Paul told Timothy, “Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and for which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses” (1Tim 6:12 NASB).
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