Then war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back, 8 but they did not prevail and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 The huge dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth, and its angels were thrown down with it. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have salvation and power come, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed. For the accuser of our brothers is cast out, who accuses them before our God day and night. 11 They conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; love for life did not deter them from death. 12 Therefore, rejoice, you heavens, and you who dwell in them. But woe to you, earth and sea, for the Devil has come down to you in great fury, for he knows he has but a short time.
A war broke out in heaven between the Archangel Michael, his angels, and the great dragon. The dragon was also known as the ancient serpent (Gen 3), the Devil, Satan (the accuser) (Job 1:7), and the deceiver of the whole world. The dragon and his angels were thrown down to earth (v. 9). The serpent is the accuser of Christians before God in the heavenly court, but Christians are acquitted in the heavenly court because of the death of Jesus and by preaching of the good news of salvation (v. 10). The victory has been won. Christians were condemned and put to death in the earthly Roman courts because they preached the Gospel for which they were prepared to die. The Devil, through the works of the Roman Empire, was able to cause suffering and death on earth but it would only be for a short time.
Almighty God, the victory is won in the heavenly court, but we
still have to work out our salvation with fear and trembling while on earth. In your mercy let your angels protect and guide
us to our heavenly home. This we pray
through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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