Bible Verse of the Day Wednesday April 19th, 2023

Revelation 12:9 The great dragon was hurled down —that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

We have a clear-cut enemy here on this earth, Satan, who is coming after us in daily in battles we must fight. His assaults sometimes will be frontal attacks, but they could be from our right or left flanks. But unfortunately, Satan's favorite attack position is from the rear because, number one, he is a coward, and number two, we sometimes are negligent in watching what might be coming after us from behind.

Up to the time that this verse indicates, Satan had access to heaven. We remember in the story of Job, Satan presented himself before God and told God he had been roaming throughout the earth (Job 1:6-7). Satan's complete and utter defeat was on Calvary's Hill, but his final downfall will come in different phases. After the seven-year tribulation, God will bind him for a thousand years. However, His ultimate punishment is the Eternal Lake of Fire which will include the antichrist, the false prophet, and all people who have not accepted Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

This scripture verse points out that the great dragon was Satan, who lies and misleads all people of the earth. The word Devil is Diabolos (DEE-AB-OL-OS) Strong's 1228, meaning slanderous and falsely accusing in its Greek context. Satan's most dangerous deceits are sometimes so subtle that they might be considered innocent. First, Satan accuses us before God. Then, he will stand next to God and say, "You know that Pastor Ron, he's a terrible sinner, and Jesus will say I know that. Next, Satan will continue and tell God you know he sometimes thinks more highly of himself than he should, and Jesus will again say, I know that. Finally, Satan will say he deserves eternal death, and Jesus will also say: I know that, but I took his place.

Like on any battlefield, we must know our enemy's strategy well. We must know ourselves and be well-informed about our enemy. If we know ourselves and do not know our enemy, we will lose more battles than we win. One of Satan's favorite strategies is to slander the children of God. When one brother or sister in Christ Jesus slanders another person, they do Satan's bidding. This disservice to God and others is no less than spiritual mutiny. We have a potent ally in our ongoing battles against Satan, the Holy Spirit of God. No power on earth or in the entire universe is more powerful than the Holy Spirit. It is comforting to know that we, as children of God, are not in this battle alone and have the most potent force in the universe, indwelling in our hearts, minds, bodies, spirits, and souls.