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INJ
Revelation 12:1-12
'War in Heaven'
Divine Service
St Michael and All Angels | October 5, 2008
Dear Saints,
This morning we have St Michael and All Angels Sunday. I love this Sunday because I love this Epistle text, the war in heaven. It is one of the most wonderful and marvelous texts, and when we understand it it has the most wonderful comfort for us.
But before we hear this text, it will do us well to consider in general terms the Lord's ministers, the angels. Perhaps we don't think about the angels often enough, but thank the Lord that they are concerned with us, with the Lord's church.
The angels are the Lord's servants, created spiritual beings who seem, in the Scriptures, to do two things most of all: sing and fight. They are beings of sword and song. The angels were there as God created the earth. Consider this wonderful verse from the prophet Job, where the Lord comes to question him:
4 "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements- surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” [Job 38]
The sons of God were the angels. And here there is this beautiful scene of the angels gathered together singing the praises of God as He creates the earth.
And just like the beginning, the angels are there at the end, singing the praises of God. They stand before the face of the Lord singing their “Holy, holy, holy” eternally. In fact, the entire book of the Revelation of Jesus given to John is punctuated with angelic songs, praises to God the Father and His Son the Lamb. Here's the last stanza of their hymn.
5 And I heard the angel in charge of the waters say, "Just are you, O Holy One, who is and who was, for you brought these judgments. 6 For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink. It is what they deserve!" 7 And I heard the altar saying, "Yes, Lord God the Almighty, true and just are your judgments!" [Revelation 16]
And all in between, the angels are always working, fighting back the devil and his demons and protecting the Lord's people. The angels especially tend to the Lord Jesus. It was the angels, specifically Gabriel, who announces the incarnation to Mary. The angels who appear to Joseph to give the name Jesus to his step-son. It was the angels who sang to the shepherds and sent them to the baby Jesus. The angels appeared to Joseph to send the holy family to exile in Egypt.
The angels were there to comfort Jesus after His 40 days with the devil, and after His agony in the garden in Gethsemane. The angels were there in the tomb, even when Jesus wasn't. In the easter Gospel we hear the wonderful words of the angel, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here. He is risen!”
And all through the early church, the angels are with the apostles as the Lord's Word goes forth. It's the angels who watch over and protect the Lord's little ones, the angels who keep and protect the church, the angels who will carry our souls to the face of Jesus after we die.
So we thank God for the ministry of the angels.
In this morning's epistle text we hear of one of the most marvelous works of the angels, removing the devil from heaven. That is the goal of this heavenly war, to remove the devil from before the face of the Lord. But to understand this we have to ask the question, “What in the world is the devil doing in heaven to begin with?” The answer is in the devil's name. The Hebrew word “satan” means accuser. We have it in the beginning of the book of Job that the devil stands before the Lord to accuse His people.
When the angels were gathered together together before the Lord's throne the devil has a place, and he comes there and brings Job before the Lord. He wants to accuse him of sin, of unrighteousness, but there is nothing to accuse. So the devil comes down to tempt Job, to send him into despair and unbelief and a despising of the Lord. And then the devil could bring this sin to the face of God.
This is a frightful thing, isn't it? That the devil would accuse us of our sin before the face of God, frightful because of our sin, because of our failure, our breaking of the Lord's law and deserving of His wrath. If the devil were to bring our sin into heaven, to the Lord, then we would be doomed. When the devil accuses us of sin he is right, we are sinners.
And this is where this texts gets good. The Lord hates our sin, worse than we do, and He does something about it. You all know this. It's on the cross that Jesus stands in for us, that He bears up under the wrath of God that we've deserved. On the cross Jesus spills His blood as the price for our Redemption, that blood that washes away our sin and covers our shame. It is in the death of Jesus that all of our sins are forgiven, and it is in this, dear saints, that the devil's work is undone.
How can he accuse what Jesus has forgiven? How can the devil be against us if God is for us? When Jesus dies and rises and ascends into heaven there is now no more room for the devil, no place for him, no work for him to do, no accusation against the Lord's people, no accusation against you, that will stand.
And so it is with the victory of the cross that Michael and his hosts of angels drive out the devil from before the face of the Lord.
7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world--he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” [Revelation 12]
The accuser has been thrown down,k down here to the earth. And now the devil is in a panic because he cannot speak of your sins before the Father where it matters. Now he only speaks his lies to you, to push you toward pride or despair. But dear saints, rejoice. The devil has been over come by the blood of the Lamb and the word of His testimony.
No longer does the devil stand before your heavenly Father speaking of your sins. When Jesus ascended into heaven He came with a flood of atoning blood which washed the devil out. No, now standing before the throne of God is your brother Jesus, your Friend, Your Savior, the One who gave everything for your salvation. And Jesus does not speak to the Father about your sin, but instead He speaks of His righteousness which He has applied to your account. He is not a satan, not an accuser, but our Advocate who intercedes for us and forgives us our sin.
This, dear saints, matters. There is no accusation, no condemnation, no threats or danger for you from God. Michael and the angels have sent out the devil.
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died--more than that, who was raised--who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered." 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. [Romans 8]
This is our comfort and our peace. Amen.
And the peace of God which passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Pastor Bryan Wolfmueller
Hope Lutheran Church | Aurora, CO