Doing Battle

Revelation 12:1 - 15:4     Tim Anderson

When I’m walking through the woods and hunting is slow, I sometimes fantasize about being attacked by a pack of wolves, or a bear.  Would I win?  Would I even survive?  Better to go out doing what I love and testing my strength than dying a decrepit old man, I reason.

When I sleep, sometimes my dreams are rather crazy and violent – but I must admit that even John (the revelator) has me beat when it comes to amazing and horrible detail.

When I read the Bible, I naturally incline toward Old-Testament ways of doing battle for God – against God’s enemies (I’m talking about hand-to-hand combat here).  That comes more naturally for me than loving does, and turning the other cheek – the way Jesus taught us to do (just being honest).

So when I read deeper into Revelation and consider the prospect of doing direct battle against Satan and his demons – sick as it may sound, I’d enlist for that.  Better to go out that way than on some chopping block, right?  But alas, the Bible says we will not know the hour or the day.

Still, something in me says (and believes) that end times will not happen in my lifetime. So if I can’t do direct battle with God’s enemies (as I would prefer), what can I do?

At least twice in our reading for this week, John says something to this effect:

This calls for patient endurance on the part of the

people of God who keep His commands and remain

faithful to Jesus.

So while I go about this thing called life – I can live patiently as I wait for him; I can endure the hardships that come my way; I can keep His commandments, and I can be faithful, loyal and true to Jesus, no matter what – till the end.

But in doing so, am I not also “doing battle” against the enemy in so many indirect ways?

The opportunities for what I call “indirect battle” against Satan and evil (in general) are there everyday - in our work, our family relationships, our friendships, and probably most of all, the time that we are alone (what we do when no one is watching). 

Let's keep in mind that whether direct or indirect, whether in our lifetime or later – the battle is, nevertheless, waging/raging on – and we are called to fight and resist.

Best of all, isn’t it a rare privilege to know, right up front, that we get to win!