Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea; with great fury the devil has come down to you, knowing he has only a short time.

— Revelation 12:12

14 I have given them Your word and the world has hated them. For they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

15 I am not asking that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one.

16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

17 Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.

— John 17:14-17

“and you have seen everything that the LORD your God has done to all these nations for your sake, because it was the LORD your God who fought for you.

— Joshua 23:3

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

— Romans 16:20

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, salvation and joy from Jesus Christ to you.

Revelation 12:12 says a loud voice in heavens calls for heaven and whoever dwell in them to rejoice because the dragon was defeated and thrown down. However, the voice also warns of Satan’s violent presence and fury on earth. Because Satan knows his time is short, he works ferociously to fling his destruction and damage as widely as possible. Be warned about Satan’s power, but allow the triumph of the Lamb to hold us steady. The battle is the Lord’s, and He wins! Satan, the dragon, having suffered humiliating defeat in heavens, makes earth the stage for his hateful fury against God and His people but God protects His people. Though God’s children will not always be spared from physical pain and harm, God will miraculously deliver them for the clutch of the evil one in the final day and sustain and preserve them eternally.

Like everything else in existence, Satan operates under Go’s control. Satan wields great power, but God limits his authority. Satan is not God’s counterpart; he does not share God’s attributed. He is a spiritual being but cannot be everywhere at once. Though Satan brandishes such influence in the world that he seems to be everywhere, he does not transcend time and space as God does. He rules over many other spiritual beings who carry out his will, just as they fought and fell with him when he battled Michael’s forces in heaven. He can suggest doubts, temptations, and selfish motivations to God’s people. With cunning intelligence, he can predict human thinking and behavior, but there is no evidence he knows human thoughts like God does.