Seminar Reminder: Reno, Nevada, Seventh-day Adventist Church; May 21, 22 (Friday evening, all day Sabbath): Good News for Adventists in the 21st Century—Is Righteousness by Faith Relevant Today?
------------------------------------------------
It seems wildly inappropriate to think that there was ever a "war in heaven," but that's just what Revelation 12:7-10 describes. A war to the finish between "Michael" with His angels against "the dragon [Satan] and his angels." A careful reading suggests that it was Christ and the loyal angels who started the war, although this is backwards to most thinking today.
And this fits in with what the Bible says about Christ. Christ never lies down and lets the devil walk over Him. You remember at His temptation in the wilderness, He told the devil to "get out!" and the devil did (Matt. 4:10). Again when Satan used Peter to try to turn Him away from His cross, He said, "Get thee behind Me, Satan!" (16:23).
When Lucifer (who became "the devil and Satan") fomented rebellion in heaven, he was spreading his poison all through the ranks of the holy angels. If Christ and they had not protested, sin would have filled the universe. They could not sit back and relax and condone a fictitious "peace and harmony" as we are often tempted to do when evil is about to triumph; they arose in vigorous protest. They started a war! They saw through the subtle lies that Lucifer was telling, and their souls were on fire in their love for truth. Their concern was for the security of heaven and the universe. They HAD to "speak up."
We might say that "Michael and His angels" were pro-test-ants, righteously so. And so will everyone be who takes up his cross to follow Jesus (Luke 9:23). Love for souls, for your nation, for your church, for society, for the universe itself, yes, concern for Christ, motivates you to protest against injustice, against lies. The first work of the Holy Spirit is to "convict of sin," that is, to protest against sin because sin kills (John 16:8; Prov. 8:36). If your problem is drinking, the Holy Spirit will convict you of that sin before you take a drink--you can't take another drink without resisting Him. Before anyone chooses to transgress God's holy law, He continually says, "No!" He "convicts of sin" in love.
But be careful: it's not your job to do the work of the Holy Spirit. You can lift your voice against evil and not be obnoxious at the same time. You can "protest" in a Christlike way.
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: January 24, 2002.
Copyright © 2010 by Robert J. Wieland.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Please forward these messages to your friends and encourage them tosubscribe. The "Dial Daily Bread" Web site resides at: http://1888message.org/dailybread/
To subscribe send an e-mail message with "subscribe" in the body of the message to: dailybread@1888message.org
To un-subscribe click on this link: Unsubscribe me from this contact list
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Robert J. Wieland's inspirational "Dial Daily Bread" messages are availalbe via e-mail to anyone who wishes to receive a daily portion of uplifting Good News. "Dial Daily Bread" is FREE. Due to travel or other circumstances, there may be intervals when "Dial Daily Bread" will not be sent.
