Revelation Friday Night Bible Study 13FEB26 (Revelation 12:10-12)

 

Triumphant Over the Enemy

 

“Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short (Revelation 12:10-12).”

 

 

John describes hearing a loud voice in his vision. It follows the war he saw take place in Heaven, where Satan and his angels were thrown down to the earth. While the Bible does not definitively state who is speaking, many biblical scholars suggest the voice could be an angel, a collective chorus of martyrs, or another representative of the heavenly host, making a triumphant announcement of Heaven’s victory following the fiercest spiritual warfare by the dragon. The voice proclaims the Salvation and power of our God, His great kingdom, and the authority of Christ, thus signaling that the accuser of the brethren has been defeated. His ability to accuse the saints is coming to an end. The Bible says: “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies.  Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us” (Romans 8:33-34). The enemy accuses the people of God, but the Lord advocates for us. Here are some characteristics of the accuser:

 

Key Behavioral Characteristics of an Accuser

 

• Deflection and Projection: Accusers often accuse others of behaviors they are guilty of themselves. The devil accuses the saints of the very things he is guilty of doing and worse. The Bible says: “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?” (Zechariah 3:1-2). In this text, Satan accuses Joshua the High Priest because he is wearing filthy garments, which were not allowed by the priests, symbolizing the sin, moral depravity, and unworthiness of Joshua and Israel. As the accuser, Satan argues that Joshua is unfit to stand before God or hold office, attempting to thwart God's plans for rebuilding the temple and restoring Israel to Himself. Nevertheless, God does not listen to Satan because he is in no position to accuse others. God does not deny the filth but instead orders the removal of the filthy garments and replaces them with pure, priestly robes, symbolizing divine forgiveness, justification, and purification.

 

• Constant Criticism: They focus entirely on others’ mistakes rather than solutions, the positive aspects and progress made, or dealing with their own inadequacies. The Bible says: “One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it” (Job 1:6-7). In the story of Job, Satan admits that he is in an endless search throughout the earth for those whom he can cause the ultimate damage to. A part of this is constant criticism that can cause God’s people to feel inadequate. Nevertheless, Jesus defends those who are His because He is our High Priest, and whoever He ordains, the Spirit will empower to do His work.

 

• Manipulative Intent: They may use gossip or blackmail to destroy reputations and often refuse to accept accountability. For example, Jezebel, the most notorious wicked queen of the Bible, hired some scoundrels to falsely accuse Naboth, a farmer, of blasphemy so her husband, King Ahab, could seize Naboth's land after he was executed. The Bible says: “Then two scoundrels came and sat opposite him and brought charges against Naboth before the people, saying, “Naboth has cursed both God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death. Then they sent word to Jezebel: “Naboth has been stoned to death”(1 Kings 21:13-14). Jezebel was a demonic agent who never took responsibility for her actions, but killed anyone, prophet, priest, or other who got in her way.

 

• Fabrication of Truth: They may have a history of false reporting or distorting facts to suit their narrative, sometimes motivated by jealousy or financial gain. Jesus called Satan the father of lies. The Bible says: “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Satan accuses the saints because he knows that he can never return to his former status in Heaven. Therefore, he tries to distort the truth of God’s saving power to keep people from being saved.

 

• Perpetual Hostility: They often act as “prosecutors,” looking for faults and providing no path to restoration. Jesus took issue with the religious leaders of His day, who made serving God a burden but did nothing to ease the burden, while not following the rules they made themselves. The Bible says: “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them” (Matthew 23:2-4). To sit in the seat of Moses was to have the highest authority to instruct people in the law. But the Pharisees imposed burdensome guidelines and insisted that the people obey them, though they lent no assistance, and these were man-made ideologies. Therefore, Jesus warned them against their flashiness, pride, hypocrisy, greed, and cruelty.

 

Despite the enemy’s attempt to blacklist the saints, there is no one more powerful than our God to save souls. He sent His Son, Jesus, to save the world from the enemy's evils. The Bible says: “Then Jesus came to them and said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me’ ” (Matthew 28:18). Jesus had to come because the devil accuses us day and night, but we are saved by the Blood of the Lamb. The Bible says: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death”  (Romans 8:1-2). Therefore, because Christ came and died for our sins, we do not have to feel condemned over our former lives because we are new creatures in Christ. 

            The saints were triumphant because of Christ's death and their testimony. We are to share our testimony with others, so that we can be a witness as to what God can and has done in our lives. The Bible says: “Then he told me, ‘The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and hear him speak. For you are to be his witness, telling everyone what you have seen and heard” (Acts 22:14-15). The enemy would like for us to live in the past, but Jesus has set us free, and we can live on this promise anytime the devil wants to play a marathon in our minds. 

            We can rejoice for all who are in God because we know that we have Salvation in God. The world has to worry because they are not in right standing with the Lord, and the devil has them bound. 

 

HOMEWORK: Please read Revelation 13. God bless and look forward to seeing you next week, Lord willing.