Michaelmas Sermon: The Accuser Thrown Down
Preached on Revelation 12:7–12
Saint Michael and All Angels
29 September AD 2019
Title: Click to hear the MP3 of The Accuser Thrown Down.
Summary: The imagery of Revelation juxtaposes visions of past, present, and future. Today we have front-row seats to watch Satan, “the great dragon,” driven out of God’s presence and cast down. Similarly, Jesus says in Luke 10:18, “I saw Satan fall like lightning.”
Whether past tense or predictive, both accounts treat the devil’s downfall as a done deal. Christ’s suffering and death snap Satan’s hold on humankind. The Accuser can’t point his finger at us because Jesus removed our guilt.
In a classic “now/not yet” event of Scripture, the text celebrates the final battle and our ultimate victory even as the war between God and devil continues. The third stanza of A Mighty Fortress Is Our God says, “This world’s prince may still Scowl fierce as he will.” Satan still tries to move us away from God by intimidation or enticement. But the hymn continues: “He can harm us none. He’s judged; the deed is done; One little word can fell him.”
Text: Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 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.
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. 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.
“Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” Revelation 12:7-12
Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Audio: Click to hear the MP3 of The Accuser Thrown Down
NB: A few people have had problems trying to play the inline audio with Windows Media Player. If this occurs, you can either change to QuickTime or another default browser player, copy and paste the link directly into a selected player, or download it to your computer, where it seems to work regardless of which player. Several folks have suggested VLC Player from VideoLAN.
About the Art: War in Heaven by Wes Talbott
Other Readings: Psalm 91; Daniel 10:10-14; 12:1-3; Luke 10:17-20 or Matthew 18:1-10
Saint Michael and All Angels
29 September AD 2019
Title: Click to hear the MP3 of The Accuser Thrown Down.
Summary: The imagery of Revelation juxtaposes visions of past, present, and future. Today we have front-row seats to watch Satan, “the great dragon,” driven out of God’s presence and cast down. Similarly, Jesus says in Luke 10:18, “I saw Satan fall like lightning.”Whether past tense or predictive, both accounts treat the devil’s downfall as a done deal. Christ’s suffering and death snap Satan’s hold on humankind. The Accuser can’t point his finger at us because Jesus removed our guilt.
In a classic “now/not yet” event of Scripture, the text celebrates the final battle and our ultimate victory even as the war between God and devil continues. The third stanza of A Mighty Fortress Is Our God says, “This world’s prince may still Scowl fierce as he will.” Satan still tries to move us away from God by intimidation or enticement. But the hymn continues: “He can harm us none. He’s judged; the deed is done; One little word can fell him.”
Text: Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 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.
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. 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.
“Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” Revelation 12:7-12
Scripture quoted from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Audio: Click to hear the MP3 of The Accuser Thrown Down
NB: A few people have had problems trying to play the inline audio with Windows Media Player. If this occurs, you can either change to QuickTime or another default browser player, copy and paste the link directly into a selected player, or download it to your computer, where it seems to work regardless of which player. Several folks have suggested VLC Player from VideoLAN.
About the Art: War in Heaven by Wes Talbott
Other Readings: Psalm 91; Daniel 10:10-14; 12:1-3; Luke 10:17-20 or Matthew 18:1-10
Labels: accuser, angels, book of life, dragon, epistle, michaelmas, Revelation 12, saint michael, satan, St. Michael
posted by Xrysostom | 11:30
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