Lesson 95. Spiritual Warfare

We are all at war. Whether we want it or not, we take part in daily battles. In the spiritual world, a struggle is being waged for our souls, for possession of our minds and wills. This war has its own rules and laws. God and Satan are at war with one another, and God’s angels and the fallen angels are in constant conflict. The final outcome of this war is already known: Satan and his angels will be completely destroyed, and with them will come the end of sin, disease, suffering, and death. God will cleanse the entire universe, leaving no trace of sin, and only the wounds on Christ’s body will remind us of the great price that was paid for our salvation.

Now I need to understand where I am and what is happening around me. If I do not understand the laws and characteristics of spiritual warfare, I risk joining the ranks of God’s enemies and supporting them through my ignorance and indifference. But the Lord desires me to be His ally, to understand what is taking place, to be an overcomer, and to receive the reward. In the second and third chapters of Revelation, I read that overcomers will be given wonderful rewards and spiritual privileges in Eternal life. God will fulfill these promises in the lives of all who fought on His side. Christ has already defeated His enemy, but the war for our souls continues, and the Savior is carrying on this struggle because He does not desire anyone to perish, but all to come to repentance.

What do I imagine when I hear the word “war”?

War is a conflict between opposing sides for the purpose of establishing their own laws, rules, and order and imposing their ideology. At its foundation lies the desire to force the enemy to surrender his freedom, rights, property, and territory and to submit his will to the victor.

I picture war as an armed confrontation involving military equipment and various means of destroying the enemy’s forces. Spiritual warfare has different characteristics, although souls also perish in it.

In the universal conflict, questions arose concerning God’s supreme authority, His right to be the sole Ruler of the universe, and Christ’s right to be equal with God the Father and to receive the honor and worship of all intelligent beings inhabiting the world created by God. One being arose who opposed the established order of things. He desired to possess God’s authority, not out of love for creation, but to satisfy his own ambitions and his desire to receive honor and worship from the inhabitants of Heaven. The name of this rebellious being was Lucifer, which means “shining one.”

God could not allow His creature to take the place of the Creator of the entire universe, and He made it clear to His adversary that all supreme authority belongs to the Creator alone. In this conflict, our Lord used only His eternal principles—Truth, the Word, and Love—upon which God’s throne is founded.

Satan, however, began to use methods that were unacceptable to God, thereby deceiving all who lived in the heavenly dwellings. Because Lucifer occupied the highest position in angelic society, it was easy for him to conceal his true plans and sow seeds of discontent and doubt. When the secret conflict grew into open confrontation, the decision was made to remove Satan and his followers from Heaven, away from the presence of God.

Revelation 12:7–9 states: “And there was war in heaven: Michael and His angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

But God’s enemies were not destroyed immediately. They were given the opportunity to show everyone where sin leads and what its consequences are. Heavenly beings needed to understand what the universe would become if Lucifer were permitted to put his plans into action.

At that time death did not yet exist, and none of the inhabitants of Heaven understood where this rebellion would lead. Therefore, Satan had many supporters and sympathizers in the conflict that had erupted.

Adam fell through Satan’s deceptions, thereby allowing him to exercise authority over all the descendants of the first human beings and to exert his destructive influence upon them. But at the very beginning of humanity’s fall, God gave hope by granting people the power to resist sin if they chose God’s side in this conflict.

Christ’s death made Satan’s true plans clear and tore away the mask behind which he had hidden his real intentions. Although this event ensured Satan’s defeat in the spiritual war, it did not yet bring the conflict to an end. God’s enemy decided simply to take revenge upon the Victor by destroying everything and everyone, while God determined to restore His image in fallen humanity despite the great deception under which deceived people had fallen.

In our day, spiritual warfare has reached its climax. God allowed human beings to develop all their abilities and revealed to them the secrets of the microcosm and digital technologies so that, within this invisible world, He might show His presence and the harmony of the laws by which the universe is ordered. But the enemy of humanity has taken all these discoveries as weapons in order to use them to destroy unfortunate, deceived souls.

This war is now in full force, and it is being waged in my head. The enemy of souls persuades his human allies to impose the fallen angel’s ideology upon others, presenting it in an attractive light and making people dependent on harmful habits and the power of sin. God, however, seeks allies through whom He can destroy Satan’s plans and temptations, bring deceived souls into His light, and grant them freedom from the power of sin and error.

Whichever of these opposing powers succeeds in persuading me—that is the side I will take in this war.

The final conflict called Armageddon is approaching, where love and truth on God’s side will meet falsehood and sin on the devil’s side face to face. We human beings will take part in this battle as representatives of one side or the other.

God now desires to clothe us in the whole armor of God so that He may wage this war within us. He longs to endow me with all the fullness and power of His love, for only when my spirit and soul abide in it can I be properly oriented and understand God’s desires and plans for the final victory over sin.

The expression “without love, I am nothing and it profiteth me nothing” will one day become very clear to many who had the opportunity to receive love and learn to live by it, but were too busy to give it their attention and time.

Why must love be the source of victory? Love is the condition of my mind when it is in direct communion with God. In this state, I understand what to do, how to believe, what God desires, what is abhorrent to Him, where the enemy’s traps have been set, and how to avoid them. Love gives answers to every question, for love itself is the answer. From God’s side, the essence of the great controversy is to teach me to live in love. The enemy, however, seeks to deprive me of this power so that I will try to solve my problems myself and look for other paths to salvation.

Love and truth are the victor’s banner; they are Christ living in the heart. They are God’s triumph in my heart. They are an influence upon those around me and the eternal prospect of spiritual growth in God’s presence. They are Eternity within me.

It was love that defeated the enemy at the cross, and now love is conquering within me.

1. What did you understand from this lesson?

2. Where does spiritual warfare take place, and how should this be understood?

3. What is my part in this war, and what depends on me?

4. Why is it important to understand the rules of war and to have the whole armor of God?

5. Why do I need love in order to wage war?

6. How will the Lord gain the victory in the final battle?

7. Please read Ephesians 6:11–17; Revelation 12:7–9; Daniel 10:13; Jude 9; Psalm 46:10–12; Joshua 5:13–14; and Revelation 19:11–15 in the light of our lesson.