THE WAR IN HEAVEN AND OUR HEAVENLY VOCATION
Col 1:12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
Col 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Col 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Col 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Col 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
The most amazing aspect of who we have been made to be “in Christ” will be fulfilled when we occupy our positions in the heavenly “principality, and power, and might, and dominion” vocation as being the members of His body. Just as there is a governmental structure here on the earth, there is also a governmental structure in the heavenly places made up of different ‘offices’ and positions just as we have within our earthly government. Moreover when a person is given a position or office he must be counted worthy or declared qualified to hold the position, or to do his job to the satisfaction of the one who has entrusted him to fulfill the new job title.
Eph 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eph 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.
Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
Eph 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Eph 1:21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
Eph 1:22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Eph 1:23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.
We as “sons” have received the “earnest of our inheritance” once we trusted the gospel of our salvation, but that is just part of who we are “in Christ.” From the moment a justified son arrives in the heavenly places (whether it is by death or the rapture) he will be utilized as part of God the Father’s plan to “gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him.” We as sons in this dispensation of Gentile grace are “the fullness” of Jesus Christ as being the Head, and we being “members” of His body. And as such we will make up the “principality, and power, and might, and dominion” positions that were vacated by the angels who followed Satan in his rebellion against God.
Rev 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
Rev 12:8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
Rev 12:9 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.
Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
Revelations chapter 12 makes known the details of the “war in heaven,” and as we can see this is an angelic war being fought in the heavenly places with the holy angels of God, warring against Satan and his angels. However there has always been much speculation into what actually causes the “war in heaven.” Could this war be brought on because God gives Satan and his angels ‘notice’ that their time in heaven is officially ‘run out?’ Or could it be that Satan starts the rebellion against God and is ‘evicted’ from heaven? There are a lot of interesting aspects that are found within these four verses of chapter 12. Some of Satan’s daily activities are made known here in verse 10; the verse says that because Satan and his angels were “cast out,” there was “salvation” found in heaven. This salvation is the salvation from the corruption that Satan was producing as being an “accuser” of the brethren that were not walking accordingly on earth.
1Ti 5:14 I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.
1Ti 5:15 For some are already turned aside after Satan.
When we as “brethren” do not walk as we should “in Christ,” we give Satan the opportunity to “speak reproachfully,” and ‘accuse’ the saints before God day and night.
Job 1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
And oftentimes I have heard most say that Satan is already “cast out” of heaven, and they will say that evil cannot stand in the presence of God, but this is not the case at all. Verse ten says that Satan ‘accuses’ the saints “before” God “day and night,” and the book of Job says that there is an appointed day when the angels come to “present themselves before the LORD,” and this was all well after Satan (he is called his sinful name: the adversary) had already sinned in the garden. Also we know that this is something that Satan is doing in this dispensation of Gentile grace because verse nine says that he “deceiveth the whole world,” something that Satan has done since he “transformed” himself into “an angel of light;” in Israel’s program he worked in a different way as an angel of darkness and he set out to hinder and destroy Israel as a nation, and because Israel ‘required a sign,’ it would have been hard for Satan to continually work in a deceitful way toward the nation (a sign confirmed God’s work among Israel).
Eze 28:14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
Eze 28:15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
Eze 28:16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
Eze 28:17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
Satan has fallen from his position as the “anointed cherub that covereth,” but he has not been “cast to the ground” yet. His “place” and the ‘places’ of the other angels that will be cast out of heaven will be filled by the members of the body of Christ. Our heavenly purpose will be to fill those positions based upon our worthy-ness (our reward based upon how much or less we labored in the doctrine) in how we as sons allowed God’s word to “work effectually” within us.
Gal 4:3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:
Gal 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
Gal 4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
Gal 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
The salvation of our souls from this sin cursed world is not the only plan that God the Father has for us; the “adoption” that we will fully inherit will fulfill the Father’s plan with the members of the body of Christ. We will eventually ‘partake’ of our “inheritance” in the heavenly places, whether it will be “principality, power, might, or dominion,” we will occupy our positions and spend the rest of eternity laboring with our Father in His business. And whether our ‘office’ is a higher reward based position, or a lower reward based position, each member will fully acknowledge and appreciate each other’s office as having a Godly purpose and one common goal as being members of one body (just as we are to act here on this earth toward other members “in Christ” Romans 12 thru 14 fully covers this issue), the issue will not be about our goals and advancements, but our service in the Father’s will and accomplishing His plan for the Heavens and the earth.
Col 1:12 Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:
Col 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Rod Jones