Down to Earth - Rumor notes 96

 Revelation 12

9 The great dragon was thrown down, the old serpent, he 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.

was thrown down/cast out

Now is the judgment of this world. Now the prince of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself. (John 12:31-32)

Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I don't go away, the Counselor won't come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. When he has come, he will convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment; about sin, because they don't believe in me; about righteousness, because I am going to my Father, and you won't see me any more; about judgment, because the prince of this world has been judged. (John 16:7-11)

Taking Jesus' own definition of how judgment works from John 3:19-21, we learn how the prince of this world is judged and cast out. It is not by overwhelming superior force that Satan is defeated, for this is not God's method but Satan's. The example of Jesus and His revelation of God's reflected heart through a human being is what releases the kind of power that neutralizes fear and breaks the spell of lies which Satan relies on for his power. The secret power of the Lamb by which the world is overcome and Satan is exposed/judged, is a demonstration of the power of love through the most stunning display of willing vulnerability in the face of overwhelming intimidation, cruelty, shame and pain. This alone is potent enough to be the antidote to the poison of the fiery serpent. This is why the dragon cannot prevail in the long run, because selfishness and lies cannot defeat love, joy and truth embraced by those who value freedom.

The Lamb defeats the power and venom of fear by absorbing it into Himself, not by force or accusation. This cannot be emphasized enough. In order to prepare to participate with the Lamb in the victory He will accomplish, we must allow heaven to align us with the principles the Lamb uses consistently and cease clinging to the false principles of this world that are so appealing to our flesh. One of these is found in the symbolism that revealed God's method on the Day of Atonement.

"When he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place, the Tent of Meeting, and the altar, he shall present the live goat. Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, even all their sins; and he shall put them on the head of the goat, and shall send him away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. (Leviticus 16:20-21)

The wilderness has long been a symbol of restlessness, lack of peace, danger, deprivation, chaos and associated with the habitation of demons. It is also closely tied to the meaning of the word abyss that we studied at length some time ago. This symbolic ceremony on the day of Atonement in the ancient system of figures and types foreshadows the method God uses to deal with sin and evil. The goat that finally bears all the guilt, condemnation and sins removed symbolically from God's children, is not killed but is removed from the presence of those choosing to live in harmony with God's principles and who rest in God's love. This goat prefigures Satan as well as all who choose to cling to his methods and his disposition rather than synchronizing with God's design for them.

thrown/cast down to the earth, and his angels...with him

Note here that the phrase thrown down is repeated 3 times in the same sentence. This is significant, meaning we must not overlook it and should seek to understand what it means. There are a number of things we might apply to discern why it is mentioned 3 times in a row.

Is this referencing 3 literal times that this throwing down occurs before it is final? Possibly.

Is this to lead us to look deeper into the nature of how the throwing down happens? Possibly.

Is this referring to 3 different dimensions where they are thrown down? Explore that.

Is the number 3 itself symbolic of the finality, the completeness, the permanency of whatever this is describing? Possibly.

In the very next verse we find it mentioned yet again, and again a couple verses later. Then the true character and disposition of the dragon is witnessed in how he reacts when it is clear he has lost his place. He resorts to persecution, which is reliance on violence against any who disagree with him.

I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now is come the salvation, the power, and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ; for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them before our God day and night." (Revelation 12:10)

When the dragon saw that he was thrown down to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male child. (Revelation 12:13)

The fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star from the sky which had fallen to the earth. The key to the pit of the abyss was given to him. (Revelation 9:1)

I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. He seized the dragon, the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole inhabited earth, and bound him for a thousand years, and cast him into the abyss, and shut it, and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, until the thousand years were finished. After this, he must be freed for a short time. (Revelation 20:1-3)

He is like a lion that is greedy of his prey, as it were a young lion lurking in secret places. Arise, Yahweh, confront him. Cast him down. Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword; (Psalms 17:12-13)

This is tightly connected with the previous concept we explored regarding no place found for them in heaven. I believe it is important to carefully meditate on these things with an open mind and heart as these truths are extremely relevant for understanding and appreciating the difference between how God conducts Himself in this war versus how the dragon carries out warfare.

Consider the following confrontation between Satan and Christ (the very same two contenders as before) in light of the backstory and see how it may bring a different perspective to this story.

Then the devil took him into the holy city. He set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, 'He will give his angels charge concerning you.' and, 'On their hands they will bear you up, so that you don't dash your foot against a stone.'" (Matthew 4:5-6)

What are potential implications of this temptation in light of what we are looking at here? Might this be spoken out of a deep spirit of resentment and desire for revenge on the part of Satan? “I was thrown out of heaven because of you, and now look where you ended up! Maybe its your turn to throw yourself down to prove to everyone you are not the real villain here at fault for all the chaos going on.”

There are many references throughout history to throwing things, people and kingdoms down. We are very familiar with this kind of language, which might be the reason we struggle to imagine that maybe this particular throwing down could have happened differently than how we usually see it happening. We have been so conditioned to believing that if someone is thrown down or cast out, the cause of that must involve force or else it could not have been accomplished. This is the key issue I want us to examine here, for I believe it is vital that we not move past this as it is pivotal in how we perceive the methods God uses to achieve victory in contrast to what the dragon insists has to be used to defeat his power.

Elijah said to all the people, Come near to me; and all the people came near to him. He repaired the altar of Yahweh that was thrown down. (1 Kings 18:30)

He said, I have been very jealous for Yahweh, the God of Armies; for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and slain your prophets with the sword: and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. (1 Kings 19:10,14)

Their judges are thrown down by the sides of the rock. They will hear my words, for they are well spoken. (Psalms 141:6)

Shout against her round about: she has submitted herself; her bulwarks are fallen, her walls are thrown down; for it is the vengeance of Yahweh: take vengeance on her; as she has done, do to her. (Jeremiah 50:15)

Yahweh has done that which he purposed; he has fulfilled his word that he commanded in the days of old; He has thrown down, and has not pitied: He has caused the enemy to rejoice over you; he has exalted the horn of your adversaries. (Lamentations 2:17)

For in my jealousy and in the fire of my wrath have I spoken, Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in the land of Israel; so that the fish of the sea, and the birds of the sky, and the animals of the field, and all creeping things who creep on the earth, and all the men who are on the surface of the earth, shall shake at my presence, and the mountains shall be thrown down, and the steep places shall fall, and every wall shall fall to the ground. (Ezekiel 38:19-20)

As he went out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Teacher, see what kind of stones and what kind of buildings!" Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone on another, which will not be thrown down." (Mark 13:1-2)

Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to Yahweh, and said, "I will sing to Yahweh, for he has triumphed gloriously. The horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea."

Miriam answered them, "Sing to Yahweh, for he has triumphed gloriously. The horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea." (Exodus 15:1, 21)

You divided the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their pursuers you did cast into the depths, as a stone into the mighty waters. (Nehemiah 9:11)

I saw him come close to the ram, and he was moved with anger against him, and struck the ram, and broke his two horns; and there was no power in the ram to stand before him; but he cast him down to the ground, and trampled on him; and there was none who could deliver the ram out of his hand. (Daniel 8:7)

But the LORD hurled a great wind upon the sea, and such a mighty storm came upon the sea that the ship threatened to break up. (Jonah 1:4 NRSV)

I want to revisit something we mentioned earlier, how this is mentioned 3 times in this passage and possibly what we might tease out of that. This may refer to the first of 3 major casting downs of the dragon. The first was likely when permission for him and his angels to stay in heaven was revoked by consensus of the majority of angels in their refusal to listen his constant accusations. As a result all the fallen angels were compelled to leave with the dragon as we discussed previously related to their place being lost. I believe this also parallels the truth that likewise it is necessary for us to cast him out of our lives by rejecting his incessant lies about God and about our own identity as His reflectors. Satan has to be expelled, not tolerated or just ignored.

This multiple casting out may also refer to stages. He was cast out from the presence of loyal angels in heaven early on in the war, yet the evidence hints they in spite of that, they may well have already become infected by some of his insinuations and suggestions, causing them to retain lingering sympathies with some of his ideas. It was only after they witnessed Satan involved in the torturing and killing their beloved Leader, the Son of God and the Prince of heaven, that every lingering sympathy was eliminated from the hearts of all the remaining loyal beings of the universe. This was due to the convincing power released at the cross (Romans 1:16-17) and could constitute the second casting out (possibly referred to in Revelation 12:10). At this time Satan was cast out even more by being evicted from participation in the assembly of the sons of God in heaven (Job 1:6; 2:1), replaced by Jesus as our true human representative. This left the rest of the war to be finished among those still on earth.

At the beginning of the millennium we see Satan temporarily cast into a confinement situation caused by the absence of anyone around to tempt or harass. Finally, on the day of judgment he will be cast out for the last time by everyone, losing all credibility forever in the minds of every created being in the universe. This strips him of all authority entirely, because no one will ever again believe any of his lies as they have all been fully exposed for what they are. This brings his rebellion to a complete and final end in the lake of fire which is a symbol of the fury aroused against him on the part of all whom he has deceived and ruined. This will be the last and final casting out of the dragon, and it leaves the new earth free of all evil, sin and rebellion, ready to be recreated and our planet at last reintegrated fully into the fellowship of the loyal universe. It also establishes earth as the location for the capital of the kingdom of heaven.

What is vital to keep in mind is that in every instance, this casting down of the dragon and his supporters never involves force or compulsion on the part of God. Rather it is accomplished through evidence-based free decisions on the part of beings who choose for themselves whom they will trust and serve. God never has to resort to Satan's methods to accomplish His will, for freedom of choice is the most essential ingredient for the kind of love needed to maintain order and harmony, and this secures forever the credibility of His integrity. This is how the war will be won and all the charges lodged against God will be forever exterminated.

This verse is the entry point into the very center of the chiasm of this chapter and the whole book in verse 10. A proper understanding of all this is essential to appreciate this entire book that exposes the war involving the entire universe regarding God's credibility and trustworthiness. Satan's allegations against God's character and reputation must be exposed as baseless, yet they must be willingly expelled from every mind and heart to repair the condition of anyone who wants to live in God's presence. This must happen without any threat of coercion or force on the part of God, which is a key distinction between God's ways and that of the kingdoms of this world. Fear, force and deception are only used on the side of the enemy and have no place in God's kingdom and must not be used by His followers. This is the main point we need to take away from this study, and this principle applies across every aspect of God's dealings with others.

This story can be seen as a large version of a fractal principle that can be applied in every situation no matter how large or small. Satan must be sent to the wilderness, not through force but through the elimination of every sympathy on the part of all who choose to side with God. This alignment was accomplished among those in heaven when on the cross Jesus exposed the truth about God's heart. It will happen again just before the Second Coming when the Lamb's accomplices on earth who embrace the truth fully will again reflect God's true character just like their Master. The final casting out will be concluded on the day when the full revelation of God's character will be judged. It is then that Satan loses all credibility with everyone including his own followers, as the light of all truth about God's pure character of love exposes everything that has been hidden. This will come about through a full exposure of all His dealings with everyone throughout all of history.

What this means is that to overcome the dragon through judgment, God allows Himself to be judged by everyone! This is scandalous in religion, yet it is the true power of the gospel that alone can defeat all the power of evil without compromising with it in any way. This is the secret of the Lamb, the power released through self-sacrificing love which defines the truth about God's heart.

Yes, let God be found true, but every man a liar. As it is written, "That you might be justified in your words, and might prevail when you come into judgment." (Romans 3:4)

This final isolation of Satan is symbolized by the leading of the scapegoat Azazel into the wilderness on the day of Atonement. We already looked at this earlier, but the most important thing to note in those instructions was the startling way the goat was treated. He was not to be killed or sacrificed but only to be led away into the wilderness where he was to be released, set free, left alone. If we do not see and embrace this we miss the main issue of what this war is all about and we are in serious danger of being deceived and seduced into embracing the enemy's spirit that infects us with his pernicious lies that are at the root of all sin.

God sent His only Son into our wicked world, not to condemn us but to save us from the darkness of lies and misapprehension about God's disposition towards us.

For God didn't send his Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him. He who believes in him is not judged. He who doesn't believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. (John 3:17-18)

The name of the only Son of God refers to the revelation of the true character of the One who sent Him for that very purpose. What we choose to believe about God as revealed by Jesus is the pivotal issue that determines our own destiny. What we choose to believe about God's character then becomes the determining factor by which we judge ourselves as either willing to be synchronized with His love principles or alienated from them by clinging to the misrepresentations of Him circulated by the dragon.

I will close with how God relates to the idea of casting out as explained by the One sent to reveal to us our Father.

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will not be hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. But I told you that you have seen me, and yet you don't believe. All those who the Father gives me will come to me. Him who comes to me I will in no way throw out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. This is the will of my Father who sent me, that of all he has given to me I should lose nothing, but should raise him up at the last day. This is the will of the one who sent me, that everyone who sees the Son, and believes in him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:35-40)