Ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu, in his book The Art of War, tells us an aspect of warfare and how it applies to military strategy and tactics. Some of the phrases are so famous and are still quoted in the Chinese modern proverb. One of them is this: “知己知彼, 百戰不殆” (If you know your enemy and know yourself, you can win numerous (literally, "a hundred") battles without jeopardy).
The same applies to our spiritual battle. Today’s scripture (chs 12-14) reveals the identity of the enemy – who they are and what their strategy and tactics are. Then, it also tells us how God protects and strengthens his people, and how God empowers them to win the battles.
Three Enemies
The same applies to our spiritual battle. Today’s scripture (chs 12-14) reveals the identity of the enemy – who they are and what their strategy and tactics are. Then, it also tells us how God protects and strengthens his people, and how God empowers them to win the battles.
Three Enemies
Basically, the devil has his three allies – his own false trinity: “the beast out of the sea,’ ‘the beast out of the earth,’ and ‘Babylon the Prostitute.’ The first beast – the beast out of the sea represents physical persecution (13:1-10). He has an impressive show of power – ten crowned horns and seven heads. He is given a mouth to blaspheme God. He is also given power to persecute the church. The second beast – the beast out of the earth represents intellectual false teaching (13:11-18). He has two horns just like a lamb, masquerading as a counterpart to Christ the Lamb. He performs miraculous signs, deceives the people on earth, and makes them worship the first beast. The third ally is Babylon which represents moral compromise (14:8; ch. 17-18). She is described as seductive prostitute who devours the church and its saints. In the early church the devil tried to crush the church by force. He tried to mislead the church by false teaching and by distracting the apostles from their ministry of the Word. He also tried to corrupt the church by the moral hypocrisy of Ananias and Sapphira. Then and now, the enemy’s tactics are always the same: physical persecution, intellectual false teaching, and moral compromise.
Worship
Worship
The battle is intense. We hear the news that Christian persecution has spread to more corners of the globe today. We hear the news that many pastors lose their ministries and their churches suffer because of moral failure. We see that the pulpit of this day in many churches is getting weak and powerless because of false teaching. The battle doesn’t seem to be going in our favor. Then, how can we regain our strength and win the battle?
The first three visions – the beast visions and Babylon vision – reveal the identity of the enemy, penetrating the hoax of evil. The next three visions reveal our support system. First is worship. John sees the Lamb leading worship on Mount Zion (14:1-5). We are so easily entangled with our sins – anger, greed, lust, pride, selfishness, and so on. Our life is so easily distracted and fragmented. If you find yourself stressed and out-of-perspective, the best cure for this is worship. In Psalm 73 the psalmist was so upset, frustrated, stressed, out-of-perspective, because he saw the prosperity of the wicked in this world. Then he said this: “Still, when I tried to figure it out, all I got was a splitting headache… Until I entered the sanctuary of God. Then I saw the whole picture” (16-17 MSG). Yes! When we come to this place and worship, then and only then, we see the whole picture. We see the Lamb on the throne who reigns over the nations forever. Then we find our fragmented lives corrected and restored. Then we find that our life is put in perspective. Probably many of us in this room have experience that the computer is frozen for some reason. In most cases, the best way to resolve the issue is to reboot the computer. Worship is like rebooting our life, rebooting our relationship with God.
Preaching
The first three visions – the beast visions and Babylon vision – reveal the identity of the enemy, penetrating the hoax of evil. The next three visions reveal our support system. First is worship. John sees the Lamb leading worship on Mount Zion (14:1-5). We are so easily entangled with our sins – anger, greed, lust, pride, selfishness, and so on. Our life is so easily distracted and fragmented. If you find yourself stressed and out-of-perspective, the best cure for this is worship. In Psalm 73 the psalmist was so upset, frustrated, stressed, out-of-perspective, because he saw the prosperity of the wicked in this world. Then he said this: “Still, when I tried to figure it out, all I got was a splitting headache… Until I entered the sanctuary of God. Then I saw the whole picture” (16-17 MSG). Yes! When we come to this place and worship, then and only then, we see the whole picture. We see the Lamb on the throne who reigns over the nations forever. Then we find our fragmented lives corrected and restored. Then we find that our life is put in perspective. Probably many of us in this room have experience that the computer is frozen for some reason. In most cases, the best way to resolve the issue is to reboot the computer. Worship is like rebooting our life, rebooting our relationship with God.
Preaching
The second vision is preaching. John sees three angels preaching sermons from a pulpit in midheaven (14:6-13). He hears “the eternal gospel”: Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. There is nothing new. Everything in the Revelation can be found in the previous 65 books of the Bible. The gospel is already revealed in Christ, preached by Christ. But there is a new way to say it. Probably John already heard the gospel numerous times. But as he is going through the darkest valley, now he does see, taste, hear, feel, smell the gospel in a new, personal way. And he is sustained, encouraged, strengthened by it. As a poet and pastor, now he passes on what he saw, tasted, heard, felt, smelled to other suffering Christians. Let me ask you: When was the last time your soul was nourished and renewed by the gospel? When was the last time the gospel of Jesus Christ did speak to your heart in a personal way? Christ has died… He came for you. He took up your sins. He died in your place. You are forgiven. You are accepted. You are beloved; Christ is risen… He lives. He is with you today. He is always near to strengthen you, help you, sustain you. You are not alone; Christ will come again… Be prepared. Live for eternity. Set your heart on the kingdom of God!
The Bible says, “For our struggle is not against human opponents, but against the devil and all his agents” (Eph 6:12). So we must fight in a right way. We must put on the full armor of God. Particularly, we need the word of God – the only offensive weapon. Perhaps preaching tells us nothing new. But still today, God saves, sustains, strengthens his people through the foolishness of preaching (cf. 1 Co 1:21).
Holy Living
The Bible says, “For our struggle is not against human opponents, but against the devil and all his agents” (Eph 6:12). So we must fight in a right way. We must put on the full armor of God. Particularly, we need the word of God – the only offensive weapon. Perhaps preaching tells us nothing new. But still today, God saves, sustains, strengthens his people through the foolishness of preaching (cf. 1 Co 1:21).
Holy Living
The third vision is holy living. John sees the Son of Man harvesting the fields (14:14-20). This vision shows us that while we are doing our best to keep God’s commands and to cultivate a life of holiness in a weed-filled world, we are being helped and made whole. In C. S. Lewis’ book The Screwtape Letters a senior demon Screwtape mentors his nephew Wormwood. One of his advice is as follows:
God Is Able
The great thing is to prevent his doing anything. As long as he does not convert it into action, it does not matter how much he thinks about this new repentance. Let the little brute wallow in it. Let him, if he has any bent that way, write a book about it; that is often an excellent way of sterilizing the seeds which the enemy [God] plants in a human soul. Let him do anything but act. No amount of piety in his imagination and affections will harm us if we can keep it out of his will. As one of the humans has said, active habits are strengthened by repetition but passive ones are weakened. The more often he feels without acting, the less he will be able ever to act, and, in the long run, the less he will be able to feel.[1]God still speaks today. His Holy Spirit constantly speaks to our heart. But how often we ignore the Voice – the promptings of the Holy Spirit! How often we become numb to the voices of those in distress around us! But as we humbly listen, really listen, and do God’s will, our soul will find rest and security in the shadow of God’s wings.
God Is Able
Worship, preaching, holy living – these are our three weapons and our support system to win our spiritual battle. These three are much stronger than any tactics of the devil.
As I close, I want to share the life of John Wesley – how he was helped as he engaged in worship, listened to the preaching of the gospel, practiced a holy life. In his early years Wesley preached, taught, wrote, and even gave himself to missionary work. But deep inside, he was spiritually bankrupt – restless, helpless, powerless. But by God’s grace he kept going anyway. He never stopped worshipping, never stopped listening to the gospel, never stopped doing God’s will. Listen to his own words: “In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed.” After his conversion, there were times Wesley struggled and doubted. But he kept going, kept practicing – worshipping God, listening to the word, doing the word.
Whether we want to be or not, we are in the battle. It can be physical, mental, emotional, intellectual, or moral. Whatever battle we have, our God is able. He is able to save us, help us, sustain us. So brothers and sisters in Christ, be strong and stand your ground. And don’t hold back. Come, worship God with all your heart, listen to the word with all your soul, throw yourselves into the work of the Lord with all your strength. “May God send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion” (Ps 20:2). Amen.
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[1] C. S. Lewis. The Screwtape Letters, Kindle Locations 487-492 of 1201.
As I close, I want to share the life of John Wesley – how he was helped as he engaged in worship, listened to the preaching of the gospel, practiced a holy life. In his early years Wesley preached, taught, wrote, and even gave himself to missionary work. But deep inside, he was spiritually bankrupt – restless, helpless, powerless. But by God’s grace he kept going anyway. He never stopped worshipping, never stopped listening to the gospel, never stopped doing God’s will. Listen to his own words: “In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed.” After his conversion, there were times Wesley struggled and doubted. But he kept going, kept practicing – worshipping God, listening to the word, doing the word.
Whether we want to be or not, we are in the battle. It can be physical, mental, emotional, intellectual, or moral. Whatever battle we have, our God is able. He is able to save us, help us, sustain us. So brothers and sisters in Christ, be strong and stand your ground. And don’t hold back. Come, worship God with all your heart, listen to the word with all your soul, throw yourselves into the work of the Lord with all your strength. “May God send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion” (Ps 20:2). Amen.
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[1] C. S. Lewis. The Screwtape Letters, Kindle Locations 487-492 of 1201.
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