Message Magazine’s Online Devotional for Sunday, July 12, 2015
Based Upon Revelation 12:17
“And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.”
For thousands of years the devil has been on the warpath. At every turn, by any means necessary, he has tried to overthrow the government of God. He sowed the seed of doubt and discontent in heaven, to the point that one-third of the angels defected and were thrown out of heaven. The fact that the dissenters were cast from heaven is good in one way, but it does not seem very good to us. “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” (Revelation 12:12). His wrath against the Lord, whom He could not overpower, has manifested itself in agitating and persecuting human beings, especially those who love God. He started in the Garden of Eden by leading Adam and Eve down the slippery slope of sin. Throughout the course of years, he has continued his relentless rampage, because he knows his time is short.
Bible prophecy speaks of a twelve hundred and sixty year period of time that the dragon, that is the devil, severely persecuted the people of God, signified by a woman. There has never been a fiercer time in terms of religious persecution and bloodshed. The number of saints that died at the hands of so-called religious leaders will never be surpassed. During the period between 538 A.D. and 1798 A.D., the blood of God’s people stood as a testimony of His ability to triumph over the devil. “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” (Revelation 12:11).
As time progressed, the blood of faithful saints, who died because of their faith, became as seed springing up to produce a special group of believers. The devil is particularly angry at these people because of their peculiar focus. Like the Jews of old who were faithfully led by God’s prophets and kings, these are a chosen people. The Bible calls them the remnant. The group that arose from the same heavenly fabric as those persecuted unto death, have a mission to the world. The mission is to prepare people, in the last days, for the judgment of God and Jesus’ soon arrival. This is why the devil is making war with them. He wants to stamp out all residue of holiness from the earth. The fact that these dear ones keep God’s commandments while the majority of the world says it is not important disturbs the devil’s plans, especially since they teach others to do the same. The fact that they have the spirit of prophecy demonstrates that they are truly God’s people, and this does not make the devil any happier (Revelation 19:10). His anger is unquenchable.
It is our privilege to remain close to the Lord through His word. In these days, we have the opportunity to be a part of the remnant of believers. We may demonstrate our love for God by not ignoring His commandments, and receiving the gift of prophetic understanding and utterance, with thanksgiving. Since he is a defeated foe, we need not fear the devil. If the Lord is on our side, we cannot fail. Pray that the Lord will help you understand what it means to be a special remnant in these days, and He will certainly answer.
