Evening, November 30
Go To Morning Reading
“Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought
and his angels.”
Revelation 12:7
War always will rage between the two great sovereignties until one
or other be crushed. Peace between good and evil is an impossibility;
the very pretence of it would, in fact, be the triumph of the powers
of darkness. Michael will always fight ; his holy soul is vexed with sin, and will not endure it. Jesus will
always be the dragon’s foe, and that not in a quiet sense, but actively, vigorously, with
full determination to exterminate evil. All his servants, whether
angels in heaven or messengers on earth, will and must fight; they
are born to be warriors—at the cross they enter into covenant never to make truce with evil;
they are a warlike company, firm in defence and fierce in attack.
The duty of every soldier in the army of the Lord is daily, with all
his heart, and soul, and strength, to fight against the dragon.
The dragon and his angels will not decline the affray ; they are incessant in their onslaughts, sparing no weapon, fair
or foul. We are foolish to expect to serve God without opposition:
the more zealous we are, the more sure are we to be assailed by the
myrmidons of hell. The church may become slothful, but not so her
great antagonist; his restless spirit never suffers the war to pause;
he hates the woman’s seed, and would fain devour the church if he could. The servants
of Satan partake much of the old dragon’s energy, and are usually an active race. War rages all around, and
to dream of peace is dangerous and futile.
Glory be to God, we know the end of the war. The great dragon shall
be cast out and forever destroyed, while Jesus and they who are with
him shall receive the crown. Let us sharpen our swords tonight, and
pray the Holy Spirit to nerve our arms for the conflict. Never battle
so important, never crown so glorious. Every man to his post, ye warriors
of the cross, and may the Lord tread Satan under your feet shortly!