Rev. 12.17

And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

A caveat is in order: Taking up the Biblical worldview is not for sissies.

The Apostle Paul explained that those who know and serve Jesus must arm themselves for conflict. We only enter the Kingdom of God, which is the realm in which we live our Biblical worldview, through many trials and sufferings, the ultimate architect and promulgator of which is the devil (Acts 14.22; Eph. 6.10-20). All who have the testimony of Jesus are the special objects of the devil’s rage, and they may expect, in the process of learning to be long-suffering, to be long-bothered by the enemy of our souls.

But notice the way John identifies those who “have the testimony of Jesus”: They also “keep the commandments of God.” There is no separation between Jesus and the commandments of God; no burnt bridge between grace and Law. They go together and identify those who are the targets of Satan’s wiles.

If we profess to know Jesus but have no grounding in the commandments of God, we may expect the devil will pretty much leave us alone. We are no threat to His lies, for we manifest no truth to the world, but merely a kind of subjective hope in a world of eternal bliss beyond the grave. Such hope does not challenge the devil’s designs. He seeks the very throne of the Lord, to rule the world in the Lie which insists that God is irrelevant or non-existent, and therefore His Law and Word do not matter, and His salvation, if there is such a thing, is only for the weak or naïve.

Merely having the testimony of Jesus does not challenge the existing world order, with its preference for lies, deceit, and half-truths. But testify of Jesus and live as He did, according to the Law of God, and the truth of God and the Biblical worldview will pervade and transform all your relationships, roles, and responsibilities. The light of truth will shine in the darkness of the devil’s domain, everywhere his lies have left people groping and grasping, uncertain, confused, and without hope, and he will not take kindly to such incursions.

You may expect to be long-bothered by the enemy of our souls if you intend truly to confess Christ and live the Biblical worldview.

But, oh, what glory awaits those – here and now as well as then and there – who take up this cross daily and follow their exalted King.

Act: In what ways do you experience the anger and opposition of the devil? How do you prepare for these trials, and how do you wield the “weapons of our warfare” when they come? Talk with a Christian friend about these questions, and consider ways of encouraging one another to stand firm in the testimony of Jesus and the commandments of God.

T. M. Moore

Jesus came proclaiming the Kingdom of God – another primary theme of Scripture. Order a copy of The Gospel of the Kingdomfrom our online store, and learn how you can become more effective at proclaiming this wonderful Good News.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.