July 13th, 2026
by Lars Dahl
by Lars Dahl
The book of Revelation opens a window into a reality that exists beyond what our physical eyes can perceive, a spiritual realm where cosmic battles rage and eternal purposes unfold.
As we venture into chapters 12 through 15, we encounter imagery that may seem strange to our modern sensibilities: a woman clothed with the sun, a great red dragon, and beasts rising from the sea and the earth. Yet these symbols point to profound spiritual truths that have a direct bearing on our daily lives as believers.
The Reality of Spiritual Warfare
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:12
This verse reminds us of a fundamental truth: our struggles are not merely physical. The battles we face in our relationships, finances, health, and faith are manifestations of a deeper spiritual conflict. From Genesis to Revelation, Satan has opposed God's purposes and attacked His covenant people. This isn't meant to frighten us, but to awaken us to the reality of the world we inhabit.
We live as physical beings in a spiritual realm. When Scripture tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:19 that we are temples of the Holy Spirit, it declares that our bodies house the divine presence. The battleground isn't ultimately in our circumstances; it's in the spiritual realm, though the effects manifest in our physical lives.
Recognizing the Battlefield
Understanding where the real battle takes place changes everything. Consider this example: a couple hosting a weekly Bible study found themselves inexplicably arguing before each gathering. For weeks, they bickered over trivial matters, something entirely out of character for their relationship. Finally, they recognized what was happening: spiritual opposition to the ministry taking place in their home, where people were coming to salvation.
Their response? They prayed together, drawing close to God and resisting the enemy in Jesus' name. James 4:7 promises, "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." After that prayer, the conflict never returned.
Spiritual battles typically attack one or more of these areas:
How We Stand Firm
When facing spiritual battles, our first question shouldn't be "How can I get stronger?" but rather "How can I depend on God more fully?" This shift in perspective changes everything. Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can say is, "Lord, I simply don't have the strength to do this."
Put on the Full Armor of God
Ephesians 6:10-11 instructs us: "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."
Notice the goal isn't to show off or gain applause; it's simply to stand. We stand by resisting the devil through submission to God. But here's the crucial point: we cannot resist Satan while holding hands with the sin he uses against us. Repentance isn't optional in spiritual warfare. We cannot pray effectively with iniquity in our hearts, clinging to "just this one sin."
Stay Sober and Vigilant
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." 1 Peter 5:8
A distracted Christian becomes easy prey. When our minds are discipled by news media, social media, or entertainment rather than Scripture, we lose our spiritual focus. Remaining vigilant means staying intentional about where we direct our attention and what shapes our thinking.
Fight with the Word of God
When Jesus faced temptation in the wilderness Matthew 4, He responded to each of Satan's attacks with Scripture: "It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." Satan's first recorded strategy was to question God's Word in Genesis 3:1: "Has God indeed said...?" He uses the same tactic today.
Pray Continually
Prayer isn't the weak thing we do after trying to handle spiritual battles with physical strength. Prayer is warfare itself. As 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 commands: "Pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
Prayer is dependence. It's how we refuse to fight spiritual battles with human strength alone.
Keep Doing the Next Faithful Thing
Imagine running an Ironman triathlon, 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of cycling, followed by a full 26.2-mile marathon. Between miles 15 and 20 of that final marathon, runners don't just want to slow down; they want to stop completely. The pain becomes overwhelming.
Many of us find ourselves in that place spiritually, between miles 15 and 20. We're tired of fighting. We wonder if God is even in the battle with us. But here's the truth: obedience under pressure is still obedience, and often it's the most powerful kind.
Don't wait for the battle to feel easier before you remain faithful. It won't become easier. But we still finish the race set before us. We keep doing the next faithful thing, one step at a time.
The Vision in Revelation 12
Against this backdrop of spiritual warfare, Revelation 12 opens with a great sign in heaven: "a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars." This symbolic imagery connects directly to Joseph's dream in Genesis 37:9, where the sun, moon, and eleven stars (representing his father, mother, and brothers) bowed down to him.
The woman represents the nation of Israel, and the child she bears is Jesus Christ. This vision compresses the life and mission of Christ into symbolic elements, showing us that from the very beginning, God's plan was to send His Son to save sinners, to save us.
Jesus came not initially to reign as an earthly king, but to die for our sins and rise again, conquering death itself. When we confess our sins, 1 John 1:9 promises that "He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." In that moment, we become righteous before God, not because of anything we've done, but because of what Christ accomplished.
Standing in Victory
The spiritual battles are real. The opposition is fierce. But we don't fight from a position of weakness or uncertainty. We fight from a position of victory, knowing that Christ has already won the ultimate battle. Our call is simply to stand firm, walk in holiness, stay united with the body of Christ, and keep doing the next faithful thing.
God will dwell with His people forever. That promise sustains us through every trial, every attack, every moment of weakness. We are temples of the Holy Spirit, equipped with resurrection power, called to resist the enemy by drawing close to our Father.
The battle is spiritual. The victory is certain. And our response is faithful obedience, one day at a time, until we see Jesus face to face.
As we venture into chapters 12 through 15, we encounter imagery that may seem strange to our modern sensibilities: a woman clothed with the sun, a great red dragon, and beasts rising from the sea and the earth. Yet these symbols point to profound spiritual truths that have a direct bearing on our daily lives as believers.
The Reality of Spiritual Warfare
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." Ephesians 6:12
This verse reminds us of a fundamental truth: our struggles are not merely physical. The battles we face in our relationships, finances, health, and faith are manifestations of a deeper spiritual conflict. From Genesis to Revelation, Satan has opposed God's purposes and attacked His covenant people. This isn't meant to frighten us, but to awaken us to the reality of the world we inhabit.
We live as physical beings in a spiritual realm. When Scripture tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:19 that we are temples of the Holy Spirit, it declares that our bodies house the divine presence. The battleground isn't ultimately in our circumstances; it's in the spiritual realm, though the effects manifest in our physical lives.
Recognizing the Battlefield
Understanding where the real battle takes place changes everything. Consider this example: a couple hosting a weekly Bible study found themselves inexplicably arguing before each gathering. For weeks, they bickered over trivial matters, something entirely out of character for their relationship. Finally, they recognized what was happening: spiritual opposition to the ministry taking place in their home, where people were coming to salvation.
Their response? They prayed together, drawing close to God and resisting the enemy in Jesus' name. James 4:7 promises, "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." After that prayer, the conflict never returned.
Spiritual battles typically attack one or more of these areas:
- Truth - questioning whether Scripture is reliable
- Holiness - tempting us toward compromise
- Peace - creating anxiety and discord
- Faith - undermining our trust in God
- Assurance of salvation - causing us to doubt our standing with God
- Scripture - diminishing our confidence in God's Word
- Prayer life - discouraging communication with God
How We Stand Firm
When facing spiritual battles, our first question shouldn't be "How can I get stronger?" but rather "How can I depend on God more fully?" This shift in perspective changes everything. Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can say is, "Lord, I simply don't have the strength to do this."
Put on the Full Armor of God
Ephesians 6:10-11 instructs us: "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."
Notice the goal isn't to show off or gain applause; it's simply to stand. We stand by resisting the devil through submission to God. But here's the crucial point: we cannot resist Satan while holding hands with the sin he uses against us. Repentance isn't optional in spiritual warfare. We cannot pray effectively with iniquity in our hearts, clinging to "just this one sin."
Stay Sober and Vigilant
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." 1 Peter 5:8
A distracted Christian becomes easy prey. When our minds are discipled by news media, social media, or entertainment rather than Scripture, we lose our spiritual focus. Remaining vigilant means staying intentional about where we direct our attention and what shapes our thinking.
Fight with the Word of God
When Jesus faced temptation in the wilderness Matthew 4, He responded to each of Satan's attacks with Scripture: "It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." Satan's first recorded strategy was to question God's Word in Genesis 3:1: "Has God indeed said...?" He uses the same tactic today.
Pray Continually
Prayer isn't the weak thing we do after trying to handle spiritual battles with physical strength. Prayer is warfare itself. As 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 commands: "Pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."
Prayer is dependence. It's how we refuse to fight spiritual battles with human strength alone.
Keep Doing the Next Faithful Thing
Imagine running an Ironman triathlon, 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of cycling, followed by a full 26.2-mile marathon. Between miles 15 and 20 of that final marathon, runners don't just want to slow down; they want to stop completely. The pain becomes overwhelming.
Many of us find ourselves in that place spiritually, between miles 15 and 20. We're tired of fighting. We wonder if God is even in the battle with us. But here's the truth: obedience under pressure is still obedience, and often it's the most powerful kind.
Don't wait for the battle to feel easier before you remain faithful. It won't become easier. But we still finish the race set before us. We keep doing the next faithful thing, one step at a time.
The Vision in Revelation 12
Against this backdrop of spiritual warfare, Revelation 12 opens with a great sign in heaven: "a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars." This symbolic imagery connects directly to Joseph's dream in Genesis 37:9, where the sun, moon, and eleven stars (representing his father, mother, and brothers) bowed down to him.
The woman represents the nation of Israel, and the child she bears is Jesus Christ. This vision compresses the life and mission of Christ into symbolic elements, showing us that from the very beginning, God's plan was to send His Son to save sinners, to save us.
Jesus came not initially to reign as an earthly king, but to die for our sins and rise again, conquering death itself. When we confess our sins, 1 John 1:9 promises that "He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." In that moment, we become righteous before God, not because of anything we've done, but because of what Christ accomplished.
Standing in Victory
The spiritual battles are real. The opposition is fierce. But we don't fight from a position of weakness or uncertainty. We fight from a position of victory, knowing that Christ has already won the ultimate battle. Our call is simply to stand firm, walk in holiness, stay united with the body of Christ, and keep doing the next faithful thing.
God will dwell with His people forever. That promise sustains us through every trial, every attack, every moment of weakness. We are temples of the Holy Spirit, equipped with resurrection power, called to resist the enemy by drawing close to our Father.
The battle is spiritual. The victory is certain. And our response is faithful obedience, one day at a time, until we see Jesus face to face.
Lars Dahl
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