14 Casting Down The Accuser Of The Brethern

The Three Battleground Francis Frangipane

Revelation 12:7–10 AMP

7 Then war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels went forth to battle with the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought. 8 But they were defeated, and there was no room found for them in heaven any longer. 9 And the huge dragon was cast down and out—that age-old serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, he who is the seducer (deceiver) of all humanity the world over; he was forced out and down to the earth, and his angels were flung out along with him. 10 Then I heard a strong (loud) voice in heaven, saying, Now it has come—the salvation and the power and the kingdom (the dominion, the reign) of our God, and the power (the sovereignty, the authority) of His Christ (the Messiah); for the accuser of our brethren, he who keeps bringing before our God charges against them day and night, has been cast out!

Revelation 12:7–10 AV

7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

One may ask, "How shall the kingdom of God come and what sort of people shall possess The kingdom will be seen in a love-motivated people who know the power prayer. For when they see a need, instead of judging, they pray for one another until all are transformed into the image of Christ who is their head

HOW THE KINGDOM COMES

"Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them before our God day and night" (Rev. 12:10).

There will be an actual point in time when the salvation, power and kingdom of God, as well as the authority of Christ, is manifested in the earth. While we wait patiently for the fulfillment of that glorious event, the spirit of this eternal reality can be possessed any time a people determine to walk free of criticism and faultfinding, and turn their sights toward purity, love, and prayer for each other.

There are God-ordained procedures to initiate correction within a church. These corrections should be done by "you who are spiritual ... in a spirit of gentleness; ... looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted." Your motive should be to "restore such a one"

Galatians 6:1 TPT

1 My beloved friends, if you see a believer who is overtaken with a fault, may the one who overflows with the Spirit seek to restore him. Win him over with gentle words, which will open his heart to you and will keep you from exalting yourself over him.

Accusations against an elder, though, should not even be received except on the basis of two or three witnesses

1 Timothy 5:19 TPT

19 Refuse to listen to suspicious accusations against the pastors who lead the flock unless you have two or three witnesses to confirm the accusations.

The "witnesses" spoken of here are eye-witnesses, not the so-called "spirit-witness" someone receives apart from hard and visible facts. All too often, these alleged "witnesses" are sent by hell to destroy the harmony of a church with rumors and gossip.

When the scriptural approach to rectifying a situation is ignored, it opens the door to fault-finding, fleshly criticisms, and judging, which are the evidences that the "accuser of the brethren" is assaulting the church.

Where these sins are operative, the movement of the Holy Spirit is restricted: salvations are few, power is minimal, and spiritual authority is crippled. Such a church is in serious danger. To be truly anointed to bring Christ's corrections to a church, one must be anointed with Christ's motives.

The Scriptures are plain, Jesus "always lives to make intercession sion for [the saints]"

Hebrews 7:25 TPT

25 So he is able to save fully from now throughout eternity, everyone who comes to God through him, because he lives to pray continually for them.

Rom 8:34 Who is there to condemn [us]? Will Christ Jesus (the Messiah), Who died, or rather Who was raised from the dead, Who is at the right hand of God actually pleading as He intercedes for us? The Amplified Bible.

God does not call us to judge each other, but to pray for one another. If we see a need in the body of Christ, we must intercede and not simply criticize. Our pattern must be to follow Christ in building and restoring, not to echo the accuser of the brethren in finding fault.

You see, we will always be serving in churches where things are wrong. Our response to what we see defines how Christlike we are actually becoming. If we see weakness in the body of Christ, our call is to supply strength. If we see sin, our response is to be an example of virtue. When we discover fear, we must impart courage, and where there is worldliness, we must display holiness. Our call is to enter the place of intercession and stand there until the body of Christ is built up in that area.

Is the Devil At The Throne Of God?

Ephesians 2:6 AMP

6 And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together [giving us joint seating with Him] in the heavenly sphere [by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

Ephesians 2:6 AV

6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

Let us understand that, while our bodies and Souls are quite fixed here upon earth, through the agency of the Holy Spirit, our sprits have been brought into direct fellowship with Christ In Heaven.

[by virtue of our being] in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One).

From this position, we can boldly approach God’s throne of grace and we can enter through prayer and worship into the true holy place of God.

John 4:24 AV

24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Hebrews 4:16 AV

16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 10:19–20 AV

19 Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;

Matthew 5:8 AV

8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Colossians 3:1–4 AV

1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. 2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. 4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

There are many scriptures which support the truth of our positional seating with Christ. It is important for us to understand this, for we are going to examine a doctrine that has been a source of confusion for many saints:

Is satan In heaven also? Is he actually standing before the throne of God?

Lets Look at Rev Chapter 4 & Hebrews 12

Revelation 4:1–11 AMP

1 AFTER THIS I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice which I had heard addressing me like [the calling of] a war trumpet said, Come up here, and I will show you what must take place in the future. 2 At once I came under the [Holy] Spirit’s power, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with One seated on the throne! 3 And He Who sat there appeared like [the crystalline brightness of] jasper and [the fiery] sardius, and encircling the throne there was a halo that looked like [a rainbow of] emerald. 4 Twenty-four other thrones surrounded the throne, and seated on these thrones were twenty-four elders (the members of the heavenly Sanhedrin), arrayed in white clothing, with crowns of gold upon their heads. 5 Out from the throne came flashes of lightning and rumblings and peals of thunder, and in front of the throne seven blazing torches burned, which are the seven Spirits of God [the sevenfold Holy Spirit]; 6 And in front of the throne there was also what looked like a transparent glassy sea, as if of crystal. And around the throne, in the center at each side of the throne, were four living creatures (beings) who were full of eyes in front and behind [with intelligence as to what is before and at the rear of them]. 7 The first living creature (being) was like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature had the face of a man, and the fourth living creature [was] like a flying eagle. 8 And the four living creatures, individually having six wings, were full of eyes all over and within [underneath their wings]; and day and night they never stop saying, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty (Omnipotent), Who was and Who is and Who is to come. 9 And whenever the living creatures offer glory and honor and thanksgiving to Him Who sits on the throne, Who lives forever and ever (through the eternities of the eternities), 10 The twenty-four elders (the members of the heavenly Sanhedrin) fall prostrate before Him Who is sitting on the throne, and they worship Him Who lives forever and ever; and they throw down their crowns before the throne, crying out, 11 Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive the glory and the honor and dominion, for You created all things; by Your will they were [brought into being] and were created.

Hebrews 12 AMP

1 THEREFORE THEN, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who have borne testimony to the Truth], let us strip off and throw aside every encumbrance (unnecessary weight) and that sin which so readily (deftly and cleverly) clings to and entangles us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence the appointed course of the race that is set before us, 2 Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection]. He, for the joy [of obtaining the prize] that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Just think of Him Who endured from sinners such grievous opposition and bitter hostility against Himself [reckon up and consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you may not grow weary or exhausted, losing heart and relaxing and fainting in your minds. 4 You have not yet struggled and fought agonizingly against sin, nor have you yet resisted and withstood to the point of pouring out your [own] blood. 5 And have you [completely] forgotten the divine word of appeal and encouragement in which you are reasoned with and addressed as sons? My son, do not think lightly or scorn to submit to the correction and discipline of the Lord, nor lose courage and give up and faint when you are reproved or corrected by Him; 6 For the Lord corrects and disciplines everyone whom He loves, and He punishes, even scourges, every son whom He accepts and welcomes to His heart and cherishes. 7 You must submit to and endure [correction] for discipline; God is dealing with you as with sons. For what son is there whom his father does not [thus] train and correct and discipline? 8 Now if you are exempt from correction and left without discipline in which all [of God’s children] share, then you are illegitimate offspring and not true sons [at all]. 9 Moreover, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we yielded [to them] and respected [them for training us]. Shall we not much more cheerfully submit to the Father of spirits and so [truly] live? 10 For [our earthly fathers] disciplined us for only a short period of time and chastised us as seemed proper and good to them; but He disciplines us for our certain good, that we may become sharers in His own holiness. 11 For the time being no discipline brings joy, but seems grievous and painful; but afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it [a harvest of fruit which consists in righteousness—in conformity to God’s will in purpose, thought, and action, resulting in right living and right standing with God]. 12 So then, brace up and reinvigorate and set right your slackened and weakened and drooping hands and strengthen your feeble and palsied and tottering knees, 13 And cut through and make firm and plain and smooth, straight paths for your feet [yes, make them safe and upright and happy paths that go in the right direction], so that the lame and halting [limbs] may not be put out of joint, but rather may be cured. 14 Strive to live in peace with everybody and pursue that consecration and holiness without which no one will [ever] see the Lord. 15 Exercise foresight and be on the watch to look [after one another], to see that no one falls back from and fails to secure God’s grace (His unmerited favor and spiritual blessing), in order that no root of resentment (rancor, bitterness, or hatred) shoots forth and causes trouble and bitter torment, and the many become contaminated and defiled by it— 16 That no one may become guilty of sexual vice, or become a profane (godless and sacrilegious) person as Esau did, who sold his own birthright for a single meal. 17 For you understand that later on, when he wanted [to regain title to] his inheritance of the blessing, he was rejected (disqualified and set aside), for he could find no opportunity to repair by repentance [what he had done, no chance to recall the choice he had made], although he sought for it carefully with [bitter] tears. 18 For you have not come [as did the Israelites in the wilderness] to a [material] mountain that can be touched, [a mountain] that is ablaze with fire, and to gloom and darkness and a raging storm, 19 And to the blast of a trumpet and a voice whose words make the listeners beg that nothing more be said to them. 20 For they could not bear the command that was given: If even a wild animal touches the mountain, it shall be stoned to death. 21 In fact, so awful and terrifying was the [phenomenal] sight that Moses said, I am terrified (aghast and trembling with fear). 22 But rather, you have come to Mount Zion, even to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless multitudes of angels in festal gathering, 23 And to the church (assembly) of the Firstborn who are registered [as citizens] in heaven, and to the God Who is Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous (the redeemed in heaven) who have been made perfect, 24 And to Jesus, the Mediator (Go-between, Agent) of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood which speaks [of mercy], a better and nobler and more gracious message than the blood of Abel [which cried out for vengeance]. 25 So see to it that you do not reject Him or refuse to listen to and heed Him Who is speaking [to you now]. For if they [the Israelites] did not escape when they refused to listen and heed Him Who warned and divinely instructed them [here] on earth [revealing with heavenly warnings His will], how much less shall we escape if we reject and turn our backs on Him Who cautions and admonishes [us] from heaven? 26 Then [at Mount Sinai] His voice shook the earth, but now He has given a promise: Yet once more I will shake and make tremble not only the earth but also the [starry] heavens. 27 Now this expression, Yet once more, indicates the final removal and transformation of all [that can be] shaken—that is, of that which has been created—in order that what cannot be shaken may remain and continue. 28 Let us therefore, receiving a kingdom that is firm and stable and cannot be shaken, offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship, with modesty and pious care and godly fear and awe; 29 For our God [is indeed] a consuming fire.

Where then is Satan? Jude tells us that the devil and his demons are imprisoned, spiritually chained with "eternal bonds" to "darkness [reserved] for the judgment" (Jude 6).

Satan is imprisoned under darkness. The thought that the heavenly Father, "in [whom] there is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5), would countenance the devil intruding upon the eternal worship, accusing the very church for whom His Son had died, is unimaginable.

How then do we explain the Scriptures which allude to a devil in heaven?

While we freely admit we do not know all the ways in which Satan accuses man before God, we do offer one solution.

First, there are three realms known as "heaven" in the Bible. The most commonly identified as such is the eternal abode of God, angels, and the redeemed. Next, the word "heaven" is used to describe the sky; i.e., "the heavens declare the glory of God"

Psalm 19:1 NLT

1 The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship.

But when the Bible says that Satan is in "heaven" or the "heavenly places"

Ephesians 6:12 NLT

12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Revelation 12:11 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.

Luke 10:18 I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

We believe it is with reference to the spirit realm.

This "heaven" is the spiritual "territory" from which Satan seeks to control the world. It would be foolish to assume we know more than we do about this dimension, but we know this: it is from here that Satan releases his war against the church. If it is true that the devil is not in the highest heaven, how then does he accuse the saints before the throne of God? We began this

Discourse by explaining that Christ has positioned our spirits in Him before God's throne. While our spirits connect us to God, our bodies and souls are here on earth. Although the devil does not have immediate access to God, he does have access to our thoughts and words.

When we harbor sympathetic attitudes toward fault-finding, finding, when we justify gossip and negative criticism, we are actually giving Satan the use of our mouths to accuse the saints before God!

We have wrongly assumed that our whispers, spoken in darkness, remained hidden even from God.

We must realize that "all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do"

Hebrews 4:13 TPT

13 There is not one person who can hide their thoughts from God, for nothing that we do remains a secret, and nothing created is concealed, but everything is exposed and defenseless before his eyes, to whom we must render an account.

Is it not written, "whatever you have said in the dark shall be heard in the light" (Luke 12:3)?

God, who is Light, indeed hears the voice of the accuser, even in the guarded confidences spoken to a spouse. GUARD YOUR TONGUE! Much of what the Father supplies to the body of Christ is furnished through our confession.

This is not simply our positive, premeditated confession expressed in prayer; it consists of everything that comes out of our mouths. Did not Christ Himself say men shall be judged for "every idle (or careless) word" that they speak (Matt. 12:36 KJV)?

Our words are the overflow of the condition of our hearts. Christ, as the "High Priest of our confession" (Heb. 3:1), takes our words, whether in faith or unbelief, and allocates back to us eternal life in proportion to our words. When our tongue is unbridled, James tells us that our

Negative confession "sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell"

James 3:6 AMP

6 And the tongue is a fire. [The tongue is a] world of wickedness set among our members, contaminating and depraving the whole body and setting on fire the wheel of birth (the cycle of man’s nature), being itself ignited by hell (Gehenna).

If we are supportive of one another, loving one another, protecting one another, we experience much growth and greater protection.

If, however, we are finding fault, criticizing, and talebearing, the voice of the accuser is manifested, and we are judged for our idle and evil words. God looks at what we have said and gives us reality accordingly. Consequently, we must come to understand that each of our thoughts, and even our most intimate conversations with men, are prayers we are offering to the Father, who sees all things continually and in secret.

These unaddressed prayers are just as much a part of our confession as our "Dear Lord" prayers, and they are just as influential. Our words about one another, as well as our words to one another, should carry with them the same sense of reverence as when we speak with God.

For He is, indeed, listening.

OTHER TONGUES OR FLAMING TONGUES?

It is significant that when Isaiah saw the Lord (Isa. 6), not only was there no devil in heaven, but the guilt he felt was due to his words. He said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips" (v. 5). The fact is, our criticisms of one another are the voice of Satan accusing the saints before God. Isaiah's lips were cleansed as they were touched by a burning coal, taken from the altar of God. The closer we truly draw to God, the more guilt we shall feel for our unclean words.

When the Holy Spirit was manifested upon Jesus, He came symbolically in the form of a dove. But when the Spirit was revealed at Pentecost, He appeared as flaming tongues of fire. Certain segments of Christianity have made speaking in "other tongues" a sign of the infilling of the Holy Spirit.

For us, the issue shall not be speaking in foreign tongues, but flaming tongues-tongues which have been purified by the fire of God from the altar, tongues that are cleansed of fault-finding and criticisms.

CASTING DOWN THE ACCUSER

"And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and ... the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death" (Rev. 12:11).

Instead of talking about people's sins and faults, we must ask God for the grace to see our common needs met. Instinctively, we must enter into the intercession of Christ and passionately intercede for those for whom Jesus died.

In Revelation 12, we see how they overcame the accuser of the brethren. Let us look at each dimension of our victory separately.

■ The Blood of the Lamb. One blood spiritually flows through us all, literally making us one body, sharing one Source of cleansing and one Source of life.

One blood makes us family: blood bought and blood relatives. The blood pays for our redemption and in the attack of the accuser, disarms his accusations.

The blood establishes us in an attitude of meekness rather than self-righteousness, for the shedding of the blood declares our common need of Jesus.

■ The Word of their Testimony. This includes telling others what God has done for you, but it is more. "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Rev. 19:10).

To truly overcome the enemy we must live and think prophetically.

That is, we must see each other as God sees us, seeing the "end from the beginning," animated by lives of vision, confessing our faith for one another. Knowing and speaking the Living Word of God enables us to overcome the illusions of the enemy (1 Tim. 1:18).

■ Loving not our own Lives, even unto Death. We cannot overcome Satan and simultaneously harbor self-pity pity and sympathy for that which needs to be crucified within us. Our victory is consummated by our willingness to go even to death rather than betray our convictions of truth.

Paul said, "I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, in order that I may finish my course" (Acts 20:24). Those who establish the kingdom are uncompromising with their own "hurts."

They may ache but not withdraw. They live by faith. The accuser must be cast down first in our minds!

We cannot tolerate fault-finding and accusations. We must possess the very heart of God toward our The kingdom of God and the authority of His Christ will be seen in a people who are terminally committed to love-motivated prayer. For when they see a need, instead of becoming critical, they cast down the accuser of the brethren, and they pray!

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