Before them fire devours, behind them a flame blazes. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, behind them, a desert waste—nothing escapes them. They have the appearance of horses; they gallop along like cavalry. With a noise like that of chariots they leap over the mountaintops, like a crackling fire consuming stubble, like a mighty army drawn up for battle. Joel 2:3-5
This is more pictorial language describing the last days. Even the most powerful evil, even the most powerful nuclear or space weapons we have, will be powerless against the Lord and His army of angels and saints. The army will stand with Jesus, deflecting attacks from evil and the evil one. But it will be Jesus who fights, Jesus who battles, Jesus who prevails, Jesus who is victorious.
There’s a contemporary Christian song whose refrain says, “Oh God, the battle belongs to You.” It’s catchy; it’s an earworm; it’s true. It sticks in your memory and that’s a great thing because the battle does indeed belong to God alone. You and I: we’re foot-soldiers in His army, but Jesus doesn’t need us. Yes, that’s harsh, but He really doesn’t. He can defeat evil all on his own. He doesn’t need our help. He doesn’t even need the help of the legions of legions of angels who will come with Him at judgment. Jesus alone perfected salvation on the cross. He alone perfected our eternity on Easter. That’s all that is required to vanquish evil. We’re with Him, but He does the heavy lifting.
Even when Satan and his fallen angels fight back. And they do, and will, fight back hard. You’ve felt that in your own life, with your own struggles with your pet sins. Evil (literally) fights like hell, thinking they can overcome the Lord with just one more: just one more battle; just one more fight; just one more person turning away; just one more sin.
It won’t matter because they’re already defeated. At the final battle, when Jesus comes with His fighting angels and calls us to stand with Him, we will deflect the blows of the evil one, but it is Jesus who will do the actual fighting. He will slay them with His words; He will slay them with His holy will. The army of evil will have no response against the fighting words of love from General Jesus Christ. His fight for right will be magnificent and awe-inspiring: just like His salvation for you and me.
The armies of the living God will leave devastation on the forces resisting them and it will be glorious to behold. Lace up your boots, my friend. The time for battle approaches.
For more reading: Genesis 2:8, Psalm 105:34-35, Proverbs 97:3, Isaiah 1:31, Revelation 9:7, Joel 2:6
Lord, against You the world and evil are powerless. You are the Lord of Lords of all.
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