Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 1502
Delivered on Lord’s-Day Morning, November 2, 1879
“Woe to the inhibitors of the earth and of the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time.” Revelation 12:12.
THE great battle in the heavenlies has been fought—our glorious Michael has forever overthrown the dragon and cast him down. In the highest regions the great principle of evil has received a total defeat through the life and death of our Lord Jesus. Atonement has been made for human sin and the great quarrel between God and man has come to a happy end. Everlasting righteousness has been brought in and the peace of God reigns in Heaven. The conflict, from now on, rages here below and in these inferior regions the Prince of this world is warring mightily against the cause of God and truth. Much woe does this cause to the sons of men—woe which will never end till his power is altogether taken away.
Observe concerning our archenemy that he exercises forethought and care as to the evil enterprise to which he has set his hand. Whatever foolish men may do, the devil thinks. Others may be heedless and thoughtless, but he is anxious and full of consideration. He knows that his time, or, “opportunity” is short and he bides his time till its close, for he is no careless waster of time and forgetter of the end. He values his opportunity to maintain his kingdom, to distress the people of God and to dishonor the name of Christ. And since it is but a short one, he treats it as such. He infers the brevity of his time from the victory which Jesus has already gained over him.
In reading the chapter, we saw how the Man-Child who is to rule all nations with a rod of iron was caught up unto God and to His Throne. And then we saw the war in Heaven and how the devil was cast out into the earth and his angels were cast out with him. Then was a loud voice heard on high, “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.” Right well may the old serpent conclude that he will be routed on earth since he has already sustained so dire a defeat that he has fallen from Heaven never to rise again!
Because the Man-Child, Christ Jesus, has met him in conflict, met him when as yet all his power was unbroken and has cast him down from his high places, he is persuaded and well he may be, that his reign is ended and that his opportunity is short. He feels about him, even now, a chain which is lengthened for a while, but which shall be drawn into shorter compass and fastened down, by-and-by, so that he shall roam the earth no longer, but lie as a captive in his prison. Fallen as this apostate spirit has become, he has wit enough to look forward to the future! O that men were half as wise and would remember their latter end!
I beg you to notice this fact concerning the evil spirit, that you, too, may learn to acquire knowledge and then use it for practical purposes. Why should it always be that the powers of darkness appear to act more wisely than the children of light? For once I would point out a matter in which our worst foe may read us a lesson. Among men there are some who know a great many important matters, but act as if they did not know them—their knowledge is so much waste stored up in the lumber room of their minds and never brought into the workshop to be used for practical purposes. For instance, we know our mortality and yet live as if we never meant to die! There is great necessity for many of us to pray, “Lord, teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.”
We must know that our time is short and that our life will soon come to an end and yet we fail to know it practically, for we are not as earnest as dying men ought to be. In this, the archenemy is not so foolish as we are, for he so well knows that his time is short that he remembers the fact and is actuated by it. Note well the direction in which this knowledge operates upon him. It excites his emotions. The deepest emotion of which he is capable is that of anger, for he knows not
how to love. Wrath is his very soul, as hatred is his very life! He knows nothing of gentleness, nothing of affection and, therefore, the fact that his time is short moves within him his master passion and he has great wrath.
His evil nature is all on fire and his excitement is terrible! How much the shortness of our time ought to stir our hearts! With what ardency of love and fervency of zeal ought we to pass the days of our sojourning here! Knowing that the time of our departure is at hand and that the season in which we can serve God among the sons of men is very brief, we ought to be excited to flaming zeal and passionate love! We are not half stirred as we ought to be. Devils feel great hatred—how is it that we do not feel great love? Shall they be more eager to destroy than we are to save? Shall they be all alive and shall we be half dead?