During several of my interviews with those who visited Heaven and hell, afterlife survivors describe spiritual warfare, and I can also testify of seeing angels and demons battling over my own soul in the netherworld, or what many including myself describe as the second heaven – the place of spiritual warfare. Right now, these powers are battling over you, your loved ones, and your home, towns, and nation. We see these battles manifested in our world through wars, famines, diseases, natural disasters, and people abandoning Christianity for false teachings as signifiers of the end of times as described in the book of Matthew chapter 24 verses 3-14. Prayer in Yahweh’s name and putting faith into action as it says in James 2:14-26 will vanquish the immediate effects of the spirits of darkness. But the good news is that God has already determined an end to spiritual warfare once and for all time.
Only in Heaven will we experience an absence of all darkness when we bask in the Light of Jesus Christ after departing this world. As to warfare within the second heaven, the battles currently experienced in the spiritual realm will continue until God ends the devastating influences of the powers of darkness for all of eternity, and this will occur at the end of the world as we know it. And this will happen after the final battle between good and evil.
The last great angelic battle and Satan’s ultimate expulsion from heaven are described in Revelation 12:7–12. In this passage, John beholds a great war between Michael and the angels of God and the dragon (Satan) and his fallen angels or demons that will take place in the end times. Satan, in his consuming pride and delusion that he can be like God, will lead a final rebellion against God. It will be a cataclysmic mismatch. Hence, the dragon and his fallen spirits/demons will lose the battle and be thrown out of the second heaven forever.
A common misconception is that Satan and his fellow fallen angels were locked away in hell after the fall of Satan. No, these demons still roam the spiritual realm and influence our world. It is clear from the Bible that Satan was not barred from heaven or the earth after his first rebellion, which predated the creation. In Job 1:1—2:8, he appears before God to accuse Job of being unworthy of God’s grace. In Zechariah 3, he again appears before God to accuse Joshua, the high priest of being defiled. As a matter of fact, the name Satan means “accuser.” Satan accuses God’s children. In Genesis, he visited the Garden of Eden and tempted Eve. He tempted Jesus in the wilderness before Jesus began His ministry, an incident recorded in Matthew 4:1–11. You might ask, if Satan had already rebelled and been cast from heaven before the world was created, why is he free to roam heaven and on earth?
In 2 Corinthians 12:2–3, the apostle Paul provides a major revelation that there are three “heavens.” One of these is the first heaven, the universe. The second is the place of spiritual influence and warfare. Paul talks about himself being taken up to the “third heaven” where God the Father and Jesus dwell. The third Heaven is where God resides on His throne and the place I and other believers who were returned from the afterlife have described. The Bible indicates that Satan and some of his demons are allowed to move in the first and second heavens (Ephesians 2:1–2; 6:12).
In this age, Satan and his highest ranking angels can still oppose the work of God, cause chaos and devastation, and hinder the angels of God (Daniel 10:10–14) within the boundaries of the second heaven. The effect of spiritual battles in the second heaven can influence physical battles in the first heaven, our world. When people reject the God of Yahweh (Jesus), demons deceive them and cause spiritual destruction. When people call upon the name of Yahweh/Jesus/Yeshua, God and his angels (and not demons) speak life, freedom, and God’s Truth into their lives. The battle recorded in Revelation 12 once and for all eliminates Satan and his minions from both the first and second heavens.
When Satan is expelled from the first and second heavens, as he had already been expelled from the third Heaven after defying God, there will be great rejoicing in Heaven, since the accuser will be forever banned from his mission of accusation and slander against God’s elect. Satan’s power and freedom will be limited. However, the inhabitants of the earth will greatly suffer after this event, because Satan will be enraged. He will also be aware that he only has three and a half more years until he is bound and cast into the bottomless pit. This will usher in a period of intensified suffering on earth (the Great Tribulation) during which the Antichrist violates his peace treaty with Israel, desecrates their temple, declares himself as god, and begins to systematically murder all those who refuse to worship him.
After the Tribulation, believers who were raptured will join the angels as the armies of Jesus and return with Him to earth: “The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean” (Revelation 19:14). Jesus will gain victory at Armageddon and believers will be given authority to reign with Him for 1,000 years.
There are several passages throughout Scripture that point to the believer’s role in the kingdom, including 1 Corinthians 6:2: “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?”
Believers today will be rulers in the restoration of God’s new earth. God is preparing His children not only for Heaven but for administrating a thousand years of peace on the new earth. During this time, God will establish the first truly righteous leadership we can fully trust, because Jesus will serve as righteous King.
The Great White Throne Judgment happens 1000 years after the Battle of Armageddon. It is the final judgment of all those who have rejected Christ. Jesus will sit on His throne and every unsaved person—the spiritually “dead” who have rejected Him—will stand before Him. Their bodies will be summoned from their grave to receive their final judgment.
Jesus will read from the “books” of judgment which hold record of each one’s life. The Bible tells us that every person’s words, actions, and thoughts, no matter how secret or insignificant they appear in the moment, will be exposed and brought to account. Those who placed their trust in Jesus and accepted Him as Savior will not be present. Those redeemed through the righteousness of Jesus have already been justified before God.
People of all nations and types will be represented (Revelation 20:11-15). Many people who thought they were good according to their own righteousness will be there—even some who thought they were Christians but in their heart of hearts they denied the authority of Jesus Christ in their own lives.
The Bible says that “by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight” and the Great White Throne Judgment is the final judgment of the unsaved, those who rejected the lordship of Jesus the Messiah. Matthew 7:22-23 says, “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ “After each unsaved person stands trial, and their name is not found in the Book of Life, they will be cast into the lake of fire, the final hell.
Beloved, have you given your life to the lordship of Jesus Christ through your confession of sins and surrender to Jesus as your Lord and Savior? If not, pray a prayer like this:
Lord Jesus, please forgive me of my offenses against you. I surrender my life to you. I accept your sacrifice on the cross as the forgiveness of my sins. Rule my body, soul, and spirit with your Holy Spirit and guide me all the days of my life into eternity. I am yours and yours alone dear Jesus, Yahweh, the one true God. Thank you! I love you! You are my ALL!
If you did that, welcome to the family. You will be with God forever and your life will be with Jesus for all of eternity. Your life is sealed by Jesus Christ. Congratulations! All of Heaven rejoices that you are a child of God.