Sabbath School for Adults: Lesson 11: From Battle to Victory

Thursday March 12

A Victorious Prince

The most prominent character in the book of Daniel is the figure initially called “Son of Man” (Dan. 7:13, NKJV) or “Prince of the host” (Dan. 8:11, NKJV). Eventually we learn that His name is Michael (Dan. 10:12), which means “Who is like God?” He comes to help Gabriel in the conflict with the king of Persia (Dan. 10:13). The angel refers to this heavenly being as “Michael your prince” (Dan. 10:21), namely, the prince of God’s people. Michael appears later in the book of Daniel as the One who stands for God’s people (Dan. 12:1). From Jude 9, we learn that Michael, also called an archangel, fights against Satan and resurrects Moses. Revelation 12:7 reveals that Michael stands as the leader of the heavenly army, which defeats Satan and his fallen angels. Thus Michael is none other than Jesus Christ. As the Persian Empire has a supreme commander, a spiritual force who stands behind its human leader, so God’s people have in Michael their Commander in Chief, who steps in to fight and win the cosmic war on their behalf.

Read Colossians 2:15. How has Jesus accomplished victory in the cosmic conflict?

As we face the forces of evil, we can have faith in Jesus our champion. He defeats Satan in the beginning of His public ministry. During His earthly life, He defeats Satan in the desert when assaulted with temptations, He fights demonic hordes, and He sets people free from the power of darkness. Jesus defeats evil even when it is disguised behind Peter’s attempt to dissuade Him from moving toward Calvary. In His final words to the disciples, Jesus speaks of His impending death as a battle, which will culminate in a decisive victory over Satan: “Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself ” (John 12:31, 32, NKJV).

Sometimes we look around, and things look really bad. Violence, immorality, corruption, and diseases crop up everywhere. An enemy, not made of flesh and blood, brutally attacks us from all sides. But no matter how difficult the battles we have to fight, Jesus fights for us and stands as our Prince and High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary.

Read Romans 8:37-39. How can we make the promise of being conquerors a real experience in our own Christian lives?