So that leads us to verse 4. Who is this dragon taking a third of the stars? This is an allusion now to Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. That's why I put there for you. These are the key chapters that explain the origin of Satan. And basically what it tells us is Satan was perfect in his original creation. He was the covering cherub over the throne of God, reflecting God's glory back. He walked in the garden of God, and then he fell into sin. Isaiah describes his fall in chapter 14 with five I wills. Satan is the quintessential I will, do it my way. Isaiah put it this way. All of us, like sheep, have gone astray. We've turned everyone what? to our own way. You know what the ultimate sin is? It's not homosexuality. Although you'd think in most churches that's the worst sin in the world. I mean, they just go ballistic over that. Do you know what the real worst sin is? Pride. It's what destroyed the greatest, most powerful, most intelligent, most magnificent creature God ever made, Satan. Now, what's interesting, if I had a marker board, I would write Satan's name, you know what his name was? Lucifer, L-U-C-I-F-E-R. It's cute in English, it shows up, this I thing. And then if you look at pride, the sin, P-R what? I-D-E. And then look at sin, what's the middle letter of sin? S what? N. You see, Lucifer, I, right in the center of his being, pride. right in the center, I. Sin, right in the center. Do you understand the ultimate sin is I want my way over God. Now most people are comfortable with that. In fact, we kind of call that they're motivated and focused. Yeah, and you know what God says? They're self-centered instead of Christ-centered. See, Paul said in his testimony in Galatians 2.20, how many of you have Galatians 2.20 memorized? Hold your hand up high, real high. How many of you do not have Galatians 2.20 memorized? Hold your hand up real high. That would go on your list. You know, you've heard of bucket list, you know, that you want to go climb Mount Everest or something, you know, or parasail under the Golden Gate Bridge or whatever all the things are people have on their bucket list. On your spiritual bucket list ought to be knowing Paul's salvation testimony. Here it is. I'll give it to you. Paul said, I am crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live. Yet not I, but Christ lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God. And here's his testimony. Who loved me and gave himself for me. And so that's the gospel that we share. Satan doesn't want us to do that. He wants us to be proud to go our own way. Well, Isaiah and Ezekiel tell us that. Also, Satan's defeat is chronicled for us. War broke out in heaven. Verse seven, Michael and his angels fought with the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought. They did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven. So now look at verse nine. This is a great connection here. The dragon, the serpent of old, called the devil, which is Satan. You understand that the dragon of Revelation 12 is the serpent of old from Genesis three, is the devil from Matthew four that tempted Christ, is Satan the adversary. of each of us who prowls around like a roaring lion trying to devour us. That's what Peter said. Peter said in 1 Peter 5, your adversary, the devil, adversary is Satan, Satan is the adversary, wants to devour us. I think a lot of believers are devoured, they don't even know it. You know what it means to be devoured? You have no hunger for the word of God. When you read it, you don't understand it. You have no desire to memorize scripture. You only share the gospel if you have to and someone's watching, and you don't really have joy, and you're constantly drawn back to the old ways that you used to like before you were saved. That's a devoured Christian. Satan has you. He's not indwelling you, but he's totally neutralizing. your love and passion and holiness for Christ. And that's his ministry, if you want to call it that. And look at verse 10. I heard a loud voice saying, now salvation and strength and the kingdom of God and the power of Christ have come for the accuser of our brethren. Now that takes us to Job. Do you know what Satan does? Until this point, this has not happened yet. This is future. The taking the third of the angels has already happened, but the being thrown down and confined to earth has not happened yet Satan is still doing whatever, you know running to and fro but during the tribulation he's confined to earth and his total Malignant focus is here and that's why God starts letting out all those creatures out of the pit we talked about in chapter 9 and that's why Chapter 13 happens. Satan actually indwells a human and that human begins to rule vast parts of this world. He's called the Antichrist or the Beast. But Satan right now gets to go in front of the throne of God. We don't even get to come there. Our advocate goes there, Jesus Christ, but we're here. But when we sin Satan stands in front of God's throne and goes look at John Look at him. He's so fearful right now. He's sinning. That's the most repeated thing in the body in your Bible It says don't fear and he's fearing. Did you know that's the greatest? repeated negative prohibition from God, fear not, fear not, fear not, fear not, fear not. Why? Satan's realm is fear. If he can get you fearing, you're not living by faith, you're living by fear. So he points and says, look at them, look they're anxious, look how proud they are. They're up there leading that worship and they're just adoring all the adulation they're getting. Or they're over there filling out their report and just bragging away at what they've done instead of what the apostles said. You know what it says in Acts, when Paul came and reported on his first missionary journey, he reported all that God had done through him. You notice where he is? He's at the end. He said, God is doing great things, and he's using me. God uses people that give him the credit. Now he uses people that don't give him the credit, but they just don't get any benefit from it. Okay, but Satan's the accuser. He points at us, and by the way, that's one of the greatest, you know the hymn in Christ Alone, and it goes, when Satan tempts me to despair and tells me of the guilt within, upward I look and see him there who made an end to all my sin. Because the sinless Savior died, my guilty soul is counted free. For Christ the just has reconciled For God the just is reconciled, to look on him and pardon me. That hymn by Charity Bancroft, she wrote that during the Civil War in America. What a beautiful hymn. But that hymn declares that when Satan accuses me, Jesus steps between me and the accuser and looks up at God the Father and says, that's one of mine. I've already been punished for all their sins. I've already paid their debt.