Inquiry:
Is God’s will always done in heaven? Matthew 6:10 says yes, but Revelation 12:7 says no. Is there a contradiction?
Response:
The questioner is correct in understanding Jesus’ words in Matthew 6:10 to indicate that God’s will is always done in heaven. It is. Such does not always happen upon the earth, thus the need for us to pray that Go’s will be accomplished in a world that is so often dominated by sinful activity.
However, it is incorrect to set Revelation 12:7 against Matthew 6:10 as evidence that God’s will is not always accomplished in heaven.
First, we must understand what type of writing the book of Revelation is. In Revelation 1:1, we are told that the book is filled with signs – it is a symbolic book. The book engages the reader with a number of images to support the premise that we can find victory in Christ. The battle of good and evil is shown on several occasions, in a variety of symbols. The war of Revelation 12 is among the symbols used to show the victory of good over evil, of Christ and His people over the devil. It does not represent any particular battle which took place – it is just an image, an allegory.
The victory of God’s people is expressed – the dragon and his angels did not prevail, nor was any place found for them in heaven. Though sin and suffering reign upon this earth (v 9), there is salvation, strength and power found in the heavenly realm – the kingdom of God.
There is no contradiction.
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