The battle has been won!!!!

I don't mind the dramatics during an exorcism.  But the experienced exorcist is not always dramatic but is simply calm and collective knowing this, though there is a battle in the room, the battle has been won. Much like a preacher preaches with confidence of the Gospel in the midst of a world of sin.  The Gospel is the victory Christ has won for us upon the cross as He died for our sins for us and for our salvation and raised alive from the grave on the third day.  So the exorcist walks in the room as a victor in Christ and not a if there is a battle to be won.  This is a huge mistake in many books on spiritual warfare as the book frequently centers so much on us or the possessed and not on Christ.  Everything should be centered in Christ.

The picture above shows St. Michael with the "old man" namely the devil under his foot.  In St. Michael's right hand is a sword depicting a battle but in his left hand is a scale depicting that the judgment has taken place.  This narrative is described in Revelation 12 where the battle scene takes between the birth of Christ and the battle won in the blood of the Lamb (Christ).

This is why I love the seal of Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne where you see the cross coming down upon the head of the snake! (Genesis 3:15) It reminds us that Christ has won the battle!