The battle of world history

Just as world history is in large measure a history of warfare, even so church history is chiefly a record of the rise and refutation of false doctrine within holy Christendom. Since Satan is not yet cast into the lake of fire, the church militant can know not a single hour undisturbed by doctrinal dissension. The Word must be contended over as well as confessed (1 Cor. 11:19). Doctor Luther bluntly reminds us that “dissension and contention over the Scriptures…is a divine quarrel wherein God contends with the devil…Eph.6:12.”

John R. Stephenson. Eschatology – Confessional Lutheran Dogmatics (Volume XIII). (Dearborn, MI: The Luther Academy, 1993); p.74