2015-08-07
Good Morning Dear Ones,
The Holy Spirit has given us what has been shared so far about the significance of Christ’s Atonement. But as the old ad says, “…But there’s more.” Today, we will put the spotlight on what Jesus does to the evil one, Satan. To fully understand the degree of how much Satan has disappointed God, read IS 14: 11-23, where the name “king of Babylon” is used for Satan and EZK 28: 11-19, where the name “king of Tyre” is used for him. Now, with this background, we can understand the Father’s decision to command that he be thrown down to earth. REV 12: 9, “The great dragon was hurled down –that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth and his angels with him [1/3rd of the heavenly host].” Once the seven years of the Tribulation to come are finished, the Father took another action against the devil. REV 20: 2, “He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil, and bound him for a thousand years.”
This author has heard plenty of theories about what this was done. The one which makes sense to me is that the earth was left in a horrific mess after the Tribulation, and there needed to be a kind of “clean-up” period. Another theory, which also makes sense to me, is that people will be born during that thousand years, and the Father knows they must be in a position to decide if they believe in the Son or not. That will be dealt with at the end of the Millennium [1000 years] when Satan is released to do evil for the last time. I suppose we won’t know which of the four main theories explaining what is described in REV is true until we are back at the Father’s side in heaven. It’s important that as students of the Scriptures, we should be aware of the four main theories concerning the end times, so we can prayerfully go to the Father for direction as to which one we believe---Amillennialism, Pre-Tribulation Rapture, Mid-Trib Rapture, or Post Trib Rapture. And yes, it’s okay for us to disagree, because none of these choices is a salvation-based issue.
It is Jesus, our Lord, Who defeats the devil. At Christ’s weakest point while on the cross, Satan was judged [JN 16: 11]. In HE 2: 14-15, we learn that sin and the evil one’s power were abolished. “Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity, so that by His death He might destroy him who has the power of death—that is the devil—and free all those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” Any discussion of this topic isn’t complete without mentioning the work of the Holy Spirit. We’ve already understood why the law alone can’t redeem a person. The only thing that can is faith in Jesus Christ accompanied by genuine confession and stoppage of sin. Only the Holy Spirit working on a sinner can make that sinner change to a righteous person. One won’t have the constant presence of the Holy Spirit without faith in Jesus Christ. It is this faith in Him that keeps us from spiritual death. The constant presence Holy Spirit is one of the perks of being a party to the Covenant of Grace. He is the third personality of our Covenant Partner, the One Who was sent down to us after Christ’s ascension, the “Counselor” He sent to us to dwell in our souls. It is through the Holy Spirit that we engage in the conflict between the fleshly outer self and our Spirit within us for control of our thoughts, decisions, and actions. This is the conflict that Paul so aptly described in RO 7: 14-25. When the Holy Spirit wins this inner war, the person has faith in Jesus Christ and is being perfected in preparation for his eventual glorification. It is this faith that makes us a blessing to others, as God promised in the Abrahamic Covenant. So, the law teaches us to accept Christ, but the Holy Spirit working on our hearts and souls is given to us to strengthen our faith in Him. RO 7: 7 tells us that we had the law to tell us what is sin and what is not. But our salvation comes through faith in the Lord and not any action on the part of a human [EPH 2: 8-10]. This opportunity wouldn’t be available to us were it not for the Atonement of Christ on the cross. He alone is the only acceptable Sin-sacrifice or Propitiation for our sins.
Most of us want to mope around and complain when we are physically in pain or we know we have done something wrong. These negative “frozzy” times are part of the human experience. But the Holy Spirit can totally change our attitudes about them. RO 5: 3-4, “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character, and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, Whom He has given us.” Suffering can be a tender subject that one doesn’t want to share, because he thinks he is the only one doing it. Not so! We are told in 1 PET 5: 8-9, “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.” Remember this: it is when one is suffering or working through life’s challenges that he is most likely to make forward motion in his gradual maturation spiritually and in other ways. This puts a totally different outlook on our complaints. There can be a kind of dignity with suffering, particularly suffering for one’s faith. 1 PET 3: 14 and 16, “If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you…However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed but praise God that you bear that name.” Take comfort in knowing that our God loves each of us. While we don’t know exactly when Christ will return [MT 24: 36], we know that those of us who endure and spread the faith, by word and/or example, can look forward to a blissful eternity in heavenly fellowship with our God.
PRAYER: O Lord, our Dearest Lord, we are here, praying to You with our utmost reverence and awe. We begin this prayer by saying, “we praise You; we thank You for all You are and all You do for us.” We are weak and hopeless without You, and by the Holy Spirit, You strengthen us and empower us against wrongdoers. One of Your promises is found in EPH 1: 18-20, a reminder that each believer has the power to chase Satan away, just as Jesus did in MT 4: 1-11, His spiritual warfare in the wilderness. We must remember to use that power. In addition, the Holy Spirit enables us to put things in Your perspective, which is the opposite of that driven by fleshly desires [GA 5: 16-17]. Your power is so great, and Your sovereignty over all is ultimate that we accept it with the knowledge that You are always righteous. Trusting You is learned behavior, and if we are imperfect in doing this, then we beseech You to lead us to where we can do it. IS 26: 3, “You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in You.” We will listen for Your commands and follow them, even if they take us to places which are not comfortable initially for us. You alone have the perspective to take along the path to eternal life. We thank and praise You for Your constant presence and intervention in our lives, for giving us the strength to overcome our sufferings. We pray in the holy/mighty name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
NEXT WEEK: We are going to look at the great mystery revealed by God to us. We’ll also learn more about how God gradually revealed His secrets over the years. All of this is directly related to Christ’s words in JN 15: 13-17. Our wise God knew exactly the perfect times to reveal each aspect of what had been kept for Jews only (with a few exceptions) in ancient times and what is now fully revealed to us. I rarely discuss other people in my writing, and never naming names. However, I will reveal the way God has gradually revealed His mystery and things, once secret/ now known, to me. I was stubborn and rejected not only Christ’s deity but also God’s very existence when I was young. Part of that is my reaction to having been reared in traditional Judaism, and part of it was my own immaturity. Over the ensuing years, God has gradually cracked my stubborn heart open and has been transforming me “by the inward renewal of my mind” [RO 12: 2]. I know recognize that I need to rely on God and to trust Him to lead me through my life. That hasn’t come easily, and I still rebel once in awhile. But He is patient with me and has valued me throughout my life. Once I accepted Christ as my Savior, there were people who ostracized me, people who were rude to me, and even a couple of incidents where I was physically accosted for my beliefs. But God never forgets when His children are suffering. Just as He remembered the Jews suffering under the weight of slavery in Egypt, He remembered me when I was suffering. He even taught me how to work my way through a disease that yields me constant pain. He will do the same things for anyone who genuinely confesses sin, works to expunge it, and professes faith in His Son. What greater love can there be? Praise and thanks be to Him forever!
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn
JS 24: 15
© Lynn Johnson 2015. All Rights Reserved.
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