The Defeated Enemy

Introduction

Revelation 12:7–12 ESV

Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”

Have you ever noticed that when you REALLY try to ramp up your commitments to the Lord that all hell breaks loose?

I mean every demon in existence seems to have it out for you in one way or another. The more that you press in, the more severe it seems the attacks become. The more urgent the feelings that you need to do something to defend or protect yourself become. Just ANYTHING to get you off the track of what the Holy Spirit of God is leading you to do.

And the enemy doesn’t play fair, doesn’t care about you, your family, your job, just your destruction.

In fact, the Bible itself has a lot to say on this matter.

1 Peter 5:8–11 ESV

Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

The devil is just waiting until we are unsuspecting of his activity to launch his attacks against us.

The Lexham Bible Dictionary Satan

SATAN The Hebrew word שָׂטָן (satan) means to oppose, obstruct, or accuse. The Greek term (σατάν, satan) literally means “adversary.” In the New Testament, it refers to a title or a name—(the) Satan. The term שָׂטָן (satan) is rendered as diabolos in the Septuagint.

God Uses Satan To Improve His People

Some of you might be looking at that heading for this point and thinking, NOPE! But the fact is that all throughout the Bible the devil has been allowed to interact with humanity on many occasions that can be plainly read by even the most casual observer of Scripture.

In fact Jordan Peterson, one of the most renowned university professors of our day has made deep study of the Bible with a keen eye on the purpose of God’s allowances of evil to touch the lives of His Creation. In an interview he stated the following:

In the Gospel of John, said Peterson, Jesus compares himself to the serpent in the desert; a strange comparison on its face. But “what’s the most tragic story?” asked Peterson. “It’s the worst possible thing happening to the person who least deserves it. Christ is not merely innocent, he’s good; and not just good, he’s as good as it gets; and yet the tragedy of the Passion is the worst of all possible punishments visited upon the least deserving person.

Psychologically, said Peterson, our culture has put at its center this archetypal tragedy. “It’s as if we’re attempting to inoculate ourselves against the catastrophes of life.” But “the Crucifixion is not the end of the story. The end of the story is the Resurrection.”

Said Peterson, “In the psychotherapeutic milieu, if you get people to expose themselves to what they are terrified of, being terrified isn’t the end of the story. Recovering is the end of the story.”

Every servant of God ever has had to battle against the wiles of the devil. Satan has used every deplorable trick and cunning scheme to wreak havoc on mankind for the entirety of the time we have been on this planet.

From the moment you drew breath the enemy sought to destroy you; but the God who knit you together in you mother’s womb has a plan and purpose for you.

You and I are being refined friends, some of you want to be removed from the fires that burn and rage against you and plead with God to take you out of the fiery furnace.

But instead of taking you out of the flames, He makes you fireproof.

Still the question lingers in our spirits; WHY?

We Are Made For Eternity

One day, all that we now know, all that we have worked for, fought over, longed for will be gone. There will be more striving because this earth will die, and a new one will be born.

Revelation 21:1–4 ESV

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

There is something so beautiful and amazing coming that it defies all description.

In fact the Bible declares:

1 Corinthians 2:6–10 ESV

Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”— these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.

There is a future that will be absolutely void of pain, void of suffering, void of violence, void of hate and anger, void of malice!

Every negative thing you can imagine will all be gone; to be replaced by an eternity of perfect peace in the presence of a perfect God.

There is an eternity prepared for you without any adversary.

The Bible declares to us that :

Revelation 21:22–27 ESV

And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Nothing unclean will EVER enter the place you and I are called to be!

We are called to be LIKE Him, so we are to start the practice of keeping Satan out of our lives here on this earth! Why? Because you and I are called to have an eye on eternity; and in that place there is NO ENEMY!

God is more concerned with our development than He is our comfort~ T.F. Tenney

Satan’s Days Are Numbered

Brothers and sisters, Christ is coming soon and very soon.

And if Jesus is about to return, then the devil is getting nervous. He is frantic to cause as much chaos as possible before the end.

Why? Because for him there is no way out. All roads lead to his destruction and eternal torment. All that he has done throughout the history of the world will be forgotten and discarded as trash.

And there isn’t a single thing he can do to stop it!

That’s why you and I dear saints can rejoice!

The victory that Christ won at Calvary has paved the way for multiplied millions of souls to be free from the agonies off hell. Not only in eternity are we victorious, but we can live victoriously here and now because we know Him. We KNOW the power of a resurrected Savior that has already overcome every obstacle and damnable trial that we could ever face. And He did it all on your behalf so that you can walk in HIS victory!

2 Timothy 1:7–12 ESV

for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that day what has been entrusted to me.

There is coming a day when all the pain will perish, and Satan will be no more.

Revelation 20:7–10 ESV

And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.