Luke 10:17-18

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-Please turn to Luke 10.

Going to be looking at Verses 17-20 this morning...

…but because of its depth and complexity...

…we’re going to break it up...

…into two parts.

-We actually began this section four weeks ago, now.

It had started back in Verse 1, with...

…Jesus sending out the Seventy...

…to proclaim the arrival of the Kingdom of God...

…and to bear witness to that proclamation...

…with attesting signs and wonders.

Verse 17 (where we’re going to pick back up this morning)...

…tells us what happens as they return...

…to give a report about their work.

-Now, we’re not going to re-read the whole section...

…but we will review a few verses after we pray.

For now, let’s begin reading down in Verse 17.

This is the Word of the living God!

Luke 10:17–20 (ESV)

17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”

18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.

20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

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Pray

-So back in Verse 1, Luke had told us this:

Luke 10:1 (ESV)

1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go.

Then after...

Warning them of the inherent difficulties

Giving them logistical instructions...

He told them to:

Luke 10:9 (ESV)

9 Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’

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-Now, if we hadn’t already read Verse 17...

…we might have expected a different response from the Seventy...

…given the daunting nature of Jesus’ instructions.

Remember, He had told them:

Luke 10:3 (ESV)

3 Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.

Who wins in that contest? (typically?)

Yet, we see this in Verse 17:

Luke 10:17 (ESV)

17 The seventy-two returned with joy...

They’re excited

They’re elated

They’re not depressed or forlorn.

Why?

Because they’ve been unexpectedly victorious!

They say this to Jesus:

Luke 10:17 (ESV)

17 . . . “Lord, even the demons are subject to us . . .”

‘subject” = military term (subordinate to, or of a lower rank)

In other words...

...”even the forces of hell obey our commands.”

Remember, that he had sent them out...

…with multiple reminders of their weakness and vulnerability:

No extra money

No extra food

No extra clothes

Dependent on others for lodging

Dependent on others food and money

With the understanding that the harvest...

…was beyond their ability to fulfill.

Plus, so far as we know...

…Jesus never told them...

…that they would cast out demons.

He HAD told the Twelve that...

…when he had commissioned them...

But, he hadn’t specifically said that to the Seventy (that we know of)

So, when they go about preaching...

…they’re surprised to find...

…that the soldiers of Satan (The opposing armies)...

…are fleeing before them!

Why?

Are the demons scared of them?

Is it because they...

...know them to be their intellectual superiors?

Is it because they have great physical strength?

Then why?

One reason… And One reason only:

Luke 10:17 (ESV)

17 . . . “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”

The demons are bowing the knee to them...

…because they’re Christ’s men!

And Christ is inherently superior to those demons...

...in every way.

These men are his emissaries.

They were sent out by Him...

…under his authority...

…and NOTHING (even though they would suffer)...

…would ultimately prevent their success.

-Now, look at Verse 18.

(And, buckle your seat-belts!)

Jesus responds to them like this:

lk10.18

Luke 10:18 (ESV)

18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

So, the previous statement...

…was recognizing the subjugation of ...

...the demons (Those servants of Satan)...

…to the Seventy (servants of Christ).

Verse 18 turns the focus...

away from the servants...

toward the masters.

In other words...

…he’s explaining to them...

…why they (his soldiers)...

…were able to defeat the demons (Satan’s soldiers).

It’s because of the nature of the relationship...

…between the leaders of the two armies.

-Now, this is an admittedly DEEP and PROFOUND verse.

And, I’m sure I can’t do it justice.

But thankfully, we have a lot of other scripture on the subject.

And, that’s going to be a big help to us.

But before we examine the...

Cross-References...

Commentaries...

…let’s see what the verse has to tell us...

…in and of itself.

-First, notice the way Satan’s “fall from heaven” is described:

Luke 10:18 (ESV)

18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

Quick and Powerful

There’s no real struggle, here.

It’s a decisive overthrow!

(bear that in mind)

-Also, notice the tense of the verb (in the ESV):

Luke 10:18 (ESV)

18 … “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

Many others have the same connotation:

KJV = “I beheld”

CSB = “I watched”

But, this can be a little misleading:

It sounds like it would be in the Aorist tense:

Completed action

Defined parameters.

The Verb is actually in the imperfect tense.

The Greek imperfect tense describes:

“…a continuous action usually occuring in the past” — Bill Mounce

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In other words...

…it’s not resigned to an event that...

…began and finished in a moment of time.

It’s parameters of completion are left undefined.

See why it’s so tricky to translate?

The NASB and the LSB say:

Luke 10:18 (LSB)

18 And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.

Also, “fall” is a participle.

You could say “falling” or “as he was “falling”

So, the appropriate connotation is...

…something in the past...

…that may or may not be ongoing.

Consider these interpretive options...

…given by the Faithlife Study Bible :

Jesus could be referencing a vision He has had of the future and Satan’s final defeat . . . It may also be that Jesus is referencing an event that has occurred in the past—such as Satan’s actual fall from God’s presence when he rebelled . . . or some defeat of Satan that occurred during Jesus’ lifetime. — Faithlife Study Bible

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(I would add a nuanced, 4th option...

…but we’ll discuss that later)

-What would be the possibilities...

...if he was referring to past event?

A prehistoric fall of Satan (Before men kept written records)

A defeat of Satan after the Fall...

...but before this moment.

Let’s consider those options..

First of all, we know that...

…a prehistoric fall of Satan...

…did, in fact, occur...

…because all that God created was good...

…and yet Satan shows up tempting and slandering...

…in the Garden.

Many think Isaiah 14 is describing this prehistoric fall:

Isaiah 14:12–15 (ESV)

12 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!

13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north;

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’

15 But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.

The problem with this understanding is two-fold:

Addressed to the King of Babylon (Verse 4)

(although it’s possible that it is drawing on that imagery to describe the King’s overthrow)

Satan still had access to heaven in the OT era:

Job 1:6–7 (ESV)

6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.

7 The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”

Has Satan EVER not been subordinate to his Creator?

He can only go as far as God allows him to go.

He’s always been on a very short leash.

But the point is that...

...at this point in history (not prehistoric)...

…Satan could still come and go...

…from heaven to earth...

…at God’s allowance.

And even in the book of Zechariah...

(which was written near the end of the OT era)

…we see the Slanderer...

having that same access

making those same kind of indictments:

Zechariah 3:1 (ESV)

1 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.

(By the way, “Satan” means “the accuser,” or “adversary”)

That’s what he does

That’s how he wages his warfare.

That’s how he opposes the Kingdom of God

-So, if Satan was able to come and go from heaven...

…throughout the OT era...

…then that indicates to me, that Verse 18...

…is most likely NOT referring to his prehistoric fall.

(That should also tell us...

…that Revelation 12:7-8 isn’t...

…referring to that event either!)

Revelation 12:7–8 (ESV)

7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back,

8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.

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(And brethren, the reality is...

…that the Scripture doesn’t tell us much...

…about the details surrounding...

...the original fall of Satan)

(I think we need to be content with that...

…and trust the Lord’s wisdom...

...in revealing to us, what we need to know)

-Now, what about a past defeat of Satan, that occured...

After the fall...

Before the Cross?

-Well, that has certainly happened countless times.

It happened throughout the OT...

...in earthly events concerning God’s people...

…and it had happened many, many times...

…since Jesus’ incarnation:

Remember, that as soon as Jesus...

...had begun his earthly ministry...

…he had faced off (now as a man)...

…against this great accuser of men.

Matthew 4:1 (ESV)

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

He’s the Slanderer… Accuser

His power over men...

…is through their sin against God!

But now he meets a man...

…who’s righteousness exceeds that of Job!

And after they battle it out in the wilderness...

…Satan is expelled (in a sense):

Matthew 4:10 (ESV)

10 Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “ ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’ ”

Jesus won that battle.

Satan now knows with experiential certainty...

…that he has absolutely NO power...

…over this man!

Why?

Because he has no sin!

Because he’s perfectly obedient to the will of God.

Remember what the Apostle John wrote?

1 John 5:19 (ESV)

19 ...the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

Why?

1 John 3:8 (ESV)

8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.

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-Now, going forward Jesus (repeatedly)...

Went to battle

And Won...

…against Satan and his armies:

Remember this passage?

Jesus had just cast out ANOTHER demon

They can’t deny his Authority

They blasphemously say that Jesus is on their team

That’s why he can command them around

NOT because he’s God incarnate

Jesus responds like this:

Luke 11:20–23 (ESV)

20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe;

22 but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil.

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That’s what’s happening...

…every time Jesus does this.

It’s yet another battle...

…and another defeat for Satan...

…and another victory for the Christ.

It’s Ongoing!

-So then, how does this tie into verse 18?

Gloriously!

Think about it:

What are the Seventy doing here?

They’re going out...

Luke 10:1 (ESV)

1 ...into every town and place where he himself was about to go.

…and they’re harvesting souls for Christ...

…from every nation, kindred, tribe, and tongue.

What’s my point?

Well, what was the Messiah told to obtain?

Psalm 2:8 (ESV)

8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.

What was happening here?

Jesus was beginning to claim his inheritance...

…through the evangelism of the Seventy!

This was a phenomenally significant event.

He’s on his way to the Cross.

The victory that he will accomplish there is certain!

There, he will decisively...

“bind the strong man”

“plunder his goods”

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-You see, Satan is called the “ruler of this world”

NOT, because he has geographic sovereignty over planet earth...

…but because of the power he wields over men...

…because of their sin!

That’s why Paul said that...

…prior to our coming to Christ...

Ephesians 2:1–3 (ESV)

1 ...you (and I) were dead in (our) trespasses and sins

2 ...following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air...

3 ...(living) in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of (our) body and the mind...

That’s the source of his strength.

That’s how he kept the Nations (plural)...

…enslaved to his will.

Even now, Paul says:

2 Corinthians 4:3–5 (ESV)

3 ...if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.

4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

But, when it comes to those who...

…make up the Messianic harvest of the nations...

The message of the Cross is sent out...

Acts 26:17–18 (ESV)

18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

“me” = Christ!

Here’s how it works.

John 12:31–32 (ESV)

31 Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.

32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

Revelation 20:2–3 (ESV)

2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,

3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended...

Cyril of Alexandria said this about Verse 18...

...over 1500 years ago:

...Before the coming of the Savior, he possessed the world. All was subject to him, and there was no one able to escape the trap of his overwhelming might.

Everyone worshiped him. He had temples and altars for sacrifice everywhere and had an innumerable multitude of worshipers.

Since the only-begotten Word of God came down from heaven, he has fallen like lightning — Cyril of Alexandria (circa. 375-444)

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So, what’s happening in or text?

The nations are already beginning to be claimed...

…in lieu of the Cross.

And, Jesus is interpreting the victory of the Seventy...

…as the decisive and certain...

…but ongoing...

…defeat of the god of this world.

The strong man was already being bound...

And, his house was already being plundered.

And, the subjugation of the demons to the Seventy...

…within the work of their harvest of gentile souls...

…was proof positive of it.

Jesus was already seeing...

…Satan fall like lightening.

His accusatorial work...

…was already coming to an end.

Look at this explanation from I. Howard Marshall:

The saying is related to a Jewish tradition. In Rev. 12:7–10, 13 Michael fights and overcomes the dragon (Satan) in heaven, so that he is cast down to the earth where he pursues the woman who bore the male child.

Behind the picture lies the myth of the fall of Lucifer from heaven (Is. 14:12; cf. the allusion to this myth in Lk. 10:15).

In Jn. 12:31 the ruler of this world is cast out. He is to be overcome (Rom. 16:20), bound and cast into the abyss, so that he is no more (Rev. 20:1–3, 10 . . . ).

This evidence suggests that the mythological idea of the fall and defeat of Satan is here being utilised (sic) by Jesus to express symbolically the significance of the exorcism of the demons.

The exorcisms are a sign of the defeat of Satan (cf. Mk. 3:27). Thus the eschatological defeat of Satan is seen to take place in the ministry of Jesus and his disciples (cf. 11:20) — Marshall

This is where we now stand, brethren:

Revelation 12:7–12 (ESV)

7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back,

8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.

9 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.

10 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.

Consider this passage...

…now, in that context:

Romans 8:31–35 (ESV)

31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?

33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.

34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? . . .

Let’s Pray