Satan at Work is God’s Victory
Satan at work is always God’s victory. It takes the darkness to reveal the brightness of the light. From the Garden of Eden to the end of the millennium God always has the victory. Satan can only operate within the perimeters that God permits, Job 2:5,6.
Lucifer
God gives the created a free will that the created might worship Him in spirit and in truth, John 4:24, yet the created always manages to mess it up.
Isaiah 14: 12–15 talks of Lucifer, son of the morning, when he spoke his five “I wills” in his desire to overtake and usurp God. Ezekiel 28:13–18 discloses the beauty of the ‘anointed cherub that covers’ and how he was filled with violence, even unto his own destruction.
Led by Lucifer a third of the angels were swept from heaven, in rebellion to God, Revelation 12:4. Lucifer became known as Satan and was cast out of heaven, Luke 10:18 and became the prince of the power of the air, Ephesians 2:2. From there he tempts and tests those who believe the Word of God and choose to follow Jesus Christ, 1Peter 5:8.
Satan at Work or God’s Victory
Adam walked in perfection in the Garden of Eden, until Satan tempted him to sin. Satan rejoiced to see the created fail, and once more he believed he had defeated God’s purpose. Sin entered the entire human race, but God instantly gave the promise of redemption through His Messiah. The seed of the woman would bruise the head of the serpent and the serpent would bruise the seed’s head, Genesis 3:15.
Satan set out to destroy anyone he thought was the one who would bruise his head, beginning with Abel, Genesis 4:8. Throughout man’s history Satan has continued to coerce man to stand against God.
Kill the Messiah
Satan knows what his end will be, but is determined to take as many as possible to hell with him. God never designed hell for people, yet in the days of Noah only 8 people were saved out of a possible population of 740 million people. We live in a world of eight billion people. If Christ returned tonight to claim His own, what percentage would go with Him?
The hunt to kill God’s Messiah continued. Herod, the Jewish king, was demonically motivated to kill all the children under the age of 2 years when he learned there was another King of the Jews. Historians say that around 144,000 children were slaughtered.
Satan and his cohorts knew who Jesus was and John the Baptist made the public proclamation of the ‘Son of God’. The devils in the Gadarenes cried out “What have we to do with you, Jesus, thou Son of God? Are you come to torment us before the time,” Matthew 8:29. The fallen angels recognised that Jesus had ultimate authority over them and they were heading for eventual doom. The brother of Jesus later wrote, “The devils also believe and tremble,” James 2:19. Satan at work is always God’s Victory.
Satan’s Work at Calvary or God’s Victory
At Calvary Satan and his hordes of cohorts thought they had the ultimate victory, as dark descended on the earth, and God’s Messiah hung on a wooden cross. They rejoiced as they believed they had the ‘seed of the woman’ at their mercy. Satan finally had the great victory over God, even though he knows his own end is his eventual and eternal destruction. Satan can read the prophecies.
The ultimate victory over Satan was seen at Calvary. On the third day the grave was empty. Jesus had the keys of death and hell, Revelation 1:18. The Way for redeemed mankind to live in a personal relationship with the Father was established, through the sinless shed blood of the Son of God.
Man is Flawed
While Satan is out to destroy the believer’s faith, as seen in the story of Job, God has full knowledge of how a person ends up. When we are tested are we need to face our flaws. We are like steel that is only made strong through being tempered in extreme heat. The flaws in Job’s thinking were revealed until he came to a place of ultimate belief in his Creator. Satan’s work was and is always God’s victory.
The Bible is full of men and women of God who had major flaws. Jacob, the usurper, became Israel, the one who wrestles with God, Genesis 32:22–32. Israel limped for the remainder of his life, Genesis 32:33, as a reminder that he was totally dependent on the grace and mercy of God. Jacob is an example of the self-seeking egotism of sinful man. Jacob finally came to the place where he was able to receive the blessing God intended for him. Joseph, also, was greatly wronged by his brothers, but he would say, “You thought evil against me, but God meant it for good,” Genesis 50:20.
Signs of the Time
Jesus said we should read the signs of the time, Matthew 16:3, Romans 13:11,12. We are close to the true believers of Christ being caught away, 1 Thessalonians 4:7.
Israel will sign a peace treaty with the Anti-Christ and a Great Tribulation will come upon the earth, which will make it seem Satan is winning. Yet, that very tribulation is designed to pull Israel back to a full relationship with their God, even though it will lead to only a remnant being left, Isaiah 10:22.23, Zechariah 14:1–5.
Post Millennium
Christ will return and set up a 1000-year reign on earth, known as the millennium. During that time there will be naturally born people. Nations will live under the perfect rule of Christ, just as Adam walked with God in the Garden of Eden.
Satan will be locked away for that 1000-year period, Revelation 20:2, then released for a short time. Those born during that time will become the nations and will be tested, as unproven faith is of little value. This will give rise to the last great battle of Gog and Magog. Satan knows he is at the end of his reign, yet still determined to thwart God’s authority and take as many people as possible with him.
Lift up Your Head
Israel will take her God-appointed place in eternity, just as overcomers will hold a special place in God’s economy. For all eternity we will show the glory and mercy of a loving Heavenly Father.
It is vital that we lift up our head when these things begin to happen, for our redemption draws nigh, Luke 21:18. As believers we will see the beginning of the end. “All things work together for good to them that love God, who are called according to His purpose, Romans 8:28. God takes the negatives of our lives and turns them into positives. What Satan devises for our doom, God used for our good. God’s will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven, Matthew 6:10. Christ will have His perfect Bride.
Wendy Tendys is a freelance writer who enjoys in researching a topic and sharing words of encouragement, particularly from the Word of God.
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