Psalms 76:5 Our boldest enemies have been plundered.
Seen from one angle, The defeat of Satan pictures people as mere possessions to be carted off according to the will of whomever is stronger. There is no mention of our will. The only focus is on the supremacy of Christ in the work of redemption.
Luke 11:21 For when a strong man like Satan is fully armed and guards his palace, his possessions are safe 22 until someone even stronger attacks and overpowers him, strips him of his weapons, and carries off his belongings.
Every person who comes to trust and treasure Christ is another display of his superior strength. Satan is defeated. He can no longer cause the believer to be controlled by a fear of death and thus be given over to living for the purpose of being distracted from death.
Hebrews 2:14b …only by dying could [Jesus] break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. 15 Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying
Referring to his impending death, Jesus states… John 12:31 Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.
The judgment for the sin of the world fell upon the scourged and crucified Christ. The whole world is invited to take part in the benefits of that payment. Satan is stripped, disarmed, despite the fact that many don’t know it or choose not to believe it.
You could be free. You could have victory over Satan and the fear of death. And you could rejoice not only in that victory, but in the spoils of victory, the community of the redeemed amongst their redeemer for all eternity.
Luke 10 17 When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!” 18 “Yes,” he told them, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! 19 Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. 20 But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.”
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2 comments:
Satan is defeated, in that we no longer fear death, but why, Andy, do we still fail due to Satan's lies and deceit while we are still living in this world? Is it because we do not fully understand or take hold of the fact that he is defeated, or does he still have some real power here in this world? Since he "[fell] from heaven like a lightning bolt", has he been here trying to trip us up? And what is our best defense against that?
"The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist"
In the film “The Usual Suspects” by Verbal Kent (1995)
... and we fall for it. Literally
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