Verse of the Day 11-3-22

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:13-14

Central to and of vital importance to our spiritual salvation and renewed relationship with God is our rescue and liberation from the power and control of Satan and his forces. We are now in Christ’s kingdom and under his rule.

In order to better understand the kingdom God has liberated us from, we have to understand the “ruler” of this kingdom. And who is the ruler of this kingdom: Satan. Satan, which in Hebrew means “accuser” or “adversary”, was originally a great angel who was created perfect and good. He as appointed to serve directly around God’s throne in heaven. Yet before the world began, he became filled with pride and rebelled against God. As a result, he became the primary enemy of God and God’s greatest creation humankind (Ezekiel 28:12-15). However, we must keep in mind that Satan is not equal with God; he is a created being and is limited by the supreme power of God. As we keep this in mind there are somethings that need to know about Satan.

1. In his rebellion against God, Satan misled a multitude of lesser angels (Revelation 12:4) who, after their “fall” from heaven, probably could be identified as demons or evil spirits. Satan and many of these lesser angels were exiled to the earth and the atmosphere around it and now operate within this sphere of influence, as God allows. Their considerable control and influence in the world force all people to choose daily whether to follow God or to follow evil.
2. Satan, also called “the serpent,” caused the “fall” of the human race-influencing the first humans (Adam and Eve) to question God’s care and deft God’s commands-introducing sin and its curse upon all humanity.
3. Satan’s kingdom is a very organized empire of evil that has authority over the “kingdom of the air” (Ephesians 2:2, which may simply mean he is not bound to earth), over fallen angels (those who followed Satan in rebellion against God), over people who have not accepted Christ’s forgiveness and given their lives to him and over the present world system. Satan is not omnipresent or able to be everywhere at the same time, omnipotent or all-powerful, or omniscient or able to be all-knowing, most of his activity is assigned to demons.
4. Jesus came to earth to destroy the works of Satan (1 John 3:8), to introduce God’s kingdom (i.e., the evidence of his power, authority, purposes and way of life) and to free us from Satan’s control. By his death and resurrection, Christ paid the penalty for sin and overcame its power. This triumph began the defeat of Satan, which will reach its climax at the end of this age and will guarantee God’s complete victory over him.
5. At the end of the age (i.e., following the tribulation period, during which God will execute his end-time judgments on the earth, see Revelation 6-19), Jesus will return with the armies of heaven to defeat the antichrist and confine Satan to the Abyss for a thousand years. After a brief release, Satan will make a final attempt to overthrow God; this will result in Satan’s defeat and his being thrown into the lake of fire forever (Revelation 20:7-10).
6. At the present time, Satan wars against God and his people (Job 1-2 and Ephesians 6:11-18), trying to turn them away from loyalty to Christ (2 Corinthians 11:3) and make them slaves to sin and this present world system (2 Corinthians 11:13; 1 Timothy 5:15 and 1 John 5:16). Christ’s followers must pray constantly for God’s help in recognizing and avoiding Satan’s deceptions and temptations (Matthew 6:13). We must also remain spiritually alert, relying on God’s strength and resources to conquer the devil’s evil schemes and maintain a strong faith.

Today’s Bible Readings:

Ezekiel 7-9, Hebrews 5, Psalm 105:1-15 and Proverbs 26:28