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Satan’s Demise
We just spent seven days celebrating the coming peace of
God’s righteous government, soon to be established over the whole world.
It not only pictures a time of peace and prosperity in the renewed and
rejuvenated earth, it also celebrates a time when the truthful knowledge
of God is to be made freely available to all people then living after the
Tribulation.
In the fourth chapter of Mark, however, Christ spoke of
the present conditions in the world when he told of the parable of the
sower. Jesus addressed all four conditions in which people could receive
the truth of God. We’ll read from the English Standard Version.
(Mar 4:3-9 ESV) "Listen! A sower went out to sow. (4)
And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and
devoured it. (5) Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have
much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil.
(6) And when the sun rose it was scorched, and since it had no root, it
withered away. (7) Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up
and choked it, and it yielded no grain. (8) And other seeds fell into
good soil and produced grain, growing up and increasing and yielding
thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold." (9) And he said, "He who
has ears to hear, let him hear."
Let’s hear Christ’s own interpretation of the parable, as
he explained it to his disciples in verse ten.
(Mar 4:10-20 ESV) And when he was alone, those around
him with the twelve asked him about the parables. (11) And he said to
them, "To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for
those outside everything is in parables, (12) so that "they may indeed
see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they
should turn and be forgiven." (13) And he said to them, "Do you not
understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?
(14) The sower sows the word. (15) And these are the ones along the
path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes
and takes away the word that is sown in them. (16) And these are the
ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word,
immediately receive it with joy. (17) And they have no root in
themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or
persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.
(18) And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear
the word, (19) but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of
riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and
it proves unfruitful. (20) But those that were sown on the good soil are
the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and
sixtyfold and a hundredfold."
The Eighth Day
Today we are keeping the eighth day, better known as the
Last Great Day. It is a day separate from the other seven days of the
Feast of Tabernacles but it probably has more potential than all the other
days of the Feast of Tabernacles because of what it portends for the
distant future on into eternity.
If you were to go to most denominations of Christian
churches or turn on the television early on most Sunday mornings, you
would hear most preachers admonishing people to accept Christ and be saved
right now. They tell stories of eternal damnation and unending torture for
those who don’t seek out Christ and are not saved today. Regardless of the
denomination, their messages have a curious similarity: today is
the only day of salvation. We’ve read many scriptures this week wherein
God condemns the shepherds or ministers of Israel for misguiding,
deceiving, and prophesying lies to his sheep. In doing so, they deny the
true message of God in favor of a message which enslaves the people. More
often than not, they teach a message about a harsh and angry God of the
Old Testament and a peaceful, loving, forgiving God of the New Testament.
They preach about the life of Jesus but deny or obscure the real gospel
message he taught. Yes, Jesus did tell of a coming day of judgment on the
whole world and he did speak of eternal death as the ultimate punishment
for some but he also taught of God’s forgiveness upon true repentance and
how all Israel would some day be reconciled to God. He also taught about
the real causes of sin and the true accountability for the source of
mankind’s sin.
A World of Slaves
We just read the parable of the sower. We know the four
different types of people discussed and the four situations in which the
witness of the word of God might be received. Let’s focus, however, on the
first, second, and third types of reception: the seed sown along the path;
the seed sown on the rocky ground; and the seed sown among the thorns.
Each of the three might sound different but there is a common denominator.
In Ephesians 2:1, Paul discusses the commonality between apparently
unrelated circumstances.
(Eph 2:1-7 NASB) And you were dead in your trespasses
and sins, {2} in which you formerly walked according to the course of
this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the
spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. {3} Among them
we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the
desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of
wrath, even as the rest. {4} But God, being rich in mercy, because of
His great love with which He loved us, {5} even when we were dead in
our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you
have been saved), {6} and raised us up with Him, and seated us with
Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, {7} in order that in the
ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in
kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
We were, essentially, dead in our sins because of our
disobedience to God and our susceptibility to the influence of Satan. We
were under Satan’s sway. We didn’t seek first to do God’s will in our
lives. Our very thoughts, as well as our actions, were subject to the
spiritual power and influence of Satan.
In 2 Corinthians 4:3, Paul establishes the fact that,
under the sway of Satan, most of the world’s population has been blinded
from the truth of God.
(2 Cor 4:3-4 NASB) And even if our gospel is veiled, it
is veiled to those who are perishing, {4} in whose case the god of this
world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see
the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
In 2 Timothy 2:24, Paul tells us how to escape the world’s
captivity to Satan.
(2 Tim 2:24-26 NASB) And the Lord's bond-servant must
not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when
wronged, {25} with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if
perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the
truth, {26} and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare
of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.
When people in the world do the continual bidding of
Satan, they are slaves to the devil. In 1 John 3:8, the apostle said that
Jesus came to liberate the world from Satan’s captivity.
(1 John 3:8 NASB) the one who practices sin is of the
devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God
appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil.
If one of the reasons Jesus came to earth was to destroy
the works of the devil, just what do we know of the one called the devil?
Satan is the name most often used to describe the one who works in
opposition to God. The Hebrew word is Strong’s number 7853, satan,
and it means to attack or accuse.
Satan wasn’t always an adversary to God. Ezekiel 28 tells
in detail how perfect he was when he was created by God.
(Ezek 28:12-16 NASB) "Son of man, take up a lamentation
over the king of Tyre, and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "You had
the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. {13} "You
were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering:
The ruby, the topaz, and the diamond; The beryl, the onyx, and the
jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquoise, and the emerald; And the gold,
the workmanship of your settings and sockets, Was in you. On the day
that you were created They were prepared. {14} "You were the anointed
cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain
of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. {15} "You were
blameless in your ways From the day you were created, Until
unrighteousness was found in you.
When that unrighteousness was found in the anointed
cherub, he radically changed. In Isaiah 13:12, the prophet spoke of
Satan’s new nature.
(Isa 14:12-14 KJV) How art thou fallen from heaven, O
Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which
didst weaken the nations! {13} For thou hast said in thine heart, I will
ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I
will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the
north: {14} I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be
like the most High.
In Luke 10:18, Christ also spoke of Satan’s change and of
his rejection from heaven
(Luke 10:18 NKJV) And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall
like lightning from heaven.
In John 8:44, Jesus spoke of Satan’s new nature.
(John 8:44 NASB) "You are of your father the devil, and
you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the
beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in
him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature; for he is
a liar, and the father of lies.
Satan’s Influences
In 2 Corinthians 11:14, the Apostle Paul also tells of the
assistance Satan now has to spread his nature throughout the world.
(2 Cor 11:14-15 NASB) And no wonder, for even Satan
disguises himself as an angel of light. {15} Therefore it is not
surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of
righteousness; whose end shall be according to their deeds.
Earlier, in 2 Corinthians 2:11, Paul warned of the schemes
that Satan uses.
(2 Cor 2:11 KJV) Lest Satan should get an advantage of
us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
Revelation 12:10 shows how it is Satan’s continual
ambition to accuse God’s righteous ones.
(Rev 12:10 NASB) 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
brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them before our God day and
night.
Even such stalwart men of God as David were not immune to
Satan’s influences. In 1 Chronicles 21:1, we can see one of the instances
in which Satan swayed David to rebel against God’s direction.
(1 Chr 21:1 NASB) Then Satan stood up against Israel and
moved David to number Israel.
In Ephesians 6:11, Paul tells us how to stand up against
Satan’s devices.
(Eph 6:11 NASB) Put on the full armor of God, that you
may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
A few verses later in verse 14, Paul gives step-by-step
instructions how to defend against the attacks of Satan.
(Eph 6:14-16 NASB) Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED
YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF
RIGHTEOUSNESS, {15} and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF
THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; {16} in addition to all, taking up the shield of
faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles
of the evil one.
Luke 22:3 shows us that, beyond mere influences, Satan can
actually enter a man to do his evil deeds.
(Luke 22:3 NASB) And Satan entered into Judas who was
called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve.
Although they are his most frequent tool to achieve his
desires, evil men of this world are not the only way Satan works. He also
has the ability confront directly. In Matthew 4:3, we can see how he
directly confronted Christ in the wilderness.
(Mat 4:3-4 NASB) And the tempter came and said to Him,
"If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." {4}
But He answered and said, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD
ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.'"
Even though he has had dominion over the earth’s
population throughout the history of mankind, Satan’s time is almost gone.
Revelation 12:12 shows he knows it, too.
(Rev 12:12 NASB) "For this reason, rejoice, O heavens
and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the
devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only
a short time."
In these last days, however, Satan’s wrath will be
displayed on the whole world. In 2 Thessalonians 2:3, Paul gives us a
glimpse of what will happen in the last days of Satan’s sway.
(2 Th 2:3-12 NASB) Let no one in any way deceive you,
for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of
lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, {4} who opposes and
exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that
he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.
{5} Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling
you these things? {6} And you know what restrains him now, so that in
his time he may be revealed. {7} For the mystery of lawlessness is
already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken
out of the way. {8} And then that lawless one will be revealed whom the
Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the
appearance of His coming; {9} that is, the one whose coming is in accord
with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders,
{10} and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish,
because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved.
{11} And for this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so
that they might believe what is false, {12} in order that they all may
be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in
wickedness.
Overcoming Satan
In 1 Peter 5:8, the apostle warns of Satan’s craftiness.
(1 Pet 5:8 NASB) Be of sober spirit, be on the alert.
Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking
someone to devour.
We are not to be in the world or act as the world acts. In
James 4:7, we’re told exactly what to do.
(James 4:7-8 NASB) Submit therefore to God. Resist the
devil and he will flee from you. {8} Draw near to God and He will draw
near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts,
you double-minded.
Back in 1 Peter 5:9, Peter tells us of the true source of
power to combat Satan.
(1 Pet 5:9-10 NASB) But resist him, firm in your faith,
knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by
your brethren who are in the world. {10} And after you have suffered for
a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal
glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish
you.
Jesus held out to us the ultimate reward in Mark 13:13.
Endurance means ultimate salvation.
(Mark 13:13 NKJV) "And you will be hated by all for My
name's sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
In Hebrews 2:14, the author of Hebrews tells of how our
salvation was made possible by Christ’s sacrifice to God and his triumph
over Satan.
(Heb 2:14-15 NASB) Since then the children share in
flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that
through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death,
that is, the devil; {15} and might deliver those who through fear of
death were subject to slavery all their lives.
Because of Christ’s sacrifice, we are no longer continual
slaves to Satan. 1 Corinthians 6:20 shows that we are slaves to a new
master because we have been purchased by a new master.
(1 Cor 6:20 KJV) For ye are bought with a price:
therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
In 2 Peter 2:4, we’re told the ways in which God has
reserved different judgments for different aspects of his creation and
we’re told that God knows how to protect his righteous servants.
(2 Pet 2:4-9 NASB) For if God did not spare angels when
they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of
darkness, reserved for judgment; {5} and did not spare the ancient
world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven
others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; {6} and
if He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by
reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would
live ungodly thereafter; {7} and if He rescued righteous Lot, oppressed
by the sensual conduct of unprincipled men {8} (for by what he saw and
heard that righteous man, while living among them, felt his righteous
soul tormented day after day with their lawless deeds), {9} then the
Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the
unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment,
The Resurrections
Paul knew the value of his new enslavement to God. In
Philippians 3:8, he said the value of merely knowing Christ opened the
door for him to obtain the lofty goal.
(Phil 3:8-12 NASB) More than that, I count all things to
be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord,
for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but
rubbish in order that I may gain Christ, {9} and may be found in Him,
not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that
which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God
on the basis of faith, {10} that I may know Him, and the power of His
resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to
His death; {11} in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the
dead. {12} Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become
perfect, but I press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which
also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.
In Luke 20:34, Jesus also taught both of the value of the
resurrection and of the new quality of life it will bring.
(Luke 20:34-36 NASB) And Jesus said to them, "The sons
of this age marry and are given in marriage, {35} but those who are
considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the
dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage; {36} for neither can
they die anymore, for they are like angels, and are sons of God, being
sons of the resurrection.
In Romans 6:4, Paul explains the relationship between
slavery, death, resurrection and the judgment.
(Rom 6:4-7 NASB) Therefore we have been buried with Him
through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the
dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of
life. {5} For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His
death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection,
{6} knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our
body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves
to sin; {7} for he who has died is freed from sin.
In 1 Corinthians 15, the resurrection chapter, Paul
describes the transformation of our earthly bodies.
(1 Cor 15:42 NASB) So also is the resurrection of the
dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body;
In verse 21, Paul established the link between the coming
judgment and our authority under the new King.
(1 Cor 15:21-24 NASB) For since by a man came death, by
a man also came the resurrection of the dead. {22} For as in Adam all
die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive. {23} But each in his own
order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ's at His
coming, {24} then comes the end, when He delivers up the kingdom to the
God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and
power.
Even though the Bible speaks in many places of the coming
resurrection of the dead, in John 5:28, Jesus made it clear that there is
more than one resurrection.
(John 5:28-29 NASB) "Do not marvel at this; for an hour
is coming, in which all who are in the tombs shall hear His voice, {29}
and shall come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of
life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.
So, a person’s resurrection does depend upon the quality
of the deeds performed in this life. What do we know about the first
resurrection? Hebrews 11:35 shows that the first is the more desirable
resurrection.
(Heb 11:35 NASB) Women received back their dead by
resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, in
order that they might obtain a better resurrection;
Look at Christ’s own words in Luke 14:12. He shows that
there is a reward to come for those worthy to attain that better
resurrection.
(Luke 14:12-14 NASB) And He also went on to say to the
one who had invited Him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not
invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich
neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and repayment come to
you. {13} "But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled,
the lame, the blind, {14} and you will be blessed, since they do not
have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the
resurrection of the righteous."
The first resurrection is, by no means, the only
resurrection. What about those in Israel throughout the centuries who died
without having the spirit of God to enable them to understand the
knowledge of God? They weren’t openly rebellious to God but they were cut
off from God in the same way that Jesus justified his own use of parables
to teach the people in Israel during his day in order to obscure the
meaning of the lessons he taught them. He did it because, in his words to
his disciples, "Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom
of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and
hearing they might not understand." What about those other Israelites? In
Ezekiel 37:1, we have a vivid picture of their resurrection.
(Ezek 37:1-14 NASB) The hand of the LORD was upon me,
and He brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the
middle of the valley; and it was full of bones. {2} And He caused me to
pass among them round about, and behold, there were very many on the
surface of the valley; and lo, they were very dry. {3} And He said to
me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord GOD,
Thou knowest." {4} Again He said to me, "Prophesy over these bones, and
say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.' {5} "Thus says
the Lord GOD to these bones, 'Behold, I will cause breath to enter you
that you may come to life. {6} 'And I will put sinews on you, make flesh
grow back on you, cover you with skin, and put breath in you that you
may come alive; and you will know that I am the LORD.'" {7} So I
prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise,
and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone.
{8} And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew, and
skin covered them; but there was no breath in them. {9} Then He said to
me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the
breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Come from the four winds, O breath,
and breathe on these slain, that they come to life."'" {10} So I
prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they
came to life, and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. {11}
Then He said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of
Israel; behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope has
perished. We are completely cut off.' {12} "Therefore prophesy, and say
to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I will open your graves and
cause you to come up out of your graves, My people; and I will bring you
into the land of Israel. {13} "Then you will know that I am the LORD,
when I have opened your graves and caused you to come up out of your
graves, My people. {14} "And I will put My Spirit within you, and you
will come to life, and I will place you on your own land. Then you will
know that I, the LORD, have spoken and done it," declares the LORD.'"
The Judgment
The scriptures so often speak of the judgment to come and
they link that judgment to the discernment between the righteous and the
evil. We’ve already seen that the resurrection of the righteous will be
the first resurrection. Revelation 12:10 specifies some of the deeds
performed by those deemed worthy to attain that first resurrection.
(Rev 12:10-11 NASB) 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
brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them before our God day and
night. {11} "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and
because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life
even to death.
In turn, Revelation 20:4 speaks of the difference between
the first resurrection and the resurrection to judgment.
(Rev 20:4-6 NASB) And I saw thrones, and they sat upon
them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who
had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the
word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and
had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and
they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. {5} The
rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were
completed. This is the first resurrection. {6} Blessed and holy is the
one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second
death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and
will reign with Him for a thousand years.
Notice verse five: "The rest of the dead did not come to
life until the thousand years were completed." The next verse continues
the story but links that judgment with the activity of Satan.
(Rev 20:7-9 NASB) And when the thousand years are
completed, Satan will be released from his prison, {8} and will come out
to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog
and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is
like the sand of the seashore. {9} And they came up on the broad plain
of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city,
and fire came down from heaven and devoured them.
After God’s defense of his beloved city, Jerusalem, by
obliterating the attacking armies of the nations, God will speedily
execute judgment against Satan in verse ten.
(Rev 20:10 NASB) And the devil who deceived them was
thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the
false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever
and ever.
Verse eleven shows the great white throne, where judgment
is dispensed on all who have been resurrected from the dead. So, quite
possibly, this is another resurrection, apart from either the first
resurrection of the righteous or the resurrection of Israel.
(Rev 20:11-13 NASB) And I saw a great white throne and
Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and
no place was found for them. {12} And I saw the dead, the great and the
small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another
book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged
from the things which were written in the books, according to their
deeds. {13} And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and
Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every
one of them according to their deeds.
Notice the standard by which all the resurrected dead are
judged. Their deeds were measured against "the things which were written
in the books." One of those books is the Book of Life but there are also
other books. In James 2:12, James tells us what those books are. After
enumerating two of the ten commandments in verse 11 and defining sin in
verses eight and nine, he says they are the standards by which judgment
will be based.
(James 2:12 NASB) So speak and so act, as those who are
to be judged by the law of liberty.
In Revelation 20:14, after judgment is passed, we see the
end of those who continue in rebellion against God.
(Rev 20:14-15 NASB) And death and Hades were thrown into
the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. {15} And
if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was
thrown into the lake of fire.
The Future Eternity
In chapter 20, we saw that Satan’s slaves who were
defeated in battle against Jerusalem, signaled the end of Satan’s reign on
earth. We can also see back in the book of Isaiah how God foretold the
demise of Satan thousands of years before it actually happens.
(Isa 14:12-17 NASB) "How you have fallen from heaven, O
star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the
earth, You who have weakened the nations! {13} "But you said in your
heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars
of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the
north. {14} 'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make
myself like the Most High.' {15} "Nevertheless you will be thrust down
to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit. {16} "Those who see you will gaze
at you, They will ponder over you, saying, 'Is this the man who made the
earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms, {17} Who made the world like a
wilderness And overthrew its cities, Who did not allow his prisoners to
go home?'
Paul also told of the end of Satan in Romans 16:20.
(Rom 16:20 NASB) And the God of peace will soon crush
Satan under your feet.
Revelation 21 tells the end of the story, which is really
just the beginning of the future of eternity.
(Rev 21:1-8 NASB) And I saw a new heaven and a new
earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there
is no longer any sea. {2} And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming
down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her
husband. {3} And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, "Behold,
the tabernacle of God is among men, and He shall dwell among them, and
they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be among them, {4} and
He shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there shall no longer
be any death; there shall no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain;
the first things have passed away." {5} And He who sits on the throne
said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He said, "Write, for
these words are faithful and true." {6} And He said to me, "It is done.
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to
the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.
{7} "He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God
and he will be My son. {8} "But for the cowardly and unbelieving and
abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters
and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and
brimstone, which is the second death."
It will be as the prophet described in Isaiah 11:1. With
the final removal of the rebellious ones, our great King will rule in
peace over the whole world.
(Isa 11:1-9 NASB) Then a shoot will spring from the stem
of Jesse, And a branch from his roots will bear fruit. {2} And the
Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and
understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of
knowledge and the fear of the LORD. {3} And He will delight in the fear
of the LORD, And He will not judge by what His eyes see, Nor make a
decision by what His ears hear; {4} But with righteousness He will judge
the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And
He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath
of His lips He will slay the wicked. {5} Also righteousness will be the
belt about His loins, And faithfulness the belt about His waist. {6} And
the wolf will dwell with the lamb, And the leopard will lie down with
the kid, And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a
little boy will lead them. {7} Also the cow and the bear will graze;
Their young will lie down together; And the lion will eat straw like the
ox. {8} And the nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra, And
the weaned child will put his hand on the viper's den. {9} They will not
hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth will be full of
the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea.
All of these things were set in motion through the
acceptable sacrifice of our elder brother, Jesus Christ. He paid the
penalty for sin in our stead. We were incapable of paying the debt
ourselves, so, as our Kinsman Redeemer, he stepped in and paid the penalty
for us. As Paul said in Colossians 1:13, we were in darkness, cut off from
God.
(Col 1:13-14 NASB) For He delivered us from the domain
of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
{14} in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Brethren, we have just celebrated seven days of God’s
Feast of Tabernacles. Even packed as full as those days were with insight,
understanding, and knowledge of God, our great God Most High saved the
best for last. Today, the Last Great Day, pictures our glorious future
ruling with the great King over the renewed earth in peace for all.
Let’s remember the lessons we’ve learned here. Take them
home with you and take them to heart. What a glorious future God has in
store for all mankind.
Sermon given by
Philip Edwards
Last Great Day
October 2, 2007
Copyright 2007,
Philip Edwards
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