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Accused No More!
by James Webb "Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, 'Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down." Revelation 12:10 Let me give you a little Biblical background history from Scripture in relation to the proclamation given above; therefore revealing why the proclamation given above is such good news to us in light of our topic for this particular Biblical study. In the beginning God created "man" (both male and female, that is) to have dominion over this earth and everything in it (Genesis 1:26-28); 'managerial rights', if you will, over this earth given by God to man (Psalm 115:16). 'Man' ultimately sinned, or rebelled against God (Genesis 3:1-19), therefore coming under the dominion of Satan's (/the devil's) rule: i.e., "to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness" (Romans 6:16). In essence, by Adam sinning against God, Adam willingly gave up mankind's God-given dominion and authority over this earth to Satan; and as a result, of course, Satan usurped Adam's authority - along with the rest of Adam's descendants (that including you and me) - and became the true 'ruler' of this world. This is why Jesus referred to Satan at different times in His ministry as the "ruler of this world" (see John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11); because, once again, that is what Satan truly was - the ruler of this world. And since the days of man's initial fall from his true dominion and authority over this earth (due to his rebellion against God, once again, that is), Satan was the one who has not only been the ruler of this world, but also THE key representative of this earth in the heavenly court above (along with the other "sons of God," no less): "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them" (Job 1:6); "Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the Lord" (Job 2:1). And this of course (this rulership over this earth because of Adam's submission to Satan's rule through his own sin, that is) is why we see glimpses of Satan's presence in Scripture in such verses as Zechariah 3:1-2a, accusing people like he does before the "Angel of the Lord" (because, of course, Satan perceives that he has certain 'rights' over people as ruler of the world): "Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the Lord, [here it is] and Satan standing at his right hand to oppose him. And the Lord said to Satan, 'The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you!" Now in the midst of this reality of Satan's rule over this earth, "when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son [Jesus], born of a woman, born under the law" (Galatians 4:4). In essence, God sent His only-begotten Son, Jesus, to become one of us - "flesh and blood" (Romans 1:3; Hebrews 2:14) - so that He in return could ultimately "release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage" (Hebrews 2:15; the 'bondage' of sin's rule in and over their lives - because of Satan's rule over them, once again, of course). Christ, as the "last Adam" (1 Corinthians 15:45), who "knew no sin" (2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:22), became flesh and blood (where sin resided, of course), and condemned sin in the flesh: "For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh" (Romans 8:3). And with this 'victory' now on Christ's part in behalf of mankind - with His death on the cross for all that would ultimately believe in Him, in relation to His sacrifice for them - Satan's dominion as rightful ruler over this world was stripped away: "Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself [Jesus] likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil" (Hebrews 2:14); "And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the certificate of debt with its requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. [here it is] Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it" (Colossians 2:13-15; See also Ephesians 2:4-6). Yes, with Jesus' victory on this earth as the "last Adam" through His life of sinlessness (1 Corinthians 15:45; 1 Peter 2:22), His death on the cross for sin in behalf of mankind (1 John 2:2; cf. 1 John 4:10), His resurrection from the dead in relation to the believer's justification (Romans 4:25; cf. 1 Corinthians 15:17), and His ascension to the right hand of God as our High Priest (Hebrews 1:3; cf. Hebrews 8:1), Satan's rule over this earth - as the representative of this earth in heaven, once again - was over with! It was time for Satan to be 'dethroned,' so to speak, from his position in heaven as the representative of this earth; and Jesus - while on this earth - knew this: "Now is the judgment of this world [in relation to Jesus' death on the cross, that is (John 12:32-33)]; now the ruler of this world will be cast out" (John 12:31); "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me" (John 14:30); "And when He has come [speaking of the Holy Spirit here, of course], He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment [Why "of judgment"?] [Answer] Of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged [past tense]" (John 16:8, 11). Was the devil, Satan, in his judgment by God, in relation to Jesus' death (resurrection and ascension), according to Jesus' words (John 12:31), "cast out" of the earth? No, he wasn't! We can easily determine this to be true in relation to all the evidence that we see in this world today concerning the consequences of sin, right? Also, God tells us in Scripture that each one of us should always "be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). So, according to Jesus' words, in relation to the judgment that was passed upon Satan in light of Jesus' death on the cross in behalf of all mankind (Jesus as the "last Adam," once again), where was Satan cast out of? The answer to this question brings us right back to the section of the passage that we started out with that can be found in Revelation, chapter 12: "So the great dragon was cast out [Of where? Out of heaven!], that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast [to where?] to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him" (Revelation 12:9). And as a result of this reality now, this is why heaven rejoiced as it did: "Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, 'NOW salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come [Why?], [Answer] for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down" (Revelation 12:10). From where was "the accuser of our brethren" "cast down," once again? From heaven! To where, once again? "To the earth" (Revelation 12:9)! And now, with Satan's presence no longer being in heaven, all heaven rejoiced: "Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them!" (Revelation 12:12). Why, once again - rejoicing in heaven at this time, that is? Because Satan no longer resided there as a representative of this earth, and could no longer "accuse the brethren" of their sins before God: "But they did not prevail [Satan and his angels - in relation to this 'war' that took place in heaven (Revelation 12:7) upon Christ's ascension into heaven (Revelation 12:5)], nor was a place found for them IN HEAVEN any longer" (Revelation 12:8). But "woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! [Why?] [Answer] For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath [Why?], [Answer] because he knows that he has a short time" (Revelation 12:12); because Satan realizes that his time is no longer in heaven, and that "the times of restoration of all things" had begun with Christ's 'inauguration' as the believer's High Priest in heaven, and with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:18, 33, 38-39; 3:19-21). Yes, the "good news," as far as the topic of this particular Bible study is concerned, is that there is no longer ANYONE in heaven who accuses any of us before the Father! In fact, God tells us now in His written word that "if anyone sins, we have an Advocate [an 'attorney'] with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (1 John 2:1b). Never let the "adversary of our souls" try to deceive you into believing that you are not accepted by the Father and that you cannot find forgiveness for whatever sin it is in your life. For this, of course, is just not true! When Satan, through your own conscience, tries to convince you that you are NOT accepted, and that you CANNOT be forgiven, just remember one thing: "If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall bring a charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us" (Romans 8:31-34; see also Hebrews 7:25). And that, my friend, is truly the greatest news of all! ;) James has served as a teacher, speaker and local church elder. He has an ongoing desire to encourage others by sharing the truly good news of Jesus Christ with them; ultimately bringing honor and glory to God. He may be personally contacted at: [email protected]. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |