The Battle Against Satan is Real—Now What?
Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Ephesians 6:11
Keyser Soze Was Right
In the taut crime thriller The Usual Suspects the central character, Keyser Soze, drops an iconic film line: “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he did not exist.”
A recent Gallup poll shows that only 59% of American adults believe in the devil—a drop of ten points since 2020.*
I’m not sure how anyone can look at all the misery happening on our planet and NOT believe in a devil.
But that’s the way Satan likes it.
How do we deal with the fact that Satan is alive and well in America—and the world? First, we need to believe the Word. He’s real. Second, we need to apply the weapons we’ve been given for battle.
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Salvation, Past, Present, and Future
Hebrews teaches us never to lose sight of the fact that the priesthood, sacrifices, liturgy and life of the Old Testament church are simply a rough copy. Christ is the original; He is the antitype, the pictures of the Old Testament form the type.
“Time past and time present are both together in time future,” wrote T.S. Elliot. His rhythmic words simply and eloquently describe the ordinary flow of history. But the letter to the Hebrews presents a very different perspective on God’s purposes and patterns in the flow of history. There, it would be true to say, the future determines the past and the present, rather than the other way round. To understand Hebrews — and thus to understand how the Bible as a whole works — we need to understand this riddle: The invisible is more substantial than the visible. The future comes before the past. The new is more fundamental than the old. What does all this mean? Simply put, it means that the story of the Lord Jesus, His person and work, is not a divine afterthought, a heavenly “plan b” hurriedly scrambled together when “plan a” went horribly wrong in Eden. No — the coming of Christ was in the plan before the Fall. Everything that precedes it chronologically actually follows it logically.
From one point of view, of course, the Old Testament serves as the model of what Christ would come to accomplish. But Hebrews teaches us never to lose sight of the fact that the priesthood, sacrifices, liturgy and life of the Old Testament church are simply a rough copy. Christ is the original; He is the antitype, the pictures of the Old Testament form the type.
This principle is given its clearest expression in Hebrews 9:23 which refers to the Old Testament tabernacle, priesthood and sacrifices as “the copies of the heavenly things.” Yet more picturesquely, Hebrews 10:1 describes the law as “but a shadow of the good things to come.” Copies depend on an original; a shadow does not exist apart from the person whose shadow it is and from whom it takes its shape.
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Test the Spirits
He lays out a litmus test for our discernment: “By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God” (4:2-3). The key phrase here is “come in the flesh.” In other words, did the eternal Son of God take on real flesh and blood humanity, as John asserted to begin his epistle (1:1)?
Beloved, do not believe every spirit (1 John 4:1, NKJV)
One of the jobs of parents is to protect their kids, whatever the stage of life, whether as a baby rolling off the changing table, or a toddler running out in street, or the poor decision-making of the teenage years. The nature of that protection will change over the years as their children become more independent.
In his letter, John has taken on the role of spiritual father. He has often addressed his readers as “children” or “little children.” Here at the start of chapter four he addresses us with a term of endearment he has used previously, “beloved.” As believers, we are loved ones. John is expressing his affection as a spiritual father but more pointedly, he is recognizing us as loved by God.
The protective concern for our safety comes ultimately from our Father in heaven who has led His servant, John, to write these words and by His providence has included them in the canon of Scripture for our spiritual wellbeing. John urges us to discernment: “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God” (1 John 4:1).
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Much Will Be Required
We encounter times of pain and illness, times of sorrow and loss, times of poverty and want, we should not merely ask, “How can I endure this?” or “How can I get out from under this?”, though certainly those questions may be appropriate. We should also ask, “How can I steward this? What is my duty in this? What does God mean to accomplish through this?”
You know the old adage, I’m sure: To whom much is given much will be required. Or, to express it in the words of Jesus, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.” The point is clear: God holds us responsible for all that we have. Said otherwise, God holds us responsible for all that he bestows upon us.
We tend to think of this principle when we consider all the good gifts we receive. We are to be faithful stewards of our money, acknowledging that those who have an abundance are particularly responsible to give with liberal generosity. We are to be faithful parents to our children, acknowledging that they are God’s children before our own. We are to be faithful pastors, keeping watch over all the flock as those who will have to give an account to the true Shepherd. It’s a principle that acknowledges God’s sovereignty over all the blessings we receive and our responsibility to discharge our duty faithfully.
But while we tend to consider this principle when it comes to the good things we receive, who’s to say that it doesn’t apply every bit as much to the difficult things? After all, just as God’s providence directs the sun it also directs the rain, and just as it directs times of laughter it also directs times of weeping. If prosperity comes from his hand so does poverty and if health can be his plan for us so may be sickness.
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