Understanding Satan's Role
Live from the Mecca of Mormonism. THIS is heart of the Matter where we are learning together how to live as Christians in the age of fulfillment. I’m your host Shawn McCraney and remember, the age of fulfillment refers to an age where Jesus has finished it all and stands victorious over sin, death, the grave, hell and Satan.
Show 24A Satan
Taped Tuesday Night May 26th 2020
Aired Monday Night June 2nd 2020
The Biblical Perspective
Speaking of Satan, we have talked about the make-up of God and the person of Jesus, and we have discussed the Spirit, so we might as well speak to that other biblical being of a dark nature, Satan. I think if we put all the literature, music, films about God and those about Satan we would discover that in this world Satan is given a lot more attention and air time – even among those who don’t necessarily follow God. I mean the dude gets props for all sorts of stuff in Hollywood and Halloween and every time someone goes nuts and shoots up a mall – Satan is there.
I get it – because the Bible certainly talks about Satan – and so let’s put the guy into some perspective. First of all, Satan is NOT the author of evil – Satan became evil. He was created good and fell prey to the ways antithetical to God. It’s important to start here because we know that something dark existed, something opposite God who is light, before Satan fell.
Satan's Connection with the Law
The second thing to know about Satan is that that he had power relative to the Law. In the garden of Eden, God gave Adam a law – don’t eat of the tree for in the day you will surely die. That law, simple as it was, allowed Adam and Eve to show their love for God . . . or not. They could have proven their love and devotion to God by obeying that law OR they could prove their love for something or someone else (themselves included) by disobeying the Law.
If no Law had been given, Satan would have had nothing to tempt Adam and Eve with . . . so remember this, Satan was both able to tempt because of the Law AND he was also able to accuse – when people broke the law. This is why he is often called an accuser. Another thing to understand about Satan is that he had zero power over Adam and Eve when tempting them.
Human Agency Before the Fall
Remember this – Eve chose to eat the forbidden fruit – made that decision, and ate the forbidden fruit PRIOR, BEFORE eating the forbidden fruit – which facilitated her fall. In other words, she didn’t fall first, and subject herself to death and banishment, and then eat the fruit. She chose, of her own free will and mind, to eat the fruit before eating the fruit that amounted to disobedience. So Eve, and Adam, had the capacity within themselves, to rebel against God and his rules BEFORE the Fall.
What this means is that EVEN before the fall or a fallen nature crept into them, Adam and Eve had the capacity to do wrong, to choose rebelliousness, and to act on it – because they had not yet eaten the fruit when they made the choice to eat it. With this being the case, we can see that even from the first people created perfectly there was a capacity to rebel.
But Satan did play a role in enticing them and getting them to rebel – and the world fell into darkness. So, this is the setting of Satan. Remembering that the accuser needs something to accuse people of Satan doesn’t play too big a role up until God institutes the law through Moses.
Once the Law was given, then Satan was given a huge opportunity to accuse the brethren of sin, because as Paul said: “By the LAW is the knowledge of sin!” Again, it takes a LAW to be in place for a person to be a Lawbreaker (or sinner). If there is no Law, there is no sin or crime or lawbreaking.
But do you know what else Paul said? He said, “that the Law was nailed to the cross of Christ!” And he said that believers in Christ “are DEAD to the Law.” (LISTEN) When Christ overcame the Law and the Prophets, He did something amazing few think about. He stripped Satan of part of his abilities – to accuse – because believers on Him are dead to the law, and without
Satan's Defeat in Scripture
The Law there is NO sin – and if there is no sin, how can there be a place for an accuser? But there is even more we have to admit to that is in scripture – and these are the tangible reasons we can say that Satan is done. In John chapter 12:31 Jesus said, while walking on earth as a man:
“Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.”
Because He said this then does not mean it immediately happened (when He said it) but what He meant is “everything is in line for this to be.” We know this because after Jesus ascended into heaven the apostles still warned of Satan’s wiles. But the set-up was all in place. And this is it in summary: Satan had reign over the world because he got Adam and Eve to fall. Jesus came and won all of that back, and had the total victory over sin and death – two areas Satan reigned over.
Jesus' Total Victory
Did Jesus have the total victory? He did. If you want to believe that he had a limited victory over some things, you can, I love ya all the way, but I am saying that Jesus beat it all down – everything, and if that is the case, we are living in a very different age. So again, to Jesus beating everything down we have him say two things in John 16 – he said –
“the prince of this world is judged.”
And in “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.”
Hebrews 2:14 speaking of the reason Jesus came to earth says:
“Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.”
“That through death” (did Jesus die? He did. When? 2000 years ago) “That through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil.”
“Has this happened . . . or not?”
The Fulfillment of Christ's Victory
If it has, my point is proven, and Satan is over. But if it hasn’t we have to say that Jesus has not had the victory, that Satan is still waging war and winning souls, and that Jesus was never truly victorious. But I do not see this position as being supported in scripture. Instead I see Jesus (and His words) as true. And when He said that Satan was cast out, I believe it was going to happen by and through His death and resurrection where He had total victory over what Satan once reigned over – sin and death in the earth!
Now, our first number of show talked about how Jesus has already returned. We read the following about this moment in 1st Corinthians 15:
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. (which we proved has occurred. Then Paul adds)
24 Then cometh the end, (so when Jesus comes Paul says, “then comes the end.” End of what? End of everything that existed in the former age. Why would the end come then? Because Jesus would have had the victory over all things. Here Paul explains and says, “Then comes the end, when he (Jesus) shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. When he has put down all what? That’s right, rule and all authority and all power. That is speaking of Satan).
25 For he (Jesus) must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.
26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
(This, of course, is speaking of Spiritual death – which Satan had the reign over in the afterlife). And then Paul says:
28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.
All of this was predicated on His return. And since He has returned, we know everything that was written here has been fulfilled. God is now over all by and through the work of His Son, and Satan has been dealt with.
The Revelation of Satan's Demise
Revelation tells us what his demise looked like. And you will be surprised by some of what it says. First, we learn that prior to Jesus having overcome sin and death Satan and his angels had access – they even resided in – heaven. We also learn that Satan was cast out of heaven NOT at the beginning of the world with a war in heaven, but was cast out WHEN Jesus had His victory over sin and death. This helps explain why he was present in Job when the Sons of God gathered together and Satan was among them.
Revelation of Satan Being Cast Out
But anyway, jump out to Revelation chapter 12 with me. There we read some passages that speak to a time much different than what we have been taught. It says at verse 9:
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Obviously, Satan was in heaven at this time right? (verse 10)
10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ:”
Isn’t that interesting? The loud voice claims that NOW is come salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God and the power of Christ! That is describing the time AFTER Jesus had the victory over sin, death and the cross. And the voice continues and says “for the accuser of our brethren (the Jews, by the Law) is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” This is obviously after everything because Satan had been accusing the brethren “day and night.”
Now the writer speaks of the Christians who are on the earth when Satan is cast out of heaven because Christ has had the victory on the cross, and he writes:
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Implications for Believers
NOW LISTEN TO WHAT THE VOICE SAYS HERE.
12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. (and then) Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea!
Why does the angel say this? Ready?
“for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.”
This was written to the believers on earth in the space after Jesus' death on the cross, and before His return in 70AD – to the believers who were part of the churches in Asia Minor and Jerusalem. The time when Satan was given 42 months (3.5 years) to torment the Saints of God through Nero the Beast. And his wrath was great why? “Because he knew his time was short.” During these years Jesus spoke to the seven churches and expressed to them their need to hang on, because Satan was roaring about trying to destroy everything because his time was short.
And finally, what happened to him and his angels after this short time where the heavens rejoiced because he was cast out but the earth mourned?
Revelation 20:10 and 14:
Revelation 20:10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Revelation 20:14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
This all occurred. It is over – and we know it in this age post these events.
We are in a new age. Now listen carefully – this age exists in the minds and hearts of man the way it did in the garden of Eden. What I mean by this is the second Adam brought that economy back – to the pre-fall era. The era where every human being CHOOSES whether they will love God and obey him or whether they will love themselves more, and choose their own way.
In this age, we are all – every one of us – fully and completely responsible for everything we choose to do, say, and believe. We are fully capable of allowing our flesh to rule and reign or to look to God and live. The tool called Satan is not only gone because of the finished work of God through Christ, he is not there to accuse the brethren because we are dead to.
Understanding Evil in the World
His time was short before the destruction of Jerusalem and he has long been in the lake of fire (which was prepared for him and his angels – that’s a quote).
Even James writes in the first chapter of his Epistle:
13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
14 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
People say:
“If Satan is gone what is causing all the evil in this world?” We are. Man is. Reread James 1!
All I am saying is that Satan, the accuser by the law who took the title deed to this earth is gone because Jesus has had victory over him and slammed him in the lake made for him once and for all. But remember, before Satan, there was a dark power that caused HIM to sin. I’ve said this before and apologize for the repetition, but the very existence of God may result in the very essence of a dark opposing force, sort of like there is no real thing as cold but only the absence of heat.
The Origin of Evil
Therefore, there may be no personification of darkness but merely the empty cold death of the absence of God or light.
I am not saying that there isn’t evil in the world – but I am saying that evil is not in the fallen being of Satan roaming about and getting us to sin. We sin ourselves. We tape into that dark, where the absence of God abides, because we love it more than the light, and in the absence of God there is only the presence of utter evil.
Evil Without Satan
But its name is not Satan. That dude is over with.
Write your comments below – and we will review them tomorrow night, right here on, HEART OF THE MATTER!
