Thoughts for Life: #44 Satan and All His Evil Spirits Were Defeated at the Cross

Dr. Wesley L. Duewel- Have you realized how total was Christ's victory at Calvary? It was a victory for us because Jesus took our place, bearing our sin on the cross.

He paid the price for our redemption. He fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies and all the Old Testament types. (Google image, Jesus on the Cross)

Every sacrifice for sin from Adam onward was accepted by God upon the condition of the final, perfect, and holy sacrifice of Christ on the cross.

So every sacrifice accepted by God from a repentant sinner was like one more debit, one more promissory note which Jesus guaranteed to pay. Praise God! On the cross He paid it all! Calvary was an eternal victory for whoever wills to receive it (Rev. 22:17).

It was also a victory for God's plan. His original plan for eternal fellowship with man will one day be reinstated on a new and righteous earth (Rev. 21:1).

All that man lost in the Fall will be restored because of Calvary. Sin, suffering, tears, death, the curse—all that entered the world through man's fall into sin—will be removed forever (21:4-5, 25; 22:3, 5).

God's eternal plan was interrupted by Satan. This interruption has lasted for several thousand years. That seems a long time to us from the viewpoint of our life on earth, but from God's viewpoint, it is but a brief moment. This satanic interruption will be terminated by the triumphant return of Christ.

His second coming will be possible because of Calvary. The vast unending ages of eternity will so outdistance and overshadow the interruption of satan and sin for these few thousand years of time that, when we reach heaven, sin's reign will seem like a bad dream.

But for Satan, Christ's victory at Calvary was a devastating, total, and eternal defeat. At first, Satan thought he had won; that shows how limited his knowledge and understanding are. In reality, the cross destroyed Satan, sin, death, and all of Satan's kingdom.

It did not annihilate Satan or his fallen spirits, the multitude of demons. They will be tormented forever and ever in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10). Hell was prepared for Satan and his evil beings.

Man goes to hell only because he allies himself with Satan and refuses to repent and be delivered from sin by the atonement Christ provided at Calvary (vv. 14-15). Let us note the pictorial language the Bible uses to illustrate Satan's ignominious defeat at Calvary:

At the cross, Jesus drove out Satan, "the prince of this world" (John 12:31-33). Today Satan is a usurper. The cross passed initial judgment on him. His claims were destroyed; his claimed authority was invalidated. His defeat was so complete that he has lost his place and authority.

The Greek word ekballo means "to drive out, expel." The cross doomed Satan to ultimate expulsion from our world though he is still active and desperate in his anger and futility. He is the archon, the ruler of this age only until God enforces the judgment of the cross after Christ's return.

But that is not all; there is even more in this picture. Paul says Christ "made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross" (v. 15). This again is an illustration taken from ancient history.

When a conquering emperor returned from a great victory he was often given a triumphal procession. The victor and his army marched through streets lined by cheering thousands. While the musicians played, chariots and soldiers carried the looted treasures of the defeated king, and he and his general or other selected prisoners were led in chains, their shame openly displayed.

The Greek word edeigmatisen means "to make a public exhibition." During the interval between Christ's death and resurrection when He announced (ekarussen) Satan's defeat at the cross to the evil spirits in prison (1 Peter 3:19), in symbolism Christ marched triumphantly through the spirit prison, with Satan and his demonic rulers chained in inglorious defeat behind Him.

He made a public spectacle of their defeat, says Paul and now every demonic being knows his cause is defeated forever, his satanic lord's authority stripped from him, and his own doom waiting for the appointed time (Matt. 8:29).

(Chapter 14, pp. 104-106, italics added for emphasis)

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Let's pray-

"Father, I thank You for giving me the power of choice. I roll my works upon You…and You will cause my thoughts to become agreeable to Your will. I believe that I will receive whatever I ask for in prayer in the name of Jesus. I will not be afraid; I believe that You keep Your promise because You are righteous. Father, I seek to do Your will by believing in the one You have sent. Jesus is my Lord! Amen." Germine Copeland

Today's Bible verses-

Psalm 40:1-2 (NIV) "I waited patiently for the LORD; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand."

James 4:6-10 (NIV)“‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’ Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and He will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.”

Today's quote-

~ Rev. Charles G. Finney- "If you mean to break up the fallow ground of your hearts, you must begin by looking at your hearts— examine and note the state of your minds, and see where you are. Many never seem to think about this. They pay no attention to their own hearts, and never know whether they are doing well in religion or not—whether they are gaining ground or going back—whether they are fruitful, or lying waste like the fallow ground.
Now you must draw off your attention from other things, and look into this. Make a business of it. Do not be in a hurry. Examine thoroughly the state of your hearts, and see where you are— whether you are walking with God every day, or walking with the devil—whether you are serving God or serving the devil most— whether you are under the dominion of the prince of darkness, or of the Lord Jesus Christ."[p. 33, from LECTURES ON REVIVALS OF RELIGION, the life and works of Charles G. Finney]

~ Heather Riggleman- "Psalms 91 is God’s way of telling us that whoever runs to him and seeks his divine protection will be saved from calamity and destruction. When we pray the words of this psalm it becomes a powerful shield of protection from fear.
In just these first few verses of Psalm 91, we are reassured beyond a shadow of a doubt that we serve a mighty God. It reminds us that even though we live in a fallen world, he is still with us. Even in perilous times as the COVID-19 pandemic, we’re reminded he is our shelter, our protector, our deliverer. We are reminded God is in control, forever and always."

Words of wisdom-

~ Some days start out hard to deal with due to our own choices. When we're tempted to blame the Lord for how things are going, we need to ask: Have we asked for His direction? If we'll stop and simply ask Him for direction, it will make all the difference in how things will go, and we'll be freshly inspired for new direction, and sense enthusiasm and hope to begin to rise.

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