Many thanks to both Nancy and Sign of the Times magazine for these stories. John B.
{Names have been changed in this story}
Pastor Walter was sitting in his living room with Jeff, the husband of one of his church members, who had recently asked for Bible Studies. Pastor knew that Jeff had been "fence sitting," spiritually for years, at times open to God but mostly ignoring Him. This particular night their study was about the great war between God and Satan-- between good and evil. Pastor Walter knew from experience that Satan's side never likes being exposed. So he prayed silently for Jeff.
Jeff listened intently as Pastor Walter read from the Bible and explained about Satan's role in this world.
Suddenly Jeff spoke up, "Pastor, I am sorry to interrupt you, but I'm feeling something really strange right now." He gave a nervous laugh, "Look sat my arms, the hairs are standing up! I feel like someone is over there, looking through the window at me!"
Pastor Walter knew exactly what was going on. "Jeff,' he said, " You are caught in a very real spiritual battle between the powers of good and evil. You can not remain neutral. You have felt God come into to your life, urging you to give yourself to Him. You need to do that, because if you don't you'll siding with the devil by default. There's only two sides to this war.
Jeff left the pastor's home that night very troubled-- still without making his decision. But now he understood clearly that he would have to choose.
BATTLES IN THE WAR.
IN the History of our universe, several major battles have been fought in this war, between good and evil. Each and every time, God has been the Victor! { Satan has no choice but keep on fighting for the souls of mankind, as his self-pride, would allow him to repent and seek forgiveness, and why there was a war in Heaven. [ Revelation 12}This first Battle shows how sin came to earth....
Revelation 12:7-9 "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 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"
In this description the Archangel is Jesus Christ, and the dragon is Satan. [Please read Rev;13:2 and know that Satan, has earthly representatives.You'll note, that he and his angels fought back, to no avail, and were cast upon this earth! Plus note that he, has deceived the whole world!
Note: Please note....
Genesis 2:1-3 "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made."
Please take note of your calendars to see which day IS the SEVENTH DAY! Saturday! Now take note...
Daniel 7:24-25 "And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time."
Note: Also human history, when Pagan Rome ceased to be i n 476 A.D., the Papal Rome had already been the recipient of the seat of power, from Emperor Constantine in 331 A.D, and this power that Daniel calls the "Little Horn," gained full power in 538 A.D. by her uprooting three horns [Kingdoms and peoples Dan.7:8,20,24] This power then united Church and State as the single power for 1260 years!
The score of this first battle? God 1...Satan 0.
The Second battle was fought in the Garden of Eden. Satan [either used a serpent like a ventriloquist uses a dummy or he has a great disguising skill] and tempted eve into compromising her loyalty to God. {disobedience is a form of rebellion agree?] For God clearly said ...
Genesis 2:16-17 "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."
Most find it difficult to believe that Eve would allow herself to be deceived but just read...
Genesis 3:6 "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat."
Note: good for food... = lust of the flesh... pleasant to the eye..= lust of self... make one wise = Pride of life. So Satan pointed to the vulnerabilities that are within us all! So it seemed that Satan had won, as Adam also ate.Then God activated His Plan of Salvation, right then and there: Gen 3:15..
Genesis 3:15 "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."
Tells us that Jesus would come, and take our place for our sin deaths, for Adam and Eve and all humans would not have to face eternal death.
THE SCORE? God 2 Satan 0.
An other battle not mentioned in this story is the one of Moses, Satan had convinced the Pharaoh, to have all male babies killed, yet Moses was "Adopted by the king's sister, and lived 40 years as a Prince, and finally led the children to the Promised land. God won Satan lost.
The Third mayor battle was fought near 2,000 years ago, when Jesus came to earth, to live a perfect life, and then to die for all sins for all times, in our place!.Just as it was told to us way back in Genesis 3:15, that Jesus would suffer a "Bruised heal" but Satan head would be crushed, which spells defeat, even though he still lives!
Although Satan repeatedly tempted Jesus to sin, [ he even had had the nerve to demand that Jesus worship him}Luke 4:6-7 " And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine." Jesus kept quoting Scripture to him, in defiance, thus was He tempted far beyond our experiences, and just a a flesh man, as we are! For He never used His Divine powers to save Himself..
After He was crucified, and lay at rest even on Sabbath, Satan could not keep in in the death nor in the tomb! Jesus by this conquered Satan, and at the same time, HE defeated death for Y O U and me!
The score now? God 3. Satan still 0!
THE FOURTH AND FIFTH and FINAL BATTLE, which will take place at the very end of this time frame, as we can see in Revelation 13 FOR THE 4TH, AND 20:7-10 FOR LAST BATTLE.... EVER!
The 4th Battle will separate humanity into two camps. One will be with those who in loving obedience obey God word, while the other camps are those who follow and obey the words of men, and worship on Sunday, eat pork and all things not given for foods, in short do as they please, of their own will! They will have the Mark of the Beast, and worship it knowingly. While camp 1 will worship God according to His Word, the Holy Bible! While camp two will worship according to traditions of men.
When these things come to pass, then look east for Y O U R SAVIOR, who WILL NOT PUT FOOT ON THIS EARTH, but the phony 'christ' will do so just before the TRUE ONE Returns. (its in the Bible read it!]
The 5th and FINAL battle will again take place on this earth, but after the Just have been with Jesus, in Heaven for 1,000 years, [Millennium = milli -Greek for 1,000 - + annum meaning year. [Rev. 20:2-7] with all the wicked dead resurrected, this being the SECOND Resurrection, Satan has people to again deceive, and they will try to take by force, the Salvation that was offered at on cost, and surround the beloved city, in their attempt to eat from the Tree of Life. That''s when each knee shall bow, and all the people that have ever lived, shall be there! The Just within the walls, the unjust outside the walls, and each shall be able to see each other, and God will run (HIS DVD??) in their minds, and each shall see all the times He called to them and each time each rejected his call! All shall see and admit that God's way is just, and then fire and brimstone shall rain down upon all this earth, destroying all the sinners, and purifying this earth, from all of human endeavors and pollution!
Thus God has won each and every battle, and it was all played out before all the worlds, that they are witness to the fact that God is just and good. Score God 100%, and Satan still at 0.
This should cause all in christ, to rejoice, and not to fear, why?...............
1 John 4:3-7 "And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error. Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God."
THE HUNGER GAMES IN REALITY! with Errol Webster.
"What if in the near future were a giant reality show in which children were pitted against each other in an elaborate fight to the death, in which politics, war, and entertainment had finally become indistinguishable, from each other? So writes Katie Roiphe in the New York Times, about Suzanne Collins's brutal and absorbing Hunger Games trilogy, now made into a movie series. Roiphe further says, "The premise of the series is that a corrupt and decadent Capitol rules over 12 impoverished districts in Penem, in the ruins of north America. Every year the Capitol authorities stage a "reaping," in which a girl and a boy from each district are chosen by lottery to be tributes in the Hunger Games." This is fiction, but there's a far greater life -and- death conflict raging that involves all of us--- a hunger games reality-- between good and evil, called the Great Controversy between Christ and Satan.
1. What position did Satan want in Heaven?
Isaiah 14:12-14 "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! 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: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High."
As an anointed cherub before he rebelled, Lucifer had a place next to God
Isaiah 28:11-15 "For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear. But the word of the LORD was unto them precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little; that they might go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken. Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem. Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:"
Self- Pride led him to want God's position, which is as impossible as wanting to be your own mother!
2. How did Lucifer's (aka Satan, The dragon, and the devil) rebellion against God in heaven end?
Revelation 12:7-9 "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 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."
The word Satan means "Adversary", while the word devil means "Slanderer". Satan attempted to win God's throne by misrepresenting Him, Because "God is love" [ 1 John 4:8] He didn't destroy Satan on the spot, as love can't force allegiance, and love can not be forced, so God had to let all this run its course, and that all the universe shall see that sin is death, and none shall desire it.
Yet even after than Satan wanted to be worshiped, and why he deceived both Adam and Eve, into rebelling against God's word
3. What is our condition now?
Romans 3:10 "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:"
Romans 3:20 "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin."
The consequence of sin for us all is death Romans 5:12 "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:"
However....Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Therefore our acceptance of Christ in loving faith and obedience, is that His death shall cover our sins, all of them.
4. What is the GOOD NEWS of the gospel that saves us from this sin-death?
Romans 5:8 "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
Salvation is The Father's free gift. The idea that we can do anything to pay for our own salvation is a false gospel, and Satan's the father of if {John 8:44}
5. What else was accomplished by Jesus' death?
Hebrews 2:14-15 "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; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage."
Contrary to the Hunger Games, in which the distinction between good and evil is blurred and the contestants win by destroying their opponents, Jesus, on the other hand, won by dying for our sins. At first Satan appeared to have triumphed. But Jesus, as the innocent dying for the guilty, rose from the dead, thus defeating the devil at his own game and winning the victory for each one of us,, those willing to accept it and HIM! Good overcame evil.
When Christ cried out, "It is Finished", {john 19:30] all heaven rejoiced, in so severing all remaining ties, sympathies between Satan and heaven, were broken forever! because their beloved Lord Jesus had died, yet lives!
6. How do Jesus' followers gain the victory over Satan?
Revelation 12:11 "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."
All who die in Christ shall live, again!
John 3:15-19 "That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil."
Next: Accepting "The"Truth, yes there many truths but there only one, THE Truth God's word. Plus nobodies acceptance or rejections will change it!
Thank Y O U for your time. Questions/ Comments? John at servant@frontier.com
Want to learn more? Visit your Seventh day Adventist church, any Saturday/Sabbath at 9;15 AM. You just may fill that emptiness within, with Jesus.
Other sites: servsntsite@wordpress.com wwwblbn.org www.amazingfacts.org www.itiswritten.com
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