Day 19

The Two Great

Strategies of Satan

Roger and Eileen Himes

www.ThePracticalGospel.com

We frequently talk about Satan’s greatest goal: to blind our minds and hearts to Christ’s gospel truth (II Cor 4:4). Today we want to look at his ‘battle plan’ for doing this. It is one thing to make the observation that the gospel of Christ’s finished work is the focus of his greatest attack on this earth, but it’s another thing to truly see HOW he blinds us to gospel reality.

Remember that the cross is present progressive: it occurred 2,000 years ago, but the reality of the cross is forever. “Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb 13:8). So the cross is present reality right now today. Too often we treat the cross like ancient history. It is not. It began a whole new spiritual paradigm. “ALL things have become new” (II Cor 5:17).

Commentators often divide the Bible in three parts: (1) the Old Testament, (2) the New Testament, and (3) the future end times. Many think that this is “Rightly dividing the word of truth.” This is not rightly dividing the word of truth! This is biblical error! Revelation is part of the New Testament canon where focus is on the CROSS!

The Old Testament is about a COMING King, and his Kingdom.
The New Testament declares this King, and his Kingdom had COME.
This includes the book of Revelation.
The book of Revelation is part of the New Testament canon.

Then we are told that, as soon as Jesus ascends to his Father, we should begin looking to the future again — toward the second coming of Christ. His first coming suddenly becomes ancient history in light of the fascination everyone has with his second coming, and the Antichrist scenario. Suddenly, the most important event in all of history, the cross of Christ, is put in the trunk as we drive off into the future, — looking for the second coming of Christ!

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GOSPEL TRUTH #37

Are we really any different from the Jews? They are looking for the first coming of Christ. We are looking for the second coming of Christ. Where is the GOSPEL of Christ’s FINISHED work in this? He told us ALL of the prophecies were fulfilled in him (Luke 24:25-27, 44-49).

If ALL of the prophecies were fulfilled in him, how do we see so many prophecies about him as being applied to the future — unless we get substantial satanic interference in this area? Is Satan jamming the spiritual airways, and obscuring the power of God, keeping us so FUTURE focused that we can’t see gospel REALITY? I believe this is one of two ways Satan is blinding our minds to the glorious gospel!

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We don’t have time these 40 days to discuss this, but I think the book of Revelation is much more about the FINISHED work of the cross than it is about Christ’s FUTURE coming. There are future things in Revelation, just as there are future things in other books. But the book of Revelation is not all about the future, as we are told. We will look at this briefly, on the next fast day, when we look at the future prophecies of Daniel (which is much shorter than Revelation).

Genesis 2 is about resting in Father’s finished work. Hebrews 4 is about resting in Christ’s finished work. “Unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them; but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with FAITH in them who heard it.” It begins at resurrection. EASTER made everything new. It is the ‘Reformation’ of Hebrews 9:10. This is the beginning of a faith: total trust in the cross.

But if there are 10,000 preachers saying something different from a simple message of the gospel, our minds are going to be blinded to the gospel’s message of the finished work of Christ.

This is not to declare that there are no future events coming. This would be nonsense. If there is not a culmination to all of this earthly life, the Bible is unfinished business. Acts 1:11 says Jesus is coming back the same way he left — in the clouds of heaven. To believe that Jesus is not coming back, and there is not some type of ‘end’ is not biblical.

But don’t let future FANTASY diminish Christ’s FINISHED work!
Much of what is declared about the future seems like fantasy,
because all the futuristic gurus disagree over the events.
There are many fictional books on ‘the end times’ today.

We have a love affair with the future! Even colleges and universities say his. Thirty to forty years ago, the study of ‘futures’ hadn’t even been invented. Today there are HUNDREDS of courses in futures. The church is the LEADER in its love affair with the future!

A FUTURE, plus a PAST theology, hinders us from trusting God NOW! Satan uses (1) the Old Testament, and (2) Revelation to trap us and blind us from seeing the gospel! The Old Testament is about the coming King and his Kingdom. The New Testament says this King and his Kingdom came. See it like this: God spent 4,000 years bringing what is called ’the cross event’ into reality. He started with the Patriarchs in Genesis. All of the Old Testament is a story about the coming of a Messiah, or Savior. It was all about ‘CHRIST COMING.’

Then Jesus bursts upon the scene. John the Baptist shouts, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Jesus spends 3 1/2 years in earthly ministry, and we are still spellbound reading about it in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. He dies a hideous death on the cross FOR US! Paul says that he doesn’t want to know ANYTHING — ‘except Christ and him crucified’ (I Cor 2:2).

Paul was focused on ‘CHRIST CRUCIFIED.’ Today’s modern church is focused on ’CHRIST COMING,’ and little is said about the meaning of Christ’s cross and crucifixion. Don’t you find this a little bit questionable? I sure do. Most Christians don’t even look for CHRIST coming as much as they drive off into the future looking for the ANTICHRIST! Selah!

Today, it’s now all about ‘Christ coming again.’
Doesn’t this seem just a little bit odd?
I think if this is your primary theology, you are missing it.
‘Left Behind’ is fiction, not the gospel.

The gospel is about Christ’s FINISHED work, not his FUTURE work.
The New Testament does NOT close saying ‘ To Be Continued. . .’
The dying declaration of Jesus is: “It is finished!”

Is Jesus coming back to defeat Satan again? Did he botch the job the first time? We know the gospel says he defeated him at his first coming, — in fact, so well he destroyed the works of the devil (I John 3:18). He made a spectacle of Satan, triumphing over him (Col 2:15). And Jesus gave us ALL authority over the devil (Luke 10:19).

Doesn’t this sound a lot more like ’CHRIST CRUCIFIED,’ than it does about ’CHRIST COMING’? Could it be some of our end time theology is robbing us blind from trusting God? Are we so future-focused, we can’t see present reality? Could so much future speculation be demonic termites eating away at the cross of Christ?

IS JESUS THE LAMB, OR IS HE THE LION?

Many times it is said: “Jesus came as the LAMB the first time, but he’s coming back as the LION.” This is true, but it is also incomplete.

It is true: Jesus is the lamb that was slaughtered. And thank God this is true. If he isn’t the sacrificed lamb, then we all have a one-way ticket to hell. Hebrews says Jesus came to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. But also ask this: “Is Jesus only the LAMB?” — “Does the LION only appear in the future end times?”

We miss the blessing of Revelation if we only see it as being about the FUTURE, and not also as a revelation of the gospel: the FINISHED work of Christ (Rev 1:3). In Revelation 5, John is crying because no one is worthy to open the seals. The angel says, “Behold! The LION is worthy!” John looked and saw the LAMB.

The entire spirit world, both angelic and demonic, saw the lion.
Only John did not. All John could see was the lamb.

See gospel truth: the LAMB was crucified,
the LION was resurrected from the dead.
Only the gospel gives revelation of this reality.
Often, instruction does not even reveal the truth of the lamb!

Only in the gospel do we see Jesus as both the LAMB and the LION! John only saw Jesus as the lamb, and most Christians only see Jesus as the lamb too. His being the lamb is indeed important, but it is not his only role. This is vital with regard to End Times! Don’t be led to believe the LION is coming back to do what the LAMB could not do the first time. Many ‘end time gurus’ lead us into this wrong unbelief.

SEE IT AGAIN! The gospel is about the finished work of Jesus, who is coming back as the lion, not as the lamb. But He has been the LION for 2,000 years! There isn’t ONE single thing he has to do to fulfill the end times when he comes back! Jesus is coming back as the lion, but don’t let some futuristic, non-gospel theology blind you to power of the finished work of Jesus on the cross. Jesus has been the lion for 2,000 years.

WHAT IS THE SECOND GREAT STRATEGY OF SATAN?

Actually, we’ve already discussed this when we talked about the I AM of the Old Testament, and how Satan uses it against us. I won’t repeat this here. Review days 14 and 15 about this.

The key is to see how Satan uses BOTH of these strategies against us at the same time. Like he did Jesus, he crucifies us between two thieves: (1) past law, and (2) future expectancy — both of which destroy faith.

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GOSPEL TRUTH #38

We must see these two great strategies together, so I include them both here. It is ingenious the way Satan uses them together. (1) His first strategy is to keep us FUTURE focused, on the second coming, as we’ve seen. (2) His second great strategy is to keep us PAST focused. Its brilliant — ingenious. He uses God’s word to blind us! Satan keeps our focus off the cross — off the reality of gospel truth.

The gospel is God’s PRESENT power in us. Satan keeps us (1) future focused and (2) past focused. He keeps us looking to the future for the Antichrist — plus looking at past Old Testament laws, principles, rules and formulas.

These are the two great strategies of Satan that successfully blind us to the FINISHED work of Christ.

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