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Series Code: SUSS
Program Code: SUSS000003A
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00:14 Hello, once again,
00:16 here with Secrets Unsealed 00:18 on the beautiful Island of Oahu, 00:20 so happy to be here. 00:22 And we're continuing our series "Silencing Satan". 00:26 We're looking at the great controversy 00:27 between good and evil, its origins, 00:29 its continuance, and by God's grace, 00:31 its end soon and very soon. 00:34 Just to review where we've come from. 00:36 In our first two messages, 00:37 we looked at the origin of evil 00:39 in the heart of that once perfect angel, Lucifer. 00:44 But as he inside of himself 00:47 churned up these questions and issues of jealousy 00:52 and envy against God, and even violence within, 00:56 Christ casted him out of the courts of heaven. 01:00 Also, he brought those deceptions 01:02 down to the earth and mankind, through our parents, 01:06 Adam and Eve, joined in Satan's rebellion, 01:09 and he became the ruler of this world. 01:12 And we noted in our last message 01:13 that what Satan actually did in heaven 01:15 was not some violent coup d'état. 01:17 What he actually did was a subtle usurping 01:21 or subtle a war of words against the name 01:24 and character of God. 01:26 He traded, peddled, traffic, sold, 01:29 he passed around 01:32 falsehoods and lies, 01:34 he slandered God. 01:36 And God cannot lie 01:38 where Satan is the father of lies. 01:40 And Christ could not simply just declare the truth, 01:44 He had to reveal the truth, He had to show the truth. 01:48 And so that's what we noted last time 01:50 that when Jesus came to this earth, 01:52 His mission was to destroy 01:55 the works of the devil through His own self-sacrifice 01:59 and in so doing reveal the character of God. 02:03 We saw that the sympathies 02:05 of the angel hosts were no longer 02:07 in anyway aligned with Satan, 02:10 but they were loyal through and through 02:13 signed, sealed, and delivered. 02:15 So now we continue our series with our third message entitled 02:18 "Vacancies in Heaven, 02:21 Vacancies in Heaven". 02:23 But as always, 02:24 we must begin with a word of prayer. 02:26 So if you would, please, bow your heads with me. 02:30 Dear Heavenly Father, again, 02:31 we come into Your presence with thanksgiving. 02:35 We're thankful for this time that You've given us, 02:37 we're thankful 02:39 for the opportunity to know You, 02:41 and by Your grace, to become like You. 02:45 So, Lord, as we see now 02:46 how You deal with sin and rebellion, 02:51 we would ask that You would empower us 02:53 to live lives 02:55 worthy of Your name. 02:58 So, Lord, bless us now as we study 03:00 and open Your Word. 03:01 May we have a message directly from the throne of heaven, 03:03 for we pray it in Jesus' name, amen. 03:08 Let's review some of those texts again 03:10 as we beget started, 1 John 3:8. 03:14 The apostle here describing 03:16 the purpose of Christ's incarnation, 03:18 His manifestation in our world as one of us. 03:22 1 John 3:8, the scripture tells us, 03:27 "He who sins is of the devil, 03:28 for the devil has sinned from the beginning. 03:31 For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, 03:35 that He might destroy the works of the devil." 03:38 So clearly, mission number one 03:40 for Jesus Christ was to respond to those railing accusations 03:45 against the name and character of God 03:47 by revealing the true character of God 03:49 in His own person and self-sacrifice, 03:52 and in so doing, destroy the works of the devil. 03:56 Let's look at another passage of John, 03:58 this time the gospel of John, 04:01 John 12:31. 04:05 We begin, 04:07 where Jesus Himself explains what He was about to do 04:10 as He was going towards the cross of Calvary. 04:12 John 12:31, He says, 04:15 "Now is the judgment of this world." 04:18 And by that He means, 04:19 "Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. 04:25 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, 04:26 will draw all peoples to Myself. 04:28 This He said, 04:30 signifying by what death He would die." 04:32 So Christ declares that He came to die, 04:36 and in so doing to destroy 04:38 or cast out the ruler of this world. 04:42 And He was successful in that endeavor. 04:45 Praise the Lord. 04:47 Thus we read in Revelation Chapter 12. 04:50 As we look at that 04:54 cosmic battle that began in heaven, 04:56 we start with verse 7, as we have before, 04:59 and continue on. 05:01 Revelation 12:7, "And war broke out in heaven, 05:05 Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, 05:08 and the dragon and his angels fought, 05:10 but they did not prevail, 05:11 nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 05:15 So the great dragon was cast out, 05:18 that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, 05:21 who receives the whole world, 05:22 he was cast to the earth 05:24 and his angels were cast out with him." 05:26 We discover that description there in verses 7-9 05:32 is talking about 05:33 the initial rebellion in heaven, 05:36 where Satan have that iniquity within 05:39 and the violence within, 05:40 and God saw into his heart and cast him out 05:44 instead of blotting him out of existence. 05:46 But then we noted 05:48 in our next message in verse 10, 05:49 where it says, 05:50 "Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, 05:52 'Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, 05:56 and the power of His Christ have come, 05:58 for the accuser of our brethren, 06:00 who accused them before our God day and night, 06:03 has been cast down.'" 06:05 We saw that that was a reference 06:07 to Jesus casting out the ruler of this world 06:11 when He died on the cross. 06:13 And by doing that 06:14 He revealed the true character of God, 06:17 and incidentally, 06:18 the character of His enemy to all the onlooking universe 06:22 who had witnessed his fall from the very beginning 06:25 and were told that the last link of sympathy 06:29 was broken between Satan and the angels of heaven 06:33 when they saw the murder of Jesus Christ. 06:37 So Jesus cried out on the cross, 06:39 "It is finished! 06:40 Mission accomplished!" 06:45 But that brings us to a new set of questions. 06:49 If it was finished, 06:52 and if the mission was accomplished, 06:56 why 2,000 years later 07:00 is the war still going? 07:06 You know, you can almost picture. 07:09 I'll pick on Gabriel 07:10 because he's the only other angel name 07:12 beside Lucifer I know in the Bible. 07:15 But you can imagine that 07:16 Lucifer and Gabriel were friends. 07:19 They had likely been associates 07:21 for who knows how many eons of time. 07:27 And when Satan first began his rebellious campaign 07:32 to smear the name of God, it was not clear at first, 07:35 the Bible explicitly says this. 07:39 That he had to sell these things 07:41 and trade and traffic these ideas 07:43 instead of an outright rebellion. 07:46 And that even when he was cast to the earth, 07:48 it took 4,000 years, and the ministry of Christ, 07:52 the sacrifice of Jesus, 07:54 our sinless Savior, 07:56 to fully convince Gabriel and the angel host 08:00 that Satan needed to be ended, 08:02 not merely removed. 08:06 This sin was not something you could quarantine 08:08 or have a stalemate or have a divided territory, 08:12 this one is favorable, this one is unfavorable, 08:14 that it must be eradicated completely. 08:18 You can also imagine the Father turning to Gabriel and saying, 08:22 "Now do you see? 08:25 As they behold, 08:26 Jesus die on that cross at the hands of Satan, 08:31 when He had done nothing wrong." 08:35 Father would say, "Do you see now 08:37 why Satan must not only be removed, 08:40 but completely destroyed?" 08:44 And when that last link of sympathy 08:46 was broken between Satan and the heavenly world, 08:48 the angel hosts, 08:51 Gabriel would probably say, "Yes, I see. 08:56 There is no reason he should continue to live. 08:59 He needs to be done." 09:04 So the question then should come to mind, 09:07 if Satan was defeated at Calvary, 09:10 which he was, 09:13 and if Christ's mission was successful, 09:16 which it was, 09:18 then why didn't Satan die 09:23 at Calvary too? 09:29 If the evidence that God is true, 09:33 and just, and is in fact love, 09:36 it was made clear at Calvary, 09:39 why wouldn't 10 seconds later, 09:41 couldn't the Father just turn and said, 09:42 "Are we all good now? 09:44 Can we be done?" 09:45 And execute judgment 09:49 that Satan and sin would be no more. 09:53 Well, because there was 09:55 more to God's plan than ending Satan. 09:58 Luke Chapter 19, 09:59 Jesus articulates that other reason He came here, 10:02 equally important to the destruction of Satan 10:06 is the salvation of sinners. 10:08 Notice what Jesus Himself says in the gospel of Luke 10:12 Chapter 19, 10:15 and we'll go to verse 10. 10:18 Luke 19:10, 10:23 Jesus says, "For the Son of Man 10:26 has come to," what? 10:30 "Seek and to save 10:33 that which was lost." 10:36 So at the same time, for this purpose, 10:38 the Son of God was manifested, 10:39 that might destroy the works of the devil, 10:41 Jesus Himself would say 10:43 that the Son of Man has come to seek 10:44 and to save that which was lost. 10:46 So Praise the Lord, 10:48 it's not called the plan of destruction, 10:52 it's called the plan of redemption, 10:54 the plan of salvation. 10:55 In order for it to be successful, 10:57 something needs to be saved, not just destroyed. 11:01 He has more on His mind than merely ending Satan, 11:05 He wants to save sinners. 11:08 Now that's a whole another can of worms, 11:11 that's a whole another process, that's a whole another thing. 11:14 Go back to our original parable 11:15 that we studied in our first time, 11:16 Matthew Chapter 13. 11:21 When Jesus talks about the wheat and the tares, 11:25 and the servants of the owner come to him, 11:29 and they ask him in verse 28, 11:31 "Do you want us then to go and gather them up?" 11:33 That is when they first noticed that there was a problem 11:36 in the world that there was some sort of 11:38 discrepancy here that the field was full of tares 11:42 along with the wheat. 11:43 They offered their services, "Can we just go harvest now? 11:47 Can we reap now? 11:49 Do you want us then to go and gather them up?" 11:53 "But he said," look at verse 29, 11:55 "No, 11:57 lest while you gather up the tares you also uproot 12:00 the wheat with them. 12:03 Let both grow together until the harvest, 12:05 and at the time of harvest, I will say to the reapers, 12:08 'First gather together the tares 12:09 and bind them in bundles to burn them, 12:11 but gather the wheat into my barn.' 12:15 " Friends, the owner permitted the tares to grow 12:18 because he cared for the wheat. 12:22 Somehow, and I know this seems like 12:24 the craziest thought but hear me out. 12:27 Somehow it was in the wheat's best interest 12:33 that the tares be allowed to mature and grow. 12:38 Again, notice that it was in the best interest 12:41 of the wheat 12:42 that the tares be allowed to grow. 12:46 And we make the application of outside of the parable, 12:49 but what does Christ mean by that? 12:51 That somehow 12:52 God's continued allowance of evil 12:58 is in the best interest of those 13:01 who will be saved. 13:05 That seems like it just boggles the mind. 13:10 How is it in our best interest? 13:12 By the way, 13:13 I hope you don't mind us grouping together 13:14 as the redeemed, right? 13:16 I have every intention, by God's grace, 13:18 to be part of that saved number. 13:21 Amen? 13:23 But how is it in our best interest 13:25 that Satan have more time 13:28 to do his baleful work? 13:32 What is the plan? 13:33 Now remember, we close with this passage 13:34 from the Desire of Ages page 761, 13:37 "Satan saw that his disguise was torn away." 13:39 Speaking of the death of Jesus on the cross, 13:42 "Satan saw that his disguise was torn away. 13:44 His administration was laid open 13:46 before the unfallen angels 13:48 and before the heavenly universe. 13:51 He had revealed himself as a murderer. 13:54 By shedding the blood of the Son of God, 13:56 he had uprooted himself from the sympathies 13:58 of the heavenly beings." 13:59 There she says that at Calvary, 14:01 the last link of sympathy between Satan 14:04 and the unfallen world was broken. 14:07 But if you were to keep reading that passage, 14:09 the very next paragraph, 14:12 in fact, the very next sentence 14:13 after that last link of sympathy statement, 14:16 she adds this, 14:17 "Yet Satan 14:21 was not then destroyed." 14:25 It's anticipating that logical inquiry. 14:29 If we're all done, why aren't we all done? 14:33 If it is finished, why does the war continue? 14:36 Why allow Satan to live anymore? 14:39 It's the same question 14:41 they were asking in the parable. 14:43 And he had to say, 14:44 "It's in the best interest of the wheat." 14:46 Now listen to this explanation. 14:48 "Yet Satan was not been destroyed. 14:50 The angels did not even then understand 14:54 all that was involved in the great controversy." 14:58 So apparently, there was more to this great controversy 15:01 than merely demonstrating the need for Satan to be done. 15:07 Apparently, there was more than the destruction of Satan 15:11 that was on the heart of God in His plan of redemption. 15:15 Again, "The angels did not even then understand 15:18 all that was involved in the great controversy. 15:20 The principles at stake 15:22 were to be more fully revealed." 15:26 Now what did Christ reveal across? 15:28 He revealed the character of His enemy 15:30 and the character of His Father, right? 15:32 That was a clear revelation, 15:34 but there were still more to be revealed than even that. 15:38 "The principles at stake 15:40 were to be more fully revealed." 15:41 And notice this almost insane sounding sentence, 15:44 "And for the sake of man, 15:48 Satan's existence must be continued." 15:55 Doesn't that sound just almost ludicrous 15:57 of a notion to say? 15:59 For the sake of man, 16:00 Satan's existence must be continued. 16:03 And notice, it doesn't even just say like 16:04 it would be continued 16:06 or it could be or should be, but it says it must be, 16:08 it's a necessity. 16:12 For the sake of man, 16:14 Satan's existence must be continued. 16:16 She goes on, "Man, as well as angels 16:20 must see the contrast between the Prince of light 16:23 and the prince of darkness. 16:25 He must choose whom he will serve." 16:28 So the angels have made their decision, 16:30 they have solidified, they have ratified, 16:32 they have signed on, 16:33 they are all and all for Jesus Christ in heaven. 16:40 Mankind, on the other hand, 16:43 still has a decision to make. 16:45 Now if the only thing that God had in mind 16:46 was the destruction of sin and sinners, 16:48 He could have done it right then at the cross. 16:52 The problem is, friends, 16:54 when Satan and all those bad people 16:55 were destroyed, we'd be with them. 17:00 So notice, in the parable, Jesus could have said, 17:02 "Yeah, just plow the field over, 17:04 let's start from scratch." 17:05 But He doesn't want to get rid of everything, 17:07 He just wants to weed out the wicked 17:09 and keep the righteous. 17:13 So let both grow together until the harvest. 17:16 Satan's existence must be continued. 17:19 "Man as well as angels must see the contrast 17:21 between the Prince of light and the prince of darkness. 17:23 He must choose whom he will serve." 17:27 What a fascinating thought. 17:30 Let's go to John Chapter 14. 17:34 And as you do, 17:35 let me tell you a little story 17:39 about a gentleman by the name of Nicolaus Copernicus. 17:47 Nicolaus Copernicus was a scientist, 17:50 astronomer, he was a thinker of his day, 17:53 his day being the 1500s. 17:55 And in his observations of the natural world, 18:00 and his thought on the matter, 18:02 he came to the conclusion 18:05 that at the time it was seen as radical, 18:10 controversial, 18:12 almost unimaginable, 18:14 he proposed that the Earth 18:17 was not the center of the universe. 18:22 Now why was that so radical? 18:24 Well, because for literally hundreds, 18:26 if not, thousands of years before, 18:28 for instance, Ptolemy, 18:31 he one time proposed the notion, 18:34 which he didn't originated, 18:35 it actually came from ancient Greek thought, 18:37 but he summarized 18:38 that the Earth was the center of the universe, 18:41 that all heavenly bodies revolved around this planet, 18:45 sun, the moon, the stars, everything observable, 18:48 and all the darkness of space was centered on us. 18:56 Look, Copernicus came along, 18:59 and through observation and putting pieces together, 19:01 he realized 19:04 Ptolemy was wrong, 19:07 but not everybody took it well. 19:09 In fact, another well known gentleman, 19:12 Galileo Galilei actually spent the last 10 years 19:16 of his life under house arrest 19:17 for supporting this heretical notion. 19:21 Now why was it seemed as heretical? 19:23 Because the church at that time 19:24 had not only made it a scientific, 19:28 you know, foundation that this Ptolemaic viewpoint, 19:32 this geocentric viewpoint was correct, 19:36 but they made it a point of theology 19:38 because everything in the universe 19:41 is focused on us, right? 19:45 Friends, we need to move like Copernicus beyond Ptolemy 19:48 and realize that while this world is important, 19:51 for sure, it is not the end all, 19:53 be all of everything in God's created universe 19:55 that He has more on His mind than merely this planet, 19:59 that there are other sons of God 20:01 and other planets. 20:03 There are the principalities and powers 20:04 and the heavenly realms, 20:06 there are the angel hosts who all have a part 20:09 in this question of the great controversy. 20:13 So when we go to John Chapter 14, 20:18 when we go to John Chapter 14, 20:22 we read some of the most beautiful, 20:24 the most poignant, 20:25 the most reassuring words in all of scripture, 20:28 this promise given by Jesus Himself. 20:32 Starting with verse 1, 20:35 "Let not your heart be troubled, 20:37 you believe in God, believe also in Me. 20:42 In My Father's house 20:44 are many mansions, 20:48 if it were not so, I would have told you. 20:50 I go to prepare a place for you. 20:54 And if I go and prepare a place for you, 20:57 I will come again and receive you to Myself, 21:00 that where I am, 21:02 there you may be also." 21:04 What a beautiful words. 21:06 What a powerful promise. 21:09 But I'd like to draw your attention 21:11 to a couple of interesting things 21:12 we perhaps overlooked in this passage. 21:15 Notice, first of all, in verse 2, 21:18 Christ says, "In My Father's house 21:20 are many mansions." 21:24 He does not say, "In My Father's house, 21:26 there will be many mansions when I go and make them." 21:33 Two thousand years ago, while Christ walked the earth, 21:35 He was able to say there are mansions 21:38 or vacancies in heaven. 21:42 Now let's think for just a moment, 21:43 why would there be vacant mansions in heaven? 21:49 Let's go back to Revelation Chapter 12. 21:52 We're gonna stick with John 14, 21:53 but let's go to Revelation Chapter 12. 21:57 Revelation Chapter 12. 22:00 Of course, we've looked at this many times 22:01 about how the war broke out in heaven 22:03 and the angels fought. 22:06 But notice earlier in Chapter 12, 22:08 when it describes this dragon power, 22:12 especially in reference to his work 22:13 through the human agency 22:15 of the Roman Church at that time. 22:17 Revelation 12:3 says, 22:18 "And another sign appeared in heaven, 22:20 behold a great fiery red dragon, 22:22 having seven heads and ten horns, 22:24 and seven diadems on his head." 22:25 It refers to the power behind this power. 22:28 Verse 4, when it says, 22:29 "His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven, 22:33 and through them," where? 22:35 "To the earth." 22:41 Through Satan's deceptive, slanderous accusations, 22:46 his bail for work of lying and tale bearing 22:53 and rumor mongering, 22:58 he had persuaded a full third of the stars of God, 23:02 which is a reference in Bible prophecy 23:03 to the angels of God, to join him in his rebellion. 23:07 And though God had put out all that He could, 23:09 and showed all that He could, 23:11 they were committed to following this rebel. 23:17 And a third of the stars fell from heaven. 23:21 Friends, why are there vacancies 23:23 in heaven today? 23:26 It's not because Christ over built, 23:31 it's because heaven is under populated. 23:35 So when John Chapter 14, when Jesus declares, 23:37 "In My Father's house are many mansions," 23:42 He wasn't just being poetic, 23:46 they were vacancies in heaven. 23:50 Furthermore, He says, 23:52 "I go to prepare a place for you," 23:55 that is to make a way for you to be there. 23:58 Verse 3, 23:59 "And if I go and prepare a place for you, 24:00 I will come again and receive you to Myself, 24:03 that where I am, there you may be also." 24:05 And from our perspective, from the... 24:08 To the ears of the lost who want to be saved, 24:12 and the sinners who want to be the redeemed, 24:16 this is a beautiful promise. 24:18 Oh, praise the Lord, 24:19 God's gonna take us home to be with Him, 24:22 to dwell in those heavenly mansions. 24:28 But now let's think about it 24:31 from Gabriel's perspective. 24:34 Now I'm guessing, 24:35 sanctified imagination if you will, 24:38 all through the life and ministry of Jesus, 24:40 the angels were glued to their seats 24:43 watching every step that He took. 24:47 They knew there is a plan. 24:48 You remember that the Book of Revelation 24:49 refers to Jesus as the Lamb slain 24:51 from the foundation of the world, 24:53 that there was this great compact 24:55 between the Father and the Son 24:56 that if man should sin, Christ would be the Savior. 25:01 But as He walked through that, 25:02 they didn't knew it was great risk. 25:03 What if He fail? What if He stumbled? 25:05 What if in one time He came short 25:06 of the glory of God? 25:08 All would be lost. 25:09 And they hang on every Word of Jesus Christ, 25:11 they watch every movement, they hear every parable, 25:13 they note every miracle. 25:15 And this time as they're listening 25:17 and they're listening to Jesus present these words 25:19 that, "Where I am, you may be also. 25:22 In My Father's house are many mansions 25:24 and I go to prepare a place for you." 25:27 I'm guessing like, "Wait, what's that? 25:31 Did He just promise 25:34 to bring them here?" 25:43 Now I don't know any of you well enough to pick on you, 25:45 so I'll pick on myself. 25:48 "You mean to tell me," Gabriel might say, 25:50 "You intend to bring that Kameron DeVasher 25:56 from there to here." 26:02 And I would hope the Father God, would say, 26:05 "That's exactly my plan. 26:06 I wanna bring Kameron home. 26:07 I wanna put him in the apartment 26:09 next door to you." 26:14 And Kameron's out on the earth. 26:15 "Amen. Yeah! 26:17 Hallelujah! 26:18 Praise God, right? 26:22 But do you think Gabriel 26:24 might have a different perspective 26:27 on this declaration? 26:30 That just perhaps, 26:34 the idea of bringing sinners home 26:40 isn't necessarily good news. 26:46 If they were to look at my life, 26:47 and you can pick on your own self, 26:48 if they were to look at your life, 26:51 would they see any cause for concern? 26:53 Would they have any legitimate misgivings like... 26:57 Mmm, mmm, 27:00 I mean... 27:02 But mmm... 27:04 I mean, I'm still with you, God, 27:05 I'm not defecting or anything but... 27:11 The property values are gonna plummet. 27:15 There goes the neighborhood. 27:16 You know, it's like, "Oh, this is bad news." 27:20 Because, friends, 27:21 they don't only watch what Christ did, 27:23 they watch what we do, right? 27:34 Is it really good news to angels 27:36 that God's plan involves bringing us to live with Him? 27:42 For this reason, 27:45 it's my contention that just as angels 27:49 needed to see why Satan should die, 27:55 they now need to see why any of us 27:57 should be allowed to live. 28:05 Angels need to see 28:08 that we are saved in person 28:11 and not just on paper 28:17 because God's plan 28:18 is not just the destruction of Satan and sinners, 28:21 it's the redemption of the lost and bringing them home. 28:25 And that's a much bigger idea than just killing Satan. 28:29 Let me show you this from scripture. 28:31 Go to the Book of 1 Corinthians. 28:35 1 Corinthians 28:40 Chapter 9, 28:42 Chapter 4, I'm sorry, verse 9. 28:52 1 Corinthians 4:9, 28:55 the Apostle Paul says, 29:01 "For I think 29:04 that God has displayed us, 29:10 the apostles, last, as men condemned to die." 29:15 Now notice what he says, 29:16 "For we have been made a spectacle to the world." 29:21 Now if we just stopped right there, 29:22 we might say, "Aha, we, of course, 29:24 are spectacles to the world." 29:25 We are supposed to be a peculiar people, right? 29:28 We're supposed to show forth the glory of God 29:30 in our good works and that they may praise 29:32 our Father in heaven. 29:34 But notice how he defines the world that's watching. 29:38 Again, 1 Corinthians 4:9, 29:42 "For I think that God has displayed us, 29:44 the apostles, last, as men condemned to die, 29:46 for we have been made a spectacle to the world, 29:48 both to angels and to men." 29:54 Notice he says, "God has made us a spectacle." 29:58 The Greek word for that spectacle rendering 30:01 is actually théatron 30:04 from where we get our English word, theatre. 30:09 You know, Shakespeare said, "All the world's a stage." 30:13 He was right about that part. 30:15 From Heaven's perspective, 30:16 the angels are watching us. 30:23 God has put us on display 30:25 has made us a spectacle to the world 30:28 both to angels and to men. 30:33 Let's look at another such instance 30:34 in the writings of the Apostle Paul. 30:36 Go to the right in your Bible, 30:37 go to the Book of Ephesians Chapter 3. 30:41 Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, 30:43 Colossians, it's right 30:44 in that little cluster of books there. 30:47 We're going to the Book of Ethiopians Chapter 3, 30:50 and we're gonna begin with verse 8. 30:51 Now as we dive into this passage, 30:54 this is not one of those easy reading passages. 30:58 This is one of those compounds sentences 31:00 the Apostle Paul is known for. 31:02 And you realize that even the Apostle Peter said, 31:04 "You know, Paul wrote some things 31:06 that are sometimes hard to understand." 31:08 But we're gonna do our best to understand this passage 31:10 and break it down into its elemental parts 31:13 starting with verse 8. 31:15 Ephesians 3:8, 31:16 the Apostle Paul speaking here says, 31:18 "To me, who am less than the least of all the saints." 31:22 Notice, he's a very humble individual. 31:24 He's not claiming to be more than anything else, 31:27 but he said, "I am less than the least 31:29 of all these saints, yet this grace was given, 31:33 that I should preach among the Gentiles 31:35 the unsearchable riches of Christ." 31:38 Now if we would ask any student of scripture, 31:42 what was the job description by God to the Apostle Paul? 31:46 You would say he was supposed to be the minister 31:49 of the gospel to the Gentiles, right? 31:53 And that's exactly 31:54 what Paul himself admits to here. 31:56 "This grace was given, 31:57 that I should preach among the Gentiles 31:59 the unsearchable riches of Christ." 32:02 But notice his sentence is not done, 32:04 there's a conjunction there, there's a connecting word and. 32:09 Verse 9, 32:10 "And to make all see." 32:16 Now that's interesting. 32:18 He wants to make everyone see something. 32:20 What is this he wants them to see? 32:22 "To make all see 32:23 what is the fellowship of the mystery, 32:25 which from the beginning of ages has been hidden in God 32:28 who created all things through Jesus Christ." 32:30 So let's break that down a little bit. 32:32 There is some mystery, some knowledge, 32:37 some wisdom, some truth that has been hidden in God 32:41 from the beginning of the ages 32:44 but now needs to be seen. 32:48 Does that make sense? 32:49 We're breaking this text down bite-size at a time. 32:53 Again, verse 9, 32:54 "To make all see 32:55 what is the fellowship of the mystery, 32:57 which from the beginning of the ages 32:59 has been hidden in God, 33:00 who created all things through Jesus Christ." 33:02 So there's this wisdom of God, 33:04 this mystery, this plan 33:08 that now though having been hatched long ago 33:13 now needs to be shown, seen, revealed in this time. 33:18 And now we get to our key verse, 33:20 which is verse 10. 33:22 To the intent 33:23 that the ultimate purpose being. 33:25 "To the intent that now 33:28 the manifold wisdom of God 33:30 might be made known by the church 33:34 to the principalities and powers 33:36 in the heavenly places." 33:38 Now if I were to ask you what you just read, 33:41 you might misinterpret it 33:42 'cause I've done it lots of times, 33:44 and everybody gets it wrong. 33:45 So you're in good company, if you're an error here. 33:47 But notice what the passage says, 33:51 "To whom is God wanting to teach 33:56 His wisdom?" 33:58 It does not say He's teaching it to the church. 34:03 Look, again, verse 10, 34:06 "To the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God 34:10 might be made known by the church," to whom? 34:15 "To the principalities and powers 34:18 in the heavenly places." 34:22 Now let's do a little simple deduction. 34:24 Where does God live? 34:27 In heaven, right? 34:29 And where do these principalities and powers 34:31 apparently dwell also? 34:33 In heavenly places. 34:35 Now I don't know if what that means right 34:37 in the very courtroom of God, 34:38 but they're in places in God's heavenly universe 34:41 that they could have access to God. 34:43 So God lives in heaven, they live in heavenly places, 34:46 and apparently it is the intent of God 34:48 that these heavenly principalities and powers 34:52 would understand His wisdom. 34:56 Now if God lives in heaven, 34:57 and they live in heavenly places, 34:59 wouldn't the simplest way to convey information 35:02 is just bring them together 35:04 and explain it to them? 35:07 "Here's My plan, 35:09 I've had it in My pocket the whole time 35:11 but now it's time to let you know." 35:12 And just teach it to them. 35:14 "Here's what I intend to do." 35:16 But He doesn't do that. 35:19 "To the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God 35:23 might be made known by the church 35:26 to the principalities and powers 35:29 in the heavenly places." 35:31 When God wants to teach His wisdom 35:35 to the angel hosts, 35:37 those principalities and powers in heavenly places, 35:40 He doesn't just come and say some things, 35:44 He shows something to them. 35:48 And what is His object lesson for the day? 35:51 The church. 35:52 He says, "Look at My people." 35:57 It's says though they have a question 35:59 that proclamation can't suffice. 36:05 What's needed now just as it was needed before 36:07 is a demonstration of the truth. 36:09 It's as though God could say, 36:11 "I could talk, and talk and talk 36:12 and explain and explain and explain, 36:14 but no matter how many times I say, 36:16 it's a fine idea 36:19 for me to bring them here, 36:21 you're always gonna have doubts." 36:24 So just the same way that the angel hosts needed 36:27 to see why Satan should die, 36:31 and they got their answer 36:33 in the demonstration of Calvary. 36:36 Now the same angel hosts, 36:38 those principalities and powers in heavenly places, 36:41 are looking to see why any of us 36:44 should be allowed to live. 36:46 And God's just saying, 36:47 "Don't worry about it, trust Me, 36:49 they'll be fine," 36:50 is insufficient. 36:54 They're still loyal to God, 36:55 but they need to understand 36:58 how His plan can work. 37:02 How is this the good idea? 37:04 And God says, "Let me show you. 37:07 Watch My people. 37:09 Watch what I can do, 37:10 not just for them, but in them." 37:15 Let's put it this way. 37:16 God intends 37:19 His people 37:21 to be the evidence of His wisdom 37:26 that His plan of redemption, 37:28 His plan of salvation 37:31 is a good idea after all. 37:38 In the book The Upward Look, 37:39 page 61, 37:42 we find this fascinating statement. 37:44 "By the power of His love, 37:46 through obedience, fallen man, 37:49 a worm of the dust, 37:51 is to be transformed, 37:54 fitted to be a member of the heavenly family, 37:59 a companion through eternal ages of God 38:01 and Christ and the holy angels." 38:04 And listen to this, "Heaven will triumph, 38:08 for the vacancies made by the fall of Satan 38:11 and his host will be filled by the redeemed of the Lord." 38:18 Why are they watching so intently the church? 38:22 Because they wanna know that it's a good idea 38:25 to bring us home. 38:29 There used to be that old statement, 38:31 "We need to be safe to save." 38:36 Now from our perspective, "Yeah, I'll take that ticket, 38:38 let me on in," but He's like, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down. 38:40 You can't. It's not like that." 38:43 Because, friends, 38:45 salvation in Jesus Christ is not merely a transaction 38:48 to get you in, it's a transformation 38:51 to fit you into the society of angels. 38:55 Do you see what I'm saying? 38:57 That is not just a onetime thing, 38:59 I got saved, and I've got my ticket, 39:01 I'm getting in. 39:04 Friends, physically transporting us to Heaven 39:07 is not what it's all about, 39:11 it's about spiritually transforming us 39:14 for heaven, 39:15 that it's all about. 39:17 Let's put it another way. 39:18 In John Chapter 14, as we saw, 39:22 when we see that promise 39:27 that God's gonna prepare a place for us, 39:31 sometimes I think we're tempted to forget 39:33 that goes along with the promise 39:35 to prepare us for that place. 39:39 God's not just going 39:40 and getting heaven ready for us, friends, 39:42 He's down here getting us ready for heaven even now. 39:46 And that's a big, big difference. 39:51 Let's go now to the gospel of Luke, 39:52 Matthew, Mark, Luke Chapter 10, 39:58 and we'll find something, 40:00 I find it very interesting. 40:04 Luke Chapter 10, of course, in Luke Chapter 9, 40:08 if we had the time, we'll study this out, but... 40:11 In Luke Chapter 9, 40:13 Jesus sends out the 12 of His apostles 40:15 to continue the work that He had begun in His name. 40:17 He gives them power to cast out demons 40:19 and to heal the sick and to preach the gospel. 40:22 And then in Chapter 10, He sends out 70 others also. 40:25 Look at 10:1, 40:27 "After these things the Lord appointed 40:29 seventy others also, 40:30 and sent them two by two before His face into every city 40:34 and place where He Himself was about to go." 40:37 Now what we're gonna find out 40:39 is that Christ didn't just come to do ministry, 40:41 He came to train up ministers, 40:44 and He was preparing them for the work 40:46 that He would leave to church 40:47 that would be built in His name under their care. 40:50 And so He was giving them on the job training. 40:53 He sent out the 12, then He sent out the 70, 40:55 He gives them power to heal, 40:56 the power to cast out demons and to preach the good news. 40:59 And as He sends the 70 out, 41:01 they go two by two to all the places 41:03 where He Himself was about to go. 41:05 Now in the same chapter, Chapter 10, 41:06 now skip down to verse 17, 41:09 it records the return of these missionaries. 41:13 Luke 10:17, 41:17 "Then the seventy returned," how? With what? 41:20 "Joy." 41:22 Are they downcast? Are they excited? 41:25 Oh, they're excited, they're happy, they're joyous, 41:27 they returned with joy saying, 41:29 "Lord, even the demons are subject to us 41:32 in Your name." 41:36 Now I have to assume that Christ might have 41:38 even been disappointed with that answer. 41:41 "Why do you act so surprised? 41:44 Isn't that the very purpose I sent you out? 41:46 Isn't that what I gave you power to do? 41:48 Why do you come back acting like that's a shock?" 41:51 "Lord, even the demons 41:52 are subject to us in Your name." 41:53 Of course, they are. 41:57 But then He states something, it's almost a non sequitur, 42:01 almost doesn't belong in this flow of thought 42:04 in verse 18. 42:06 "And He said to them, 42:08 'I saw Satan 42:11 fall like lightning from heaven.' 42:17 " Now oftentimes, 42:22 when people discuss how did Christ do something 42:25 or how did He know, the answer is simplistic. 42:29 Well, He was God. 42:31 Well, of course, Jesus Chris is God 42:34 but when He came to this earth to be incarnate, 42:38 to be God with us, 42:39 He laid aside His divinity, did He not? 42:43 Of course. 42:44 So when Jesus says, 42:45 "I saw Satan fall like lightning." 42:48 By the way, 42:50 this is the same Jesus who would say, 42:51 "Now the ruler of this world will be cast out." 42:55 He's clearly referring to a previous falling, 42:58 that original casting out of Satan. 43:00 He says, "I saw him." 43:04 Is Jesus speaking as a first person, 43:08 "I witness to the fall"? 43:11 Which, of course, He was, 43:14 but that's not what He means here. 43:17 How does Jesus know anything? 43:22 How does He do what He does? 43:25 He doesn't just make things up or shoot from the hip 43:27 or reach back into His own experience, 43:29 He relies on God for His guidance. 43:34 Now we'll come back to that in just a moment. 43:38 But what does He say that He saw? 43:42 Verse 18, again, "I saw Satan fall like," what? 43:46 "Lightning from heaven." 43:50 Now again, I grew up in the south, 43:52 and we have a saying that something as fast 43:56 as quick as grease lightning. 43:59 And oftentimes, when we think of the term lightning, 44:02 we assume that it is a metaphor for speed, 44:07 for quickness, for immediacy, right? 44:09 Instant, lightning. 44:13 But let me propose to you today that 44:16 that's not what Jesus meant. 44:18 And when He said, 44:19 "I saw Satan fall like lightning," 44:20 He wasn't talking about the instantaneous fall 44:23 from glory to the grave. 44:26 For two reasons, number one, 44:27 we know that's not how Satan fell, 44:29 He's still falling to this day. 44:32 That's an odd kind of fast. 44:36 But we have another reason 44:37 because Satan is not the only being 44:40 Jesus describes he's coming from heaven like lightning. 44:44 Who else does Jesus say comes from heaven like lightning? 44:48 Let's go to Matthew Chapter 24. 44:51 Matthew Chapter 24... 44:58 And we're gonna go to verses 26 and 27. 45:02 When Jesus refers to His own return, 45:07 He says, "Therefore if they say to you, 45:09 'Look, He is in the desert!' 45:10 Do not go out. 45:12 Or 'Look, He is in the inner rooms!' 45:14 Do not believe it." 45:16 By the way, friends, the coming of Jesus 45:17 is going to be literal, it's going to be personal, 45:20 it's gonna be audible, it's gonna be visible, 45:22 it's gonna be global, and no one's gonna miss it. 45:25 If you have to hear about the return of Jesus on CNN, 45:28 it is not the return of Jesus, it's something else. 45:31 Nor is He gonna be in the inner room, 45:32 some spiritual, quiet, secret thing. 45:35 No, no, it's not gonna be secretive, 45:37 and it's not gonna be private, 45:38 it's gonna be global for every eye to see. 45:40 Amen? 45:41 In fact, that's exactly what he says next, verse 27. 45:44 "For as the lightning comes 45:47 from the east and flashes to the west, 45:50 so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." 45:54 Notice He says that His own return 45:57 from heaven will be like, what? 45:59 Lightning. 46:02 Does He mean that it's gonna be fast? 46:05 No. 46:06 What is lightning? 46:07 A metaphor for here. 46:11 It's an analogy, not for speed, 46:14 but for visibility. 46:16 As the lightning flashes from the east into the west, 46:19 so also the coming of the Son of Man be. 46:23 Jesus is gonna come like lightning, 46:25 not because it's so quick or surprising, 46:28 it's because it's so visible 46:30 and every eye will see. 46:34 So we go back to Luke 10:18, 46:39 "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven." 46:45 It is my submission humbly to you today 46:48 that Jesus did not mean 46:50 that Satan is gonna fall really, really fast. 46:53 Because notice, 46:54 He's talking 4,000 years after the initial casting out, 46:57 and He was still looking forward 46:59 to the next casting out, 47:01 and He's still not done today, 2,000 years later. 47:04 The concern of Christ 47:06 is not the speed of Satan's fall, 47:08 but the visibility of his fall that every eye will see him 47:14 and understand what's going on. 47:18 God is currently eliminating Satan 47:21 in a way that everyone can see his true character. 47:26 Now let's go back to that observation I made 47:29 that Christ didn't just pull back 47:32 in His own memories through the veil of birth 47:34 back to His preexistence in heaven and say, 47:36 "I remember Satan's fall." 47:38 When He said, "I saw Satan fall like lightning." 47:43 Well, let's let inspiration interpret this for us. 47:46 Desire of Ages, page 490. 47:49 Notice, this is not some obscure source 47:51 in the back of some appendix somewhere, 47:52 this is the Desire of Ages, page 490, 47:56 commenting specifically on that statement of Jesus 48:00 that I saw Satan fall like lightning 48:01 from heaven, we read, 48:04 "The scenes of the past and the future 48:08 were presented to the mind of Christ." 48:11 He was shown from heaven, from God's throne, 48:16 through the power of the Holy Spirit, 48:18 I must assume. 48:19 "The scenes of the past and the future 48:21 presented the mind of Jesus." 48:22 She continues, 48:24 "He beheld Lucifer as he was first cast out 48:28 from the heavenly places. 48:32 He looked forward to the scenes of His own agony, 48:37 when before all the worlds 48:39 the character of the deceiver should be unveiled. 48:43 He heard the cry, 'It is finished,' 48:46 announcing that the redemption 48:47 of the lost race was forever made certain, 48:50 that heaven would be made eternally secure 48:52 against the accusations, the deceptions, 48:55 the pretensions, that Satan would instigate." 48:59 She then continues, "Beyond the cross of Calvary." 49:02 So notice, we had the first casting out, 49:04 then we had the one He was about to do at Calvary, 49:07 then she says, "Beyond the cross of Calvary, 49:10 with its agony and shame, 49:11 Jesus looked forward to the great final day, 49:17 when the prince of the power of the air 49:19 will meet his destruction in the earth so long marred 49:21 by his rebellion." 49:23 So there was a first casting out, 49:26 there was that second phase of his fall, 49:29 if you will, at the cross, 49:31 then there's gonna be the final at the end 49:33 when he's actually destroyed. 49:40 Then she goes on to describe, 49:43 "Jesus beheld the work of evil forever ended, 49:46 and the peace of God filling heaven and earth." 49:49 But notice, there's a gap between what was, 49:52 what from Christ perspective was to be 49:55 which was His own death, 49:56 and what finally will conclude at the very end of time. 50:01 What about between the cross and the destruction 50:05 which just happens to be 50:06 where you and I are living today. 50:09 She writes, henceforward, that is from the cross forward, 50:13 "Henceforward Christ's followers 50:16 were to look upon Satan as a conquered foe. 50:20 Upon the cross, 50:21 Jesus was to gain the victory for them, 50:24 that victory He desired them to accept as their own." 50:31 I don't know if you notice there, 50:33 but there are four distinct phases 50:36 to the fall of Satan outlined in that passage. 50:42 It just happens to correspond perfectly 50:45 with Revelation Chapter 12. 50:47 Let's go back and review 50:49 and then add to what we've learned before. 50:51 Revelation Chapter 12 50:55 starting with verse 7, 50:58 "And war broke out in heaven, 50:59 Michael and his angels fought with the dragon, 51:01 and the dragon and his angels fought, 51:03 but they did not prevail, 51:04 nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 51:06 So the great dragon was cast out, 51:08 that serpent of old, 51:10 called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world, 51:12 he was cast to the earth, 51:13 and his angels were cast out with him." 51:16 Friends, verses 7-9, 51:17 what we just read is step one in the casting out of Lucifer. 51:24 Now I don't know the age 51:26 of every attendee here today, 51:31 but even I'm old enough to remember 51:34 there was that one toy that everybody had 51:37 at some point in their life, 51:39 it was a little coil made of silver metal, 51:42 and it would go up and down in your hand 51:44 a little bit back and forth. 51:45 What was that thing called? 51:47 Slinky, right? 51:49 They somehow branded that thing 51:51 that everybody knows that one weird word, slinky, 51:54 based on that device. 51:55 How many of you have ever played 51:56 with a slinky before, right? 51:59 I did, and I know you have. 52:02 And a slinky is a phenomenal toy, 52:05 it's fabulous toy for about a minute 52:07 and a half, right? 52:09 You play with it. 52:10 The first thing you do is you go like this. 52:13 Then you go back and forth. Oh, that's neat, that's neat. 52:15 But really, what else is there to do with the slinky? 52:18 There's actually only one really cool trick 52:21 a slinky can do, and what is that? 52:23 Go down the stairs, right? 52:25 If you get a staircase, 52:27 this is made out of something hard 52:28 that some carpeted thing that like something 52:30 out of wood or metal, 52:31 and you get the steps 52:33 that are just the right distance apart 52:34 and just the right fall. 52:35 If you get just the right situation, 52:40 you can put that slinky on the very top step 52:43 and just give it just the right push, 52:47 and it will not only fall down to the next step, 52:52 but the inertia will carry over, 52:53 and it will flip over to the next step, 52:57 and then it will start walking down the stairs, right? 53:00 It'll fall down the stairs, 53:01 but in a controlled step-by-step manner, 53:03 not one shot from the top to the bottom. 53:06 It goes... 53:09 and it walks down the stairs. 53:13 Just like a slinky down the stairs, 53:16 God is destroying Satan. 53:21 It's not in one instantaneous action 53:25 from glory to the grave, 53:29 He's going step by step, 53:31 walking us through so that all of us 53:34 like lightning can see His process, 53:39 and at the end, understand. 53:40 And that slinky will go and go and go 53:44 from the power of that first casting out 53:46 until the very bottom 53:48 till it is no more, so it can do no more. 53:53 In step one, we just read in Revelation 12:7-9, 53:58 where Satan was cast out of heaven, 54:00 but he was not destroyed, he wasn't blotted out, 54:02 he was just removed from his position. 54:06 But then we saw in verse 10, 54:10 "Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, 54:12 'Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, 54:15 and the power of His Christ have come, 54:17 for the accuser of our brethren, 54:19 who accused them before our God day and night, 54:21 has been cast down.' 54:23 " We noted in our previous presentation 54:25 that casting down 54:27 was when Christ selflessly gave Him 54:31 on Calvary for our redemption. 54:34 And then he was cast 54:36 not out of the courts of heaven, 54:38 but out of the sympathies of heavenly beings. 54:42 He was cast out. 54:45 But then look at verse 11. 54:50 "And they overcame him." 54:54 Pause right there. 54:56 Who are they? 54:58 Well, let's look back at verse 10. 55:01 "Now I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, 55:04 'Salvation, and strength, 55:05 and the kingdom of our God, 55:06 and the power of His Christ have come 55:08 for the accuser of our,' whom, 55:10 'our brethren, 55:13 who accused them before our God day and night, 55:15 has been cast down. 55:17 And they overcame.'" 55:18 Who's that they referring to? 55:21 Friends, that they referring to there is the brethren, 55:25 which is us. 55:31 "And they overcame him," how? 55:35 "By the blood of the Lamb, 55:37 and by the word of their testimony, 55:40 and they did not love their lives to the death." 55:46 Therefore, verse 12. 55:48 Think about therefore. 55:51 Because of the overcoming, because of the victory, 55:54 because not only are the angels have cast Satan 55:58 out of their sympathy, right? 56:00 Now by looking at the blood of Jesus, 56:03 and by the power of His witness, 56:04 and His work in our lives, 56:06 that we too can cast Satan out of our hearts 56:08 and overcome him. 56:09 How? 56:11 By the blood of the Lamb and by the word of a testimony. 56:15 And when that happens, verse 12, 56:18 is hasten, "Therefore rejoice, O heavens, 56:21 and you who dwell in them! 56:22 Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! 56:24 For the devil has come down to you, 56:26 having great wrath 56:27 because he knows that he has a," what? 56:30 "A short time." 56:32 Notice that right here in Revelation 12, 56:33 you have 4 distinct phases of the fall of Satan, 56:37 the initial casting out 6,000 years ago, 56:41 the next step when Christ gave up His life at Calvary, 56:45 and the ruler of this world was cast out 56:48 of the sympathies of heavenly beings, 56:50 and someday he will be eliminated altogether, 56:53 and he knows that his time is short, 56:56 when step three, where we live. 56:59 We begin to overcome him by the blood of the Lamb, 57:02 and by the word of our testimony. 57:05 Friends, God's plan 57:06 is not called the plan of destruction, 57:08 it's the plan of salvation, 57:09 He intends for each one of us 57:12 by the grace and power of Jesus Christ 57:14 to be redeemed 57:15 and live with Him for all eternity. 57:18 Let me ask you a question. 57:20 Has our presentation today been clear? 57:22 Praise God. 57:23 Let's bow our heads for a word of prayer. 57:24 Heavenly Father, 57:26 once again, we thank You 57:29 for so many things, 57:31 but right now we especially thank You 57:33 for being a God who takes His time 57:35 to get things right, 57:37 that You had a plan for our salvation 57:39 from the foundations of the world. 57:40 And now, Lord, as we see Jesus, 57:45 may we also regard Satan as a conquered foe, 57:49 and by Your grace, 57:50 cast any remaining sympathy for him out of our hearts 57:53 and be loyal to You and You alone, 57:56 for we pray it all in Jesus' name. 58:00 Amen. |
Revised 2019-05-23