(1) The Rise and Fall of Satan's Power
1912 119 Scripture, from first to last, teems with the rich unfolding of the wonderful ways of God. The serpent's hiss, so subtlely expressed in his words to Eve, "Yea, hath God said?" which led to her fall, was divinely answered in the prophetic announcement, "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." Sin thus brought in by the first man, involving death not only for himself but for all the human family, could only be atoned for and eventually put away by the death of the Second man, the Lord from heaven "and reconciliation between a holy God and His guilty creatures could only be effected by the blood-shedding of a sinless Victim — of Him who was both God and man. Ever since time began, Satan has been the relentless enemy of both God and man, and, while still in open rebellion against the former, he has not ceased to exercise his power of death against the latter.
In due time, however, the promised Seed of the woman came into the very world His own hands had made, and in vain was every effort of the tempter to lure the lowly Nazarene from His path of unswerving obedience to His Father's will and pleasure. He was the only One who could say, "The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me"; yet that blessed, perfect, sinless life could not of itself avail for man's deliverance from the power of Satan. The prophetic announcement in Eden's garden must be fulfilled. The battle was fought and won at Calvary, and the cross where Jesus died proclaims, indeed, the bruising of Christ's heel, but, what is of infinitely deeper importance, the bruising of the serpent's head. The Saviour's words are clear and plain: "How else can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man, and then he will spoil his house?
Where disobedience brought the first man, obedience brought the Second. Of flesh and blood the Lord took part, that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, and deliver them who, through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to bondage. The Prince of life laid down His life in obedience to His Father's commandment.
Thus, in the counsels of God, the cross of Christ involved three distinct issues — the judgment of sin, the judgment of the world, and the casting out and final judgment of Satan. Till this last, when Satan is cast into the lake of fire for eternity, that old serpent is still permitted to blind the minds of those who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, but after the catching up of the saints to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thess. 4:17), he will work "with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish, because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. "The "man of sin "will be his direct agent in the land of Israel, even "the son of perdition," who will oppose and exalt himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he himself will sit down in the temple of God in Jerusalem, showing himself that he is God; "whom the Lord will consume with the spirit of his mouth, and destroy with the brightness of his coming." The victory through death of the Son of God at Calvary was the bruising of Satan's head, but both heaven and earth are yet to witness his complete defeat and eternal judgment.
In the opening of the second volume of the prophetic part of the Revelation (Rev. 11:19) we have the temple of God opened in heaven, where is seen the ark of His covenant. His covenant was with Israel, and so, under the symbol of the woman (Rev. 12), Israel is brought before us, "of whom, as concerning the flesh, Christ came." Satan's antagonism to the woman and to her Seed — the man child is here prophetically given, as it is historically made known in the Gospels (Matt. 2) and The Acts (Acts 4:21-30). Then there is war in heaven, and Satan is cast out into the earth with his angels, who will then no longer have access to the heavenly places as now (compare Eph. 6:12). The heavens indeed rejoice, but alas for earth's inhabiters! when that time arrives, for knowing that his time is short, he wrathfully persecutes the woman (she is not the church, but Israelites, Abraham's seed), and makes war with the remnant of her seed now repentant, not, as once, laying aside, but keeping, the commandments of God, and who have the testimony of Jesus.
In the next chapter he is said to give power to the beast, or Roman Empire to be resuscitated in that day (ver. 12); and in the nineteenth he leads on the Empire and the false prophet, or "man of sin," in Jerusalem, to make war against Him that sat on the horse. These two powers — political and religious — are overcome by the King of kings and Lord of lords, and are both cast alive (they do not die) into the lake of fire. After this Satan himself is bound for a thousand years in the abyss, and at the close of the millennial reign of Christ is loosed out of his prison. He goes forth to deceive and gather the unconverted nations to battle. It is his last desperate, but futile, effort against the authority of God, and his deception of men. The nations go up on the breadth of thy: earth. They compass the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city, but not a sword is drawn nor a gun fired. God acts in His own sovereign rights as God, and fire comes down from heaven and devours them. This is Satan's third battle with God — first, at Calvary's cross, then in the second heaven, and finally at the beloved city Jerusalem; but all in vain. And in this last scene we see his power utterly crushed and broken. His final doom is now irrevocably fixed. "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are; and they shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever."
(2) The Divine Bruising of Christ
Forty centuries of sin had rolled away since the driving out from Eden of our first parents, and man's utter failure and hopeless ruin in every successive dispensation in which God had placed him had been fully proved; when, in the counsels of God, the due time arrived for the fulfilment of the prophetic word, "Awake, O sword, against my shepherd and against the man that is my fellow, saith Jehovah of hosts; smite the shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered; and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones." Such was the message by Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, to Israel's guilty race, of which message the Lord's disciples were reminded when, after the singing of a hymn, He led them out to the mount of Olives.
Yes, the hour had now come when "all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms concerning" Him. Sin had ruined God's fair creation, and wrecked His rebellious creatures; and sin, root and branch, must therefore needs be judged. "Lo I come to do thy will, O God" was the voice that from the eternal ages past had echoed down the stream of time; and, in obedience to that will, the Seed of the woman appears in the person of the obedient Nazarene. This one, through the "eternal Spirit, offered himself without spot to God," to become the willing Victim and the divine Sin-bearer. Hence the record runs, "It pleased Jehovah to bruise him; he hath put him to grief; when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of Jehovah shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied.
It was God's own act to make the sinless Christ "sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him." But this involved judgment, and hence, when our iniquities were laid on Him, He was "wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed." All was against the lowly Nazarene in those hours of suffering on the cross. There the bitter waves and billows of divine judgment rolled over the Saviour's head. God, Satan, man, and the world, in all their force and power, found expression there. Wounded in the house of His friends, He was forsaken by His own, and mocked, taunted, and reviled by soldiers, priests, robbers, and the Roman mob, and bruised by Satan. But more than all, bruised by God! then was atonement made, where no creature had a part. How bitter was the cry that rose up to heaven, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? "
Before this, there was suffering, not for sins, but for righteousness. Dogs compassed Him about; strong bulls of Bashan beset Him round; reproach was breaking His heart; yet no murmur escaped His lips, but a dying prayer for His murderers, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." "Deep answered unto deep at the noise of God's waterspouts," and He could say, as none else, "Thy wrath lieth hard upon me, and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves." Yes, He "suffered once for sins, the Just for the unjust, to bring us to God"; and if Satan was allowed to bruise the mighty Conqueror's heel, yet was his own head being then bruised by the Seed of the woman. The Captain of our salvation was perfected through sufferings. The victory over God's bitterest foe was won through His obedience unto death, the death of the cross. But death could have no dominion over Him who had power to lay down His life and power to take it again. Bursting asunder its iron bars, the Son of God rose triumphant from the tomb, and ascending to His Father's throne, the Satanic hosts fell back as the Lord of glory passed through their serried ranks. God's glory had been fully vindicated by the Man Christ Jesus. He had glorified His Father on the earth, and He is now glorified in heaven, set down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.
Christ, the glorious First-Begotten from among the dead, has gone to appear in the presence of God for us; and at His coming again to take home to Himself all His blood-bought ones, those Satanic hosts will again fall hack as the ransomed army of firstborn ones wing' their way to the Father's house above. As an earnest of that bright and fast-approaching day well may the Holy Spirit fill our hearts with rapture and delight, as the precious message rings in our ears, "The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly." 'Tis but a moment, the twinkling of an eye, and the Bridegroom's words shall be verified, "Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away."
"O day of wondrous promise,
The Bridegroom and the bride,
Are seen in glory ever;
O God, how satisfied!" S.T.