GOOD NEWS BAD NEWS
Revelation 20:1-3 NKJV
1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while.
Well, things are starting to look up in the book of Revelation. Chapter twenty deals with the white throne judgment. The good news is no fear for those of us who have received Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Our names are in the Book of Life, so we will live and reign with Jesus forever. Our job now is to make sure we reach as many as we can before that day. This chapter also speaks of the demise of Satan, and that is good news for us, bad news for him.
An angel comes down with a chain and binds Satan. Interesting to note, when we speak of Satan, the devil, it is surprising as to how many Christians do not believe in his existence. And yet Satan has been present on earth, we know, since the garden. And Jesus addressed him directly when being tempted in the wilderness. And every other New Testament writer mentions him. So when did he disappear from the scene? Was it when we became more educated? The answer is that he never left. But in these verses for today, we see why people do not believe in him. He is a deceiver, and one of his greatest deceptions is that he does not exist.
Jesus said Satan is a liar and the father of lies. It was a lie when Satan told Eve that she would not die if she ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Satan's tactic with Eve is still one he uses today. Calling God and God's Word into question. Satan lied to Eve, implying that God did not want them to be like Him, knowing good and evil. In other words, Satan deceived Eve into thinking that God was withholding good from them. That strategy worked on Eve and is still working today. Satan casts doubt as to the validity of God's Word. He also blames God for withholding good and then takes it a step further, blaming God for all the evil and heartache in the world.
The answer for Satan's deception is to employ the same strategy that Jesus successfully used against him. When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, it was to cast doubt in Jesus' mind as to who He was and who God was. Jesus countered with the word of God by declaring, "It is written." Satan attempted to get Jesus to take another route toward fulfilling His destiny, a route that God's Word had already laid out. Each time Jesus responded with it is written and quoted a scripture. When Satan himself quoted a scripture, Jesus countered with another scripture. Truth beats lies. Jesus gave us an example that we are to use to counter the deception of the enemy. Knowing God's Word is more than a religious thing to do; it's a deception-busting safe way to live.
The good news for us is that we have the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, living in us. And we have God's Word of truth. We are not at the mercy of Satan's strategies if we will hold fast to what we know to be true. Another piece of good news is the angel who comes down and binds Satan with a chain and throws him into the pit for a thousand years. I hope we get to watch that. Contrary to what The Rolling Stones wrote in the seventies, I have no sympathy for the devil. None. And when he is thrown into the lake of fire to be tormented day and night forever and ever, I will be glad, very glad. I wonder if there will be a party in heaven. No longer will the enemy of mankind be able to deceive and harm forever and ever.
PRAYER
Thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your victory over Satan. Thank You for delivering me from his authority. Thank You that he comes to a bad end, but not me. I will live in Your goodness and presence forever and ever.