Enemy Free

"Why would Jehovah, the only living God, destroy Satan then allow him to continue as he was?"

ONE DOESN’T allow the defeated enemy to do what he wants. It was a war because two sides could not agree, so the winning side will choose their way of doing things and not the opponent’s. Often, in human wars, the enemy leader is executed or, at least, usually imprisoned. Their army is dismantled, its leaders removed from power and judged for war crimes. The Allies of World War II were decades chasing German military leaders who fled the country, seeking a place to hide. Rumors spread of where they were across the globe.

In Jesus’ day, Rome ruled the Jews. In Matthew 24:2, Jesus prophesied of their, then future, destruction of the temple. When it happened, around 70 A.D., they were merciless to destroy what they thought was a threat. Feeling threatened is the same reason the Pharisees condemned Jesus. “He’s calling Himself a king,” they said (John 19:12). So they crucified Him to protect their place in Rome (John 11:48). Ironically, hurrying to do it so they could celebrate Pesach. Passover (John 18:28). Jesus is Passover. The greatest death of all time, the one that would save the world, was done to pad men’s greed in the very face of the God who they professed to worship.

Not the first time. The book of Malachi and much of Isaiah speaks of God’s dislike of sinfully offered sacrifices. Sacrifice was made to cleanse the heart of sin until Jesus’ Resurrection. It was ordered of Him, as Lord of heaven and earth, in a specific manner to prevent its resembling the idol-worshipping nations which surrounded Israel. Yet, in Ezekiel’s vision of the Holies, they worshipped false gods and made sexual demonstrations on Jehovah’s altars (Ezekiel 8:14).

God, who knows the heart, saw them, He saw us, and instead of condemning them for sin, He rescued all men from it. He fought the war by dying, not by fighting, and condemned Satan, who, He said to their religious leaders, was the first to sin (John 8:44). Satan is to blame for all sin. He is, indeed, enemy #1, but he is not comprehensive, meaning all of the problem. He did influence other angels to follow him. They, too, sinned and “fell like lightning (Luke 10:18),” just as Jesus said. God also destroyed their works when Jesus rose from the dead (1 John 3:8). These Scripture references are well-known in the church.

Yet, we continue to speak of the devil as a roaring lion.

This is in the Word. It is not interpreted correctly. “Devil” is a word which means “false accuser” or “slanderer”. This can be and must be applied to devils or unclean spirits and to our negative, doubtful thought patterns as well. The devil, meaning Satan, has been destroyed (Hebrews 2:14). Even if you doubted the Spirit’s interpretation of that to me, which I have mentioned before, “destroyed” means “destroyed”.

WHY WOULD JEHOVAH, THE ONLY LIVING GOD, DESTROY SATAN THEN ALLOW HIM TO CONTINUE AS HE WAS? He wouldn’t, and He isn’t. Was Jesus’ death an effective, life-altering event or not? What exactly did Jesus do?

This has a huge, many-sided answer. He fulfilled Israel’s covenant of the Law. Jesus told us this (Matthew 5:17). He opened the New Covenant. He said this as well (Matthew 26:28). He condemned Satan (John 16:11) and dissolved (destroyed) the works of the accuser, who is the devil. He put an end to sin and physical and mental and spiritual death, all forms of death.

But if that is so, and it is, then why do we die? Why do we suffer? Why is there sickness and disease? This goes to a question I asked the Spirit, who I call Papa, a few years ago. Thinking of the days of Genesis, which God called “very good”, I asked Him why He took six days to do what He could have done in milliseconds. His answer was clear. He said, “I began time to end time.” The end of time has already been declared, HOW it will end and WHAT will happen then. In John’s Revelation 21:4, it says there will be “no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” There is no more death on that day. It ends forever. All that leads up to it is for God to reveal. No man has interpreted it correctly, He says. Though, if you are interested, He says Minister Rick Renner is close. I recommend all His work, books, sermons, etcetera, to you highly.

We are not in a war. Jesus defeated Satan. Not to retrieve authority from him. He’s always had authority. God has always been on the throne. Instead, because of His Resurrection to come, Jesus shared His authority with us (Luke 10:19). For one reason: BECAUSE HE LIVES IN US. He is WITH US FOREVER. When we speak His name, He does what His authority enforces, and that is anything needed to bring peace. He is the Prince of Peace, so that we are peacemakers, who live in peace.

Please read Minister Renner’s definition of peace from 1 Peter 1:2, that I’ve placed below:

“Grace to you, that is, supernatural favor that empowers you to be and do all that is needed—and peace that brings cessation to wars in your life, closures to conflicts, and the removal of distractions. This peace allows a time for rebuilding and reconstruction, ushers in prosperity, fosters the rule of order in the place of chaos, and produces a calm, inner stability that results in the ability to conduct yourself peacefully even in the midst of circumstances that would normally be traumatic or upsetting. May this grace and this peace and all they entail multiply and proliferate until they abundantly overflow in your life.” (Renner Interpretive Version)


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Suzanne D. Williams, Author
www.suzannedwilliams.com
www.feelgoodromance.com