Our Adversaries
Bible Study Time 9-24-06
Church links:
Bible Study Time 9-24-06
In I Peter 5:8, Peter spoke to the Jewish dispersion and said:
1 Peter 5:8 (NKJ)
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
At this point in Peter’s life, it was particularly appropriate for Peter to speak of the devil as a roaring lion because he was anticipating the tribulation period in which the devil will rule the world through the antichrist in a reign of terror. During those days of the tribulation period, the wrath of the antichrist will be aimed particularly at the nation of Israel.
Revelation 12 encapsulates Satan’s conflict with Israel through the ages. Verse 1 says:
Revelation 12:1 (NKJ)
1 Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars.
This woman is the nation of Israel, and the twelve stars represent the twelve tribes of Israel. Verse 2 says:
Revelation 12:2 (NKJ)
2 Then being with child, (the woman) cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.
The child to whom Israel gave birth was the Lord Jesus, but then:
Revelation 12:3 (NKJ)
3 . . . another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.
The fiery red dragon is the devil, and he has seven heads because he is the spiritual power behind the Gentile empires that have had and will have dominion over Israel from the time of her first captivity 600 years before Christ to the reign of the antichrist. These Gentile empires are Assyria, Babylon, Media, Persia, Greece, Rome, and the empire of the antichrist. The ten horns are the ten nations that make a league with the antichrist during the tribulation period. Verse 4 goes on to say that:
Revelation 12:4 (NKJ)
4 (The dragon’s) tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.
This makes it clear that the devil was behind Herod’s plot to kill all of the baby boys after the wise men failed to bring him the details concerning the birthplace of the King of the Jews. Verse 5 says:
Revelation 12:5 (NKJ)
5 (The woman) bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.
The Lord Jesus came to establish the earthly kingdom and rule over all nations with a rod of iron, but instead, He was rejected by the Jews and crucified. After His crucifixion, He was raised from the dead and taken up into heaven where He was given a place of exaltation at the Father’s right hand.
Then, because the Apostle John was not called to reveal the mystery concerning the Church age in which we now live, he went straight from Christ’s ascension to the tribulation period, saying:
Revelation 12:6 (NKJ)
6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
According to the Jewish calendar, 1260 days is three and a half years. So God is going to protect the believing Jews from the terrors of the antichrist for three and a half years. Then we read that:
Revelation 12:7-9 (NKJ)
7 . . . war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,
8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.
9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Then the book of the Revelation goes on to describe Christ’s return to the earth to defeat the antichrist and the dragon before He rules and reigns over the nations in a world wide kingdom of peace and righteousness.
But we can see that during the tribulation period, the devil will definitely be going about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, and Revelation 12 says that the fiery, red dragon is none other than the serpent of old who suddenly appeared in the Garden of Eden to tempt Eve.
In the Garden, the serpent did not come to Eve as a roaring lion. On the contrary, he came to her with subtle craftiness. He did not try to intimidate her with a frightening roar, but he seduced her with gentleness and flattery. After Eve ate the forbidden fruit, Adam also ate, and the curse of death came upon all mankind.
In parts of our world today, the devil is already roaring like a lion, terrorizing believers with overt persecution and threats of death, but there are other parts of the world where Satan is still working in very subtle ways. In either case, we know that the devil is still a fierce adversary.
Today, Satan still resides in the heavens as the prince of the power of the air, and He will not be expelled from the heavens until half way through the tribulation period. At that time, there will be a loud voice in heaven, declaring:
Revelation 12:10 (NKJ)
10 . . . "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.
Indeed, Satan is the accuser of the brethren. The book of Job says that:
Job 1:6-7 (NKJ)
6 . . . there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.
7 And the LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?" So Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it."
Here, Satan indicates that he had been quietly stalking the inhabitants of the earth.
Job 1:8 (NKJ)
8 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?"
God mentioned Job by name to Satan, and Satan’s response reveals that he was very much aware of Job and of Job’s powerful testimony for the Lord. Clearly, Satan had looked for opportunities to attack Job but had found none for the Lord had set up a hedge of protection around Job.
Job 1:9-11 (NKJ)
9 So Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing?
10 "Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.
11 "But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!"
As we know, the Lord did allow Satan to afflict Job, but Job was faithful to God through all of his afflictions. At one point, Job said:
Job 1:21 (NKJ)
21 . . . "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."
Then another time he said, “Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?”
Obviously, Satan is a powerful adversary, but God is an ally with much greater power. Job knew that he could put his trust in the Lord.
The Lord Jesus, Himself, gave us the supreme example of what it means to trust the Lord in times of adversity. Isaiah spoke for the Lord Jesus in Chapter 50 of Isaiah and said:
Isaiah 50:6-10 (NKJ)
6 I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.
7 "For the Lord GOD will help Me; therefore I will not be disgraced; therefore I have set My face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed.
8 He is near who justifies Me; who will contend with Me? Let us stand together. Who is My adversary? Let him come near Me.
9 Surely the Lord GOD will help Me; who is he who will condemn Me? Indeed they will all grow old like a garment; the moth will eat them up.
10 "Who among you fears the LORD? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely upon his God.
So, the Lord God can be trusted even in the darkest hour, but Isaiah 50 also indicates that God is not someone you want as your adversary. Yes, God is a wonderful ally, but He can also be your worst possible adversary. Isaiah 50, verse 1, says:
Isaiah 50:1-3 (NKJ)
1 . . . For your iniquities you have sold yourselves, and for your transgressions (Jerusalem) has been put away.
2 Indeed with My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness; their fish stink because there is no water, and die of thirst.
3 I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering."
King Ahaz of Judah found God to be a formidable adversary. II Chronicles 28 says that:
2 Chronicles 28:2-4 (NKJ)
2 (King Ahaz) walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made molded images for the Baals.
3 He burned incense in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and burned his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.
4 And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.
King Ahaz knew the terms of the covenant that God had made with Israel. He had been told about the fact that faithfulness to God would result in blessing but that rebellion would result in desolation. In spite of this covenant, Ahaz rebelled against the Lord and refused to worship the Lord.
2 Chronicles 28:2-5 (NKJ)
5 Therefore the LORD his God delivered (Ahaz) into the hand of the king of Syria. They defeated him, and carried away a great multitude of them as captives, and brought them to Damascus. Then he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who defeated him with a great slaughter.
Then, when the Edomites and the Philistines attacked him, he called upon the kings of Assyria to come and help him. However, when they arrived, they too attacked him and carried away many of the treasures of the temple.
God brought misery and destruction upon Ahaz and the people of Judah because he refused to follow the Lord, and let me just say this to you this morning, if you don’t know the Lord, if you have refused to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, God can be a terrible adversary. No one can ride the fence when it comes to faith in Christ. Jesus said:
Matthew 12:30 (NKJ)
30 "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.
That’s pretty clear, isn’t it? Either you’re saved or you’re not saved, and if you’re not saved, Jesus Christ is your adversary. When Jesus was teaching in Luke 12, He said:
Luke 12:58 (NKJ)
58 "When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.
There will be serious consequences for all of eternity for those who refuse to settle, or reconcile, with Jesus Christ. Just before Jesus was crucified, He said:
John 12:31-32 (KJV)
31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
If you’re not saved, God is drawing you to Himself, convicting you of your sin and pleading with you to accept Jesus Christ so that you can be reconciled to God through faith in Christ.
We see extreme examples in our world today of people who refuse to accept Christ to their own destruction. We have seen example after example of people who are willing to blow themselves up in suicide bombings rather than turn their hearts over to Jesus Christ. Rebelling against Jesus Christ has serious consequences for all of eternity.
King Ahaz was one of those who refused to be reconciled to God. He was warned many times that his failures as king were a result of His rebellion against God, but He continued on in his path of destruction. II Chronicles 28 tells us that:
2 Chronicles 28:22-24 (NKJ)
22 . . . in the time of his distress King Ahaz became increasingly unfaithful to the LORD . . .
23 For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him, saying, "Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me." But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel.
24 So Ahaz gathered the articles of the house of God, cut in pieces the articles of the house of God, shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, and made for himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem.
King Ahaz was traveling through life with God right by His side, but He fought God all the way. He could not bring himself to settle with his adversary along the way.
Praise the Lord, no one has to live that way. Jesus said:
Matthew 11:28 (KJV)
28 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.
Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com
1 Peter 5:8 (NKJ)
8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
At this point in Peter’s life, it was particularly appropriate for Peter to speak of the devil as a roaring lion because he was anticipating the tribulation period in which the devil will rule the world through the antichrist in a reign of terror. During those days of the tribulation period, the wrath of the antichrist will be aimed particularly at the nation of Israel.
Revelation 12 encapsulates Satan’s conflict with Israel through the ages. Verse 1 says:
Revelation 12:1 (NKJ)
1 Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars.
This woman is the nation of Israel, and the twelve stars represent the twelve tribes of Israel. Verse 2 says:
Revelation 12:2 (NKJ)
2 Then being with child, (the woman) cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.
The child to whom Israel gave birth was the Lord Jesus, but then:
Revelation 12:3 (NKJ)
3 . . . another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.
The fiery red dragon is the devil, and he has seven heads because he is the spiritual power behind the Gentile empires that have had and will have dominion over Israel from the time of her first captivity 600 years before Christ to the reign of the antichrist. These Gentile empires are Assyria, Babylon, Media, Persia, Greece, Rome, and the empire of the antichrist. The ten horns are the ten nations that make a league with the antichrist during the tribulation period. Verse 4 goes on to say that:
Revelation 12:4 (NKJ)
4 (The dragon’s) tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.
This makes it clear that the devil was behind Herod’s plot to kill all of the baby boys after the wise men failed to bring him the details concerning the birthplace of the King of the Jews. Verse 5 says:
Revelation 12:5 (NKJ)
5 (The woman) bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.
The Lord Jesus came to establish the earthly kingdom and rule over all nations with a rod of iron, but instead, He was rejected by the Jews and crucified. After His crucifixion, He was raised from the dead and taken up into heaven where He was given a place of exaltation at the Father’s right hand.
Then, because the Apostle John was not called to reveal the mystery concerning the Church age in which we now live, he went straight from Christ’s ascension to the tribulation period, saying:
Revelation 12:6 (NKJ)
6 Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
According to the Jewish calendar, 1260 days is three and a half years. So God is going to protect the believing Jews from the terrors of the antichrist for three and a half years. Then we read that:
Revelation 12:7-9 (NKJ)
7 . . . war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,
8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.
9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Then the book of the Revelation goes on to describe Christ’s return to the earth to defeat the antichrist and the dragon before He rules and reigns over the nations in a world wide kingdom of peace and righteousness.
But we can see that during the tribulation period, the devil will definitely be going about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, and Revelation 12 says that the fiery, red dragon is none other than the serpent of old who suddenly appeared in the Garden of Eden to tempt Eve.
In the Garden, the serpent did not come to Eve as a roaring lion. On the contrary, he came to her with subtle craftiness. He did not try to intimidate her with a frightening roar, but he seduced her with gentleness and flattery. After Eve ate the forbidden fruit, Adam also ate, and the curse of death came upon all mankind.
In parts of our world today, the devil is already roaring like a lion, terrorizing believers with overt persecution and threats of death, but there are other parts of the world where Satan is still working in very subtle ways. In either case, we know that the devil is still a fierce adversary.
Today, Satan still resides in the heavens as the prince of the power of the air, and He will not be expelled from the heavens until half way through the tribulation period. At that time, there will be a loud voice in heaven, declaring:
Revelation 12:10 (NKJ)
10 . . . "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.
Indeed, Satan is the accuser of the brethren. The book of Job says that:
Job 1:6-7 (NKJ)
6 . . . there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.
7 And the LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?" So Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it."
Here, Satan indicates that he had been quietly stalking the inhabitants of the earth.
Job 1:8 (NKJ)
8 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?"
God mentioned Job by name to Satan, and Satan’s response reveals that he was very much aware of Job and of Job’s powerful testimony for the Lord. Clearly, Satan had looked for opportunities to attack Job but had found none for the Lord had set up a hedge of protection around Job.
Job 1:9-11 (NKJ)
9 So Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for nothing?
10 "Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.
11 "But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!"
As we know, the Lord did allow Satan to afflict Job, but Job was faithful to God through all of his afflictions. At one point, Job said:
Job 1:21 (NKJ)
21 . . . "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."
Then another time he said, “Shall we indeed accept good from God, and shall we not accept adversity?”
Obviously, Satan is a powerful adversary, but God is an ally with much greater power. Job knew that he could put his trust in the Lord.
The Lord Jesus, Himself, gave us the supreme example of what it means to trust the Lord in times of adversity. Isaiah spoke for the Lord Jesus in Chapter 50 of Isaiah and said:
Isaiah 50:6-10 (NKJ)
6 I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.
7 "For the Lord GOD will help Me; therefore I will not be disgraced; therefore I have set My face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed.
8 He is near who justifies Me; who will contend with Me? Let us stand together. Who is My adversary? Let him come near Me.
9 Surely the Lord GOD will help Me; who is he who will condemn Me? Indeed they will all grow old like a garment; the moth will eat them up.
10 "Who among you fears the LORD? Who obeys the voice of His Servant? Who walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD and rely upon his God.
So, the Lord God can be trusted even in the darkest hour, but Isaiah 50 also indicates that God is not someone you want as your adversary. Yes, God is a wonderful ally, but He can also be your worst possible adversary. Isaiah 50, verse 1, says:
Isaiah 50:1-3 (NKJ)
1 . . . For your iniquities you have sold yourselves, and for your transgressions (Jerusalem) has been put away.
2 Indeed with My rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness; their fish stink because there is no water, and die of thirst.
3 I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering."
King Ahaz of Judah found God to be a formidable adversary. II Chronicles 28 says that:
2 Chronicles 28:2-4 (NKJ)
2 (King Ahaz) walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made molded images for the Baals.
3 He burned incense in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, and burned his children in the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out before the children of Israel.
4 And he sacrificed and burned incense on the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.
King Ahaz knew the terms of the covenant that God had made with Israel. He had been told about the fact that faithfulness to God would result in blessing but that rebellion would result in desolation. In spite of this covenant, Ahaz rebelled against the Lord and refused to worship the Lord.
2 Chronicles 28:2-5 (NKJ)
5 Therefore the LORD his God delivered (Ahaz) into the hand of the king of Syria. They defeated him, and carried away a great multitude of them as captives, and brought them to Damascus. Then he was also delivered into the hand of the king of Israel, who defeated him with a great slaughter.
Then, when the Edomites and the Philistines attacked him, he called upon the kings of Assyria to come and help him. However, when they arrived, they too attacked him and carried away many of the treasures of the temple.
God brought misery and destruction upon Ahaz and the people of Judah because he refused to follow the Lord, and let me just say this to you this morning, if you don’t know the Lord, if you have refused to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, God can be a terrible adversary. No one can ride the fence when it comes to faith in Christ. Jesus said:
Matthew 12:30 (NKJ)
30 "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.
That’s pretty clear, isn’t it? Either you’re saved or you’re not saved, and if you’re not saved, Jesus Christ is your adversary. When Jesus was teaching in Luke 12, He said:
Luke 12:58 (NKJ)
58 "When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison.
There will be serious consequences for all of eternity for those who refuse to settle, or reconcile, with Jesus Christ. Just before Jesus was crucified, He said:
John 12:31-32 (KJV)
31 Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.
32 And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.
If you’re not saved, God is drawing you to Himself, convicting you of your sin and pleading with you to accept Jesus Christ so that you can be reconciled to God through faith in Christ.
We see extreme examples in our world today of people who refuse to accept Christ to their own destruction. We have seen example after example of people who are willing to blow themselves up in suicide bombings rather than turn their hearts over to Jesus Christ. Rebelling against Jesus Christ has serious consequences for all of eternity.
King Ahaz was one of those who refused to be reconciled to God. He was warned many times that his failures as king were a result of His rebellion against God, but He continued on in his path of destruction. II Chronicles 28 tells us that:
2 Chronicles 28:22-24 (NKJ)
22 . . . in the time of his distress King Ahaz became increasingly unfaithful to the LORD . . .
23 For he sacrificed to the gods of Damascus which had defeated him, saying, "Because the gods of the kings of Syria help them, I will sacrifice to them that they may help me." But they were the ruin of him and of all Israel.
24 So Ahaz gathered the articles of the house of God, cut in pieces the articles of the house of God, shut up the doors of the house of the LORD, and made for himself altars in every corner of Jerusalem.
King Ahaz was traveling through life with God right by His side, but He fought God all the way. He could not bring himself to settle with his adversary along the way.
Praise the Lord, no one has to live that way. Jesus said:
Matthew 11:28 (KJV)
28 Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Thank you for listening to Bible Study Time this morning. I’ll look forward to being with you again next week at this same time.
Write me at: jimjoan77@juno.com
Church links:
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