Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of sea! For
the devil is come down to you, having great wrath,
because he knows that he has but a short time.
Revelation 12:12(b)
The Bible talks a lot about fear...
the devil is come down to you, having great wrath,
because he knows that he has but a short time.
Revelation 12:12(b)
The Bible talks a lot about fear...
There is a good kind of fear which allows one to use caution and to avoid danger and possible harm. There is also a "fear of the Lord," which simply means to respect and honor God as in, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and knowledge" (Proverbs 1:7). And there is the fear of dread and terror at the thought of one's impending doom.
I believe the latter is what the devil fears. And I don't blame him. If I were destined to spend eternity in a place called the "Lake of Fire," I would be in a state of utter terror, too. Who wouldn't be? "And the devil... was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone... and (he) shall be tormented day and night forever and ever" (Revelation 20:10).
The reality is, the devil lives in a state of extreme panic. His doom is certain. God's judgment against him has already been cast, and there can be no appeals. So if there's anyone who needs to fear, it is Satan.
Meanwhile, a disciple of the Lord Jesus should never fear the devil. Rather, he should fear us. After all, Jesus himself declared that He has given us the "power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you"(Luke 10:19).
The Bible also lets us know that, according to what is written within its pages, those who belong to Jesus sit in "heavenly places" (Ephesians 2:6). In other words, the Christian has been given the divine privilege to sit above all that is going on beneath him. He sits above Satan in power and authority, and has a direct line to God's "throne of grace" where he can approach the Lord with boldness and confidence at any time (Hebrews 4:14-16).
Knowing this truth should humble us and cause those who are members of the body of Christ through faith in Him, to rejoice and be thankful, but never to become proud.
Standing before His disciples, the Lord said, "All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth... And behold, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:18-20).
In summary, the born again follower of Jesus the Messiah need never fear the evil one. He needs to fear us.
D.B.
I believe the latter is what the devil fears. And I don't blame him. If I were destined to spend eternity in a place called the "Lake of Fire," I would be in a state of utter terror, too. Who wouldn't be? "And the devil... was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone... and (he) shall be tormented day and night forever and ever" (Revelation 20:10).
The reality is, the devil lives in a state of extreme panic. His doom is certain. God's judgment against him has already been cast, and there can be no appeals. So if there's anyone who needs to fear, it is Satan.
Meanwhile, a disciple of the Lord Jesus should never fear the devil. Rather, he should fear us. After all, Jesus himself declared that He has given us the "power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you"(Luke 10:19).
The Bible also lets us know that, according to what is written within its pages, those who belong to Jesus sit in "heavenly places" (Ephesians 2:6). In other words, the Christian has been given the divine privilege to sit above all that is going on beneath him. He sits above Satan in power and authority, and has a direct line to God's "throne of grace" where he can approach the Lord with boldness and confidence at any time (Hebrews 4:14-16).
Knowing this truth should humble us and cause those who are members of the body of Christ through faith in Him, to rejoice and be thankful, but never to become proud.
Standing before His disciples, the Lord said, "All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth... And behold, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew 28:18-20).
In summary, the born again follower of Jesus the Messiah need never fear the evil one. He needs to fear us.
D.B.
