A costly defeat!

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(First published on 12/19/11, edited and republished 03/05/13)

{Middle of the last book of the Bible}

Revelation 12:9 

This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.

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The Devil is real! Here in Revelation chapter 12 you get a great correlation of information, Dragon, Serpent, Devil, Satan, "fallen" Angel all referring to the same entity or being.

Satan is described as this great enemy of God and accuser of us who believe in God.

If you read on in the passage (included below) you'll see those people that Satan accuses are the same who defeat him by the Blood of the Lamb. You with Jesus defeat Satan! Not only is there a great enemy but He is defeated. But at a cost? We win but blood is shed. And it is the blood of Jesus and his followers' blood that is shed.

The defeat of Satan is sure, but it is also sure that it is costly to defeat him.

Jesus blood was a great cost. You too must suffer and some of the followers of Jesus will suffer to death to be involved in the defeat of Satan.

Have you thought about the serious and important role you have in the fight against evil?  God's salvation involves his people's participation. Please follower of Jesus don't ignore the fact that, Satan is a real and powerful enemy. But also don't despair, because we are confident that the Devil's defeat is sure!

But recognise this defeat comes at a great cost and you will suffer. Although this suffering now is nothing compared with Jesus' suffering and your suffering is guaranteed a victorious outcome.

The book of Revelation is full of picture language, simile, metaphor, analogy and symbolism. But although it is full of figures of speech, Revelation is also plain and clear. Because the pictures aren't as familiar as the ones we use today the meaning seems a bit more obscure. If you don't understand then email me and I'll write you a paragraph of current modern picture language /slang that you'll understand but won't mean exactly what it says but will mean exactly what you'll understand.

Here's are some guidelines for understanding the Bible:

• Always ask what this passage contributed to God's revelation of Jesus. Genesis to Revelation the Bible is about Jesus. That's what Jesus said. Look for Jesus. What does this part of the Bible tell me about God's character, promise, will or expectations?
• Compare the Bible with the Bible. Jesus referred to the Bible nearly in everything he said. It not only reinforced the truth but further explained it.
• What did this mean for the original audience? Try to understand the words firstly in the whole Jesus /Biblical context and then secondly what did the immediate context of the first intended audience understand by it?
• Lastly, how can this move you to trust Jesus today?

Revelation 12:1-18 NLT

Then I witnessed in heaven an event of great significance. I saw a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant, and she cried out because of her labor pains and the agony of giving birth. Then I witnessed in heaven another significant event. I saw a large red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, with seven crowns on his heads. His tail swept away one-third of the stars in the sky, and he threw them to the earth. He stood in front of the woman as she was about to give birth, ready to devour her baby as soon as it was born. She gave birth to a son who was to rule all nations with an iron rod. And her child was snatched away from the dragon and was caught up to God and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place to care for her for 1,260 days. Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels. Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens, “It has come at last— salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth— the one who accuses them before our God day and night. And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony. And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens! And you who live in the heavens, rejoice! But terror will come on the earth and the sea, for the devil has come down to you in great anger, knowing that he has little time.” When the dragon realized that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. But she was given two wings like those of a great eagle so she could fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness. There she would be cared for and protected from the dragon for a time, times, and half a time. Then the dragon tried to drown the woman with a flood of water that flowed from his mouth. But the earth helped her by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that gushed out from the mouth of the dragon. And the dragon was angry at the woman and declared war against the rest of her children—all who keep God’s commandments and maintain their testimony for Jesus. Then the dragon took his stand on the shore beside the sea.

https://soundcloud.com/wkbode/the-defeat-of-the-devil

itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/willi…bode/id635644278

What's the problem?

(Audio Blog/podcast)
Isaiah 59:1-16 NLT

Listen! The Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call. It’s your sins that have cut you off from God. Because of your sins, he has turned away and will not listen anymore. Your hands are the hands of murderers, and your fingers are filthy with sin. Your lips are full of lies, and your mouth spews corruption.

No one cares about being fair and honest.

The people’s lawsuits are based on lies. They conceive evil deeds and then give birth to sin. They hatch deadly snakes and weave spiders’ webs. Whoever falls into their webs will die, and there’s danger even in getting near them. Their webs can’t be made into clothing, and nothing they do is productive. All their activity is filled with sin, and violence is their trademark. Their feet run to do evil, and they rush to commit murder. They think only about sinning. Misery and destruction always follow them. They don’t know where to find peace or what it means to be just and good. They have mapped out crooked roads, and no one who follows them knows a moment’s peace. So there is no justice among us, and we know nothing about right living. We look for light but find only darkness. We look for bright skies but walk in gloom. We grope like the blind along a wall, feeling our way like people without eyes. Even at brightest noontime, we stumble as though it were dark. Among the living, we are like the dead. We growl like hungry bears; we moan like mournful doves. We look for justice, but it never comes. We look for rescue, but it is far away from us. For our sins are piled up before God and testify against us. Yes, we know what sinners we are. We know we have rebelled and have denied the Lord. We have turned our backs on our God. We know how unfair and oppressive we have been, carefully planning our deceitful lies. Our courts oppose the righteous, and justice is nowhere to be found. Truth stumbles in the streets, and honesty has been outlawed. Yes, truth is gone, and anyone who renounces evil is attacked. The Lord looked and was displeased to find there was no justice. He was amazed to see that no one intervened to help the oppressed. So he himself stepped in to save them with his strong arm, and his justice sustained him.

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The problem is sin. From time to time you'll run into a person who looks at the world around them and concludes, there must be no God. They'll say they've come to that conclusion because of all the pain and suffering in the world. They have wrongly assumed a number of things. First they might say if there was a God, he'd stop all the evil in the world. God would not let all the children die of hunger that do everyday. God wouldn’t allow evil men to rape and kill innocent women and children in war-torn countries around the globe. If there was a God, he'd put an end to the painful, evil diseases that devastate lovely people, even Christians suffer with.

Strangely, I've actually had a person tell me this while shoveling their third plate of food into their mouth at a meal someone else had paid for.

So let's assume for just a moment there is no God. And let's also assume this sentiment to save the world from suffering is right. So we'll call this person who decries the evil of the world for a moment God, because they are good and can see evil.

What have they done to relieve suffering?

Most of us in the wealthy west live a life that creates the very pain and evil that had been indicted. The argument is a smoke screen.

Interestingly, one of the most profound and enduring stories told by Jesus was that of the good Samaritan. And even without the far more powerful cultural context of the story that many people will understand or feel, it still makes a lasting statement.

God says in the passage above through Isaiah, I can save. But what really needs to happen is I need to save the world from you!

Have you ever taken ownership of the problem of evil in the world? The problem of pain and suffering is You! You are greedy, self indulgent, indifferent. Your life, history and desires have caused the pain you rail at God against. And what have you done to alleviate it?

Have you fed the starving? Clothed the naked, housed the homeless, visited the sick, or paid for thier medical care?  Really? Has your contribution to the cure actually even amounted to anything compared to your contribution to the problem?

And who was Isaiah talking to? He was talking to the people who should have known better. He was talking to the actual 'children of God', the religious people. The message of anti-oppression to the oppressors was preached to the supposed goody two shoes.

Before you go pointing the pious finger, look in the mirror.

God is saying, "If I wipe out the problem, I have to wipe out you!"
(https://soundcloud.com/wkbode/consider-the-following-whats)

The Day of the Lord, probably not what you thought.

Audio Blog

Isaiah 13:11, 15-16, 18 NLT

“I, the Lord, will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their sin. I will crush the arrogance of the proud and humble the pride of the mighty.

Anyone who is captured will be cut down— run through with a sword. Their little children will be dashed to death before their eyes. Their homes will be sacked, and their wives will be raped.

The attacking armies will shoot down the young men with arrows. They will have no mercy on helpless babies and will show no compassion for children.”
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You are not going to like this one bit! But it's true and is serious. The Day of the Lord is coming.  It is a terrible day. The Day of the Lord is a day of judgement. It is a day of handing out sentences. You need to think from the viewpoint of the victim. You need to feel the injustice of the oppressed, the pain of the wronged.
Now you must accept that God is the victim. But also, God is judge. Far, far worse than some supposed innocent child being violently harmed is the gross injustice of mocking the kindness of God. You really must understand that God has every right to get back at humankind for the terrible atrocities they've committed against God's holy name. The rapist or the paedophile is really no worse than a joking fibber in comparison. Crimes against humanity, such as genocide, sound heinous to our ear. In reality, crimes against God are the most abominable. So then you may have some insight when you read the verse below and hear God take credit for the atrocities you've read about above.

Isaiah 13:3 NLT

I, the Lord, have dedicated these soldiers for this task. Yes, I have called mighty warriors to express my anger, and they will rejoice when I am exalted.”

I don't think you'll like what I am about to suggest. But could it be that in the terrible Day of the Lord, people like Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Osama Bin Laden and Sadam Hussain are claimed by God as his instruments of judgment on sin?

Recently a friend of mine was taking with her neighbour about believing in God. My friend's neighbour said they could not believe in God because of the problems of evil and suffering in the world. My friend said that only leaves you with the world and the problem without God. It seems that you are worse off. Surely we are not better off in our world of suffering and evil alone and with only ourselves to blame and only ourselves for help.

Consider for a moment there is a God. Now consider that offences against Him are really the most terrible injustice ever committed. Doesn't he have every right to get revenge? He will.
You may not like it but the only alternatives are that we act like there is no God or you are God. But no matter what we act like or think, the facts remain. There is a God, and he says here that he is going to judge sinners. And he says it will be terrible.

Are you ready? Do you feel sorry for God the victim? You should! You really want to be on his side.
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Isaiah 13:1-22 NLT

Isaiah son of Amoz received this message concerning the destruction of Babylon: “Raise a signal flag on a bare hilltop. Call up an army against Babylon. Wave your hand to encourage them as they march into the palaces of the high and mighty. I, the Lord, have dedicated these soldiers for this task. Yes, I have called mighty warriors to express my anger, and they will rejoice when I am exalted.” Hear the noise on the mountains! Listen, as the vast armies march! It is the noise and shouting of many nations. The Lord of Heaven’s Armies has called this army together. They come from distant countries, from beyond the farthest horizons. They are the Lord’s weapons to carry out his anger. With them he will destroy the whole land. Scream in terror, for the day of the Lord has arrived— the time for the Almighty to destroy. Every arm is paralyzed with fear. Every heart melts, and people are terrified. Pangs of anguish grip them, like those of a woman in labor. They look helplessly at one another, their faces aflame with fear. For see, the day of the Lord is coming— the terrible day of his fury and fierce anger. The land will be made desolate, and all the sinners destroyed with it. The heavens will be black above them; the stars will give no light. The sun will be dark when it rises, and the moon will provide no light. “I, the Lord , will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their sin. I will crush the arrogance of the proud and humble the pride of the mighty. I will make people scarcer than gold— more rare than the fine gold of Ophir. For I will shake the heavens. The earth will move from its place when the Lord of Heaven’s Armies displays his wrath in the day of his fierce anger.” Everyone in Babylon will run about like a hunted gazelle, like sheep without a shepherd. They will try to find their own people and flee to their own land. Anyone who is captured will be cut down— run through with a sword. Their little children will be dashed to death before their eyes. Their homes will be sacked, and their wives will be raped. “Look, I will stir up the Medes against Babylon. They cannot be tempted by silver or bribed with gold. The attacking armies will shoot down the young men with arrows. They will have no mercy on helpless babies and will show no compassion for children.” Babylon, the most glorious of kingdoms, the flower of Chaldean pride, will be devastated like Sodom and Gomorrah when God destroyed them. Babylon will never be inhabited again. It will remain empty for generation after generation. Nomads will refuse to camp there, and shepherds will not bed down their sheep. Desert animals will move into the ruined city, and the houses will be haunted by howling creatures. Owls will live among the ruins, and wild goats will go there to dance. Hyenas will howl in its fortresses, and jackals will make dens in its luxurious palaces. Babylon’s days are numbered; its time of destruction will soon arrive.

What are we really like?

John 2:24-25 NLT

But Jesus didn’t trust them, because he knew human nature. No one needed to tell him what mankind is really like.

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One of the biggest lies spread around these days is that people are essentially good.
People are evil, lustful, greedy, selfish, liers! All of them. Given the chance they'd stab you in the back.

(Read Matthew, Luke, John chapter 2)

One of the first things each of the Gospel writers establishes is the mortal danger Jesus is in, even as a baby. When we look in the mirror we have to be honest, we are part of a vicious, thoughtless race that kills just for entertainment. We glory in war. We well up with emotion and pride when we consider our military power.

Secretly we want more. We desire wealth, luxurious comfort and are willing to judge the poor, the weak, and the lonely as having brought their troubles on themselves.

We are basically selfish and full of pride. We want to be first, we want the larger portion, we want a break, we want recognition, and we want it even at the expense of others comfort.

Jesus knows the heart of every human. And he knows I've not described the grim state of the human condition with nearly enough abhorrence.

And yet Jesus can change hearts. His gracious work in the hearts of people can turn things completely around.

Although the earthly story of Jesus' life starts and ends with lies, betrayal, and murder. Jesus is more than human and as the God/man he is able to give life. He is able to change hearts. He is able to save, not because he lies and denies our nature but rather because he tells us the ugly truth about ourselves and offers to remake us completely new.

Whose view of mankind do you ascribed to?

Can you see how desperately we need a saviour?

Apart from God's rescue we're destined to destroy ourselves and everyone else in the process.

The Lord keeps me alive!

Psalms 54:1-7 NLT

Come with great power, O God, and rescue me! Defend me with your might. Listen to my prayer, O God. Pay attention to my plea. For strangers are attacking me; violent people are trying to kill me. They care nothing for God. Interlude But God is my helper. The Lord keeps me alive! May the evil plans of my enemies be turned against them. Do as you promised and put an end to them. I will sacrifice a voluntary offering to you; I will praise your name, O Lord , for it is good. For you have rescued me from my troubles and helped me to triumph over my enemies.

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You can call out to God. You can ask him to rescue you. God will listen. God will answer. God will pay attention.

Have you found that there are people who ignore God? Are they the same people picking on you?

Although the writer of this Psalm is being attacked by evil people who act as if there is no God, he knows God is his helper.

Do you feel oppressed? Are you confident that God can give you victory?  Do you have faith in God?

See the situation was bad. The Psalmist is being oppressed, attacked for his faith, plotted against, troubled, and they are attempting to murder him.

Notice faith in God and trust in His rescue doesn't mean you won't have troubles!

It does mean you know you are not alone. It does mean you know there is justice from God. It does mean you can cry out in confidence that you are being heard.

Look at the difference between the psalmist and his enemies.

They care nothing for God.
He looks to God as a great defender.

They plan to take life.
He knows God keeps him alive.

They have evil plans.
He had plans to trust and voluntarily sacrifice.

Are you trusting the Lord with your life?