The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible – Part Four Continued Oct 15, 2017 by: John Herbert | Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Audio Study Notes PDF https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/2017-10-15_Survey-Pt-4-Continued.mp3 Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Sunday October 15th 2017 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Part Four Continued That Serpent of Old 1). We had seen last time that following our Lord’s baptism by John at the beginning of His ministry He is led by the Spirit into the wilderness to an encounter with Satan and in Luke’s account of this meeting we had seen Satan making an extraordinary statement - Lu 4:5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. It can be very easy to gloss over what is said here, but let’s make sure we understand clearly what he says. Satan says, that he is the one who has authority over ‘all the kingdoms of the world’, that this authority had been delivered to him allowing him to give it to whomever he wishes. And he made this statement to the Christ, the Son that God has chosen to rule – and the Lord does not contradict him. a). We had then added to this that which the Lord Himself said concerning Satan recorded in John - Joh 14:30 "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world [age] is coming, and he has nothing in Me. And we had seen that the word translated ruler denotes the original, the first, therefore, the primary ruler of this age. And this is a phrase used by the Lord of Satan 3 times in John’s Gospel. b). Now, despite the affirmation, implicit in the verses from Luke and plainly stated in John, that Satan is the ruler of this age, Jesus also describes him this way in an encounter with the Pharisees in - Joh 8:44 "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONTINUED 1 Here we find that Satan is described as a murderer ‘from the beginning’ and the father of lies, which indeed he is. All of which might cause us to wonder why does God the Son acknowledge such a one as Satan as the ruler of this age? c). And the simple and yet for some the profoundly shocking answer that we discovered last time is that Satan is indeed the ruler of this age and has in fact ruled over the earth since its creation. d). In relation to His Kingdom rule the Lord has said very specifically – Joh 18:36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world [age]. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here." 2). And by comparing scripture with scripture we had seen that God, ‘in beginning’ had created a perfect, a complete earth, that He established and created to be inhabited - Isa 45:18 For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain [Heb. Tohu], Who formed it to be inhabited: "I am the LORD, and there is no other. A complete creation that was met with rejoicing by the angels - Job 38:7 When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy? a). Morning stars are a particular class of angel associated directly with rulership, all of whom would also be seen as ‘sons of God’ because of their individual creation. b). And within this cohort of ruling angels we find - Isa 14:12 "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! The name Lucifer literally meaning the morning star. c). And this angel, at his creation, was also perfect, complete – Eze 28:12 "Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre [an epithet for Lucifer/Satan], and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created. 14 "You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONTINUED 2 you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. 15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, d). We saw that he was placed ‘in Eden, the garden of God’, the same location in which Adam was placed at a later point with a view to rulership, but totally different in its makeup. e). And in relation to this place where Lucifer was placed he was ‘the anointed cherub who covers’ – the angel whom God had anointed and appointed to cover, to rule over, the earth from the heavens associated with the earth. f). And all of this predates the restoration of the earth and the creation of Man seen in Genesis Chapter 1 – Making Lucifer the original, the first, the primary ruler over the earth. And in this role, he is seen ‘on the holy mountain of God’ walking ‘back and forth in the midst of the fiery stones’. g). And again, as we compared scripture with scripture, the holy mountain of God is where we still find Satan after his fall as recorded in the Book of Job - Job 2:1 ¶ Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. 2 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." The place where ‘the sons of God’, ruling angels, come to present themselves before the Lord would be none other than ‘the holy mountain of God’, also referred to in Isaiah as, ‘the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north’. The mountain on which the sons of God would congregate to present themselves before the Lord. h). And the important thing we would want to note here is that Satan is still seen on the mount of the congregation with the other ruling angels after his fall and after the creation of Man and that he is there in relation to the earth, the province over which he was created to rule. And if we follow this through the scriptures we can see that Satan continues to have access to the holy mountain until the mid-point in the Tribulation - Re 12:7 And 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, ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONTINUED 3 called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. i). And by comparing Ezekiel and Isaiah, scripture with scripture, we saw the nature of Lucifer’s fall - Eze 28:15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you. 16 "By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones. 17 "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they might gaze at you. 18 "You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, Isa 14:12 "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' Because of his rebellion against God through his attempt to replace Him Lucifer was disqualified to rule marked by the name change to Satan, literally the adversary, no longer the morning star. j). Although that which is described in the latter part of Ezekiel 28:16 does not take place until the time seen in Revelation Chapter 12 he has been disqualified to rule since the day he said in his heart that he would exalt his throne above the stars of God and be like the Most High. k). And as a result of this action, his sanctuaries, the places over which he was given dominion were defiled, which is exactly what we had seen recorded at the beginning of Genesis - Ge 1:2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And as the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters so God began a redemptive process to restore the earth to be inhabitable again and created Man to take Satan’s place. Power Point – Slides 1- 4 ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONTINUED 4 3). So, having rebelled, why did God not just replace Satan instantly? Why would we see him still as the ruler of this age even now? Why would God allow him to continue? a). Well, to begin to answer our questions there are some things from our previous weeks of study that we need to keep in mind. b). Let’s remember - Col 1:16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. With respect to rulership and the earth all things were created by God the Son and for God the Son and this predetermination was in place before Lucifer, the anointed cherub was created, before his dominion began. c). And then into this predetermination we must remember - Eph 3:11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, And Christ Jesus our Lord is the incarnate Christ, the Seed of the Woman, born of a woman and this of itself shows that the creation of Man on the 6th day in Genesis Chapter 1 was also predetermined before Lucifer’s creation, because it could only be through a created human being that the One for whom all things were made could come. d). And already here we are beginning to see an unspecified period of time between Satan’s rebellion and the creation of Man, a time during which his rule must continue until the One found worthy is able to replace him. e). We have already seen that the Christ has been found worthy as the second Man the last Adam to replace Satan as ruler, but again remember that God has set in place from the beginning that the last Adam, as the first, must have a wife to rule with Him. A wife who herself must be one flesh with her Husband and must be in the image and likeness of God. f). And if we follow the typology as seen in Ruth we can see that Christ’s wife is to come primarily from the Gentiles and from the typology in Genesis Chapter 24 that she must come from the family of God as a result of a search made by the Holy Spirit. And finally, following the type in Genesis Chapter 2, she will be taken from the body of Christ necessitating a process by which Christ’s wife is to be formed, pictured in the type seen in - Ge 2:21 ¶ And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONTINUED 5 his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. Joh 19:33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. The process of the making of the Wife for Christ is synonymous with the search for the bride in Genesis Chapter 24 and is pictured through the 6 days of redemptive work seen in Genesis Chapter 1 - 2Pe 3:8 ¶ But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. Power Point – Slides 5 - 6 g). Satan’s removal as ruler over the earth is absolutely certain and has been certain since the day of his rebellion, but the timing of this removal is subject to the fulfillment of God’s preordained purpose and process manifested within time. It should never be seen as inactivity on God’s part or attributing power that he doesn’t have to Satan. h). And viewing all this together will provide the answer to the questions we asked. 5). Now, we have seen that the Christ, as the Son of Man, has proven Himself worthy to take Satan’s crown and we can know from the things we have just looked at that He cannot rule at this moment, but how should we see His present position? The scripture tells us He is seated at the right hand of God, in a position of authority and power – how should we make sense of this within what we now know of the present system of rulership? a). As always, we just need to go to the scriptures where we can find a type that presents the matter to us clearly - 1Sa 10:24 And Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?" So all the people shouted and said, "Long live the king!" 25 Then Samuel explained to the people the behavior of royalty, and wrote it in a book and laid it up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house. 26 And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and valiant men went with him, whose hearts God had touched. ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONTINUED 6 Here is Saul, the son of Kish, the first king over Israel and we see that there were none like him among all the people; he was taller from the shoulders upward than anyone. And in Saul’s description we may find an echo of Satan’s description in Ezekiel, of whom Saul forms a type. b). Even though Saul is to be king over Israel he is to rule in accordance with the commandments of the Lord, as was Satan - 1Sa 15:1 ¶ Samuel also said to Saul, "The LORD sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the LORD. 2 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. 3 'Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.'" And Saul was given a very clear command, ‘attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them’. All Saul had to do was carry out the Lord’s command. But what do we find? c). 1Sa 15:9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed. 10 ¶ Now the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying, 11 "I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments." And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the LORD all night......... 17 So Samuel said, "When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the LORD anoint you king over Israel? 18 "Now the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, 'Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.' 19 "Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the LORD?" 20 And Saul said to Samuel, "But I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 "But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal." 22 Then Samuel said: "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king." ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONTINUED 7 Saul’s failure to follow the command of the Lord is called rebellion and can be seen to parallel that of Satan. In choosing his own will over God’s command Saul effectively tried to exalt his throne above the stars of God. And because of his actions Saul as with Satan, is rejected from being King. d). Another is then found to replace the rejected Saul - 1Sa 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah. Samuel anointed David king over Israel in Saul’s place, but Saul still remained king and would remain so until God removed him. e). And so, we have 2 anointed kings, one disqualified but still in place and the other chosen but not yet ruling – both waiting for God to address the issue in His time. f). And here through the type we have the picture of rulership as it presently exists. There are 2 anointed ‘kings’ over the earth – Satan is disqualified, but still in place and the Christ has been chosen to replace him but is not yet ruling, awaiting the time when God will remove Satan and establish His Son in Satan’s place in fulfillment of that predetermined from the beginning. g). And if we continue with the type seen through David and Saul we can find spiritual truth concerning our own actions during the time of this present darkness - 1Sa 22:1 ¶ David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him. 2 And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him. David at the cave of Adullam, removed from Saul’s kingdom provides a picture of the Christ seated with His Father, removed from Satan’s kingdom. And as with David, all those discontented and distressed by Satan’s kingdom are to unite themselves with the Christ, seated with Him in heavenly places, and do as David and his men did – wait. Wait until God removes the incumbent ruler and places His Son and His coheirs in the positions of rulership occupied by Satan and his angels. h). And during this time of waiting we can find more spiritual truth from the type concerning how we should regard ‘the god of this world’ - 1Sa 24:3 So ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONTINUED 8 he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to attend to his needs. (David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave.) 4 Then the men of David said to him, "This is the day of which the LORD said to you, 'Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.'" And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul's robe. 5 Now it happened afterward that David's heart troubled him because he had cut Saul's robe. 6 And he said to his men, "The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the LORD'S anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD." 7 So David restrained his servants with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. Now, David knew that God had rejected Saul as king and knew that he had been anointed king in his place, but even though he is presented with an opportunity to kill Saul and immediately take the kingdom, David refused to do so because Saul was ‘the anointed of the Lord’. And as such there is only One who had the authority to touch him and the right to remove him – God Himself. i). And we have seen during our study that Satan is ‘the anointed cherub who covers’ and although disqualified he remains ‘the Lord’s anointed’, as did Saul. And as such there is only One who has the right to touch him and the right to remove him – God Himself. We have neither the authority nor the right to do either. j). The uncomfortable truth for the modern religious ear is that to touch Satan is to touch the One who anointed him ruler and to do so would place us in rebellion. k). In the days of the ‘instant’ waiting can be the hardest thing, but what does the scripture say? Ps 37:34 ¶ Wait on the LORD, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it. Isa 40:31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. La 3:26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the LORD. ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONTINUED 9 Heb 9:28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. 2Sa 1:1 ¶ Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had stayed two days in Ziklag, 2 on the third day, behold, it happened that a man came from Saul's camp with his clothes torn and dust on his head. So it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the ground and prostrated himself. 3 And David said to him, "Where have you come from?" So he said to him, "I have escaped from the camp of Israel." 4 Then David said to him, "How did the matter go? Please tell me." And he answered, "The people have fled from the battle, many of the people are fallen and dead, and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also." 5 So David said to the young man who told him, "How do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?" 6 Then the young man who told him said, "As I happened by chance to be on Mount Gilboa, there was Saul, leaning on his spear; and indeed the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. 7 "Now when he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. And I answered, 'Here I am.' 8 "And he said to me, 'Who are you?' So I answered him, 'I am an Amalekite.' 9 "He said to me again, 'Please stand over me and kill me, for anguish has come upon me, but my life still remains in me.' 10 "So I stood over him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them here to my lord." 2Sa 1:14 So David said to him, "How was it you were not afraid to put forth your hand to destroy the LORD'S anointed?" 15 Then David called one of the young men and said, "Go near, and execute him!" And he struck him so that he died. 16 So David said to him, "Your blood is on your own head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, 'I have killed the LORD'S anointed.'" We will continue with this next time - if the Lord is willing. ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONTINUED 10 The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible – Part Four Continued Oct 15, 2017 Speaker: John Herbert Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Category: Sunday Morning https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/2017-10-15_Survey-Pt-4-Continued.mp3 Download Audio x
Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Sunday October 15th 2017 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Part Four Continued That Serpent of Old 1). We had seen last time that following our Lord’s baptism by John at the beginning of His ministry He is led by the Spirit into the wilderness to an encounter with Satan and in Luke’s account of this meeting we had seen Satan making an extraordinary statement - Lu 4:5 Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. It can be very easy to gloss over what is said here, but let’s make sure we understand clearly what he says. Satan says, that he is the one who has authority over ‘all the kingdoms of the world’, that this authority had been delivered to him allowing him to give it to whomever he wishes. And he made this statement to the Christ, the Son that God has chosen to rule – and the Lord does not contradict him. a). We had then added to this that which the Lord Himself said concerning Satan recorded in John - Joh 14:30 "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world [age] is coming, and he has nothing in Me. And we had seen that the word translated ruler denotes the original, the first, therefore, the primary ruler of this age. And this is a phrase used by the Lord of Satan 3 times in John’s Gospel. b). Now, despite the affirmation, implicit in the verses from Luke and plainly stated in John, that Satan is the ruler of this age, Jesus also describes him this way in an encounter with the Pharisees in - Joh 8:44 "You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONTINUED 1 Here we find that Satan is described as a murderer ‘from the beginning’ and the father of lies, which indeed he is. All of which might cause us to wonder why does God the Son acknowledge such a one as Satan as the ruler of this age? c). And the simple and yet for some the profoundly shocking answer that we discovered last time is that Satan is indeed the ruler of this age and has in fact ruled over the earth since its creation. d). In relation to His Kingdom rule the Lord has said very specifically – Joh 18:36 Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world [age]. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here." 2). And by comparing scripture with scripture we had seen that God, ‘in beginning’ had created a perfect, a complete earth, that He established and created to be inhabited - Isa 45:18 For thus says the LORD, Who created the heavens, Who is God, Who formed the earth and made it, Who has established it, Who did not create it in vain [Heb. Tohu], Who formed it to be inhabited: "I am the LORD, and there is no other. A complete creation that was met with rejoicing by the angels - Job 38:7 When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy? a). Morning stars are a particular class of angel associated directly with rulership, all of whom would also be seen as ‘sons of God’ because of their individual creation. b). And within this cohort of ruling angels we find - Isa 14:12 "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! The name Lucifer literally meaning the morning star. c). And this angel, at his creation, was also perfect, complete – Eze 28:12 "Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre [an epithet for Lucifer/Satan], and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: "You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes Was prepared for you on the day you were created. 14 "You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONTINUED 2 you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. 15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, d). We saw that he was placed ‘in Eden, the garden of God’, the same location in which Adam was placed at a later point with a view to rulership, but totally different in its makeup. e). And in relation to this place where Lucifer was placed he was ‘the anointed cherub who covers’ – the angel whom God had anointed and appointed to cover, to rule over, the earth from the heavens associated with the earth. f). And all of this predates the restoration of the earth and the creation of Man seen in Genesis Chapter 1 – Making Lucifer the original, the first, the primary ruler over the earth. And in this role, he is seen ‘on the holy mountain of God’ walking ‘back and forth in the midst of the fiery stones’. g). And again, as we compared scripture with scripture, the holy mountain of God is where we still find Satan after his fall as recorded in the Book of Job - Job 2:1 ¶ Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. 2 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." The place where ‘the sons of God’, ruling angels, come to present themselves before the Lord would be none other than ‘the holy mountain of God’, also referred to in Isaiah as, ‘the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north’. The mountain on which the sons of God would congregate to present themselves before the Lord. h). And the important thing we would want to note here is that Satan is still seen on the mount of the congregation with the other ruling angels after his fall and after the creation of Man and that he is there in relation to the earth, the province over which he was created to rule. And if we follow this through the scriptures we can see that Satan continues to have access to the holy mountain until the mid-point in the Tribulation - Re 12:7 And 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, ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONTINUED 3 called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. i). And by comparing Ezekiel and Isaiah, scripture with scripture, we saw the nature of Lucifer’s fall - Eze 28:15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you. 16 "By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones. 17 "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they might gaze at you. 18 "You defiled your sanctuaries By the multitude of your iniquities, Isa 14:12 "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' Because of his rebellion against God through his attempt to replace Him Lucifer was disqualified to rule marked by the name change to Satan, literally the adversary, no longer the morning star. j). Although that which is described in the latter part of Ezekiel 28:16 does not take place until the time seen in Revelation Chapter 12 he has been disqualified to rule since the day he said in his heart that he would exalt his throne above the stars of God and be like the Most High. k). And as a result of this action, his sanctuaries, the places over which he was given dominion were defiled, which is exactly what we had seen recorded at the beginning of Genesis - Ge 1:2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And as the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters so God began a redemptive process to restore the earth to be inhabitable again and created Man to take Satan’s place. Power Point – Slides 1- 4 ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONTINUED 4 3). So, having rebelled, why did God not just replace Satan instantly? Why would we see him still as the ruler of this age even now? Why would God allow him to continue? a). Well, to begin to answer our questions there are some things from our previous weeks of study that we need to keep in mind. b). Let’s remember - Col 1:16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. With respect to rulership and the earth all things were created by God the Son and for God the Son and this predetermination was in place before Lucifer, the anointed cherub was created, before his dominion began. c). And then into this predetermination we must remember - Eph 3:11 according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, And Christ Jesus our Lord is the incarnate Christ, the Seed of the Woman, born of a woman and this of itself shows that the creation of Man on the 6th day in Genesis Chapter 1 was also predetermined before Lucifer’s creation, because it could only be through a created human being that the One for whom all things were made could come. d). And already here we are beginning to see an unspecified period of time between Satan’s rebellion and the creation of Man, a time during which his rule must continue until the One found worthy is able to replace him. e). We have already seen that the Christ has been found worthy as the second Man the last Adam to replace Satan as ruler, but again remember that God has set in place from the beginning that the last Adam, as the first, must have a wife to rule with Him. A wife who herself must be one flesh with her Husband and must be in the image and likeness of God. f). And if we follow the typology as seen in Ruth we can see that Christ’s wife is to come primarily from the Gentiles and from the typology in Genesis Chapter 24 that she must come from the family of God as a result of a search made by the Holy Spirit. And finally, following the type in Genesis Chapter 2, she will be taken from the body of Christ necessitating a process by which Christ’s wife is to be formed, pictured in the type seen in - Ge 2:21 ¶ And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONTINUED 5 his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. Joh 19:33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. The process of the making of the Wife for Christ is synonymous with the search for the bride in Genesis Chapter 24 and is pictured through the 6 days of redemptive work seen in Genesis Chapter 1 - 2Pe 3:8 ¶ But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. Power Point – Slides 5 - 6 g). Satan’s removal as ruler over the earth is absolutely certain and has been certain since the day of his rebellion, but the timing of this removal is subject to the fulfillment of God’s preordained purpose and process manifested within time. It should never be seen as inactivity on God’s part or attributing power that he doesn’t have to Satan. h). And viewing all this together will provide the answer to the questions we asked. 5). Now, we have seen that the Christ, as the Son of Man, has proven Himself worthy to take Satan’s crown and we can know from the things we have just looked at that He cannot rule at this moment, but how should we see His present position? The scripture tells us He is seated at the right hand of God, in a position of authority and power – how should we make sense of this within what we now know of the present system of rulership? a). As always, we just need to go to the scriptures where we can find a type that presents the matter to us clearly - 1Sa 10:24 And Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?" So all the people shouted and said, "Long live the king!" 25 Then Samuel explained to the people the behavior of royalty, and wrote it in a book and laid it up before the LORD. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house. 26 And Saul also went home to Gibeah; and valiant men went with him, whose hearts God had touched. ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONTINUED 6 Here is Saul, the son of Kish, the first king over Israel and we see that there were none like him among all the people; he was taller from the shoulders upward than anyone. And in Saul’s description we may find an echo of Satan’s description in Ezekiel, of whom Saul forms a type. b). Even though Saul is to be king over Israel he is to rule in accordance with the commandments of the Lord, as was Satan - 1Sa 15:1 ¶ Samuel also said to Saul, "The LORD sent me to anoint you king over His people, over Israel. Now therefore, heed the voice of the words of the LORD. 2 "Thus says the LORD of hosts: 'I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. 3 'Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.'" And Saul was given a very clear command, ‘attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them’. All Saul had to do was carry out the Lord’s command. But what do we find? c). 1Sa 15:9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed. 10 ¶ Now the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying, 11 "I greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has turned back from following Me, and has not performed My commandments." And it grieved Samuel, and he cried out to the LORD all night......... 17 So Samuel said, "When you were little in your own eyes, were you not head of the tribes of Israel? And did not the LORD anoint you king over Israel? 18 "Now the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, 'Go, and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are consumed.' 19 "Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD? Why did you swoop down on the spoil, and do evil in the sight of the LORD?" 20 And Saul said to Samuel, "But I have obeyed the voice of the LORD, and gone on the mission on which the LORD sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 "But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal." 22 Then Samuel said: "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He also has rejected you from being king." ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONTINUED 7 Saul’s failure to follow the command of the Lord is called rebellion and can be seen to parallel that of Satan. In choosing his own will over God’s command Saul effectively tried to exalt his throne above the stars of God. And because of his actions Saul as with Satan, is rejected from being King. d). Another is then found to replace the rejected Saul - 1Sa 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose and went to Ramah. Samuel anointed David king over Israel in Saul’s place, but Saul still remained king and would remain so until God removed him. e). And so, we have 2 anointed kings, one disqualified but still in place and the other chosen but not yet ruling – both waiting for God to address the issue in His time. f). And here through the type we have the picture of rulership as it presently exists. There are 2 anointed ‘kings’ over the earth – Satan is disqualified, but still in place and the Christ has been chosen to replace him but is not yet ruling, awaiting the time when God will remove Satan and establish His Son in Satan’s place in fulfillment of that predetermined from the beginning. g). And if we continue with the type seen through David and Saul we can find spiritual truth concerning our own actions during the time of this present darkness - 1Sa 22:1 ¶ David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him. 2 And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him. David at the cave of Adullam, removed from Saul’s kingdom provides a picture of the Christ seated with His Father, removed from Satan’s kingdom. And as with David, all those discontented and distressed by Satan’s kingdom are to unite themselves with the Christ, seated with Him in heavenly places, and do as David and his men did – wait. Wait until God removes the incumbent ruler and places His Son and His coheirs in the positions of rulership occupied by Satan and his angels. h). And during this time of waiting we can find more spiritual truth from the type concerning how we should regard ‘the god of this world’ - 1Sa 24:3 So ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONTINUED 8 he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to attend to his needs. (David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave.) 4 Then the men of David said to him, "This is the day of which the LORD said to you, 'Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.'" And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul's robe. 5 Now it happened afterward that David's heart troubled him because he had cut Saul's robe. 6 And he said to his men, "The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the LORD'S anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD." 7 So David restrained his servants with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. Now, David knew that God had rejected Saul as king and knew that he had been anointed king in his place, but even though he is presented with an opportunity to kill Saul and immediately take the kingdom, David refused to do so because Saul was ‘the anointed of the Lord’. And as such there is only One who had the authority to touch him and the right to remove him – God Himself. i). And we have seen during our study that Satan is ‘the anointed cherub who covers’ and although disqualified he remains ‘the Lord’s anointed’, as did Saul. And as such there is only One who has the right to touch him and the right to remove him – God Himself. We have neither the authority nor the right to do either. j). The uncomfortable truth for the modern religious ear is that to touch Satan is to touch the One who anointed him ruler and to do so would place us in rebellion. k). In the days of the ‘instant’ waiting can be the hardest thing, but what does the scripture say? Ps 37:34 ¶ Wait on the LORD, And keep His way, And He shall exalt you to inherit the land; When the wicked are cut off, you shall see it. Isa 40:31 But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint. La 3:26 It is good that one should hope and wait quietly For the salvation of the LORD. ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONTINUED 9 Heb 9:28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. 2Sa 1:1 ¶ Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had stayed two days in Ziklag, 2 on the third day, behold, it happened that a man came from Saul's camp with his clothes torn and dust on his head. So it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the ground and prostrated himself. 3 And David said to him, "Where have you come from?" So he said to him, "I have escaped from the camp of Israel." 4 Then David said to him, "How did the matter go? Please tell me." And he answered, "The people have fled from the battle, many of the people are fallen and dead, and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also." 5 So David said to the young man who told him, "How do you know that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?" 6 Then the young man who told him said, "As I happened by chance to be on Mount Gilboa, there was Saul, leaning on his spear; and indeed the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. 7 "Now when he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me. And I answered, 'Here I am.' 8 "And he said to me, 'Who are you?' So I answered him, 'I am an Amalekite.' 9 "He said to me again, 'Please stand over me and kill me, for anguish has come upon me, but my life still remains in me.' 10 "So I stood over him and killed him, because I was sure that he could not live after he had fallen. And I took the crown that was on his head and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them here to my lord." 2Sa 1:14 So David said to him, "How was it you were not afraid to put forth your hand to destroy the LORD'S anointed?" 15 Then David called one of the young men and said, "Go near, and execute him!" And he struck him so that he died. 16 So David said to him, "Your blood is on your own head, for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, 'I have killed the LORD'S anointed.'" We will continue with this next time - if the Lord is willing. ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONTINUED 10