The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Four - Concluded Oct 22, 2017 by: John Herbert | Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Audio Study Notes PDF https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/2017-10-22_Survey-Pt-4-Concluded.mp3 Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Sunday October 22nd 2017 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Part Four Concluded That Serpent of Old 1). 1Sa 15:17 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?"............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." 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. 14 ¶ But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, We had seen in our previous study that Saul and David within the context of the rulership of the nation of Israel had provided us with a type, a picture of Satan and the Christ with respect to the rulership of the earth. a). Saul had been anointed as Israel’s first king, but because of rebellion, he did ‘not obey the voice of the Lord’, he was rejected by God from being king. b). And because Saul had been rejected as king another was found to be Israel’s second king and was anointed in Saul’s place – David the son of Jesse. c). But we had seen that although David had been chosen to be king and although he had been anointed to be king, Saul continued to reign. d). We had seen that with respect to this period in Israel’s history there were 2 anointed kings over Israel – the rejected king who continued to rule and the chosen king who did not yet reign but, whose reign was certain and from whom would come the One whom he typified - 2Sa 7:12 "When your days ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONCLUDED 1 are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 "He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 "I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. 15 "But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 "And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever."'" 17 According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David. e). And following the type into the antitype, there are 2 anointed kings over the earth - it is the rejected ruler, Satan, who continues to rule and the chosen King who is waiting to reign. And in both the type and the antitype waiting is inescapable as there is only One who can place and replace rulers - Da 4:17 'This decision is by the decree of the watchers, And the sentence by the word of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever He will, And sets over it the lowest of men.' And it is a prerequisite of God’s appointing process that the replacement ruler must be present and have been proven worthy before the incumbent ruler is removed. This is exactly what we see with respect to Saul and David. And if we think about it, it is exactly what we saw with Adam and the Woman – both were present and both had been proclaimed as rulers, but because of the events in the Garden they were not found worthy and so the incumbent ruler continued. f). And we see exactly the same thing with the Christ at His first advent. He was present and He was proven worthy to rule and has been appointed as King over the earth instead of Satan - Ps 2:6 "Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion." But the King cannot rule on His own. He must have a wife, as this is the way God has established matters from the beginning with respect to the restored earth. g). And because Christ’s wife is comprised of an unspecified number of Christians from the 2000 years of this dispensation, their worthiness to rule is still in the process of being proven - 1Pe 1:7 that the genuineness of your faith, ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONCLUDED 2 being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, And until Christ’s Wife is proven worthy to join her Husband, Satan must continue as the ruler of this age as God will not act outside of His predetermined parameters, outside of His eternal purpose - Mal 3:6 "For I am the LORD, I do not change; h). And during this time that Satan continues as the god of this age and inextricably connected to the proving of His Wife’s worthiness, we do not see the Lord as King, but as High Priest - Heb 4:15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. The Lord Himself having provided the example for how worthiness and therefore victory over Satan is attained - Heb 2:10 ¶ For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 2). And as we consider these things a significant part of the proof of our worthiness comes through believing and therefore trusting the Lord. a). This is exemplified for us by the Lord - Lu 22:42 saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done." And is also exemplified for us by the actions of David that we had looked at last time - 1Sa 24:5 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. And Saul got up from the cave and went on his way. b). Now, let’s be clear about a number of things here – David knew that he had been anointed in Saul’s place; he knew that Saul was trying to kill him because he had been anointed king and he knew the depths of Saul’s wickedness towards that end - 1Sa 22:17 Then the king said to the guards who ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONCLUDED 3 stood about him, "Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled and did not tell it to me." But the servants of the king would not lift their hands to strike the priests of the LORD.18 And the king said to Doeg, "You turn and kill the priests!" So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck the priests, and killed on that day eighty-five men who wore a linen ephod...........21 And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the LORD'S priests. And this is the exact same situation we see with respect to Satan and the Lord- 1Co 2:8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. And although the timeframe is somewhat longer than with David and Saul, the depths of Satan’s wickedness to try to prevent Christ from ruling are evident for all to see. c). However, despite the attempts on his own life and the depths of Saul’s wickedness, David’s trust was in the Lord - Ps 4:5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And put your trust in the LORD. And in this sense Saul’s wickedness was an issue between him and the Lord, not between him and David. David understood this and understood that God, through Samuel, had anointed Saul as king and that he had nothing to say about the matter. He could not dishonor God by touching His anointed, no matter how wicked. d). And it is not difficult to see how this applies to Satan as the god of this age and ourselves. e). But first, it is essential that we believe the scriptures and accept God’s sovereign control of all things. For some, Satan being God’s anointed is a place they refuse to go, but what does the scripture say? Eze 28:14 "You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; This is no different to Saul being anointed king over Israel. Saul’s subsequent rebellion could not change the fact that God had anointed him and nor could Satan’s subsequent rebellion. And with respect to this there is a verse in Proverbs we should keep in mind - Pr 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONCLUDED 4 3). We must accept the scriptural truth that Satan remains the anointed cherub and that the conclusion of the matter has been set out at the very beginning of God’s revelation to us, with a Man and a Woman entering the 7th Day for the purpose of rulership. a). This, as we have seen over the past weeks, is absolutely certain and there is nothing we can do or should attempt to do to expedite God’s purpose. It is not our business to come against God’s anointed. b). Let’s also keep in mind what the scripture says about us – Heb 2:6 But one testified in a certain place, saying: "What is man that You are mindful of him, Or the son of man that You take care of him? 7 You have made him a little lower than the angels; It is the clear teaching of these verses that all human beings, beginning with Adam and the Woman, have been made for a little while lower than the angels. c). The length of the ‘little while’ being the 6000 years of man’s day – a very little while in the overall scheme of things. d). At present then angels, both fallen and unfallen, are superior in authority and power to us and according to the scripture even a powerfully superior archangel had no right to rebuke the Lord’s anointed – Jude 1:8 ¶ Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. 9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" Yet there are those, according to verse 8, and we are talking of Christians here, who do that very thing. And contrary to popular religious thinking Satan is bound one time only and it’s not yet, in a very specific way - Re 20:1 ¶ Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. e). And we will remember from last time that the Amalekite who killed Saul on Mount Gilboa expecting to be rewarded for having done so was ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONCLUDED 5 executed by David - 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. And with this in mind, perhaps we should view carefully that recorded in – Mt 7:22 "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' 4). And so, having established that Satan and his fallen angels have been and remain the original anointed rulers over the earth we can go to the Book of Daniel to see how this rulership is enacted - Da 10:12 Then he said to me, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. 13 "But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia........20 Then he said, "Do you know why I have come to you? And now I must return to fight with the prince of Persia; and when I have gone forth, indeed the prince of Greece will come. 21 "But I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of Truth. (No one upholds me against these, except Michael your prince. What we see here is that there are angelic rulers, princes, kings, who have authority over the nations – in this instance Persia and Greece, and we also see Michael in relation to Israel. a). And we see a transition of power in the heavenly realm, ‘the prince of Greece will come’, which corresponded to a transition of power on the earth – the Persian empire being overthrown by the Greeks under Alexander the Great. b). What we will realize from this is that there are fallen angels, princes and kings, who have authority over corresponding national powers on the earth and this continues even now. c). Israel is the exception to this having an unfallen angel, Michael as their prince - Nu 23:9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, And from the hills I behold him; There! A people dwelling alone, Not reckoning itself among the nations. ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONCLUDED 6 d). So then, earthly leaders of all nations, except Israel, operate under the authority of Satan and his fallen angels, who have their authority from God. And nothing will change for the better with this present system until God removes Satan and his angels and places His Son and His Wife on the throne instead. 5). Now because of this present system of rulership Paul writes this to the Church in Rome - Ro 13:1 ¶ Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 ¶ Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. We find another truth that can be uncomfortable for many Christians – not only must we not touch the god of this age, but we must also have nothing to say about the earthly rulers who govern under his authority. a). To do so, as we see from the scripture, is to resist the ordinance of God and doing so will bring judgment on ourselves – remember the Amalekite. b). Rather we are to be subject to the governing authorities – and once again we come back to having to believe God. We know the end of the matter and we know that all of what we would call human history is marching inexorably towards that end and so we should have nothing to say about those whom Satan has placed in power under God’s authority – to do so is to say that we know better than God how to accomplish His purpose. c). Within the present-day mania for exercising ‘our rights’ this can be a challenging proposition, but for the Christian there is only one question, “do we trust in the Lord or do we lean on our own understanding?’ d). Under the law we are guaranteed freedom of speech, but under the authority of God we have the obligation to stay silent - 1Co 10:23 ¶ All things ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONCLUDED 7 are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. e). We might consider that during the Lord’s first advent the land of Israel and the people in it were subject to the harshness of the Roman Empire. Political prisoners, summary executions, torture, persecution were commonplace, but the Lord never addressed these things per se. He didn’t insight revolution and advocate for political change – He came offering the Kingdom of the Heavens which of itself would have and will bring about the most radical change ever seen. f). The present system of rulership will not change until those who control it are removed – and that is coming very soon. And in the meantime, we wait. Our worthiness to rule with the Christ and our victory over the rulers of the darkness of this age comes through our faithful obedience. We defeat our enemy by submission to the Word, never through confrontation – 1Sa 24:12 "Let the LORD judge between you and me, and let the LORD avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you. 13 "As the proverb of the ancients says, 'Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.' But my hand shall not be against you. 14 "After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea? 15 "Therefore let the LORD be judge, and judge between you and me, and see and plead my case, and deliver me out of your hand." Jas 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 1Pe 5:9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. Ro 16:20 And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. 2Pe 1:19 ¶ And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; Re 20:10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONCLUDED 8 Ps 2:6 "Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion." 7 ¶ "I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.'" We will continue with our survey of the Bible next time – if the Lord is willing. ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONCLUDED 9 The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Four - Concluded Oct 22, 2017 Speaker: John Herbert Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Category: Sunday Morning https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/2017-10-22_Survey-Pt-4-Concluded.mp3 Download Audio x
Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Sunday October 22nd 2017 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Part Four Concluded That Serpent of Old 1). 1Sa 15:17 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?"............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." 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. 14 ¶ But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, We had seen in our previous study that Saul and David within the context of the rulership of the nation of Israel had provided us with a type, a picture of Satan and the Christ with respect to the rulership of the earth. a). Saul had been anointed as Israel’s first king, but because of rebellion, he did ‘not obey the voice of the Lord’, he was rejected by God from being king. b). And because Saul had been rejected as king another was found to be Israel’s second king and was anointed in Saul’s place – David the son of Jesse. c). But we had seen that although David had been chosen to be king and although he had been anointed to be king, Saul continued to reign. d). We had seen that with respect to this period in Israel’s history there were 2 anointed kings over Israel – the rejected king who continued to rule and the chosen king who did not yet reign but, whose reign was certain and from whom would come the One whom he typified - 2Sa 7:12 "When your days ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONCLUDED 1 are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 "He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 "I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. 15 "But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 "And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever."'" 17 According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David. e). And following the type into the antitype, there are 2 anointed kings over the earth - it is the rejected ruler, Satan, who continues to rule and the chosen King who is waiting to reign. And in both the type and the antitype waiting is inescapable as there is only One who can place and replace rulers - Da 4:17 'This decision is by the decree of the watchers, And the sentence by the word of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives it to whomever He will, And sets over it the lowest of men.' And it is a prerequisite of God’s appointing process that the replacement ruler must be present and have been proven worthy before the incumbent ruler is removed. This is exactly what we see with respect to Saul and David. And if we think about it, it is exactly what we saw with Adam and the Woman – both were present and both had been proclaimed as rulers, but because of the events in the Garden they were not found worthy and so the incumbent ruler continued. f). And we see exactly the same thing with the Christ at His first advent. He was present and He was proven worthy to rule and has been appointed as King over the earth instead of Satan - Ps 2:6 "Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion." But the King cannot rule on His own. He must have a wife, as this is the way God has established matters from the beginning with respect to the restored earth. g). And because Christ’s wife is comprised of an unspecified number of Christians from the 2000 years of this dispensation, their worthiness to rule is still in the process of being proven - 1Pe 1:7 that the genuineness of your faith, ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONCLUDED 2 being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ, And until Christ’s Wife is proven worthy to join her Husband, Satan must continue as the ruler of this age as God will not act outside of His predetermined parameters, outside of His eternal purpose - Mal 3:6 "For I am the LORD, I do not change; h). And during this time that Satan continues as the god of this age and inextricably connected to the proving of His Wife’s worthiness, we do not see the Lord as King, but as High Priest - Heb 4:15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. The Lord Himself having provided the example for how worthiness and therefore victory over Satan is attained - Heb 2:10 ¶ For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 2). And as we consider these things a significant part of the proof of our worthiness comes through believing and therefore trusting the Lord. a). This is exemplified for us by the Lord - Lu 22:42 saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done." And is also exemplified for us by the actions of David that we had looked at last time - 1Sa 24:5 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. And Saul got up from the cave and went on his way. b). Now, let’s be clear about a number of things here – David knew that he had been anointed in Saul’s place; he knew that Saul was trying to kill him because he had been anointed king and he knew the depths of Saul’s wickedness towards that end - 1Sa 22:17 Then the king said to the guards who ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONCLUDED 3 stood about him, "Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled and did not tell it to me." But the servants of the king would not lift their hands to strike the priests of the LORD.18 And the king said to Doeg, "You turn and kill the priests!" So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck the priests, and killed on that day eighty-five men who wore a linen ephod...........21 And Abiathar told David that Saul had killed the LORD'S priests. And this is the exact same situation we see with respect to Satan and the Lord- 1Co 2:8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. And although the timeframe is somewhat longer than with David and Saul, the depths of Satan’s wickedness to try to prevent Christ from ruling are evident for all to see. c). However, despite the attempts on his own life and the depths of Saul’s wickedness, David’s trust was in the Lord - Ps 4:5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And put your trust in the LORD. And in this sense Saul’s wickedness was an issue between him and the Lord, not between him and David. David understood this and understood that God, through Samuel, had anointed Saul as king and that he had nothing to say about the matter. He could not dishonor God by touching His anointed, no matter how wicked. d). And it is not difficult to see how this applies to Satan as the god of this age and ourselves. e). But first, it is essential that we believe the scriptures and accept God’s sovereign control of all things. For some, Satan being God’s anointed is a place they refuse to go, but what does the scripture say? Eze 28:14 "You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; This is no different to Saul being anointed king over Israel. Saul’s subsequent rebellion could not change the fact that God had anointed him and nor could Satan’s subsequent rebellion. And with respect to this there is a verse in Proverbs we should keep in mind - Pr 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONCLUDED 4 3). We must accept the scriptural truth that Satan remains the anointed cherub and that the conclusion of the matter has been set out at the very beginning of God’s revelation to us, with a Man and a Woman entering the 7th Day for the purpose of rulership. a). This, as we have seen over the past weeks, is absolutely certain and there is nothing we can do or should attempt to do to expedite God’s purpose. It is not our business to come against God’s anointed. b). Let’s also keep in mind what the scripture says about us – Heb 2:6 But one testified in a certain place, saying: "What is man that You are mindful of him, Or the son of man that You take care of him? 7 You have made him a little lower than the angels; It is the clear teaching of these verses that all human beings, beginning with Adam and the Woman, have been made for a little while lower than the angels. c). The length of the ‘little while’ being the 6000 years of man’s day – a very little while in the overall scheme of things. d). At present then angels, both fallen and unfallen, are superior in authority and power to us and according to the scripture even a powerfully superior archangel had no right to rebuke the Lord’s anointed – Jude 1:8 ¶ Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. 9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!" Yet there are those, according to verse 8, and we are talking of Christians here, who do that very thing. And contrary to popular religious thinking Satan is bound one time only and it’s not yet, in a very specific way - Re 20:1 ¶ Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. e). And we will remember from last time that the Amalekite who killed Saul on Mount Gilboa expecting to be rewarded for having done so was ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONCLUDED 5 executed by David - 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. And with this in mind, perhaps we should view carefully that recorded in – Mt 7:22 "Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' 23 "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' 4). And so, having established that Satan and his fallen angels have been and remain the original anointed rulers over the earth we can go to the Book of Daniel to see how this rulership is enacted - Da 10:12 Then he said to me, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. 13 "But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia........20 Then he said, "Do you know why I have come to you? And now I must return to fight with the prince of Persia; and when I have gone forth, indeed the prince of Greece will come. 21 "But I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of Truth. (No one upholds me against these, except Michael your prince. What we see here is that there are angelic rulers, princes, kings, who have authority over the nations – in this instance Persia and Greece, and we also see Michael in relation to Israel. a). And we see a transition of power in the heavenly realm, ‘the prince of Greece will come’, which corresponded to a transition of power on the earth – the Persian empire being overthrown by the Greeks under Alexander the Great. b). What we will realize from this is that there are fallen angels, princes and kings, who have authority over corresponding national powers on the earth and this continues even now. c). Israel is the exception to this having an unfallen angel, Michael as their prince - Nu 23:9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, And from the hills I behold him; There! A people dwelling alone, Not reckoning itself among the nations. ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONCLUDED 6 d). So then, earthly leaders of all nations, except Israel, operate under the authority of Satan and his fallen angels, who have their authority from God. And nothing will change for the better with this present system until God removes Satan and his angels and places His Son and His Wife on the throne instead. 5). Now because of this present system of rulership Paul writes this to the Church in Rome - Ro 13:1 ¶ Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 ¶ Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. We find another truth that can be uncomfortable for many Christians – not only must we not touch the god of this age, but we must also have nothing to say about the earthly rulers who govern under his authority. a). To do so, as we see from the scripture, is to resist the ordinance of God and doing so will bring judgment on ourselves – remember the Amalekite. b). Rather we are to be subject to the governing authorities – and once again we come back to having to believe God. We know the end of the matter and we know that all of what we would call human history is marching inexorably towards that end and so we should have nothing to say about those whom Satan has placed in power under God’s authority – to do so is to say that we know better than God how to accomplish His purpose. c). Within the present-day mania for exercising ‘our rights’ this can be a challenging proposition, but for the Christian there is only one question, “do we trust in the Lord or do we lean on our own understanding?’ d). Under the law we are guaranteed freedom of speech, but under the authority of God we have the obligation to stay silent - 1Co 10:23 ¶ All things ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONCLUDED 7 are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. e). We might consider that during the Lord’s first advent the land of Israel and the people in it were subject to the harshness of the Roman Empire. Political prisoners, summary executions, torture, persecution were commonplace, but the Lord never addressed these things per se. He didn’t insight revolution and advocate for political change – He came offering the Kingdom of the Heavens which of itself would have and will bring about the most radical change ever seen. f). The present system of rulership will not change until those who control it are removed – and that is coming very soon. And in the meantime, we wait. Our worthiness to rule with the Christ and our victory over the rulers of the darkness of this age comes through our faithful obedience. We defeat our enemy by submission to the Word, never through confrontation – 1Sa 24:12 "Let the LORD judge between you and me, and let the LORD avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you. 13 "As the proverb of the ancients says, 'Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.' But my hand shall not be against you. 14 "After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea? 15 "Therefore let the LORD be judge, and judge between you and me, and see and plead my case, and deliver me out of your hand." Jas 4:7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 1Pe 5:9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. Ro 16:20 And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. 2Pe 1:19 ¶ And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; Re 20:10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONCLUDED 8 Ps 2:6 "Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion." 7 ¶ "I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter's vessel.'" We will continue with our survey of the Bible next time – if the Lord is willing. ??THE WORD OF GOD – PART 4 CONCLUDED 9