The Power of the Devil (Continued)
Christ's physical sufferings before Pilate; His awful scourging with the Roman thongs; His hanging between heaven and earth by copper nails; His bleeding brow surmounted with a wreath of thorns; were no more severe perhaps than many saints endured upon crosses just after His day, and later in the fires of Smithfield. The inexplicable mental suffering of
Christ when God withdrew His face from Him, was the suffering that broke His pure heart. When Christ's physical sufferings were at the climax, then it was that God permitted the soul of Jesus to enter for a few moments into the soul of death, the horror a sinner experiences the moment he is adrift from Time and his hope is dead. Jesus could not bear it for a moment and cried: "My God, my God, why hast thou
forsaken me?" O! Sinner, O! Sinner, if Christ's heart was broken at the momentary experience of a soul lost eternally,
what will you do? -H. W. Hedge.
THE POWER OF Satan is far greater than that of God's highest and saintliest earthly ones. In the third chapter of Zechariah we have the picture of his power with God's high official representatives. Joshua, the high priest, is there, the angel of the Lord is there, and standing at Joshua's right to resist all his righteous acts is Satan. Joshua and the angel, realizing their insufficiency when contending with Satan, they send a cry to heaven, “The Lord rebuke thee, o Satan."
Jude gives us this item. “Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring him a railing accusation, but saith, The Lord rebuke thee."
Whatever this obscure text may mean in regard to this contest between Michael and the devil, while it teaches us spirit and tongue control, it does, without obscurity or doubt, clearly show that an archangel's strength is not sufficient to contend single-handed and alone with the devil.
Daniel gives a side glance into the power and conflicts which exist in the unseen and spiritual world which lies so near our own, which has so much to do with us where our spiritual battles are fought, and victories won. Daniel had been praying three weeks before the angel and the answer came. “Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand and to chasten thyself before thy God thy words were heard and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the Kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days; but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me." We see how he plans. If he cannot keep people from praying nor absolutely prevent the answer to prayer, he can cause delay in the answer to prayer that he may discourage and break down faith and discount urgent, importunate praying.
He has power to cast into prison. To the little pious church at Smyrna, Jesus Christ writes in commendation, warning and consolation: “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer; behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days.
Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."
There are special seats or headquarters of his power, places where the devil makes his home and rules with an absolute sway. To this Christ refers in His letter to the Church of Pergamos: “I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is; and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth." Some said they were Jews, but were the “synagogue of Satan." Are there churches which are called Christian, but are churches of Satan?
In Christ's letters to the seven Churches in Asia, we see how the ascended and enthroned Son of God presents the same view of the devil. The “depths" of Satan are referred to in the address to Thyatira. In this Revelation of Christ to John, the devil is still declared to be "the great dragon, the old serpent, the devil, and Satan." He is declared to have great “wrath."
The devil's power is greatly and strangely enhanced by his system of worship, which, while it degrades, it fascinates and holds. The system of pagan worship and devotion is very powerful. It holds its devotees by iron chains. It is not a work of chance, neither does it spring from native religious instincts. It is a system of rare power and of rare skill, constructed by a graduate in the craft of seduction and delusion. Satan's hand and head are in it, all planning, ordering, and inspiring it. It is this fact which gives its strength and influence.
Of Jeroboam, who perverted the religious instinct and debased worship for sinister, worldly, and selfish purposes, it is said he ordained him priests for the devils. The Psalmist declared they sacrificed unto devils. The New Testament declares that “the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God; and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils; ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table and of the table of devils." Again we have it declared, “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils."
The intensity and power of the devil's worship is illustrated and enforced in the last book of the New Testament, showing how his worship would increase in intensity and would militate against the worship of the Lamb. We have all along rival altars and rival worship. The devil is the author, inspirer, and protector of the one, and Christ is the author, inspirer and protector of the true and pure worship. There are wonders in each, miracles and martyrs in the false and devilish, as well as in the true and heavenly.
Revelation summarizes the situation: "And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter."
These are not lawless woes, nor are their authors lawless bands, disorderly and reckless mobs. They are organized. The strictest obedience to the devil prevails. “Devil with devil damned firm concord holds." They are “principalities and powers," not only of high and first order in creation, not only of great personal power and dignity, but ordered and sub-ordered, coordinate and subordinate. There is the most perfect government, military in its drill and discipline, absolute and orderly in its arrangement, under one supreme, dictatorial, powerful head, with rank and file and officers complete. “For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against the powers, against the world, rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places." These high and wicked spirits are everywhere. They fill the air, are everywhere intent on evil, following the direction of their leader, carrying out his plans with hearty accord, ready obedience and implicit confidence. How loathsome their nature! How marvellous and miracle-working their power! How high and kingly their influence! How martial their purposes! All this is vividly and strongly set forth in the sixteenth chapter of Revelation: "And I saw Three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty."
The power of Satan finds its great increase and expression in the efforts and instrumentality of the unregenerate, who are by Bible teaching under his power, subjects of his kingdom of darkness. More than that, so intimate is their connection with Satan, so close the unity, purpose and relationship, that they belong to his family. His paternity gives birth and character to them, his fatherhood binds them in a strong embrace.
The power of the devil-how defiant, bold, sacrilegious, presumptuous! How near the sacred person of Christ he came! See how he invaded the sacred circle of His chosen apostles. Judas falls from his high position-tempted, possessed by Satan and filled with remorse and infamy, committing suicide, and hell is his forever. Peter acts as the spokesman of the devil, becomes the advocate of a noncross bearing, non-self-denying, worldly religion. He is so affected by the devil's power that he curses and swears and lies, and finds himself all besmirched, bemired and befouled, from which he is only saved by the prayers and look of Christ. John and James fell a prey to the devil as they wanted fire to come down from heaven and burn up the Samaritans. Christ sharply shows that they had not His Spirit, but the other spirit, the spirit of the destroyer which actuated them. Paul had his apostolic plans interfered with and hindered by the devil. To the Thessalonians, he writes: "Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I, Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us." And he bore to his grave the marks of the power of this inveterate foe to apostolic fidelity.
The power of Satan is not supreme. It is limited. It was so in Job's case. Satan could go only so far to afflict. Since the Son of God came into the world, the devil's power has been curtailed. The cross gave a shock to Satan and his power. Death, his realm has been abolished, and “life and immortality brought to light through the gospel." His kingdom received its death stroke on Calvary. The almighty forces of the Gospel are laying hold of the mighty forces of Satan!