Victory in God

Isaiah 29:18-21 NLT

18 In that day the deaf will hear words read from a book,
    and the blind will see through the gloom and darkness.
19 The humble will be filled with fresh joy from the Lord.
    The poor will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20 The scoffer will be gone,
    the arrogant will disappear,
    and those who plot evil will be killed.
21 Those who convict the innocent
    by their false testimony will disappear.
A similar fate awaits those who use trickery to pervert justice
    and who tell lies to destroy the innocent.

“In that day“, there are things that will happen for the better. Good prevails and evil will be defeated. The perfect end to the millennial years of oppression by the devil on the people of this world. Sin began with a simple conversation between the “serpent” and Eve about fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God’s command was simple and was the only restriction placed on our ancestors, but they violated it and sin entered the world. Paul wrote, “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned” (Romans 5:12). But Jesus came to start a revolution, so that people would not be oppressed by the devil any more. Hebrews 2:14-15: “Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying”. Back to Paul again, “We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him” (Romans 6:6-8). Romans 8:2: “And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death”. And so, “in that day”, the fruit of the foundations laid by Jesus will result in life with God, free from evil, from evil both in human terms and in God’s creation. We also know that Jesus has won the battle ” …against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). As His foot soldiers, we declare His name over the situations we encounter, in faith that His Kingdom will prevail over evil.

As we read from our verses from Isaiah this morning, the people who are oppressed through blindness, deafness and poverty will find “”fresh joy from the Lord”. They may never have experienced anything like it before, but through God’s grace, and in all humility, they will know and understand, and “rejoice in the Holy One of Israel“. But as they look around them in the new world of what they are now a part, they find some things are missing. The “scoffers” and the “arrogant” won’t be around anymore. Neither will “those who plot evil”. Truly, “in that day” the environment for God’s people will be a wonderful place. Imagine a world without the evil behaviour that blights our societies. People being kind to each other. No strange ideologies bringing strife and anger. No need for a police force or armed forces. No wars going on, driven by evil men chasing a devil-inspired and deluded goal, plotting evil on an industrial, or even global, scale. Where will all the scoffers, evil plotters, and arrogant people be? Revelation 21:8, “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulphur. This is the second death”. And over the page we read, “No longer will there be a curse upon anything. For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads” (Revelation 22:3-4). Truly, life will be beyond good “in that day”.

But what about us pilgrims “in [this] day”? Are we hunkered down, trying to avoid evil plotters, the arrogant, and the scoffers? Trying to keep our heads below the parapets of life, in case we become tainted by the mayhem around us? Perhaps scared witless by news reports of wars, or prophecies of economic doom, or a world overtaken and destroyed by artificial intelligence? That is no place for a child of God. A day will come when we will enjoy the place Jesus is preparing for us (John 14), but in the meantime we have work to do. We mustn’t forget that we are on the winning side in the battle against the enemy and all his dark forces. In Romans 6:13 we read, “Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armour so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm“. We are equipped for a battle now. In this life. So that we can hold the line and do our bit to usher in the Kingdom of God. Luke 17:20-21, “One day the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?” Jesus replied, “The Kingdom of God can’t be detected by visible signs. You won’t be able to say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ For the Kingdom of God is already among you““. This scripture identifies Jesus as being among us. He is the power of God, active now wherever people let Jesus rule their hearts, love others, and obey His truth. And who else is there to remind the world around us of this fact, if not us pilgrims? Paul wrote to the Philippians, and to us as well by inference, “for you have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now”(Philippians 1:5). Are we indeed spreading this Good News? It doesn’t mean standing on a corner in the High Street handing out tracts or John’s Gospels, although we may be called to do this. Being “salt and light” among our families and friends will allow the Holy Spirit to bring conviction of sin, as ” … we let our good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise our heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:16).

We pilgrims are living in the shadow of “in that day”. We have an enormous opportunity to live in the Kingdom of God day by day now, knowing what is to come. Most of us do not even start to tap into the power available to us in this Kingdom. What did Paul mean when he wrote, “Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20)? What are we asking or thinking today? Do we let our imaginations run riot, believing we have the power within us to make things happen? This is a good question to ask God in our prayers this morning. He will answer in a way that might surprise us.

Dear Lord Jesus. Resource us for the battle of life, as we proclaim the Good News about You and Your Kingdom. As we raise the standard, declaring victory over the evil one, we pray for protection over ourselves, our family, and our friends. May we find good “soil” in which we can plant Gospel seeds “in this day”, so that “in that day” can be brought ever closer. Lead us and guide us, we pray; in Your precious name we ask. Amen.

“He is especially hard on those who follow their own twisted sexual desire, and who despise authority. These people are proud and arrogant, daring even to scoff at supernatural beings without so much as trembling. But the angels, who are far greater in power and strength, do not dare to bring from the Lord a charge of blasphemy against those supernatural beings.”
2 Peter 2:10-11 NLT

We pilgrims have all met them. People who “scoff at supernatural beings” denying that anything spiritual actually exists. They deny there is such a thing as God or the devil. And they certainly deny angels exist. Their office bravado is delivered to impress their fellow workers with their boldness and courage. While they are at it, they deny the existence of anything ghostly or unexplained. The word “scoff” is a good one, as it captures their behaviour exactly.

But the “supernatural beings” referred to by Peter seem to be fallen angels, or demons, because if they were the angels in Heaven, Peter would have said so. The evil angels are being held in a place called Tartarus, as we read in 2 Peter 2:4, “For God did not spare even the angels who sinned. He threw them into hell [Tartarus], in gloomy pits of darkness, where they are being held until the day of judgment“. Perhaps some of these fallen angels have been incarcerated, but others are still free to roam, as demons. But the meaning of 2 Peter 2:11 is not very clear, although there are several theories around.

Practically, however, what do we pilgrims think of angels and demons? Relevant to our everyday lives, or myths from a by-gone and more superstitious age? Because they are not in our faces every day, we perhaps neglect to consider them too seriously, but in days gone by the impact of the supernatural, and in particular, evil forces, had a negative impact on society. If something strange, or even tragic happened to someone in those days, then the blame game would have started, with spells and curses from malevolent spirits coming into the picture. The Bible is clear, however, and Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:12, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places“. The picture emerges of an unseen and powerful enemy who is out to get anyone who sides with God.

We know from Revelation 12:7-9 that demons originated in Heaven, “Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels“. Because there can be no sin in Heaven, the spiritual beings of angelic origin could no longer live there, so the only other place they could find was on earth, to the detriment of the human race. Peter warned us, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

We “scoff at spiritual beings” at our peril. There’s nothing the devil likes more than to find the people he wants to destroy in denial. People who don’t think there is a devil or demons, are adopting a dangerous strategy. We are very familiar with God’s armour, as we read in Ephesians 6. We are well equipped for every demonic eventuality, and in the end we follow Peter’s advice, “Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. … ” (1 Peter 5:9). Great advice to follow in this sad and bad world.

We pray to our Heavenly Father. He loves us. He cares for us. He wants the best for us. But the devil and his minions want the opposite. However, we have no reason to buckle under the enemy’s attack. We read in 1 John 4:4 “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world“. Victory is ours and when we find ourselves oppressed and struck down, we remember that we’re on the winning side, even if the circumstances around us say differently.

Dear Father God. We pray for Your love and presence to surround us like a cloak. Close to You there is nothing to be afraid of. Amen.

“In That Day”

Supernatural Beings