Satan calls in all his minions from around the planet for his stomping by Christ

When Jesus Christ arrives on the scene and says to John the Baptist, ‘I need to be baptized,’ and then goes down through the water and out into the wilderness where He’s tempted by the devil, He is, in essence, repeating the history of Israel.

“Israel goes into the water at the Red Sea and then out into the wilderness where they are tempted but they fail,” explains Jordan. “Christ comes and says, ‘I’m the true vine; I’m the true nation.’ Satan offers Him all the kingdoms of this world if He’ll just follow him and what does Christ do? He doesn’t go for it.

“So Satan goes back and now there’s a contest in the land between Christ and Satan. Christ gets up from there and goes into the cities, and Matthew 4 says He heals the sick, cleanses the leper, throws out the demons, raises the dead, and that the fame of Him went out throughout the land. He shows and preaches, ‘The kingdom is here.’ He says, ‘If I, by the Spirit of God, cast out the devils, then the kingdom of God is come.’

“First it was just the temptation. Then there’s a WAR that begins to rumble in the land. Luke 11 says, [21] When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace:
[22] But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.

“You see how it describes what Satan is here? He’s a strongman who calls in all his armor; all the unclean spirits and demonic activity. He’s got all these demons from all over the planet and he calls them all back in and says, ‘Hey guys, let’s get all the forces back here because HERE’S where the battle is!’

*****

“I showed you how there were more demons in the land of Palestine then there were Jews to fill. Mary Magdalene had seven in her! That Maniac of Gadara had legions. A Roman legion is 2,000. I mean, ‘Gee whiz, no wonder the guy was buggy!’

“If you study the things that Maniac of Gadara did in Mark 5 and compare it with the comparative passages in Isaiah, you’ll see that all the things he was doing—living in the mountains, living among the tombs, cutting himself—were the activity of Baal worship; of the devils. He was up there worshipping, controlling, doing the will of the Adversary.

“So Christ came along and now there’s a bigger threat. Finally, Satan says, ‘If I have to, if my minions won’t do it for me, I’ll come and do it myself!’

“What does it say about Judas? Satan himself entered into Judas. Satan says, ‘All right, I’ll go do it myself!’

*****

“There’s this building of the contest and the fury builds and finally there’s that power of the hour of darkness at Calvary where Christ literally provokes, ‘Where are you?! I thought you wanted to argue about this?! C’mon! Come stand near. Pour it on!’

“Christ provokes the Adversary to a frenzy of bloodlust rage in which, blinded by the rage of self-serving, of sin, he does the very thing that turns out to be his undoing.

“Christ bruised the heel of His Adversary and literally, in the prophetic Scripture, the picture is of Satan laying prostrate on the ground at the feet of Christ and Christ going, ‘Stomp! You’re dead, sucker!’

“That’s why Christ can say in Matthew 28, ‘All power in heaven and in earth is given unto me.’ In Luke 4, Satan claimed all that for himself and Christ didn’t argue about it. But after the resurrection, He says, ‘It’s mine. I won the right to it.’

“He goes away as a royal exile ready to come back and take up the reigns, pouring out His wrath. The execution of the prophetic program, or of what we’re a part of, destroys the plan in all its intricacies and it’s all done because of the strategic victory that was won at Calvary when He becomes the Redeemer.

*****

“There’s some things done at Calvary that aren’t explained until Paul comes along. That’s why in Colossians 2, Paul tells you, [14] Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;
[15] And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

“You know what He did? His sacrifice at the Cross becomes the means whereby the law that held Israel captive is satisfied and the debt’s paid. And then He makes a new covenant with Israel; that old one having been satisfied and paid. That law is finished, it’s satisfied, it’s done.

“How? By dying. By taking the penalty of the law and then He can replace it with a new covenant where He will do for Israel what they couldn’t do for themselves. How does He have the right to do that? Because He’s their Kinsman Redeemer and that’s what a Kinsman Redeemer does. He pays the debt to restore the inheritance.

“As Paul says in Colossians 1:13-14: [13] Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
[14] In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.

“He won the right to change OUR citizenship, too, and it was all done at the Cross.”

(new article tomorrow)