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

Here's a second installment following yesterday's post and working on new topic for tomorrow evening's article:

John 13: [26] Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon.

[27] And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly.

At the beginning Satan puts it in Judas’ heart. He’s not content with that so now he’s going to up the ante and there’s this intensification.

It’s a progressive attack going on and finally, at this point, Satan enters personally into Judas and the ministry of Christ comes to a crescendo where there’s this personal struggle between Him and Satan.

You know the struggle: the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent that goes all through Israel’s history, man’s history. But at this point that conflict is coming to its apex; the crescendo of animosity and hostility between Satan and Christ on a personal level.

Luke 11: [20] But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you.
[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.

In the parallel passage in Matthew 12, He says: [28] But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.

When you compare the two passages, one says the Spirit of God and one says the finger of God, so what does that tell you the finger of God is? The Spriit of God.

In Exodus when God wrote the 10 commandments on stone, it says He wrote it with His finger. So who was actually writing it? The Holy Spirit.

Satan brings in all of his host; the demonic forces that operate his system. He’s brought them into the land because Christ just showed up and what Christ is coming to do is take back His possession; take back His nation.

When He says, “But if I with the finger of God cast out devils,” that’s what He’s going to do when the kingdom comes. He’s going to cast them out.

Jeremiah 31: [10] Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.
[11] For the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.

Satan literally held Israel in captivity; it’s like he gripped them and he’s so strong they couldn’t liberate themselves. They can’t extricate themselves, but Christ will and He’s come to do that.

Isaiah 49 is a tremendously helpful passage. After talking down through the chapter about delivering and restoring Israel, in verse 24 you have an objection:

[24] Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?
[25] But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.
[26] And I will feed them that oppress thee with their own flesh; and they shall be drunken with their own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob.

In verse 24, it’s, “Wait a minute, before you do all that kingdom stuff, shall the prey be taken from the mighty and the lawful captive be delivered?”

Satan looks at the Lord and says, “Wait a minute, I lawfully hold these people. They were my prey. I went and sought them and caught them and I’ve got them and they can’t get out of my grip. And not only that, your law says they’re mine because they’ve broken your covenant; they’ve broken the law. So I’ve got them. You can’t fulfill your promises.”

And the Lord says, “Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.”

Satan says, “I got these people! I’m stronger than them. They can’t get out from under my control. I have the power of darkness and, besides that, I’ve got you boxed in; you can’t help them because the reason they’re in captivity is they broke the law. They’re in my control because your law says I’ve got them.”

He says, “You can’t do that,” and the Lord says, “Yeah, I can.” “No you can’t!” “Yeah I can.” “No you can’t!” “Yeah I can.”

You know what that would do to you? It would just make you madder and madder and madder and madder and pretty soon you’re pitching a fit because you’re completely frustrated and that fury’s developing.

*****

This is an old study on the same subject:

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.”