As the Bible begins, in Genesis, we are told that after God created a beautiful, bountiful, and perfect world, He created a man, Adam, and a woman, Eve, in His image. God placed this first family, man and woman, husband and wife, in a garden that He had prepared for them. The couple were commissioned as God’s vice regents on the earth. They are shown living in a close relationship with their Creator, walking with Him in the garden, exploring and enjoying the creation. They were to be stewards of this new creation. Their assigned task was twofold.
First, they were to fill the earth with godly offspring; fellow image bearers. They were to have children, raise families and share the knowledge of their Creator God from generation to generation. They were to cultivate the good earth. They were to explore and discover the mysteries of this world, thinking God’s thoughts after Him, sharing their discoveries with their Creator and future generations.
Second, Adam was to guard the creation. Although Adam did not know it, there had been a rebellion in heaven and an angel named Lucifer, portrayed as a serpent-dragon in Genesis, and his confederates, had come to the new earth intent on disrupting God’s plan by having Adam and Eve join in his rebellion against God. And that is just what happened. Adam and Eve were tempted by the dragon. They convinced themselves that they would be much better off listening to Lucifer and joining the rebellion.
Our fall consisted in joining the wrong side in a battle, which had already begun. C.S. Lewis (Don W. king, “The Anatomy of a Friendship: The Correspondence of Ruth Pitter and C.S. Lewis, 1946-1962)
Immediately, after following Lucifer’s propaganda they realized their mistake. Lucifer’s promise of life and advanced knowledge turned out to be a lie. Instead of fulfillment and freedom they were rewarded with guilt, alienation, despair and death. In their arrogance and pride they had traded freedom for slavery, not only for themselves but for all future generations.
Seeing what had happened, God visited Adam and Eve and rather than disowning them because of their rebellion God did something remarkable. God countered Lucifer’s false promise to Adam and Eve. God made a true Promise. God Promised that one day a Son born to a woman would reverse the damage that Adam and Eve had brought on the world by their sin and rebellion. God said that this future Son and the dragon would enter into mortal combat. Lucifer, the dragon-serpent, would fatally strike the Son, however, the Son would end Lucifer’s power over mankind by defeating death once and for all time, crushing the dragon’s head. Genesis 3:15
The Apostle John tells us that, many centuries later, after Christ’s resurrection and ascension, war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon was hurled down – that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray… The accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before God, has been hurled down. Revelation 12:7-10
How did this happen?
John explains:
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Messiah. Revelation 12:10
Do you remember that at Christ’s ascension into heaven He declared that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given Me? Matthew 28:18
The ancient dragon, the devil, also known as Lucifer and Satan, had, throughout all of history, been on the offensive, trying to steal, kill, and destroy all of those made in God’s image; mankind. John 10:10 However, here, with the resurrection of Christ and the defeat of death, in obedience to Christ’s authority, we see the hosts of heaven empowered to attack the ancient dragon and his followers, throwing them out of heaven. The rebels, the ancient deep state, embedded in heaven, are rooted out.
Prior to his expulsion from heaven the dragon, Satan, had been allowed to stand before God pointing out our sins and accusing the followers of God of unfaithfulness. However, because now Christ has taken those accusations of Satan, because Christ has taken our sins upon Himself, and imputed His perfect righteousness to us, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Satan is powerless. Satan can’t touch those who have fled to Christ. In fact, Christ has announced that the gates of hell cannot prevail against His Church. Matthew 16:18
The dragon and his forces have been hurled down. The decisive battle has been lost. The Promise made to Adam and Eve has been fulfilled. The Son of God and the dragon entered into mortal combat. Lucifer, the dragon serpent, fatally struck the Son, John 19:28-30, however, the Son put an end to Lucifer’s power over mankind by defeating death once and for all time. In His resurrection from the dead Christ crushed the dragon’s head.
We often imagine that the Church is under siege and is about to be crushed by the forces of evil but that is not how Christ and His Apostles saw the situation. In the power of Christ the Church is actually a mighty army besieging the ancient dragon’s headquarters. Hell’s gates cannot stop the Church’s assault. Those slaves, once captive to the dragon, Satan, are being liberated and brought into Christ’s Kingdom where they find life and have it to the full. John 10:10 The Book of Acts is the story about how Christ’s Kingdom of light and truth overcame the dragon’s kingdom of darkness and death. The Book of Acts tells the story about how the first Christians triumphed over (the dragon) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. And because they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Revelation 12:11 They were able to traverse the world, dancing in the dragon’s jaws.
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