CHAPTER 11
The Dragon (The Outlaw)
Revelation 20:1-3;
“And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, the devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up.” Revelation 20:1-3;
If you were to ask a professional fighter what is the thing he fears more than anything in the ring, he will tell you the punch that you never see coming. That is the punch that will knock you out. He will tell you that if you can see the punch coming your brain somehow overrides the destructive force of the blow even if it lands on the mark.
It’s the old principle of the ambush, the attack in the night. The first known ambush took place in the garden called Eden. The first victim was a woman named Eve. She never knew what hit her. But when she came to her senses she began to realize the viciousness of the attacker, the greatest outlaw this world has ever known.
We know him as Satan although he has been called by many other names like Beelzebub for instance. It is interesting that his name is in the Syriac language and Beelzebub means, “lord of dung.” Another name is Lucifer, Belial, the wicked one, the tempter, the god and prince of this world.
Satan’s presence has been felt in every city. There is not a man or a woman alive that has not been hurt by him. He has shaken this world just like a dog shakes his favorite toy and yet he has been able to maintain his cover of darkness to an amazing degree. It is amazing to me that so many people ignore his name the way they do. And it is a shame that so many pastors of flocks only make reference to him once in a while and even then they are hard pressed to speak about him from the pulpit.
We fail to acknowledge there is a devil all the while in every room of every house, every street in our cities; he is incessantly manifesting his hateful presence, always causing strife, upsetting, hurting abusing and anything he can to cause havoc. Every history book I have ever read is rife with the knowledge that this globe is and has been under a systematic attack and it has been for thousands of years. Satan’s attacks are as well planned as a military expedition. There is a clever brain behind it and that brain belongs to Satan.
Scripture warns us about him over and over again: he cannot attack God and survive, so he attacks God’s creation, man. He throws sucker punches from every angle, lying, tempting, robbing, harassing, hindering, accusing, striking with diseases, possessing, killing and devouring. Jesus identified him clearly:
“He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar and the father of it.” John 8:44;
God has warned us to beware of this archenemy, “lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” 2 Corinthians 2:11;
The apostle Paul warned us to,
“Put on the whole amour of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day.” Ephesians 6:11-13;
God has made it clear that Satan is serious business.
“Be ye sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” I Peter 5:8;
The source of every problem and burden you carry is Satan. He is your archenemy. He hates you with the venom of a poisonous snake.
He is out for your total physical and spiritual destruction. He is a deadly killer. Where did he come from and how did his story start.
Satan was created by God as one of the shining angels of heaven. His name was Lucifer, a term which means ‘the morning star.’ His brilliance must have been breathtaking. He seemed to be perfect in every way, the finest that God could design. None appeared wiser or more beautiful. And he was free to make choices. He was not a robot who had to worship God arbitrarily. He had the capacity to revolt if he chose to do so. Why would he want to. Why would he be so insane to say,
“I will make myself like the most high.” Isaiah 14:14;
According to Milton in the book, ‘Paradise Lost’, Lucifer said: “To reign is worth ambition though in hell: Better to reign in hell, than serve in Heaven.”
When he commanded his rebellion in heaven, countless angels were foolish enough to follow him. And they were cast out of heaven like shooting stars. Satan introduced the tragic sin of selfishness and he became convinced of his own beauty. He was thrilled with his own wisdom and he was impressed with the importance of his job. Because of all this, he convinced himself he was as good as God and he deluded himself into thinking he could be like God. That is precisely what sin is, trying to replace God with yourself. Improper pride can cost you your soul, just like it cost Satan his.
God had created Satan as an eternal being. Satan would continue to exist somewhere. So hell was created for the devil and his angels, long before man ever walked on this earth. But don’t be fooled, Satan has not been banished to Hell yet and there is a reason. A theologian wrote,
“Instead of casting Satan directly into hell, God would salvage something from the huge investment. The God of Roman’s 8:28; would take what was invested in Satan and use it for His glory. He would use Satan’s powers to provide a competitive god, making possible a genuine test for man’s affection, ‘Choose you this day whom you will serve, that’s it! That choice is the number one priority of your entire life friends.
It is highly dangerous to underestimate Satan’s power. On the other hand, it is unnecessary to be defeated by him either. The ultimate outcome of the battle between God and Lucifer has long since been decided at Calvary. When Jesus cried out, “It is finished,” it marked the death watch for Satan. He is working on borrowed time but he is working feverishly and we are the object. He knows he has had it for all of eternity. He is forever lost and he will be banished to that place called hell.
But he does not want to go alone. He desperately wants your company, so he goes at you at every angle known to him. He is well qualified to ambush you because he is the ultimate outlaw. For thousands of years Satan has dealt with human weakness, probing, exploiting, hurting and killing. He gives gracious gifts to those who serve him. Gifts that last a short period of time before turning into bitter fruit.
He is the master deceiver, in fact, in Scripture, Christians are warned to “watch and pray” lest they also are deceived by him. Every act of Satan has a common mark and that is the misdirection of glory from God to himself. He is deceiving many into gratifying their own selfish desires. He is able to make evil look good and good look evil. Remember, he has lived on both sides of the tracks. But despite his power on earth, you can have victory over him, day after day and crisis after crisis. Satan revealed his limited wisdom when he overlooked the crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It was his great mistake in judgment. It has backfired on him every time a sinner repents and finds forgiveness and covering for his sins by the blood of Jesus. God is omnipresent. Satan cannot be omnipresent. God pulls in Satan’s reigns and says, “You cannot go further.” And Satan cannot control your will, at least not at the beginning. You can reject the devil and all his advances, but if you give in to him time and time again, it becomes harder and harder to win any victories. You can become so subservient to him that you will never want to be free. God forbid that should happen to you, because it is then that you are lost! The truth is though, you would not have read this book this far if you were in that lost category. You still have the spirit of God drawing you or you would not have taken the time to read what I have to say. You would have been so agitated you would have either thrown the book away or burned it.
Maybe today you are battling for your very life and no one but you knows it. You may sense the presence of Satan tormenting you at home work or play. You may have fear parading through your brain at this very moment and you may be asking, how can my life ever change? I have weakened too many times. I have bowed to Satan and his world system over and over again. I am in a rut. I’m too old to change. Satan has control of me.
NO HE DOES NOT! You have dominion over Satan in the affairs of your life and you had better believe it!
That ends the sample and I trust you are intrigued enough to go to Amazon.com or click this link...
https://www.amazon.com/author/robertcoutts
and it will take you to the site where you can see the rest of the book as well as many others there that will be of help to you or a friend or loved one. You may want to pass this particular book along to an unsaved person as it will give them direction and you may be instrumental in their salvation. Be blessed and happy reading.
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