In most wrestling matches, there are two contestants. I realize that in Ephesians 6 Paul says that we wrestle against rulers, authorities, powers of the dark world and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. But all of these different forces are slaves to the god of this world, the devil. So, let's deal with the head of these powers and we can control the rest of them.
The head honcho of all demon forces, and therefore all ungodly works on this earth, is the devil. Well, just where did the devil come from? His creation, his sin and his expulsion to the earth are found in Ezekiel 28:11-19. God created him as a beautiful and powerful cherub. However, those two qualities made him proud. God threw him out to the earth and declared that he would come to a horrible fiery end. There are other scriptures that relate to him and his sin but this is enough for right now.
Since he got kicked out of heaven, he has done his best to destroy everything that God created. And that includes mankind that God loves dearly. Here's the thing that makes the devil so mad. Angels cannot not repent. They can be obedient and dwell in the presence of God, but they are not allowed the option to repent.
It's not so with God's specially created being. God wanted someone He could love. He wanted someone with a free will to love him in return. That's why God is so gracious to us. That is why He is merciful to us. He wants a relationship of love and joy with us.
And that is why the devil is so relentless in his desire to destroy mankind. His main goal is to keep people from receiving the love and companionship the he himself once enjoyed with the Creator God. That is, he enjoyed it until he sinned.
Back to the wrestling match. This is who we are to fight against. This once powerful being was banished and now has a great big chip on his shoulder against God. He can't destroy God, but he has found out that God's heart is wrapped up in his creation. So, naturally, satan is out to destroy everything that brings God joy. AND since mankind can be forgiven, you'd better believe that he is fighting with all of his anger and jealousy to get mankind to sin and to remain in sin.
That statement right there is at the center of all the meanness that is rampant on the planet earth. The devil knows his destiny. He knows he can't escape it. It has been the driving force behind his terror against the godly ever since he was kicked out of Heaven. He throws every punch that he can in an effort to make man's existence on this earth a living hell. Because that is where he will eventually wind up.
But, here is what is important about this devil. He has been judged by his creator. Jesus said in John 16:11 that the prince of this world now stands condemned. Again, in John 12:31, He states that the prince of this world is cast out.
Look at Colossians 2:15--NIV--And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.
Remember that Paul was talking about powers and authorities in Ephesians 6? In Colossians 2, he declares that Jesus DISARMED those powers and authorities. That means He took away their power over us. By going to the cross, dying in our place, going into hell for us but then rising again, Jesus showed to the world that satan could be defeated.
The only way that satan can rule over you is if you let him. And we'll discuss that in Part 2.
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