“And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe; but when one stronger than he attacks him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted and divides his spoil.”
Luke 11:18-22
Since the fall of our first parents, Adam and Eve, Satan has possessed the power of sin and death. The Bible teaches that:
- (a) his evil spirit(s) are at work in the lives of fallen humanity (Eph 2:2)
- (b) he is actively engaged in keeping mankind blinded from the truth of the Savior and His Gospel (2 Cor 4:4).
Further, Paul states (Rom 5:12), “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all have sinned.” Similarly, he teaches the churches at Corinth (1 Cor 15:21-22), “For as by a man came death… for as in Adam all die.” Through disobedience in the Garden of Eden, the destructive nature of death entered all of creation.
As a result, Satan (the devil) is like a centurion, fully armored, who has held captive all of mankind in his tomb of eternal damnation, which he fiercely guards. The “fear of death” enslaves us behind him. This is the very reason Jesus appears in His promised mission of redemption (cf. Gen 3:15, Mt 2:1-12).
He is the light that shines out of darkness, whose radiant glory cannot be overcome by any created thing or being. He came filled with the Spirit from on high to proclaim the “Good News” of salvation, which gives sight to the blind and sets the oppressed free. He is the “Strong Man” who lays siege to and invades Satan’s fortress of fear and spiritual futility.
The Bible teaches that Christ frees us from the dominion of the devil and relocates us to the kingdom of God (Col 1:13-14):
“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, (14) in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
Our Lord attacks, overcomes, and obliterates the defensive walls the devil used to shield and protect his enslaving power over humanity. Through His death and resurrection, He conquered both sin and the grave forever! There was no resistance the devil could deploy against the might and power of God!
This is why John states that Jesus came for this very purpose (1 Jn 3:8), “…The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.”
The Father’s redemptive work through His Son gives us victory! Rescue of human souls unto eternal life is the “spoils” of this great battle won by Christ for us. In Him (alone) are free from a life of sin and the fear of death.
The Hebrew writer says it best (Heb 2:14-15):
“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same thing, that through death he might destroy the one who has power of death, that is, the devil, (15) and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.”
May all honor and glory be to Jesus, Our StrongMan, forever and ever! Amen.
(Other suggested scripture readings for further study and reflection: Colossians 1:15-23)
Dr. Jason S. Price, Th.D
www.springoflivingwaters.com
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