The history of the human race is, unfortunately, the history of Satan’s attacks on mankind. We see the stamp of his wiles everywhere we look. We also see the stamp of God’s mercy as well. Even as Satan destroys, God saves. Satan hates, God loves. Satan brings low, God raises high. Satan mutilates, God revives. It’s the story of all people everywhere, for all time.
Satan filled the heart of Cain to kill his brother Abel. What did God do? He gave Adam and Eve a new son, Seth.
“And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, ‘For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.’ And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the Lord.” Genesis 4:25-26
There’s a four-letter word evident in those verses – HOPE. Look at what Eve said – “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.” Eve remembered well what God said to the serpent in the Garden – “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”
Seth was a hope of God’s promise to Adam and Eve. Enosh was the hope of a line of Adam’s children worshipping God again. Did Satan focus just on the line of Cain or did he also attack the line of Seth?
“Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So the Lord said, ‘I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” Genesis 6:5-7
It would appear that Satan won the battle. The devil’s attacks and the power of sin were just too much for God’s purpose and plans. What could God possibly do in light of the fact that every intent of the thoughts of the hearts of people were only evil continually?
“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” Genesis 6:8
There it is! That’s one thing Satan cannot defeat – God’s Grace. As we look at the history of the human race from Genesis to Revelation, we see God defeating Satan over and over again with His Grace.
“So the Lord said to Moses, ‘I will also do this thing that you have spoken; for you have found grace in My sight, and I know you by name.” Exodus 33:17
“For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.” Psalm 84:11
“Thus says the Lord: ‘The people who survived the sword Found grace in the wilderness—Israel, when I went to give him rest.” Jeremiah 31:2
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14
“But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.” Acts 15:11
” But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.” Romans 5:15
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” 1 Corinthians 15:10
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” 2 Corinthians 8:9
“And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” 2 Corinthians 9:8
“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” Ephesians 1:7
“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” Ephesians 2:4-10
“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.” Hebrews 2:9
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” Revelation 22:21
Satan attacks – God protects. Satan throws his fiery darts – God defends with His Grace. Satan loses – God wins!
Winning a war is dependent on understanding the battle field, the warriors, the weapons and rules of warfare. What God has given us in the Bible is a full reveal of the spiritual battle field, the warriors, the weapons and the rules. The battle field is the eternal future of the human race. The warriors are human beings, God, Satan and the angels. The weapons of Satan are many, which we will review in great detail in this series. The weapons of God’s people include the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, and believing prayer. The rules of Satan are few – he will use any device to steal, kill and destroy. God’s rules are also few, but more powerful than anything Satan has in his arsenal.
“So he answered and said, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” John 13:34
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing. Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:1-8
There it is. Everything we need to know to do this thing God has given us to do. Simple, yet complex. Easy, yet hard.
Jesus came to earth to die. Simple, yet complex. Easy, yet hard.
Jesus sends us into battle as sheep in the midst of wolves – “Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.” (Matthew 10:16) Simple, yet complex. Easy, yet hard.
Are you ready? Then into battle we go!
“Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
