War of the Worlds

An old hymn many of us learned as children was titled, “This is My Father’s World.” While that is theologically true–everything is under God’s control—that truth is hard to believe when we look at the terrorist attacks, wars, and natural disasters that strike this planet regularly, as well as the personal crises that beat against us relentlessly.

C.S. Lewis seemed to have a better grasp on the state of this world when he wrote, “Enemy-occupied territory—that is what this world is.” How did the world get into its current state, and is there any hope for the future? 

Every conflict we see in the world today, as well as in our personal lives, can be traced back to a cosmic war in heaven a long time ago, between God and his former chief of staff named Lucifer, whom we call Satan today. 

From Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14, we saw that: 

• Satan was a created being
• Satan held an impressive office—he was the chief angel over the cherubim
• Satan possessed incomparable wisdom and beauty 
• Satan’s pride led to his downfall

Believing he was responsible for the good things in life, he decided he wanted to be God. He placed his will above God’s will, leading to his ouster from heaven. Taking what could have been 1/3 of the angels with him, Satan and his demons are dedicated to building a rival kingdom, hoping one day to destroy God’s empire. In the process, he is attempting to recruit as many followers as possible today. 

Satan’s attack on God’s kingdom is being played out in three rounds, which we are going to look at today. Genesis 1 is where we look at the War of the Worlds.  

1. Round #1: Deception (Romans 5:12; Ephesians 2:4-5)

Perhaps Satan and his followers crash-landed on planet Earth just in time to see God’s crowning work of creation. 

If you resented God as much as Satan did, then the only thing worse than one God would be lots of little “gods”—or at least creatures who closely resembled Him—running around everywhere. Observing the Father’s understandable pride over His new offspring, Satan entertained a sinister thought: “What if I were able to transform these human beings into my slaves rather than God’s servants?” “What if I were able to persuade them to join me in destroying their Father’s kingdom?” “What if I were able to turn God’s grandest creation into His greatest mistake?” 

The Garden of Eden became ground zero for the universal war between God and Satan.  Through a scheme we will describe in greater detail, Satan was able to deceive the first couple into following him rather than obeying God. Satan persuaded the first couple to place their desires above God’s desires. 

The Creator could have understandably pouted over his creatures’ fickleness, abandoned them to their deserved fate, and embarked on creating a new kind of companion. God certainly would have been justified in allowing Adam and his sin-infected offspring to remain prisoners of Satan forever. But He didn’t. When God saw the desperate condition into which His creatures had fallen, something deep within God’s heart was stirred with compassion.

2. Round #2: Deliverance (Acts 2:23; Colossians 1:13-14; Colossians 2:15)

In spite of Adam and Eve’s initial rebellion and their offspring’s continued rebellion through the succeeding generations, God has never given up on the human race. Through miracles and messages, God has consistently communicated His love for his creatures.

Two thousand years ago, God did the unthinkable. In an elaborate scheme that had been devised before the beginning of the world (remember, man’s rebellion did not take the omniscient God by surprise), the Creator took on human form, left the comfort of heaven, and came to this war-torn planet that was firmly in Satan’s grip. 

Jesus’ death on the Cross was no accident; it was part of God’s plan from the beginning of time.  

What would cause God to plan the excruciating torture and death of His own Son? Through His death, Jesus paid the necessary price to redeem us from Satan’s kingdom. The word “redeem” refers to the purchasing of a slave. If you lived in Paul’s day and wanted to acquire a slave for your household, you would go to the marketplace where slaves were displayed. When you found a slave that met your needs, you would pay the asking price, and the ownership of the slave was transferred to you. The slave was not redeemed and then set free. His redemption simply resulted in a change of masters. 

Similarly, God has paid the necessary price in order to transfer you from Satan’s empire to His empire. Choosing to accept God’s offer of redemption does not result in your serving no master, but simply serving a new, more benevolent Master. “You are not your own … for you have been bought with a price,” Paul reminds us (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

Satan, fully aware of God’s desire to free as many of his captives as possible, tried to thwart God’s plan of redemption from the moment Jesus Christ entered Mary’s womb.  

He attempted to incite Joseph to divorce Mary for adultery, which could have resulted in her death (as well as the death of the Child she carried). When that didn’t work, Satan persuaded King Herod to try to kill the child by ordering the murder of every Hebrew male under two years of age. When that plan failed, Satan endeavored to entice Jesus to sin and therefore disqualify Himself as a spotless “lamb of God” who could take away the sins of the world. When Jesus resisted Satan’s overtures, the enemy then encouraged the religious leaders to murder Jesus prematurely before He fulfilled the necessary prophecies concerning His death. 

But when the Lord cried out, “It is Finished” on that Good Friday afternoon and rose from the grave three days later, Satan’s vice grip on God’s creation and His creatures was forever broken.

3. Round #3: Desperation (Revelation 20:10; 2 Corinthians 4:3-4; John 10:10)

Right now, we who are living in the time between Satan’s initial disarming at the Cross and his ultimate destruction in the Lake of Fire are witnesses to (and sometimes victims of) his last acts of desperation. Whether he truly believes he can alter his predetermined fate is unknown. What is clear is that between now and his final judgment, Satan is determined to launch one final assault on God’s kingdom. 

Some believe that this final conflict takes place at the Battle of Armageddon at the end of the Tribulation (described in Revelation 16-19). Others place it after the thousand-year reign of Christ when Satan is given one last chance to deceive the world (Revelation 20:7-9).  Regardless of your view of the end times, what is evident is that Satan is marshalling as many troops as possible to wage this one last battle.

Satan’s Two-Fold Strategy

• Blinding Unbelievers to God’s Offer of Salvation (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)
• Robbing Believers of the Benefits of Salvation (John 10:10)

But if Satan has been disarmed, how does he exercise so much influence over non-Christians and Christians alike, you may wonder?   

Remember, even though he has been cast out of heaven, even though he was initially defeated at the cross, and even though the date of his final sentence is already on God’s calendar, he still retains the attributes he possessed before his rebellion in heaven. He is full of beauty, splendor, and wisdom. That means he is very appealing in his appearance and very crafty in his schemes.  

And whether you realize it or not, he has a personalized plan for the destruction of your faith, your family, and your future.  

Passages: Romans 5:12; Colossians 1:13-14