Satanic Plot

Before you begin your Bible study, as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, be sure you have named your sins privately to God the Father.

 

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (Known, Unknown and Forgotten sins) (1Jn 1:9)

You will then be in fellowship with God, Filled with God the Holy Spirit and ready to learn Truth from the Word of God.

"God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth," (Joh 4:24)

Satanic Plot

          Description of Lucifer

          The most beautiful creature to come from the hand of God is a super angel named Satan. Satan was not always the enemy of God. Originally, he was “Lucifer, son of the morning,” or the “shining one,” the most startling spirit being ever created! No wonder that even as the fallen one Satan has the ability to transform himself into an “angel of light!” (2Co 11:14)

          Although invisible to the human eye, angels are nevertheless very real and function as a definite and important part of God’s Plan. They were created for the purpose of serving and praising God. (Psa 103:20) Superior to mankind, (Heb 2:9-11) angels also have rank and organization among themselves. The three highest echelons of angels are the cherubim, (Covering angels) who guard God’s throne; (Isa 37:16; Eze 1:5-10; Eze 10:1) the seraphim, (Burning ones) who lead in worship, (Isa 6:2-3) and the archangel, (Chief angel) who is the “general” of the holy angelic army. (1Th 4:16) The heavenly host and their fallen counterparts, the demon army, are engaged in warfare that rages continually in the unseen world. (Dan 10:13; Eph 6:12)

          Generally, angels are confined to the first and second heavens, except for special convocations, such as those recorded in, (Job 1:6; Job 2:1). The first heaven is the atmosphere around us and may include the galaxies, stars and planets. Where the second heaven begins is a matter of speculation. Beyond the stellar universe, billions and billions of light years away, is the third heaven, which is the abode of God. (Eph 1:20-21; Eph 4:10) Here, Lucifer held a unique position as the “anointed cherub.”

          In, (Eze 28:12-19) an analogy is established between the magnificence of the pristine Satan, or Lucifer before the fall, and the glamour of the King of Tyre.

          Son of man, [Ezekiel] take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say unto him, Thus says the Lord GOD, "You had the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. (Eze 28:12)

          This type of analogy is not unusual in Hebrew writing; the same Principle occurs in the Messianic Psalms. (cf. Psa 16:10) While David made statements concerning himself, at the same time these statements applied to Messiah. Similarly, Ezekiel presents information which involves more than the King of Tyre. It is part of Satan’s strategy to gain control of influential rulers in order to promote his ideas. In this case Satan had inspired and apparently personally indwelt the King of Tyre but the passage is actually describing Satan. Thus, the funeral dirge for this king is also the funeral dirge of the devil!

          The description of Lucifer is idiomatic. “You had the seal of perfection” means “to have finished proportions” that is, Lucifer was created with a perfect balance of beauty and wisdom. The Greeks called this the “golden mean.” Satan is the wisest creature in the universe and perfect in beauty! You can see what that does to the image of the devil as depicted with a forked tail, red epidermis and slanted green eyes! Satan is not a vicious looking creature. Should you meet him on Main Street, you would undoubtedly be awed by his glamour and taken in by his brilliant conversation and personality. He is the most impressive of all creatures!

          You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz and the diamond; The beryl, the onyx and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; And the gold, the workmanship of your settings [Tambourines] and sockets, Was in you. On the day that you were created They were prepared. (Eze 28:13)

          “Eden” is not a reference to the Garden of Eden of, (Gen 2:8) but refers to the dwelling place of God in the third heaven in which Satan also resided. The stones listed here are found only three times in Scripture. They are mentioned in connection with the breastplate of the high priest, (Exod 28:17-20) also in reference to the New Jerusalem, (Rev 21:19-20) and here in the abode of God. These stones have great significance and indicate special beauty and favor from God. As the guardian of the throne room, Lucifer wore them in the presence of God. “The workmanship of your settings and sockets” describes Lucifer’s voice, as the sound of a pipe organ beautiful and melodious.

You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. (Eze 28:14)

          Here we discover Satan’s original title and the description of his appointment. Contrary to the representation by many artists, a cherub is not a fat, pink naked infant with wings; he is a spirit being belonging to the highest and most powerful order of angels. But we must be sure to understand that although he has supernatural powers. He is still a creation of God and does not have the essence of God. As the “anointed cherub,” Lucifer was the honor guard of the Second Person of the Godhead, the Lord Jesus Christ. Thus, the super angel was appointed to the highest position a creature could have guardian of the throne room.

          Ezekiel’s view of Satan’s fall

          God’s character guarantees the perfection of all original creation; judgment occurred only after sin was introduced by Satan. Since God saw fit to judge an angel, mankind can be equally certain of being judged. (Unbelievers and believers; Heb 2:1-3) In the various Biblical accounts of Divine judgment, the three falls of Satan are used to illustrate this certainty.

          The First Fall

          You were blameless in your ways From the day you were created Until unrighteousness was found in you. (Eze 28:15)

          Lucifer made his “entrance” into heaven as a sinless, perfect being. Given free will, he chose to go against God’s Plan. His “iniquity” was negative volition. “Was found” means “to be discovered.” Before Lucifer committed an overt act of sin, God, Who IS omniscient, uncovered his mental sin. This was the Spiritual and or fellowship fall, which occurred sometime in eternity past, before man was created.

          The Second Fall

          By the abundance of your trade [False thinking] You were internally filled with violence, And you sinned; Therefore I have cast you as profane From the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the stones of fire. (Eze 28:16)

          “By the abundance of your trade” is literally “the abundance of thy false thinking,” an idiom for prosperity. Satan did not pass the prosperity test. He had everything going for him; yet he failed! Negative volition led to power lust, which can only result in violence. Because of the angelic conflict, Satan has not yet been cast out of heaven. This will occur in the Tribulation period. (Rev 9:1) Although he still has access to the throne room on those occasions when the angels assemble, he apparently commutes between the second heaven and the earth in fulfilling his role as ruler of the earth. (Luk 4:5-7; Joh 12:31; Joh 14:30; Joh 16:11; 2Co 4:4; Eph 2:2) He did not always control the earth, but he usurped the ruler-ship from man through the deception of the woman. (Gen 3:16-17) The second fall is prophesied in, (Luk 10:18) and its fulfillment is recorded in Revelation.

          And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

(Rev 12:7-9) cf. (Rev 9:1)

          (Eze 28:17) gives a recap of the first and second falls:

          Your heart [False thinking] was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; [In the Tribulation Period] I put you before kings, That they may see you. (Eze 28:17)

          The Third Fall

          By the multitude of your iniquities, In the unrighteousness of your trade [False thinking] You profaned your sanctuaries. Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you; It has consumed you, And I have turned you to ashes on the earth In the eyes of all who see you. All who know you among the peoples Are appalled at you; You have become terrified And you will cease to be forever. (Eze 28:18-19)

          This final fall will occur at the end of human history. Immediately after the Millennium, Satan will be loosed for a season. (Rev 20:3; Rev 20:7) Just as Satan destroyed the first perfect environment in the Garden of Eden, so he will seek to destroy the second! His evil genius will inspire revolt against the perfect environment of the Millennium. Although there will have been no weapons or war for one thousand years, Satan will promote war by a system of deception. God will meet force with force and put down the revolt with a celestial artillery barrage; fire from heaven. (Rev 20:8-10) cf. (Eze 38:10)

          The angelic revolt

          After Satan’s first fall, he entered the second heaven, where he became the first revolutionary. He persuaded one third of all the angels to join him in revolt against God: “And his tail [Deception] swept away a third of the stars [Angels] of heaven, and [God] threw them to the earth...” (Rev 12:4) The other two thirds chose for God. In a sense, eternity began for the angels at that point. Once the line was drawn, that wrote finished, to the opportunity for angelic volition to choose for or against God! (They chose to refuse the plea bargain and took it to trial — the Angelic Appeal Trial) On one side of the line was Satan’s crowd, and on the other side were the elect or holy angels.

          God, Who IS absolute righteousness and justice, must pronounce a penalty on those who choose against Him, His Thoughts and Virtues; those who are guilty of negative volition. From a comparison of many passages throughout Scripture, we are able to reconstruct something of the conversation between God and Satan. Divine judgment is pronounced: “The Lake of Fire for Satan’s crowd!” But notice: although the punishment was declared, its execution was delayed. From, (Mat 25:41) and (Rev 20:1-10) we can deduce that Satan objected to his sentence. He said, in effect, that God’s decision to cast His creatures into the Lake of Fire was incompatible with God’s essence. In other words, he maligned or questioned God’s perfect justice by demanding, “How can a loving God cast us into the Lake of Fire?” “How can freewill be truly free if we must do what God tells us to do?” These questions have since been asked many times by members of the human race!

          God’s reply could well have been: My Thoughts and Virtues are PERFECT! I submit to Them so must anyone in My universe! “When I created you, I gave you free will. Because I Am immutable, I cannot change what I have done. I have love for My creatures, but you rejected My love. Since I am also perfect justice and absolute righteousness, I cannot revoke My Thoughts and Virtues. You must stand or fall on your own decisions!” Where negative volition exists, either in the angelic creation or in mankind, God cannot act contrary to that negative volition. Judgment regarding that negative decision must emanate from His justice. When Satan challenged God, a conflict developed within the angelic realm; but God designed a Plan whereby the conflict would be resolved! According to this Divine Plan “operation volition” was instituted and all the angels were appointed spectators in the “Civilization Amphitheatre.”

          Into this arena, God introduced a new type of creature called “man.” Like the angels, man possessed God given volition, with a positive and negative pole. While original man existed in a state of perfection, there was only one way in which he could sin the same type of sin which Satan first committed negative volition. Why was man placed on the earth? First because GOD IS LOVE; and love desires someone to share it with; so God created angels in perfection with freewill and prosperity, some still wanted more. Instead of being proud of God's Thoughts and Virtues they wanted to live by their own. (Isa 14:13-14) Man is to demonstrate that God's Thoughts and Virtues ARE PERFECT! There can only be One Brain in One Body! (Isa 65:2) cf. (1Co 12:18-19) After the Fall, and with a totally condemned creation, God’s mercy still goes further than any failure. Angels had the chance to accept God's Plan in perfection; and now condemned man is given the chance to accept Christ and God's Plan. The progressive plan of God to bring many angels and humans into His family!  Second, to resolve the angelic conflict; (The appeal trial of Satan) and third, to demonstrate God’s perfect justice and righteousness in sentencing millions, perhaps billions of fallen angels to the Lake of Fire; and fallen mankind if they do not accept Salvation.

          As the angels watched Adam in perfect environment, Satan protested: “What does this prove? Why shouldn’t man love You? You have given him everything, including a beautiful woman perfectly designed for him. He does not even need to work for his food!” (cf. Job 1:9-10)

          God replied, “What I did for the angels, I have done in grace for man. Just as angelic volition was tested, so will man’s. I have prepared a test: I have placed a certain tree in the Garden the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” Without that tree and God’s prohibition, there would have been no true test for man’s volition.

          Even before the creation of man, God in His omniscience knew that man would fail this simple test and that a Barrier would consequently exist between man and God. He knew each factor in this Barrier that would separate man from God: sin and the penalty of sin, which is Spiritual death and judgment; physical birth, which precludes any relationship with God; human or relative righteousness as opposed to God’s perfect righteousness which is resident in the Divine essence; man’s position in Adam, devoid of eternal life. Because God loved man and wanted to express His love toward him, He predesigned a Plan for the removal of the Barrier. This Plan, originating from God’s sovereignty, was motivated by His perfect love. Consequently, He treated man in grace. Grace is God’s maximum love, which means that we cannot earn what God does for us; we do not deserve it, and we cannot work for it. The Barrier could be removed only by another Tree the Cross.

          The problem of sin would be resolved by the  of Spiritual death Christ and unlimited atonement; (1Pe 2:24) the penalty of sin would be paid by redemption;(1Pe 1:18-19) the problem of physical birth would be overcome by regeneration; (Gal 3:26) man’s relative or human righteousness would be solved by the imputation of Divine righteousness; (2Co 5:21) the essence of God, (Perfect righteousness and justice) would be resolved by propitiation: that is, the righteousness and justice of God the Father would be satisfied by the perfect righteousness of His Son, Jesus Christ, who, by taking the place of the sinner, would pay the penalty of sin. (1Jn 2:2; 1Jn 4:10) Finally, the Barrier of being born “in Adam” (With temporal life) would be settled by Positional Truth, for the one who believes in Christ would receive eternal life. (1Jn 5:11) Thus, through the work of Christ on the Cross, the Barrier is removed. Man is reconciled to God by faith in Christ and enters into a personal relationship with God!

          As the angels watch the Civilization Amphitheatre, they observe people trusting in Christ every day; this causes the devil to gnash his teeth! Every time a person believes in the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior, it is another reminder to Satan and his angels that they are doomed and that God IS fair and just in condemning the fallen angels to the Lake of Fire. Those who reject the love of God, expressed in the perfect Salvation Plan, become the objects of Divine righteousness and justice, and must receive God’s wrath. They have, in fact, judged themselves “unworthy of everlasting life”; (Act 13:46) by Divine judgment, they must join Satan in the Lake of Fire. Thus two problems are resolved at once: the ancient conflict; (God’s sentence is vindicated: Satan deserves his eternal judgment) and the temporal conflict. (The one who rejects Jesus Christ in time will also receive the same eternal judgment)

          This means that man has a purpose on the earth, and this purpose is first realized the day he believes in Christ. The Scripture says, that elect angels in heaven rejoice over one sinner who changes his attitude toward the Person of Jesus Christ. (Luk 15:7-10) You should begin to see the parallel between Satan’s fall and that of man. God put innocent man on the earth; Satan’s objective then, as now, was to lure man into following his own course — to act independently of God! When believers are not filled with the Spirit, when they fail to use the faith-rest technique and do not occupy themselves with Christ nor live in the Word, they are functioning independently of God, and fulfilling the satanic objective. On the other hand when they receive Christ as Savior, when they are filled with the Spirit and Think with Truth and use the techniques of the Christian way of life, they are depending upon God and utilizing what He has provided in grace. Every time a believer latches on to grace, and reaches Spiritual maturity, he participates on the positive side of the glorification of God! In any and every way God is always GLORIFIED; by our positive or negative decisions, because God provided the freewill for Satan, elect angels, demons, unbelievers and believers to use! (Psa 113:1-9; Isa 14:27; Rom 9:17-20; 2Ti 2:20-21)

          Isaiah’s view of Satan’s fall

          The historical background for the Isaiah passage is a threefold judgment of nations and their rulers.

       (Isa 14:1-11) concerns the judgment of the Babylonian Empire. God used this empire, as well as the Assyrian Empire, to discipline Israel; but both nations went too far and became anti-Semitic; therefore, God destroyed them. The second judgment, recorded in, (Isa 14:4) concerns King Ahaz and the Southern Kingdom, Judah.

          Because of a revolt against Divine authority, the nation Israel had been split into two entities. The Northern Kingdom, (The ten tribes) called “Israel’ or “Ephraim,” had its capital at Samaria; the capital of the Southern Kingdom, (The tribes of Judah and Benjamin) was Jerusalem. In 721 BC, the Northern Kingdom, apostate and degenerate, had gone into the fifth cycle of discipline under military conquest by Assyria. Jeremiah and Isaiah were commissioned by God to warn Judah of impending calamity if she continued in the same idolatrous practices as her sister to the north.

          The failures of these Jews, from the standpoint of their Spiritual, economic, military and social life will comprise the background for our study. They ignored the Principles of freedom by which a national entity functions to the glory of God. Finally, in 586 BC, Judah, the Southern Kingdom, was conquered by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar, and many of the Jews were taken into captivity by the Chaldeans.

          Isaiah began his ministry during the reign of Ahaz, King of Judah. Threatened by a siege from the combined forces of Syria and Ephraim, (The Northern Kingdom Isa 7:1-2) Ahaz had panicked. Instead of heeding Isaiah’s warning to trust the Lord; (Isa 7:3-12) Ahaz sought advice from a wizard. (Operation necromancy — Isa 8:19) The wizard, (Male medium) was indwelt and or influenced by demons. The counsel they passed on to Ahaz had come straight from Satan and was therefore cursed.

          That brings us to the third judgment in, (Isa 14:15-19) that of Satan. Why should the doom of an angel be inserted in the middle of a chapter that describes the censure of nations? The point is that all judgments in Isaiah 14 are correlated. The condemnation of Belshazzar, (Isa 14:4) is related to the evil decision of Ahaz. This decision resulted in the fall of three nations: Chaldea, Assyria and Judah. In the same manner, Isaiah began with the second judgment of Satan and related it to its source the original satanic sin of negative volition. Hence, Isaiah’s view is recorded in its logical rather than its chronological sequence.

          The Second Fall

          How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! (Isa 14:12)

          This sentence is executed after the Tribulation has started. At that future date, Satan will be thrown out of heaven once and for all; and cast onto the earth, where he will make one last supreme effort to annihilate the Jews. (Rev 12:1-17) He will have three and a half years to wreak havoc; then he will be bound for the duration of the Millennium. (Rev 20:1-3)

          One of Satan’s objectives is the destruction of national entities. Only through the Fourth Divine Institution; Nationalism, is it possible to have maximum dissemination of the Gospel and the teaching of Truth throughout the world. Evangelism can never function under any system of internationalism! One of the greatest periods of missionary activity occurred during the last half of the nineteenth century a period of vigorous nationalism. During the Tribulation, Satan will accomplish the final destruction of nations through the promotion of political, economic and religious internationalism.

          The First Fall

          But you said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. (Isa 14:13-14)

          These two verses describe the first fall of Satan, which took place prior to man’s existence on the earth. Notice an extremely important point: THE FIRST SIN EVER COMMITTED WAS IN THE REALM OF THE MIND — A THOUGHT! There is no other book in the universe that can assert with perfect accuracy what Satan THOUGHT! This information comes directly from God, who is the omniscient, ALL-KNOWING Mind Reader, whose knowledge is neither restricted by time nor space. (Mat 9:4; Luk 1:51; Luk 2:35) Each of Lucifer’s five boastful presumptions against the will of God; was an expression of a negative mental attitude and reveals the author of negative volition as Satan the angel! Volition always implies the existence of free will. Positive volition is demonstrated when we do the will of God, while negative volition produces activities from the human will; independent of God.

          The First “I Will”: “I will ascend to heaven.” With the exception of the seraphim and cherubim mentioned in, (Isa 6:1-3; Eze 10:1) and in, (Rev 4:6-9) Satan is the only angel who is recorded as residing in the third heaven; the throne room of God. At this point, Satan had not yet fallen from the third heaven; therefore, the first “I will” is not a desire to live in the throne room but an expression of power lust to displace God as the Ruler of the third heaven.

          The Second “I Will”: “I will raise my throne above the stars of God” The “stars of God” refer to angels. (cf. Job 38:7; Rev 12:3-4) In other words, Satan is plotting in his mind, “I will take over angelic creation.” The second “I will” reveals Satan’s ambition to seize greater power and authority and to replace God as the Ruler of angels. His power lust affected not only the angelic creation but the human race as well. In understanding Satan’s original sin, one begins to recognize the lust pattern of the old sin nature, which includes power, ego and approbation lusts.

          The Third “I Will”: “I will sit on the mount of the assembly In the recesses of the north.” “I will sit” means “to sit on a throne, to rule.” “The mount of the assembly,” a place where the Jews gathered, also referred to in, (Psa 48:2). This “I will” projects Satan’s desire to rule the earth.

          The Fourth “I Will”: “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds.” Out of approximately 150 references in the Bible to clouds, over one hundred of these refer to Divine Presence. (Exod 16:10; Exod 40:38; 1Ki 8:10; Psa 104:3; Isa 19:1; Mat 24:30; etc.) The fourth “I will” indicates the obsession of Satan to supplant God as the Sovereign of the universe to control all creation. He wants the glory; but he has neither the character, ability nor the means to achieve his objective.

          The Fifth “I Will”: “I will make myself like the Most High.” The fifth “I will” conveys Satan’s fantastic power lust: “I will make myself like God” However, Satan does not possess the character of God; (Sovereignty, absolute righteousness, justice, love, eternal life, omniscience, omnipotence, omnipresence, immutability and veracity) therefore, this ambition is also futile. Only a believer filled with the Spirit can imitate God. (Eph 5:1; Eph 5:18; Gal 4:19; Gal 5:22-23) In his desire to be like God, the devil is the greatest of all counterfeiters. He is the source of all religious and philosophical systems which deifies man, (Makes man a god) and simulates the Truth.

          Of all the categories of sin in the human race, one of the most detrimental is power lust, which emanated from the fifth “I will.” There are many people in local churches, for example, who hustle for some top position. I am not speaking of believers who are genuinely motivated by the Holy Spirit, but of those who are driven by lustful ambition and comprise the world’s worst Christians. Often others in the church regard them as wonderful, even as “model” Christians, because they have an impeccable facade of self-righteousness. They observe all the taboos, never commit overt sins, but are filled with hypocrisy; they are eaten up with envy, jealousy and pride; they lust for power; they lust for praise! This gives you some idea of Satan’s routine in his original fall.

          The Third Fall

          Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit. (Isa 14:15)

          Satan will reach his ultimate doom, as the sentence handed down by God in eternity past, is executed at the end of time. Details of this judgment are found in the Book of Revelation.

          And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Rev 20:10)

          The Lake of Fire was “prepared for the devil and his angels” (Mat 25:41) not for members of the human race; but do not make any false conclusions! Certain members of the human race will be there! Contrary to popular belief, it is not only “sinners” who go to hell, but the Scripture states, “ALL HAVE SINNED, and come short of the glory of God.” (Rom 3:23) Religious people go to hell! Moral people go to hell! Self-righteous people go to hell! Good people, sincere, holier-than thou people ALL kinds of people go to hell; and they go for one reason only: THEY HAVE REJECTED JESUS CHRIST AS SAVIOR! (Joh 3:18)

          Jesus answered and said to him, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. (Joh 3:3)

          The fall of man

          God could have cast Satan into the Lake of Fire immediately; instead, as we have seen, God chose to populate one planet — earth — to gain many angels and members of the human race into His family; and to demonstrate to ALL that His Thoughts and Virtues are PERFECT! Therefore, we find ourselves in the midst of the angelic conflict. The Civilization Amphitheatre now has players on the field! In order that man might have a test for his volition, a tree was placed in the Garden of Eden; the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The fruit of that tree was forbidden to man, and as long as he remained positive to the Divine prohibition, he would enjoy the benefits of perfect environment in the Garden. If man partook of the tree he would act independently of God, just as Satan had done.

          Satan and all the angels stood by to watch this very carefully. Should man fail the first test, Satan could assume that he had won the first round. This provides the background as the “first quarter” opened up in the Civilization Bowl.

          Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made... (Gen 3:1)

          Of the three categories of creation, (Angel, Homo sapiens and animal) the serpent is in the lowest echelon. Yet in the Garden he was the most beautiful creature among the animals and was probably the woman’s pet. The Hebrew word for “serpent” means “refracted light” shining one, beautiful one, glamorous one. Apparently, he possessed a transparency or some rare beauty which set him apart from the other species of the animal kingdom. Undoubtedly, this is why Satan chose the serpent as his instrument to reach the woman.

          Up to this time, the world belonged to man; he was the supreme ruler and had authority over all creation. It is always Satan’s strategy to introduce doubt in the mind of Homo sapiens; and in order to accomplish this, the devil uses “agencies,” the first being the serpent. Actually, Satan is so closely identified with this creature that “serpent” becomes one of his titles. (Gen 3:11-15; Rev 12:9) As the most perceptive of all the creatures in the Garden, the serpent apparently could carry on some kind of conversation at that time. The implication is that a dialogue between the serpent and the woman was not unusual, for the woman was not startled to hear him speak.

          The Attack on the Woman

          Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he [Satan] said to the woman, Indeed, has God said, You shall not eat from any tree of the garden? (Gen 3:1)

          Remember that it was Satan, not the serpent, who spoke with the woman. Now, why did he attack the woman and not the man? The woman was under the authority of the man; she was in absolute obedience to him willingly and happily obedient! That is part of perfect environment. We see little evidence of that today! Had the man been solicited to evil and succumbed first, then the woman could always claim the excuse that she was simply obeying the authority of the man! Therefore, Satan first attacked the one who was dependent.

          Satan fired his opening burst: “Indeed, has God said...” The first title for God used by the Holy Spirit in, (Gen 3:1) is “LORD God,” (JEHOVAH ELOHIM) whereas Satan used only ELOHIM. There is a difference between the two titles: LORD in the Old Testament is JEHOVAH, the name of God IN RELATIONSHIP TO MAN. This title can refer to any Member of the Trinity, as indicated by the context. ELOHIM is the plural word for “God” IN TRANSCENDENCE, emphasizing Divine essence, and applies to more than one Personality, usually the entire Trinity. The woman knew God as JEHOVAH or as JEHOVAH ELOHIM.

          By using ELOHIM only, Satan purposely ignored the relationship between God and man and merely recognized a Supreme Being. Satan always has and always will ignore God, insofar as it is possible to do so. As we saw in, (Isa 14:13-14) Satan in his egomania completely disregarded God; so it is not surprising that in addressing the woman, he employed a term with which she was unfamiliar ELOHIM. The Satanic innuendo was this: “You can recognize the existence of a Supreme Being, but don’t ever get the idea that God is interested in you personally or that there can be a relationship between you and God!”

          One of Satan’s primary objectives has always been to deny that God is in any way concerned with man; but Satan is the father of lies. (Joh 8:44) God IS interested in man! God the Son demonstrated this interest by paying the penalty for man’s sins. “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died {Spiritual death] for us.” (Rom 5:8) On the Cross, Jesus Christ took our place; He bore every sin that ever has been or ever will be committed by the human race. He did all the work; “so that whoever BELIEVES will in Him have eternal life.” (Joh 3:15)

          Satan continued: “You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?” The trees in the Garden were there for a purpose, as a provision for man. (Body, soul and spirit; Gen 2:9) Man enjoyed them, and they sustained him, but one tree served a different purpose. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil was designated by God as a means to test man’s volition. The Divine prohibition is stated in, (Gen 2:17) “But from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” The literal translation from the Hebrew reads, “dying, you shall die.” “Dying” refers to Spiritual death; “die,” to physical death. God is perfect justice and had specifically warned man that eating of this forbidden tree would have dire consequences! Thus Adam and his wife would die Spiritually because of their disobedience; they would no longer have a relationship with God. Physical death would follow eventually as a result of sin and Spiritual death. (Gen 2:17)

          Today man can sin in a thousand, or even a hundred thousand different ways. Most people think that sin is related only to the Ten Commandments, but the possibilities of sin are unlimited; sins of mental attitude, motivation, behavior pattern, etc. In fact, the more of the Word of Truth that you know, the easier it is to recognize sin; and the longer the sin list becomes. Here is the real shocker: in the state of perfection in the Garden, there was only one sin which man could commit — NEGATIVE VOLITION — and this would be expressed by eating of the fruit from the forbidden tree!

          In man’s sin, the ego was stimulated, just as it had been in Satan’s case. The innuendo of Satan’s question is obvious: “God is not fair! God is playing a dirty trick on you! God is afraid that if you eat of that tree, you will know as much as He knows. Now, really, young lady, doesn’t it seem a little strange to you that God has permitted you all the rest of the trees but has forbidden this tree?”

          The first attack of Satan was to slander the character and grace of God, and he has been doing it ever since! He suggests that God is not a loving God and claims that for Him to condemn anyone to the Lake of Fire is incompatible with “love.” We begin to learn something about the true nature of the devil from (Gen 3:1). Satan implies God is not fair or really concerned about the welfare of man. The prohibition of one tree was a bona fide test of volition and was in no way an unkindness to man; but Satan’s insinuation helped to prepare a mental attitude of resentment in the woman which eventually led to overt sin. The woman began to think in terms of competing with God a duplication of the same thought pattern that caused Satan to fall!

          The Woman’s Response

          The woman said to the serpent, From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die. (Gen 3:2-3)

          In these two verses, the woman demonstrated that she was long on curiosity and short on Truth, although Truth was available. The woman was gullible toward Satan’s approach, but not because she was stupid and foolish or lacked intelligence. You may not realize it, but we are talking about the most beautiful and intelligent woman who ever lived. However, when it came to dealing with Satan, she needed Divine Thinking, not beauty and brains! She listened to false Truth when she should have separated herself from it. (2Co 11:3; 1Ti 4:1; 1Ti 4:16) When she also used the word ELOHIM rather than JEHOVAH ELOHIM, she fell into Satan’s trap. To her, the names of God were of little importance.

          Next the woman misquoted God. If you check, (Gen 2:16-17) you will discover that God never mentioned touching the tree. He had said to Adam and his wife, “Do not EAT of it!” She thought that if she TOUCHED it, she would die. In other words, she assumed that death lay in contact with the tree, that somehow it was poisonous. Yet death was not resident in the property of the tree but in the act of disobedience negative volition. She not only misinterpreted and distorted God’s Word, she added to it. The woman was off to a bad start, and Satan pressed his attack.

          The serpent said to the woman, You surely will not die!  (Gen 3:4)

          Satan ridiculed God’s warning of, (Gen 2:17) by saying, “Now look here, you are not really going to die; that is absurd!” Satan thus denied the relationship between sin and its punishment in the Garden, and he is still doing so. Yet you can deduce from your knowledge of the Truth of Divine essence that to sever the connection between sin and punishment is impossible. This is based upon the fact that God would be neither righteous nor just if He did NOT pronounce the penalty upon sin!

          For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, [ELOHIM] or gods) knowing good and evil. (Gen 3:5)

          The devil suggested that God was holding back something beneficial from the man and the woman and implied that it would be a blessing for them to have their eyes opened! Satan said in effect, “God is afraid that if you eat of this tree, you will be as wise as He is.” So the character of God was again challenged. Furthermore, we have for the first time, (But not the last) an appeal to pride and ego: “you will be like God!”

          Satan himself had succumbed in the area of pride; now he set the same trap for the woman. What he said was true in part. If she ate of that tree, her eyes would be opened not to be like God but to discover what God is like! She would learn that God is righteous and just and that He keeps His Word! Although man did not become like God, in time God became Man through the Incarnation so that through Salvation mankind could share God’s estate forever. There can be no greater love!

          The Man’s Enticement

          When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, (Lust of the flesh) and that it was a delight to the eyes, (Lust of the eyes) and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, (Pride of life) she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. (Gen 3:6)

          Upon Satan’s departure, the woman began to rationalize: “This fruit is the food I really need!” She had all the vitamins and minerals in the other trees, but she now persuaded herself that she must have this one, too. This outlook has continued in the human race throughout history as people who have everything, (But the capacity to enjoy it) continually desire more! And who prods us in this quest? Satan! He is still offering tempting suggestions to mankind.

          I see people every day who seemingly possess everything in life; and while they may be the object of envy where others are concerned, they are miserable. You have heard that old rationalization, “I would rather be miserable and rich than miserable and poor!” This is Satanic in its approach, and it keeps us perpetually off-balance. The trouble is that without the Mind of Christ in our Thinking, the more you have, the more you want; and so your unhappiness increases! Do you recall what Solomon said when he went down to the barracks and heard all of his workmen snoring? He had been trying to make out his “income tax return,” and he could not sleep. Everything he touched had turned to gold; yet he said, “The more I have, by the power of the old sin nature the more miserable I am!” (Ecc 5:10-13) There is a Principle here: wealth does not necessarily bring happiness! It is not wrong to own and to enjoy things. One of the beautiful byproducts of Christianity is that Christians who know Truth and are also blessed with materialistic possessions have the capacity to enjoy them!

          The woman further noticed the fruit “was pleasant to the eyes.” As she “window-shopped,” she longed for the fruit the “lust of the flesh.” (1Jn 2:16) Her emotion was aroused, and her volition went negative. Above all, to her the tree was “desired to make one wise” the final rationalization. It was not wrong for the woman to be tempted; it was wrong to succumb! At this point, the first overt sin in the human race occurred — SHE TOOK FROM ITS FRUIT AND ATE!

          Now who was proven right, God or Satan? The penalty for her disobedience was enforced at the moment the woman sinned; she died Spiritually and lost her relationship with God. Adam looked at the first sinner and understood that his wife was Spiritually dead. He had to make a choice: fellowship with the woman or fellowship with God? He chose the woman. (And man has been going that way ever since) The ruler of the earth and head of the first household had lost his authority. By becoming obedient to his wife, he also became obedient to Satan!

          Operation Fig Leaves

          Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. (Gen 3:7)

          Before the fall, Adam and his wife were innocent and ignorant of evil. They possessed a soul, which included self- consciousness, mentality, volition, faith, emotion and conscience with its norms and standards. Whereas before, their norms and standards knew only Divine Thinking; now their eyes were opened and they were conscious of evil — Satan’s thinking. Since the fall, the conscience of man has become an inner witness, a judge and a tormentor that mirrors his sinful, depraved and fallen condition. (Pro 27:19) This conscience, however, does not bring man to God; only the Word of God; and the convicting and convincing ministry of God the Holy Spirit can accomplish that. (Joh 16:8-15) Conscience is merely the operation of the right lobe of the mind with regard to the norms and standards of human thinking.

          Their nakedness described their condition. Since man was not aware he was “naked” in perfection, he was apparently clothed in light. God is light (1Jn 1:5) and clothes Himself in light, (Psa 104:2) and His light is identified with regenerate man. (Psa 36:9; 1Jn 1:7) The man and woman no longer had the type of “clothing” by which they could approach God and have fellowship with Him. (1Ti 6:16) Sin extinguished the light, and they were both Spiritually dead. They now saw each other in nakedness. (Gen 3:7)

          This situation called for an adjustment. Here is a Principle which Satan has brought down to us from the beginning: man and woman must adjust to EACH OTHER! Adam and his wife tried that, and in so doing, they ignored God. There was no turning to Him, no recognition of their failure. They did not say, “O God, we have sinned!” They did not throw themselves on His mercy. Instead, they assumed that if they were right with each other, they would be right with God. This is anthropocentric philosophy which still exists today. People say, “I am going to heaven because I treat my neighbor right”; “I am going to heaven because I do not beat my wife”; “I am going to heaven because I pay my debts”; “I am going to heaven because I am properly adjusted to my fellow man.” This is Salvation by works! We must first be adjusted to God before we can be adjusted to members of the human race!

          The first act of fallen man was socialism — human sin nature good — “operation fig leaves!” “Now all of our problems are solved because we have put on clothes,” they reasoned. Who made the clothes? THEY made them; THEY sewed fig leaves together; THEY put them on! It was human self-righteousness a “sin nature” solution!

          They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. (Gen 3:8)

          The manifest Person of the Godhead is always the Second Person of the Trinity. (Joh 1:18) The LORD God was Jesus Christ coming into the Garden to pay His daily visit to them in the cool of the day around sunset. What did they do when He came and called to Adam, the responsible one? They hid from God! Actually, no one can hide from omniscient God. What caused the man and woman to hide behind the trees? Why did Adam not come to God as he had before he ate of the tree? He could no longer do so; he was Spiritually dead!

          In addition to a soul, which has the ability to understand and absorb human thoughts, Adam, in his trichotomous state, also possessed a human spirit with the ability to have fellowship with Jesus Christ. (Through, his human spirit and Thinking with the Mind of Christ) When Adam died Spiritually, he lost his human spirit and the ability to have Spiritual fellowship with God. He still retained his soul; but to further complicate matters, he also acquired the sin nature — Satan's nature. (Joh 8:44) The only possible way that His human spirit could be revived and be restored to fellowship with God would be by means of the Cross. By accepting Christ’s work on the Cross, (In faith of the Promised fulfillment; Joh 19:30) his human spirit would once again be made alive to God. However, the sin nature was here to stay!

          The Grace of God

          Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you? [Why are you where you are?] (Gen 3:9)

          Here we have a clear manifestation of the grace of God: God sought man! Do you realize what this meant to the Godhead? When Adam sinned, Satan won the first round. Because of the grace of God, Satan received a temporary reprieve from the Lake of Fire. Until this time, God’s grace operated on a limited scale and was expressed in the provision of perfect environment, physical and Spiritual sustenance. Now man had become a sinner; and when God provides everything for man AS A SINNER, that is the MAXIMUM OPERATION OF GRACE!

          Man did not deserve to have God speak to him first or even at all! To the contrary, everything that man did should have earned a permanent Barrier between himself and God, even a place in the Lake of Fire. Yet God will make all the provisions for undeserving man beginning with a new Tree, the Cross. The first tree was forbidden; but of the second Tree, God Commands us to TAKE! (1Jn 3:23) This one Tree; the Cross, is all that can save man. We simply accept by faith the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross! “And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross...” (1Pe 2:24)

          He said, I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; [Out of fellowship with God] so I hid myself. (Gen 3:10)

          Thus far, Adam had never experienced fear! But now that he was Spiritually dead, he recognized his carnal condition. Unhappily, Adam seemed to be more conscious of the results of sin rather than with the enormity of sin itself or of his relationship with God.

          “Passing the Buck”

          And He said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat? (Gen 3:11)

          Since Adam was preoccupied solely with the results of sin, God directed his attention to the sin itself through this question. Negative volition toward God, His Command and Word was the issue, not nakedness or shame! When Adam began to realize he could not wiggle out of his predicament, he originated a device to avoid blame which has been perpetuated ever since he passed the buck! Too often when man gets himself in a tight spot, he rationalizes that it is someone else’s fault. Today psychology has devised another clever system to take the “heat” off: your guilt is merely a psychological complex that has developed as the result of an unfortunate environment or an unhappy childhood; therefore, it is indirectly someone else’s fault. But man is still passing the buck instead of facing the issue! (Faith in Christ and growth to Spiritual maturity!)

          The man said, The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate. (Gen 3:12)

          Notice how Adam implicated God as well as the woman. He was saying, “God, it is all Your fault. YOU gave me this woman, and SHE gave me the fruit.” In fact, he also blamed it indirectly on the tree; his environment! Now you cannot beat that for ingenuity! Adam was a smart man but not smart enough. God ignored this lame excuse for the moment, and turned to the woman.

          Then the LORD God said to the woman, What is this you have done? And the woman said, The serpent deceived me, and I ate. (Gen 3:13)

          The woman caught on quickly. Faced with the issue of sin, she also sidestepped. What did she say? “It was not my fault God. The serpent told me it would be all right.” It was true that the serpent deceived her, but it was not the serpent’s fault that she yielded!

          Sentencing the Guilty

          The LORD God said to the serpent, Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life. (Gen 3:14)

          God did not interrogate the serpent because, in His omniscience, God knew that Satan had instigated the temptation. The questioning of Adam and the woman is merely pursued for our benefit. God stopped His interrogation at this point; all of the facts were gathered. His next step was to pronounce judgment on everyone involved, beginning with the serpent. Since the serpent was the agent of Satan in deceiving the woman, he too must be judged. Up until that time, the serpent had been the proud and shining one, the most glamorous creature of the animal world. From now on, the serpent would be the reptile crawling on the ground and eating dust degraded and despised!

          As the serpent had attempted to exalt self, so now the serpent would creep. At present, the serpent can strike only the foot of the man who walks upright; but man can crush the head of the serpent which lies in the dust.

       And I will put enmity Between you [Satan] and the woman, And between your seed [Fallen angels and man] and her seed; [Christ and believers] He [Christ] shall bruise you on the head, [Victory over Satan] And you [Satan] shall bruise Him [Christ being betrayed many times] on [And or with] the heel. (Gen 3:15) cf. (Psa 41:9; Joh 13:18)

       The analogy is carried into the next verse where Salvation is promised. This Messianic prophecy cannot be understood apart from the curse on the serpent; hence, the serpent was cursed before Salvation was promised. Furthermore, Satan was judged before the Plan of Salvation was declared. Satan and his agent, the serpent, are definitely excluded in the promise of Salvation, which concerns the human race only! God turned to the woman next.

       To the woman He said, I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you will bring forth children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you. (Gen 3:16)

          The sentence for the woman still holds. Whether you men know it or not, one of the most painful experiences in life is childbearing. Then follows the Concept which really rankles women and deals the deathblow to the Women’s Liberation Movement: “Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he will rule over you.” In other words, “You will have an insatiable desire for your right man.” Most women fail to recognize this yearning; but the woman who has reached Spiritual maturity; and does understand, is utterly feminine and has discovered how glorious it is to be a woman. A woman who misses this beautiful relationship is a miserable and frustrated creature! (Apart from growth to Spiritual maturity)

          God gave the woman a very fitting sentence, for most women instinctively, (From demonism and the old sin nature) despise being dominated by the man. (Joh 2:24-25) Her pride was hurt also, just as was that of the serpent. The woman originally occupied a wonderful place; but now, even though she is often more intelligent than the male of the species, this is still a “man’s world.” That can be rough, can’t it? Just remember that God’s perfect Plan takes up the slack and turns cursing into blessing under the Principle of right man — right woman. In this perfect relationship as designed by God, the right man is always superior to his right woman; yet under his Spiritual maturity, authority and protection, she again enjoys the exalted position the first woman once had in the Garden. (On the condition that the woman has reached Spiritual maturity as well)

          Then to Adam He said, Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat from it'; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return. (Gen 3:17-19).

          Adam had been listening to the woman instead of instructing her with Divine Thinking! He deliberately disobeyed God and obeyed his wife! Everything had been provided for man, but now Adam must work in painful toil. This is still the order of the day. As additional punishment, Adam lost his dominion over creation, since nature also shares in the results of Adam’s sin, the earth will produce troublesome briers and thorns; and only by “hard labor” can man wrest food from the soil. (Rom 8:19-22) Animals became ferocious and carnivorous — even subject to demon possession. (Mar 5:13; Rev 16:13) Satan’s possession of the serpent set a precedent whereby demons can indwell both animals and unbelievers. (Believers can be demon influenced)

          (Gen 3:19) has reference to the human body, which, after physical death, reverts to the chemicals of the soil. Only as long as the body is occupied by the soul, (Unbeliever) or by the soul and spirit, (Believer) does the body retain its life and function. The body enters into corruption when the soul, or the soul and spirit, depart from it. While physical death is a result of sin and follows Spiritual death, the cursing of death is turned to blessing by the work of Christ on the Cross. (Heb 2:14-15) Although regeneration does not remove physical death; death becomes a blessing for the believer who has reached Spiritual maturity; through the provision of dying grace. (2Co 5:8)

          Adam lived 930 years before he died physically. (Gen 5:5) His long life can be attributed to his marvelous physical body. As sin multiplied and increased with the population expansion, man’s body deteriorated and degenerated. The antithesis of evolution!

          The promise of Salvation

       And I will put enmity Between you [Satan] and the woman, And between your seed [Fallen angels and man] and her seed; [Christ and believers] He [Christ] shall bruise you on the head, [Victory over Satan] And you [Satan] shall bruise Him [Christ being betrayed many times] on [And or with] the heel. (Gen 3:15) cf. (Psa 41:9; Joh 13:18)

          After the serpent was sentenced and before the judgment was pronounced on the man and the woman, we have the embryonic promise of Salvation. GRACE ALWAYS PRECEDES JUDGMENT! There are two distinct seeds in view: Satan’s seed and the woman’s seed. For the moment, the man is out of the picture. Just as the angelic creatures are divided into two opposing armies, so the human race is now divided: believers are the “Seed of the woman,” and unbelievers of the seed of Satan. There will always be hostility between demons and humans, (Unbelievers and carnal believers) under Satan; and angels and Spiritual believers under God!

          The “Seed of the woman,” the first Messianic title and the first promise of a Savior, (Gal 3:16-19) is a reference to the virgin birth of Christ and emphasizes His humanity. (Php 2:5-8) Every person who enters this world by natural generation possesses an old sin nature; therefore, we are born Spiritually dead. (Rom 5:12; Eph 2:1) On the other hand, One Person the woman’s seed, the Lord Jesus Christ, came into this world WITHOUT either the old sin nature or imputed sin, and He lived apart from any personal sin, which qualified Him to take the sinner’s place on the Cross.

          The bruising of Satan’s head is an analogy to the crushing of a serpent’s head. Just as the snake is destroyed by striking him on this most vulnerable part of his body, so Jesus Christ will neutralize Satan at the Second Advent. The bruising of Christ’s heel is a Prophecy of the Cross, where Satan will strike the humanity of Christ, as a snake strikes the lower extremity of man. In declaring the two stages of Christ’s strategic victory as the Seed of the woman, (Gen 3:15) also guarantees Salvation to the human race!

          For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. (1Ti 2:13-14)

          As the first to be created, Adam was the responsible one. Notice the clear declaration: Adam WAS NOT DECEIVED! He sinned deliberately! When Adam saw the first sinner, he knew what had happened, and he purposely took the fruit FROM HER! He did not even pull it from the tree. Remember, the woman was just as guilty as the man, for she also sinned; but there was a difference in that she was deceived. For this reason, the woman was to be the means by which the Savior would come into the world. Since Adam knowingly and deliberately sinned, the sin nature is passed down through the man. (Psa 51:5) Herein lies the necessity for the virgin birth. (Isa 7:14)

          “But women will be preserved   through the bearing of children if they continue in faith (The Spiritual life) and love and sanctity with self-restraint.” (Thinking with Truth; and growth to Spiritual maturity) (1Ti 2:15) Woman’s judgment would be the vehicle of bringing the Savior, Jesus Christ, into the world. This was the Plan of God from eternity past, since the Trinity knew that man would become a sinner. God the Father said in effect, “In spite of the situation, I will make the decision to treat man in grace!” (Eph 2:8) God the Son agreed to execute the Plan and go to the Cross. (Joh 4:34; Joh 12:44; Joh 17:4) God the Holy Spirit would reveal the Plan to man. (Joh 16:8-13; 1Co 2:10; the Doctrine of Common grace)

          How did the man and woman respond to the Promise? By believing in the Lord Jesus Christ the Promised Savior. And how do we know this to be True?

          Now the man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. (Gen 3:20)

          The Hebrew word for Eve is CHAWWAH, which means “life” or “life-receiving one.” Adam called her “Life” as a Testimony to their personal faith in Christ as the Seed of the woman. Whereas they were under condemnation, they now had eternal life. Adam also recognized the Truth of the Prophecy that Eve would be the mother of the Living One, Jesus Christ.

          The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. (Gen 3:21)

          The coats of skins were animal skins taken by the shedding of blood, which was a teaching aid for the Spiritual death and judgment of Christ on the Cross. (Eph 1:7; Heb 9:22; 1Pe 1:18-19) Like the innocent animals, Christ, the innocent One, must suffer and die for the guilty. His Spiritual death and judgment paid the penalty of man’s Spiritual death. (Rom 6:23; 1Pe 2:24) The coats of skins replaced the fig leaves of human righteousness and socialism. (Isa 64:6; Tit 3:5). At the Last Judgment, all unbelievers of the human race will stand before God in their “fig leaves’ and will be judged on the basis of their good works. (Rev 20:13-14) Only those who wear the righteousness of Christ, pictured by the coats of skins, will avoid the Last Judgment. (Isa 61:9-11; 2Co 5:21; Rom 3:22-26)

          Expulsion from the garden

          Then the LORD God said, Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good [God's Thinking] and evil; [Satan's thinking] and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, [Eternal life of God] and eat, and live forever"-- (With a sin nature) therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life. (Gen 3:22-24)

          The tree of life can provide neither forgiveness of sin nor imputed righteousness; this can be accomplished only by the Tree of death, the Cross, which must become the sole issue of Salvation. From man’s expulsion from the Garden, the Cross remained and continues to remain the issue to the human race. The Tree of death became the means of eternal life because it is the work of God in which man has no part. This is the PRINCIPLE OF GRACE. Salvation depends on the work of God, never on man’s works!

          If fallen man were to remain in the Garden, volition could not be tested; hence, it was imperative that the tree of life be beyond man’s reach. So that cursing might be turned into blessing, man must be kept from the place where he could perpetuate the curse. All traces of sin and the curse must be removed, and this could not be done had man continued forever in a state of sin in the Garden. Furthermore, to live forever in a state of sin with an old sin nature, would have been a great disaster for the human race! In fact, Satan would like nothing better! There would never have been an opportunity for man to fellowship with God, and the devil and his angels would have escaped the Lake of Fire.

          Man cannot enjoy perfect environment apart from eternal fellowship with God; hence, Salvation must precede the perfect environment for the human race. Because of the expulsion of man from the Garden; “where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” (Rom 5:20) Man becomes a gainer through grace! As a result of regeneration, man will occupy a position higher and better than that which he possessed in Eden. (Heb 1:1-14 and Heb 2:1-18)

          While the expulsion turned disaster into the greatest possible potential happiness for man, he would not be freed from Satanic attacks. Always crafty, Satan would become bolder and more diversified in his attempts to lure mankind into his camp. In his pride, the devil never stops trying to prove God wrong, and he uses both believers and unbelievers as tools in his warfare.

          Enemies of the believer

          Every person who has accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior is engaged in this Spiritual warfare and fights on three fronts: the world, (With its many false realities) the flesh, (The lust of the eyes, the flesh and pride) and the devil. (False Biblical and non Biblical systems of thinking) In any military situation, there is a tremendous advantage in understanding the strategy of the enemy. The world as our enemy is found in, (Rom 12:2). In the true Biblical Concept, worldliness is a mental attitude which excludes the Person and Thinking of Jesus Christ. Contrary to what most people think, worldliness is not an overt act; it is any mental attitude which fails to see life from the standpoint of the Bible — the Divine Viewpoint. This means that you can actually be sitting in church with a sanctified expression on your face and yet be thinking worldly! Most believers are worldly without realizing it, simply because they do not know enough Truth. Worldliness is the enemy in the mind — human false realities.

          The flesh (Rom 7:18; Rom 8:8; Gal 5:16-19; 1Jn 2:15-16) is the inherent sin nature. Man has three strikes against him: imputed sin, inherent sin and personal sin. The sin nature, that part of the soul’s essence acquired originally by Adam’s Fall and subsequently through physical birth, and is the source of the soul’s rebellion toward God. The old sin nature has an area of weakness, which produces personal sins; an area of strength, which produces human old sin nature good; a lust pattern, and a trend toward asceticism or lasciviousness. Demonic thinking, (And or worldliness) and the old sin nature are the two enemies within the soul.

          We also have an enemy without Satan! The devil is the source of human old sin nature good — socialism; as well as the source of evil. (Satan's thoughts) As the first sinner and the first created being to reject God, he is therefore the author of sin, (1Jn 3:8) a “murderer from the beginning,” and “the father of all lies” (Joh 8:44) and as such, he blinds the minds of the lost. (2Co 4:4) He exists for the sole purpose of exalting himself and opposing God. Since Satan is the chief enemy and maligner of God, he is also the foremost enemy of believers and seeks to persuade them to operate in the energy of the flesh and thus to function independently of God. The manner in which he tempted Jesus Christ in, (Mat 4:1-11) perfectly illustrates his normal procedure.

          In his role of counterfeiter, the devil attempts to replace Jesus Christ and to imitate the work of the Holy Spirit. His devices are many; he even employs a host of preachers and evangelists, (2Co 11:13-15) who not only fill pulpits on Sunday, but also foment riots and foster antiestablishment activities. Through his seized position as the “god of this world,” (2Co 4:4) “the ruler of the world,” (Joh 16:11) and the “prince of the power of the air,” (Eph 2:2) Satan exercises maximum control in his own realm. The ultimate program by which he seeks to control the world is internationalism. (Gen 11:4-9) cf. (Isa 14:12-14)

          On certain occasions, Satan personally enters and indwells unbelieving members of the human race for this purpose. Two mentioned specifically in the Bible are Judas Iscariot; (Luk 22:3) and the “man of sin” (The Dictator of the New World Order; (2Th 2:8-9) until the Beast demon Apollyon is released from the Abyss by Satan; (Rev 9:11; Rev 11:7) at which time the Dictator will then be indwelt by the angel of the Abyss. Satan will then give the Beast his throne, power and authority. Rev 9:1; Rev 13:2-8) However, the devil does not personally indwell or attack many people because he can be in only one place at a time.       

          You often hear people say, “The devil is after me!” Someone in another place is probably claiming the same thing at the same time. Assume that in a given moment, twenty-five people in twenty-five different locations of the world all insist that the devil is after them. At least twenty-four of them are wrong, and more than likely twenty-five are wrong. The devil is not omnipresent! Besides, he personally concerns himself with only great and effective believers or strategically important unbelievers. How, then, does the devil operate? He has a tremendous army, tallying in the millions of fallen angels, and he uses these demons in a most unusual manner.

          Satan’s world strategy

          So that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes. (2Co 2:11)

          The Greek word for “device” is better rendered “strategy.” Satan is a real personality with a very definite strategy with regard to believers. Because of his relationship to Jesus Christ, the believer becomes the object of a fivefold satanic attack.

          Accusing Believers

          And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. (Rev 12:9-10)

          Satan has a tremendous demon “G-2,” (Military Intelligence) organization (Eph 6:11-12) — one of the greatest reconnaissance systems the world has ever known; that continually collects data on believers. Every time a believer gets out of line, one of these demon intelligence agents records the information and turns it over to Satan. Then periodically Satan assembles with the other angels in the presence of the Lord to present his accusations. (Job 1:6-11; Zec 3:1-2) Although God is well aware of the believer’s sins and failures, (Doctrine of omniscience) Satan is allowed to bring them to His attention in the interest of resolving the angelic conflict.

          So that he does not lose ground in his own domain, Satan considers it advantageous when he can present any member of the Body of Christ as hypocritical, stupid or worthless! His advantage is only temporary, however, because Jesus Christ seated at the right hand of the Father, acts as our Defense Attorney, as soon as the accusation is made.

          My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. (1Jn 2:1-2)

          The problem of how to resolve sin is covered in, (1Jn 1:9) — rebound, which is confession of sins. But if we do sin, (Third class condition in the Greek maybe we will and maybe we will not) we have, (Keep on having) an Advocate. Until about twenty-five years ago, the meaning of “advocate” in the Greek was obscure; but from ancient manuscripts which have been recovered, plus recent archaeological discoveries and tremendous advances in the philology of the Greek language, (The syntax, etymology, etc.) we now know much more about such words as “advocate.” This means that we have a perfect “Lawyer” the Lord Jesus Christ who represents us in heaven.

          The word “with” from the Greek and in English means “in companionship with.” “Jesus Christ the righteous” is face to face with the Father at all times. The basis of His defense is propitiation. After Satan’s charge, all Christ needs to do is to mention that the accused individual (Insert your own name) has accepted Christ as Savior and is “under the blood.” In other words, our sins were paid for by the work of Christ on the Cross. (His Spiritual death and judgment) Now, since our sins have already been judged, the Principle of the law of double jeopardy applies: we cannot be judged twice for the same crime! Therefore, God the Father throws the case “out of court,” and the trial then becomes a family matter: “FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES, AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.” (Heb 12:6)

          (Job 1:6-11) is an excellent example of Satan’s strategy. Satan impugned Job’s character and motivation; by suggesting that Job was worshipping God and offering sacrifices only because he would not bite the Hand that fed him. Since God had made him rich and prosperous. Job knew on which side his bread was buttered! God always proves Satan wrong, as demonstrated by the rest of the Book of Job.

          Perhaps you have noticed that among all the peculiar, odd or strange people, Christians take first place! This is not without reason, for believers, as one of the prime targets in the strategy of the devil, (The other target being the Bible) both are under the constant pressure, of intense Spiritual warfare. You may even have been around enough believers under stress to conclude that everyone seems to have gone raving mad except “me and thee, and I am a little doubtful about thee.” There is an element of Truth in this, for Satan can put so much strain on a believer that almost anything can happen, including losing his mind; unless he uses Divine operating assets — the filling of God the Holy Spirit and Truth. (Joh 16:13) The unbeliever has different satanic pressures, because he is in the devil’s camp, and this is the devil’s world.

          While Satan and demons cannot indwell believers, they can influence them and exert a maximum amount of pressure from the outside and through the old sin nature. (Sin nature, thought, people, organization and disaster testing) This brings up an interesting point: can the devil read minds? No, he cannot, if we are in fellowship, Thinking with Truth; and he would not want to! But out of fellowship, the demons give us demonic thinking; so they know what we are thinking. Satan has extra-natural power and wisdom, and he can certainly make an educated guess as to what we will choose to think with! Unless people in the congregation are excellent “poker players,” even I can sometimes tell what they are thinking. Facial expressions and actions often clearly reveal inner thoughts.

          Interestingly enough, however, Satan’s attack does not begin with us but with God! The pressure is put on God the Father to repudiate individual believers, but He does not do so. Occasionally, in cases of persistent carnality, as a result of Divine discipline, He may turn a believer over to Satan for the administration of the sin unto death; but He does not take away his Salvation from the Lake of Fire. Throughout Scripture, we are promised eternal life through one act of faith in Jesus Christ. God never breaks a Promise, no matter what we do!

          Enticing Believers from the Word

          Satan attempts to entice the Christian to ignore God’s Word. In, (Gen 3:4) he led the woman astray from the Word of God by convincing her that the wages of sin is NOT death. Another example is found in, (1Ch 21:1) “And Satan stood up against Israel, and influenced David to number Israel.” “To number’ means to take a census. Generally speaking, it is not wrong to take a census, although in recent years in our country, such a survey has become an invasion of the privacy of the individual. It was wrong in David’s case because Satan sponsored the idea, in order to convince David to doubt God’s Promises. Even Joab, David’s chief of staff, warned him against numbering the people. (1Ch 21:3) In both the Abrahamic and Palestinian Covenants, God had unconditionally Promised Abraham, the father of the Jewish race, that his seed would be as the sand of the sea and as the stars of the sky. (Gen 13:15-16; Heb 11:12) By taking the census, David exposed a blatant lack of faith in God’s ability to keep His Promise.

          One of Satan’s strongest devices is to persuade the believer to doubt the Promises of God’s Word. There are approximately seven thousand Promises belonging to the believer; these Promises relate to time only and represent the application of some specific Divine Thought. They do not include Promises which are associated with eternity there are many more of those! One of the objectives in the Christian life is to learn the Promises, and the Thoughts that undergird them, and to mix them with faith. (Heb 4:1-2) and to apply the appropriate Thought to each situation!

          Our strength comes from the Word of God. In ourselves, we are weak. The Word of Truth is the “coin of the realm” for the believer to spend in time; but you cannot spend what you do not have. Every difficulty, every adversity, as well as all blessing and prosperity, is provided for in God’s Word. So what we need as believers more than anything else is to store up Truth in our souls, where IT will be ready to use at any moment.

          Casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. (1Pe 5:7-9)

          “Casting” means “to make a deposit.” Think of it as, “a deposit money in the bank” — to place it in a savings account. It is an aorist imperative, which indicates a Command to make a once and for all deposit. Now what are you to deposit? Money? No, all your cares; literally, “all your anxieties.” A better translation would be: “deposit all your worries.” No one is strong enough to carry his own worries. We are not designed to bear the anxieties and adversities that may keep us continually upset and living in “Panic Palace.” We are just not equipped to handle them; yet most Christians are trying to do the impossible by carrying their own problems. Satan is on target every second you log in worry or anxiety. If you are upset about anything, you are not only under Satanic pressure, you have already succumbed; you have lost the battle! You see, worry is sin, and all sin hinders God’s Plan for you.

          What is the antidote for worry? A mind fixed on Christ and His Word: “The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, Because he trusts in You.” (Isa 26:3) Perfect peace is the result of occupation with the Thinking of Christ, and occupation with Christ is the product of Spiritual maturity! (1Co 2:16) If you are afraid, remember the Promise of, (Isa 41:10): “Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” If you face an impossible situation, use, (Luk 1:37): “For nothing will be impossible with God!” If you lack the necessities of life, THINK the Promise: (Php 4:19) “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

          It is the devil’s objective to keep you off balance and away from these Promises. When he succeeds, you will accept incredible distortions of God’s Word. You will believe gossip simply because you do not like a person; you will fall into legalism or licentiousness, whichever represents the trend of your old sin nature.

          I have seen college students, believers who have flipped over historical geology. One of them told me that it was destroying his faith; he no longer knew what to believe. As we began to analyze the subject, I told him that if he could believe the incredible fairy tale of evolution, he could believe that Jonah swallowed the whale! (Notice, I did not say that the whale swallowed Jonah!) This student caught on immediately. He suddenly realized that it took more faith to believe the false premise of historical geology than it did to believe the Word of God.

          It is fantastic what Christians will believe! They are confident in their own strength to accomplish the impossible. If you are trying to carry heavy anxieties and worries by yourself, you are out of touch with DIVINE REALITY; you are tearing up your “transmission,” and you will break down under the load. You destroy yourself. Many Christians say, in effect, “Why trust when you can worry?” This is exactly what Satan wants us to do. Avoid falling in league with the devil; instead, make a deposit of your anxieties and your problems with the Lord! When you deposit your difficulties with Him, you can relax. Why? Because YOU are no longer working — HE IS!

          In the next phrase, there is a change in tense: “He keeps on caring for you.” That means He will take care of your problem. Then notice a Command in, (1Pe 5:8): “Be sober!” “Sober” means to have a stabilized mentality; to maintain a balanced attitude in which Truth controls the mind. It means to look at life from the standpoint of God’s Word — Divine Viewpoint.

          Now a second Command: “Be on the alert!” How can a believer be on the alert? In one way only: by knowing Truth! Why? “Because your adversary, (Your enemy) the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion; and keeps on walking about and keeps on seeking whom he may devour.” A roaring lion is a hungry lion. The lion’s roar paralyzes his victim with fear. Satan is “hungry” to devour or immobilize believers. He devours mental-attitude sinners — believers who are filled with anxiety, fear or pride!

          We are further Commanded to “resist him, firm...” (1Pe 5:9) “Steadfast” is a Greek word for the famous Macedonian phalanx. Historians inform us that in the days of Alexander the Great, the Macedonians had pikes, about twenty-four feet long, with great iron points on the ends. As the Macedonians formed into file, sixteen deep, they would level these famous pikes as the Command, “Forward, ho!” was given. Then they simply walked through an entire army unhindered! We resist the devil by advancing — knowing and believing the Promises and the Thinking of God’s Word!

          Hindering Christians from Doing God’s Will

          When Satan succeeds in persuading us to disregard the Word of God, his next play is to tempt us to bypass the will of God. There are three general categories of Divine will: Viewpoint — functional; (What does He want me to Think?) operational; (What does He want me to do?) and geographical. (Where does He want me to be?) We have already seen examples of Satan’s strategy with regard to the believer’s Viewpoint; now we will consider two passages covering the devil’s strategy of hindering the operational and geographical will of God in the life of the believer.

          You were running well; who hindered you from obeying the Truth? (Gal 5:7)

          The Galatians are pictured as starting out in a race. At first, they are running well; they have a good stride; they have hit that center track and are advancing; they are out in front in their Spiritual life. The word “hinder’ means “to cut in on a runner and break his stride.” In other words, “Who broke your stride that you should not obey the Truth?” (By not submitting to God and His Thoughts) It is the strategy of the devil to break your stride as a runner for Christ by moving you out of the operational will of God.

          In, (Eph 5:18) we are Commanded to be habitually filled with the Spirit; and in, (Eph 5:16) to purchase or buy up the time. We buy up time by “understanding what the will of the Lord is” (Eph 5:17) — through the knowledge of Truth. We are filled with the Spirit simply and easily by rebounding; (1Jn 1:9) when necessary. When we are controlled by the Holy Spirit, we are in stride; but when there is quenching of the Spirit, (Production of human old sin nature good — prolonged carnality; 1Th 5:19) or grieving of the Spirit, (Personal sins — Eph 4:30) then the stride is broken. As (Gal 5:7) says, we are hindered. Anything that is contrary to the will of God as revealed in the Word of God breaks our stride.

          For we wanted to come to you--I, Paul, more than once--and yet Satan hindered us. (1Th 2:18)

          The second phase of this strategy: Satan seeks to hinder believers from the geographical will of God. This is a remarkable verse in view of Paul’s evangelistic zeal and his ability to move from place to place to teach God’s Word. We do not have the details of Satan’s hindrance. We know from this verse only that Satan is in the business of keeping believers from reaching the proper geographical location. I am sure that Satan has been instrumental in keeping certain believers, for example, from going to the mission field.

          Discouraging Occupation with Christ

          This danger is fourfold: getting eyes on self, things, people or circumstances.

          EYES ON SELF: Discouraged and filled with self-pity, Elijah complained, “…And I alone am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” (1Ki 19:10) The Corinthians, filled with Spiritual pride, had “eyes on self” in, (1Co 1:11). In, (Mat 26:33) Peter said, in effect, “Lord, I agree with You that the rest of these disciples are a bunch of knuckled-headed cowards; but I am a brave man; I will stand by You: I will die for You rather than betray You!” Then, fearing for his life that same night, he denied the Lord three times!

          It is the objective of the devil to encourage Christians to move into the area of egocentricity. Instead of the filling of the Spirit. Pride, which is resident in every old sin nature, often motivates their activity. It is possible, because of pride, to do a good thing in a wrong way. Everyone would certainly agree that it is “good” to give money. It would be difficult to find someone who would be critical of this act; but I propose to do just that... So stand by! It is possible for you to give a great sum of money, (To anything or anyone) yet be absolutely wrong in your giving because of the motivation behind it, such as giving grudgingly, (2Co 9:7) or giving from approbation lust. (Act 5:1-11) God looks at the thought pattern, (God's Thoughts and motivation with the filling of God the Holy Spirit must do the giving) not at the act of giving nor at the amount. If the incentive is wrong, the giving is wrong, regardless of the amount. (Out of fellowship with human motivation) The issue is the motivation behind the gift, and often this is based on pride.

          Pride may take the form of trying to “keep up with the Joneses” ...Or attempting to show everyone that you are just as good as the next person... Or some other activity to stimulate the ego. The point is this: you can perform some deed that is considered admirable and good from both the human and Divine Viewpoints, but when you do it out of fellowship with the wrong motivation, you nullify the “good.”

          Pride feeds false motivation into the right lobe, a factor which encourages some people to “hustle” in the local church. They are in for a great shock some day when they stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ to receive their rewards and expect the “Congressional Medal of Honor”; instead, they will see only a big bonfire, as all their good works go up in smoke! Every human thought and motivation, (The “wood, hay and stubble” of; (1Co 3:12) is done in the energy of the flesh. (By the power of the old sin nature out of fellowship with God the Holy Spirit) This will be judged and burned. (1Co 3:13-15)

          God cannot live in eternity with human old sin nature thoughts or “good.” He is not impressed with anything man does apart from the filling of God the Holy Spirit. The works of imperfect man do not measure up to the perfect work of GOD. Therefore, if you witness, pray, give or bake cookies for the Ladies’ Missionary Society under the control of the old sin nature, it is old sin nature works, and unacceptable to God; but if it is done under the control of the Holy Spirit, it is Divine production and is the result of Spiritual growth. Hence, the great conflict between God and Satan is not only Virtue versus evil, but Divine good versus old sin nature good — socialism.

          Unfortunately, the devil often receives great assistance in this area from preachers who feed the congregation’s ego instead of teaching Truth. It is the pastor’s responsibility to contribute to the edification of his flock by giving them the Word. When he fails to do so, the poor, deluded believer begins to live for the approbation of the preacher and other members in the local church. He becomes ambitious to be in a place of leadership and to be highly regarded. It is not necessary for a pastor to compliment people; this can too easily contribute to their downfall. It is necessary only that he communicate Truth.

          Yet this public relations false concept is actually taught in many Theological seminaries, in this country. “Learn how to pat the congregation on the head. Learn how to build up their egos and make them feel good!” IF YOU CAN’T DO A JOB AS UNTO THE LORD, DON’T DO IT! (1Co 10:31; Col 3:17) If you can’t give as unto the Lord, don’t give! If you cannot serve as unto the Lord, do not serve! If your participation is for the approbation of someone else, FORGET IT!

          EYES ON THINGS: The desire for materialistic things keeps many believers off balance: it may be clothes, a car, a person, a new home you are after. Some people are never satisfied with what or who they have; and constantly aspire toward bigger and better possessions. There is always something some people think they must have in order to be happy; but when they acquire it, they are still unhappy. Although it may be good for “kicks” for a day or two, boredom returns when the newness wears off.

          Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, (Wanting things) being content with what you have; (And or do not have) for He Himself has said, "I WILL NEVER DESERT YOU, NOR WILL I EVER FORSAKE YOU. (Heb 13:5)

          Now let us understand this Principle clearly: THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH HAVING MATERIALISTIC THINGS! As a matter of fact, the believer who walks by means of the Spirit and understands Truth has the capacity to enjoy and appreciate his possessions. Occasionally, preachers lambast believers for owning a Cadillac or a mink coat, implying, or even stating that there is something wrong with their Christian life. Well, I have good news for you, you can own twenty-five Rolls Royces and a chincilla coat a hundred yards long and maintain Spirituality! Material wealth or lack of it does not constitute the Standard of the Christian life.

          The Christian life is so designed that whether you own a little or a lot, you can have the same peace and joy. It is not what you possess rich or poor; the danger lies in the mental attitude behind the desire. Desire for material possessions is not something which affects just poor people; it affects nearly everyone. If you are a have-not and resent those who have, your Spiritual perspective is way off base, and you are miserable! I want to make this very clear: there is nothing wrong with a Christian having money, provided it is attained in an honest way. Furthermore, there is nothing wrong with being poor, unless it is the result of laziness. Whatever your status; that which keeps you off balance is the constant desire for Things... Things... Things!

          EYES ON PEOPLE: This manifests itself toward three categories those whom you greatly admire and or lust for; and those whom you instinctively dislike. Sooner or later, you will run into unbelievers and or believers who are totally offensive to you; you will be tempted to get your eyes on them and compare yourself with them. You may as well face it, some of the worst people you will ever encounter will be Christians those who are saved, just as you are, but who are real “stinkers.” The reason, of course, is that they still have old sin natures but so do you!

          On the other hand, some of the loveliest people you know will be Christians. The difference is in their utilization of Divine Thinking. You are always vulnerable when you have your eyes on those whom you admire because one day you will see their feet of clay, (In fact they may be clay from the waist down) and you will shatter. But this need not be the case, if you have the stabilizer in your soul — Divine Thinking! You understand that they possess old sin natures, just as we all do.

       

          What is your defense against Satan’s objective to cause you to get your eyes on self, people, things and circumstances, and become disappointed or frustrated? To keep your eyes on the Lord, WHO IS the same yesterday, today and forever, (Heb 13:8) through the utilization of the techniques of the Christian way of life: REBOUND; (1Jn 1:9) THE FILLING OF THE SPIRIT; (Eph 5:18) FAITH-REST; (Isa 26:3-4; Heb 4:1-3) LIVING IN THE WORD; (Psa 119:1) by means of the “grace apparatus for perception” — OPERATION Z; and OCCUPATION WITH CHRIST, (Heb 12:2-3) — in short, THE SUPERGRACE LIFE — MAXIMUM GLORIFICATION OF GOD! When you reach this point of Spiritual maturity, Christ is in focus and nothing can ever shake you!

          fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Heb 12:2-3)

          There is a great deal of “fainting” in the mind because our eyes are on self, things, people and circumstances. When we are occupied with the details of life, we neglect Spiritual matters, and Satan’s objective to obscure the Christian’s focus is achieved.

          Promoting Fear of Death

          Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.(Heb 2:14-15)

          You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, And you will not be afraid of violence when it comes. (Job 5:21)

          These two passages clearly demonstrate how God delivers the believer from fear and provides dying grace. It is unfortunate that many Christians become frightened when they think about death. Since these people usually have vivid imaginations, they visualize all the frightening or painful ways in which they could die; and this terrifies them. Somehow they associate physical death with everything that is horrible. With these believers Satan has again succeeded in obscuring their focus through fear of dying and death.

          First of all, beyond the grave there is nothing to frighten the “growing believer.” The Bible reveals that every aspect to the eternal state will be wonderful.

          And He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away. (Rev 21:4)

          Furthermore, death means that “We are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. (2Co 5:8) We are in a place where a mansion is being prepared for us. (Joh 14:2-3) The point is this: when it is time for you to die and you have finished your work on earth, you are destined for your heavenly Home; and who is afraid to go home? It does not matter whether you stay out of automobiles, (Which are much more dangerous than planes) or aircraft or live on vegetables and water; you will go HOME, even if it means sliding on a banana peel and cracking your sacroiliac. When the Lord’s time for you comes, (Psa 31:15) there is nothing you can do about it; you are gone!

          Should a doctor say to you one day, “You have a very serious illness... You are a terminal case... There is no hope for you,” I want you to remember this: GOD PROVIDES THE GRACE TO ENDURE ANY DISASTER IN LIFE, INCLUDING DYING! Not only death, but all manner of DYING! Dying is that period when you begin to check out. It may take a year, it may take a month, or it may take only a second. God has made provision for your dying moments through DYING GRACE, just as He has made perfect provision for your living moments through living grace; Jesus Christ is greater than Satan. By means of Spiritual death, He destroyed the devil who “had the power of death.” (Heb 2:14) Through Salvation, God has delivered believers who “through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to [Held in] bondage” in the kingdom of Satan. (Heb 2:15) It remains for you to appropriate the victory of the Cross!

          The objective in studying the Satanic Plot is that you may understand your enemy and be better prepared to meet the attacks and onslaughts of the angelic conflict. Only if you know the facts concerning Satan and the provision of God for defeating him, can you have victory over satanic strategy in COSMOS DIABOLICUS! (Satan’s world system)

End