Focus Point # 11

We know from Job chapters one and two, that Satan has had an access to the throne of God for lo these thousands of years. We also know from two other Old Testament passages that, at one time, he was a beautiful, created angel serving closer to the throne of God than any other angel. But then pride took its toll and Lucifer, the "angel of light" was cast out of Heaven, along with other angelic created beings who were given a choice to cast their lot with Lucifer or continue in their heavenly angelic ministry to serve God. Those two Old Testament references are Isaiah 14:12-17 and Ezekiel 28:11-19. Revelation 12:4 indicates that Satan, formerly Lucifer, took 1/3 of the angelic realm with him.

When you read Job 1 and 2 you'll learn that Satan could do evil against Job, but he could not take his life. He could not kill him at will. Satan is a liar. He lies! He's a killer! He kills when he is allowed to do so. He is a hater, not a lover. He hates all but himself.

In this angelic conflict, in the eternal battle between good (God) and evil (Satan) he would kill every human being alive in the world today. But thank the Lord, God, the Father, is sovereign and He alone is the giver of life and the ruler of death. You and I are alive today because He, God, wants us to be alive. It's His will. We who are the recipients of this gift of life would be wise to give Him our thanks and praise.

Of all the people who have this gift of physical life, who are the prime targets of Satan's death list? That's an easy question. The answer is - the Jewish people. And the reason is, God has made hundreds of promises to the human race that there would someday be a wonderful period of peace, tranquility and bliss. This period, called the Millennium (Latin for 1,000) is spelled out in Revelation 20:2-7.

Involved in these hundreds of promises is first of all His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the premier figure. He will be the King, the Lord of Lords who will rule. It is His rule, His control, His laws that will produce this time of maximum peace.

Also involved in these promises, were and are, the Jewish people. God used them to provide the human channel through which the Savior King would be born. And when Jesus rules in this golden age of peace, when He rules during this 1,000 years, this Millennium, He will be known as Jesus, The King of the Jews and He will sit on King David's throne in the City of Jerusalem. Sounds like a Jew to me! No wonder the Devil hates the Jews! No wonder he's the big chief of the anti-Semites. Just make sure you're not part of his tribe (in more ways than one.)

As I've said before, the Devil possesses none of the attributes of God. God is omnipotent, He's all powerful. Satan is not. He's limited and God alone has set his limits. God is omni-present, there is no place He is not, unless He chooses not to be someplace, like in the heart of an unbeliever. Satan, on the other hand, can only go where God allows him to go. And, of course, God is omniscient. He knows all there is to know. But not the Devil. He has to learn as he goes along.

For instance, when those two million plus Jewish people walked away from Pharaoh and his slave keepers, when they walked out of camp with their alive "first born" and all of the borrowed loot God told them to ask for, don't you know that he, the Devil, slipped up to old Pharaoh and whispered, "You idiot! Why did you let them go? Don't you know they'll be a burr in your camel saddle the rest of your life? Saddle up, call out the chariots and go get em'...kill em' all."

Satan for sure thought this was going to be the last of his nemesis! When he saw those Jews trapped by the sea, the mountains and the Egyptian army, he had no idea that he was going to see the most phenomenal sight he'd ever seen. He had no idea what God was going to do. God said to Moses, "Lift up your rod, stretch your hand over the sea and divide it!" Moses did what God commanded and the sea divided. Satan had to watch this whole thing unfold right before his eyes (if he has eyes).

That day on that seashore, God was controlling Moses and Satan was controlling Pharaoh. I love Exodus 14:30 & 31: "Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore."
"And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the Lord and believed the Lord and His servant Moses."

From there, from that place along the Red Sea, God led them, not northeast but south! South into the desert. There are two reasons for this desert journey. One is, had they gone to the northeast, they would have marched right into one enemy territory after another. And, as a young race of people, not even an organized nation, they were not ready. And two, God wanted them to learn and grow by the tests that He would send them. And so, the bitter water, the no water and other negative experiences. Forty years of wilderness journey. Had they gone to the northeast, it would have been about 50 miles to the borders of the Promised Land - two or three day's journey. Instead, it took them 40 years. You can be sure during that 40 years they came close to total defeat on many occasions - some of their own doings, others, efforts by Satan to wipe them out.

Little by little as you red through the Old Testament, the target narrows down. First it's all the Jews, then it's the Tribe of Judah and then It's David and then the family of David, in particular the line that flowed through his son, Solomon.

This is Saturday morning, December 30, 2006. Yesterday one of Israel's greatest enemies died on the gallows! Oh, to be sure, there are more hateful, evil, vile anti-Semites lined up to take his place. Probably the next in line is President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran.

More next time. Until then, pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Bro. Bob