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Preparing yourself for the study of God’s Word
Before we begin, only if you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ (that is; you have believed [trusted] in Him for His promised gift of eternal life) John 3:16, John 6:47 as a few examples; it is very important to prepare yourself to learn God's Word so the Holy Spirit can teach you as to what your reading or hearing is true or false. To be taught by the Holy Spirit you must be filled with the Holy Spirit which means abiding in Christ. To place yourself in fellowship with God the Holy Spirit [also called abiding in the Christ], take a moment to simply name, cite or acknowledge [confess] your known unconfessed sins privately to God (i.e.; with your thoughts directed only to God the Father). Why? Because you cannot grow spiritually if you’re not abiding in Christ [in fellowship with Him] when you take in bible truth.
1 John 1:9, says: “If we confess [meaning to simply name, cite or acknowledge to God the Father] our sins [known unconfessed sins], He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins [known sins] and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [all unknown and forgotten sins];” NKJV (New King James Version); we call this REBOUND; read the full doctrine as to “why” we need to use 1 John 1:9 to grow spiritually. Left click the following link to learn more and fully understand the doctrine of Rebound; which answers the question, why do I need to keep confessing my sins all the time? REBOUND
If you have never personally believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, that He is the Son of God, the promised Messiah, as your Savior (that is, believed in Him for eternal life), the issue for you is not to name your sins; the issue for you is to simply exercise faith alone in Jesus Christ alone eternal life; when you do, you will instantly receive Eternal Life: John 3:16, 5:24, 6:47, 20:30, 31.
John 6:47 says: "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me [Jesus Christ] has everlasting life." NKJV
Notice again what Jesus said in John 6:47: "…he who believes in Me (Jesus Christ) has everlasting life." It doesn't say, "will have"; it says, "has." Therefore, the very moment you believe in Jesus Christ for His promise of everlasting life, you have it (it's really just that simple; nothing more and nothing less), and it can never be taken away from you (John 10:28-29). Furthermore, the gift (Ephesians 2:8c) of everlasting life (also called eternal life in scripture) is available to every human being; there are absolutely no exceptions.
John 3:14-15, 16, 17, 18, says: "14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." NKJV
Let us now bow our hearts and take a moment to prepare for worship and learning God's Word. If there is any known sin in your life, this is the time to just cite it privately to God the Father with your thoughts directed towards Him. With your head bowed and your eyes closed, you have total privacy in your mind and soul:
Study to show yourself approved to God!
Grace Bible Church
Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries
The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary:
God’s Word is taught Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday
STUDY TITLE:
The Angelic Conflict. Part 8. The Courtroom Trial of the Angelic Conflict. Job 1-2; 2Pe 2:4-5; 1Pe 3:18-22; Zec 3:1-5; Col 1:22; Joh 19:30; Heb 11; Rev 20:7-10
From Week Ending 02-5-06
We are noting Point 5 in our doctrine of the angelic conflict which deals with Satanic and Demonic attacks during the Church-age. The book of Job gives us insight into the angelic conflict and the reason we are here. Job 1:1, There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job, and that man was blameless, upright, respecting God, and turning away from evil. Job wasn't perfect, but this describes his spiritual prosperity. Blameless means that he was a spiritually mature believer. Upright speaks of his victories in spiritual growth. Fearing God (respecting God) is a reference to his personal love for TLJC [The Lord Jesus Christ]. The fact that he turned away from evil illustrates his grace orientation.
Job 1:8, And the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil." Job is now entered as a witness for God in the historic appeal trial of Satan and the fallen angels, the greatest privilege one could ever have as a believer. Eze 14:14-20, says that Job, Noah, and Daniel represent three of the greatest believers of ancient history.
Job 1:9-12, Then Satan answered the Lord, "Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands." [God has prospered Job financially, so now comes Satan's contention], But put forth Thy hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse Thee to Thy face." Then the Lord said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him." So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord. The result of Satan's first assault, and the result of Job's first test, is found in verses 13-22. Job 1:13-19, Now it happened on the day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, that a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, and the Sabeans attacked and took them. They also slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you." While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you." While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three bands and made a raid on the camels and took them and slew the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you." While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, and behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died; and I alone have escaped to tell you." Here are four disasters in which Job has lost something: his children, work force, friends, and his wealth. Yet, he is going to pass this part of evidence testing and suffering for blessing magnificently. Job 1:20-22, Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head, and he fell to the ground and worshiped. And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, And naked I shall return there or depart from this life. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name or the person of the Lord." Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God.
In chapter 2, Satan does not admit that he was wrong about Job. Job 2:1-5, Again there was a day when the sons of God [angels] came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present [the verb jatsab means to take one's stand, or to set oneself against another, to oppose] himself before the Lord. And the Lord said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Then Satan answered the Lord and said, "From roaming about on the earth, and walking around on it." And the Lord said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to ruin him without cause." And Satan answered the Lord and said, "Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. However, put forth Thy hand, now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse Thee to Thy face."
Satan's argument is that if God would take away his health, Job would fail. Satan was allowed to inflict upon Job loss of health, but not to take his life. Job has been living a life of integrity, and is now under intense suffering. This is suffering for blessing, evidence testing for the glorification of God (the main reason why we are here). Job 2:6, So the Lord said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life." Job is one of the greatest believers of all time, and God is turning him over to Satan to torture him. This gives us some concept of glorifying God in the angelic conflict, and of its impact and importance. When a believer has the doctrine that Job has, they too have what it takes to handle and pass the test. How would you like your name to be used by our Lord to Satan, and say, Have you considered My servant?
It is not until you become spiritually mature that you will even begin to get Satan's attention as well as receive great prosperity. Then one day that prosperity may be gone, and it is then that you're going to discover something incredible: Bible doctrine in your soul is far greater than any adversity! So, you may not be able to handle it now, but when you can handle it, you will have the experience! And, it will be one of the greatest experiences of your life!
Job 2:7, Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils [skin cancer] from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head [from top to bottom]. Job has gone from handsome to loathsome, from successful to broke. Job 2:8-10, And he took a potsherd to scrape himself while he was sitting among the ashes. Then his wife said to him, "Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!" But he said to her, "You are speaking as one of the foolish women speaks. Shall we indeed accept good from God and not accept adversity?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips. Job stayed in fellowship with God; he is going to accept this as a gift from God just as he accepted all the prosperity. Most believers are willing to accept the prosperity that God gives, but not the suffering that God allows. We know the result in Job's case, Job 42:10, The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold.
Point 6. The Satanic Plan for Offensive Action in Human History.
Point 5 dealt with Satanic and Demonic attacks during the Church-age. Now we learn about Satan's plan throughout human history. There are five great Satanic offensive attacks in human history. First, the genetic attack of Gen 6:1-13; 2Pe 2:4-5; 1Pe 3:18-22; Jude 6, an attempt by Satan to destroy true humanity on the earth by the sexual intercourse of angels with women, producing a race of half-human half-angelic beings. Most of this race was destroyed by the flood. The true human race was reduced to only eight people, Noah and his family. 2Pe 2:4-5 describes this and tells us where these fallen angels reside, For God did not spare the angels when they sinned [Gen 6:2] but incarcerated them in Tartarus with chains of thick darkness, He delivered them over to judgment, being constantly guarded, and did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly. Jude 6, And the angels [beni ha Elohim of Gen 6:2] who did not keep their own domain, but who deserted their proper abode [from angelic to human], He has incarcerated them in everlasting chains of thick darkness for the judgment of the great day.
Back in 1Pe 3:18, For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, or the righteous one as a substitute for the unrighteous ones, in order that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the Spirit; Under the custodianship of God the Holy Spirit, our Lord's soul went to Hades for three days, not only to Paradise, but also to Tartarus, the prison of the angels from Gen 6. They still hoped that Satan would keep Christ from the cross, until the Lord's victorious proclamation of 1Pe 3:19, In which [God the Holy Spirit] also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, The spirits in prison are the beni ha Elohim or the sons of the gods of Gen 6:1, those fallen angels who were judged and incarcerated in Tartarus when the universal flood occurred on the earth (Jud 6; 2Pe 2:4). Made proclamation means that He proclaimed certain doctrines and informed those demons in prison that they had failed and that God's plan was right on time. 1Pe 3:20, Who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, while the ark was being constructed, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were brought to safety through water.
The patience of God waited 120 years, and during that period even the Nephalim received the most intensive gospel proclamation. 1Pe 3:22, Who [Jesus Christ] is at the right hand of God [the Father], having ascended into heaven after angels and authorities and powers had been subordinated to him. When Jesus Christ ascended, He was seated at the right hand of God the Father and received His third royal warrant, King of kings and Lord of Lords. So, when our Lord Jesus Christ went to the fallen angels of Gen 6 in Tartarus, He announced that they had failed in their great attempt to prevent Him from coming in the flesh, as true humanity, and being judged for the sins of the world. The first great demon attack failed.
The second great demon attack is the attack of demon possession, in which the demons occupy the bodies of unbelievers. This results in: Diseases (Mt 9:33; Mt 17:18; Lk 4:35), mental disorders (Mat 11:18; Lk 7:33), divination, the operation of the phallic cult, and many other things.
The third great demon attack is the attack of demon influence against mankind, in which demons penetrate the soul and personality of both believers and unbelievers (1Ti 4:1). They do not actually get into the soul but provide information through human sources. This is the doctrine of demons.
The fourth great demon attack is the physical attack of three demon armies during the Tribulation. 1) The attack of the first demon assault army stationed in the abyss (Re 9:1-12), operation torture chamber! 2) The attack of the second demon assault army group stationed under the Euphrates river (Re 9:12-21). 3) The attack of the third demon assault army stationed in heaven under the direct command of Satan (Re 12:7-17), the toughest of Satan's armies.
The fifth great satanic attack is in the Gog and Magog revolution at the end of the Millennium. In this attack, Satan persuades most of the unbelievers of the Millennium to revolt against God and the rulership of Jesus Christ on the earth.
Point 7. The Courtroom Trial of the Angelic Conflict.
We don't really know our enemy's name; it is not Satan or the devil. The title in the Hebrew is ha Satan, meaning an attorney who slanders; an adversary. In human history he operates as an attorney in a courtroom presenting his case and making accusations. In the Greek, his name is translated diabolos [devil], which also means an adversary, an attorney in opposition in law, a slanderer. Satan is constantly bringing accusations against believers into the Supreme Court of Heaven (Zec 3:1; Rev 12:10, Jb 1:11; Jb 2:4-5). In Rev 12:10b, in the middle of the Tribulation period, the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them before our God day and night. While the devil persecutes positive believers on earth, he prosecutes positive believers in heaven. The object of Satan's prosecution is always the believer, because after salvation, the believer continues to commit certain sins. If believers don't think they sin any longer, 1Jo 1:8-10 says, If we say [assert] that we have no sin [nature], we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth [doctrine] is not in us. If we acknowledge [just name and cite] our sins, He is faithful and righteous, with the result that He forgives us our sins [known sins] and purifies us from all unrighteousness [unknown sins]. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word [Bible doctrine] does not reside in us. When a believer is glorifying God, Satan takes that believers file of sins to heaven and becomes the prosecutor.
In Zec 3:1-5, Satan is prosecuting Joshua the High Priest and others in Israel. Zec 3:1-2, Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. And the Lord said to Satan, "The Lord rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?" God was about to reestablish the priesthood in Israel, and Satan objected because of the sins among the priests. Whenever we stand before God to serve His interests, we should expect all the resistance that Satan's subtlety and malice can give us. We must resist him and he shall flee from us (Jm 4:7). It is part of the happiness of the believer that the Judge is their friend, their advocate and protector. TLJC is ready to appear vigorously for His own when Satan makes his vehement accusations.
Zec 3:2, the Lord said to Satan, "Indeed, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?" Satan's resistance will be fruitless. Application: you are a priest (1Pe 2:5, 9), and you are also the elect and chosen by God (Rm 8:33), and the Lord will abide by His choice. Zec 3:3, Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments and standing before the angel. Joshua appears as one polluted, but he is in reality purified because of TLJC.
Zec 3:4, And he spoke and said to those who were standing before him saying, "Remove the filthy garments from him." The Lord despised the filthiness of Joshua's garments, but did not put him away, He put them away. God reconciles himself to the sinner, but not to the sin. He causes our sins to pass away from us, that they may not appear against us, to condemn us. Psa 103:10-14, He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on {his} children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are {but} dust.
Joshua saw himself as he appeared before men, but this vision revealed how he stood before the Lord. Our vision regards our position in Christ: Col 1:22, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond reproach. Eph 1:4, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. Eph 5:27, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless. Never forget that who and what you really are is as God sees you, not how you appear in the eyes of the world. Zec 3:5, Then I said, "Let them put a clean turban on his head." So, they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments, while the angel of the Lord was standing by. Many other passages also reveal the believer has a defense attorney standing by, representing him in heaven.
1Jo 2:1 says, My little children, I am writing these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; So, we have retained, as a part of our so great salvation, the services of our Lord Jesus Christ as our defense attorney. 1Jo 2:2 is the basis for that defense; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.
Propitiation means that God is satisfied with the work of Jesus Christ on the cross regarding your past, present, and future. All of the sins of the world were imputed to TLJC on the cross. Jn 19:30, "Therefore, when Jesus had received the wine, He said TETELESTAI! And then He pushed His head forward and delivered over His spirit [to God the Father]." After bearing and being judged for our sins, Jesus Christ was still very much alive, for He said, "Tetelestai!" [finished in the past with the result that it stands finished forever]. Our personal sins were reserved for the cross, imputed to Christ while on the cross, and God the Father judged those sins, causing our Lord to scream out, "My God, My God why hast thou forsaken me?" When we simply believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, we have eternal salvation from that moment on, and sin is no longer the issue; Heb 8:12, "For I will be merciful to their iniquities, And I will remember their sins no more." Heb 10:17, "And their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more."
The omnipotence of the Father imputed all our sins to Christ on the cross; then the justice of the Father judged every sin in human history. Then the love of the Father offered salvation to anyone who would believe. So Jesus Christ, being judged for the sins of the human race, completed the action on the cross while He was still alive. Rm 5:8 says, God commends His love toward us in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died as a substitute for us. The only condition for eternal life is non-meritorious personal faith in Jesus Christ, whose substitutionary spiritual death on the cross provided all the efficacious work for salvation. Eternal salvation is a free gift, attained by faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone. By adding anything to faith for salvation, man is in competition with God; adding anything to faith is blasphemous. For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.
Tit 3:5, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, So after salvation, when we cite or confess our sins (rebound), He's faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness, because they have already been judged at the cross.
In heaven, when Satan mentions our sins, Jesus Christ can say "I was judged for those sins on the cross." And God the Father, the judge, says, "Case dismissed!" Again, Satan is thrown out of court, it is now a family affair. 2Co 5:21, He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. Under the law of double jeopardy, these sins cannot be retried in heaven, they have already been judged on the cross; Rm 6:10, For the death that He died, He died to sin, once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. When God sentenced Satan and all fallen angels to the lake of fire, it was inevitable that Satan would do whatever he could to appeal the sentence, and attack and malign the character of God. Satan has been questioning God for thousands of years.
The business of Satan is indicated in his first words recorded, Gen 3:1b, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?" The fact that an appeal was filed with God is presumed from the lapse of time between the sentence of fallen angels (Mt 25:41) in eternity past, and the execution of that sentence at the termination of human history (Rev 20:10). Mt 25:41, Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;"
Rev 20:10, 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. The very fact that the sentence has not been carried out, and Rev 20:10 reveals the sentence will be carried out at the end of human history, causes our conclusion. Between the passing of the sentence in eternity past and the execution of that sentence at the end of the Millennium, an appeal trial is occurring in human history. You can be a vital part of that appeal trial by simply relying on the power and grace of God. Our Lord said to the father of the demon possessed son, Mk 9:23, "If You can! All things are possible to him who believes." Mk 11:23-24, "Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be taken up and cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it shall be {granted} him. Therefore, I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you."
Human history is not only coterminous with the appeal trial of Satan and his fallen angels, but human history is the actual courtroom for that trial, and mankind was created to be a part of that trial. The terminology of our court system, provides analogies for the appeal trial of Satan and this angelic conflict. A trial has three phases: First, there is the formal presentation of the case where the prosecution presents its case, followed by the defense presenting its case. The prosecution in the angelic conflict is God; the defense is Satan and the fallen angels.
Next is the rebuttal phase where the rebuttal arguments of the prosecution [God] are followed by the rebuttal arguments of the defense [Satan]. Evidence and arguments are offered by both sides.
Finally comes the closing argument and summary: First by the prosecution [God], and then by the defense [Satan]. God created man as a rational creature lower than angels, and human history began, in order to duplicate the conditions of the pre-historic angelic conflict. This provided both evidence and precedence for Satan's appeal trial during human history.
The formal presentation of Satan's appeal trial corresponds to O. T. history. The trial phase begins in Gen 3 with the fall of man in the garden and continues until the beginning of the dispensation of the Hypostatic Union. The fall of man in the Garden of Eden actually duplicates the fall of Satan in the Garden of God; both occurred during perfect environment. Man was given the opportunity to choose for or against God with one command from God, Gn 2:16-17, The Lord God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 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 shall surely die [dying spiritually you will die physically].
In Gen 3:1, Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" In Gn 3:6 -7, When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and [some time later] she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. 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.
With the fall of Adam, Satan became the ruler of planet earth from which position Satan provides the defense in the historical appeal trial of all fallen angels (2Co 4:4). The courtroom is planet earth, the same place the angelic conflict took place in (Eze 28). God entered His evidence by creating man just as the angels were created: innocent (or perfect) with the potential to love and worship God through right decisions, and the potential to become imperfect by wrong decisions. Human history provides similar circumstances and options which belonged to angelic history before man's creation. Satan had been created in perfect innocence; Adam was created in perfect innocence. The angels have free will; man has free will. Adam freely and deliberately chose to follow the pattern of arrogance which characterized Satan's original revolution (Isa 14:12-14). The rebellion of Satan in the garden of God resulted in the fall of all angelic creatures; the rebellion of Adam in the garden of Eden resulted in the fall of mankind, Rm 5:12, Through one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned [when Adam sinned].
In angelic history, God had provided a decision making process by which angels could express non-meritorious positive volition. This is why we have elect and fallen angels. The Bible seems to reveal a reconciliation for angels inCOL 1:20, Php 2:10, Heb 2:2. Likewise, God provided salvation for all mankind so that man can express non-meritorious positive volition through faith in Christ (JOH 3:16). Through the exercise of their free will, angelic creatures are divided into two categories: elect and fallen angels; Re 12:7, 1Ti 5:21, Mt 25:41, Mk 8:38. Through the exercise of their free will, mankind is divided into two categories, believers and unbelievers (Jn 3:36).
In the formal trial in the O.T., Satan was allowed to put pressure on individuals. Abel in Heb 11:4, Enoch in Heb 11:5, Noah in 11:7, in Heb 11:8, there was the test of Abraham, In Heb 11:11, Sarah, Joseph, Moses, Rahab. Then in HebB 11:32-40, And what more shall I say? For time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets, who by faith conquered kingdoms, performed acts of righteousness, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made strong, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, in order that they might obtain a better resurrection; and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they should not be made perfect. These great O.T. heroes in God's Hall of Fame were all a part of the formal presentation of Satan's appeal trial.
Next is the rebuttal phase: this phase of the prosecution is coterminous with the two Christocentric dispensations, the hypostatic union and the Church-age. These are the only two periods of time in human history where deity indwelt humanity or Christ lives inside of man. 1Ti 3:16, And by common confession great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Beheld by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory. In these two dispensations God presents His case and reveals His justice and righteousness and love. His justice is revealed by His fairness in dealing with the fall of mankind and by judging sin. His righteousness is revealed by the fact that He was willing to forsake His own Son while judging sin. His love is revealed by His offering salvation to anyone who would believe upon TLJC. This is why at the birth of TLJC the elect angels are rejoicing, Lk 2:7-14. Two dispensations are needed because there are two categories of main witnesses for the prosecution: Our Lord and the invisible heroes of the Church-age. The laws of evidence demand investigation of each accusation based on two or three witnesses being interrogated independently and agreeing to their testimony (Dt 19:15). Dt 17:6, On the evidence of two witnesses or three witnesses, he who is to die shall be put to death; he shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness.
So, the two main witnesses in the appeal trial of the angelic conflict are the humanity of Christ and the believer in the Church-age, in the only dispensations where God lives inside of man. The power made available to every Church-age believer is phenomenal in the Church-age. Ac 1:8, but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth." Re 1:4-5, John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace, from Him who is and who was and who is to come; and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne; and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us, and released us from our sins by His blood,
The third group of witnesses could be Christian marriage, any O.T. saint who became a winner, Tribulational winners, and Millennial winners. Before Satan is thrown into the lake of fire, two witnesses have already been interrogated and thrown in the lake of fire before him, Rev 20:10, 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. The beast and the false prophet were proof of Satan's guilt and deception toward the human race. They were interrogated separately and Satan was indicted once again. In Re 20:11-15, all unbelievers have two witnesses against them.
Re 20:11-12, And I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. There are two sets of books or two witnesses against every unbeliever. The first set are records of every good deed every member of the human race has ever done, all adding up to -R [unrightousness]. The second set, the book of life, at one time contained the names of every member of the human race under the principle of the unlimited atonement, but names are blotted out when someone rejects Christ as Savior. Re 20:13-15, And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. And death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
The chief witness in all of human history is the humanity of Jesus Christ in hypostatic union. TLJC is the strategic witness. He came up with strategy to defeat Satan, and executed that plan. Our Lord accomplished the strategic victory of the angelic conflict through His salvation ministry on the cross plus his physical death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. The believer accomplishes the tactical victory of the angelic conflict through his advance to spiritual maturity in the PPOG, when he becomes an invisible hero. The Church-age is the most important phase of all in the angelic conflict, after the dispensation of the hypostatic union. Never in human history has the individual life of the ordinary believer, and the execution of your personal PPOG, been so important. In the rebuttal arguments of the prosecution, God, we have the witness of our Lord, and the witness of every Church-age believer, pro or con. In human history, man's thoughts, motives, decisions, and actions are entered as evidence, exhibits, precedents, and arguments in Satan's appeal trial. Every believer who attains maturity is an argument or witness for the Prosecution against Satan. Evidence testing is Satan's attempt, through his cross-examination of suffering, to discredit those believers who attain spiritual maturity. There are two categories of evidence testing: 1) The relationship to the plan of God test is illustrated by TLJC in Mt 4:1-11. 2) The relationship to life test is illustrated by Job. The rebuttal arguments of the prosecution are presented in the dispensations of the hypostatic union and the Church-age. Satan as the defense attorney for the fallen angels presents his rebuttal argument for the defense in the Tribulation.
The third and final phase of the trial, the closing arguments and summary of the prosecution, includes the Second Advent and the Millennial rule of Christ. In the Second Advent, TLJC returns with His Church-age believers with special emphasis on invisible heroes. 1Th 3:13, so that He may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints. Re 19:11-14, And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war. And His eyes are a flame of fire, and upon His head are many diadems; and He has a name written upon Him which no one knows except Himself. And He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood; and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.
And where did these armies get their fine linen white and clean? Re 19:7-8, "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready." And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. This seems to insinuate that the winners will be in the front line when our Lord comes back, and they will watch Him defeat Satan.
The closing arguments and summary include the Millennial rule of Jesus Christ on earth, a time of 1000 years of perfect environment. This is the God-man who rules the earth like Satan was unable to do. His reign duplicates the conditions before the fall of Satan and before the fall of man. It will be a fantastic time of inner happiness and joy. The kingdom will be characterized by glory, and manifested by holiness. The King will personally minister to every need so that there will be the fullness of "comfort." There will be the administration of perfect justice. There will be the most fantastic teaching ministry of God the H.S. [Holy Spirit], and direct instruction from TLJC [The Lord Jesus Christ]. The original curse placed upon creation in Gen 2:17-19 will be removed! There will be abundant productivity to the earth; even the animal kingdom will be changed. The ministry of the King as the healer will be seen throughout the Millennium so that sickness and even death will be removed, the exception being "death" in the case of capital punishment. All of the deformed are healed as well. There will be no social, political, or religious oppression. The earth's population will soar and there will be sex. Children will be born to the believers who began the Millennium; they will have a sin nature and need salvation. There will be an increase of solar and lunar light. The entire world will unite in the worship of God and God's presence will be experienced as never before. All of these things are described in the O.T. [Old Testament]. However, we learn that rational creatures, angelic and humans, are no better off in perfect environment than in any other environment! Perfect environment is never the solution to the problems of life. Only Bible doctrine in the soul can give a person happiness!
The closing argument and summary of Satan is the Gog revolution which occurs at the end of the Millennium, when Satan is released from prison. Satan is permitted once again to pass through the earth and arouse discontent against perfect environment. Re 20:1-6, And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the abyss [prison in Hades for fallen angels] and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he should not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time. And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them [Millennial reward for Tribulational martyrs]. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years [Tribulational martyrs]. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. Blessed or happy and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power [unbelievers' resurrection, to the eternal lake of fire], but they [Tribulational winners] will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.
Re 20:7-8, And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore.
Gog is actually the code name for Satan and Magog is a reference to his followers. This is the second advent of Satan. In both advents, Satan found perfect environment on the earth and conspired to destroy it. In his first advent, he was successful; in the second advent, the conspiracy and revolution will fail! The implacability and dissatisfaction of the human race is phenomenal at this time, and little of his flattery stirs them up! Satan comes along with his cosmic philosophy, and they reject perfect environment for Satan's revolution. So, the end of history, like the beginning of history, will demonstrate man's need for a relationship with God through faith in Christ.
The following link is to a good news message describing how one can receive eternal life: Ticket to Heaven, it was written for anyone not absolutely certain about their eternal future.
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