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Signs of the Times Australia / NZ edition — lifestyle, health, relationships, culture, spirituality, people — published since 1886 |
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Signs of the Times Australia / NZ edition — lifestyle, health, relationships, culture, spirituality, people — published since 1886 |
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“These are some of the most hurt and devastated people I’ve ever seen,” says Dr Ogden, a police forensic doctor, speaking of the victims of ritual abuse. Ogden sees three broad groups involved in satanism. There are those who play at satanic rituals as a part of their fantasies. Then there are the apparently inherently evil or criminal, such as paedophiles, whose primary interest is paedophilia, not the worship of Satan. The final group he characterises as those who are “committed satanists philosophically, as a lifestyle. They actually worship Satan as the antithesis of good.” It is this group, says Ogden, which is of “real concern.” More than 90 per cent of ritualistically abused children are filmed for child pornography. It’s a “six-billion dollar industry” with a “network of thousands of paedophiles.” He says a major obstacle in prosecuting such people is that the offences are often so bizarre that juries have difficulty believing them.
The presence of such vile evil in our world raises a question: If God made only good beings, from where did evil come?
God said the descendent of Eve (Jesus) would destroy “the serpent” that tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden (see Genesis 3:14, 15).
1. Who is the serpent?
Revelation 12:1-9 “That ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him” (v 9).
The title “Morning Star” (Lucifer in Latin Vulgate) was the name of the devil before he rebelled in heaven. He wanted God’s position (see Isaiah 14:12-15).
2. The prophet Ezekiel (600 BC) used the king of Tyre to symbolise Lucifer. What position did Lucifer have in heaven?
Ezekiel 28:11-14 “You were anointed as a guardian cherub” (v 14).
Two images of angels called cherubim were atop the ark of the covenant (a gold-covered box) in the Most Holy Place of the sanctuary made by Moses. God’s “presence” was between those angels. This ark was hidden, never to be found, when Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem in 605 BC. (The movie The Raiders of the Lost Ark was a fictitious account of the search for it.) The Most Holy Place represented the throne room of God in heaven. As an anointed cherub, Lucifer had a place next to God before he rebelled.
3. What was the sin of Lucifer?
Ezekiel 28:15-17 “Your heart became proud on account of your beauty” (v 17).
Lucifer, given free will, chose to turn his affections inward upon himself rather than outward upon the Creator and attempted to win the throne of God by misrepresenting God. Satan means “adversary” and devil means “slanderer.”
4. Why did God not destroy Satan immediately he rebelled?
1 John 4:7-12 “God is love” (v 8).
God wants us to serve Him because of love, not because of fear.
5. How does Paul indicate that this is a universe-wide conflict?
Ephesians 3:8-10 “His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms” (v 10).
Our world is a lesson book for the universe of the conflict between good and evil. Satan’s motivation is to get, while God’s is to give (see John 3:14-16).
6. Why did Jesus come?
1 John 3:8 “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”
resist the devil . . .
7. What will the devil do when you “resist” him?
James 4:7 “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
TV presenter Charlotte Uhlenbroek, while filming elephants in Central Africa, relates a terrifying incident. Heavy poaching had made elephants nervous of people. A female with a small calf about 10 metres away was heading in her direction. Her talking on a walkie-talkie attracted its attention. The elephant charged. “It’s amazing how flimsy you feel when faced with two tonnes of hurtling elephant. I was sure I was about to die,” she said. So Charlotte ran for all she was worth toward a tree. But the elephant was too close. She then did a surprising thing; she spun round to face the elephant and hurled a branch at her, while screaming.
“The elephant hesitated, standing only a couple of metres away, bellowing and shaking her head, her trunk swaying from side to side. She backed away a pace or two, then came forward again, as though preparing to charge.” Still shouting, Charlotte leapt behind the tree (Reader’s Digest, May 2004).
When we resist the devil in Jesus’ name and strength, he has no power over us. He is a defeated foe—defeated by Jesus on the cross. Jesus’ victory over Satan is our victory when we accept Jesus as our Saviour. Final deliverance from Satan and evil occurs when Jesus comes again to take us to heaven (Titus 2:13, 14; Revelation 21:1-5).
But it is up to each one to accept Jesus as their Saviour now, claiming His victory.
Articles of interest:
Extract from Signs of the Times, September 2004.
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