Last Day of Unleavened Bread – 2018

How Satan Works!

The devils ways are just like a magnet drawing particles of steel to it

Fred R. Coulter—April 6, 2018

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Greetings, everyone! Welcome to the Last Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread! Time just keeps going on, and prophecies keep being fulfilled.

Yet, out of all of the confusion in the world, it is the Sabbath, Holy Days and Feasts of God, which bring us:

• The Truth
• the Truth of what God is doing
• the Truth of His Word
• the understanding of the Truth

These are the days that God has commanded!

We know, have read and have followed what Paul wrote: Because Christ was our Passover sacrificed for us! Therefore, let us keep the Feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth!

Here we are on the Last Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and it's a fantastic thing that God has done to give these days all in one chapter: Lev. 23. this way only those who hunger and thirst after the Truth, know the Truth, and want to obey the Truth will understand that we need to keep them. So, let's reiterate beginning here:

Leviticus 23:4: "These are the appointed Feasts of the LORD…" They belong to Him; they don't belong to the Jews, though many people say that these are the 'feasts of the Jews.' Well, they don't even keep them right. Why? Because they rejected Jesus Christ!

The very first one that we see here, "…Holy convocations, which you shall proclaim in their appointed seasons" (v 4) So, these go clear back to Gen. 1.

Verse 5: "In the fourteenth day of the first month, between the two evenings, is the LORD'S Passover." Sabbath and Passover sanctify all the rest of the Holy Days.

Then we have the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. We've already had that, and we've had the whole week. And this is one of those times that there is no Sabbath during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because the first Holy Day came on a weekly Sabbath. So, there was one during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the first day.

I hope you've taken special effort to study and pray, and draw close to God, examining yourself and see how you are living, etc.
Verse 6: "And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the LORD. You must eat unleavened bread seven days." As we've seen, God tells us we are to eat it, and today is the last day of it, because leaven is everywhere, even in the air!

Verse 7: On the first day you shall have a Holy convocation…." We've already had that.

Verse 8: "But you shall offer a fire offering to the LORD seven days…. [all the ones listed in Num. 28] …In the seventh day is a Holy convocation. You shall do no servile work therein."

This day becomes important because there's a great meaning to it. But before we get to that, we do take up an offering. Deut. 16 says that 'everyone is to give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God! All blessings are not necessarily monetary.

• understanding the Word of God is a blessing
• having our prayers answered is a blessing

But we need to respond to God in giving offerings and the tithes that He has commanded us to give. Those are His, and He requires from us not the little pittance that's leftover, but He requires from us the first and the best, with the exception of tithing animals.

Of the animals, He requires the firstborn male dedicated to Him. The firstborn female dedicated to the Feast fund. Those belong to God! Then after that, every tenth one—regardless of its condition—is a tithe.

Well, it's awfully hard to put sheep and cattle in envelopes and put them in the mailbox! So, today tithes and offerings are figured on our labor, what we do, and the increase we receive because of that.

Paul wrote that it's also like sowing seed. If you sow a few scattered seeds, you're going to get very little. But if you sow good seed in good soil, nurture it and tend to it, you're going to have a fantastic crop. So, as you sow, you shall reap! This is what God has told us.

We use all the funds and things as you have seen in the report that we send out in January. We use it all to serve the brethren, to take care of the things that are necessary to preach the Gospel, and to print the books, booklets, etc., so that everyone can be fed the Truth of God!

All of us who give tithes and offerings are participating in that! That is a fantastic thing to consider.

(pause for the offering)

The Last Day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread has great meaning for us, because—as you have learned and those who will be baptized will learn—baptism is just the start.

Just like the children of Israel were brought out of Egypt, that was the start. Egypt is likened to the world of Satan the devil (Rev. 11)—Sodom and Egypt! Pharaoh is a type of Satan the devil. All of his armies and men were a type of the demons that are with Satan the devil.

When God calls us, all of those do not go away from the point of view that they're running the world. So, as we've seen during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, we have Satan to fight, society to fight and our own personal sins!

The Feast of Unleavened Bread helps us to focus in on:

• the true nature of human nature
• the true nature of Satan the devil
• the true nature of God
• His love
• His mercy
• His power
• His grace

We're going to see that when the children of Israel left Rameses then something else happened. The sacrifice of the firstborn of the animals was to redeem the firstborn of man and beast of Israel is a special token. We are the Church of the Firstborn! God has called us out of the world. Notice how this is to be for us:

Exodus 13:16: "And it shall be for a token upon your hand, and for frontlets between your eyes, for the LORD brought us out from Egypt by strength of His hand."

How did God call you out of this world? Stop and think about that!

Verse 17: And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not lead them by the way of the land of the Philistines although that was near… [that was the easiest route top the 'promised land'] …for God said, 'Lest the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt.'"
We have a spiritual warfare to fight! We have to fight it with the strength of the hand of the Lord through Jesus Christ.

Verse 18: "But God led the people toward the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea. And the children of Israel went up armed out of the land of Egypt. And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him… [v 20]: And they moved from Succoth and camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness. And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud to lead them in the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, to go by day and night. He did not take away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night from before the people" (vs 18-22). And that was for 40 years! God does this with us, too:

• Do we have tests and trials that come along? Yes, we do!
• Do we need God to intervene for us? Yes, we do!
• Do we need God to fight battles for us? Yes, we do!

Exodus 14:1: "And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel that they turn and camp before Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against… [across from] …Baal Zephon. You shall camp before it by the sea'" (vs 1-2)—a long narrow strip of land!

The children of Israel were not organized in one mass group; rather, it was a long column along the Red Sea. That was to facilitate crossing the Red Sea. This also tells us that we're going to be faced with problems that only God can solve for us:

• through His Spirit
• through His power
• through His intervention

Now, He has other business to take care of with Pharaoh, v 3: "'For Pharaoh will say of the children of Israel, "They are trapped in the land; the wilderness has shut them in." And I will harden Pharaoh's heart that he will follow them. And I will be glorified through Pharaoh and all his army, so that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD.' And they did so."

We have a new booklet out: How Credible is the Bible. It's very interesting, the written historical records from the Egyptians about what happened to them when all the plagues of God came upon them. So, it's real! It happened! It is true!

Then they got all ready and said, 'What have we done? We let the Israelites go! We have no one to serve us, no one to wait on us!'
Verse 7: "And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them. And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. And he pursued the children of Israel, and the children of Israel went out with a high hand. So, the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army. And they overtook them camping by the sea, beside Pi Hahiroth, before… [across from] …Baal Zephon" (vs 7-9).

Notice the reaction of the children of Israel. This is a lesson for us as Paul wrote in 1-Cor. 10, these are lessons for us that we don't do like the children of Israel did.

Verse 10: "And when Pharaoh drew near, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes. And, behold, the Egyptians marched after them. And they were very afraid. And the children of Israel cried out to the LORD. And they said to Moses, 'Have you taken us away to die in the wilderness because there were no graves in Egypt?….'" (vs 10-11). 'We could have died in Egypt, but out here…'

"…Why have you dealt this way with us to carry us forth out of Egypt?" (v 11). How quickly people forget what it was like as a slave before God brought them out.

Likewise with us! How quickly people forget that Satan is a type of Pharaoh and the world is enslaved to him because of sin. So, when God calls people out of the world, all of a sudden they begin to see that 'Hey, everything is upside down and backward.' To try and get it straightened out it takes some knowledge, understanding and faith in God; looking to God to help solve the problem!

Verse 12: "Did we not tell you this word in Egypt, saying, 'Let us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians?' for it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians…" NO!

Isn't it interesting how people change their mind and change their stories. Here is a perfect example of human nature: you always blame someone else! Here they're blaming Moses; blaming God!

Verse 13: "And Moses said to the people, 'Fear not!….'" Isn't that what Jesus said? 'Be of good courage, I have overcome the world!' Even though you have tribulation in the world, in Christ we have peace!

"…Stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will work for you today, for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall never see them again! The LORD shall fight for you, and you shall be still" (vs 13-14). In our case, we take it to the Lord in prayer. We ask for:

• His blessing
• His guidance
• Him to intervene and change the circumstances wherever necessary

We need to change in our lives, as well! That's what the Feast of Unleavened Bread is all about:

• to get sin out of our life
• to put in the way of God
• to overcome the trials and temptations
• to realize that Satan is always there

Verse 15: "And the LORD said to Moses, 'Why do you cry to Me? Speak to the children of Israel that they go forward.'" How can they go forward when the sea is right there?

Verse 16: "And you—lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it…." The weapons of God are very simple! But His strength is all powerful!

"…And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea" (v 15). This was no small, little pitter-patter through a little mud puddle! This was in a place where it was deep!

All of these atheists and Disney, who does some of these movies, always downgrade the power of God. He flooded the whole world! So, to part the Red Sea is merely a little task for God.

Verse 17: "And behold, I am about to harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. And I will get honor for Myself upon Pharaoh, and over all his army, over his chariots and over his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD when I will be glorified through Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen" (vs 17-18).

God moved, v 20: "…between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. It was a cloud of darkness to one, but gave light by night to the other, so that the two did not come near one another all night. And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. And the LORD drove the sea back with a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided" (vs 20-21).

Out in that column, along that narrow strip of the Red Sea, the dividing of the Red Sea was as wide as the length of the column of the children of Israel were. When they crossed, it was a very quick movement. They didn't go in single file. They went in mass!

Verse 22: "And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground. And the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued [them]…" (vs 22-23).

Notice that God intervenes in a way that we don't expect. But He does and He deceives the enemy into thinking that they can get away with it.

"…and went in after them to the middle of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And in the morning watch it came to pass that the LORD looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and of the cloud, and the army of the Egyptians was thrown into confusion. And He loosened their chariot wheels…" (vs 23-25). Their wheels came off of all their chariots. God has a marvelous way of doing things!

"…and made them go heavily, so that the Egyptians said, 'Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.' And the LORD said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.'" (vs 25-26).

• Can you imagine the sound of that?
• Can you imagine all of the Israelites on the other side of the Red Sea, looking at the armies as they came into the sea to come after them?
• Can you imagine looking at the wall of water way up here and way down there, and here they came?
• Can you imagine the sound of that rushing water coming in at full speed against all of them?

God crushed and destroyed all of the chariots, killed all of the Egyptians.

Verse 28: "…There did not remain so much as one of them. But the children of Israel walked upon dry land through the middle of the sea…." (vs 28-29).

Exo. 15—they had great victory celebration with dance, music, thanksgiving and praising to God.

Sometimes that's the way it goes in our lives, but the moral of the story for us today is that Satan is still around, and Satan doesn't like it that God has called us out his world and his society. So, we're going to see how, just like the Pharaoh and all of his armies—Satan the devil and all of his demons—want to cause:

• confusion
• upset
• false doctrine
• sin

in the lives of those whom God has called!

Let's see something that's important, and we'll look at how Satan does some of these things. This world is Satan's world, without a doubt! Out of it, many are called but few are chosen! Why? Look at the world around us! It is so convenient! But the day is coming when it is all going to collapse.

We find in Rev. 2 something very interesting concerning Satan and what he has done:

Revelation 2:8: "And to the angel of the Church of the Smyrneans write: These things says the First and the Last, Who was dead but is alive. 'I know your works and tribulation and poverty… [they gave up everything to serve God] …(but you are rich)…" (vs 8-9)—spiritually!

The thing is, when we come to the end of the age that we are living in now, it is no surprise that we have the Laodiceans who are 'rich and increased in goods, and have need of nothing.' Here they were poor, in poverty, but they were rich spiritually, because they were trusting in God.

"…and the blasphemy of those who declare themselves to be Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan" (v 9). What does that mean? A Jew is not one outwardly, but inwardly. The circumcision is of the heart, not of the flesh!

• Do we have a lot of false Christianity today?
• What are they really with all their lies and deceptions? A synagogue of Satan!

Then we find a later with the Church of Philadelphia. The great leaders of the world all together form this synagogue of Satan.

Verse 10: "…Be faithful unto death, and I will give you a crown of life."

Then we have, v 12: "And to the angel of the Church in Pergamos…" Where did they live? Right in Pergamos where there was the throne of Satan the devil! What did that cause them to do?

• to have false doctrine of hierarchy
• to have the deeds of the Nicolaitans "…to eat things sacrificed to idols…" (v 14)

which is the beginning of what is today in the Catholic Church: the Eucharist!

You just have to know and understand that everything in Catholicism and the majority of things in Protestantism are not of God, but of Satan!

Verse 18: "And to the angel of the Church in Thyatira…" He says that if you don't get into the depths of Satan then 'I will give you a crown of life and you can rule over the nations.'

Revelation 3:7 "And to the angel of the Church in Philadelphia…" God says that He's going to make the synagogue of Satan come and worship Him before our feet.

This gives an overarching vision of how Satan is working. Today we see it through all the digital things, television, movies, printed word, billboards everywhere, music. It is something!

Now let's see how Satan works on an individual basis. Let's see what Satan can do if you don't love and preserve the Truth and understanding that God has given you. This is why we have the Sabbath Day every seven days:

• so we can be taught
• so we can learn
• so we can grow
• so we can overcome
• so we can come out of Satan's world
  • whether in our homes—that's why we have Church at Home (churchathome.org)
  • whether in a fellowship group

Because the Sabbath Day is that day that connects us with God. So, God say about the world today and why He spoke in parables:

Matthew 13:14: "And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which says, 'In hearing you shall hear, and in no way understand; and in seeing you shall see, and in no way perceive; for the heart of this people has grown fat, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and should hear with their ears, and should understand with their hearts, and should be converted, and I should heal them'" (vs 14-15).

• We are the firstfruits!
• We are the Church of the Firstborn!

Exactly in the same way that God spared the firstborn of the children of Israel in Egypt through all the plagues. God has called us out of this world to spare us and then we, in turn with Christ, are going to save the world!

The world does not know, because of the three key words: obey My voice! Then the six words: live by every word of God!

Then He explains it, v 19: "When anyone hears the Word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the wicked one comes and snatches away that which was sown in his heart…."

Satan can take it out of you if you let him and it just sort of melt into nothing! We have seen that happen with people, so that's one of the activities of Satan to try and take it out of you!

How can he do that? False doctrine! We've gone through a lot of false doctrines since the Feast of Tabernacles. It's out there, and it's more than we even understand. That's how he does it! That's why we have to be strong in the Lord through prayer and study! Now let's see how Satan works in the world. Though he comes as a 'roaring lion,' how does he appeal to people?

2-Timothy 2:23: "But foolish and ignorant speculations reject, knowing that they engender arguments." Isn't that what we have in a lot of the Churches of God? Arguments about:

• Who is God?
• Who is the Father?
• Which day is the Sabbath?
• Which day is the Passover Day?
• Which day is the Day of Pentecost?
• Which calendar do we follow?
• What should we do?
• How much of the Old Testament is really applicable to us?

Etc., etc, etc.!

Verse 25: "In meekness correcting those who set themselves in opposition; if perhaps God may grant them repentance unto acknowledging of the Truth." That's why, brethren, the Days of Unleavened Bread tell us we need the Truth, the Truth, the Truth!

Not leavened with a little bit of things from Satan the devil, not puffed up because of the way of the world. Not lifted up because of the vanity of human nature. Not self-deceiving with our own human nature, but continually looking to God and Jesus Christ and the Word of God in Truth, acknowledging the Truth!

Here's why, v 26: "And that they may wake up and escape from the devil's snare… [a trap] …who have been taken captive by him to do his will."

Isn't that the way it is in the world? Haven't we seen that with people who have even attended in the Churches of God? Yes, indeed! Here's what it leads to; here is how Satan gives the temptation. All personal sin begins right here:

2-Timothy 3:1: "Know this also, that in the last days perilous times shall come; for men will be lovers of self…" (vs 1-2). Self-love is one of the key motivating factors of Satan the devil!

That's why God has given us the first and greatest commandment, which is you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and being!

Satan's way is that you shall love yourself with all your heart, mind, soul and being! And you become your own idol! Then notice what happens with all of that. All of these things come: the fruit of Satan the devil, the leaven from Satan to destroy people:

"…lovers of money, braggarts, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, implacable, slanderers, without self-control, savage, despisers of those who are good, betrayers, reckless, egotistical, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God; having an outward appearance of Godliness, but denying the power of true Godliness…." (vs 2-5)—of God and its power!

Paul says, "…But as for you, turn away from all these" (v 5)—because all of those are traps!

(go to the next track)

How does Satan in interfere with us? Well, we know from the Gospels that Satan was always around from time-to-time. Let's look at a very good example here in Mark 8 and see how Satan works. He gives a good idea, a benefit, a cause, a work. Just analyze it when you're watching the television and watching the news, etc.

Many times he acts against us right after we have done something that is really right with God, as we find in Mark 8:27, so we can get both aspects of how it is. Satan has the whole world deceived, we know that. The whole world is worshipping Satan the devil in various ways in different religions and occupation and things. So, he's interested in those who have the Spirit of God. The one man he was really interested in was Peter. Let's see how he was going to do this.

Mark 8:27: "Then Jesus and His disciples went into the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And along the way He was questioning His disciples, saying to them, 'Who do men say that I am?' And they answered, 'John the Baptist; and others, Elijah. And some say, one of the prophets.' And He said to them, 'But you, Who do you say that I am?' And Peter answered and said to Him, 'You are the Christ'" (vs 27-29). Matthew's account says, 'Son of the living God.'

Verse 30: "Then He strictly charged them that they should tell no one about Him. And He began to teach them that it was necessary for the Son of man to suffer many things, and to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and to be killed, but after three days to rise from the dead. And He spoke these words openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him" (vs 30-32).

Peter had just answered who Jesus was. In Matthew's account, Jesus said, 'My Father has revealed this to you.' Now then, he hears what's going to happen to Jesus, so Peter took Jesus aside and he's going to protect Him. Peter is going to do a good work for Him. He is going to help not let that happen: a benefit, a good work that Satan always brings! That's why we always have to ask:

• What is the will of God?
• What do the Scriptures tell us to do?

Verse 33: "But He [Jesus] turned and looked at His disciples, and then rebuked Peter…" He didn't say like psychologists would do today: 'Well now, Peter, that's a very good thought; you're really well-intended in what you are doing and you are to be commended, because you wanted to protect the Savior Jesus Christ.' What could have been a better cause?

• What did Jesus say?
• Where did those thoughts come from?

"…'Get behind Me, Satan, because your thoughts are not of the things of God, but of the things of men.'" Satan put that there, right in the middle of where the disciples were!

Satan always likes to get to the top! Satan was the one who wanted to replace the Most High God (Isa. 14). Never forget that! That's why He told Christ, 'I'll give You all the kingdoms of the world, and all the glory of them, for they have been delivered to me and I give it to whomsoever I will. All You have to do is just worship me, and I'll give it to You! You know that's what Your destiny is, so why not get it now!' Remember that? The temptation of Jesus?

Let's see how Satan does this with people. Today he has many, many things that can do this:

• television
• entertainment
• music

Much of the music today is designed to blast through every cell of your being and hook you right into Satan's way. Then what follows with so many young people? Marijuana! 'Oh, marijuana is a good thing.' Then what happens? Hard drugs! And then complete enslavement!

That's why we have been called out of the world and saved from our sins. We are not yet saved from the point of view of being spirit sons and daughters of God through the power of the resurrection.

Ephesians 2:1: "Now, you were… [in the world] …dead in trespasses and sins." What did Jesus tell the man who said, 'I'll follow You wherever You go, but first let me go bury my father'? Jesus didn't say that was a nice thought, 'you really ought to go bury your father.'

• What did Jesus say? Let the dead bury their dead!
• Why? Because everyone in the world is dead spiritually from their sins and trespasses!
• How did they get that way?

Verse 2: "In which you walked in times past according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working within the children of disobedience… [breaking the commandments of God; changing the Truth of God into a lie] …among whom also we all once had our conduct in the lusts of our flesh…" (vs 2-3). Satan appeals to the flesh:

• be good
• be great
• be strong
• be beautiful
• be wonderful
• be young forever

But age keeps coming, and we all know that! When we're young we don't think about it, but now when you get older, you understand it!

"…according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now working within the children of disobedience; among whom also we all once had our conduct in the lusts of our flesh, doing the things willed by the flesh…" (vs 2-3)—the carnal mind:

• every way of a man is just in his own eyes
• there's a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is the way of death
• oh Lord, correct me in Your judgment, because man does not know how to direct his steps
• the carnal mind is desperately wicked and deceitful above all things

Whoa! Satan's ways are just like a magnet drawing particles of steel to it!

"…and by the mind…" (v 3). Just like with Peter. Oh, that's wonderful idea.' Lord, we're going to save You.'

What happened when Peter said something on the Passover night? He said, 'Lord, I'll never deny You!' Jesus said, 'I tell you, this night in this very day that you will deny Me three times. Furthermore, Satan has desired to have you, but I've prayed for you that your faith fail not.'

"…and were by nature the children of wrath, even as the rest of the world" (v 3).

See how marvelous it is what God has done to call us into His Church, to be a part of what He is doing, to be the future sons and daughters of God the Father. Think of that! The Most High! To rule the world under Jesus Christ! That is awesome! But we have to get through this evil world today. Look at this; this is all a part of the problems of the world, and some of the problems that we face:

James 4:1: "What is the cause of quarrels and fighting among you? Is it not mainly from your own lusts that are warring within your members?"

Yes, the carnal mind wars against the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God wars against the carnal mind, within our own mind, and that's the whole situation of Rom. 7. Instead of going to God and repenting, look what happens; you get carried away with it.

Verse 2: "You lust, and have not; you kill, and are jealous, and are not able to obtain; you fight and quarrel, but still you do not have, because you do not ask. Then you ask, and you do not receive, because you ask with evil motives, that you may consume it on your own lusts" (vs 2-3).

That is the carnal mind under the influence of Satan the devil.

• Isn't that the world today?
• Isn't that what's on television?
• Isn't that what in all entertainment?
• Yes, indeed!

We sometimes get caught up in it ourselves!

Verse 4: "You adulterers and adulteresses, don't you know that the friendship of the world is enmity with God?…."

The whole purpose of the Feast of Unleavened Bread is that we don't have one foot in the world and one foot in the Church and try and please both! You can't have two masters! That's what Jesus said. You have to please God the Father and Jesus Christ.

"…Therefore, whoever desires to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, 'The spirit that dwells in us lusts with envy'? But He gives greater grace…. [to overcome and change] …This is the reason it says, 'God sets Himself against the proud…" (vs 4-6).

What did we read in 2-Tim. 3? The first cause of sin is that men shall be lovers of themselves!

"'…but He gives grace to the humble.' Therefore, submit yourselves to God…." (vs 6-7).

This is what we are to do. The way that we overcome Satan the devil is that we submit ourselves to God. What does that mean?

• His laws
• His commandments
• His Sabbath
• His Holy Days
• prayer
• study
• yieldedness
• repentance
• overcoming

All of those are what we are to continuously do, and emphasize during the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

"…Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (v 7). But he also may come back, so we have to be more diligent!

Verse 8: "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you…." That's why with the Laodiceans it's so self-deceiving. Everything is so convenient and it's easy to forget prayer and study, it's easy to get involved in activities and things and to crowd out the need that we really, really have, which should be first, and that is drawing close to God. Notice what happens if you don't do it:

"…Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded!" (v 8). To be double-minded is just exactly what we are talking about here.

• you love the world, but you want to have all the benefits of the Church
• you want all the benefits that Satan gives, and then you want eternal life

But you have to be 100% for God! It's not a 50/50 proposition; it's 100/0%!

Verse 9: "Be grieved and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into grieving, and your joy into mourning. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you" (vs 9-10)—we'll see that in due time.

Now let's see how we resist Satan the devil. There are some very important things we learn from 1-Pet. 5, and this is how we overcome Satan. We can't stand up against Satan on our own strength and our own ability, and say how good we are. No way! Remember the so-called apostles who said one day—and I was sitting right in the auditorium and heard him—that 'I have been faithful to God for so long that Satan has no more interest in me.' BANG! The whole church disintegrated from that time forward.

1-Peter 5:5: "In the same manner, you younger men be subject to the older men; and all of you be subject to one another, being clothed with humility because God sets Himself against the proud… [lover of self] …but He gives grace to the humble."

How do we remain humble? In God we live and move and have our being, and we have nothing of ourselves!Never forget that! Repeat that to yourself many, many times down through time. In Him we live and move and have our being, and everything comes from God!

Verse 6: "Be humbled, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that He may exalt you in due time…. [How do you do that?]: …casting all your cares upon Him, because He cares for you" (vs 6-7).

Now then, we have a responsibility, v 8: "Be sober! Be vigilant!…." In what?

• prayer and study, prayer and study, prayer and study
• understanding the Word of God
• don't let things into your mind
• don't go lusting after things in the world

"…For your adversary the devil is prowling about as a roaring lion, seeking anyone he may devour" (v 8).

Remember where we started in Rev. 2 & 3? Satan is always there to come after the Church! Did Satan want the Apostle Peter? Yes! Oh, did he want the Apostle Peter! He had to settle for Simon Magus!

Verse 9: "Whom resist, steadfast… [meaning unmovable, solid] …in the faith…"—which comes from God. What are the fruits of the Spirit? Love, peace, faith, joy, longsuffering, self-control, etc.!

"…in the faith…":

• believing the Word of God
• believing Jesus Christ
• believing God the Father
• being faithful to what you know is right

To resist in the faith: How do you conduct your life when no one can see you except God? Think on that!

"…knowing that the same afflictions are being fulfilled among your brethren who are in the world. Now, may the God of all grace, Who has called us unto His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while…" (vs 9-10).

There will be trials and tests where we will suffer. Yes!

"…Himself perfect you…" (v 10). Yes, that's what God is doing: perfecting you so that you can be in the first resurrection! So that I can be in the first resurrection! So that all of the saints down through time going all the way back to Abel will be in the first resurrection! Perfect us spiritually!

"…establish, strengthen, and settle you" (v 10). That is a processes over a period of time. It's repeated again and again.

Verse 11: "To Him be the glory and the power into the ages of eternity. Amen."

That's how we overcome 'the prince of the power of the air.' Very important for us to realize and to grasp, and to go through and understand all of these things.

1-Kings 13 is very instructive for all elders, and for everyone else, too, as well. We know that after Solomon died Rehoboam became king in Jerusalem. The ten tribes split away. Jeroboam took over the ten tribes and he was given the opportunity to obey God and receive a dynasty equal to that of David.

But Jeroboam chose not to. He chose, after talking with the 'wise men' of his day what he should. They decided to make two golden calves: one in Dan in the north, and Bethel in the south. Bethel means house of God. And to institute another feast in the eighth month instead of the seventh month like we have with the Feast of Tabernacles. He set up priests that were not Levites.

So, God sent a prophet; let's see what he did: 1-Kings 13:1: "And behold, a man of God came out of Judah by the Word of the Lord, to Bethel. And Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense." Not only was he the head of the state, he was also a priest!

Verse 2: And he… [the prophet] …cried against the altar by the Word of the Lord and said, 'O, altar, altar, thus says the LORD. "Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name, and upon you he shall offer the priests of the high places who burn incense upon you, and men's bones shall be burned upon you."'" That happened and you can read that.

Verse 3: "And he gave a sign the same day, saying, 'This is the sign which the LORD has spoken. "Behold, the altar shall be torn apart, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out."' Then it came to pass when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God who had cried against the altar in Bethel, he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, 'Lay hold on him!' And his hand, which he put forth against him withered up so that he could not pull it in again to himself. The altar also was split asunder and the ashes poured out from the altar according to the sign which the man of God had given by the Word of the Lord. And the king answered and said to the man of God, 'Seek now the face of the LORD your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me again.'…." (vs 3-6).

Isn't it always something, that those who are evil want God to do something for them? So, God does it, and:

• Are they grateful? No!
• Does it change their hearts? No!

"…And the man of God prayed to the LORD, and the king's hand was restored to him again and became as at the beginning. And the king said to the man of God, 'Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.' And the man of God said to the king, 'If you will give me half your house, I will not go in with you, nor will I eat bread nor drink water in this place, for so was it commanded me by the Word of the Lord, saying, "Eat no bread nor drink water, nor return again by the same way that you came"'" (vs 6-9).

Notice! This is a warning! We can set our mind, but in a moment of weakness we may give into something that is not true!

Verse 10: "Then he… [the prophet] …went another way and did not return by the way he came to Bethel. And a certain old prophet was living in Bethel, and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. The words, which he had spoken to the king they also told to their father. And their father said to them, 'Where is this man? What way did he go?' For his sons had seen what way the man of God had gone, who came from Judah. And he said to his sons, 'Saddle me the donkey.' And they saddled the donkey for him, and he rode on it, and went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak. And he said to him, 'Are you the man of God who came from Judah?' And he… [the prophet] …said, 'I am'" (vs 10-17).

Verse 15: "And he said to him, 'Come home with me and eat bread.' And he… [the prophet] …said, 'I may not return with you nor go in with you, nor will I eat bread or drink water with you in this place, for a word was given to me by the Word of the Lord, "You shall eat no bread nor drink water there, nor return again by the way that you came."' And he said to him, 'I am a prophet also…'" (vs 15-18).

Remember the Church when they followed the Protestants; same thing here. You don't go to the counterfeit prophets or the counterfeit Christianity to learn the Truth of the Bible! They don't understand it! So, what happened? I'll let you finish reading it!

He gave in, went into the false prophet's house, sat down and ate, got up to go and leave and a lion came and killed him; his penalty for breaking the Word of God!

When you have a specific instruction from God, for all elders remember this: you do not countervail the Word of God, lest you set yourself up in place of God! That's why it says that the way you overcome Satan the devil is to humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, not your own devices.

Verse 21: "And he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, 'Thus says the LORD, "Because you have not obeyed the mouth of the LORD and have not kept the commandment which the LORD your God commanded you, but came back and have eaten bread and have drunk water in the place which He said to you, 'You shall not eat bread nor drink water,' your corpse shall not be buried in the tomb of your fathers."' Now, it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk that he saddled the donkey for him, for the prophet whom he had brought back. Then he left, and a lion met him by the way and killed him…." (vs 21-24). But didn't kill the donkey.

A lesson! Very important! Don't get mixed up in the false doctrines of this world, in the teachings of the Christianity of this world. They can make it sound very alluring. They can make it sound very authentic. But there's always the twist at the end of it.

It's like this: if you have fellowship with the Christianity of this world, doctrinally speaking, and believe in what they say, then you are eating and drinking what you should not do spiritually speaking!

Let's see how we are to fight and resist against Satan the devil. He can come at us personally! He can come after a group! He can come after a whole church, which we saw that he did, and convince them to go Protestant! Can you grasp that? I want you to think about it. How did all of that happen? A little leaven leavens the whole lump! It comes about incrementally, because of:

• pride
• lack of prayer
• lack of study
• self-serving

Eph. 6—here's what we need to do. We're living in a world that is more satanic than ever before. Just to give you an example:

What they want to do with the people that die is now there's a plan to liquefy their bodies, dry it out and make fertilizer of them and put it on the ground for fertilizing of the crops. Look at ancient Central America: human sacrifice and devil-worshippers; the worst the world has ever seen!

Ephesians 6:10: "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord…" How do you stay strong in the Lord?

• prayer and study
• living God's way
• having your mind fixed on the Lord
• having your mind fixed on the Truth
• having your mind fixed on the way of God

"…and in the might of His strength" (v 1). He has to fight these battles for us. We cannot do it!

Verse 11: "Put on the whole armor of God… [that's how you do it through prayer and study] …so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."

He's got so many schemes and is so clever,; so good and so beneficial; just exactly what the mark of the beast is going to be!

Verse 12: "Because we are not wrestling against flesh and blood, but against principalities… [high demons] ..and against powers… [of this world and of Satan the devil] …against the world rulers of the darkness of this age… [the synagogue of Satan] …against the spiritual power of wickednessin high places."

• everywhere in the world
• every government
• every religion
• every church of false Christianity

And he likes to make inroads within the Churches of God!

• that's why the Feast of Unleavened Bread is important
• that's why we have to keep it the whole seven days
• that's why it is a time when we focus in on:
  • What is human nature like?
  • How much do I have to overcome?
  • What do I fall short on?
  • How do I get sin out of my life?

That's why we have prayer and fasting, and repentance and study of the Word of God in it.

Verse 13: "Therefore, take up the whole armor of God… [Paul says it twice, and he says to stand three times] …so that you may be able to resist in the evil day…" Any day that Satan comes after you is an evil day.

"…and having worked out all things, to stand. Stand, therefore, having your loins girded about with Truth…" (vs 13—14). Make the Word of God a very part of you.

If you've never seen Forged in Fire on the History Channel, you watch it. They make these swords and instruments of death. They have these simulated human bodies and they stab them, slash them and beat them with swords, and run it all the way through. That will tell you what war was like back then. It was evil! That's why the casualties were probably 50-70% death! There are some accounts where 20,000 died, 30,000 died, 90,000 died!

"…and wearing the breastplate of righteousness" (v 14):

• commandment-keeping
• loving God
• serving God

Verse 15: "And having your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace." Carrying out the work of preaching the Gospel through the things that we all do collectively, individually in whatever you can do. Also, the Gospel is about our overcoming, changing, growing and developing the mind of God.

Verse 16: "Besides all these… [this tells us a lot we've got to do] …take up the shield of the faith, with which you will have the power to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one."

Recognize it for what it is and get rid of the thought, get rid to that and put it away, overlook it, don't let it into your mind.
Verse 17: "And put on the helmet of salvation…" What does Satan want to get? Right into your mind! Guard the door of your mind diligently, for out if it are the issues of life (Prov. 4)! That's true for what it is that we are doing today.

"…and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God" (v 17).

Now then, why do you think that so many people fall for false doctrine? Because they are not studying the Word of God! That's why Paul said to 'prove all things, hold fast to that which is good!'

Verse 18: "Praying at all times with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and in this very thing being watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints." That's something for us to consider. One thing for sure:

• IF you're lukewarm, are you diligent?
• IF you're passive, can you stand against the wiles of the devil?
• Can you resist his schemes?
• No, you can't!

All of those become our own little Red Sea that we need God to intervene and fight against the enemy so that we can stand for the Truth! To do what is right, and live our lives through the power of God's Holy Spirit with the unleavened bread of sincerity and Truth!

Scriptural References:

• Leviticus 23:4

• Exodus 13:16-22
• Exodus 14:1-4, 7-18, 20-26, 28-29
• Revelation 2:8-10, 12, 14, 18
• Revelation 3:7
• Matthew 13:14-15, 19
• 2 Timothy 2:23, 25-26
• 2 timothy 3:1-5
• Mark 8:27-33
• Ephesians 2:1-3
• James 4:1-10
• 1 Peter 5:5-11
• 1 Kings 13:1-18, 21-24
• Ephesians 6:10-18

Scriptures referenced, not quoted:

• Genesis 1
• Numbers 28
• Deuteronomy 16

• Revelation 11
• 1 Corinthians 10
• Exodus 15
• Isaiah 14
• Romans 7
• Proverbs 4

Also referenced: Booklet:
            How Credible is the Bible by Duncan MacLeod

FRC: bo
Transcribed: 3/4/18

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