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September 30, 1998
Brethren, this is the Day of Atonement, 1998. One of the most important holy days of God. A day where we fast, where we don’t eat, we don’t drink any liquids, and we come to God realizing how very important that He is and that He is our whole life totally. Now let’s go to Leviticus 23:26, and let’s see the command here. “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying…” And of course everything that Moses taught was what God told him to say. Everything is… “The LORD said tell the children of Israel.” “…Saying, also on the tenth day of this seventh month [which is today] there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD” (Lev. 23:26-27). Now, in afflicting your souls, we know that that means with no food and no water. And when you do that you really realize how weak that you are. Brethren, this is the Day of Atonement, 1998. One of the most important holy days of God. A day where we fast, where we don’t eat, we don’t drink any liquids, and we come to God realizing how very important that He is and that He is our whole life totally. Now let’s go to Leviticus 23:26, and let’s see the command here. “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying…” And of course everything that Moses taught was what God told him to say. Everything is… “The LORD said tell the children of Israel.” “…Saying, also on the tenth day of this seventh month [which is today] there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD” (Lev. 23:26-27). Now, in afflicting your souls, we know that that means with no food and no water. And when you do that you really realize how weak that you are.
Now also it says you shall offer an offering made by fire. And we always take up a holy day offering on each one of the holy days every year as they come to us. When we come to God we are to not appear before Him empty. And when we come we are to be prepared. And when we come, especially on this Day of Atonement, it should be a special offering to God because this shows when we will really be at one with God. And this shows that when all of our battles with Satan the devil will be over. So this should be a wonderful opportunity to present an offering to God, and we know that God desires that from the heart.
Now let’s come down here to verse 38. And it says, “Besides the sabbaths of the LORD…” So all the holy days are Sabbaths. “…And beside your gifts,…” So there are gifts that we give during the year. “… And beside all your vows,…” That is what you determine to give God in your heart. “…And beside all your freewill offerings,…” And all the offerings are to be freewill offerings. We don’t want to take any money under any false pretenses or to leverage the brethren or to merchandise the brethren, or any of those physical carnal things which have been done by so many people for so long. So it should be a freewill offering from the heart which you give unto the Lord. So at this time we’ll go ahead and take a small break and take up the offering for the Day of Atonement.
Now let’s continue on in Leviticus 23. And we know that as the apostle Paul said, we are to be instant in season and out of season, and to preach the word. You see, the word of God is what we are to preach, just exactly like the Lord told Moses, whatever is in the Scriptures. And that is what we are to teach. And that is what we are to cover for the whole meaning of the Day of Atonement, and it’s importance in the plan of God. And we will see that this is one of these days in which it’s very important to complete the plan of God. All of them are, beginning with the Passover and Unleavened Bread, and Pentecost and Trumpets, and so is Atonement as we come to it, and so will the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day when we come to it. All of that portrays all the various aspects of God’s plan.
So let’s continue on right here in Leviticus 23, continuing now in verse 28. “And ye shall do no work in that same day:…” None at all. Now we’ll see a little later He double affirms it by saying, “You shall not do any work.” “…For it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the LORD your God.” Now we’re going to see that the Day of Atonement also is an application of forgiveness. Now we have our forgiveness with Passover, but the world is going to have their forgiveness beginning with the Day of Atonement. So you see the Passover is for us. Day of Atonement has a direct meaning for us also, but it also is going to have a tremendous meaning for the people in the world.
“For whatsoever soul it be that shall not be afflicted in that same day, he shall be cut off from among his people” (vs. 29). Now, one of the worst things to do is to be cut off from God. And the people who do not keep the Sabbaths of God, and don’t keep the holy days of God, don’t realize they’re cut off from God. They’re just out there doing their own thing. And so it’s a terrible thing to be cut off from God. So that’s why the Day of Atonement is so important. We want to be at one with God. The opposite of being cut off from God is to be at one with God, because the Day of Atonement, “atonement,” gives us the meaning of the word, that we are atone with God. And we can’t be at one with God unless we do what He says.
“And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people.” And we’ve also seen that happen. We’ve seen people who’ve come along, been in the Church for years, and years, and years, who’ve given up on the Day of Atonement, and they have been destroyed. Not dead, but just their lives have been destroyed. “Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest [and it is a real resting Sabbath], and ye shall afflict your souls:…” And here, He gives a precise time. You see, God does not want any misunderstanding as to when the Day of Atonement begins, because you can’t have people starting it at three in the afternoon, and others starting it when it gets dark at seven or eight at night. That way then you would have a five to six hour difference in the beginning and ending of the Day of Atonement. And you can’t possibly all be atone with God if you’re all beginning and ending at different times. So God makes it very clear. And this tells us precisely how every Sabbath is to be calculated. He says, “…in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath” (vs. 30-32). So from sunset, Ba erev, to sunset, Ba erev, shall you keep your sabbath. And so when the sun dips below the horizon, the Day of Atonement begins. It ends the ninth day, begins the tenth day. Then when the whole day comes around and the sun dips below the horizon again, then it ends the tenth day. That is the Day of Atonement.
Now, let’s look and see all the meaning that we are going to have for the Day of Atonement, because it’s really something. So we’re fasting. Now this day of fasting is very important for us to realize because it shows that we’re just made of flesh, and the flesh does not last long. And it means that we can’t trust in the flesh because when you realize how weak you are, and how helpless you are, what good is that going to do against Satan the devil? What power are you going to exercise out of your own self? Can you save yourself? Can you make yourself right? No, you can’t. Only God can.
Now it also then teaches us total reliance on God. Because everything we have comes from God. And it means, as I already mentioned, “atonement.” And we’re going to see that you cannot overcome Satan the devil with physical means. If you try and overcome Satan with physical means, that’s exactly what Satan wants you to do because he’s got you. You can only overcome Satan the devil with spiritual means, by the Spirit of God, by the power of God.
And also it shows that sin can never be totally removed while Satan is around. Now we’re going to see all the aspects of this Day of Atonement and we’re going to see why God has to put him away, and how that fits into God’s overall plan. First of all, let’s see how Satan began.
Let’s go to Ezekiel 28, because there is a Satan the devil, and Revelation 13 shows that the whole world is going to worship Satan the devil, worship the dragon, and worship the beast, who gave him his power. Satan has always wanted to be God, as we’re going to see. Now, Satan was originally Lucifer, as we will see, and he was a created being. Let’s read it right here beginning in Ezekiel 28:11. “Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus [a type of the final beast]…” Now the power behind the king of Tyrus was Satan the devil, as we will see, because everything he has to say here has nothing to do with the king of Tyrus, but it has to do with the one who became Satan the devil. “…And say unto him, thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.” That can’t be said of any man. “Thou hast been in Eden, the garden of God;…” Now we’re going to see a little bit later that the only other one who was in the Garden of Eden besides God and Adam and Eve, was Satan the devil. So this statement means it’s talking about Satan the devil. The king of Tyrus could not possibly have been in the Garden of Eden, because the Garden of Eden was long destroyed through the flood before the king of Tyrus was ever a being, a person. Then it says, “…every precious stone was thy covering,…”, and it lists all of them. And it says, “…the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created” (Ezek. 28:11-13). Now this is a created being.
“Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth…” Now that’s what Lucifer originally was. “…And I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God [right there where God’s throne is]; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.” That means what you could liken unto, as we’ve discussed before, the sea of glass, the stones of fire. “Thou wast perfect in thy ways…” That’s why we know that this has to be referring to Lucifer before he fell. “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee” (vs. 14-15). So he sinned.
Now here’s how he sinned. “By the multitude of thy merchandise…” Now whatever Satan did to merchandise, he merchandised the angels. Whatever he did in not doing what God wanted him to do. And of course then merchandising has to do with lust, and covetousness, and greed. “…They have filled the midst of thee with violence…” See, because evil goes into deeper depths. And we’ll cover that a little bit later on. And that’s why we learned the lesson with the Feast of Unleavened Bread, that a little leaven leavens the whole lump. And now here God is showing how the leaven of sin leavened Lucifer so that he would fall. “…They [the sinful merchandising] have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire” (vs. 16).
Now let’s hold your place right here in Ezekiel 28, and let’s go to Luke 10, and let’s see what Jesus said. This also tells us something very important that we need to understand. This also confirms that Jesus was God before He became a human being. That’s why the two most fundamental verses you need to know and know that you know, and have memorized are the verses of John. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And then it says in John 1:14, “And the Word was made flesh.” See, you really need to understand that, and have that sunk deep into your heart and mind.
Now here’s a verification of that. And after the seventy came back they were all joyful because they were able to heal the sick and raise the dead and cast out the demons, “And [Jesus] said to them, ‘I beheld Satan fall as lighting from heaven” (Luke 10:18). As a lightning streak, just fall from heaven because he was cast down. It says he fell. So there’s the fall of Satan. And the greatest sin is not the sin of Adam and Eve when they fell. The greatest fall is the fall of Satan the devil.
Now He says, continuing with His disciples here, “Behold, I give you authorit to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy…” And we’ll see how that power is, brethren, because Christ has given that to us. “…And nothing shall injure you in any way. Yet do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (vs. 19-20). And brethren, with this Day of Atonement we need to understand that our names are written in heaven and we are to be atone with God. This is a tremendous day for us. Absolutely marvelous day.
Now let’s come back to Ezekiel 28:17. “Thine heart was lifted up…” Now what did Jesus say? “He who exalts himself shall be abased.” Satan exalted himself, didn’t he? Was he abased? Yes, he was. “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground,…” That’s why he fell, he fell as lightning. He was cast back to the earth. “…I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities,…” So whatever kind of worship service the angels had in their sanctuaries in worshipping God, this is what it’s referring to. And one third of the angels, Revelation 12, fell with him. “…By the iniquity of thy traffic; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee” (vs. 17-18). Now it blends back into the king of Tyrus [A type of the final beast who shall be destroyed in the lake of fire.].
Now let’s go to Isaiah 14, very basic scriptures. These are scriptures we should know and understand, but this is the time and season when we are to go back and see them, and we are to understand that there is a Satan the devil, that he is the enemy of God, that he is the adversary, that he is against us, that he wants to destroy us and wants to destroy what God is doing in us. And we need to understand and realize that, because one of the first things that Satan wants you to do is discount Satan. And then say that, “Well, he’s just a myth.” And then he’s got you.
Now here, Isaiah 14:12. “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer,…” Now there’s only one being that that happened to. Lucifer means, lightbringer. And now the light that he brings is darkness indeed. “…O Lucifer, son of the morning [or, the day star]! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart…” And you see, that’s where sin begins in the heart. And that’s why Satan wants to inspire sins in people. That’s why he wants them, through lust and covetousness, to get them with their heart to sin. So we have it right here. “For thou has said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne…” You see, exaltation doesn’t come from the north or the south, or the east or west. It comes from God. And Satan says, “I’m going to do it, and I’m going to exalt my throne”, “…above the stars of God [above all the angels of God]: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High” (Isa. 14:12-14). And you can’t do that because there’s only one Most High. And this is what Satan has wanted to do all the time. He’s wanted to be God. That’s why, we’ll see a little later, he’s called the god of this world, because the world is now once again, in all the occult that is coming back on this whole world, as inspired by Satan the devil, they’re going to worship him as God.
“Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” And we’re going to see that Satan is going to be cast into a pit, a bottomless pit. “They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake [the] kingdoms” (vs. 15-16). Is he the one that caused all of this destruction? Yes, indeed, he certainly was.
Now let’s go to Genesis 3, and let’s see how Satan is subtle. He is subtle. And I think we can see the subtleties of this with the episodes that we’ve had with Bill Clinton as President. He twists and turns the truth just like Satan. There is a good example of someone who is a son of Satan. And we’ll talk about that a little bit later on. There’s a difference between being a son of God and a son of Satan. Now you see, the first proposition that Satan gave to Eve was that you will become like God, but that’s not to become like God as God, because that’s the whole plan of God. But to become as a god like Satan considers himself. That’s what he was really talking about. And he always comes with an accusation. Let’s read it here.
Genesis 3:1, “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Well, that’s not what God said. God said, “You may eat of every tree of the garden freely, except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. For in the day that you eat thereof you shall surely die.” “And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said,…” So she knew what God had said. God talked to her. There are some people who think, “Well, God only talked to Adam, and then Adam talked to his wife.” No, she knew what God said. “…Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die” (Gen. 3:1-4). In other words, one of the tactics of Satan the devil is to come along and take the words of God and say, “Well, God didn’t mean what He said.” Now you think about that in relationship to all the doctrinal problems that have come about. One of the first things that is said is that God didn’t mean what He said. That brethren, is a Satanic message. Now it may sound spiritual, it may sound religious, but it is not of God. It is of Satan the devil from one of the most basic elements that we need to understand back here in Genesis 3.
Now then, furthermore he goes on and accuses God. “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (vs. 5). Now the word here is elohim, and that refers also to pagan gods. So he’s saying you will become as a god the way I, Satan the devil, am a god knowing good and evil. Does Satan know good? Yes. Does he know evil? Yes. No question about it.
“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food [lust of the eyes], and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise [vanity, to be exalted up in your own self], she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened…” Yes, opened to see and understand evil, but closed their eyes to understand the life and truth of God. Now that’s what’s happened, because we will see that it says that Satan the devil has blinded the eyes of those who follow him. So this opening of the eyes was a closing of the eyes. “…And they knew that they were naked…” (vs. 6-7), and so forth. Well, you know the rest of the story there.
Now let’s continue on. Let’s come to Leviticus 16. Now Leviticus 16 tells us one of the most important things that’s going to happen on the Day of Atonement. And this is the removal of Satan the devil. There is no other being in the whole Bible that is called, or referred to as a God, except God the Father and Jesus Christ. And Satan the devil is not a God. Satan the devil is a fallen archangel who now is Lucifer, Satan the devil. But to people in the world, they cannot distinguish between Lucifer and the true God. And this is the whole story, and the whole meaning of Leviticus 16. Now, if you are having problems thinking that both of the goats mean that they both belong to God, well then you write in for our 1994 Day of Atonement, which I did showing that it cannot possibly be both goats referring to Jesus Christ. Absolutely an impossibility.
Now, let’s see what was to be done on this Day of Atonement. A very important ceremony was to take place. First of all the Priest was allowed to go into the Holy of Holies once a year, and this was the day. No other day. They could only come into the first part of the temple to take care of the altar of incense, the showbread, and to light the lamps. (Now, we’ll see that on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles when you are there to see the first holy day.) Then he was to have a special atonement for himself, an atonement for his family, and only after he was atoned for himself with very specific offerings, was he then to come back and to take of the two goats.
Now, let’s pick that up here in Leviticus 16:5. “And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel, two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering. And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself, and for his house [household]. And he shall take the two goats,…” See, he had to have the atonement for himself first. “And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation [right in front of God]. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the [Azazel] scapegoat.” And Azazel means the one to be removed. And of course, Christ was never removed. “And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering” (Lev. 16:5-9). Now that’s very important to understand. This is Christ as our sin offering. This is Christ as the offering for the sins of the whole world.
Here, hold your place and let’s go back to 1 John 2 now, because this is important and it will show us that our sins come through Passover. The sins of the world come through Atonement. And John makes that distinction very clear, what he’s saying here. 1 John 2:1, “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And yet, if anyone does sin, we have an Advocate with the Father; Jesus Christ the Rghteous; and He is the propitiation for our sins…” And we know that through the covenant renewal of the Passover, don’t we? Yes. Now notice, “…And not for our sins only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:1-2). And so the Day of Atonement is when God is going to be dealing with the sins of the whole world, because the world today cannot distinguish between the god of this world [Satan the Devil] and the true Jesus Christ. That’s why this ceremony back in Leviticus 16…let’s go back there now.
So the lot for the Lord was to be offered for a sin offering. Now we will see what happens with that sin offering. “But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement [upon] with him…” Not with him, upon him. “…And to let him go [for the one to be let go, Azazel] for a scapegoat into the wilderness” (Lev. 16:10). And we are going to see that in the wilderness is one of Satan’s abodes.
And so Aaron, then he will bring all of the things for his offering, and he shall present that. Now let’s come down to verse 15. “Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the veil…” Now if you bring in the blood, and you have the sin offering, and you have an atonement and you have forgiveness of sins, the sins are forgiven, are they not? No question about it. Otherwise why do it if they were not forgiven? “…And bring his blood within the veil, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat: and he shall make an atonement…” Now notice, “…for the holy place, because of all the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions In All Their Sins:…” Now it doesn’t say some of them, does it? No. It says all their sins. “…And so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation, that remaineth among them in the midst of their uncleanness” (vs. 15-16). And so this is forgiving all of their sins.
So then he says, verse 17, “And there shall be no man in the tabernacle of the congregation when he goeth in to make an atonement in the holy place, until he come out, and have made an atonement for himself, and for his household, and for all the congregation of Israel.” Now if the atonement through the propitiation of the sacrifice has already been effective in forgiving the sins of the people, then when he comes to the one upon which the lot fell for Azazel, now we have a totally different application. And let’s read that.
Let’s come down here to verse 20. “And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat:” Now this is symbolic that it cannot die. A live goat. “And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness:” (vs. 20-21). Now that’s a very unusual thing to do. Now if you have all the sins forgiven already by a sin offering, why this confession of sins again over the goat for Azazel? Well there’s a very profound reason for it, which is this: as long as Satan the devil is around, who’s the author of sin, he is always going to inspire people to sin. And he is the one who has caused it. And so God is making allowance for it here and showing what He’s going to do. That He is going to remove the one who causes sin.
“And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness. And Aaron shall come into the tabernacle of the congregation, and shall put off the linen garments, which he put on when he went into the holy place, and shall leave them there: and he shall wash his flesh with water in the holy place, and put on his garments, and come forth…”, because you see, that represents an unclean spirit. So then he had to wash himself. Same way with the fit man who took him out into the wilderness. He had to wash himself and bathe himself because he was dealing with all the uncleanness, an unclean spirit who caused the sins of all the children of Israel. “…And offer his burnt offering, and the burnt offering of the people, and make an atonement for himself, and for the people. And the fat of the sin offering shall he burn upon the altar. And he that let go the goat for the [Azazel] scapegoat shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp” (vs. 22-26). And then it talks about the sin offering.
Now here’s something very important to understand. This is why this goat cannot represent Christ. The goat for Azazel cannot represent Christ. Verse 27, “And the bullock for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall one carry forth without the camp;…” That is, over to the altar where they burned all the sin offerings to ashes at the Miphkad Altar. And that represents Christ. Now that’s something really important to understand. Now notice what else happens. “…And they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung. And he that burneth them shall wash his clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward he shall come into the camp” (vs. 27-28).
“And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month [that’s this day], ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you: For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD. It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a statute for ever. And the priest, whom he shall anoint, and whom he shall consecrate to minister in the priest’s office in his father’s stead, shall make the atonement, and shall put on the linen clothes, even the holy garments: and he shall make an atonement for the holy sanctuary, and he shall make an atonement for the tabernacle of the congregation, and for the altar, and he shall make an atonement for the priests, and for all the people of the congregation. And this shall be an everlasting statute unto you, to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins once a year. And he did as the LORD commanded Moses” (vs. 29-34). So there we have the fullness of the meaning of the Day of Atonement here in Leviticus 16.
Now later on…well, let’s just do it right now. Let’s go to Revelation 20, and we’re going to see the fulfillment of this, and then we’ll come back and we’ll see some other things as it relates to Satan the devil, and our calling, and the things that we need to do, and how we need to overcome him, and a more complete meaning of this day.
Now after Christ returns, sets His feet on the earth on the day of Trumpets, Satan then, on the Day of Atonement, Revelation 20:1, “Then I saw an angel descending from heaven [this is what the type of the fit man was], having the key of the abyss…” Didn’t we read that he was going to be put into the pit? Yes. “…And a great chain in his hand. And he took hold of the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years” (Rev. 20:1-2). So Satan is not going to be around all during the Millennium. It’s going to be a completely different world. A completely different administration. A completely different set of circumstances. And we will be there with Jesus Christ to serve and to help the people, and to rule them, and to train them, to teach them, to qualify them to come into the Kingdom of God. And what a glorious reign that is going to be as we will see when we keep the Feast of Tabernacles.
“Then he cast him into the abyss, and looked him up, and sealed the abyss over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were fulfilled…” (vs. 3). And we’re going to find out on the Last Great Day why he is let out for that very short period of time. The seventh and eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles. The last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, day seven, and the Last Great Day, the eighth day. We’ll see why.
Now today we’re still confronted with Satan the devil, aren’t we. And we’re still confronted with what we need to do, so let’s understand something concerning the things that we need to do. Let’s come to Ephesians 2. Let’s see how Satan the devil works. And he is working grandly today. And he’s got all the powers and tools and people in his hands, using them, manipulating them, preparing the way, making his coming, great one world to be an awesome and a mighty thing indeed.
And here, Ephesians 2:1, “And you were dead in trespasses and sins...” Because if you’re living in sin, you’re dead. You have no spiritual life. You may be alive physically, but you are dead spiritually. And there was a time when we are living in our sins and transgressions that we are dead. And when God in His mercy has called us and raised us up out of that, granting us forgiveness and giving us the gift of repentance, and the gift of eternal life, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the gift of imputed righteousness of Christ. That is what it is to be made alive in Christ, see. But we were once dead in our sins and trespasses.
“In which you walked in times past according to the course of this world [that is the way that this world is], according to the prince of the power of the air, [and he is] the spirit that is now working within the children of disobedience.” So Satan has a power, and Satan has his spirit that can go out and have power and cause people to do things that he wants them to do. Now, people can resist it. There’s a way to resist. But you can only resist so much in the flesh. You have to resist in the spirit and have the spiritual armament. Now notice how he works here. “Among whom also we all once had our conduct in in the lusts of our flesh, doing the things willed by the flesh and by the mind…” And of course, all of those things seems so good. “…And were by nature the children of wrath, even as the rest of the world” (vs. 2-3).
Now let’s go to 1 John 2, because it tells us here also about how Satan appeals to the flesh, to the lust of the eyes, the pride of life, and the love of the world. And all of that is part of Satan’s world. Now here, 1 John 2:15, “Do not love the world, nor the things that are in the world.” Because that’s how Satan gets you, because then you become carnal minded. You become material minded. So you’re not minding the things of God, of the Spirit. You’re minding the things of the flesh. “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Because everything that is in the world…” I want you to think about this statement, brethren. “…Everything that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pretentious pride of physical life—is not from the Father, but is from the world. And the world and its lust is passing away, but the one who does the will of God abides forever” (1 John 2:15-17). Brethren, that’s important to understand. But notice how Satan uses all the physical things of the world. The lust of the flesh. The lust of the eyes and the pride of life. Those are his tools, and he is the god of this world.
Now let’s go to 2 Corinthians 4, and here we’re going to see that Satan the devil is called the god of this world. Now, verse 1, “Therefore, having this ministry [Paul is talking about his ministry], according as we have received mercy, we are not fainthearted. For we have personally renounced the hidden things of dishonest gain…” Now these are the things that the false prophets and teachers use. Dishonesty, walking in craftiness, handling the word of God deceitfully. Anyone who is a true minister of God will have renounced all those carnal things. “…But by manifestation of the truth…” (2 Cor. 4:1-2), which is the word of God, in teaching the word of God, and speaking the word of God, in helping people understand the word of God. Not using and abusing and manipulating, deceitfully handling it, you see. Now that’s how you can tell who is a false teacher and who is not.
“But if our gospel is hidden, it is hidden to those who are perishing; in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds…” Now that’s what happened with Adam and Eve. He blinded their minds. And yet they thought their minds were opened. Quite a different thing indeed. “…Of those who do not believe…” And that’s what happens when Satan the devil blinds your mind. You believe not. “…Lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, Who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” So He cuts them off so that they won’t understand it. And God turns them over to it because this is not the age of Christ [and His kingdom]. This is the age of man and Satan. “For we do not preach our own selves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake” (vs. 3-5). And so that’s the way that the apostle Paul did.
Now, let’s come over here to 2 Corinthians 11:13, and let’s see how the false preachers and teachers and apostles behaved themselves. It says here, “For such are false apostles…” And part of it was here, he’s talking about the things that were done, is that they were turning them from the simplicity of Christ. They were merchandising them. They were feeding them with philosophy, which are the doctrines of the religion of Satan the devil. For he says, “For such are false apostles—deceitful workers, who are transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And it is no marvel, for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.” And yet his light is darkness. “Therefore it is no great thing if his servants also transform themselves as ministers of righteousness—whose end shall be according to their works” (2 Cor. 11:13-15). Now we have to fight against this, don’t we? That’s how Satan works.
Let’s see also how he works as the prince of the power of the air. Remember what he did with Job. One day the sons of God appeared before the Lord, and Satan was among them, going up and down, to and fro in the earth. And then you know all the rest of the story of Satan the devil. We come here to 1 Peter 5:8, Satan as a roaring lion, is going about seeking whom he may devour. And how will he devour. Well, let’s see how he does. He sends out his impulses, his airwaves as it were, because he’s the prince of the power of the air, and inspires people to sin. He even got to King David.
Now let’s go back here to 1 Chronicles 21:1, and let’s see one of the great sins that David committed. It says right here that he was inspired of Satan the devil. “And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel.” So Satan is the one who did it. Provoked him. Caused him to do it. “And David said to Joab and to the rulers of the people…” See now, God said, “Don’t number them. Don’t look to them for a number.” [But David said] “…Go, number Israel from Beersheba even to Dan; and bring the number of them to me, that I may know it. And Joab answered, The LORD make His people an hundred times so many more as they be: but, my lord the king, are they not all my lord’s servants? Why then doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel?” (1 Chron. 21:1-3). And so then, you know what happened there. Seventy thousand in Israel died because David sinned. Satan does things like that.
Let’s come here to Matthew 16. Let’s see what Satan also appeals to. Right here, Matthew 16:21, “From that time Jesus began to explain to His disciples that it was necessary for Him to go to Jerusalem, and to suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and to be killed, and to be raised the third day. But after taking Him aside, Peter personally began to rebuke Him, saying, ‘God will be favorable to you, Lord. In no way shall this happen to You.’ ” Now Peter thought he was doing something good and fine. He’s going to save the Savior. I mean, think of that. Those are kind of conflicting words, aren’t they? Now notice what Jesus did. “Then He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offence to Me: because your thoughts are not in accord with the things of God, but the things of men” (Matt. 16:21-23). And so Satan appeals to those things that be of men.
Now let’s come here to Luke 22:31, and let’s see that Satan really desired to have Peter. And if he really could have had Peter, the true apostle, instead of Peter, a false apostle, perhaps he thought he could have had a greater false church. “Then the Lord said, Simon, Simon, listen well, Satan has demanded to have you…” And the Greek there means demanded to have you. “..To sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and when you are converted, strengthen your brethren” (Luke 22:31-32). So Satan really wanted Peter. And Satan did get to Peter, we find there in Galatians 2 when he fell hook, line, and sinker back into Judaism. And so Peter was spared that, but he had to be saved from that, see.
Now let’s understand something else here too. When Satan really has you… Let’s come to John 13:27, Satan entered into Judas. “And after the sop [that is after Judas took the sop] Satan entered into him.” Totally possessed of Satan the devil. Now that’s going to happen again with the Beast and the False Prophet, that the Beast is going to be totally possessed of Satan and he is going to go into the Temple of God, and he is going to say that he is God, and be worshipped as God. Those are all the means and devices of Satan the devil.
Now, let’s understand something. Something very important for us to realize. There are the children of the devil. And there are the children of God. And we’re going to look at the difference between them. Now John Morgan made a very interesting comment… Let’s go to Matthew 13 while we’re commenting on this. He said that there are two ways, and there’s a great inbetween between the two ways, and that’s the vastness of the deceived world. But you have the children of Satan on one hand, and the children of God on the other hand. And the children of Satan the devil are indoctrinated in a course, or a process called perversion. And the children of God are, through a process, converted. So that each has a process. One to perversion. One to conversion. One leads to eternal death. The other leads to eternal life. And we are going to see, that yes the children of the devil do come in amongst our midst and they are called tares. And they are the ones who cause us problems. And Satan loves a hierarchy, so he can get someone in authority to sit there and wait. These are called, as Peter said, false teachers who stealthily snuck in and began to teach against the truth. We’ll see that in just a minute.
Now let’s pick it up here in Matthew 13:37. This is the parable of the sower. “And He answered and said to them, ‘The one Who sows the good seed is the Son of man; and the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the children of the kingdom [that’s us]; but the tares are the children of the wicked one [so we have the two here, don’t we?]; Now the enemy who sowed them is the devil; and the harvest is the end of the age [and we’re living in the end of the world right now]; and the reapers are the angels.” And eventually the finality of this is going go take place at the resurrection. “Therefore, as the tares are gathered and consumed in the fire…” And I think right now God is gathering the tares together in their own little groups. And God is gathering the children of the Kingdom in their groups. “…So shall it be in the end of this age. The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather out of His kingdom all the offenders and those who are practicing lawlessness; and they shall cast them into the furnace of fire; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun…” So then we have the two rewards. We have the two things. We have the children of the wicked one, we have the children of the Kingdom. We have the process, the ending up of being burned in the fire of the wicked ones, and the children of the Kingdom entering into the Kingdom to shine in the glorious being as the sun shines, “…in the kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Matt. 13:37-43).
Now let’s look at, that there is a difference between the children of the Kingdom, who are the children of God, and the children of the devil. Now let’s go to 1 John 3:4, and here is where it shows very clearly. Now I’m going to read to you from my translation of it, because I’ve translated it correctly. “Everyone who practicing sin is also practicing lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness.” Now the King James says, “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.” That is an accurate translation too, but this is even stronger because lawlessness means anomia, which means against law. And Satan is against all the laws of God. He has his own. But he’s against God.
Now, verse 5, “And you know that He appeared in order that He might take away our sins [that is Christ]; And in Him is no sin. Everyone who dwells in Him does not practice sin…” Now that’s what it means, because we’re talking about practicing sin up in verse 4, and the thought in the Greek is carried on down here to verse 6, “…does not practice sin.” “Anyone who practices sin has not seen Him, nor has known Him. Little children, do not allow anyone to deceive you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous.” Because we have the imputed righteousness of Christ. “The one who practices sin is of the devil because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God appeared that He might destroy the works of the devil. Everyone who has been begotten by God does not practice sin...” that’s what it should read, “…because His seed of begettal [from the Father] is dwelling within him, and he is not able to practice sin because he has been begotten by God” (1 John 3:5-9).
Now let’s understand why it means practice sin, because here in 1 John 5:16, let’s turn there for just a minute because it tells us something that’s important we need to understand. There is a sin which is not a sin unto death. Let’s read it here. “If anyone sees his brother sinning a sin that is not unto death…” That means any sin that it can be repented of. That’s why when we go pray, we say “Forgive us our sins.” But we are not practicing sin. Those who are practicing sin have no consciousness of sin. It is their way of life. “…he shall ask, and He will give him life for those who do not sin unto death. There is a sin unto death [now that is the unpardonable sin]: concerning that sin, I do not say that he should make any supplication to God.” So here in 1 John 3 we have the same thing, don’t we? Practicing sin.
Now let’s read verse 9 again. “Everyone who has been begotten of God does not practice sin because His seed of begettal is dwelling within him, and he is not able to practice sin because he has been begotten from God.” And God the Father will reveal to him that he is sinning so he can repent. Verse 10, “By this standard are manifest…” That is the one who is practicing righteousness, the ones who are practicing lawlessness. “By this standard are manifest the children of God and the children of the devil…” Satan has his children. Satan has those who do his bidding. And there is a process of perversion that they go through. “…Everyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, and neither is the one who does not love his brother” (vs. 9-10). Now you think how importantly brotherly love then is.
Now let’s first of all, we’ll take a look at the process of perversion. Then we will look at the process of conversion. And then we will see how we need to overcome Satan the devil. Now let’s come to Romans 1. Again I’m going to read my own translation taken from the series that we did in the book of Romans. And we did finally finish that and it took us a little over two years and about almost two months to get it all done. But we have it done, 21 tapes now altogether.
So let’s come back here to Romans 1:19. “Because that which may be known of God is manifest among them...” God always reveals Himself in the physical things to them. We’ll see that. “...For the invisible things of Him are perceived from the creation of the world, being understood by the things that were made—both His eternal power and Godhead—so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:19-20). Now, when they come to that point of rejecting God, knowing and having everything there to show that there is a God, they are, number one, without excuse
“Because when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful, but they became vain in their own reasonings…”, number two. When you reject God then you become number two, vain in your own reasonings, your own imaginations. “…and their foolish hearts were darkened” (vs. 21) Again, the light of Satan the devil is darkness.
Number three happens then. When they become vain in their own imaginations, “While professing themselves to be the wise ones, they became fools…” So that’s the third step. And of course they think they are wise. Now the fourth step. “…And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and fourfooted creatures, and creeping things” (vs. 22-23). So now then you go back into idol worship, or the green movement, if you want it that way. That’s all part of it. And where is all of this eco stuff coming from today, but straight out of the cauldron of the goddess Gaia. So number five, “For this cause, God also abandoned them to uncleanness through the lusts of their hearts...” That’s number five. Then God does something. He turns them over and lets Satan have them even more. That’s why all of these, you’ll understand this even more, all of the secret societies have degrees of initiation. And each degree goes further and further, and further, and further into the depths of Satan the devil.
Now, number six. “…To disgrace their own bodies between themselves.” Number seven, “Who exchanged the truth of God for the lie…” Now they believe the lies. “…And they worshiped and served the created thing more than the one Who is Creator, Who is into the ages. Amen” (vs. 24-25). So then they get into the full worship of man and how great he is, and of Satan the devil, the created thing. That’s number seven.
Number eight, “For this cause, God abandoned them…” So then God then gives them over some more. That’s number eight. “…God abandoned them to disgraceful passions; for even their women exchanged the natural use of sex into that which is contrary to nature. And in the same manner also the men, having left the natural use of sex with the women, were inflamed in their lustful passions toward one another—men with men shamefully committing lewd acts, and receiving back within themselves a fitting penalty for their error.” Number nine, “And in exact proportion as they did not consent to have God in their knowledge, God abandoned them to a reprobate mind, to practice those things that are immoral” (vs. 26-28). So there are the nine steps of the process of perversion into the depths of Satanism.
Let’s read the rest of it. “Being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality [now this is the whole summary of it], wickedness, covetousness, malice, full of envy, murder, strife, guile, evil dispositions, whisperers, slanderers, Godhaters, insolent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things and practices; disobedient to parents, void of understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable and unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who commit such things are worthy of death, not only practice these things themselves, but also approve of those who commit them” (vs. 29-32). And so they arrive at the depths of Satan the devil.
Let’s go to Revelation 2, and let’s see where God talks about how that even one of the Churches of God, got involved in it. And you will see this at the Feast of Tabernacles, the story of the Waldensians, or the Church at Thyatira. And because they listened to that woman the prophetess Jezebel, who is the Catholic church… Let’s pick it up here in verse 19. Then God had to punish them, and He did it in [a] very, very profound way. “I know your works, and love, and service, and faith, and your endurance, and your works; and the last are more than the first. But I have a few things against you, because you allow the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce My servants into committing fornication and eating things sacrificed to idols” (Rev. 2:19-20). So you see, that going down into Satanism, can even happen to people who are converted if you give yourself over to it. Because you have to fight against Satan the devil. And we will see how we need to do that after we get done here.
“And I gave her time to repent of her fornication, but she did not repent. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their works.” And there was great tribulation during the time of the Waldensians. And when you see “The Israel of the Alps” video you’re going to be shocked as to what happened to them. And they finally were fully compromised. Now notice what God says He’s going to do. “And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am He Who searches the reins and hearts [God knows]; and I will give to each of you according to your works. But to you I say, and to the rest who are in Thyatira, as many as do not have this doctrine, and who have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will not cast upon you any other burden” (vs. 21-24). So there is the depths of Satan to which people go. And it can happen, and we just read the process here in Romans 1.
Now let’s look at the process of conversion. And there is a process to that which Peter describes in 2 Peter 1, the process of conversion. And it is step by step. And it is degree by degree. And it’s something that we have to work at. Just like the children of the devil have to work at what they do and are dedicated into what they are doing, and that’s how they are raised in elevation to great offices of responsibility and authority in this world, because they’ve proved that they can serve Satan and lie, so he raises and elevates them and rewards them. So likewise brethren, we need to realize that we have a reward coming too. But our reward comes the other way. Our reward comes this way, we have to understand the promises that God has given us, and that’s what this Day of Atonement is all about, that we can have the same nature of God. That we can be as God is. That we can live in all eternity as the sons and daughters of God.
Now notice, 2 Peter 1:2. “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, according as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness…” And it’s all right here in the word of God, brethren. Everything that we have, plus His Spirit, plus the gift of righteousness, plus access to Him. Brethren, it’s a wonderful thing that God has called us to. “…All things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him Who called us by His own glory and virtue: through which He has given to us the greatest and most precious promises, that through these you may become partakers of the divine nature…” (2 Pet. 1:2-4). Think of that. That is tremendous brethren. That’s what God wants to give us, the divine nature. Not human nature. Not Satan’s nature. The children of the devil have Satan’s nature. The children of God have God’s nature of love, and joy, and peace, and longsuffering, and all the things of God.
So then he goes on to give the process here. He says, “…partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And for this very reason also, having applied all diligence besides, add to your faith, virtue…” So here are the steps: faith, then virtue. “…And to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, selfcontrol; and to selfcontrol, endurance; and to endurance, godliness [having godly character]; and to godliness, brotherly love; and to brotherly love, the love of God” (vs. 4-7). That’s the whole process of conversion. So you see the two. One goes into the depths of depravity, and one goes to the height of being exalted in the Kingdom of God at the resurrection.
Now we also understand, we have to fight Satan the devil. Let’s go to Matthew 4 and see Jesus Christ fought Satan the devil, and what He did, and how He did it. And this gives us understanding on what we need to do to fight Satan the devil, because we still live in this world. And we still have to overcome Satan the devil. And we have to overcome the Beast, and we have to overcome the number. We have to overcome the mark, and the name. So we have a lot of Satanic things that we need to overcome in this world. And we cannot do it on our own. We cannot do it with our own strength. We cannot do it with fleshly means. That’s why here in Matthew 4 we have it that Jesus fasted 40 days and 40 nights. And this shows that our weapons are not carnal, but spiritual to the pulling down of strong holds, as the apostle Paul said. We follow the example of Christ and how He fought Satan the devil.
Let’s look at it here. Matthew 4:1, “Then Jesus was led up into the wilderness by the Spirit…” That’s where Satan was. That’s why the goat of Azazel was taken out to the wilderness, because that’s Satan’s abode. There is nothing there but death and wilderness, and desolation. That’s the legacy of the children of Satan. “…In order to be tempted of the devil. And when He had fasted for forty days and forty nights, afterwards He was famished. And when the tempter came to Him, he said, ‘If You are the Son of God…’ ” Always challenging God. Always questioning what you believe. That’s why we have to be alert doctrinally, because Satan comes along and he’s always testing. Is there a weakness in this doctrine? Is there a weakness in your understanding? Is there a weakness in what you believe? If this is true? If the Sabbath is the day of God, why do so many Christians go on Sunday? Gotcha! So he said to Christ, “ ‘If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.’ But He answered and said, ‘It is written…’ Here is the key. You overcome Satan the devil with the word of God, properly applied. “…Man shall not live by bread alone…” Not just by the physical means. And that’s why He was fasting the 40 days and 40 nights. And that’s why we are fasting today, brethren, so we understand exactly the same lesson, that we don’t “…live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:1-4). That’s how we are to live. That’s why Satan the devil comes along and he said to Eve, “Well, did God say this?”
Now continuing, verse 5, “Then the devil took Him to the holy city and set Him upon the edge of the temple, and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, cast Yourself down; for it is written…” Satan and his ministers will quote scripture. They will even quote it correctly, but they will misapply it. No question about it. They will always misapply it. But they will use it and they will quote it. And like the apostle Paul said, handle the word of God deceitfully. “…It is written, ‘He shall give His angels charge concerning You, and they shall bear You up in their hands, lest You strike Your foot against a stone.’ ” Jesus said to him, ‘Again, it is written, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.” ’ After that, the devil took Him to an exceeding high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory...” (vs. 5-8). And Luke says, in the moment of time. This is why Satan is called the god of this world. This is why the goat for Azazel. Right here is the confrontation that we see between Christ and Satan. Between the goat for the LORD, and the goat for Azazel in the wilderness. Here is the confrontation right here, you see.
“And said to Him, ‘All these things will I give You, if You will fall down and worship me [—as God].’ ” That’s the whole goal of Satan the devil. “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Begone, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him alone shall you serve.” ’ ” Not that He’s telling that Satan would, because won’t. But He’s saying that’s what man should do, what Christ should do, what we should do. “Worship the Lord your God, and Him alone shall you serve. Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and ministered to Him” (vs. 9-11). So you see, it’s quite a thing that we have here. It’s quite a process that we are going through. And this day of Atonement shows us how we can escape the things of Satan the devil, and how we need to do it, and why we need to do it. And what we need to do to overcome it.
Now, let’s go to Ephesians 6, and let’s understand something. Something that’s very clear as we are going to Ephesians 6. Those who are the children of Satan the devil come to think like the devil. Those who are of the children of God are to come to have the mind of Christ and think like Christ. Very important. That’s the whole goal of being atone with God. To be as Christ is. To think as Christ. Now brethren, if we can understand that, that’s why you never hear me say, “Follow me as I follow Christ.” No, I don’t have to say that because now we have the whole scriptures here. I want you to follow Christ. I want to follow Christ. I don’t want you to think as me. I don’t want you to think as any other human being. I want you to think as Christ thinks. To have the mind of Christ. That then becomes the full total conversion. Because you see, we are told that we are going to have our confrontation with the synagogue of Satan. We know that and we are told right here in Ephesians 6 that the wiles of the devil are there. And we are battling, and fighting, and warring against great powers. And this struggle that we are in is a great struggle.
So let’s read it. Ephesians 6:10, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord…” And that’s what we need brethren. Please be strong in the Lord. “…And in the might of His strength.” See that you are armed with the word of God. You are armed with the Spirit of God. You are armed with all the defenses of God. “Put on the whole armor of God…” See, it’s something you have to do. Something we have to do. And if we don’t put it on then we will be victimized by Satan the devil. “…So that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6:10-11). And he’s got plenty. And he has many. And he has been at it for over 6000 years, and he is the slickest thing around. And if you think slick Willy is slick, you ain’t seen nothing compared to Satan the devil.
“Because we are not wrestling against flesh and blood…” No, it’s not just a physical power. “…But against principalities and against powers, against the world rulers of the darkness of this age…”, who are the children of Satan the devil, who have gone through the depths of perversion to come to the depths of power that they have. “…Against the spiritual power of wickedness in high places.” And yes, they’ve even gotten into the Church and have torn the Church asunder. “Therefore, take up the whole armor of God…” And brethren we are going to need it the closer and closer we come to the year 2000, the more we are going to need the whole armor of God. We don’t know exactly what’s going to happen, but it’s going to be significant. “…So that you may be able to resist in the evil day…” Whatever that evil day is, whether it is a day of trial for you, a day of trouble for you, a day of temptation for you, a day of weakness for you. Whatever it may be “…so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having worked out all things, to stand” (vs. 12-13).
“Stand therefore, having your loins girded about with truth [just a part of your being], and wearing the breastplate of righteousness, and having your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, besides all these, take up the shield of the faith, with which you will have the power to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” To put them out, to extinguish them, that the burning passions of lust do not get to you. When it comes you say, “Get you hence, Satan.” “And put on the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God; praying at all times with all prayer and supplication…” (vs. 14-18). Yes, brethren, we always need to pray. That is our spiritual life. Every single day. And these are the things we need to do.
Now let’s see what else we do to overcome Satan the devil. Let’s come here to Revelation 12:9, and this is important too. And we may be called upon to do this. “And the great dragon was cast out [he’s going to be cast out again], the ancient serpent who is called the Devil, and Satan, who is deceiving the whole world [and the whole world is under his sway]: he was cast down to the earth, and his angels were cast down with him. And I heard a great voice in heaven say, ‘Now has come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ because the accuser of our brethren has been cast down, who accuses them day and night before our God. But they overcame him…” And we will overcome him, brethren. We can overcome him through the very power of the Holy Spirit of God and all the things that God has, and all the armor of God. We can overcome him. “…Through the blood of the Lamb…” That is by having our sins forgiven and cleansed and washed. “…And through the word of their testimony…” That we have the word of God and the testimony which comes from Christ. “…And they loved not their lives unto death” (Rev. 12:9-11). No, we consider God’s way above everything that we do. So this is what God wants us to do.
And we’re going to have that confrontation with Satan the devil. Let’s come back here to Revelation 3:9 and see that, and see why this Day of Atonement is so important for us. And we’ll finish right here in Revelation 3, speaking to the Church at Philadelphia. He says, “Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan…” So all of the great ones in the world, all of those who have gone through the depths of the perversion that you have seen, that we have read about here. “…Who proclaim themselves to be Jews, and are not, but do lie—behold, I will cause them to come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you.” Understand, God the Father loves you, Jesus Christ loves you. “Because you have kept the word of My patience, I also will keep you from the time of temptation which is about to come upon the whole world to try those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I am coming quickly; hold fast that which you have so that no one may take away your crown.” And don’t let anyone take your crown. Don’t let Satan get it. Don’t let any man get it, who is inspired of Satan the devil, take it from you. “The one who overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall not go out any more; and I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name of the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which will come down out of heaven from My God: and I will write upon him My new name” (Rev. 3:9-12). Because you are atone with God the Father and Jesus Christ.
(End of Sermon)
Transcriber: Carolyn Singer
The Day of Atonement—Sermon I—Holy Day
September 30, 1998
Scriptural References
- Leviticus 23:26-27, 38, 28-32
- Ezekiel 28:11-16
- Luke 10
- John 1:14
- Luke 10:18-20
- Ezekiel 28:17-18
- Isaiah 14:12-16
- Genesis 3:1-7
- Leviticus 16:5-9
- I John 2:1-2
- Leviticus 16:10, 15-17, 20-32
- Revelation 20:1-3
- Ephesians 2:1-3
- I John 2:15-17
- II Corinthians 4:1-5
- II Corinthians 11:13-15
- I Chronicles 21:1-3
- Matthew 16:21-23
- Luke 22:31-32
- John 13:27
- Matthew 13:37-43
- 1 John 3:4-9
- I John 5:16
- 1 John 3:9-10
- Romans 1:19-32
- Revelation 2:19-24
- II Peter 1:1-7
- Matthew 4:1-11
- Ephesians 6:10-18
- Revelation 12:9-11
- Revelation 3:9-12
