CT09-BA08 | Satan's Game Plan: Revenge
Minute of Transparency: The moment in time…
Intro: Last week we finished out our conversation about God, His game plan, and His weapon in the controversy - which is our conscience. This week we move into the story of Satan, and his game plan - which is revenge.
Today’s Basic Assumption: Satan’s Game Plan: Revenge
A loss we can’t understand
His time is short
Revenge is the best medicine
Spiritual Warfare
// 1. A LOSS WE CAN'T UNDERSTAND
Back at the beginning of this Controversy Theory series we talked about Lucifer’s fall from heaven:
Lucifer was a created being
Seed of sin was planted in his heart
He became patient zero for the Sin Virus
He convinced 1/3 of the angels to follow him
War in heaven
God was victorious
Lucifer and his angels were removed from heaven and banished to Earth
But before we get to the punchline - let’s take a hard look at the loss he must have experienced:
Going from Lucifer to Satan
In heaven, Lucifer was a highly respected angel
He was in a position of authority
There’s a chance he was a leader that the other angels looked up to
So the fall from this leadership position in heaven to being a banished angel on Earth had to be pretty devastating
What helps me understand this is to look at it the opposite way. Imagine what it would be like for us to go from living in this world of sin, pain and suffering - to living in heaven with no sin, pain or suffering. It’s so big we can’t even comprehend it
And I wonder if that’s how Satan felt? Earth was perfect in the beginning - but my guess is that it wasn’t like being in heaven. It probably took Satan a while to realize just how big a mistake he had made
Losing the war in heaven
In my mind this had to be a defining moment in Lucifer’s existence
In a perfect environment - there would have been no war, anger, battles, fighting, violence
My assumption is that this was all new - the symptoms of the Sin Virus which started deep in Lucifer’s heart
Somehow, Lucifer thought that because he wanted to be God, that all he had to do was make it happen
So he kicked off a revolution he should have known he couldn’t win
He should have understood great disparity between himself (a created being) and the God of the universe (who had done the creating)
But he chose to be optimistic - chose to test the obvious
Regardless what was going through his mind - he moved forward, and it must have been especially hard to lose his war, and be punished - something no created being had ever experienced before
Losing the perfection of heaven
This is another thing we don’t fully understand
What was it like in heaven? A perfect place where there was no sin, no pain, everything positive and wonderful all the time?
Obviously it was something Lucifer took for granted. But then again, did he really even understand the alternative?
In a perfect world, with no pain and suffering - how would you know what pain and suffering looked like?
So imagine the situation he found himself in when he was banished to this Earth
Imagine as his mind was opened up to an understanding of what it truly meant to live outside heaven
Imagine what it must have been like to experience the first few days without the presence of God
He was experiencing what it felt like to be separated from the God of the universe - the very One who Created him
And that understanding began to drive him over the edge
// 2. HIS TIME IS SHORT
As this new reality started to sink in, Satan was also faced with another issue - the issue of time:
Time is a concept Lucifer never had to think about in heaven - because time is a concept that only really matters here on Earth
Why? Well the simple explanation is this:
Time is a concept that only has significance when things have end points
So let me explain that:
God is a Being that has and will always exist. Because of this, time means very little to Him
The angels were created (have a starting point) but live forever so time really means nothing to them
And the same was meant to be true for Adam and Eve
But the Sin Virus brought all of this to an end - by introducing death to the universe. And death is nothing more than the “end” of something that had a beginning
Flowers are planted, they grow and then die
Birds are born, they live and then die
And every human being is born, lives for a time and then dies
This is the cycle of life - but only because of the Sin Virus
This is NOT how it was supposed to be
So imagine Satan and his angels during those first few weeks banished to Earth:
Coming to grips with the fact that they lost the war in heaven
Starting to see just how big that loss really was
Starting to see that they would no longer get to have the things they had in heaven
And starting to understand the concept of time
I believe Satan and his angels knew their lives would end even before sin even came to Earth
Once Satan convinced Adam and Eve to sin against God - it was obvious what sin could do
But I think Satan knew it the minute he was removed from heaven
I think there was this sudden realization that separation from God meant you didn’t get to live forever any more
Then - when God started interacting with humans, He left no doubt in Satan’s mind
God has laid it all out for us as human beings
He explained to His people how Satan failed to overthrow God in heaven
He explained how Satan will work here on Earth and that someday he will try again to rule the universe
But He made it clear - Satan will lose again
He explained His game plan - the Rescue Mission - and how Jesus would come to create the antidote to the Sin Virus
Then - later in history - and to make it perfectly clear - He inspired humans to write everything down
These writings eventually became the Bible which very distinctly chronicles the demise of Satan after a short run as ruler on this Earth
So Satan is very aware of the fact that his story has already been written
There is very little wiggle room for him
And like a caged wild animal - he is screaming mad
Time can do that to a person:
When you have unlimited time, you don’t really need to think about things right?
You aren’t in a hurry to plan your life, you don’t need to set goals, create action items, or check things off a list
These are all things we understand, and engage in because of time
We know we have a beginning and an end, and we have things we need to get accomplished in that short window of time
Time impacts everything we do!
Think about it:
We have to be eating solid food by 4 months
We have to learn to walk around 9 months
We have to get through school, graduate, get married, have a career, travel...
All the things...
Because we know we only have a short period of time in which to get it all done
And Satan is now feeling the same thing:
He had an eternity in heaven
But on Earth - he now has a limited time
It’s still longer that we have - the typical 75 year lifespan
I mean he has been here since Earth began and will remain until the world ends
But still - in the grand scheme of things - it’s a very short time
Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” Revelation 12:12 NIV
So like us, Satan had to sit down and create a plan
How much could he get accomplished in that short window of time?
Faced with a death sentence, his whole game plan changed, became laser focused and we are in his crosshairs
// 3. REVENGE IS THE BEST MEDICINE
I say this - not because it’s true - but because it’s what we think is true.
It’s the lie we fall for every time we are hurt, or wronged in some way. We go through the initial pain and sadness - then the anger sets in and revenge becomes our goal:
If only I could get back at them in some way…
If only something bad would happen to them…
If only justice could be served some how…
And this is exactly where the mind of Satan went…
Sitting on Earth with no way to return to heaven
Coming grips with the fact that his bad behavior led to all of this
The anger starting to grow
But instead of being angry with himself, he redirected it toward God for holding him accountable
Knowing now that he wasn’t strong enough to beat God
And knowing that in the end, God would win once and for all
It was too much to bear
And so the next logical step: Get some good old fashioned Revenge
Satan knew there was no beating God, so he had to find a way to hurt Him.
So this is where we (humankind) enter the picture.
“If you can’t hurt a person, the best way to get back at them is to hurt someone or something they love.”
We all know how this works - in fact it’s so easy even kids can do it!
A child is mad at a sibling so they take one of their toys and break it
A teenager is made at an ex, so they interfere in that person’s new relationship which leads to it ending
A business executive is mad for being let go so they find a way to hurt the business financially - thereby exacting justice on the business owner
We came by it honestly - and oh how we’ve adopted it into our set of tools…
But back to Satan… So knowing he would never beat God, he decided to get back at Him by hurting the thing God loved - His perfect creation - the beings He had created in His own image.
// 4. SPIRITUAL WARFARE
Satan jumped into the revenge game with all he had. There was no testing the waters - he dove into the deep end and learned how to swim on the fly…
His anger blinded him and he moved quickly, with the precision of a military sniper.
Step 1: He had to convince the humans to choose him over God.
We have no idea how long this took, or how many different approaches he used - but we know how it eventually happened.
His only portal into our world was the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the middle of the Garden of Eden. And the Bible explains that he used his superior intellect to convince the human beings that God didn’t have their best interest at heart. That He was trying t keep them down - as slaves almost - keeping them from all knowledge and the ability to be gods themselves. Sound familiar? The one thing Satan wanted most - to be a god - he used to seduce humans…
And that was that…
Step 2: With this in place, he could push the envelope and built off this foundation:
He would continue to take out his anger on the beings God created in His image
He would take as many as possible with him in his eventual demise
He would keep them confused and focused on the things of this world
He would lie to them at every possible point
He would shame them when they failed
And eventually he would enlist them in his army - to fight against God in a final battle
Before we finish up - it must be said - this is NOT something to be taken lightly:
Satan isn’t some door-to-door salesperson - selling vacuums
And he isn’t a novice at manipulation and coercion
In fact - he’s a master at every technique necessary to bring you down and keep you from seeing your true worth
Think of the intellect an angel must have - then think about that angel focusing all that power to destroy your life
When you look at it this way - you can’t help but be thankful that God is still in control of the universe - that He has put boundaries in place to keep Satan from having his way with you at the level he could
Last episode we introduced the concept of Spiritual Warfare:
The obvious warfare is between God and Satan
But we also discussed that there are Guardian Angels vs. Damaging Demons involved in the battle
And there is a chance that we play a role ourselves:
Those completely sold out for God are pulling in His direction and have a HUGE impact on others who haven’t voted in the Eternal Election
And likewise, if a person sells out completely on Satan’s side - they can be chaotic agents of evil in the world and do unthinkable things. Hitler comes to mind
But to finish things off - let’s get a 30,000 foot view of the 3 Levels of Spiritual Warfare:
Macro Warfare:
The greatest harm to the greatest number of people
World Wars, genocide, environmental issues, natural disasters, pandemics?
Anything he can do to wipe life off this planet and create fear, panic, sadness
Mezzo Warfare:
Systems Theory:
Life is made up of systems which are all interconnected
Breaking one system can and will have a ripple effect on other systems
This has been illustrated well by the COVID-19 pandemic
Think about all of the systems that were impacted when shelter in place orders were implemented
Schools, workplaces, restaurants, the DMV, movie theaters, concerts, professional sorts, etc. All systems that have been assaulted by one powerful system called the CDC
Obviously there are thousands of politicians, states and local governments involved in this process - but basically, the CDC made recommendations that were put in place in almost every state. And the ripple effect was immediate
Businesses closed, unemployment soared, and life as we knew it all but shut down
And at this point we don’t know if some of these systems will ever fully recover
Satan understands this and knows that if he can wreak havoc in multiple systems - he can create a devastating ripple effect across the entire world
Micro Warfare:
Think much smaller systems like the family unit, small groups, affinity groups, and small organizations
Then think about you and me individually
This is how it all started, and Satan knows this is the real battle. An individual battle for the hearts and minds of each person
We’ll spend a lot more time talking about this in the next two episodes. How Satan uses temptation and every resource he has to ensure the destruction of humankind.
Landing the plane:
This week:
Have you ever thought about Satan in this way?
Have you stopped to think about the power he must have - and the limitless energy being harnessed to bring destruction upon the world?
And have you thought about how loving God must be, in order to balance these two things:
First, allowing things to play out in order to ensure our freedom of choice remains in tact
But second, enforcing boundaries to keep Satan from doing what he desires - to kill us all and Destry the world God created
And finally - when you understand the battle that is going on behind the scenes for your life - does it change you?
Does it help you understand how important each and every decision you make really is?
And for you parents out there - does it make you want to protect your child even more?
Does it make you want to tell them this information and impress upon them the prevalence of Spiritual Warfare, and the importance of their vote in the Eternal Election?
Next week we move forward and learn about the weapon Satan uses in the controversy. The Ninth Basic Assumption: Every Person Is Tempted
Thanks again for joining us today. I hope you’re enjoying the content and telling others about it.
Have a great week and until next time, keep Transcending Human!