Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world

Let's turn back to the book of Isaiah, please, chapter 14. Isaiah chapter 14, please, and we'll read there at verse 12. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning? How art thou cut down to the ground which did weaken the nations? For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars 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. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

Luke chapter 10, please, Luke chapter 10, Luke chapter 10 and verse 18. And he, the Lord Jesus said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Now he was saying that to his disciples in view of the power of the enemy, and they had been able to cast out spirits, demons, but he says verse 20, notwithstanding in this rejoice, not that the spirits are subject unto you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.

Now come to Revelation chapter 12, Revelation chapter 12, and well let's let's read from verse 1. And there appeared a great sign is the word in heaven, remember the word sign. A woman clothed with the Sun, so it's not a literal woman, it's a metaphor that is signifying truth, clothed with the Sun and the moon under her feet and upon her head a crown of twelve stars, and she being with child cried, travailing in birth and pain to be delivered. There appeared another sign in heaven.

Behold a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns upon his heads, and his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven and did cast them to the earth. The dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered for to deliver her to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child which was to rule the nations with the rod of iron, and her child was caught up unto God and to his throne.

The woman fled into the wilderness and where she had the place prepared of God that she should be fed where they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and three score days, that's three and a half years, that's the second half of the tribulation period. This woman would be preserved in the wilderness. And there was war in heaven.

Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and the dragon fought and his angels and prevailed not. Neither was their place found anymore in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the devil and Satan which deceiveth the whole world.

He was cast out into the earth and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, now is come, now this is anticipating the the end of the three and a half years, now is come salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ for the accuser of our brethren is cast down which accuseth them before God day and night and they overcame them by the blood him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony and they loved loved not their lives unto death therefore rejoice ye heavens and ye that dwell in them and so on. Verse 15 and the serpent was cast out of his mouth as water as a flood after the woman that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood and the earth helped the woman and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out and so on.

Now chapter 20, chapter 20 and verse 10 and the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are and shall shall be tormented day and night forever and ever. Now one more, 1st John chapter 4, 1st John and chapter 4, 1st John 4 and we read a verse 4. Ye are of God little children and have over but overcome them that is the spirits of Antichrist ye have overcome them because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. Now that's our reading we trust with the Lord's blessing.

I just wanted to pass on a few thoughts following our brother Frank's ministry this morning. He was bringing before us the fact that we are engaged as believers in warfare in this age and we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers against the rulers of the darkness of this world against spiritual wickedness in high places and we have an arch foe against us that is Satan, Lucifer, the old dragon and the one that's described here in these scriptures that we have read together Satan himself. Our brother has been emphasizing the power of the evil one tremendous power.

You and I are no match for him and you and I dare not stand against him in our own strength. He has the whole world lying in the palm of his hand. He has it at his disposal a world that appeals to the flesh within us and his direct attacks that come upon us from satanic forces.

So you and I are engaged in a warfare and we might wonder what is the outcome of this warfare. I've taken these readings this afternoon for this reason principally to show to our hearts that God has his strategy all worked out for this engagement with the evil one and his doom is certain. So we have read there in Isaiah about how Satan fell.

It was the sin of pride. He lifted himself up. He said I will ascend into the hills of the north I will be like the Most High and said the Lord Jesus as encouragement to his disciples he said I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven and from that exalted position of being the anointed cherub the light bringer that's what Lucifer means the light bringer the cherub that covered the throne of God what an exalted created position he had and yet he thought that he could challenge the authority of the throne and the Lord Jesus says I saw him fall like lightning from heaven now he still has access into the heavenly places we have read from the book of Revelation how that he is the accuser of the brethren he is the slanderer he is the one who will take us up in our failures and present them before God and say huh is that the best that Christians can do and we feel the echo of that disappointment in our own souls don't we yet I want to draw from what we have read a word of encouragement to our hearts and it says greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world I remember one time very practically that came home to my heart with it was the only thing really that I could pin my hope upon let me explain that we had spent the evening with other Christians talking about events where it was evident there was demonic forces at work certain things that were had occurred testified by other believers that were definitely supernatural the power of the evil one we dwelt on that too long I went to bed I woke up and a stark terror there was some kind of darkness beyond the darkness of night that I felt in the room I couldn't pray I tried to pray I couldn't pray but the only thing that I could hold on to was this verse greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world I held on to it and pretty soon I fell asleep but he is a real foe he is a real foe now the Word of God has described for us the direction of his fall it is always downwards he fell from that exalted position covering the throne of God to a lesser position in the heavenlies he still has access to the heavenlies today but there is a day coming and we have read about it it'll occur in the middle of the tribulation period this section we have read from chapter 12 in fact chapter 12 through chapter 14 really is one of those parentheses in the book of Revelation but it is clearly in the context set in the middle of the week in the middle of that three and the seven year period three and a half years three and a half years right in the middle we are given the accounts of chapter 12 13 and 14 so let's take a look just very quickly at what is being said here in chapter 12 it is a difficult passage and if you read commentators on it you'll come away as confused as the commentators are themselves but let's follow a number of indicators of interpretation first of all the thing is a sign this is a sign it's not literal the woman is not literal she does not have she's not clothed literally with the Sun and the moon under her feet that's not literal that's signifying something she has a crown of 12 stars again that's not literal that is signifying something so let's pick up on what's been signified clothed with the Sun and the moon and the stars and so on why that would take you back to Joseph's dream wouldn't it and Joseph's dream was about the the Sun and the moon and the stars and it was in relation to his family who was his father Jacob what did he become Israel right and the nation came from that family of Joseph's so that would be a hint as to who the woman is Israel clothed with the Sun and the moon under her feet and upon her head the crown of 12 stars you remember that the the Sun was created to rule the day rule the moon was created to rule the night rule and the stars as well so we have the thought of rule we have the thought of Israel we have the thought of Israel ruling okay let's keep that in our mind as we move down there appeared another wonder in heaven you brought in the the thought now of Satan described as having seven heads and ten horns I'm not going to stick with that and seven crowns upon his head the answer to that will link in with chapter 17 but we're going to move on you notice that this woman then in verse 5 brought forth a man child who was to rule the nations ah so somebody I know who that is that is literally the Lord Jesus he was literally a man child born of a woman now wait a wee minute let's be consistent in our interpretation we have noticed that the woman is not literal and the description of her is not literal she's not literally clothed with the Sun and so on likewise the man child cannot be in the consistence consistency of interpretation cannot be literal what does this man child do well first of all it is a male child offspring a male offspring where do we go in our Bibles to find the first male Adam what was Adam given by God dominion what is this man child said to do will rule the nations okay there's a consistency there's the thought of Dominion there's the thought of rule there's the thought of Israel here bring it all together the whole metaphor together you have the thought of Israel ruling and that's exactly what's going to happen in the purpose of God when in the millennium when Israel is restored but you see you see the point is this in the middle of the week that time has not yet come there's three and a half years yet to run and so you have in the metaphor in the sign you have this expression that the man child is caught up to heaven so that thought of rule over the nations is reserved in heaven and we're told the time frame in the chapter for another three and a half years all right I would say somebody but not just a minute now I thought that that was the Lord Jesus who in his ascension to heaven in Acts chapter 1 that would be referred to there really first of all you're making the man child literal second of all you're importing into the middle of the week in the tribulation period they something that happened 2,000 years at least beforehand there's an inconsistency another inconsistency is this if the man child is literal then you'll have to have the woman literal as being the mother of the man child that would mean she would have to be Mary I asked you what's Mary doing in the middle of the tribulation period doesn't fit doesn't fit so we take it then that the thought is God's purpose of Israel ruling the nations but the time is not yet come therefore that purpose is reserved in heaven for three and a half years now God has on earth at this time a remnant in Israel a people from Israel 144,000 no doubt included have been preserved by God so far through the tribulation and now there's going to be fierce tribulation like never before since Jeremiah 30 it's the time of Jacob's trouble now look at Jeremiah chapter 30 in the context he talks about a birth and there is travail and it is the time of Jacob's trouble that's interesting because in Matthew chapter 24 as the Lord Jesus is describing the tribulation period the early part of it he says in verse number 8 he says all these are the beginnings of sorrows in the King James all these are the beginnings of birth pangs now tell me in Matthew what is it that's going to be born in Matthew what's anticipated in Matthew that's right the kingdom all these are the beginnings of birth pangs it's an echo back to Jeremiah chapter 30 they labor the travail the time of Jacob's trouble which will bring in the birth if you will of the kingdom age when Israel will rule over the nations I take it that's the background to what we have here recorded regarding Satan you notice that at this point in time still future but there is war in heaven and we have Michael who stands up for Israel Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels and prevailed and then Satan is cast out into the earth and his angels with him so there's coming a time maybe not too far distance perhaps just three and a half years in the future when Satan is going to be cast out of the heavens entirely confined to earth our foe is going to be defeated no he has he has the run of the earth right now but he's still in the heavenlies but his defeat is indicated here part of it partially as he is cast down to earth now what he does knowing that his time is short he goes about and stirs up fierce tribulation and comes against the woman the remnant of her seed which is faithful to God from Israel persecutes the woman and she's driven into the wilderness and kept safe there and the earth helps the woman and swallows up the flood that comes out of the dragon's mouth and so on all metaphorical language it's the it's the onslaught of the enemy against what stands for God in that day just like there's an onslaught from the enemy against the people of God today yet God has the ability to help to aid to deliver that's the point that's the point until finally in Revelation chapter 20 after the thousand years Satan is released from the bottomless pit he goes about he deceives the nation's there's that there's that rebellion stirred up amongst those who are not born again and they're still in in natural bodies and still with a fallen nature they rebel against God fire comes down from heaven and consumes them and then the devil is taken and he's cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are still after a thousand years and shall be tormented day and night forever and for now then brethren and sisters you are of God little children and I've overcome them the forces of evil thus far and God has in his grace preserved us in some measure in our testimony for him he's still able to do that and carry on that word because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world his defeat is certified in the Word of God we can come to the Word of God with certainty with confidence with assurance that it is not all lost we're not on the losing side at all we are on the side that has already won and it's just waiting for the mopping up operation in the stratagems of God in the counsels of God he'll bring about these things and our enemy will be put down and removed forever from his kingdom greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world