Daily Lesson for Sunday 9th of March 2025
Although there is an enemy at work whom Christ Himself refers to as the (usurping) “ruler of this world,” the true king of the universe is Jesus Christ. Jesus wins the victory for us, and in Him we can have victory, even in the midst of hardship and suffering. Indeed, the work of Christ counters the enemy at every turn.
We have seen that Scripture describes the devil as:
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The deceiver of the whole world from the beginning (Revelation 12:9, Matthew 4:3, John 8:44, 2 Corinthians 11:3, 1 John 3:8);
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The slanderer and accuser of God and His people in heaven (Revelation 12:10; Revelation 13:6; Job 1:1-22; Job 2:1-13; Zechariah 3:1-2; Jude 1:9); and
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The usurping ruler of this world (John 12:31, John 14:30, John 16:11, Acts 26:18, 2 Corinthians 4:4, Ephesians 2:2, 1 John 5:19).
Read John 18:37. What does this tell us about Christ’s work to counter the deceptions of the enemy? What does it mean that Jesus is King?
Image © Pacific Press from GoodSalt.com
Though Scripture teaches that Satan is the arch-deceiver, slanderer, accuser, and usurping ruler of this world, it also teaches that Jesus is the victor over Satan in every way:
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Jesus came “ ‘into the world, to testify to the truth’ ” (John 18:37, NASB);
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Through the cross, Jesus supremely demonstrated God’s perfect righteousness and love (Romans 3:25-26; Romans 5:8), thereby disproving the devil’s slanderous allegations (Revelation 12:10-11); and
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Jesus will finally destroy the kingdom of the devil, who “ ‘knows that his time is short’ ” (Revelation 12:12, ESV; compare with Romans 16:20), and Christ “ ‘will reign forever and ever’ ” (Revelation 11:15, NLT).
In the end, no matter what Satan does, he is already a defeated foe, and the key for us is to claim Christ’s victory for ourselves every day, moment by moment, and also to claim the promises that the Cross has offered us.
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In the great controversy, we know which side wins. How do our day-by-day choices impact which side we ultimately end up on? How can we make sure that we are on the winning side even right now? |
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