1 Peter 5:8 seem to be Premillers favorites Scripture in the Bible. They all throw it to defend their false teaching in regards to Rev 20. Let us read it:
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” They like to elevate the power of Satan and degrade the power of Christ and His Church. But they (notably) never quote the very next verse. 1 Peter 5:9 affirms,
“whom resist stedfast in the faith.”
The true Church of Jesus Christ is a resistance movement. While Satan resists us, the Bible says we have power to resist him, and subjugate his purposes against us. We resist the lawlessness and evil encroachments of the devil around us. That isn because we have been given power over Him. He is a defeated foe.
In fact, James 4:7 tells us what happens when you do resi
st, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
This is incredible! You resist, he must flee. When the devil plants a temptation, a doubt or a fear, you simply have to resist it, whereupon Satan must get his boots on and run. This word “flee” in the original means to escape, flee away or vanish. Now think about it. When you resist, he must disappear. The conflict today for the Church is not an earthly battle to possess an earthly territory but a spiritual battle to possess spiritual territory.
- Premil has a big devil and a small god.
- Premil has a big devil and an impotent powerless Church.
Amils have the opposite. They have a conquering Christ who has empowered the Church to invade Satan’s territory and see him defeated everywhere the light of the Gospel is received throughout the nations.
Your defeatist theology is an awful slight on Christ and what He achieved through His sinless life, His atoning death and His glorious resurrection.
With the coming of Christ to this earth came the introduction of His spiritual kingdom. With the introduction of His spiritual kingdom came a direct challenge to the power and influence of Satan on planet earth. With the direct challenge to the power and influence of Satan on planet earth came the spiritual empowerment of the people of God to confront and overcome Satan and his demonic angels.
Wherever the Church advances, the work of Satan is bound!!!
Christ said, to the disciples in Luke 10:19,
“Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
This is an incredible promise from God. It is a massive speak! When Christians function in the power of the Holy Spirit and exercise the heavenly authority delegated to them, they strip Satan of His power.
When they are tuned into heaven, when they are connected to heaven, all things are possible. God is big and the devil is small. The light is shining and the darkness is dispelled. Peace prevails and the power of God ensues.
Jesus said in Matthew 16:18-19:
“I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys (or authority) of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
God has entrusted power and authority to the Church in this age that the devil cannot in any way deal with or thwart. As Christians the highest authority existing on this earth has been delegated to us. Jesus Christ has commissioned us to enforce His will on this corrupt planet. He has filled us with His power. He has anointed us with His authority. We possess divine authority. That is why we come in His name.
Darkness cannot handle the light. When light shines, darkness must go. As the Church of Jesus Christ spreads the good news (or light of the Gospel) throughout the world the devil is exposed for who he is: he is stupid, he is a fool, he is a loser.
We have power over Satan since the cross! If you are walking in obedience, the devil has no authority over you. But you have much power over him. Think about this we have power over Satan and all his demons! He cannot do as he pleases against the people of God. There is much Scripture that says we have power over him.
Because of Christ's defeat of Satan on the cross, we have complete authority over the enemy. He cannot do what he wants with us. We are protected by God and armed with real potent spiritual power. We merely have to submit to God, resist the devil and he must flee from us.
1 John 2:14:
"I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one."
By resisting Satan, standing upon the Word of God, and staying steadfast, we have enormous individual impact upon the kingdom of darkness; we curtail the expansion of its evil designs.
Many Christians imagine power and authority to be the same thing. But as we found out last week: they are not! Scripture uses two different Greek words to describe the distinction.
Luke 9:1 records:
“Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power [
dunamis]
and authority [
exousia]
over all devils, and to cure diseases."
· Authority =
exousia
· Power =
dunamis
Authority is the channel through which power operates. Authority is the legal authorization to function. Power has to do with the outworking of that authority.
According to this Satan should not have power and authority over you, but you should have power and authority over him.
1 John 5:18:
“he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not.”
Do you believe that? Why? You have authority over him. He has none over you.
It is not just that he cannot stop us or hurt us as we operate in the Spirit but it is that we can actually hurt him. That is the good news of New Testament age we live in.
