Meditations

Heart Guide for Lesson 14:
Discerning the Enemy

Study the following passage from Revelation (quoted in the main lesson).

And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world - he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, 'Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. Revelation 12:9-10 ESV

Now try to answer the following three questions using your Biblical knowledge:

1) How does a serpent become a dragon?
We are shown two prophetic images: one from the dawn of time and the other from the end of this age. In the first we are reminded of Satan as a serpent (deceiving only two people); in the second he is shown as a mighty dragon, which has deceived the whole world. How did that serpent become a dragon? Hint: how do babies grow? How do we keep expanding? Also see Isaiah 5:14 for an enduring image. The answers to questions 1 and 3 are in the Stretch Yourself! section - but try to solve the riddle first!

2) What four great things will come to you, if you cast down the accuser?
Assuredly this is a prophetic picture of the whole earth's liberation from the Accuser. But is it not fair to say that if we make a quality decision to cast down the accuser, these same four things will come to us? Consider a) how it felt when you were filled with accusations (toward God, self or others). Were any of these four great things moving very strongly in you at the time? What is it like for you when they are living 'under the Mercy' by receiving and giving mercy?

3) How is Satan accusing the brethren 'day and night' to God?
Is Satan actually in heaven haranguing God 24/7? In Job we were shown that Satan spends his time 'going to and for' across the earth (Job 1:7). Paul says that we wrestle against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12), meaning over the earth but surely not within the highest heaven where God dwells (2 Corinthians 12:2). Satan evidently enters heaven to demand to sift people at times (Job, Peter) or to accuse them even in God's presence (Zechariah 3:1-4) but this is not the same thing as living continually in the very realm he detests! So how is he accusing the brethren 'day and night' right before God? Really dig into this before looking up the answer.

4) Now pray in repentance for any and all agreements with the accuser and purpose before God to cast him down the next time he starts twisting the truth and tries to separate you from God, self or any others.

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