Category Archives: Satan

Am I on the path?, Faith / Trusting God, His Timing Not Ours, His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Hope, How do I get started?, Jesus Christ / Yeshua, Salvation, Satan, Study the Word

Who Do You Say That I Am?

“Who do you say that I am?”

In reference to Yeshua, how we truthfully answer this question frames up how we relate to our heavenly Father. It is a simple question, but one of immense importance.

Matthew 16:13-20

Peter’s Confession of Christ

      13Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” 15He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18“I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. 19“I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.” 20Then He warned the disciples that they should tell no one that He was the Christ.

Let us keep in mind that even Satan knows Yeshua is Son of the living God. Recognizing this, do not be overconfident that you are on in right relationship with our Father just because you acknowledge Yeshua as Christ. However, if you do not at least get this question right, you will surely not get the right relationship with our Him or our Father.

A second key point would be that the Father has to reveal this to us. We can tell someone over and over and lay out all the evidence, but if the Father does not reveal it to them, they will not see and acknowledge it. So if you want to truly reach someone, be sure to ask the Father to open their eyes to the truth. Once He reveals it to us, it is then that we have the chance to accept Him truly.

Third, and this is important and often misunderstood… the rock upon which the church will be built is not Peter. He was too fallible, as we all are, to be spoken about in this context. In fact, only 5 verses later, Yeshua calls Him out in a very harsh and dramatic way in verse 23. The rock is the fact that Yeshua is the Christ, the Son of the living God.  Nothing can overcome this foundation of solid rock. It is upon this solid rock that we build our faith and our relationship with Yahweh. It is upon this solid rock that we find our hope and salvation and nothing can come against it.

What is a bit confusing to me is that Yeshua told His disciples not to tell others. This is intriguing. I am not going to try to address this in this article, but encourage anyone interested to do more study. You can consult the commentaries for possible opinions on the matter and can pray and ask Yahweh to show you.

Shalom

Devotion by John in service to Christ

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Obeying God, Parables, Satan, Seeking God, Spiritual Warfare, Submitted / Servant, Wickedness / Evil

The Tares Among the Wheat – Spiritual Warfare is Real

The parable of the wheat and the tares is very interesting. This is another example of a parable that Yeshua explains directly to His disciples. It can give us some good perspective to understand those around us that seem so completely lost and far from God. It is because they are far from God. In fact they are not even “wheat”, but “tares”.

Matthew 13:24-30 and 36-43

Tares among Wheat

      24Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25“But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. 26“But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. 27“The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ 28“And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ 29“But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30‘Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”’”

The Tares Explained

      36Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.” 37And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, 38and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; 39and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. 40“So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. 41“The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43“Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

The wheat and the tares serve different masters. We should not expect them to align, but to be at odds with one another. The tares look like wheat at first, but as they mature and bear fruit one can tell the difference.  They can not simply “get along” side by side. The tares, like weeds, will not be satisfied until they crowd out the wheat and inhibit its growth or choke it out all together.

Additionally, do not neglect the reality that we have an enemy in Satan and that spiritual warfare is real. (For more on spiritual warfare consider our teaching, Spiritual Warfare.)

There is an excellent study on this topic from Shoreshim Ministries by Bill Cloud from 2018. It comes as podcast in 4 parts at Returning to our Roots with Bill Cloud. Scroll down to see part 1 of the Wheat and the Tares and then go in order from 1 to 4.

Additionally, the Barnes Notes Commentary, on BibleHub.com, draws out some additional thoughts around the wheat and the tares.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

All Powerful / King of All, Demons, Healer, Miracles, Spiritual Warfare

Yeshua Plunders a Strong Man’s House

Ok. Yes. I am having a bit of fun and trying to grab your curiosity with the title. Read on and you will see where this is referring to Yeshua’s teaching, not mine.

The context of Matthew 12 is that Yeshua was doing many healings on Sabbath. The Pharisees were trying to trap Him to be able to condemn Him. Many were healed. The Pharisees could not accept this obvious sign of Yeshua as Messiah, so they acted as if spiritually blinded and unable to see the obvious in front of them while other more simple people saw and believed.

Matthew 12:22-29

The Pharisees Rebuked

      22Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Jesus, and He healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw. 23All the crowds were amazed, and were saying, “This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?” 24But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.”

      25And knowing their thoughts Jesus said to them, “Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26“If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? 27“If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges. 28“But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29“Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

We see obviously that Yeshua has by the power of God, authority and power over demons. The Pharisees were so blinded by their pre conceived conviction that this was not Messiah, that they were grasping at straws to explain away His miracles. They were desperate. When some cast out demons in the name of God (verse 27) the Pharisees were content to claim it was God. However, when Yeshua did so, they claim something completely different. Yeshua points out their hypocrisy as a starting point.

Yeshua also points out rightly that it makes no sense for Him to cast out demons if it is by the power of Satan. That is like Satan attacking himself. That is not very logical. The last argument Yeshua makes is also solid. How can Yeshua, or anyone, cast out demons if not first having the power to bind Satan to prevent him from interfering? He uses a metaphor about plundering a strong man’s house. Satan is the strong man and Yeshua is plundering it in this comparison, as He drives out a demon. As a side bar, I find it interesting to apply this metaphor where our LORD is “plundering” anything, we don’t think in those terms. However, the metaphor is very appropriate to the point Yeshua is making.

Also, don’t miss out on the fact that demon possession is a real thing and is different than healing sickness. This still exists today. Demons have not gone away. I can not say for sure if the man was physically in need of healing (mute, blind) and demon possessed or physically in need of healing because he was demon possessed. I tend to think it was blind, mute, and demon possessed as three independent problems he experienced. Yeshua addressed all three!

We must pray for those who are demon possessed and drive out demons in the name of Yeshua. Too often today we just prescribe heavy medications with no hope of ever getting off them, not  addressing the real issue.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Demons, Spiritual Warfare

Demons are Real. Here’s One Example When Yeshua Cast Them Out

Demons are real. They have not gone away simply because more and more people reject in their minds the existence of our Father and Creator. It simply means that many people will have more trouble addressing the spiritual warfare going on around us because they fail to acknowledge and submit to our Father and fail to even identify the enemy which is coming against us to separate us from Him.

Let’s take a look at how Yeshua cast out demons in Matthew 8.

Matthew 8:28-34

Jesus Casts Out Demons

      28When He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way. 29And they cried out, saying, “What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” 30Now there was a herd of many swine feeding at a distance from them. 31The demons began to entreat Him, saying, “If You are going to cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.” 32And He said to them, “Go!” And they came out and went into the swine, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the waters. 33The herdsmen ran away, and went to the city and reported everything, including what had happened to the demoniacs. 34And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw Him, they implored Him to leave their region.

Several points are worth highlighting.

  • It is in the authority of Yeshua, our Messiah, that the demons were cast out. He spoke with authority. He did not negotiate with them.
  • There did not need to be great ceremony and show to cast them out. It was simple and straight forward. He told them to “go”.
  • Even the demons acknowledge that Yeshua is LORD and Son of God. They know He has power over them and they can not resist or fight Him directly. Do not think that you have a saving relationship through Messiah simply by acknowledging the fact that Yeshua is Messiah. We must submit to Him and ask forgiveness and repent, picking up our cross and following after Him. If we really believe, our actions and attitudes will reflect it. It can not be “head knowledge” alone. Your heart must be in it.
  • Many will miss the miracles of Yeshua because they are focused on themselves. A whole town could see that two well known violent men were changed, miraculously. Yet all they cared about was asking Yeshua to leave because the swine herd went over the cliff.  They were so concerned about their swine, and perhaps frightened by the whole scene, that they missed the opportunity to find out about Messiah even when He obviously cast out demons right before them. We should take care not to miss the miracles around us because we are too focused on what we are comfortable with or what we already know. Let those miracles really challenge us to seek truth and relationship with our Father through Yeshua.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

 

Demons, Faith / Trusting God, Healer, Interceding for Others, Seeking God, Submitted / Servant

Yeshua Heals and Casts out Demons

I do not have all the answers for when Yahweh will or will not heal someone. It can be a very emotional subject, of course, when someone prays for healing and does not receive it. At a simplistic level, we must trust Him as a Father. We come before Him and ask and then He will decide. Matthew 8 is one of many places in scripture that records the power and desire of Yeshua to heal, which is also to say the power of the Father to heal.

Matthew 8:14-17

Peter’s Mother-in-law and Many Others Healed

      14When Jesus came into Peter’s home, He saw his mother-in-law lying sick in bed with a fever. 15He touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she got up and waited on Him. 16When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. 17This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES AND CARRIED AWAY OUR DISEASES.”

In this case healing was to fulfill prophecy and also to emphasize that Yeshua was Messiah. But our LORD can and still does heal. In most cases, individuals came to Yeshua to be healed. Coming in itself shows some amount of faith. They were seeking Him out. They asked, did not demand, that he would heal someone. Ultimately that is all we can do… to trust in Him, believe in Him, live submitted to Him, and bring our requests before Him without getting mad or losing faith if He chooses not to answer. In some ways, it is a deeper faith to trust Him even if we do not get that for which we are asking.

I should think we ought to also take note that there is a difference between illness and demon possessed. We largely dismiss the demon possession as an issue today, but why would we assume it is done away with? Is not Satan still coming against us? I believe as a society and even within the church we do not put enough focus on casting out demons being totally separate, though seemingly related by symptoms, from illness. Medicine will not kick out a demon. Ask the LORD to give you insight into this perspective. Maybe some need more prayer and less prescription medicine.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Discerning / Judging, Disobeying, Rebelling Against, Ignoring God, Heaven and Hell, Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law, Obeying God, Purposeful / Intentional, Satan, Submitted / Servant, Wickedness / Evil, Worldliness

Not Everyone Who Says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ Will Enter

Matthew 7:21-23 should be a real attention grabber for any who take salvation and their relationship with Yeshua seriously.

      21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

If we have any shred of humility we should stop and prayerfully reflect on our lives in relation to this statement. It is too easy for people to claim the name of Yeshua and assume they are in right relationship with Him and headed to heaven. Yeshua Himself gives us this strong warning, or wake up call. Not everyone who calls Him LORD will enter the kingdom of heaven.

To prophecy in His name and to cast out demons or perform miracles is not a guarantee that someone will be accepted. How much more so if all we can say is we went to church weekly, paid a tithe, talked about Him a lot. In fact, those who are turned away are called lawless. This is not a random use of the word. It is deliberate and points back to following the Law of God, which is not obsolete, though some elements have been fulfilled (e.g. animal sacrifice for sin offering) and others can not be done (e.g. those involving the temple and Levitical priesthood). Yeshua compares those who do not do the will of the Father to those who do not obey the Law of God.

It is not about following the Law perfectly (as Yeshua did) to be saved. We can not. It is about submitting to Yahweh and doing His will. When we do that, we will follow His instructions more and more fully. We should challenge even common teachings in churches today and compare them to what the Bible says with a critical eye and open mind. There are many commonly accepted teachings which are not Biblical, such as teaching that the Law of God is obsolete, except for a few we hand select to keep… like paying the tithe.  How convenient for churches to preach keeping tithe, but also teach that the law is obsolete. The tithe is part of the law.

For more context on this subject consider our teaching on Understanding the Law – What Does it Mean Today?  and review our prior devotionals relating to Hebrew Roots / Commands / Law.

We encourage you to review a broader context for today’s scripture, included below. The narrow and wide gates visual is very interesting. If you find that you fit in with most in society and are following nicely on a comfortable path that is generally accepted by most… you are probably on the wrong path. Don’t make an assumption that somehow as long as you fit in with most Christians you must be on the right path. I would point you back to our opening scripture. Many who call Him LORD are on the wrong path. Test everything against the Bible itself and ask help from the Spirit to understand it properly, as Satan often tries to draw us away from the Father through twisting and misuse of scripture.

Matthew 7:13-23

The Narrow and Wide Gates

      13“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14“For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

A Tree and Its Fruit

      15“Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16“You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17“So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18“A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. 19“Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20“So then, you will know them by their fruits.

      21“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Discerning / Judging, Help / Serve Others, Protector / Deliverer, Satan, Spiritual Warfare, Study the Word, Submitted / Servant

There Is a Lot to Learn from Yeshua’s Confrontation with Satan in the Wilderness

The timing and manner with which Satan comes to tempt Yeshua is very interesting, and worthy of note. This is one strategy the enemy may also use with us.

The temptation of Yeshua takes place directly after His baptism in Matthew 3 and before He starts His ministry later in Matthew 4. Yeshua handles the temptation very effectively because He already knows the word of God and in its proper context. He quickly deflects the temptations of the enemy, who also knows the word of God very well and tries to manipulate it and twist it to lead people away from God.

From a timing perspective, this perhaps warns us that Satan may attack people when they first publicly commit their lives to die to self and live for their Creator. Further, we can note that he may not wait until someone is well under way with their ministry and serving the LORD. He may tempt them as they are just getting started.

He also sought out Yeshua when He was alone and vulnerable. Perhaps this encourages us if we are mature believers to seek out and help new believers or those early on their journey and for any of us who are new on the journey to seek out more mature believers to help mentor us should we face attack.

Matthew 4:1-10

The Temptation of Jesus

      1Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. 3And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 4But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.’”

      5Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple,

6and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written,
‘HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU’;
and
‘ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP,
SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.’”

7Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.’”

      8Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory; 9and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” 10Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’” 11Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

Take some time to review and reflect on the attack strategy Satan used. What else do you recognize in his approach? e.g. He did not stop after trying once… he offers a path that appears “easy”… he twists scripture and the way to beat him is to know scripture in proper context… what else? Prayerfully reflect.

Note: YHWH does allow faithful believers to be tempted by the enemy (reference Job and Yeshua).

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Consequences of Sin, Fear / Reverence for God, Grace / Forgiveness, Justice / Judgment, Merciful, Mercy, Offering Sacrifices, Pride, Repenting from Sin, Satan, Spiritual Warfare, Temptation/Tempting, Through Prophets

Dealing With Sin and Restoring Relationship with the Father

There is a lot going on in the last chapter of 2 Samuel. David sins against the LORD despite Joab trying to persuade him not to take a census.  When it is complete, David recognizes his sin and asks for forgiveness. The LORD gives David a choice for punishment. David’s punishment affects his people, not just him. (Others often share in consequences of our sin.) David throws himself on the mercy of the LORD, and receives it. He then gets closure by building an altar.

David does ask the LORD to let the punishment fall on him rather than others. I deeply respect this request. I also respect that David did not take for free the property and sacrifice offered to him, but rather paid a fair price for it. He did not take advantage of his position as king.

This chapter basically sums up David’s relationship with YHWH. What made him different from so many others? What made David a man after God’s own heart? I believe it was that when David sinned, he sought forgiveness and turned to YHWH and accepted consequences and changed his behavior.  That is something for us all to model.

We also see YHWH’s mercy at play as he stops the pestilence before it if fully rolled out.

Of course, we could also ask…”why is it a sin to take a census?”  “Was it YHWH who was angry that caused David to sin?”

If we cross reference with 1 Chronicles 21, we learn that it was Satan who rose up and incited David to conduct the census. It is likely that the sin here is not counting the people. There are other examples where the people were counted. Perhaps the sin here was pride growing within David and the people about their own might and power as a nation. Let us take care to avoid that trap (pride) that Satan sets for many of us.

Remember also that when sin occurs, and we repent, that does not mean we will not still experience consequences.

As perhaps a last thought, when David sinned with Bathsheba, there is no mention of Satan. That was just a sin motivated by David’s own sin nature. This event is different. This is an example of spiritual warfare in which Satan tempted or incited David to sin. We must be on guard for both.

2 Samuel 24

The Census Taken

      1Now again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and it incited David against them to say, “Go, number Israel and Judah.” 2The king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, “Go about now through all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and register the people, that I may know the number of the people.” 3But Joab said to the king, “Now may the LORD your God add to the people a hundred times as many as they are, while the eyes of my lord the king still see; but why does my lord the king delight in this thing?” 4Nevertheless, the king’s word prevailed against Joab and against the commanders of the army. So Joab and the commanders of the army went out from the presence of the king to register the people of Israel. 5They crossed the Jordan and camped in Aroer, on the right side of the city that is in the middle of the valley of Gad and toward Jazer. 6Then they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim-hodshi, and they came to Dan-jaan and around to Sidon, 7and came to the fortress of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and of the Canaanites, and they went out to the south of Judah, to Beersheba. 8So when they had gone about through the whole land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. 9And Joab gave the number of the registration of the people to the king; and there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men.

      10Now David’s heart troubled him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the LORD, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O LORD, please take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have acted very foolishly.” 11When David arose in the morning, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Gad, David’s seer, saying, 12“Go and speak to David, ‘Thus the LORD says, “I am offering you three things; choose for yourself one of them, which I will do to you.”’” 13So Gad came to David and told him, and said to him, “Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or will you flee three months before your foes while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days’ pestilence in your land? Now consider and see what answer I shall return to Him who sent me.” 14Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us now fall into the hand of the LORD for His mercies are great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”

Pestilence Sent

      15So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning until the appointed time, and seventy thousand men of the people from Dan to Beersheba died. 16When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the calamity and said to the angel who destroyed the people, “It is enough! Now relax your hand!” And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 17Then David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel who was striking down the people, and said, “Behold, it is I who have sinned, and it is I who have done wrong; but these sheep, what have they done? Please let Your hand be against me and against my father’s house.”

David Builds an Altar

      18So Gad came to David that day and said to him, “Go up, erect an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.” 19David went up according to the word of Gad, just as the LORD had commanded. 20Araunah looked down and saw the king and his servants crossing over toward him; and Araunah went out and bowed his face to the ground before the king. 21Then Araunah said, “Why has my lord the king come to his servant?” And David said, “To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be held back from the people.” 22Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up what is good in his sight. Look, the oxen for the burnt offering, the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood. 23“Everything, O king, Araunah gives to the king.” And Araunah said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.” 24However, the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. 25David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Thus the LORD was moved by prayer for the land, and the plague was held back from Israel.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Consequences of Sin, Fear / Reverence for God, Heaven and Hell, Justice / Judgment, Prophecy, Satan, Worthy of Fear / Reverence

Satan’s Defeat is Already Foretold

Satan’s freedom is at the discretion and control of YHWH, the almighty creator and ruler of the universe. We read earlier in Revelation 20 that Satan will be imprisoned and now we read on that he will be released after 1000 years. He comes out once again to deceive the nations and to separate people from YHWH. Ultimately, though, he will be defeated again. It is already foretold by YHWH.

We can speculate about why YHWH lets Satan out, but it would seem likely that it is to allow the people once again to have the free will choice on whether or not they will choose YHWH or oppose Him. There really is no middle ground. The rest of the range is defined by how much you serve and submit (or don’t) or how much you resist and rebel (or don’t).

Just to pause long enough to comment on another myth… the devil is not in control of hell. He is ultimately contained in and tormented there himself.

Never forget that YHWH is in control of all. He is worthy of praise and honor and our submission and service.  Even selfishly, we must ask, why choose the losing side for how we live our lives?

Revelation 20:7-10

Satan Freed, Doomed

      7When the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, 8and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. 9And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.

Persecution / Glorifying God, Salvation, Satan, Submitted / Servant, Tribulation

Satan Bound and the First Resurrection

Revelation is a fascinating record of a prophecy given to a disciple whom Yeshua loved. There is so much imagery and also information contained. One such nugget is to remind ourselves that YHWH is in control of all things, including the limits or boundaries put on the adversary, Satan. They are not equal rivals. YHWH is above all and it is not even close. Satan will be bound (or loosed) when YHWH calls for it. It is that simple. There is no doubt.

I also see that not all of those who are dead will rise for the 1000 year reign of Christ. Some will not rise until later. Clearly those who rule with Yeshua during this time are His priests and are among those who demonstrated true and strong faith in Him, suffering much. Those who suffer much in His name will be rewarded much later. How encouraging. He is a loving and gracious LORD.

Revelation 20:1-6

Satan Bound

     1Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.

      4Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.

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Do you know for sure if you will go to heaven or hell when you die? Are you experiencing in your life the peace and joy of a personal relationship with our Creator and Father? Learn more about salvation through The Message of the Cross.