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I. The covenants
А. The covenant which God made with the created man
B. The covenant which God made with fallen man
C. The covenant which God made with the man who was saved through water
D. The covenant which God made with the called one
E. The old covenant which God made with those who did not know themselves
F. The covenant which God made with those who went to inherit the land
G. The covenant which God made with one after His own heart
H. The new covenant which God made with all sinners
II. The dispensations
А. The dispensation of the patriarchs
B. The dispensation of law
C. The dispensation of grace
D. The dispensation of the kingdom
III. Satan
А. The origin of Satan
1. Created to be a king
2. Being the highest archangel
3. Being the perfect cherub having the priesthood
B. The rebellion of Satan
1. The cause of rebellion
2. The purpose of rebellion
3. The process of rebellion
C. The result of rebellion
1. Satan being judged by God
2. The heavens and the earth being judged
3. The rebellious angels and the demons being judged
D. The execution of God’s judgment upon Satan
[In the entire Bible God made eight covenants with man: seven in the Old Testament and one in the New Testament. The first covenant which God made with man was a covenant that God made with the created man (Gen. 2:8-9, 15-17). The One who made this covenant was Jehovah God, the One who always is and the mighty One who is faithful. The one with whom the covenant was made was the created man who was without God’s life and without sin, but who had a spirit and a free will and who was assigned to dress and guard the garden of God. God made a covenant with him that by eating he should receive the tree of life, which signifies God as the source of life, so that God might enter into him to be joined and mingled with him, thus fulfilling God’s purpose in creating man. Furthermore, God wanted man to reject the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which signifies Satan as the source of sin and death, lest Satan’s evil, poisonous element should enter into man, thus damaging the upright and pure man whom God created for His eternal purpose. Eventually, man acted contrary to God’s covenant and, having been deceived by the serpent (the Devil), ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thus receiving Satan and having sin and death. Hence, man was driven out of the Garden of Eden and was kept away from the tree of life, that is, kept away by the cherubim, which signify God’s glory, by the flame, which signifies God’s holiness, and by the sword, which signifies God’s righteousness. It was not until the accomplishment of Christ’s redemption, which satisfied the requirements of God’s glory, holiness, and righteousness, that the way to the tree of life was opened once again.]
[In the Old Testament, after man’s creation, God made the first covenant with man; after man’s fall He came to the place of fallen man to seek and to call fallen man. It was with such a man who transgressed God’s prohibition, who had sin and death, who had the knowledge of good and evil, and who knew his nakedness and made skirts of leaves to cover the shame, that God made the second covenant with man (Gen. 3:8-21). In this covenant God cursed the serpent, restricting it so that it would creep only on the earth and that it would eat dust during its entire life. He also promised that the seed of the woman, Christ, would come to bruise the serpent’s head, that is, to cause Satan’s death. Finally, He required the woman to suffer in childbearing and to be ruled by the husband, and He required the man to labor and sweat until he should return to the ground so that fallen man, being restricted by suffering, would have security and protection and would turn to God to receive deliverance through the seed of the woman. Eventually, Adam believed in what was promised in God’s covenant and called his wife Eve, meaning “living” or “life.” By faith he also had the hope of life. Then God made coats of skins for them that fallen sinners, having been justified by God through Christ, might be accepted by God and have fellowship with Him. By faith Abel received God’s way of redemption, offering the sacrifice with the shedding of blood and being accepted by God. However, Cain refused God’s way of redemption, offering produce without the shedding of blood. Rejected by God, he killed Abel his brother and was cast out of the presence of God, producing a culture that corrupted his descendants and that was judged by God.]
[After God judged the corrupt generation by the flood and saved Noah’s family of eight out of that generation, He made a covenant with Noah, which was the third covenant He made with man (Gen. 9:1-17). This covenant was made based upon the covenant which God made with Noah before the judgment of the flood. It was also based upon the sweet smell which issued from the burnt offerings presented on the altar built by man in taking God’s way of redemption. The contents of the covenant include the following items: man would be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth, have dominion over all living creatures, and be allowed to eat animals for food but not to eat blood; and God would give man the authority over others to maintain the existence and order of the human race, promise to destroy the earth by a flood no more, and use the rainbow as a sign of His faithfulness in keeping the covenant. The result was that the earth was preserved, that all living things were able to grow, and that man was able to multiply endlessly and fill the face of the earth. However, man abused the God-given authority to form nations, exalted himself to oppose God, fell into idolatry, and was scattered abroad by God upon the face of the earth. Eventually, God was forced to give up the descendants of Noah, the created race of Adam.]
[When the descendants of Noah violated the covenant which God had made with Noah, forming nations to oppose God and eventually falling into idolatry, Jehovah, the God of glory, came to call Abraham (Abram) as the head of a new race and to make a covenant with him, the fourth covenant that God made with man (Gen. 12:2-3, 7-8; 13:14-16; 15:1-21; 17:1, 5, 6; 22:17-18). God made a covenant with Abraham at six different times, the contents of which mainly included the following items: first, God would make him a great nation, and nations would be made of him and kings would come out of him; second, God would bless him and make his name great; third, God would give the land of Canaan to him and to his seed for an eternal possession; fourth, God would cause Sarah, his wife, to bear a son, would multiply his seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is upon the seashore, and would make him the father of many nations and Sarah, a mother of nations; and fifth, God would give him the promise of grace that all the nations of the earth might be blessed in him and in his seed. The result was that although he kept the covenant, he left the land of promise twice. Furthermore, the house of Jacob, his descendants, all left the land of promise and went down to Egypt, falling under the tyranny and bondage of Egypt.]
[When God through Moses delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt, the land of bondage, and brought them to the foot of Mount Sinai, He made a covenant with them, the fifth covenant that He made with man (Exo. 20—23). They had kept the Passover and had been redeemed by God, they had been rescued out of Egypt by God’s power, and they had been brought through the wilderness by God’s grace. However, not knowing themselves, they thought they were able to keep God’s commands by themselves. Therefore, through Moses, God decreed the law, which was enacted according to what He is, in order to expose their offense that they might know sin, and to guard and shut them up that they might be brought to Christ. The contents of the law are divided into the commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances. The commandments, as God’s basic commands, are the general principles of the law. There are ten commandments. The statutes set forth, explain in detail, and supplement the ten basic commandments; their stress is on man’s worship and service to God and on the rituals and regulations pertaining to man’s relationship with God. The ordinances, which are statutes with verdicts, or judgments, also set forth, explain in detail, and supplement the ten basic commandments; the emphasis is on the verdicts that concern the relationships between man and others and between man and God. This covenant was consummated by the offering of burnt offerings and peace offerings and by the sprinkling of the blood of sacrifices on the book of the covenant and on the people. Because God knew that they would break the words of the covenant, He prepared the sacrifices, which typify Christ, that they might be redeemed and have harmony with God to enjoy peace with Him. The result of making the covenant was that before the consummation of the covenant they worshipped the golden calf and thus broke the covenant. Moreover, after the consummation of the covenant, they disobeyed all the commandments, statutes, and judgments of the covenant throughout their generations. However, there were some just men who were perfected by God and who were kept and shut up by the covenant and were thus brought to the way of God’s redemption.]
[Through Moses God brought the children of Israel to the east of Jordan, to the land of Moab, and before they went on to take the good land of Canaan, He made a covenant with them through Moses, the sixth covenant that God made with man (Deut. 29—30). In this covenant, Jehovah God charged the new generation of the children of Israel that after they would enter into the good land, they were to keep all the commandments, statutes, and judgments in the covenant which He made with their fathers at Mount Sinai, and to turn to Jehovah their God with all their heart and with all their soul, to love Him and to cleave to Him. If they would keep the words of the covenant and do them, they would live and be blessed and prosper in all things. If they would turn away in their heart from Jehovah God to disobey the words of His covenant, they would be cursed, suffer calamities, and be rooted out of their land and cast into another land and scattered among the nations. If they would take God’s word of blessing to heart in the land of captivity, and if they would return to Jehovah their God and obey His voice with all their heart and with all their soul, Jehovah God would have compassion upon them and would restore them and bring them into the good land which their fathers possessed. God would circumcise the heart of the returned ones and the heart of their descendants to love Jehovah their God with all their heart and with all their soul, and He would again rejoice over them for good, as He rejoiced over their fathers. The result of this covenant was that the new generation of the children of Israel, like their fathers, turned away from God through all their generations and disobeyed God’s covenant. They were cursed and suffered calamities; they have been carried away to the nations, suffering man’s mistreatment and persecution for nearly two thousand six hundred years. Until this day they still have not turned to God, who has been eagerly expecting their return. Not until the coming again of the Lord Jesus will their whole house repent and be saved. At that time the Lord will send forth His angels to gather them together from the four winds and bring them back to the good land which God gave their fathers.]
[After the children of Israel entered into the good land of Canaan, and from the time that David became the king and there was peace in the entire nation, David desired to build the holy temple for God. At that time God made a covenant with him through Nathan the prophet, the seventh covenant that God made with man (2 Sam 7:8-16). The One who made this covenant is Jehovah of hosts, the Commander of all the host. This divine title was used beginning with the fall of the priesthood. The one with whom the covenant was made was David, a man after God’s heart and the one who prevailed against the enemies to become the king. This covenant was a strengthening of the covenant which God made with Abraham, especially in the aspect of the kingdom. In this covenant God promised that He would be with David, that He would cut off all his enemies from before him, that He would make him a great name, and that He would cause his territory to rest from all his enemies. Furthermore, God promised that He would make him a house, that He would set up his seed after him, and that He would establish the kingdom and throne of his seed. His seed would build a house for God’s name, and God would be a Father to his seed, Christ, and his seed would be a son to God. If his seed (referring to Solomon and his descendants) would commit iniquity, God would chasten his seed, but His lovingkindness would not depart from his seed. His house and his kingdom would be made sure before God, and his throne would be established forever. The result was that his son Solomon succeeded him to the throne and built the holy temple for God. However, when he was old, Solomon lusted after his foreign wives and followed them to worship idols, so that God was angry with him and tore the kingdom out of the hand of his son, thus dividing the kingdom of Israel into two. When both parts were carried away to the nations, the kingdom of David became the tabernacle that has fallen, and his throne was suspended. When Christ, the seed of David, comes again, He will rebuild the tabernacle that has fallen and will succeed to the throne to reign forever.]
[In the New Testament, through the death of the Lord Jesus, which accomplished redemption for all men, God made a covenant with all sinners, the eighth covenant that He made with man (Matt. 26:28; Luke 22:20; Heb. 8:8-13). This covenant is the new covenant; it is also a better covenant. Hence, everything in this covenant is much better than the things in the old covenant. The contents of the new covenant include the following items: God will forgive the sins of all those who believe in Christ and will not remember their iniquities any more; God will impart His laws into their minds, and on their hearts He will inscribe them; God will be God to them, and they will be a people to Him; and they all will know God and will not need anyone to teach them. The contents of the new covenant are also the contents of the entire New Testament; they include such items as the Triune God Himself, redemption, forgiveness of sins, sanctification, justification, reconciliation, regeneration, and sonship. These bequests which the Lord bequeathed to the believers are inexhaustible and are for them to enjoy unto eternity. The Mediator of the new covenant is Jesus Christ, who executes the new testament, carrying out every item of the bequests of the new covenant in the believers. He is also the Surety of the new covenant, guaranteeing that the new covenant will become effective and that all the blessings of the new covenant will become practical experiences to the believers. The new covenant was consummated with Christ Himself as the better sacrifices and with His better and precious blood, causing the believers to have forgiveness of sins, the law of life, and a union with the Triune God in the Triune God. This is the ultimate issue of God’s making covenants with man throughout the generations.]
[After God created all things and mankind according to His eternal plan, His economy, He uses four distinct dispensations — the dispensation of the patriarchs, the dispensation of law, the dispensation of grace, and the dispensation of the kingdom — to do His work of the new creation on the man whom He created in order to accomplish the purpose of His eternal economy. The dispensation of the patriarchs was from the creation of Adam to the giving of the law by Moses (Rom. 5:14). In this dispensation, God first put the created man under His direct government that man might receive Him as life; then He caused the fallen man, the function of whose conscience had been activated by the knowledge of good and evil, to receive His redemption in Christ. He also caused man to be governed by his own conscience and to be acceptable to Him through sacrifices according to the way of redemption that He ordained. Moreover, He caused man to enjoy His riches by calling on His name so that he might walk and work with Him. Then He subjected the repeatedly fallen man under the authority which He gave to man, causing him to be ruled by man that he might live and be preserved and that He might have the opportunity to visit man. Finally, He called the new race out of the Adamic race, which was fallen to the uttermost, and gave them the promise of grace, leading them to hope in the Christ who would come to be a blessing to all the nations of the earth. In this way, God obtained the chosen patriarchs to be the first part of the new race in His new creation.]
[God’s original intention was to do the work of the new creation on the fallen man of the old creation according to His promised grace. However, because the fallen man did not know his weakness and corruption, and therefore did not realize his impotence and his need of God’s grace, God temporarily changed the way of His work of the new creation on the fallen man of the old creation. That is, He gave the fallen man the law, which was established according to what He is. Thus, He initiated another dispensation, the dispensation of law, which extended from Moses to Christ (John 10:10; Gal. 3:24; Luke 2:25-26, 36-38; 3:15; 7:19; Rom. 5:20; Gal. 3:19). God’s intention in setting up this dispensation of law according to His economy was to accomplish the following things through the law; first, to keep the chosen people in custody that they might satisfy the requirements of the law through the offerings, which typified Christ, and thereby be guarded, as sheep are guarded in the sheepfold; second, to provide the chosen people with a child-conductor that they might be led to Christ, that through the offerings they might be forgiven, and that through the tabernacle and temple they might enjoy God’s riches; and third, to cause the chosen people to have the knowledge of sin and of themselves, and thereby realize and sense their need of God’s grace. As a result, God kept His chosen people in the custody of the law, obtained the second part of the new race of the new creation, and brought Christ to the chosen people who waited for Him in the dispensation of law and to those who would believe into Him in the coming dispensation.]
[When God determined that the purpose of decreeing the law had been attained and that the law had been used to its full extent, the Triune God became flesh in the Son; He was born of a woman to become Christ, who possessed both the divine nature and the human nature, bringing grace and reality (John 1:1-2, 17-18). He passed through human life in humanity, experiencing every hardship and suffering, and He also lived out the Triune God in humanity. Furthermore, He passed through the death of the cross in humanity, accomplishing an all-inclusive death with a sevenfold status and releasing the divine life for multiplication and increase to constitute the Body of Christ, which is the church. Moreover, the Triune God was raised from among the dead with a resurrected body in humanity, that the only begotten Son might be born as the firstborn Son in His humanity in resurrection; at the same time, those who believed into Christ were regenerated to become His many sons. This Christ, who was resurrected to become the life-giving Spirit, breathed Himself into those who believed in Him to be the reality of their spiritual life for their spiritual existence and living. Then this resurrected and glorified One was exalted in ascension. He was made both Lord and Christ to be a Leader and Savior, that He might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to God’s chosen people. Moreover, in ascension He poured Himself out as the consummated Spirit of the Triune God, baptizing those who believed and became His members in this consummated Spirit into one Body, that they might be His fullness to express Him. The above seven items mainly include the person and work of Christ and constitute the gospel of God to be preached to sinners, calling those who were chosen of God to believe, to be saved, and to be regenerated. God then constitutes them to be the churches in different localities that the Body of Christ may be fully built up. Thus God obtains all those who believe into Christ in the New Testament to be the third part of the new race in God’s new creation.]
[After the conclusion of the dispensation of grace, God will change for the last time the way of His work of the new creation on the man of the old creation. That is, He will set up His kingdom on the earth to carry out His administration that He may accomplish His work of the new creation in the old creation. This is the dispensation of the kingdom, which is also called the dispensation of righteousness; it covers the period from the second coming of Christ to the end of the millennium (Rev. 11:15; 20:4, 6). In this dispensation, according to His righteousness, He will use the manifestation of the kingdom of the heavens to reward the just men perfected in the Old Testament and the overcoming believers in Christ in the New Testament that they may participate in Christ’s kingship and joy. Moreover, according to righteousness, He will perfect the immature believers in the New Testament and also will deal with all the Israelites who repent and believe in Christ at His coming back. The dispensation of the kingdom, which is the dispensation of righteousness, is still a dispensation in the old creation used by God to chasten, to discipline, and to perfect the believers. It is not in the new heaven and new earth that all the work of the new creation will be completed. God will use the last dispensation in the old creation to complete His work of the new creation on the man of the old creation. That is, He will cause the immature believers in the dispensation of grace to mature in life, and He also will cause the repentant Israelites, after the termination of the dispensation of grace, to become constituents of the new race. In this way God will complete the work of the new creation on the man of the old creation in the old creation, a work that will produce and perfect a new race. Thus, the processed Triune God and the transformed tripartite man will be mingled as one to be a mutual dwelling place for His ultimate corporate expression in eternity.]
The subject of Satan is very negative and we would rather not talk about it. However, God talks about it in the Bible and we need to know about it in order to fight against him. Therefore, we will spend some time on this subject.
[We have seen already that God’s original creation is fully covered in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” We have also seen that something happened between verse 1 and verse 2: God’s original creation was damaged, the earth became waste and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. This was the result of God’s judgment on the earth due to Satan’s rebellion. Now let us look at Satan’s origin and rebellion.]
[Satan means adversary. Satan is not only God’s enemy outside of God’s kingdom, but also God’s adversary from within God’s kingdom, rebelling against God. Enemy refers to the foe outside of God’s kingdom, whereas adversary refers to the foe from within God’s kingdom. Satan, who had been under God’s ruling, is not an outsider. Therefore, he has been God’s adversary right up to now.]
Ezekiel 28:12-14 says, “Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.”
This portion of the Scripture describes Satan’s position in the universe before his rebellion and corruption. His creation was heralded with tambourines and pipes which were used for kings. This indicates that he was a king, and explains why he was called “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31) and “the ruler of the authority of the air” (Eph. 2:2). He also stated that he had all the authority of the kingdoms of the earth (Luke 4:5-6).
He must have been the highest archangel because Michael the archangel (Dan. 10:13) did not dare to bring a reviling judgment against him (Jude 9).
He was “the anointed cherub that covers.” He was to cover the ark of God in the holy mountain of God in the heavens. He was very close to God and was bearing God’s glory. Cherubim typically lead the worship of God, as is the case in Ezekiel. The four cherubim in Ezekiel are the four living creatures, similar to the four living creatures in Revelation who led all the creatures to worship God (Ezek. 10:20; 1:10; Rev. 4:7). This reveals that Satan, “the anointed cherub,” must have been the high priest in the universal worship of God.
[Ezekiel 28:15 says that Satan was perfect in his ways from the day he was created. Of course, God did not create an evil Satan. God created a good and perfect archangel. But at a certain time, this archangel, the anointed cherub, rebelled against God.]
[Satan rebelled against God because of pride in his heart. Ezekiel 28:17 says that his heart was lifted up because of his beauty, that he corrupted his wisdom by reason of his brightness. He “sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty” (Ezek. 28:12). This means that he had the full measure of completeness and was short of nothing. But he gazed on his beauty and was proud. He looked at his brightness, and because of his brightness he used his God-given wisdom to commit sins and do unrighteous deeds, and thus corrupted his wisdom. To look at what God has made us and to forget God Himself always tempts us to be proud. Pride was the cause of Satan’s rebellion. In our experience, all the natural virtues and spiritual gifts can be utilized by the Devil to make us proud. Even the apostle Paul could “be exceedingly lifted up by the transcendence of the revelations” (2 Cor. 12:7). The proud Devil is still walking about on the earth, seeking the proud ones whom he may devour (1 Pet. 5:8). The only way to resist him is to humble ourselves. “Gird yourselves with humility toward one another, because God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (l Pet. 5:5). The Lord Jesus is a good example in this matter. Satan exalted himself, but the Lord Jesus “humbled Himself” (Phil. 2:8). Thus, the Lord Jesus overcame Satan, and Satan had nothing in Him (John 14:30).]
[The purpose of Satan’s rebellion was to exalt himself to be equal with God. In Isaiah 14:13-14 we find that five times Satan said, “I will”: “I will ascend into heaven...I will exalt my throne...I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation...I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.” Satan wanted to be equal with God. That was the purpose of his rebellion against God.]
Satan initiated the rebellion against God with the evil intention to overthrow God’s authority (Ezek. 28:15-18; Isa. 14:13-14). Not only did he rebel, but one-third of the angels who were under his hand also rebelled (Rev. 12:4, 9 the stars represent angels).
[The living creatures which were on the earth at that time also joined Satan in his rebellion. Thus God judged them with water and they became the demons on the earth. Their lodging place is in the water. Man’s body is also their temporary dwelling place (Matt. 12:43-45).]
[Geologists and archaeologists have discovered that the earth is not merely six thousand years old, but much older. Some have discovered fossil remains of bones which are thousands and thousands of years old. But according to the Bible, there are only about six thousand years from Adam to now. Mr. Pember found the answer. Between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 there was a period of time which he called the interval. No one can say how long this interval was.] [Pember also inferred from the biblical record that in this pre-Adamic age there existed on the earth some living beings and that they also joined Satan in his rebellion against God. Thus Satan, his fallen angels, and these living beings were all judged by God. After they were judged by God, these beings lost their bodies and became disembodied spirits. This is the reason that demons want to enter a physical body. The water with which God judged them became the deep where the demons must live. Pember even proved that under this deep water there is the so-called abyss. The deep water is the demons’ dwelling place.]
When the Lord Jesus was crossing the sea to cast out demons, the fallen angels in the air stirred up the wind and the demons in the water stirred up the waves to frustrate the Lord (Matt. 8:23-32). Satan, the evil angels, and the demons form the kingdom of Satan. The kingdom of Satan is always fighting against the Lord and His kingdom. We must stand with the Lord in His kingdom to fight against Satan and His kingdom.
[Satan’s rebellion brought in God’s judgment. God cannot tolerate any rebellion among His creatures. Immediately after Satan’s rebellion, God declared His judgment on him.] He was cast down to the ground (Ezek. 28:15-18) and he shall be brought down to hell (Isa. 14:15).
The heavens and the earth are Satan’s sanctuary which he has defiled. God rebuked Satan, saying, “Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities” (Ezek. 28:18). Therefore, the heavens and the earth were also judged by God. Under God’s judgment the heavens did not shine and the earth was covered by darkness (Job 9:5-7; Gen. 1:2). This must have happened before Adam was created, because there is no record of such an event in human history; that is, in the six thousand years following the creation of Adam.
When God judged Satan and the universe under him, God also must have judged both the angels who followed him and the living beings on the earth during that age who joined him in his rebellion. After being judged, the rebellious angels became the spiritual forces of evil in the air (Eph. 6:12), and the living beings became the disembodied spirits, the demons, lodging in the water with which they were judged.
[Though Satan, the rebellious angels, and the demons were all judged by God, they are still moving and working today, because the judgment upon them has not yet been executed.
Today, Satan can still go to God to accuse God’s people (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7; Rev. 12:10). He still walks about" on the earth, “seeking someone to devour” (l Pet. 5:8), still working to blind the thoughts of people (2 Cor. 4:4), to deceive them by transfiguring himself into an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14). We must not be ignorant of his thoughts (2 Cor. 2:11), neither give place to the Devil (Eph. 4:27). We must withstand him firm in the faith (1 Pet. 5:8-9). We need to put on the whole armor of God that we may be able to stand against him (Eph. 6:11-17).
After Satan’s rebellion, God pronounced His judgment upon him immediately. But it takes a long time to execute God’s judgment. The Lord Jesus was manifested in the flesh that He might destroy the works of the Devil (l John 3:8). This was the execution of God’s judgment. The Lord gave His disciples authority over all the power of the enemy (Luke 10:19). When the disciples cast out demons, Satan fell from heaven (Luke 10:17-20). Through His death on the cross, He destroyed the Devil (Heb. 2:14). He has bruised the head of the old serpent. Now we, as His Body, must continue this execution, to destroy the tail of the serpent. Through the church’s executing work, the Devil will be cast to the earth, and his angels will be cast out with him (Rev. 12:9). He will later be bound and cast into the abyss (Rev. 20:2-3). Eventually, he will be “cast into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:10). Then, the execution of God’s judgment upon Satan and his followers will be completed.]
[Satan was originally the highest of the archangels created by God. He rebelled against God because of pride and became God’s adversary, God’s enemy. The heavens the earth, and the universe were corrupted because of Satan’s rebellion and fell under God’s judgment. God’s judgment on Satan is being carried out gradually until Christ comes again, when he will be bound and cast into the abyss for one thousand years. At the end of the one thousand years, he will be released from the abyss and will rebel for the last time. Immediately after this rebellion, he will be cast into the lake of fire to be punished for eternity. Thus, God’s judgment on Satan will be completed.]
