From Beginning to End

The devil has been been with us from the beginning (1 John 3:8). He is the author of sin and deception and the destroyer of all that is good. His ways and purposes were made very clear and demonstrated in the Garden of Eden, to drive a wedge between God and man and and so defeat the plans of the Almighty. For this reason, the Son of God was sent into the world, to destroy the works of the evil one.

Our battle is not against humanity in all its sinful practices, nor against rulers and kingdoms, but against the source of all evil and spiritual wickedness in the world, which seeks to infiltrate and destroy the purposes of God.

It was because of this that the Son of God became man, to take on the forces of evil in His human form, and so make a way for mankind to return to God. He did this by submitting Himself to death; the death inherent from the sin of Adam, once and for all.

When darkness closed in, and all seemed to be lost, God breathed life into death and the prime weapon of the enemy was stripped of its power. The Spirit of God now reigned supreme. Death was restored to life and the ruling authorities of the Kingdom of darkness were rendered powerless. The cross of Jesus Christ, instead of being a symbol of agony and death, became itself the key to eternal life. Death was swallowed up in victory by the resurrected life of the Son of God, the Prince of Peace. ‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ (1 Corinthians 15:55).

The greatest victory the world has ever known shook to the core the complacency of the prince of darkness, and demonstrated the power and sovereignty of God through His Son Jesus Christ, ‘to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God’  (John 1:13).

New life in Jesus reigns triumphant as eternal life is reinstated by the King of kings. Hope, peace and joy is introduced to a world of darkness and despair, ‘for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea’ (Habakkuk 3:14).

‘Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say, “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night has been hurled down” (Revelation 12:10,11). “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and He will reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).