Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
The famous TV "History Channel" loves to tell stories of rebellions and war. Watch some of them before you go to bed, and you'll have nightmares. They should tell the story of the greatest rebellion ever--Lucifer's rebellion against the King of the Universe. If told correctly, and you believed the truth, you wouldn't have any nightmares ever, for "the gospel ... is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" (Rom. 1:16); precious good news.
Lucifer was the highest created being in the universe (the name means bright light). He was like the multibillionaire who wants more money (actually, the same spirit). He was not content with his highest position; he wanted to be "like God" in power, and eventually this greed turned into his hatred of God and his desire to drive Him from His throne and grab it for himself.
He fomented his rebellion, relating his accusations against God everywhere, and "one-third" of the formerly holy angels of heaven joined him in his rebellion. "War broke out in heaven: Michael [another name for Christ] and His angels fought against the dragon [Lucifer]; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him" (Rev. 12:7-9).
The inspired story doesn't say they fought with sticks and stones or with bullets; they fought with lies catapulted against truths. It was ultimate war. Lucifer's "weapon" was false charges against God, lies, but they sounded plausible to one-third of the angels.
God's true character was known--He is pure unadulterated love (agape). Lucifer said He is selfish, unfair; that for God to ask that everyone be obedient to His holy law of Ten Commandments is just too impossible, especially so for the people who can't help that they have come from the one man on earth who joined Satan--our father the fallen Adam.
Don't imagine that when Lucifer was cast out that he stopped telling lies; He "deceives the whole world" (vs. 9). His lie Number One: just because you're human, you are doomed to keep on sinning forever or until the Lord Jesus comes and gives you a different nature. Grand lie!
Jesus came from heaven with a "job description" from the Father: defeat Lucifer, prove him wrong, condemn sin in the last place where sin had taken refuge--human hearts. His job: "condemn" sin, stamp on it, defeat it, annihilate it, disarm all its temptations, set the entire world population free from its slavery. Christ did it!
--Robert J. Wieland
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: October 20, 2007.
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