Chapter 2.11
The Cross
The Invisible War
The Blood gave us Forgiveness
The Cross gave us Deliverance
First
Word
In
the Invisible War, the Blood that Jesus shed was for the forgiveness
of our sins, but the Cross that He was nailed to was for our deliverance. Until you get the part where we are in AN INVISIBLE WAR, you will not
get the significance of the Cross. God
set aside Abraham to cause a Holy Nation to be born unto Himself and through
Moses, His Laws were established. One of
those laws was that anyone who is hung on a tree is CURSED of God; if you sin you
die.[1] Jesus was born under the Law; therefore He
was subject to the Law.[2] When the sinless Jesus was nailed to the
Cross, Satan believed he had defeated God and His Son; WINNING. HOLD THAT THOUGHT.
The
Great Pretender
Lucifer or Satan was the anointed cherub that was the
original possessor of certain God given rights, he covered the Throne of God
and had been given the responsibility of the government of the universe and
setting forth the righteousness of God.
He was next to God in authority, he was God’s Chief of Staff. He was created immortal, powerful and with FREE WILL, his titles and
offices were PROPHET,
PRIEST and KING of the Universe,
there was no
angel higher than him, including Michael the high
Arc Angel.[3]
As Prophet he would speak
for God; As
Priest he would take the worship
of the creatures of the universe to God; As King, he would rule for God. When
Satan rebelled, he lost the office of Prophet as God no longer spoke through him,
but HE
PRETENDED that
He still did; he lost the office of Priest as he no longer took worship to God,
but HE
PRETENDED he
did;[4] he
lost the office of King of the Universe, but retained the title PRINCE OF THIS WORLD which Jesus
acknowledged and he also retained the title; the Prince of the Power of the Air. [5]
Satan has become
the GREAT PRETENDER pretending that
he is industriously active on God’s behalf, patrolling the earth dispensing
justice with the interests of bringing Glory to God.[6] He continues with his main deceptive theme of
protecting God by ACCUSING Believers day and night of EVIL that’s in their hearts. He is the Prince of this World; the God of
this age, he is the puppet master of all the earth leaders which the Book refers to as “Princes”. He is NOT all powerful
nor all-knowing nor all present. He only
has the power permitted him by God and only knows what we speak with our mouths. Although he can only be one place at a time,
he has millions of low down, scumbag MINIONS who do his deceptive dirty work and
report back to him.
He cannot create anything, but he can make
you sick and then well again. There are
occasions when an event is important enough for Satan to be personally present;
the Book reports that it certainly happened with Job and
with Jesus the Christ.
Satan
still has authority on earth; the Book says he
took Jesus to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him the kingdoms of the
world and all their glory and said, I will give it all to you if you
will kneel down and worship me. Satan
has the KEYS to death and all the prisoners in hell;
he rules the darkness of the underworld.[7] HOLD
THAT THOUGHT
Spoils
of War
In
every war, the Victor takes the SPOILS OF WAR, whatever the land will yield including its
people; prisoners or what The Book calls
CAPTIVES.
King Nebuchadnezzar took
the spoils of war from Jerusalem including the Gold, Silver and Bronze items
from the Temple as well as CAPTIVES.[8]
Abraham recovered the possessions of his nephew
Lot and LIBERATED ALL HIS PEOPLE, Lot and his family and then took
the spoils
of the land.[9]
Moses LIBERATED
ALL THE PEOPLE of Israel and left with their flocks and herds as
well as spoiled
the Egyptians of their wealth of gold and silver.[10]
David made raids on the Philistines and LIBERATED ALL HIS PEOPLE, His wives and children and took the spoils of the
land; their livestock and goods.[11] HOLD THAT
THOUGHT
Here’s
where we are
Jesus has been crucified on the Cross and according
to the Book; anyone who hangs upon a tree is CURSED of God. But
Jesus was SINLESS, yet allowed his life to be taken by
Satan who thought that once Jesus was dead by hanging on a tree, He would be CURSED and he would have Him in his domain of
Death and Hell with the rest of mankind that was made in the image God.
Satan didn’t know about the Authority that
Jesus had; Jesus said NO
ONE CAN TAKE MY LIFE FROM ME, I sacrifice it
voluntarily, for I have the authority to lay it down when I want to and also
to take it up
again; for this is what my Father has commanded.” [12] The Blood sacrifice of Jesus was ACCEPTED by God as Forgiveness for our sins, and now The Cross became our Deliverance from the sting of death.
Satan, the Chief of Staff of God who was Prophet, Priest
and King wanted the
worship and adoration that was due God and rebelled against Him. This caused one-third of the angels with
their FREE
WILL to
follow him and he also caused man to sin thus becoming the object of God‘s wrath.[13] Satan is now NO LONGER the Chief of Staff, NO LONGER Prophet Priest or King,
but he is still the Prince of this World who
temporarily
holds the keys of death and hell.
Satan as the “Property Manager” of Hell, ruled all
the councils of hell and managed all the issues of the grave. At the Cross, I can “IN MY MIND,” just feel the
DARKNESS that was so THICK you could feel it as the EARTH QUAKED and the Rocks split open.[14] But when the sinless Son of God died on the
cross and descended into hell, it was not in defeat, but as a Victor. As the Messiah invaded Satan’s principality;
I CAN JUST SEE the LIGHTNING flashes
light up the GREAT
GULF
that separates Torment
and Paradise. I CAN JUST
IMAGINE the SHEKINAH GLORY of God as
it now fully illuminates up both sides of Hell.[15].
I CAN SEE Satan; the
arrogant and prideful now dethroned Property
Manager as he stood trembling in HUMILIATION as the sinless Landlord Jesus TOOK the keys of Death and Hell away from Him. Jesus
canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to
the cross. It was in this way, He DISARMED the spiritual rulers and authorities and SHAMED THEM publicly by His Victory over them on the cross.
Jesus
the Victor
and the Deliverer is now in possession of the Keys of Hades. The possession of these KEYS have a double meaning; that of possessing both
the RIGHTFUL dominion as well as the ACTUAL dominion of POWER
OVER DEATH AND HELL. In the
time of Christ, the grave; Hades or Hell contained TWO COMPARTMENTS; one was a place of TORMENT where Satan’s minions carried the wicked
at their death and the other; a temporary compartment known as Abraham’s Bosom or PARADISE where the
angels carried the righteous at their death.
Paradise
was the abode of those that had died in the friendship of God over the past
4,000 years.[16] These are those that had died from the first
righteous man Abel
down to the last Penitent thief on
the cross. They were all CAPTIVES, they were PRISONERS of the INVISIBLE
WAR. This is where Jesus preached for three days
the “Good
News Message” to the captives in Paradise. They had never heard of The Way, The Truth and The Life; but they ALL accepted Jesus
as the Messiah and THIS TRUTH SET
THEM FREE.
The work of Christ on the Cross opened the
Mercy’s gate of Paradise where The Book says
Jesus took THE SPOILS OF
WAR
and led these “Captives
Captive” PLUS took the whole
compartment of “PARADISE” with Him to
heaven where it is located now; in all of the souls that God gave to Him, He
lost none of them.
I CAN JUST
FEEL the despair of
those in torment on the DARK SIDE of the great
gulf; now in even more torment after finally “SEEING
THE LIGHT”
and now UNDERSTANDING that EVERYONE is judged at death.
There was now nothing that they could do
nor say that could change their eternal destiny. THERE IS NO SECOND CHANCE!
The Take Away
Satan
said he would “ASCEND” to heaven with his FIVE PRIDES;[17]
1) I WILL ascend
to heaven;
2) I
WILL raise my throne
above the stars of God;
3) I WILL sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on
the utmost heights of the sacred mountain.
4) I WILL ascend above the tops of the clouds;
5) I
WILL make
myself like the Most High."
Jesus
said He would “DESCEND” from heaven with SEVEN HUMILITIES; [18]
1) He did not think of equality with God as something to
cling to. Instead,
2) He gave up his divine privileges;
3) He took the humble position of a slave and was
4) born as a human being. When He appeared in human form,
5) He humbled himself
6) in obedience to God and
7) died a criminal’s death on a cross.
The
omnipotent all powerful and sovereign God could have destroyed Satan at his first
rebellion, when pride was first found in him, when he sought to receive the
worship and praise due God.[19] But God did not; the Book says God’s ways are higher than our ways.
God waited for “the time to come”[20]
for THE DELIVERANCE OF THE CROSS as ALL the WATCHERS of the universe
took note. The Watchers now stare at Satan and ask, “Can this be the one who shook the earth and
made the kingdoms of the world tremble”?
“Is this the one who destroyed the world and made it into a
wasteland”? “Is this the king who
demolished the world’s greatest cities and had no mercy on his prisoners”? They shake their heads in total disbelief,
Satan has been THROWN DOWN.[21]
When Jesus
ascended to God in heaven with the SPOILS OF WAR; He not only
led the “Captive’s
Captive” but took the whole compartment of PARADISE with Him to heaven where it is located
now. Jesus did this once before on earth
as an example for us, by relocating all HIS
DISCIPLES and
their ENTIRE
BOAT to the other
side of the Sea of Galilee.[22] It’s in the Book
Paradise is a place better to be than on earth, but not as good
as it’s going to get. Because of the
deliverance of the Cross, NOW when
the Believer dies, he becomes absent from his body and is immediately present
with the Lord.[23]
PRAISE GOD. Christ now has ALL the Keys, and
what He shuts, no man can open and what He opens no man can shut.
His Blood gave us FORGIVENESS
and His Cross has given us DELIVERANCE.
The Book confirms that for the
Spirit or Souls that have died,
there is just no other Realm,
Condition or Form
besides the Lake of Fire and the
Highest Heaven.[24]
IT’S IN THE BOOK
[1] Deuteronomy 21:22-23 – Cursed in the sight of God
anyone that is hung on a tree -- 1 Corinthians 15:56 – Law of Sin
results in the sting of Death
[2] Galatians 4:4-5 – Jesus was born under the Law of sin & death -- 1
Corinthians 15:56 – Law of Sin results in the sting of Death
[3] Jude 1:9 – Satan has higher authority than Michael
[4] Job 1:7 – Satan PRETENDS
his actions are in God’s best interest
[5] John 12:31 – Satan retains the title; the Prince
of this world -- Ephesians 2:1-2 – Satan retains the title; the Prince of the Power of the Air
[6] Revelation 12:10 – Satan comes before the throne of God and accuses the
Believer day and night
[7] Matthew 4:8-9 – Satan has the keys; the authority over the earth
[8] 2 Kings 25:15-19 - Nebuchadnezzar took
the spoils; prisoners of war and articles from the Temple
[9] Genesis 14:16-20 – Abraham recovered the
Spoils of War that had been taken
[10] Exodus 12:32-36 – Moses Liberated Israel;
took spoils of flocks, herds, clothing, silver and gold
[11] 1 Samuel 30:3-20 - David liberated His
family, took spoils of sheep, cattle, livestock
[12] John 10:17-18 – Jesus has the authority to lay
His life down and pick it up again
[13] 2 Chronicles 29:8 – Sin has made the Unbelievers the object of God’s
Wrath and Horror
[14] Exodus 10:21 – The Darkness that was so thick
you could feel it -- Matthew
27:45-51 – When Christ died, the Earth Quaked and rocks split open
[15] Ezekiel 1:28 – The Shekinah Glory so overwhelms you that you cannot stand
-- Exodus 24:15 – God’s Shekinah Glory of is like a devouring Fire
[16] Luke 16:22 – At death the Angels carry those in the friendship of God to
Paradise
[17] Isaiah 14:12-14 – SATAN’S Fivefold
prideful “I Wills” of ascent to heaven -- Ezekiel 28:15 – Satan was blameless till
Pride (sin) was found in him
[18] Philippians 2:6-8 – JESUS Seven fold humilities of descent from heaven
[19] Revelation 12:4 – One third of the Angels followed after Satan
[20] Isaiah 55:9 – God’s ways and thoughts are higher than ours ways and
thoughts
[21] Revelation 12:9-10 – Satan will be thrown down to earth in the
tribulations -- Isaiah 14:15-17 – Everyone will stare and shake their heads at
Satan
[22] Psalm 16:10 – God will not abandon the Believer’s soul to Hell -- Matthew
12:40 – Christ was in paradise; a compartment of Hell for three days -- 1
Peter
[23] 2 Corinthians 5:8 – When
the Believer is Absent from the body, He is Present with the Lord
[24] Daniel 12:2 – You will live forever somewhere; Everlasting life OR Everlasting
contempt -- John
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