Satan thinks he has won.

Everything is aligning. His murderous plan for God’s beloved is coming together perfectly. The key players are in place, having been deceived into thinking they will benefit from their corroboration.

These are the final days. And the hearts of men are wicked and depraved enough to mock, malign, and spit in the face of God’s beloved with absolutely no fear of righteous and holy judgment.

But they’ve got another thing coming.

Satan thought he’d triumphed over the Lord of heaven and earth as Jesus breathed his last agonizing breath. Hell cheered raucously as blood and water spilled out of Jesus’ side. Feelings of despair, abandonment, and anguish gripped the hearts of those who loved him as they realized he was really, truly gone. Dead. Finished.

But as the hymn says,

“There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious day
Up from the grave He rose again”!!!

This is the crux of Christianity. Though many have claimed divinity, Jesus proved it by coming back to life. This is the testimony of eyewitnesses who went to horrible deaths for preaching this gospel; not one renouncing their faith in this risen Messiah.

Jesus went to the cross because it was God’s good and perfect plan for him to do so. In his payment for the sins of those who belong to him, in his victory over death itself, his love and power shine like the sun; causing the very shadows to tremble and hide.

God will not be defeated. Ever.

The victory is in every part God’s. Yet, in his mercy, he invites us, those very people who have spit in his face, to share in the beauty of eternal life with him.

“And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ”

As the Scriptures say:

“He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God..”-John 1:10-12

That’s us!!! People who deserve death. People who are loved, inexplicably and outlandishly, by God. Christ’s victory over death is for us. Can you believe it?

Some days it doesn’t feel as though Christ has won. We look around and see the complete and utter depravity. We feel the pain. It is obvious, to those in the know, that Satan is alive and well.

Some evil, invisible serpents never learn. They purvey the damage and destruction they’ve wrought in the hearts and minds of men and dare to believe God is asleep at the wheel. Some people dare to believe that, too.

Up until the very end, the devil will rage against the Creator, believing his nefarious schemes have a snowball’s chance in…well, you know. It looks good for him at the moment, and even now, he’s up to his same old tricks.

Satan thinks he has won.

Everything is aligning. His murderous plan for God’s beloved is coming together perfectly. The key players are in place, having been deceived into thinking they will benefit from their corroboration.

These are the final days. And the hearts of men are wicked and depraved enough to mock, malign, and spit in the face of God’s beloved with absolutely no fear of righteous and holy judgment.

But they’ve got another thing coming.

And so does Satan.

As for those who belong to the Lord:

“No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand”

Hallelujah and Amen.

Angela

Song lyrics quotes from “In Christ Alone” by Keith Getty and Stuart Townsend