Introduction
Memory Text: “ ‘And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel’ ” (Genesis 3:15, NKJV).
There is the
great controversy between Christ and Satan. The study for this week focuses on
where the Scripture teaches that there is a cosmic conflict between God and
Satan and the nature of the conflict.
How do we understand the evil in our world from the parable of the wheat
and tares in Matthew 13:24-27?
Jesus Christ, the land owner (Matt. 13:37), sowed good seed in His field which is
our world (Matt. 13:38, NKJV), but the enemy the devil came in and sowed tares
in the field (Matt. 13:39, NKJV). Evil in our world is the result of the enemy
(the devil) who opposes the master (Matt. 13:28).
How is Jesus to deal with the problem of evil?
According to the parable of the wheat and tares, God will finally
put an end to evil, the Son of Man will send out His angels who are the reapers
(Matt. 13:41, 39) at the time of the harvest when wicked is no more, but
uprooting them prematurely would result in irreversible damage that harms the
good.
What was the state of creation when God finished creating?
According to Genesis 1:31, “Then God saw everything that He
had made, and indeed it was very good.”
How did evil get into God’s good creation?
The devil who was cast out of heaven deceived Eve by saying,
“ ‘You will not surely die’ ” (Gen. 3:4, NKJV). Leaving Eve with the choice to
make about whether she will believe what God told her or what the Serpent did.
She chose to listen to the devil and this was how sin got into God’s good
creation.
What does it mean when we obey someone?
When we obey someone it shows that we trust someone, when we
trust someone it shows we love someone. At the point where you cease to obey
someone, as in the case of Eve, it is because of a lack of trust.
What is the nature of the being’s fall in Ezekiel 8:12-19?
We are given a glimpse of the fall of Lucifer in Ezekiel 8:12-19.
The origin of evil and the cosmic conflict began in heaven. Before he (the
being) fell, he was identified as the cherub, he was “ ‘the seal of perfection,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty’ ” and was “ ‘in Eden, the garden of God’ ”
(Ezek. 28:12,13, NKJV).
How does Isaiah 14:12-15 shed more light on the origin of the great
controversy?
Lucifer was the perfection of beauty till iniquity was found
in Him. Isaiah 14:12-15 explains that he exalted himself and wanted to be like
God.
How does the devil operate?
Slandering is the way the devil operates against God and
against us, as well. The Hebrew term “trading” in Ezekiel 28:16 also means “slander.”
How is the reality of the great controversy between Christ and Satan
revealed in the temptation of Jesus Christ?
The Spirit had “led” Jesus into the wilderness “to be
tempted by the devil” (Matt. 4:1, NKJV) after He fasted for forty days and
forty nights. Jesus was tempted by Satan to turn stones into bread but even
with Jesus’ extreme hunger, He countered this temptation with Scripture, and
Satan’s ploy failed. He tempted Jesus to act presumptuously by throwing himself
down, stating that if Jesus was the Son of God, angels would protect Him. But
with Scripture read rightly, Jesus again counters the temptation. The third
temptation that reveals clearly Satan’s intentions was the temptation that
wanted Jesus to worship Satan. Jesus counters this temptation with Scripture,
and again Satan fails. In all these three cases, Jesus used Scripture to defend
against the enemy’s attacks.
How does Revelation 12:9, 10 identify Satan?
Revelation 12:9,10 identifies Satan (1) as the “serpent of
old” (NKJV), (2) as the one who in the heavenly courts accuses God’s people,
and (3) as the dragon ruler who deceives the world.
What is the nature of the cosmic conflict?
The nature of the cosmic conflict is over God’s character.
Satan’s claims are that God is not fully good and loving, this has been his
plan from the beginning to make creatures believe that God was not really just
and loving. Such claims can be countered only through righteousness and truth. God
does not lie but the devil employs lies and all schemes to make God’s creatures
see God as not just and loving.
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