- Overcomer Literature Trust
- Swindon
- Wiltshire
STUDY 13 Satan under your feet (Romans 16v 20).
Bible passages to be read: John 3 v1-16, Zechariah 3 v1-5, Luke 10 v17-20, Hebrews 2, Colossians 2 v13-15, Revelation 20 v1-3.
As a young Christian I once saw, hanging framed in a house which I was visiting, the following; “Amen to Revelation 20 v1-3.” This Amen is something we cansay to the judgment pronounced by God on the “god of this world”. Twice in John’s Gospel the Lord Jesus speaks of the Cross as being the place of His triumph over Satan. In John 12 v31-32, He says, “Now the judgment of this world; now the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me”, and again, in John 16 v11, He tells us that one of the special things the Holy Spirit teaches is “of judgment because the prince of this world is judged”. This is looked upon as something already accomplished, and the word translated “judged” is one that speaks of the execution of a sentence that has already been passed. This means, in effect, that just as we rest upon a finished work as the basis not only of forgiveness, but of a wall of freedom from the dominion of sin; we may also rely practically day by day on the victory over Satan already gained in His Cross. It is a wonderful fact, in this battle there can be no question of defeat, the victory is already won, we have to enter into it by faith.
First of all, then we may turn to 1 John 3 v1-16. The contrasts in this passage are very clear. We see Satan and sin in their bitter hostility to God and man; and we see God in His great love providing deliverance from these foes through the Lord Jesus Christ.
1. Give a summary in your own words of this passage particularly as it is related to Satan and his works.
The Old Testament picture given in Zechariah 3 v1-5, teaches how the power of God sets aside the power of the enemy over His own.
2. Can you trace any parallel between these verses and Revelation 12 v7-11, which are of practical value in Christian living?
Now turn to Luke 10 v17-20 where the seventy disciples report on the use of the authority given them over all the power of the enemy, a foreshadowing of the same authority given to the Christian Church in all ages - see Matthew 28 v18-20.
3. What do you consider to be the most important aspect of the teaching of this passage, and why?
Hebrews 2 opens up the fact that the Lord Jesus lived and died as our champion, taking our cause as His, and fighting our battle, in which on our own we could only face defeat. Satan is here spoken of as “him that had the power of death” (I Cor. 15 v51-57).
4. Do you think that a Christian should fear death? Does this passage give you any help in answering this question?
5. Now read Colossians 2 v13-15 and give in your own words the teaching given here of the place the Cross has in the defeat of the evil one and his hosts.
6. Take Revelation 20 v1-3 and also Romans 16 v20 and show what effect these verses can have on the present walk of the Christian, and on his vision for the future of our world.