Christ as Conqueror

Christ as Conqueror

In the previous issue of Skjulte Skatter in the article The Head of the Serpent, it was pointed out how the head represented the supreme leader. Now we are going to take a glimpse at Jesus’ battle with the devil when, after He was baptized, He was led out into the desert by the Spirit to be tempted.

The devil’s aim is to be “like the Most High.” Isa. 14:14. He takes the lead and is the guiding power wherever he can. He came to the first human beings in the Garden of Eden. They had previously been led by God, but now they were being drawn away. The devil was leading them. As he came to the first Adam, so he came to the last Adam in order to get Him to follow his will as well.

Jesus came to do God’s will. Heb. 10:7. Adam and Eve were meant to do the same thing. Primarily, it is not a person’s actions that constitute sin, but rather that he follows another will other than God’s. The least departure from God’s will is sin.

The essential thing for the devil is not so much to lead a soul into base vices, but to get the soul to obey his flattering counsels. He is dangerous as a counselor. He counseled Eve to take of the fruit in order to be like God.

Asaph says to God, “You will guide me with Your counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.” Ps. 73:24. The devil, just like God, also wants to guide by his counsel, but afterward we plunge into corruption, just like Eve.

The devil’s counsel to Eve had a high goal: to be like God, to be great. He came to Jesus in the wilderness. There he drew Jesus’ attention to His greatness, His power! “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” Jesus proved He had power to create bread because He fed the five thousand, but He resisted the devil because He did not want to be led by him. He had come to do God’s will. God was the leader, the Head.

Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” After these words, the devil lays his cunning trap in which many people have been caught. He leads Jesus into the holy city—not to an unholy place—setting Him on the pinnacle of the temple; and by giving Him words that proceeded from God’s mouth—the very words that Jesus said He lived by—he says, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge concerning you . . .—[God charged the angel concerning Daniel. Dan. 10:11. He charged the angel concerning Peter in prison. Acts 12:11.]—‘In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’” Jesus was challenged to rely on God’s promises. (In these days many people are willing to be led to “go out on promises,” but not according to God’s will.) Jesus had faith in God; He had power, but He refused to go out on God’s promises when it was not according to God’s will. That would have been tempting God. (Tempting God is attempting to get God to act according to our own will. For example, people say, “I am going in this direction. If it is not God’s will, I hope that He hinders me or puts something in my way.”) People go their own way, wanting God to help them. Peter dared not go to Jesus on the water; he had to have Jesus’ command. Therefore he said, “Command me to come to You on the water.” Matt. 14:28. To follow Satan’s leading is sin, whether he leads out on God’s promises or out into base vices.

On a subsequent occasion, the devil wanted to lead Jesus (through the Pharisees) to show them a sign, but Jesus called them an evil and unbelieving generation; he wanted to lead Him (through Peter) to spare Himself, but Jesus knew that all leaders and guides outside of God’s will are from Satan; therefore He says, “Get behind Me, Satan! . . . You are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

God went ahead of Jesus and guided His way to the cross. But now Satan wanted to go before Him and lead Him on another way; therefore Jesus says, “Get behind Me, Satan!”

Jesus’ enemies said at the cross: He is the King of Israel; let Him come down from the cross so that we can believe in Him, because He has said, “I am God’s Son.” By mocking Him, they wanted to get Jesus to show His trust in God and that God’s pleasure was over Him. But Jesus was not willing to be led down from the cross in order to show them His trust in God so that they could believe in Him.

Jesus always maintained this “No!” to all leading outside of God, whether it came directly from the devil, through the disciples, or through His enemies. See also John 7:3-9.

After Jesus had defeated the devil on every point, He returned in the fullness of the Spirit and dwelt in Capernaum. He had overcome the prince of darkness who had shrouded the nations in ignorance and darkness. Now Jesus went to the people who sat in the region and shadow of death (Matt. 4:16), and there He called out to them to turn away from the power of Satan, for the kingdom of heaven was at hand. A new kingdom was to be established! A kingdom of light where Christ and not Satan was to rule. On the mountain the devil offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, but Jesus rejected all of it. His mind was set on a new kingdom that the Father was to give Him and in which He would be Prince. Therefore He rejected everything else. He had conquered as the stronger One over the strong one. Therefore He could immediately go to the people who sat in darkness where the devil ruled. There He proclaimed the new kingdom. Seeing Peter and his brother, Andrew, He called out to them, “Follow Me!” And immediately they left their nets and followed Him.

After Jesus had also called James and John, He went around proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom—the kingdom of God—healing the sick and driving out evil spirits, which were all a fruit of sin and Satan’s devastation.

In Matthew Chapter 5 He speaks much about the kingdom, saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Further on He says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Then He went and called not the righteous, but sinners, those who were tired of sin and Satan’s power. They desired a new kingdom; for them He became a leader and a guide.

In Luke 17:21, Jesus says, “The kingdom of God is within you.”

In the Praetorium Pilate asks, “‘What have You done?’ Jesus answers, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.’ Pilate therefore said to Him, ‘Are You a king then?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say rightly that I am a king.’” John 18:35-37.

Jesus did not gain many followers while He was sojourning on earth. His kingdom was not much to look at. It was evident that even then people would rather accept an offer for the riches of this world and its glories.

However, Jesus possessed a power in His spirit that could not be moved. He would rather go into death as a Man forsaken by men than be led by any other authority than God. Nothing gained the upper hand over Him. He could say, “The ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.” He overcame alone. From the peoples no one was with Him. Isa. 63:3. He proved to be stronger than all of them. He was truly King.

Jesus resisted unto bloodshed; He died conquering, but then He also entered into death as the conqueror. Through death He destroyed him who had the power of death, that is, the devil. Heb. 2:14. Therefore it was impossible for death to hold Him. In Revelation 1:18 the conquering Jesus calls out, “I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” He broke Satan’s power in every area; He conquered everywhere. God raised Him up as the Captain (Head) and Savior. With this in view, Jesus could say, “Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.” Mark 9:1. His word was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost.

All His followers are meant to conquer just as Jesus conquered. Therefore we must have the same Spirit as He. Paul says, (1) Be strong in the Lord, and (2) in the power of His might! Put on the full armor of God so that you can resist all the wily attacks of the devil, for we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and stand after you have overcome everything. Eph. 6:10-13. Seeing that Jesus had to endure intense battles against Satan, he will not spare us either. But if we overcome with Jesus, we will also rule with Him. We can now, in the kingdom in which we are placed, grow up into Him who is the head. Eph. 4:15. We are to grow up until we are like princes in God’s kingdom. We can be that by being led by none other than His Spirit.