The Accuser—The Overcomer!

The Accuser—The Overcomer!

“For the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.” “Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.” Rev. 12:7-12.

The accuser obviously had access to heaven and could accuse people before God night and day. He also had a very good script—the Law—that he could use against them. It said, “The man who does them shall live by them.” Gal. 3:12. No one was able to do that. Consequently, they were all deserving of death, and the accuser had a tight case against them.

“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us . . . .” Vs. 13-14. He wiped out the certificate of debt against us, taking it away by nailing it to the cross. He disarmed principalities and powers and made a public spectacle of them by showing that He triumphed over them on the cross. Col. 2:13-15.

At that point Satan lost his bill of indictment. Together with all his angels he was cast out of heaven onto the earth. Therefore it says, “Rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea. For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath . . . .” Now we do not have an accuser before the Father but an Advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous. 1 John 2:1.

We read, “Woe to the earth!” There the accuser is continuing his awful work. It is not difficult for him to find ears for his accusations, and by his actions he dissolves everything that goes by the name of unity and fellowship. There is strife and division everywhere. Tit. 3:3-4.

“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Eph. 2:4-6.

Accordingly, those who have experienced this do not live on earth anymore. They have been sat in heavenly places where the accuser has no power. They become one—just as the Father and the Son are one. This is a work of grace in us, as many as have been made alive with Jesus Christ.

“He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more.” Rev. 3:12.

We can ask, “What shall we overcome?” And we can answer, “Sin!” We can also say it in different ways, but what does it mean to overcome the accuser? Can there be any evil if we overcome him? Any division? Any strife? All of us have a nature that supports the accuser. But he who overcomes judges himself and puts on tender mercies and humbleness of mind so he can bear all things and forgive. Col. 3:12-15. Such people do not become malicious; they do not backbite. You never hear that they are dissatisfied. They overcome the accuser. They can comfort, encourage, and exhort everyone. People can gather around such a person. There they receive help. He becomes a pillar in God’s temple. If it hadn’t been for him there would have been division and uproar. But he keeps everything together and gives light and exhorts, so the others can also have time to overcome the accuser without there being a division.

The accuser works diligently. He begins with small things, but then it steadily increases. People believe they must correct their colleagues, their spouse, their fellow brothers, and so they end up arguing. They think they are fighting for righteousness, but their love grows cold. Suspicions and backbiting increase. Woe to the earth! This is how it goes with all those who are earthly minded.

We must learn from Paul. He could exhort and correct, but he could also convince and guide in the right direction. In all this he was good so he could praise and encourage and speak of his great expectations for the ones he wanted to help. He did not accuse them. He called the Corinthians “holy.” He always thanked God for them, God who desired to strengthen them and make them blameless. And then he began to guide them in the right direction and to exhort them. 1 Cor. 1, 11:2-3. He expressed his great faith in them by boasting of them, and then he exhorted them. 2 Cor. 7:4, 14, 16, 8:7, 9:2-3. When he exhorts Timothy to pursue love, patience, etc., he does not first tell him that he has far too little love and patience! No criticism! 1 Tim. 6:11.

“Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.” Rom. 8:33-34. Watch out that you are not found fighting against God instead of being His servant! James says not to sigh against one another, lest we be condemned. Jas. 5:9.

There is heaven on earth wherever the accuser has been overcome. It is heavenly in the church because of the ones who have overcome. We praise God for all those over whom the accuser is losing power. They all have a glorious future. They will not blush with shame when Jesus returns.