The Destroyer of Hope: Foiled

To put it mildly, Satan was furious at Christ's birth. He knew his scriptures and how this seed of the woman would defeat him. It didn't take that snake long to take out his wrath through Herod either.

We read in Matthew 2:16 (BBE) how the Devil tried to kill Christ. "Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was very angry; and he sent out, and put to death all the male children in Bethlehem and in all the parts round about it, from two years old and under, acting on the knowledge which he had got with care from the wise men."

When Jesus began his preaching ministry, Satan tried to tempt him to take a shortcut to glory. In Matthew 4:8 and 9 (BBE), we read about the third and final attempt that snake made to derail the plan of salvation. "Again, the Evil One took him up to a very high mountain, and let him see all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them; And he said to him, 'All these things will I give you, if you will go down on your face and give me worship.'" But Jesus knew that he had to die to pay for the sins of his chosen ones.

I believe that Satan tried to dissuade Christ again in the garden on the night before his crucifixion. Luke 22:44 (BBE) demonstrates how Christ struggled with the temptation to refuse the cross. "And being in great trouble of soul, the force of his prayer became stronger, and great drops, like blood, came from him, falling to the earth."

When Christ was crucified and then resurrected on the third day, that snake tried to cover up his failure through the priests. Matthew 28:12-14 (BBE) tells us what happened when the soldiers guarding the tomb reported to them about what happened. "And when they had come together with those in authority, and had made their decision, they gave much money to the watchmen, saying, 'Say, His disciples came by night and took him away secretly while we were sleeping. And if this comes to the ruler's ears, we will see that he does not make you responsible.'"

By the way, letting a prisoner escape was an offense punishable by death. That's why Satan, working through the priests, bribed those men and covered for them.

So we can understand that the Devil is continually fighting a losing battle against Christ. This is our hope which extends throughout history. God never has lost control and never will. In his plan, everything the Devil does works out to our eventual good and God's glory.

This is another aspect I'll point out about salvation in my book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? People must realize that Satan is a mere created being whom God controls.

On Saturday, I'll feature a lovely and tender song by James Taylor which he wrote for a friend.