Kicked Off His Throne

Nov. 28

Read: John 12:27-38

Kicked Off His Throne

Jesus came to dethrone Satan… to “cast him out”… and take his place as ruler of this world. Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of spirits. This is all to the glory of God the Father. When God is glorified, Satan is displaced from his throne; and the overthrowing of Satan in this world is the ultimate glorification of God. This was the PURPOSE of Christ… Jesus himself declares,

“But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name… Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out.” (John 12:27,28,31)

Most people do not realize that Satan (a.k.a the devil, Lucifer) was the ruler of this world until Jesus showed up. (cf. John 12:30,14:30,16:11) God sent him here and gave him this realm. (cf. Deut 32:8,9, Psalm 82, etc.) Even at his peak, the devil was only a “prince”, NEVER A TRUE KING. The scriptures call him,

“the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2)

Like any other evil dictator or tyrant, the devil does not go quietly or without a fight. He has been displaced by Jesus and is now on the run! We have seen this idea played out hundreds… if not thousands of times in human history. When a corrupt individual is removed from power they seek to marshal forces and wage war against the new leader or “king”. Whenever there is a power struggle, there is always a drawing of lines, taking of sides, and a rallying of “troops” and “forces” to wage war. We are in a spiritual war RIGHT NOW. The Kingdom of God is taking over, the kingdom of the world is fighting back. Two kingdoms unfolding before us!

We too quickly dismiss the reality of this “war”… of this “power struggle”. The devil is actively recruiting as much as Jesus Christ is! But Jesus says,

“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (v.32)

When we are called to life in Christ we are called to a life of glorifying the Father and displacing the devil. We are called into the Kingdom of God… and in many ways, also into an “army”. The devil still has fleeting power in this world - it was once his domain. He still has pockets of resistance, and “bases of operation” where he wages war against the goodness and truth of Christ. It is the mission of God’s people as image bearers to fight alongside Christ and the heavenly hosts AGAINST the “devil” and his “schemes”. (cf. Eph. 6) This is why we wear armor after all… isn’t it? The truth is that, as image bearers of God, we have been called to this “subduing and having dominion over” from the very beginning of creation. Look here at Genesis:

“And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Gen. 1:28)

We have been called to “subdue” and “have dominion over… every living thing that moves on the earth”. Was the serpent a living thing that moved on the earth? Yes! He came into the garden of Eden after all… and he is real and alive… he is indeed a living thing that moves upon this earth. (cf. Gen. 3) Even 1 Peter describes the devil as being like an animal roaming about the earth:

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

The serpent - or the devil - would have been included in the list of those things on the earth that we were to “subdue” and “have dominion over”. As the children of God today, we ought to be actively “subduing” and “having dominion over” those things which war against the Lord.

When the battle cry of the Lord thunders in this world, some will hear his call to arms and others will not. Look at todays passage:

“Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.” The crowd that stood there and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to him.” Jesus answered, “This voice has come for your sake, not mine.” (v.28-30)

There is indeed a voice thundering… calling out… echoing throughout the world. God speaks, and his people hear him. It sounds like plain thunder to some, but to others - it is “angelic”. Jesus affirms that it was indeed a “voice” and it was sent “for our sake”. Do you have ears to hear it? Listen for the thundering voice of the Lord as he affirms Jesus and calls us into relationship with Christ. Listen for the voice of the Lord as he leads us into battle against the enemy… the devil. Do not too quickly dismiss the power of our enemy, but also know that he has indeed been kicked off his throne. The devil no longer rules the earth the way that he used to. The image bearing people of God are working with Christ to subdue and take dominion over this earth and the Kingdom of God unfolds before us. Remember, the power of these spiritual forces around us is real, and the devil is getting desperate in his campaign. Let the words of JESUS CHRIST comfort us today… and remind us that the devil has been “cast out” and “judged”. The devil’s time is coming to an end. May God be glorified! Listen to the thunderous voice of God as he glorifies King Jesus and calls us into battle! Love you guys. -JDP