When I was an early teen, I would often bike around our neighborhood with a buddy of mine. We would often cut through alleys that divided backyards. On one occasion, as we passed by an open lot between houses, I noticed a large white image charging at us from my peripheral view. As I turned to better visualize what this image was, adrenaline kicked into gear as my legs began peddling faster and harder. This was because that large white image was an enormous, and apparently, a ravenous pit bull chasing us. At the time it seemed more like a smaller polar bear.

Come to find out this dog broke free from its backyard. It was unleashed and able to terrorize anyone out and about in the neighborhood. Even if on a bike. Eventually this pit bull was re-connected to its leash. Its free movements were curtailed.  And thus, the neighborhood was no longer subject to this dogs animalistic surprise and unrestrainedattacks.

Similarly, the devil has been tied to a leash. As we’ve seen SGC, Jesus has bound this mongrel. This mut. Satan isn’t free to run amuck without the restraint of a leash. He isn’t a free range devil or adversary. 

To be sure, he has never been able to freely inact or instigate his devilish schemes, carte blanche, apart from God’s providential consent and sovereign approval. We’re reminded of this very uniquely in Job chapters 1-2 as the Lord our God oversees, so to speak, Satan’s activities and instigations against Job. Apart from God’s sovereign approval, Satan would have had no business with Job. To be sure, God Himself, introduces Job to the devil’s consideration (1:8, 2:3). 

“Satan isn’t free to run amuck without the restraint of a leash. He isn’t a free range devil or adversary.”

On one level,  Satan’s mobility has always been limited to the Lord God’s own purposes among Creation. And subject to our Lord’s will as it’s being worked out among humankind. On another level, he has always been, “going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” (1:7, 2:2). And, still, on another level, Satan has been able to have a locution among the heavenly host of God, in some sense (1:6; Zechariah 3:1-2).

However, as we’ve seen from Revelation, in particular, Satan has been permanently cast out of heaven. As John is given vision in chapter 9, “I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth.” This star is who Jesus had in mind when mentioning during his earthly ministry, “I saw Satan fall like lighting from heaven” (Luke 10:8). Upon his falling, John envisions Satan being, “given the key to the shaft of the bottomless pit” where he unleashes a flurry of demonic activity as is described in 9:1-11. After all, Satan is the king of this bottomless pit ‘into’ which he has fallen (9:11).

Although, this Satan instigated flurry of demonic -or fallen angel- locomotion is, as it has always been, subject to the Lord God. All of this demonic commotion is restrained. Or leashed. “They were told not to harm the grass of the earth. . .but only those people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads (symbolism of ownership and belonging in their time)” (9:4). What is more, their tormenting actions among those unsealed by God – those unsaved by God or those not elected (Rev.7:3,13:8,14:3-4; Matthew 24:22, 22:14{1-14},13:36-39) by God for salvation – are also limited and restrained in various ways throughout history until Jesus returns (6:2-3,9:5,13:7).

All satanic and demonic oppression is leashed SGC. Anything such spiritual powers unleash is limited by the leash God has tied them to. This is such an assurance for believers, for the true church and Bride of Jesus. We are protected from such devilish and demonic oppressive influences and movements, spiritually and personally and salvifically. We can have such confidence in the security and permanence of our salvation that Jesus goes so far as to say, “For false Christ’s and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, IF POSSIBLE, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24). Jesus is conveying the impossibility of the elect being led astray into unbelief. And, what is more, Jesus makes this confidence boosting statement in the context of the final and intensified tribulation just prior to His return (24:25-31).

“This is such an assurance for believers, for the true church and Bride of Jesus. We are protected from such devilish and demonic oppressive influences and movements, spiritually and personally and salvifically”

And, to amplify this confidence, Jesus promises just prior to 24:24, that the greatest persecution of the church will be shortened “for the sake of the elect” (24:23). This speaks to our Lord’s care and concern for our condition and suffering. Such oppression and suffering just prior to Christ’s return, won’t be permitted for long. He will bring great and eternal relief from sins suffering and God’s judgments against sinful unbelief. 

For all who are brought to saving faith in Jesus, there isn’t a power of hell that can disqualify nor ruin our salvation. As Jesus himself reminds us, “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” (John 10:28-29).

The devil may do his ‘darndest’, as we say in the south, to nefariously influence us with unforgiveness, and yet, there isn’t a single thing he nor anyone can do or say to nullify or cancel our forgiveness in Christ. This gospel truth is what brings Paul to joyously and confidently assert, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” The assumed answer is no one! “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn (us for sin). . .Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution?” etc. The answer to these three rhetorical questions is an emphatic and unflinching, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers. . .nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:31-39)  

“For all who are brought to saving faith in Jesus, there isn’t a power of hell that can disqualify nor ruin our salvation.”

Our confidence in sins forgiveness SGC, is in Christ. He has suffered God’s judgment for the whenever’s of our sin and the whatever’s of our sin. He has satisfied the righteous wrath of God against our sin. He has paid the full penalty of our sin by bearing the full weight of our sin on the cross, in our place.

Moreover, Our security in God’s salvation, is also in Christ. As Hebrews 7:25 reminds us, “he is able to save to theuttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for us”. Our salvation knows no expiration. Only aspiration. We see this when Christ prays for Peter in Luke 22:31-32. “Satan demanded to have” Peter, “that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail” 

And this is why the Son of God and Son of Man, took upon Himself human nature in the person and work of Jesus Christ. He “came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). And this entails Jesus coming to “bind the strongman” -aka Satan- as He entered the “strong man’s house” to “plunder his goods” (Matthew 12:29). An entering and plundering that commenced upon Christ’s earthly ministry. And, arguably began when Jesus defeats Satan on his own turf in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). As Willliam Hendrickson goes so far as to say in his book More Than Conquers, “This work of binding the devil was begun when our Lord triumphed over him in the temptations in the wilderness”

The ‘Away from me, Satan!”, Jesus declared and established as He was tempted by the devil in that wilderness, has also become our declaration in Him! 

We will explore this more in the next post. 

“Money. . .it’s a gas. . .Grab that cash with both hands and make a stash.” This 1981 line from Pink Floyd’s Money is so often how the good life is defined. To be sure, living luxuriously -or living excessively- has more or less become equivalent with life itself. The next lyric in Money pointedly captures this, “New car, caviar, four star daydream. . .Think I’ll buy me a football team.” 

Maybe this comes across as a gross overstatement? But, how many do you know who would honestly say living in poverty. . .is really living?

To put it another way, if you were in a position to choose between a life of luxury and between a life of poverty, which would you choose? At prima facie, face value, the answer may seem fairly obvious. Who would elect to choose a life of poverty, after all? 

Well, this scenario was a reality, in a very real and harrowing way, for the churches immediately being addressed in John’s letter of Revelation. However, 

the churches of Revelation weren’t being confronted with this scenario on a monetary and physical level alone. Underlying this dilemma for them, was also life eternal.

The churches had come to saving faith. A faith, which holds to the truth that Jesus is the way, the life and the truth (John 14:6). This new life though, was presented with cultural, religious, political and economic threats while living under the thumb of the Roman empire.  Prevailing threats -among many threats of course- that often boxed Christian’s into making a choice between luxury or poverty. And, beyond this, between luxury and eternality. After all, it was commonplace for Christian’s to be cut off from luxury and financial prosperity strictly for confessing Jesus as Lord. Not to mention being cut out of the economy, on the whole. At the very least, they were marginalized or pushed to the periphery of the established ‘marketplace’.

We are given a whiff of this in chapters 2-3 of Revelation. Jesus directly addresses a couple of churches about succumbing to the ‘practice of sexual immorality and eating food offered to idols”. At the least, addressing them about these sinful pressures generally impinging upon them. This language speaks to what was common among trade guilds in their day. In order for Christians (and anyone) to gain acceptance within the trade guilds, participatingin these sinful and secular customs was expected and demanded even. Refusing to do so, invariably meant -if not, inevitably meant- they were cut out of all economic opportunities, by and large. 

We also know from extant historical records that Rome issued edicts that targeted the Christian community with oppressive taxation and with communal or societal strictures. This is one reason why the early church became such an insular community as these pressures segregated them from the larger community. 

The early church was uniquely confronted with a choice between the possibility of luxury or financial prosperity and the promise of eternity, more or less.

At the least, confronted with a choice between economic convenience and comfort over and against the pressures of living for Christ with life eternal in mind. 

Admittedly, we aren’t being confronted with such stringent economic oppression. However, we are confronted with and often pressured into the same basic choice/s of a life of luxury or life eternal? Such as, choices between financial convenience or impropriety that brings compromising ones faith or turning from faithful confidence in God’s provision. In other words, excessively working to live excessively such that you are disengaged from church life. Or excessively working such that there is no time for routine dinner with the family where meaningful prayer and spiritual conversations can be enjoyed. Or, perhaps it’s a choice between the luxury of busyness, unrelated to work, and hosting other members of your church in your home. Or allowing the local restaurant to host all of you even.  Maybe its such busyness as excessively going out of town every other weekend or escorting children to superfluous events and games rather than carving off time for a church outreach or Lord’s Day worship. There’s also the pressure to leave your faith at home or to only express your faith on Sunday because the attitudes and activities of your social circle/s aren’t in keeping with Christ. Or the pressures of not living out the faith by participating in outings and activities with the boss and co-workers that betray the faith in order to advance at work. After all, you need a pay raise. Because you want another vacay. A new wardrobe. A four wheeler. A theater room. So forth, and so on.

The pressures of such luxurious priorities, along with all appertaining temptations related to luxurious living, is the currency of the great prostitute first mentioned in Revelation 17. Also known as Babylon the great (17:5; 18). Everyone who chooses to pursue her deceptive and seductive luxury are described as growing rich from the power of her luxurious living” (18:3). 

As an aside, this phraseology isn’t implicating money itself as a villain. Or even wealth itself. After all, God’s Word reminds us wealth and money aren’t evil. It’s the love of them (1 Tim. 6:10). Pink Floyd misquoted the church when singing, “Money. . .So they say. . . Is the root of all evil today.” 

That being said, 

the sinfully luxurious living Babylon promotes culturally, economically, nationally and societally is a life driven by and consumed with wealth, possessions, entertainment, wardrobe and excessive indulgences, etc.

This is how the voice from heaven in Revelation 18:11-13 describes the merchants inordinate obsession with Babylons luxury. On the heels of having provided a lengthy list of luxurious ‘fruit’ that’s no longer able to be plucked from the luxury tree -upon Jesus’ final judgment of Babylon- the voice from heaven says, “The fruit for which your soul longed has gone from you, and all your delicacies and your splendors are lost to you, never to be found again!” (18:14)

In other words, the rhyme and reason of their lives is determined by such luxury. The quality of their lives are defined by such excessive possessions and materialism. Their pursuits are wrapped up in self-centered consumption or consumerism. A consumerism our present economy is primarily based upon. 

This is why the response of those with an inordinate obsession in living luxuriously are described weeping and wailing when no longer having their materialistic and consumeristic passions and wealth feeding them upon Jesus destroying Babylon’s “sorcery” (Rev.18:21-23). A sorcery they have been under the deception of.

This is also why “another voice from heaven” (Jesus likely) insists all believers, “Come out of her, my people, lest you take part in her sins, lest you share in her plagues (judgments of God)” (Rev.18:4). Jesus well knows luxurious living isn’t real life. As Jesus inquired elsewhere, “Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing” (Matthew 6:25). To which, the assumed answer is a resounding YES!!

The rich young ruler couldn’t quite grasp this as he chose a luxurious life over eternal life. He initially asked Jesus how he could inherit eternal life. And, after justifying himself as righteous (as if anyone is), Jesus calls upon him to give his wealth to the poor. However, he couldn’t imagine ‘life’ without his possessions and chose luxury over life. He turned from Jesus “disheartened” and “sorrowful, for he had great possessions” (Mark 10:17-31).

When it comes down to it, the dilemma of choosing luxury or life is ultimately a choice between living for luxury and living for Christ. Locating a shallowness of life in things or having the fullness of life in Jesus. True life, life eternal, comes from and is given by Jesus alone. He has come that we “may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). And, this eternal life is that we may relationally and personally know the “only true God, and Jesus Christ” (John 17:3).

The dilemma of luxury or life is about what or who we choose to know and pursue more.

The more we count all things as rubbish, much life Paul declared, “for the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:7-11), the more alive we are and ultimately will be!