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They have "obeyed its UNSEEN ruler
[who is still operating in those who
d o not respond to the truth of
God)."
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ha ve quoted from the Phillips
translation , no t because it is a more
accurate o r dependable translation,
but because it brought out the
meaning more clearly
in
this par–
ticular passage.
Conversion
does not disconnect
Satan's wavelength. The tendency
to become resentful over real or fan–
c ied wrongs or injustices from
others, the tendency to try to get the
best of others, may still prove a
tempta tion. THESE are the things tbe
converted Christian must strive
to
overcome!
When Jesus spoke of OVER–
COMING, He re ferred to overcoming
these WAYS of Satan, which are con–
trary to Goo's way. The Christ ian
must, as Peter was inspi red to write,
GROW in grace and in tbe KNOWL–
EDGE of our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ.
We read in James 4: "Submit
yourselves therefore to God. Resist
the devil, and he will ft ee from you."
This is speaking of resisti ng these
very self-centered thoughts, alti–
tudes, tendencies, and ways which
Satan injected into us from child–
bood and is constant ly broadcasting
and injecting into uns us pecting
minds through the spirit in man.
However, no man is IMPELLED to
respond to and obey these impulses
being broadcast by Satan. Satan has
no power to FORCE anyone to think
or do wrong. But the unsuspecting
automatically do without fully real–
izing what is taking place in their
minds. They drift along.
The passage in
JI
Corintbians 4:4
adds clarity to the en tire thesis that
this evi l spiritual nature in humans
has been
acquired,
individually by
each person, from Satan.
Before 1 became familiar with ra–
dio, 1 could not have understood
HOw Satan injects this evil attitude
into humans. He is a SUPER POW–
ERFUL spiri t bei ng. He was set on a
throne as king over the earth. He
himself, by his own reasoning pro–
cesses,
acquired
this evil nature. God
did not create it in him (Ezek.
28:
15). Though disq ua lified now to
administer the GOVERNMENT OF
Goo over the earth, he must remain
The
PLAIN TRUTH Aprii-May 1976
here
UNTIL
his successor has quali–
fied
AND
been inducted into office.
Tbere is a REASON why Christ has
not YET come to take over that of–
fice, remove Satan, and
restore
the
government of God.
Before Jesus Christ could qualify
to restore tbe GOVERNMENT OF ÜOD
and RULE a U nations, He had to
withstand Sata n's most severe temp–
tation. You 'll read of tbat supreme
struggle in the 4th chapter of Mat–
th ew. Jesus had to -
in human flesh
- reject Satan's way and teach and
prove OBEDlENT lO the GOVERNMENT
OF Goo - so He can RESTORE
it
on
earth !
lt
was immediately after that -
after Christ QUALIFTED to restore the
GOVERNMENT OF ÜOD tO earth -
that J es us carne into Galilee ,
preaching the gospel of the KING–
DOM OF Goo, and saying, The time
is fu lfilled (Mark 1: 1, 14-1 5).
lt
was
never fultilled un til that t itanic
stru ggle in whi ch J esus resisted
Satan, conquered him, a nd showed
His MASTERYover him.
Now nolice somelhing you proba–
bly never rea lized before:
I have said repeatedly TH!S IS
NOT
THE TIME Goo rs TRYING TO
CONVERT THE WHOLE WORLD. He is
calling only a comparative
VER Y
FEW,
now.
WHY?
WHY does not God call
everyone on earth
NO W?
Are those of us called NOW get–
ting a real SPECIAL deal?
Well, THINK OF THIS: We, now
ca lled,
must resist Satan,
who will
PULL OUT ALL STOPS to attack and
DESTROY !hose of
US
called NOW!
All others are drifting along
SATAN's WAY
ANYWA Y.
Sure, he
broadcasts to sway
everyone
to his
SELF-centered way, con trary to
Goo's WAY. But he has the whole
world already going bis way. But
those of us who have turned from
his way, are fighting to OVERCOME
it, and who are turning to God's way
- the WAY ofGod's GOVERNMENT–
are the ones Satan HATES. He seeks
specially to destroy us! Without
God's protection and restraining
power over Satan, we could never
make it!
Few, even among professing con–
verted Christians, realize the vital
and SUPREME NEED to be conscious
and constantly aware of Satan's ef-
for ts to get lo us, who a lready have
turned
from
Satan's way and
to
the
WAY of the GOVERNMENT OF ÜOD.
For this very reason, Satan has got–
ten to and overt hrown many who
have fallen away (Jl Thes. 2:3).
Few actively heed wbat God,
tbrough Paul, said later lo the Eph–
esians: "Finally, my brelhren, be
strong in the Lord, and in the power
of his mjght. Put on the whole ar–
mor of God, that ye may be able to
stand aga inst the wiles of the devil.
For we wrestle not against ftesh and
blood, but aga inst principalities,
against POWERS, aga inst the rulers
of the darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness [wicked
SPIRITS) in HIGH PLACES" (Eph.
6: l 0-12).
There is a reason WHY God
allows those predestinated to be
called NOW to have to withstand
Salan and his REBELLION AGAINST
THE GOVERNMENT OF ÜOD.
It is necessary - in order for us to
QUALIFY to become rulers (under
Christ) in the KINGDOM OF Goo -
that we NOT ONLY reject Satan's
false way but
strive against
it until
we OVERCOME !T, rely ing all the
while on Goo for the power
to
do so.
As we, from ea rliest childhood
growing up,
acquired
Satan's nature,
so, tbrough convers ion and the
struggle o f OVERCOMING, we rid our–
selves of it. We ACQUIRE, instead,
the DIVINE NATURE. Peter wrote thal
we become "PARTAKERS OF THE DI–
VINE NATllltE"
(U
Pet. l :4). We most
certainly were not born with it.
So, Lucifer ACQUIRED that satanjc
nature by his own reasoning and
choice. Humans have ACQUIRED
Satan's nature from childhood and
call
it
"human na ture. " But con–
verted Christians, who reject Satan's
way and OVERCOME it , turning to
ÜOD'S WAY, BECOME PARTAKERS OF
- i.e., ACQUIRE - the DIVINE NA–
TU~E.
But for God's PURPOSE, it was
necessary that we first know and to–
taUy REJECT Satan's way and accept
Goo's GOVERNMENT.
When God does set out to CALL
EVERY HUMAN ON EARTH lO spiritual
salvation, Satan will be BOUND a
tbousand years, unable to broadcast
his impulses and altitudes. The
world will be at
PEACE!
Those
caBed then will not have to battle
wbat we Christians haveto now. But
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