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Lesson 2 – The Kingdom of Darkness
What Were Lucifer’s Five Fatal “I Wills?’
Theme: Recognizing the schemes, and attacks our adversary the devil.
Text: 1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV) Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
(GWT) Keep your mind clear, and be alert. Your opponent the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion as he looks for someone to devour.
Introduction: The devil is an unseen enemy, who much like a lion prowls about seeking to devour our lives. Make no mistake about it, Satan and his legions of demonic spirits have one determined purpose. That is to destroy our lives and to stop the advancement of God’s kingdom in the earth.
John 10:10 (NIV) The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. Jesus said that the thief comes to kill, steal and destroy.
Satan is an oppressor who uses persecution, affliction and tribulation to hinder the believer’s walk with God.
Acts 10:38 (NKJV) how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
The two main tactics that the enemy uses against all people is fear and deception.
2 Corinthians 4:4 (NKJV) And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.4The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
In this lesson we are going to again look at the origins of Satan and how his fallen kingdom operates in deceiving and oppressing people, so that we are on guard against his schemes.
I. The Fall of Lucifer
A. The coming end of Satan and his kingdom.
Isaiah 14:3-11 (NLT) In that wonderful day when the Lord gives his people rest from sorrow and fear, from slavery and chains,4you will taunt the king of Babylon. You will say, “The mighty man has been destroyed. Yes, your insolenceis ended. 5For the Lord has crushed your wicked power and broken your evil rule. 6You struck the people with endless blows of rage and held the nations in your angry grip with unrelenting tyranny. 7But finally the earth is at rest and quiet. Now it can sing again! 8Even the trees of the forest—the cypress trees and the cedars of Lebanon—sing out this joyous song: ‘Since you have been cut down, no one will come now to cut us down!’ 9“In the place of the deadthere is excitement over your arrival. The spirits of world leaders and mighty kings long dead stand up to see you. 10With one voice they all cry out,
‘Now you are as weak as we are! 11Your might and power were buried with you. the sound of the harp in your palace has ceased. Now maggots are your sheet, and worms your blanket.’
II. The Five Fatal and Foolish “I Wills” of Lucifer Isaiah 14:12-23 “How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. 13For you said to yourself, I will ascend into heaven,
I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;
I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north;
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds,
I will be like the Most High.’
15Instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths. 16Everyone there will stare at you and ask, ‘Can this be the one who shook the earth and made the kingdoms of the world tremble?
17Is this the one who destroyed the world and made it into a wasteland? Is this the king who demolished the world’s greatest cities and had no mercy on his prisoners?’18“The kings of the nations lie in stately glory, each in his own tomb, 19but you will be thrown out of your grave like a worthless branch. Like a corpse trampled underfoot, you will be dumped into a mass grave with those killed in battle. You will descend to the pit. 20You will not be given a proper burial, for you have destroyed your nation and slaughtered your people. The descendants of such an evil person will never again receive honor. 21Kill this man’s children! Let them die because of their father’s sins! They must not rise and conquer the earth,
filling the world with their cities.” 22This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: “I, myself, have risen against Babylon! I will destroy its children and its children’s children,” says the Lord. 23“I will make Babylon a desolate place of owls, filled with swamps and marshes. I will sweep the land with the broom of destruction. I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”
A. Babylon is prophetically the earthly epicenter of Satan’s kingdom.1. Founded by the rebel Nimrod, the tower of Babel and later the city of Babylon are where Satan began to spread his ungodly influence through self-centered humanistic religion throughout the world. Josephus says: “Now it was Nimrod who excited them to such an affront and contempt of God. He was the grandson of Ham the son of Noah. He was a bold man, and of great strength of hand. He persuaded them not to ascribe it to God, as if it was through his means they were happy, but to believe that it was their own courage, which procured that happiness. He also gradually changed the government into tyranny, seeing no other way of turning men from the fear of God, but to bring them into a constant dependence on his power…(Antiquities of the Jews Chapter 4:2)”
2. At the heart of all world religion and humanistic man-centered endeavors you will find the “I wills” of Lucifer. His rebellion against God’s is part of the DNA of every sin of man.
3. For this reason God declared that Babylon would never be inhabited again. Babylon prophetically it serves as a type of the destruction of Satan’s kingdom. Isaiah 13:17-23 (NLT) “Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, Who will not regard silver; And as for gold, they will not delight in it. 18Also their bows will dash the young men to pieces, And they will have no pity on the fruit of the womb; Their eye will not spare children. 19And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, The beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, Will be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. 20It will never be inhabited, Nor will it be settled from generation to generation; Nor will the Arabian pitch tents there, Nor will the shepherds make their sheepfolds there. 21But wild beasts of the desert will lie there, And their houses will be full of owls; Ostriches will dwell there, And wild goats will caper there. 22The hyenas will howl in their citadels, And jackals in their pleasant palaces. Her time is near to come, And her days will not be prolonged.”
4. During the reign of Saddam Hussein of Iraq, (once Babylon) he attempted to rebuild the city of Babylon, with the intend of its’ return to glory. Some bible prophecy teachers proclaimed that this would be the Babylon of the book of Revelation. But we see what God had to say about this with the swift end of Saddam’s government and his life.
B. Satan through the false prophet and the anti-Christ will establish Jerusalem as the Babylonian epicenter of his satanic rule on earth.
1. He will desecrate the temple in Jerusalem and set the anti-Christ as the incarnation of satanic rule in the temple designated to God’s name once again proclaiming himself to be like the Most High.
2. Jesus prophetically warned us about this day while on earth.
Matthew 24:16-22 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16“then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.17Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house.18And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.19But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!...
III. The Final End of Satan’s Rebellion
A. God will once again declare the end of Satan’s rebellious earthly reign through the religious system of Babylon.Revelation 14:6-11 (NLT) And I saw another angel flying through the sky, carrying the eternal Good News to proclaim to the people who belong to this world—to every nation, tribe, language, and people.7“Fear God,” he shouted. “Give glory to him. For the time has come when he will sit as judge. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and all the springs of water.” 8Then another angel followed him through the sky, shouting, “Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen—because she made all the nations of the world drink the wine of her passionate immorality.” 9Then a third angel followed them, shouting, “Anyone who worships the beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand10must drink the wine of God’s anger. It has been poured full strength into God’s cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb.11The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.”
B. At Christ’s return He will make a swift end to the kingdom of Satan.Revelation 19:20-21 (NKJV) And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. 20Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. 21And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.
C. At the end of the millennial reign of Christ Satan will attempt his final revolt against God where he and his followers will meet their ultimate end. Revelation 20:1-3 (NKJV) Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. Revelation 20:7-10 (NKJV)Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison 8and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. 9They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. 10The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where[b] the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.