The Battle between God and Satan: Part 6 – Satan's defeat at the cross

Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now has salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ come; for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down!"

In Rev 12:10 we see that Satan, the accuser of our brethren, is cast down to the Earth. There are several different interpretation of Rev chapter 12 floating around, but after I spent several weeks researching this chapter, as well as writing a long study on it, I concluded that the manchild of Rev 12 is the Bride of Christ that is Raptured 3.5 years before the end of the world, which also occurs on the same day when Satan is cast down to the Earth.

When Satan caused Adam and Eve to fall from grace in the Garden of Eden, God "legally" lost a certain amount of authority over mankind, while Satan "legally" earned a certain amount of authority of mankind. This is why after the fall of man God worked through Old Testament covenants, and then later sent His Son who was born into the world as a man, and after that continued working through the New Testament covenant. In the coming 1,000 year reign of Christ, the Bible states that God will still continue to work through a new covenant, as declared in Hebrews 8.

Hebrew 8:6-13 But the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, and it is founded on better promises. For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people and said: "The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not remain faithful to my covenant, and I turned away from them, declares the Lord. This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more." By calling this covenant "new," he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear.

Keeping in mind that although supreme authority cannot ever be completely taken away from the Father, because Satan is "legally" allowed to retain a great amount of authority in the world, Satan uses this authority to accuse mankind day and night.

When Christ was born into the world from a human mother, Christ then "legally" earned the right to have authority over mankind, and is why Christ almost always referred to himself as, "the Son of Man". When Christ shed his blood on the cross 2,000 years ago, Satan was dealt a death blow, and his head was bruised. How the blood sacrifice of the Son of God can atone for the sins of the billions of souls is a supernatural mystery our carnal minds cannot fully comprehend; but because God knew that mankind would fall from grace and lose their immortality, God's plan of salvation by the blood sacrifice of the Lamb of God was flawlessly planned out from before the foundation of the Earth.

Rev 13:8 All who dwell on the earth will worship him [the beast], whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.

The ritual of sacrificing animals to God began in the days of Adam and Eve.

Genesis 4:2-5 Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in the process of time, it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat; and the Lord respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering.

Since the fall of man and throughout the entire history of mankind, in every known civilization of the world, human and animal sacrifices have been performed as religious rituals in the worship of gods. This is because there is a supernatural occurrence that takes place in the spiritual realm surrounding a blood sacrifice. The main thing the Bible tells us about a blood sacrifice is that there is no forgiveness of sin without the shedding of blood.

Leviticus 17:11 For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement for yourselves on the altar; it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life.

Hebrews 9:22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Thus for the cause of this supernatural spiritual mystery, the atonement of the sins of billions of people born into the world was carried out by the blood sacrifice of the Son of Man, and was the highest price God could ever pay for our redemption.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

The crucifixion of the Son of God for the redemption of unworthy sinners was a great act of love.

John 15:13 Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.

1 John 3:16 By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us

We cannot fully comprehend the "legality" that exists in the spiritual realm regarding the blood sacrifice of the Lamb of God, but it was "legally" the only way that the Savior of the world was able to redeem God's children from the clutches of Satan and from eternal damnation. This is why all who accept this awesome and free gift of Salvation will be redeemed, and will be able return to the Father and the Son to live in paradise for all of eternity.

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

Romans 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

Ephesians 1:7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

Colossians 1:19-20 For it pleased the Father that in him all the fullness should dwell, and by him to reconcile all things to himself, by him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of his cross.

Hebrews 9:11-18 But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. For where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is in force after men are dead, since it has no power at all while the testator lives. Therefore not even the first covenant was dedicated without blood.

In the passage above of Hebrews 9 we can see legal jargon used that we in modern times also use in regards to a testator's "Last Will & Testament". That a person's "Last Will & Testament" cannot be "enforced" as long as the testator lives, "for where there is a testament, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator." Thus, the death of the Lamb of God was the "death of the testator" which was necessary in order that the "heirs" could inherit the kingdom of God as declared in the Bible, which is God's "Last Will & Testament".
 
Galatians 4:7 Wherefore you are no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Christ also had to inherit the kingdom by his own death. If Satan had been victorious in preventing the birth and death of Jesus, Christ could not inherited the kingdom of his Father; thus, we are as brothers and sisters in Christ, and heirs along with him.
 
Hebrews 1:1-2 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds.
 
The book of Revelation has more to say about the Lamb of God.

Rev 5:6 And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

Rev 7:17 for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."

Rev 19:9 Then he said to me, write: "Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!"

Rev 21:23 The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light.

Rev 22:1 And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb.

Rev 22:3 And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.

In Rev 19 Christ is seen wearing a “vesture dipped in blood” as he rides forth into the Battle of Armageddon followed by the armies in heaven.

Rev 19:11-14 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.

Although Satan was successful in gaining legal authority over man after they fell in the Garden of Eden, Christ was victorious at "the old wooden cross." Because of the incredible love of God for His children and because of He that is called Faithful and True, the Son of Man, the Savior of the world, billions of souls will join the Lamb God to become "heirs" of God's kingdom, which will be more glorious and wonderful than we could ever imagine.
 
1 Corinthians 2:9 But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him."