Lesson for October 6, 2024
Victorious Proclamation
Lesson 1
Before we get to the explanation of the Victorious Proclamation, let’s examine what took place leading up to it. In eternity past, there existed created beings called angels. They were created by God (Who always existed) to serve Him. The angels were created with free will and could at any time decide to choose against serving God. For many years, perhaps millions, angels faithfully served God. However, there came a time when the most powerful of the angels made a free will decision to attempt to overthrow God. His name was Lucifer, and the Bible describes him as the most beautiful creature God had ever created. It was because of his beauty and his ruling rank within the angelic host, that he became arrogant. His arrogance caused him to think he could become God and be worshipped by the angels. (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:11-19)
Lucifer was able to convince one third of the angels to follow him in a rebellion against God. (Revelation 12:4) The rebellion was put down by God and Lucifer and the angels who followed him were sentenced to the Lake of Fire. (Matthew 25:41) Once this occurred, two categories of angels emerged: elect (those who chose for God) and fallen (those who chose for Lucifer). This conflict between those angels who followed Lucifer (who later came to be called Satan) and those who chose to follow God is called the Angelic Conflict.
The sentencing of Satan and his angels to the Lake of Fire was not immediately carried out, therefore, Satan appealed the sentence, and it was delayed until the end of human history. (Revelation 20) The titles of Satan: adversary, accuser, and prosecutor give us plenty of reason to believe there was a trial and an appeal of the sentence. Satan’s argument went something like this: “How can a loving God cast His creatures into the Lake of Fire?”
Satan and the fallen angels were crying “Not fair!” God therefore created mankind to demonstrate that His sentence was just, and that love cannot override justice. God cannot change His character to accommodate any creature, whether angel or mankind. God loved the angels, but God could not love in a way that was inconsistent with the other attributes of His character. God had to make a decision which was compatible with His righteousness and justice, as well as with His love. So, God created mankind to show Satan how a loving God can save a creature and still maintain His righteousness.
Even before mankind was created and placed in the Garden of Eden, God set up a test to make it possible for mankind to exercise their volition. (Genesis 2:17) God prohibited the eating from one tree, as this test. The test was to give mankind the opportunity to choose for or against God, duplicating the opportunity the angels had to choose for God. Since God does not desire to coerce love or obedience from His creatures, mankind’s volition had to exist.
In Genesis 3, we see that Adam and Eve, “our original parents,” chose against God, despite everything that He had given them. At that very moment, Satan became the victor in the first battle of the Angelic Conflict here on earth, and immediately became the ruler this world system. (II Corinthians 4:4). In Genesis 3:14-19, we see the result of mankind’s failure and the prediction of the resolution of the Angelic Conflict.
Genesis 3:14-15, “Then the Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this, cursed are you more than all the livestock, and more than any animal of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life; and I will make enemies of you and the woman, and of your offspring and her Descendant; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel.’” Even though the conflict continues, it was actually resolved when Jesus Christ, (Eve’s descendant) bruised the head (a fatal blow) of the serpent (Satan), who bruised Christ’s heel (a reference to the Cross). (II Corinthians 5:21; I Peter 2:21-25) God, in His grace, has allowed the conflict to continue, further piling on the evidence against Satan’s ridiculous claim that God’s sentence was unfair. The ultimate and final defeat of Satan will take place at his defeat at the Battle of Gog and Magog at the end of the Millennium when he cast into the Lake of Fire, forever. (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10).
I will make enemies of you and the woman, and of your offspring and her Descendant. Satan’s descendants (your offspring) are unbelievers throughout history. (John 8:44) Satan is the enemy of God and the entire human race (believers and unbelievers). He hates mankind and desires to destroy them. Unbelievers are also the enemies of God until such time they believe in Christ for eternal life (the Doctrine of Reconciliation). The promise God made was heard by Adam, Eve, and Satan. Therefore, Satan had to devise a plan to stop “the Descendant” of Eve from bruising his head. In his genius, Satan came up with a bold plan to accomplish this goal. He would destroy the descending line of Eve by any means necessary to prevent the birth of her Descendant. If God could not keep this promise, then Satan would be able to prove God unfair and the sentence to the Lake of Fire would have to be reversed.
Down through the ages, people believed the promise of Genesis 3:15, right up to the coming of Christ at the Virgin Birth. They demonstrated their faith by offering animal sacrifices to God. The blood of bulls and goats could not save man from even one sin (Hebrews 10:4), but every time a person offered an animal sacrifice, they were saying, “I believe the promise of Genesis 3:15.”
There have been many times in history when it looked as though Satan would be able to destroy the line of “the Descendant” of Eve (Jesus Christ). Satan knew what the bruising of his head meant when God declared it in Genesis 3:15. So, Satan had to attempt to keep Jesus from going to the Cross. Since Satan commands a tremendous army of fallen angels, he delegated them to frustrate the possibility of Christ’s coming in the flesh. If Jesus Christ did not become true humanity, there could be no sacrifice for sin and no salvation for the human race.
When it became apparent that the “the Descendant” was to come through the line of Abel, who was the younger of Adam’s first two sons, Satan inspired Cain to murder his brother. This was Satan’s first attempt to prevent the fulfillment of Genesis 3:15. However, it failed to work because the line of Christ was transferred to Seth (Adam’s and Eve’s third son). (Luke 3:38) However, there would be numerous other attacks aimed at stopping the birth of Christ.
There are four reasons why Jesus Christ had to become true humanity: 1) to be the Savior of the world by going to the Cross (Romans 5:18-19) 2) to be the mediator between God and mankind (I Timothy 2:5-6) 3) to become our High Priest (Hebrews 3:1-2) 4) to be able to reign as “the Son of David,” in order to fulfill a promise God made to David. (II Samuel 7:13-16)
As a sinless human being, and without Adam’s original sin, Christ is the only Person Who was qualified to go to the Cross and pay for the sins of the human race. In order to have fellowship with God, there must be a Mediator Who is equal with both God and mankind. Jesus Christ is that Mediator because He is both deity and humanity. Since we are sinners, we must have a High Priest to represent us before God. The only priest acceptable to God is Jesus Christ because He is both God and humanity. Christ had to come from the royal line of David to fulfill the Davidic Covenant. (Matthew 1:1-16; Luke 1:32-33; 3:31; Acts 2:29-36).
It was, therefore, of the utmost importance that Jesus Christ be true humanity. But it would be impossible for Christ to become a man unless an unbroken lineage of true humanity existed on the earth! Satan had only begun his attempt to cut off “the line of the woman!” We will see more of Satan’s evil attempts as we continue our study next week!