Now let’s see how Jesus Christ fought Satan the devil.  Because you see Jesus had to overcome Satan the devil, who’s the god of this world, the prince of the power of the air, and all of those things.  Now let’s go to Luke 4 and let’s see that Jesus fought him when He was His physically the weakest, but strong in the Spirit of God.  And that’s exactly why we are given those instructions by James and by Peter.  That’s how we fight and resist.  Satan will flee.  But notice we have to stick with the Word of God and rightly interpret it, as we will see.

Now Luke 4:1, “And Jesus being full of the Holy [Spirit] Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.”  Now we’re going to see about the wilderness here in just a little bit, what that represents concerning the Day of Atonement.  “Being forty days tempted of the devil.”  Now this was a one-to-one, head-to-head knock down, dragged out confrontation and war.  This was the greatest spiritual battle that has ever taken place on the face of this earth.  At stake was the salvation of mankind.  At stake was the existence of the Church.

“And in those days he did eat nothing…” Just like Moses.  When Moses was on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights he didn’t eat any food, didn’t drink any water.  “…And when they were ended, He afterward hungered.”  I imagine so.  It was just really gnawing at Him, if you hadn’t eaten for 40 days and 40 nights.  “And the devil said unto Him…” Now notice how he appeals to human pride.  He said, “…If Thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread” (vs. 2-3).  Now question: Was He the Son of God?  Yes.  Did He have the power to turn stone into bread?  Yes.  But had He done it who would He have been obeying?  God or Satan?  Satan.  Understand this, very important, never let pride and human nature overtake your judgment concerning the things of God.  Notice how He answered…  “And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (vs. 4).  That’s quoted three times in the Bible.  Here in Luke 4:4, Matthew 4:4, and Deuteronomy 8:3.  And it also says in Matthew 4 and Deuteronomy 8, “Every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God shall man live.”  Not by food alone.

“And the devil, taking Him up into an high mountain, shewed unto Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.”  Now this is a profound thing, brethren.  “And the devil said unto Him, All this power will I give Thee…for that is delivered unto me…”, why?  Because men sinned and gave it up to him, that’s why.  “…And to whomsoever I will I give it” (vs. 5-7).  Now let’s stop here and let’s look at something very profound and very important.  We’ll come back here to Luke 4, though let’s come to Revelation 3 first.

Let’s understand why this is so important to realize.  Revelation 3, as we’ll see here in just a minute, talks about the synagogue of Satan.  Jesus talked about the kingdom of Satan.  And Revelation talks about his angels or the demons that fell with him.  They’re all active and they’re all busy.  And Satan has a super organization that is call called here in Revelation 3, let’s read it, the synagogue of Satan.  And we have direct confrontation with this.  Let’s understand that this super organization includes all religions.  It includes the mighty capital businessmen of the world.  It includes religious leaders as well as their religion.  It includes all of the leading politicians of the world to control this world and bring Satan’s one world globalized economy and government to this world.  That is all of Satan the devil.  And the synagogue of Satan, let’s read it here and let’s look at the difference.  Let’s look a the protection that we have from the synagogue of Satan and Satan, and the power that he has in this world, that it comes from God and Christ because of what we do.

Revelation 3:8, “I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept My word…” See, not only do we resist steadfast in the faith, but we keep the Word of God.  That’s why we keep the Sabbaths of God.  That’s why God said, “Verily My Sabbaths you shall keep.”  Now is that the Word of God?  Well, He spoke it, didn’t He?  Yes.  “…And hast not denied My name.”  To be comfortable with everybody else.  “Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan…” (Rev. 3:8-9).  The super-organization, which includes: the Jesuits, the Illuminati, the Masons, the Council of Foreign Relations, and all of their counterparts in all nations of the world.  It includes the leaders of the United Nations.  They form the synagogue of Satan and it spreads out in its different organizations.  It includes the Club of Rome.  It includes the Bilderbergers.  It includes the Trilateralists.  See, because Satan has his kingdom, but he also has them in competition with one another because his kingdom is divided and he loves the competition to see who’s going to come out on top.  And all the while he’s in control of it all.  So he has the Catholics against the Protestants, and the Protestants against the Catholics.  And the Masons against the Catholics, and the Catholics against the Masons.  And the Illuminati against all of them.  And then you have the CFR and they’re against religion.  And the Catholics are against the CFR.  Listen, you need to strip it all away and know that it is the synagogue of Satan which rules it all.  That’s why we have to be faithful to the word of God.  And all of those big important people, if I didn’t mention all the big captains of industry and commerce of this world, they’re included in it.

Now, God is going to do something because we are the weak, we’re the despised, we’re the rejected of this world.  When the Kingdom of God is set up on this earth He is going to make them do a profound thing.  Let’s read it.  “…Which say they are Jews, and are not [that is have the true way of salvation], but do lie: behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved you.”  Now that’s how you fight Satan the devil.  You can’t fight this world any other way.  You can’t fight Satan any other way except by love and obedience to God.  And He will fight your battles for you, and He will protect you.

But here, let’s come back to Luke 4.  So Satan came along and said, “Look, I’ll give this all to you now.  You don’t have to wait until the time when God is going to give it to you.”  Just like he told Adam and Eve, right?  Eat of it now, you’ll become gods.  He said the same thing to Jesus.  “Look, I’ll give it to you now.”  No, you wait till God gives it.  So what did He say?  Notice there’s a hitch.  There is a hitch to it.  You don’t get it for nothing.  There is a price.  And that price is your spiritual salvation.

Verse 7, Satan said to Jesus, “If Thou therefore wilt worship me…”, he said to Jesus, “…all will be Thine.”  What did Jesus say?  “And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me Satan: for it is written, Thou…”, not talking that Satan will worship God cause he never will.  He worships himself because he thinks he is god.  But this is the instruction for mankind.  So Jesus, being a man was quoting the scripture of God to Himself as to what He should do.  “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve” (vs. 7-8).  Now I want you to look at that verse and I want you to understand it.  And I want you to realize that in our lives in keeping the word of God and resisting Satan the devil, that is how we do it.  We serve Him only, and we worship Him only and none other.  Now maybe this will help you understand why God doesn’t want a hierarchy.  He does not want men sitting in the seat of God like the pompous man over in Rome in the Vatican called the Pope.  He obeys Satan the devil and that is rank idolatry and Satanism.

Now let’s look at the next temptation.  “And he brought Him to Jerusalem, and set Him on a pinnacle of the temple [put Him up there, “Look around you”], and said unto Him, If Thou be the Son of God…” (vs. 9).

“Now let’s see, are you really true?  Come on, are you really the Son of God?  I really don’t believe it.  Why don’t you prove it to me.  Cast Thyself down from here.  Now I’m going to quote you a scripture.”  And he quotes it right.  See, a properly quoted scripture misapplied is still sin.  Did you know that?  Think on that.

“For it is written, He shall give His angels charge over Thee, to keep thee: and in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time Thou dash Thy foot against a stone” (vs. 10-11).  Now let’s think about this for a minute.  If Jesus would have done that right at the Temple, guess what would have happened?  Satan would have inspired all the priests and all the Pharisees and Sadducees to come out and accept Jesus as the Messiah.  Because He would now be a false messiah because He would have rejected being the Son of God.  He would have worshipped Satan the devil, He would have obeyed Satan the devil, and now He would be acceptable to men because He is now of the devil.  Think of that.  But He didn’t, did He?  No. Notice what He answered.  “And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God” (vs. 12).  And Who was the Lord God in the flesh?  Jesus Christ.  Now this gives us a good idea of how we need to fight Satan in this world.

Now let’s come back and see something that is very profound and important in the ritual contained in Leviticus 16, which then leads us to what God is going to do to get rid of Satan the devil in the final analysis.  Let’s understand something very profound.  Before Satan entered the scene there was no sin.  And we have seen how many, many times over again in history where we have it the societies try and get rid of the evil.  And they do for a while but Satan and his agents come right back and what do you have?  Sin again.  So in order to get rid of sin you have got to get rid of Satan the devil.  That’s just as true as it can be.  And this ritual that we find here in Leviticus 16 is a prophecy of God getting rid of Satan the devil and sin forever.  It’s contained in the special sacrifices for the Day of Atonement as found in Leviticus 16.

Now the first part of it talks about what Aaron would do for his own sacrifices to purify himself and the priests.  And then after he had put on the holy garments then verse 5, “And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.  And Aaron shall offer his bullock of the sin offering, which is for himself, and make an atonement for himself and for his house” (Lev. 16:5-6).  Now after he has been purified, representing then the purified Christ, if we could look at it that way.  “And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation” (vs. 7).

Now it’s also very interesting that when you go back to Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden there were two Cherubim put there guarding the way into the Garden of Eden.  So when God met Adam and Eve and later Able and Cain they would meet there right at place and the two Cherubim were there.  Later this was incorporated into the Tabernacle, into the Temple where the Cherubim overshadowing the throne of God.  And also, after Adam and Eve had sinned, what happened?  God took two goats and killed them, and covered them with the skins to cover their nakedness.  So here on the Day of Atonement, which pictures the solution to the problem of sin, we have two goats which are taken.  One for the Lord and the other one, it says, for the scapegoat, but it shall be for Azazel.  And Azazel is another name for Satan the devil.  

Then something very, very different happens with these sacrifices.  Let’s read it, verse 9.  “And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD’S lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering.”  This is a type of Christ.  Now, if you have something offered for a sin offering and it’s accepted of God, has the sin been covered and forgiven?  Yes.  That’s important and profound to understand so that we don’t get mixed up on the function of the second one.  So then after he killed the goat which was for the sin offering, verse 15, “Then shall he kill the goat of the sin offering, that is for the people, and bring his blood within the vail…”, right before the presence of God.  Now this is exactly what Jesus did when He went before God the Father, didn’t He?  He brought His blood there as the blood of the sacrifice for the sins of all mankind.  So in this case the people of Israel.  And the final fulfillment will picture all the people of the world.  “…And bring his blood within the vail, and do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bullock, and sprinkle it upon the mercy seat, and before the mercy seat: and he shall make an atonement [now notice] for the holy place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins…” (vs. 15-16).  Now this sin offering covered.  And that’s what atonement means.  It comes from the Hebrew kippur, Yom Kippur is the name of the day.  And kippur means “to cover”.  Are all of their sins covered or atoned for?  If you have a sin sacrifice taken in and accepted of God, all the sins have been covered and atoned for.  Then what is the purpose of the second goat?  Because that is also part of the thing which makes everything at-one with God.  Or being covered so that you are at-one with God.  Now let’s read it.

Let’s come down here to verse 20.  “And when he hath made an end of reconciling the holy place, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat.”  Now it doesn’t go inside the Holy of Holies.  It’s just right there at the altar of burnt offerings.  “And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel…” Now why do that over a live goat?  Weren’t their sins already forgiven when the sin offering was offered and taken into the Holy of Holies?  The answer is yes.  But why do this?  The answer is very, very clear.  As long as Satan is around there is sin.  He is the author of sin.  Who caused the children of Israel to sin and all their sins and transgressions but Satan the devil?  So that’s why he confesses them.  “…And all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat…” Everything comes right back to the judgment of Satan the devil and he will bare his own judgment.  See, we have an intercessor, which is Christ.  He takes away the judgment from us through His sin offering.  But the one that is pictured for Satan the devil, the live goat…now why did he pick a live goat and do it with a live goat?  Because Satan is a spirit being and cannot die.  So all the sins are put right back on the author of sin, Satan the devil.  Now notice, “…and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man…” (vs. 20-21).  Now this fit man, as we will see, is a type of an angel.  And we will see the fulfillment in Revelation 20 in a little bit.

“And the goat shall bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited…” Now why take it out into the wilderness into a land not inhabited?  That is to show and typify where Satan is going to be removed from all people.  That’s why.  Removed into the wilderness into a place uninhabited.  “…And he shall let go the goat in the wilderness” (vs. 22).  And then Aaron will come back in, change his clothes, wash his flesh.  The man who took the goat out into the wilderness, when he comes back he will do the same thing.

Now let’s come down here to verse 29.  “And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you: for on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD” (vs. 29-30).

Now for us who are in the Church today, this applies to us through the sacrifice of Christ at the Passover.  But for Israel and for the world, then it’s going to be applied when the fulfillment of the Day of Atonement, when Satan is going to be removed, their sins will be forgiven as God has said, and be covered, and God is going to deal with them as His people in Spirit and in truth.  Not in this way any longer.  “It shall be a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your souls, by a stature for ever” (vs. 31).

Now, let’s look at the fulfillment of this when we come to Revelation 20 and see the exact type of this.  Satan is not destroyed.  Some people can say, “Ok, well, you know, can God destroy Satan?”  Well, yes, nothing is impossible with God.  But what if it’s not within the realm of God’s will or purpose to destroy him?  How much better to have him forever lasting memory through all eternity so no one will rebel against God.

Now let’s come here to Revelation 20.  Let’s see the fulfillment of this.  Remember we came from the day of the Feast of Trumpets up here where the armies are all destroyed by Christ and the sons of God who come down and war against the Beast and the False Prophet and their armies.  Now verse 1 of chapter 20.  “And I saw an angel [that’s a type of the fit man back in Leviticus 16] come down from heaven, having the key of the [abyss] bottomless pit…” Now taking the goat out in the wilderness was the closest you could come to an abyss.  Especially if you understand some of the wilderness south and east of Jerusalem and Judea.  “…And a great chain in his hand.  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is [called] the Devil, and Satan, and bond him a thousand years...” (Rev. 20:1-2). Now God’s going to do something with Satan a little later on, but he’s going go to be bound for a whole thousand years.

Now why is Satan bound for the thousand years?  Because, as long as Satan is around you can never get rid of sin.  Do you understand that?  That’s why God has done it this way.  In order to cleanse all the societies when the Millennium begins, so that we don’t have a repeat of everything that’s gone on in the past and the cycle of human history of sin and destruction and death, then Satan has to be removed because he’s the author of that.  He holds people in fear of death.  So he’s removed.  He’s bound a thousand years.

“And cast him into the [abyss] bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season” (vs. 3-4).  Well, you’re going to have to come to the Last Great Day to understand why Satan is loosed for a little season.  What is God’s purpose in doing that?  So this is when Satan will be put away.  And he has to be put away before the Millennium begins.

Now let’s come back and look at some other things that we need to understand, because as the apostle Paul said, we do not want to be caught by the wiles of the devil or give him an entrance.  Now let’s come to Ephesians 4 and let’s see what he said here.  Satan loves bad attitudes.  Satan loves for people to come along and be angry and hateful and despiteful.  And it gives him an opportunity.  Because as the prince of the power of the air he’ll come along and feed that.  He feeds all of those kinds of hateful emotions.  That’s his specialty.  Now let’s notice.

Let’s come here to Ephesians 4:25.  “Wherefore putting away lying…” Who’s the author of lies?  Satan the devil.  When you lie who are you serving?  God or Satan?  You’re serving Satan.  “…Speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.  Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath” (Eph. 4:25-26).  Then notice the next verse, verse 27.  “Neither give place to the devil.”  Why?  Because when you lie, and when you’re angry, and when you sit and brood and carry anger and hostility then you give place to the devil.  You give him an entrance.

Now let’s go to 2 Corinthians 2:11.  He says in forgiving the one who had sinned and bringing him back, he said if you don’t then, “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.”  We’ve covered a lot of them today, haven’t we?  Where he lies, he deceives, and he manipulates and he uses.  We’re not to be ignorant of his devices.

Let’s see what happened with Peter.  Peter had a close encounter with Satan on two occasions.  Let’s come to Matthew 16.  Let’s see how Satan appeals to human nature.  Satan is the prince of the power of the air inspiring the wrong thoughts, always appeals to the things of men which seem right, have a good cause.  Satan loves do-gooders. He loves good causes.

Now let’s begin in Matthew 16:21.  “From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto His disciples, how that He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day.”  Now Peter, remember he said, “I’ll go to the death with you Lord.”  So he was really zealous.  He’s going to show what he can do.  So “…Peter took Him…”, probably walked up to Christ, grabbed a hold of his elbow and turned Him around, “…and began to rebuke Him…”, begin to correct Him for making such a statement.  “…Saying, Be it far from Thee, Lord: this shall not [happen] be unto Thee” (Matt. 16:21-22).  “Why, we’re not going to let it happen.  I’ll fight for you.” Remember who was the one who had the sword that cut off the ear of the servant of the high priest.  It was Peter.  So here’s Peter in all of his braggadocio saying, “Well, I’ll help you.  I’ll do it.”  So Satan appeals to people who want to do good for God because they are so good.  Now you see let’s make something real clear here.  No one is going to do anything for God because they’re so good or powerful, or mighty.  God will use those that are humble and love Him, and serve Him, and obey Him.  That’s how things get done.  Not by the might of carnal will.

Now verse 23, “But He [Jesus] turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind Me, Satan…”, because that attitude came right from Satan the devil, prince of the power of the air.  Peter had a weakness.  And his weakness was his human carnal strength of character so that he was going to do right and not let this happen to Christ.  “…Thou art an offence unto Me…” See, because it was the will of God that He die.  “…For thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.”  And that’s how Satan has an entrance.  That’s one of his grand devices - the things of men.  “Yes, yes, let’s make it just, let’s make it right.  Let’s have fairness for everybody.  Let’s not let Him die.  After all, He’s the Messiah.  Let’s keep Him alive so He can save Israel.  That’s why He came.  Why of course, we know that Lord.”  You savor the things of men, not of God.

Now let’s come to Luke 22 and let’s see something here very important.  Here we find a little bit more of the rest of the story of Peter, and also how Christ has to intercede for us.  Now remember, and of course Luke 22 has to do with the Passover.  And what happened on that Passover night?  Satan entered into Judas, didn’t he, to betray Him.  So Satan wants certain people, to use certain people.  Remember that Satan disputed with Michael the archangel over the body of Moses because he wanted the body of Moses.  Cause he could have taken the body of Moses and created the greatest religion in the world.  Just put Moses body right in a clear glass coffin full of honey and Moses would be perfectly preserved.  Why, we’d make a grand temple.  Why, we would have pilgrimages, we would have people come to it.  We’d have them crawl on their knees and flagellate their chest and their back, and they would come and do homage to the body of Moses.  Satan wants certain people.  And that’s why we have to really resist Satan in faith.  Now Satan got Judas and he wanted Peter.

Let’s come to Luke 22:31, “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.”  Just grind you up and chew you up and just sift you into so much pulverized fine flour.  Just take and absolutely ruin and destroy you.  Satan wants to do that, doesn’t he?  He wanted Peter.  But notice what Jesus said.  “But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.”  That’s when he said, “Lord…” He still didn’t get it.  Here he was right on the verge of great danger with Satan but Christ prayed for him.  And he said, “Lord, I am ready to go with Thee, both into prison, and to death.”  And Jesus answered in verse 34, “I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest Me” (Luke 22:31-34).  Now that ought to tell us something very profound, right?  That by human might and by human good intentions and human will we only play into the hands of Satan the devil.  And but for Christ praying for us that we are not delivered to the evil one, we could go the same way.  So there is a great amount that we need to understand concerning this.  And that’s why Satan has to be put away.

Let’s come here to Acts 26:18.  Let’s understand from what we’ve been delivered to be of one with God.  Now here is why Paul went about preaching.  And he said that he went to the Gentiles, verse 18, Christ is able to do this, “To open their eyes…”, the true opening to Christ.  Not as Satan the devil said to Eve, but the true understanding of the word of God, and the true understanding of Jesus Christ.  “…And to turn them from darkness [because Satan is the prince of the power of the air and the prince of darkness] to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Me.”

Now let’s come back here to Colossians 1, and let’s understand how profound this is.  We have been delivered from the power of darkness, and the power of Satan the devil to be called by Christ and God the Father.  To have the Holy Spirit of God.  To know the word of God.  To understand the truth of God.  To be at one with God, which this day pictures as we overcome Satan the devil and Christ fights for us, see.  And just like it says there in Revelation 12, we overcome Satan the devil by the testimony of our word, and by not loving our lives unto death, and by loving God with all of our hearts, and mind, and soul and being.  And we can completely overcome Satan that way.  But notice we have to understand what God has done, and the first chapter of Colossians tells it very clearly, and what the hope of being at one with God is.

Now let’s pick it up here in Colossians 1:9, “For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.”  That is the true knowledge and wisdom, you see, which comes from God, not from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which this world has.  “That ye might walk worthy…” Now what we are going to see is how then we are able to stay at one with God continually.  To “…walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing [of course that’s brethren], being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.”  Here’s the strength that we get.  The inner strength from His Spirit, “Strengthened with all might [or that is, all power], according to His glorious power…” That’s how we grow and overcome.  “…Unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us [fit, or qualified us] meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in [the] light.”  God the Father is the One Who qualifies us.  We don’t qualify ourselves by our works.  It is Christ in us.  It is the Father in us.  “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness…” We’ve been delivered brethren, and we ought not go back.  And any of those brethren you know that are edging closer back to the world, go to them, help them.  Help them to realize and understand what is going to happen to them if they continue on that course.  “…And hath translated us into [brought us unto the jurisdiction, that is] the kingdom of His dear Son: in Whom we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:9-14).

Now notice how great this is to be at one with God.  The redemption of our sins.  Completely covered, wholly removed, taken from us, absolutely gone.  “…Even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature [that is to be born by the resurrection from the dead]:  For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers…” (vs. 15-16).  See, we have the strength and power over all of those things.  We don’t have to worry.  If God is for us who can be against us?  Nothing can be against us.  Not even Satan the devil can be against us.

Now notice verse 17,  “And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.  And He is the head of the body, the church: Who is the beginning, the firstborn from [among] the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence.  For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fulness dwell” (vs. 17-19).  Now we have been made at one with God through the operation of the sacrifice of Christ.  Verse 20, “And having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.  And you, that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in His sight: If [there’s that large two letter word], If you continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard…” (vs. 17-23).

Now then he shows the whole meaning of this.  The final analysis of it all, which is that God would make known to you the greatest thing that there is.  And this is the true total at-one-ment with God that we have with His Spirit.  Verse 27, “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

So God has a plan.  He’s going to get rid of Satan the devil.  And he’s going to do it through the power of Jesus Christ.  And we here are going to fight against Satan the devil through the Spirit of God, through the truth of God, and yielding to Christ and Christ in us that we always be at one with Him.  And God is going to put away Satan the devil, and He’s going to destroy the synagogue of Satan and they are going to come and worship before our feet so that they will know that God has loved us.