How Jesus defeated satan on the cross

o help people gain a better understanding of what truly happened at
the Cross, I believe this writing does great justice to the topic: http://
www.heavensfamily.org/ss/discipleship-teaching-30/was-not-satan-
defeated-by-jesus-on-the-cross
If you know God's New Covenant Word, and you have walked with the
Holy Spirit for any length of time, there should be no doubt that Jesus
dealt Satan a MAJOR DEATHBLOW by his death, burial, and
resurrection. Yet dealing Satan a major deathblow is not the same as
annihilation , which is one reason why I believe the following writing has
great value. There are more reasons that than however ...
-- Norm Rasmussen, Founder, Precious Testimonies
MYTH #1: “In eternity past, God and Satan engaged in a great battle.
Today, the cosmic struggle still rages between them.”
This particular myth contradicts one of the most well-established,
fundamental truths about God that is revealed in Scripture—the truth
that He is all-powerful, or omnipotent, to use the theological term.
From cover to cover the Bible affirms God’s omnipotence.
On page one of the Bible we learn that God created everything. He
spoke the universe into existence. How much power did that require?
Whatever amount was necessary, God had it!
Has God’s power diminished since then, now that He has grown so much
older? No, Jesus told us that all things are possible with God (See: Matt.
19:26). Jeremiah affirmed that there is nothing too difficult for Him
(see Jer. 32:17). No person or force can stop Him from fulfilling His
plans (see 2 Chron. 20:6; Job 41:10; 42:2). Through Jeremiah God asks,
“For who is like Me....And who then...can stand against Me?” (Jer.
50:44). The answer is no one , not even Satan.
Speaking through the prophet Isaiah, the Holy Spirit said, “Do you not
know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the creator
of the ends of the earth does not become weary or tired” (Is. 40:28).
Paul wrote that God is able to do “exceeding abundantly beyond all
that we ask or think” (Eph 3:20).
If God is truly all-powerful as the above-mentioned scriptures affirm,
then to say that God and Satan were - or are - in a battle is to imply
that He is not all-powerful. If God lost even a single round, was
slightly overcome by Satan even to a small degree, or had to struggle
against him for even a short time, then He is not all-powerful as He
declares Himself to be.
Christ’s Commentary on Satan’s Power
Jesus once said something concerning Satan’s fall from heaven that
will help us understand how much power Satan has in comparison to our
omnipotent God:
And the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are
subject to us in Your name.” And He said to them, “I was watching
Satan fall from heaven like lightning” (Luke 10:17-18).
When Jesus sent out seventy of His disciples to preach and heal, they
returned exuberantly to report that even the demons were subject to
them in His name. They should not have been so surprised, however.
Jesus informed them that in His pre-incarnate state, He had witnessed
a very revealing demonstration of the Father’s supreme power over
Satan: When the all-powerful God decreed Satan’s expulsion from
heaven, Satan could not resist. Jesus chose the metaphor, like
lightning, to emphasize the speed with which Satan fell. He fell, not
like molasses, but like lightning. He didn’t fall like a leaf from a tree
or a rock from a cliff. Oh no. Satan was in heaven one second, and in
the next—BOOM!—he was gone!
If God can so quickly and easily expel Satan himself, it should have
been no surprise that His commissioned servants could also quickly and
easily expel demons.
Previously, those disciples possessed great respect for the horrible
power that demons exercised over their victims, but now they had
witnessed a far greater power, causing their joyful amazement. How
some of us need this same revelation. Too many Christians have a great
respect for the power of the devil and have not yet grasped that God’s
power is far, far, far greater. God is the Creator, and Satan is only a
creation.
Satan is no match for God. There is no comparison between God’s power
and Satan’s power. Satan cannot even struggle against God’s great
power, as Jesus so aptly put it.
The War That Never Was
As strange as it may seem to some of our ears, we need to understand
that God and Satan are not, have never been, and never will be in a
battle. Yes, they do have differing agendas, and perhaps it could be
cautiously said that they are in opposition. But when two parties are in
opposition to one another, and one is immensely more powerful than the
other, their conflicts are not considered battles. Could an earthworm
fight with an elephant? An earthworm might make a very feeble
attempt to oppose an elephant, but their contention could hardly be
described as a fight.
Satan, like that earthworm, made a feeble attempt to oppose One who
was immensely more powerful. His opposition was quickly dealt with, and
he was expelled from heaven “like lightning.” There was no battle—
there was only an expulsion.
If God is all-powerful, then Satan doesn’t have a ghost of a chance at
slightly hindering God from doing what He wants to do. And if God
does permit Satan to do something, ultimately it is only to accomplish
His own divine will. This truth will become abundantly clear as we
continue to examine the Scriptures in later chapters.
Obviously, God permitted Satan to make a choice regarding obedience
or disobedience, which is what we call free will. But the only reason
Satan possessed the authority to make a choice was because God gave
him that authority.
The Future Binding of Satan
God’s supreme authority over Satan was not only demonstrated in
eternity past, but will also be demonstrated in the future. We read in
Revelation that one solitary angel will bind Satan and incarcerate him
for a thousand years:
And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the
abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon,
the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a
thousand years, and threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed
it over him, so that he should not deceive the nations any longer, until
the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be
released for a short time. (Rev. 20:1-3)
This future incident could not be considered a battle between God and
Satan any more than Satan’s original expulsion from heaven could be
considered a battle between God and Satan. This unnamed angel will
simply lay hold of Satan and put him out of operation for a thousand
years. There is no mention of any skirmish.
Notice also that Satan will not have the power to break out of his prison
and will only be released when it suits God’s purposes (See: Rev.
20:7-9).
God could easily bind Satan right now if He desired. To say that He
could not is to say that He is not more powerful than Satan.
Then why doesn’t God put a stop to Satan right now? Simply because it
doesn’t suit His purposes at this time. There are reasons why God
permits Satan to function upon the earth, reasons which we will explore
in later chapters. 1
What About the Future “War in Heaven”?
If it is true that God and Satan are not, have never been, and never
will be in a battle, then why do we read in the book of Revelation of a
future war in heaven that involves Satan? That’s a good question, and
one that can be easily answered. Let’s first read about that future
heavenly war in Revelation 12:7-9:
And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with
the dragon. And the dragon and his angels waged war, and they were
not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in
heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who
is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was
thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
(Rev. 12:7-9)
If you will read the verses which immediately precede and follow those
quoted above, you will see that this incident of which John wrote is not
a description of Satan’s original expulsion from heaven, when he “fell
like lightning.” Rather, it is a description of a future expulsion.2 Other
scriptures indicate that Satan, even since his original expulsion, may
still have some limited access to God’s heaven (See: Job 1:6; 2:1; Zech.
3:1-2, Luke 22:31; Rev. 12:10).
Notice that this war will be between Michael and his angels and Satan
and his angels. God Himself is not mentioned as being involved in the
battle. If He were, the conflict could hardly be described as a war,
because God, being all-powerful, could easily squelch any opposition in
a flash of time as He has already proven.
Angels, including Michael, are not all-powerful, and thus their conflict
with Satan and his angels can be described as a war because there will
be some actual conflict for a portion of time. Still, they, being more
powerful, will overcome Satan and his hordes.
Why would God not become personally involved in this particular battle,
leaving it to His angels? I have no idea. Certainly God, being all-
knowing, knew that His angels could win the war, and so perhaps He
figured there was no need for Him to be involved personally. And I
suppose that if God did everything Himself, the angels would have
nothing to do!
I have no doubt that God could have easily and quickly annihilated the
wicked Canaanites in the days of Joshua, but He chose to give the
Israelites the task. What God could have done effortlessly in seconds
He required them to do, expending great efforts over a period of
months. Perhaps this was more pleasing to God as it required faith on
the part of the Israelites. Perhaps that is the reason He will not be
personally involved in that future war in heaven. The Bible, however,
does not tell us.
Just because there is going to be a war someday in heaven between
Michael and his angels and Satan and his angels is no reason for us to
think that God is not all-powerful—any more than Israel’s battles in
Canaan are reason for us to think that God is not all-powerful.
Remember, God’s angels are not all-powerful—God is.
Was Not Satan Defeated by Jesus on the Cross?
In regard to this first myth of God and Satan’s reputed battles, I
would like to conclude this chapter by considering the commonly-used
statement: Jesus defeated Satan on the cross.
In years past, I had often stated that Jesus defeated Satan on the
cross until I realized that what I was saying was not entirely biblical.
Scripture never actually states that Jesus defeated Satan on the cross.
Am I, perhaps, splitting theological hairs? No, there is good reason to
be so particular. When we say that Jesus defeated Satan, we make it
sound as if Jesus and Satan were in a battle, which implies that God is
not all-powerful and that Satan was not already under the complete
authority of God. That is why I no longer say that Jesus defeated
Satan on the Cross. There are more biblical ways of describing what
happened to Satan when Jesus gave His life on Calvary.
Hebrews 2:14-15 tells us: “Since then the children [that’s us, the
children of God] share in flesh and blood [that is, we have physical
bodies], He Himself [Jesus] likewise also partook of the same [a
physical body], that through death He might render powerless him who
had the power of death, that is, the devil; and might deliver those who
through fear of death were subject to slavery all their
lives.” (emphasis added) .
Note that Jesus, through His death, rendered Satan powerless. To what
extent did He render Satan powerless? Obviously, Satan is not
completely powerless, or else the apostle John would never have written
that “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19,
emphasis added). Neither would James and Peter have told us to resist
the devil, because if Satan had no power, there would be nothing for us
to resist (see James 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:8-9). Nor would Paul have written,
“And the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” (Rom.
16:20)
If you overheard me say to someone, “I’m powerless,” you probably
wouldn’t conclude I meant that I was incapable of doing anything. You
would assume that I meant I was powerless to change a certain
situation, or that I had lost some jurisdiction over something I had
previously controlled. If you had heard the context of my comment, you
would probably know exactly what I meant. That is why it is so
important to read verses of the Bible within their context, otherwise,
we can wrongly interpret what God is trying to communicate to us.
We’ve already determined from other scriptures that Satan was not
rendered totally powerless or inoperable by Jesus’ death. Thus we need
to know in what area or to what extent Satan was rendered powerless.
Hebrews 2:14-15 tells us. It says that through His death, Jesus
rendered “powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the
devil; and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject
to slavery all their lives” (emphasis added). Satan was rendered
powerless in regard to “the power of death.” What, exactly, does that
mean?
This question is answered by looking at what other parts of the New
Testament have to say about death.
Three Kinds of Death
Scripture makes reference to three kinds of death: spiritual death,
physical death , and the second death.
The second death (or eternal death) is referred to in Revelation 2:22;
20:6,14; 21:8, and is described as the time when unbelievers will be
thrown into the lake of fire.
Physical death occurs when a person’s spirit departs from his body,
and his body then ceases to function.
Scripture teaches that we are tri-partite in nature: spirit, soul, and
body (See: 1 Thes. 5:23). Our body is our physical person, the flesh and
bones and blood. Our soul is often considered to be our emotions,
intellect and will. Our spirit is referred to in Scripture as “the inward
man” (2 Cor. 4:16), or “the hidden man of the heart” (1 Pet. 3:4). In
both cases, the spirit is called a “man.” The spirit is a person who is
made of spiritual material, rather than physical material, just like
angels, for example. The spirit has been described by some as the “real
you.” Your spirit is eternal.
With this in mind we can better understand the third kind of death of
which the Bible speaks—spiritual death.
Being spiritually dead describes the condition of a human spirit which
has not been born again by the Holy Spirit. A spiritually dead person
has a spirit that is alienated from God, a spirit that possesses a sinful
nature, a spirit that is, to some degree, joined to Satan. Ephesians
2:1-3 paints for us a picture of the spiritually dead person:
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly
walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of
the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of
disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our
flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by
nature children of wrath, even as the rest.
Paul said the Ephesians Christians were dead in their trespasses and
sins. Obviously he was not referring to physical death because he was
writing to physically alive people. Therefore, he must have been saying
that they were dead, spiritually speaking.
What killed them, spiritually? It was their “trespasses and sins.”
Remember God told Adam that in the day he disobeyed, he would die
(see Gen. 2:17). God was not speaking of physical death, but spiritual
death, because Adam did not die physically on the day he ate the
forbidden fruit. Rather, he died spiritually that day, and did not die
physically until hundreds of years later.
Paul continued by saying that the Ephesians, as spiritually dead
people, had walked in (or practiced) those trespasses and sins,
following the “course of the world” (that is, doing what everyone else
was doing) and following “the prince of the power of the air.”
Who is “the prince of the power of the air”? He is Satan, who rules his
dark domain as commander-in-chief over other evil spirits who inhabit
the atmosphere. Those evil spirits are listed by various ranks in a later
chapter of Ephesians (See: Eph. 6:12).
Paul said that dark prince is a “spirit that is now working in the sons
of disobedience.” The expression, “sons of disobedience,” is just
another description for all unbelievers which emphasizes that their
nature is sinful. Paul later said that they “were by nature children of
wrath” (Eph. 2:3, emphasis added). Additionally, he said that Satan
was working in them.
The Devil for a Dad
Whether unsaved people realize it or not, they are following Satan and
are his subjects in the kingdom of darkness. They have his evil, selfish
nature residing in their spiritually dead spirits. Satan is actually their
spiritual lord and father. That is why Jesus once said to some unsaved
religious leaders: “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do
the desires of your father” (John 8:44).
This is the bleak picture of the person who has not been born again! He
is walking through life spiritually dead, full of Satan’s nature, heading
for an inevitable physical death which he greatly fears; and, whether
he realizes it or not, he will one day experience the worst death of all,
eternal death, as he is cast into the lake of fire to suffer there
forever.
It is extremely important that we understand that spiritual, physical,
and eternal death are all manifestations of God’s wrath upon sinful
humanity, and that Satan has a part in all of it. Satan has been
permitted by God to rule over the kingdom of darkness and over all
those who “love the darkness” (John 3:19). In effect, God said to
Satan, “You may hold in captivity through your power those who are not
submitted to Me.” Satan became a subordinate instrument of God’s
wrath upon human rebels. Because all have sinned, all are under
Satan’s power, filled with his nature in their spirits and held captive to
do his will (see 2 Tim. 2:26 ).
The Ransom for Our Captivity
We can thank God, however, that He had mercy upon humanity, and
because of His mercy, no one has to remain in that pitiful condition!
Because Jesus’ substitutionary death satisfied the claims of divine
justice, all those who believe in Christ can escape from spiritual death
and Satan’s captivity because they are no longer under God’s wrath.
When we put our faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes into our spirit and
eradicates Satan’s nature from it, causing our spirit to be born again
(see John 3:1-16) and allowing us to become partakers of God’s divine
nature (See: 2 Pet. 1:4).
Now back to our original question. When the writer of Hebrews stated
that Jesus, through His death, rendered “powerless him who had the
power of death, that is, the devil,” he meant that the power of
spiritual death, which Satan holds over every unsaved person, has been
broken over all those who are “in Christ.” We are made spiritually alive
because of Christ; He has paid the penalty for our sins.
Moreover, because we are no longer spiritually dead and under Satan’s
dominion, we no longer have to fear physical death , since we know what
awaits us—a glorious inheritance in heaven. Some of us may even escape
physical death—if we are alive when Jesus returns (See: 1 Cor. 15:51; 1
Thes. 4:13-18).
Finally, because of Jesus, we have been delivered from suffering the
second death , being cast into the lake of fire.
Did Jesus defeat (In other words, destroy ) the devil on the cross? No,
He did not, because there was no battle between Jesus and Satan. Jesus
did, however, render Satan powerless in regard to Satan’s power over
spiritual death, by which he holds unsaved people captive in sin. Satan
still holds the power of spiritual death over unsaved people, but as far
as those who are in Christ are concerned, Satan is powerless over them.
This is why in Revelation 12:11, we read, “And they [the believers]
overcame him [Satan] because of the blood of the Lamb.” It was
because Jesus shed His blood on the cross that we have overcome Satan .
The Disarming of the Powers
This also helps us understand Paul’s statement about the “disarming of
rulers and authorities” found in Colossians 2:13-15 :
And when you were [spiritually] dead in your transgressions...He made
you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,
having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees
against us and which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the
way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers
and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed
over them through Him (emphasis added) .
Paul uses obvious metaphorical language in this passage. In the first
part, he compares our guilt to a “certificate of debt.” What we could
not pay was paid for us by Christ, who took our sin-debt to the cross.
There our account was paid in full.
In the second part, just as ancient kings stripped their defeated foes
of their weapons and triumphantly paraded them through their city
streets, so Christ’s death was a triumph over “rulers and authorities,”
the lower ranks of demons who rule over rebellious humans, holding
them captive.
Could we not say, based upon this passage, that Christ defeated Satan?
Perhaps, but with some qualification. We must keep in mind that, in this
passage, Paul was writing metaphorically. And every metaphor, whether
written or spoken, has a point where the similarities turn to
dissimilarities.
For example, if I say to my wife, “Your eyes are like pools,” I mean
that her eyes are deep, dark, blue, and inviting. But I mean nothing
more, because those are the only similarities between my wife’s eyes
and pools of water. I do not mean that fish swim in her eyes, or that
they freeze over in the winter, or that ducks might want to land on
them. Every metaphor is like that. It reaches a point where, if pushed
beyond the intended similarities, would darken understanding rather
then enlighten it, as metaphors are supposed to do. (This very thing is
often done by people trying to find some significance in every minor
detail of Jesus’ parables, when Jesus was usually only trying to make
one major point.)
In interpreting Paul’s metaphors in Colossians 2:13-15, we must be
equally cautious. Obviously, there wasn’t an actual “certificate of debt”
that had all our sins written on it that was nailed to the cross. That is,
however, symbolic of what Jesus accomplished.
Similarly, the demons who ruled over unsaved humanity were not
literally disarmed of their swords and shields and paraded publicly
through the streets by Jesus. The language Paul uses is symbolic of what
Jesus accomplished for us. We were held captive by those evil spirits. By
dying for our sins, however, Jesus released us from our captivity. Jesus
didn’t literally fight against those evil spirits and they were not at war
with Him. They, by God’s righteous permission, held us in their power all
of our lives. Their “armaments,” as it were, were pointed, not at
Christ, but at us . Jesus, however, “disarmed” them. They can’t keep us
captive any longer.
Let us not think that there was some age-long fight between Jesus and
Satan’s evil spirits, and finally, Jesus won the battle on the cross. If we
are going to say that Jesus defeated the devil, let us be certain we
understand that He defeated the devil for us, and not for Himself. He
didn’t need to overcome the devil for Himself.
In my front yard I once chased away a small dog who was terrifying my
baby daughter. I might say I defeated that little dog, but I hope you
understand that dog was never any threat to me, only to my daughter.
It was the same with Jesus and Satan. Jesus chased away a dog from us
that never bothered Him at all.
How did He chase away that Satan-dog? He did it by bearing the
punishment for our sins, thus releasing us from our guilt before God,
thus delivering us from God’s wrath, and thus the evil spirits whom God
righteously permits to enslave human rebels no longer had any right to
enslave us. Praise God for that!
Myth #2: “In eternity past, God and Satan engaged in a great battle.
Today, the cosmic struggle still rages between them.”
No, we can thank God that in eternity past Satan was expelled from
heaven without a fight. God will someday, through one powerful angel,
bind Satan and render him inoperable for a thousand years. In the
meantime, Satan’s power in holding people captive through spiritual
death has been broken over all those who are in Christ. Satan is no
longer our spiritual father and lord. God Himself is not, never has
been, and never will be in a battle with Satan. God is all-powerful.
Precious Testimonies Staff Note: We must be extremely cautious in the
conclusions we come to by reading this writing. We humans ARE in a
battle for our very souls! Though Christians are not to fear Satan ...
they aren't to be ignorant of his evil devices either. God would not
have given Christians spiritual weapons to use as is recorded in
Ephesians 6:10-18 if they weren't needed. Always remember that!
Also let us never lose awarenes of this awesome truth. It was by God's
LOVE for lost souls that He broke the power of spiritual death that
Satan had over humanity. It is by God's LOVE for redeemed lost souls
who hunger after truth and righteousness that He will shower His
kindness on ... for all eternity. - Norm Rasmussen
A Special Message: http://www.precious-testimonies.com/
Exhortations/f-j/HelpingShareTheMessageOfTheCross.htm
Dear Reader - are you at peace with God? If not, you can be. Do you
know what awaits you when you die? You can have the assurance from
God that heaven will be your home, if you would like to be certain.
Either Jesus Christ died for your sins, or He didn't ( He did! ). Are you
prepared to stand before God on the Judgment Day and tell Him that
you didn't need the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the Cross to have
your sins forgiven and get in right-standing with God? We plead with
you ... please don't make such a tragic mistake.
To get to know God; to be at peace with God; to have your sins forgiven;
to make certain heaven will be your home for eternity; to make certain
that you are in right-standing with God right now ... please click here
to help understand the importance of being reconciled to God. What
you do about being reconciled to God will determine where you will
spend eternity, precious one. Your decision to be reconciled to God is
the most important decision you'll ever make in this life.