The Master's Plan
Part 3
Satan in God's Plan
Printable pdf VersionToday there’s a false understanding in the church about Satan and just how powerful he really is, as we continue with the Master’s Plan, we’ll attempt to find what God’s plan really is according to the Word of God. We’ll reveal Scripture after Scripture to help you understand just how sovereign God really is. We’ll discover that God is the one in charge of everything; both good and what we perceive as bad. We’ll also see that the Lord Himself has created evil and He has created Satan the devil for His purposes. That may come as a surprise to many who believe that Satan has almost as much power as God and everything bad just comes from the devil, but if you’ll just be patient we’ll search the Scriptures for what the real truth is.
(Colossians 1:16) [F]or in him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through him, and unto him; (17) and he is before all things, and in him all things consist. If we read this in context, we see that it was Jesus Christ who created all things, both visible and invisible, thrones, principalities and powers. It was Jesus who created ALL things, not just you and me, but all the angels and powers in heaven including Satan and his demons!
(Daniel 4:35) All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand or say to him, "What have you done?" God does according to His will; whether it’s the inhabitants in the heavens or on the earth, God does what He wants and is in control of everything, including the angels and including Satan. Think about it, if God is in control of everything and He does according to His will, then He wouldn’t have had to create Satan in the first place; but He did. With God being in control and none being able to stop his hand, couldn’t God have destroyed Satan when he rebelled, couldn’t He have gotten rid of Satan from the very beginning? If God would’ve gotten rid of Satan as soon as he rebelled, Adam would never have fallen and we wouldn’t have the sin nature that we have today. Yet, God did keep Satan around for a purpose, His Devine purpose. To help you understand how powerful God is and just how in control He really is, let’s look at a future event of how easy it’ll be for God to subdue the devil whenever He wants to.
(Revelation 20:1) Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. (2) And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, (3) and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. Look how easy that was; God just sends an angel, only one angel from heaven to seize the devil, bind him and throw him into a pit for a thousand years. Could it be any easier for the Lord? Yet we’ll see in this study that the devil does serve God’s purposes and that Satan is not some rouge villain fighting against God and spoiling His plans wherever he goes. Look in this Scripture what happens after the thousand years are up; the devil is released to do God's work for just a little while longer. I ask you again, can it be any easier for God? We must realize that Satan is here to do the Father's will and that God uses the devil for His purposes.
(Revelation 20:7) And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison (8) and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. (9) And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, (10) and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Again, we see God using the devil for His purposes and in the end; He simply throws Satan into the lake of fire forever. Satan doesn’t fight back or almost win because he’s "so powerful"; God just tosses him into the lake of fire forever. We’re witnessing here, the end of God’s master plan so let’s not get ahead of ourselves we just need to understand that God is the one in control and not the devil. It’s God who uses Satan for whatever He chooses. Let’s see if we can find where the devil was first created, and yes, Satan was created by Jesus "For in him were all things created, in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers" (Colossians 1:16).
(Ezekiel 28:11) Moreover, the word of the LORD came to me: (12) "Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, thus says the Lord GOD: "You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. (13) You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. (14) You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. (15) You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you. (16) In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. (17) Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you. (18) By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade you profaned your sanctuaries; so I brought fire out from your midst; it consumed you, and I turned you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all who saw you. (19) All who know you among the peoples are appalled at you; you have come to a dreadful end and shall be no more forever." We see the Lord lamenting over the king of Tyre or Satan. He was created by God through Jesus Christ to be perfect, full of wisdom and beauty. This heavenly being was in Eden and was the anointed cherub; his job in heaven was to be the covering cherub or angel. This means he stood between God and the other angels protecting them from God's brightness and goodness. Outside of Jesus, this was the highest position any created being could hold and yet God let him fall. Do I dare say God even put it into Satan’s heart to fall? If God is truly sovereign and in control of all things, then God is in control of this too; it did not just accidentally happen. “I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil. I am Jehovah, that doeth all these things” (Isaiah 45:7).Yes it was not only the Lord who created Satan in all his beauty before his fall, but it was also the Lord who made him fall to become the adversary we all know as Satan.
(Isaiah 14:12) "How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! (13) You said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; (14) I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' (15) But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit. Because of Satan’s beauty and importance in heaven, he said in his heart that he would be like the Most High God, and that’s how the chief angel in heaven, who was blameless when he was created, became Satan which in Hebrew simply means opponent, adversary, or to withstand. From that point forward the fallen chief angel became the adversary of God and later the adversary to Adam and all of mankind. Yet, because God is sovereign and in control of everything, it was in God’s “Master Plan” to have this beautiful angel fall and become Satan. (Lamentations 3:37) Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? (38) Out of the mouth of the Most High cometh there not evil and good? Nothing can happen unless the Lord commands it. We had seen earlier that God “does according to his will among the host of heaven” so it was God who caused Satan to be proud and put it into his heart to rebel against Him. It was not by accident or against what God had planned for Satan to rebel, it's all according to His plan and all that happens is commanded from God. “Who is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not”? Wow, I wasn’t taught that in Sunday school!
Yet, before you accuse me of blasphemy for quoting Scripture that says that God is in control of evil and that God even created evil when He willed His most perfect, chief angel to rebel against Him, let’s look at another Scripture. (Job 2:10) Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?" In all this Job did not sin with his lips. Job knew that we receive both good and evil from God, and in saying this he did not sin! This was not blasphemy, this was truth, that it ALL comes from God.
(Isaiah 45:7) I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil. I am Jehovah, that doeth all these things. Who is it that creates light and darkness? Who is it that makes peace and creates evil? God is the one that takes credit for these things. (Isaiah 54:16) Behold, I have created the smith that bloweth the fire of coals, and bringeth forth a weapon for his work; and I have created the waster to destroy. Can you see what God has done? He has brought forth a weapon for His work. God has created the waster and the destroyer; He has created Satan for His purposes to do His will on earth. Remember, God the Father is Holy and cannot sin, and as the Father has Jesus at His right hand doing His will for good, you could say that Satan is at the Father's left hand to administer discipline to God’s children. You might even say that the devil is God’s spanking stick to teach and train His children.
Most think that since Satan has been kicked out of Heaven and no longer has access to God, but let’s see. (Job 1:6) Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. (7) The LORD said to Satan, "From where have you come?" Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it." (8) And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?" (9) Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for no reason? (10) Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. (11) But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face." (12) And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand." So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD. Notice that Satan is coming before the Lord and it’s God who calls Job to the attention of Satan and then says all that Job has is in Satan’s hand except Job’s body which he could not touch. Satan only had the authority that God allowed him to have.
Let’s watch Satan as he approaches God a second time. Notice that once again it’s the Lord who draws Satan’s attention to Job. (Job 2:1) Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD. (2) And the LORD said to Satan, "From where have you come?" Satan answered the LORD and said, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it." (3) And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil? He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason." (4) Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life. (5) But stretch out your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse you to your face." (6) And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life." (7) So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. Again we see that Satan has no power that God has not given him and we see that Satan has to come before the Father before he can do anything to Job. Even though Scripture says that Satan has been cast from the mountain of God, Satan is still granted access to come before the Lord. (Ezekiel 28:16) In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God… So yes, Satan has been cast down from God’s mountain, the third heaven but Satan is able to come before the Lord for God’s purposes.
(1 Kings 22:19-23) Micaiah said, "Therefore, hear the word of the LORD. I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left. "The LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said this while another said that. "Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD and said, 'I will entice him.' "The LORD said to him, 'How?' And he said, 'I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' Then He said, 'You are to entice him and also prevail. Go and do so.' "Now therefore, behold, the LORD has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; and the LORD has proclaimed disaster against you." We see the Lord sitting on His throne and the “host of heaven” standing on His right. Could that be Jesus and all the angels in heaven? Then we see the “host of heaven” standing on His left. Could this be Satan and all of his angels or demons? We don’t know for sure but we do know that the Lord then asks who will entice Ahab and a spirit steps forward and stands before the Lord and says that he will be a deceiving spirit and God says “go and do so”. Are we seeing a better picture of Satan and what he’s allowed to do? It's only what God says Satan can do that he is allowed to do. Let’s look at a future event of Satan in the book of Revelation.
(Revelation 12:7) Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, (8) but he was defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. (9) And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world--he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. (10) And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. Many people think that this is an event that has already taken place in the past, but John who was shown this vision around 96 AD, was told in (Revelation 4:1) "Come up hither, and I will show thee the things which must come to pass hereafter." Everything that John was shown from that point on was for a future time. Notice that in verse 8 that “there was no longer any place for them in heaven.” We had seen earlier that Satan was able to approach God and stand before Him, now we see there is no place for Satan in heaven and he’s thrown down to earth. This has to be a future event. Something that is very interesting is that in verse 10 we hear a voice from heaven saying that “the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.” Can you visualize Satan right now standing before our God accusing each one of us of everything that is done contrary to God’s law? What are you doing right now that Satan is bringing before the Father? God is JUST, so He must follow His law and Satan is sent to punish or to discipline us for that sin. Scripture says that “a man can receive nothing unless it is given to him from heaven” (John 3:27). If a man can’t receive anything except it come from heaven, does that just include the good things we get from God or does it include the bad things too?
In this next part of the Master’s Plan we’ll attempt to not just blame God for creating evil but we’ll start to see the purpose behind God’s plan and why He even created the devil in the first place. Even though we in our limited understanding would never have created the devil, God has a bigger and better plan than we could ever comprehend, so let's try and discern God's Word to better understand what His plan really is.
(Psalm 105:23) Then Israel came to Egypt; Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. (24) And the LORD made his people very fruitful and made them stronger than their foes. (25) He turned their hearts to hate his people, to deal craftily with his servants. Notice that it was God who turned the Egyptians hearts to hate His own people. God used the devil to create hatred toward His own children; why? (Psalm 106:8) Yet he saved them for his name's sake, that he might make known his mighty power. (9) He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry, and he led them through the deep as through a desert. (10) So he saved them from the hand of the foe and redeemed them from the power of the enemy. The devil was sent to work in the Egyptians so that God could show His mighty power. Just think of what God showed the whole world by using the devil in Egypt; the ten plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, and manna from heaven. (Exodus 7:3) I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. Yes, God is in control of everything and He uses the devil for His purposes, even to harden hearts. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth" (Romans 9:17). God raised up Pharaoh and had Satan and his demons hard his heart and persecute and hate God's people so that He could display His mighty power. God's name was proclaimed throughout the whole earth because of the evil which Satan unknowingly wrought against God's people. Yes, God knew the plan but Satan didn't and what Satan meant for evil, God meant for good.
(Deuteronomy 32:39) See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand. God is sovereign and in control of everything! Including letting people die or live, making them sick or healing them. I encourage you to read the entire chapter of Deuteronomy 28 as it spells out blessings and curses for following or not following God’s commands. I’ll just give you a few highlights of the chapter. (Deuteronomy 28:15) "But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. (20) The LORD will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand…(21) The LORD will plague you with diseases…(22) The LORD will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, with blight and mildew…(24) The LORD will turn the rain of your country into dust and powder…(25) The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies…(27)The LORD will afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors, festering sores and the itch, from which you cannot be cured. (28) The LORD will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind… (35) The LORD will afflict your knees and legs with painful boils that cannot be cured… (60) He will bring upon you all the diseases of Egypt that you dreaded, and they will cling to you. (61) The LORD will also bring on you every kind of sickness and disaster not recorded in this Book of the Law, until you are destroyed. This is the curse for sin and although it's the Lord who takes credit for sending these curses, who do you think carries out or administers this curse? That’s right it’s the devil and his demons who carry out that curse. Do you for a minute think that all the sickness and disease is random or by happenstance or brought on by the devil without God’s permission? No, it’s from the Lord and carried out by Satan and his demons. Compare these two Scriptures of the same account.
(2 Samuel 24:1) Again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, "Go, number Israel and Judah." This Scripture says that the Lord was angry with Israel and the Lord incited David while the next Scripture of the same event says that it was Satan! (1 Chronicles 21:1) And Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel…(14) So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell. (15) And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was destroying, the LORD looked and relented of the disaster, and said to the angel who was destroying, “It is enough; now restrain your hand.” How can the same event give credit to both the Lord and Satan; which one was it? It was both; it was God’s will to judge His people and Satan carrying out God’s will. We can see that God was using Satan for His purpose as His weapon to tempt David and then to discipline His children. God used one of Satan’s angels to destroy 70,000 people by plague. We must understand God’s sovereignty in all things. The Lord was not happy with Israel, in fact He was angry with them for not following Him, so God used the devil to teach His children a lesson. Is it any different today?
(Isaiah 10:5) Ah, Assyria, the rod of my anger; the staff in their hands is my fury! (6) Against a godless nation I send him, and against the people of my wrath I command him, to take spoil and seize plunder, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets… (12) When the Lord has finished all his work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, he will punish the speech of the arrogant heart of the king of Assyria and the boastful look in his eyes. God uses Satan to raise up nations and leaders to come against others to destroy them. Then when God is finished using the devil for His work, He destroys that nation whom the devil deceived. Satan once again is used for God’s purpose to lift up and bring down people and kingdoms. Look what the Lord says next about this.
(2 Samuel 7:14) I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men…Be it individually or by nations, God uses the devil through our fellow man to bring us discipline, to teach us His ways and to bring us closer to Him. Can you think of people in your life that God uses to purify you? If you had spiritual eyes and could see in the spirit, you would see Satan and his demons working in their lives to come against you.
(Jeremiah 15:2) And when they ask you, 'Where shall we go?' you shall say to them, 'Thus says the LORD: "'Those who are for pestilence, to pestilence, and those who are for the sword, to the sword; those who are for famine, to famine, and those who are for captivity, to captivity.' (3) I will appoint over them four kinds of destroyers, declares the LORD: the sword to kill, the dogs to tear, and the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy. We see that God appointed four kinds of destroyers or demons; pestilence, the sword, famine and captivity. All for His purpose and plan to bring judgment on His disobedient children.
Many of us have looked at everything good as coming from God and everything bad as coming from the devil; as we’re seeing, that couldn’t be further from the truth. (Judges 9:23) And God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech: It’s God who sends evil spirits but they cannot go where they do not have permission from the Lord and that permission is written in His Word. If you disobey His Word it is already written that Satan has authority to carry out God's Word. "But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. The LORD will send on you curses..." God cannot go against His word so when man disobeys, God must act and you are in essence turned over to Satan who exercises the curse until you repent. All that you receive both good and bad is from your Father in heaven. “A man can receive nothing unless it is given to him from heaven” (John 3:27). In the Scripture above, God used an evil spirit to come between the enemies of God's children in order to protect them.
(1 Samuel 16:14) But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. (15) And Saul's servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee. (16) Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well. Here God withdraws His spirit and sends an evil spirit into King Saul who then went on to persecute and try to kill David. Because of that evil spirit perusing and trying to kill David, he wrote many of the Psalms we have today. Once again what seemed bad worked out for good; the devil and his demons worked in Saul to unknowingly bring about the will of God.
(1 Kings 19:6) Isaiah said to them, "Say to your master, 'Thus says the LORD: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled me. (7) Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land, and I will make him fall by the sword in his own land.'" (35) And that night the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. (36) Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed and went home and lived at Nineveh. God sends evil spirits between leaders, into kings and into individuals in order to protect His children.
(Amos 3:6) Is a trumpet blown in a city, and the people are not afraid? Does disaster come to a city, unless the LORD has done it? Yes, the Lord has done this but He does it by allowing Satan to carry it out. Yet, God only allows or should I say causes Satan to carry these things out because people have disobeyed God and He is implementing His justice in order to bring His people back to Him. (Isaiah 26:9) When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness. Most of the time, man is so stiff necked that it’s only when judgments come, do we finally listen to our Heavenly Father and draw closer to Him. Would it be better for God to just let people continue in their unrighteousness and spend eternity in hell or would God be more merciful if He brought judgments to this earth that we might learn righteousness in order save us from hell? We don’t always understand God’s ways but they are just. (Proverbs 3:5) Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. (6) In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
(Lamentations 3:38-41) Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and bad (Hebrew - EVIL) come? Why should a living man complain, a man, about the punishment of his sins? Let us test and examine our ways, and return to the LORD! Let us lift up our hearts and hands to God in heaven. If you are always looking at it as the devil that’s coming up against you, then how are you going to know to repent before the Lord? If you only look at your situation as it's the devil who’s picking on you because "you’re such a good person", you’ll find yourself saying “poor me, why do bad things always happen to me”. Yet, if you fully understood that everything you received is coming from the Lord instead of from the devil, you’d seek the Lord as to how you may not pleasing Him and then repent. Instead of complaining about what’s happening in our life, we’d examine our ways and return to the Lord. Yet, many people are turned over to Satan and they don’t even realize it.
(1 Timothy 1:20) Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I delivered unto Satan, that they might be taught not to blaspheme. Here we have Paul who turned two men over to Satan so that they would be taught not to blaspheme God. Does that really happen and is that allowed? Yes it is and the next parable that Jesus teaches us speaks clearly to this, but you must read it carefully and put your spiritual eyes and ears on.
(Matthew 18:23) Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. (24) And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. (25) But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. (26) The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ (27) Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. (28) “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ (29) So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all. (30) And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. (31) So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. (32) Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. (33) Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ (34) And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. (35) “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.” Let me explain this parable as the Lord speaks it to my heart. The king is God the Father; it’s you and I, who are the servants of the Lord who owe a very large debt that we cannot pay. Do you understand how much one talent is in comparison to the Ten thousand talents you owe the King? One talent of silver is said to weigh as much as 3,000 shekels or half dollars, that’s about 90 pounds. According to 2 Kings 5:23 one talent is about what a man could carry. So in this parable the servant owes ten thousand talents or the weight of 30 million half dollars of silver, more weight then what ten thousand men could carry. You can see that this is a tremendous amount that the servant owes; yet after begging the King, He forgives his debt, just like what the Father did when He forgave us when we trusted in what Jesus did on the cross. Next this same servant who was forgiven, is unwilling to forgive his fellow servant who only owes him 100 denarrii which would be equivalent to 1/100th of one talent and 1/1,000,000th of what the King had forgiven. Because he did not forgive his fellow servant of his very small debt, God will no longer forgive you of your debt. Not only that, the servant is delivered over to the TORTURERS until all that he owed is paid back. Do you understand who the torturers are? It is none other than the left arm of God, Satan and his demons. If you have un-forgiveness in your heart, then you cannot be forgiven and God will turn you over to Satan and his demons until you either die in your unrepentive, unforgiving heart, or you reach the point where you are so miserable that you repent and forgive completely from your heart. Only then will you have any legal right to be relieved of the tormenters or demons. What are some of the tormenters tactics? What method does Satan and his demons use? Remember Deuteronomy 28 and what the Lord will bring upon you? The LORD will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand… The LORD will plague you with diseases … The LORD will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation… The LORD will turn the rain of your country into dust and powder… The LORD will cause you to be defeated before your enemies… The LORD will afflict you with the boils of Egypt and with tumors, festering sores and the itch, from which you cannot be cured. The LORD will afflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind… The LORD will afflict your knees and legs with painful boils that cannot be cured… He will bring upon you all the diseases of Egypt that you dreaded, and they will cling to you. The LORD will also bring on you every kind of sickness and disaster not recorded in this Book of the Law, until you are destroyed (Deuteronomy 28:20-61). God takes credit for all of this but it’s Satan and his demons who administer the curse. Are we beginning to see God’s purpose for having Satan in this world? We have to realize that this happens all the time in people’s lives but we just don’t recognize it. We just look at what’s happening as sickness, disease, circumstance; we may say to ourselves “why do things always happen to me”? Have you considered that you have been turned over to Satan to destroy your flesh so that maybe your spirit can be saved? That’s what happened in the next Scripture.
(1 Corinthians 5:5) You are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. In this passage, there was believer in fornication and outright sin. God will do what it takes to have you repent and turn to Him, even if it takes letting Satan destroy your flesh in order to save your soul. The most important use of the devil is to make us so miserable and so unhappy that we turn to the Lord for deliverance. Think about it, when things are going well, human nature is such that we feel we don’t need God. Only when humans are desperate and hurting do they reach out and draw closer to the Father. God disciplines us through the devil because He loves us.
Maybe you think you’re too good or that God would never have Satan come against you? Read what Paul wrote and tell me if we are anything special and that we don’t deserve whatever God has for us in order to refine us. (2 Corinthians 12:7) So to keep me from being too elated by the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from being too elated. (8) Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me.(9) But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness”. Wow, Paul had a messenger, which is the same Greek word for angel, of Satan to harass him in order that he would not become to prideful. God made Paul weak through what the angel of Satan was bringing upon him. Paul was insulted, persecuted, shipwrecked, snake bit, beat, whipped, stoned almost to death, and thrown into prison many times. Was that mean or unfair of God to do this to Paul? I would say not; as Paul wrote much of our Bible while he was in prison. God has a “Master Plan” and I hope you're starting to see what an important part the devil is ALLOWED to play in that plan.
(Job 1:8) And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?" (9) Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "Does Job fear God for no reason? (12) And the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand." Yes, God even uses Satan to test the righteous but Satan cannot do anything unless he has the Fathers permission. The devil is not here just to torment and make us miserable; he serves a purpose and that purpose is to train, discipline and perfect God’s children through adversity. Just as exercise and resistance works in building muscle in your physical body, so does overcoming and defeating the devil in building our spiritual muscle.
(Job 5:17) "Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he binds up; he shatters, but his hands heal. Are you allowing God to heal you when you’re broken by the devil? Are you calling on God as He desires you too? The Bible says that God disciplines those He loves. (Revelation 3:19) As many as I love, I reprove and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent… Are you going through a hard time in your life? Then we must start to see that the Lord loves us and it's He who’s reproving and disciplining us in order to save our soul. Are you listening to the Lord or blaming it on the devil? (Deuteronomy 8:5) Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the LORD your God disciplines you. (6) So you shall keep the commandments of the LORD your God by walking in his ways and by fearing him. God is no different than us disciplining our children, only God’s spanking stick is the devil and his demons. Just like you spank your children because you love your children, so does God. (Proverbs 3:11) My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline or be weary of his reproof, (12) for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights. As you look back on life can you see the hand of God reproving you for your own good; can you see the hard times in your life that helped you grow spiritually? That’s all part of the Master’s Plan. (Hebrew 12:5) And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. (6) For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives." (7) It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? (8) If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. (9) Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? (10) For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. (11) For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Is the Lord using Satan and his angels to discipline you? I hope so; as we just read that God disciplines those He loves. God created us to have that Father/son relationship with Him and He will do what it takes to get us there. Think back on your life, is there anyone that God has put in your life to cause you hardship and grief? Yet, if you look closely through your spiritual eyes, you’ll see that God is trying to teach you how to turn the other cheek, and to forgive those who are persecuting you. God is trying to teach you to be kind to your enemies and not to return evil for evil or insult with insult. Are you learning or do you have to go through these lessons over and over and over again? The Lord will continue to bring the devil against you until you do learn His ways, and just when you think you’re learning and starting to gain ground in the Lord, look what happens. (John 15:2) Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Yes, there’s pain either way; by the Father cutting off the ones who don’t bare fruit or the Father pruning those who do produce fruit in the Lord, in order to produce even more fruit. It’s a never ending process and the devil is the pruning sheers in which God uses.
(2 Thessalonians 1:4) Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. (5) This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering. Every persecution and every affliction you experience comes through the hand of God. He uses the devil and evil spirits to rise up within people to come against you. It is the righteous judgment of God and it’s a continual process for refining those who are the sons of God. The Bible says that everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ will be persecuted. (2 Tim 3:12) Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. Hardship and persecution is administered by Satan and it is the maturing process that God has planned for His children whom He’s chosen to be adopted as sons. (Psalm 119:71) It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes. This is the attitude we must arm ourselves with everyday, that every good and bad thing which happens in our lives is a gift from God to perfect us and purify us so that we may learn the Lord’s ways.
I hope this study on God’s Sovereignty over evil and over Satan has been helpful. I pray that you now know what God’s purpose was in creating evil and how that fits into your life. As we move onto part four in “The Master’s Plan” we’ll begin to see what the Father’s real plan is for you and me.
God bless,
Mark, a servant of the Lord, www.HeavensHelpers.org
Questions/Feedback - email me: mark@heavenshelpers.org
