"The Victory of the Cross of Christ"
Hannah's and Samuel's and David's weapons of warfare were not carnal, but they were mighty through God to the pulling down and destruction of strongholds - the strongholds of evil (2 Cor. 10:4). In the battle between David and Goliath, David did not move in his own strength and confidence; he did not wear the armor of Saul, which represented the corporate strength of the natural man, for this only made this uncircumcised giant stronger. No! David ran to meet this uncircumcised giant in the Name of the Lord, he ran to meet this giant not in his own strength, but in the strength of his Lord; thus, David slew the giant and took off the giant's head with the giant's own sword.
When David took off the head of this uncircumcised giant, the Philistines suffered a defeat from which they never fully recovered. But most important of all, satan lost the ground he had gained because David, moving in full dependence in his Lord, struck a death blow to the strength of the natural man. The Word of God says: "Now there was long war between the house of Saul (the strength of the natural man) and the house of David (the spiritual man); but David waxed (grew steadily) stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed (grew continually) weaker and weaker" (2 Samuel 3:1).
David's battle with the Philistines was not entirely finished when the giant was slain, but as David continued to allow the Lord to have His Way in his life- the way of the Cross - David's spiritual man steadily became stronger. As David's spiritual man became stronger, Saul, who represents the corporate strength of the natural man, became continually weaker and weaker. Therefore the place, the ground, that satan had gained when Saul was made king became smaller and smaller. But God is not willing to allow satan to have even a small place in His people's heart, because in His New Creation in Christ Jesus, Christ is all, and in all, and satan has no place at all.
Therefore, God continues to use the faithful in David's age, and in every age, to drive out the Philistines, to drive out that which is of the antichrist, from His people's inheritance. God is not willing that the enemy have one inch of ground! And in 2 Samuel 23:11 and 12, where we find the Holy Spirit's record of David's mighty men, we are told that the Philistines "were gathered together into a troop, where was a piece of ground full of lentiles." And Shammah, who was one of David's mighty men, "stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew the Philistines: and the Lord wrought a great victory!"
God will not allow the enemy to have even a lentil patch, no! not even the smallest piece of ground, because there is no place for satan in the New Creation in which Christ is All, and in All. God has already prepared a place for satan and his evil host (Matt. 25:41); hence, in Revelation 13:10, we find these words: "He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword." These two statements are Hebrews idioms for destiny, a destiny that cannot be escaped. And by carefully leaving these two idioms in the context of Revelation thirteen, we find the Holy Spirit is declaring that God-Ordained destiny of the beast - the destiny that was sealed through the Victory of the Cross of Christ. The Holy Spirit is declaring the God-Ordained destiny of every antichrist evil that satan has ever instigated, or ever will instigate. According to the Word of God, the final destiny of the beast, of that which is antichrist, is the same as the dragon's, that ancient serpent, called the devil, and satan: - "The lake of fire" is their God-Ordained end! (Revelation 20:10). It is the victory of the Cross that overcomes every antichrist evil that satan has ever instigated, or ever will instigate - The Lamb is in the midst of the Throne and He bears the wounds of the Cross in His Glorified Body - "And the Lamb shall overcome them [all that is antichrist]: for He is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with Him are called, and chosen, and faithful."
Nevertheless, even though the doom of satan and all his works is sealed, we must realize that the warfare that began when satan fell (Isa. 14:12-15) will continue until "that old serpent, which is the devil, and satan," is cast into the lake of fire. This is why the Holy Spirit's declaration of satan's doom is prefaced and concluded with both a warning, and a challenge, to the overcomers of every age.
"If anyone has an ear let him hear. He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience [the endurance] and the faith of the saints" (Revelation 13:9, 10).
~T. Austin-Sparks~
(continued with # 54)
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