A DECEPTIVE ENEMY

The fall of humanity and our world from what it was created to be is not only a story of existential angst and relational rupture. In the serpent of the Eden story, we are introduced to an enemy who actively works to sow lies, deception, and fear in God’s otherwise good creation. From glimpses we see throughout the Bible story—made most plain in Revelation 12—this enemy’s primary target is God. But one of the easiest ways for a less powerful but evil enemy to hurt God is to attack the people and creation He loves.

As fearsome as they can be, these attacks are the devil taking cheap shots because his ability to fight against God is so limited (see Revelation 12:12).

So those things that we rightly fear, including death, disaster, disease, and despair, are not “acts of God” as some insurance policies, pop culture, and other poor theologies might describe them. Instead, we insist that “an enemy did this,” as the farmer in Jesus’ story explained (Matthew 13:28). We should not give too much of our time and attention to the tricks and plans of the enemy, although it is a reality of the Bible’s big story.

This enemy is not only always the lesser power; he is now also a defeated power. In the Bible’s telling, the enemy was sentenced to defeat at the time of his first victory. Yes, the devil has made many strikes throughout history and in each of our lives.

All of us are bruised and wounded by these attacks.

But it was he who was crushed by the self-sacrificing love of God in Jesus’ death and resurrection. This defeated enemy continues to rage against God’s people and creation, bringing fear and terror to our lives and our world “because he knows that his time is short” (Revelation 12:12, emphasis added). His fury is an admission of his defeat.