“Is This the Man?”

Many of the passengers were nervous.

In spite of assurances from the pilot that the sound they were hearing was entirely normal for this particular aircraft, many pressed the call light on the panel above their heads. Flight attendants were kept busy answering the same question from numerous passengers. “What is that noise?” It was only months after the 9/11 tragedy, and many on the plane were convinced there was a serious problem.

To assuage the fears of the concerned, the pilot informed us a mechanic was on the way to inspect the aircraft. Even after the mechanic had performed his investigation and we were informed there was nothing to worry about, twenty-three passengers insisted they be returned to the gate and offloaded with their luggage.

The noise was caused by the plane’s hydraulic systems and was familiar to frequent fliers, but irrational fear caused a flight to be delayed and many plans to be interrupted. Although the devil is certainly a powerful enemy, it is important to remember he is a defeated foe. The serpent was told in the Garden of Eden that the Seed of the woman would bruise his head. He would one day be destroyed. John wrote, “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Isaiah painted a striking picture in Isaiah 14:15–17. Satan is told he will “be brought down … to the lowest depths of the pit,” and people will stare in disbelief. One day the redeemed will see the originator of sin and ask, “Is this the man? We struggled with sin and self because of this?” A condemned devil bereft of his strength will appear as he really is, as he really always has been: defeated, powerless, and infinitely inferior to the great Savior of the world.

God’s people today may live in confidence that, through Jesus, eternity is theirs. Through Jesus, victory in the great controversy is yours.