November 18: QUARANTINE!

Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.” Psalm 2:1-3

Because Satan has declared that his style of government is better than God’s, and because people have believed in his ideas, the entire world is in an uproar. The bonds and cords that they speak of are the laws of God. Satan’s hatred for the eternal law of God that he once kept and covered (Ezekiel 28:14,16) has been insinuated into the psyche of fallen humans. What a spectacle we are before the entirety of the universe!

When Job’s faith in God continued steadfastly following Satan’s first round of attacks, Satan pressed his accusation—that God was guilty of bribery to gain Job’s faithfulness—even further: he actually blamed his failure to disprove Job’s love for God on the limits that God had set.

So Satan . . . said, “Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. But stretch out Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” Job 2:4-5

Once again, God gave leave and lifted His protection from His faithful servant with the exception of one single restriction: that Satan would not be allowed to kill him (see v.6).

So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with painful boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head. (v.7).

No doubt, Job was totally bewildered and discouraged by his terrible suffering. But he held fast to his trust in God. As we look back on Job’s experience, it is imperative that we humans clearly distinguish the direction from which the suffering came.

In a very real sense, our world is under quarantine for the terminal disease of sin. Job’s suffering became more evidence to justify God’s ultimate intent: to completely eradicate sin from His universe. After Satan was cast out of the heavenly city of God, he still attended councils that took place elsewhere in the universe, declaring the earth as his domain (Job 1:7 & 2:2). But that came to an end on the day Christ was crucified. Satan was cast out of the society of world representatives and is now totally confined to the earth.

Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time. Now when the dragon saw that he had been cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male Child. Revelation 12:12-13