GOD’S ANCIENT PLAN FOR LUCIFER’S DEFEAT

Adam was not an afterthought. Contrary to popular opinion, God did not create man because he was lonely. Furthermore, Adam’s transgression was not the original sin. Lucifer’s rebellion preceded the events of the Garden of Eden. Heaven must have been in turmoil after his fall. A third of the angels were effected. Some wonder why God didn’t just evaporate his foe and be done with it. Why does Lucifer continue to operate to this very day. He has created so much heartache and chaos. He has spoiled everything he touches. Why has God continued to put up with him and let him continue to exist?

The Plan

We’ve all often heard people within the Christian faith say that “God has a plan.” It’s easy to dismiss this statement as just some feel-good phrase that “religious” people often say just to comfort someone. It’s probably pretty accurate to say that many, if not most, just tend to shove such a statement to the back of their head and forget about it. After all, most people only say it to someone who is hurting and it’s only said as some sort of generic statement with no real substance or truth behind it. We hear it so often that most people who do not necessarily subscribe to the Christian belief system will give the declarer a triple eye roll to the back of their head and fall into a coma while standing on their feet as the statement gets dismissed as just some “religious ranting.” But is there really any truth to that statement? Or is God just reactionary to things? For some who are either new in the faith or just plain curious may be surprised at how big and pre-planned the program really is.

In reality, the plan was formulated somewhere in the ancient past. There was a divine reason why God allowed Lucifer to follow through with his diabolical scheme. In the end, God will restore tranquility to his kingdom. To do so, God laid out a strategy for complete and total victory. It involved the creation of man, knowing all the while that Adam would fall for Lucifer’s lies. God was so sure that his plan would work that he carefully placed it within the pages of the Bible.

God’s plan was not formulated as the events of history unfolded. It was determined before the creation of Adam. In order to convince us that he knew what he was doing, God had his ancient plan woven into the stories of the Old Testament. Furthermore, the Creator assured us that his plan was preordained. The Book of Isaiah reveals God’s message …

“Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” (Isaiah 46:9-10).

Declaring the End

God did not linger until the days of Moses before formulating his plan. He did not lay it out in the days of Abraham. In fact, God was not frustrated over man’s rebellion in the days of Noah. God had declared his prophetic plan to the pair in the Garden. Furthermore, God’s plan was not concluded at Calvary. The verse does not say that God declared the “middle” from the beginning. He declared the “end.” Since mankind is still filling this planet with people, it is obvious that God’s plan is not yet over.

According to the sages of Israel, God delivered and revealed his prophetic plan through the very process that transpired during the six days of Creation. Those six days represent six-thousand years. The seventh day, upon which God rested, lays out a prophetic plan in which the seventh millennium will be ushered in as a “great Sabbath rest” (see the article titled “THE END AFTER THE END OF 6000 YEARS: HAVE WE ENTERED THE 7000TH YEAR?” in the “Recommended Reading” section at the end of this article. Utopia will soon come to this planet. It is a part of God’s plan for Lucifer’s defeat.

Heaven Included in the Plan

Many Christians think that the crucifixion of Christ was intended only for the redemption of the human race. But the Bible indicates that the redemption is only part of the plan. Christ went to the cross that he might bring about a spiritual reconciliation of Heaven as well. The Apostle Paul alludes to this concept in the Book of Colossians …

“And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven” (Colossians 1:20).

We do not know the whole story, but the reconciliation of Heaven seems to be very much a part of the Calvary experience of Christ’s crucifixion. It may be that we are not the only ones who benefited from the sacrifice of Jesus Christ the Savior.

We are all familiar with John 3:16 that says …

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

But are you aware that the Greek term for “world” is cosmos? When John penned “For God so loved the world,” he did not use the term for Earth. He used the Greek word cosmos, meaning, “the heavens and the earth” – a term that includes both this existence and the heavenly realm. The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible (volume 1, page 982) notes that the plural “heavens” also includes “… the place of God’s residence.”

Consider what the Bible says about the ongoing spiritual war between God and Satan. This conflict started before the making of Adam and continues throughout history. The story of Satan’s defeat is intricately connected to the events of the end time. Lucifer’s defeat is the primary theme of the Book of Revelation.

We are not told simply that believers who have personally received Christ will be saved and that unbelievers who have not received him personally and have rejected him will be condemned, which, make no mistake about it, is most certainly also the case. But there is also another factor presented in the story of the final judgment – the devil will be defeated. One must never forget this all-important aspect of redemption’s story. 

Every war, every crime and every atrocity befalling mankind was hatched in the mind of the evil one – this evil one called Lucifer a.k.a Satan himself. The human race faces a common enemy. Lucifer’s plot is behind every rebellion. His plan is simple – divide and conquer. He is determined to thwart the plan of God. Whenever there is a war on the earth, there appears to be a coinciding conflict in the realm of the spiritual. An example of this extra-dimensional warfare is given in the book of Daniel. An angel was dispatched as soon as Daniel began to pray. However, it took 21 days before he finally reached the prophet …

“Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia” (Daniel 10:12-13).

There is no human potentate that could stop an angel for three weeks. It is assumed, therefore, that this “prince” is a demonic creature with diabolical authority within the kingdom of Persia. He is most probably and likely still there. Daniel, an advisor to the king of Persia, was made aware of this unseen force at work in the political hierarchy of the land. The battle plan originates in the spiritual realm, but the earth has become the battlefield.

Battlefield Earth

Consider the possibility that our universe was originally made for Lucifer’s domain. The Apostle Paul called him “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Interestingly, scientists have examined photographs of the planets and moons in our solar system and noted catastrophic damage. In fact, the entire universe appears to be cursed by the fall of Lucifer. The Creation that God once observed as “good” now appears to be dying. We can thank Lucifer for that. Since this universe is a part of the Creation that was so broken, it was necessary that Jesus bring the battle into this realm. The strategy for the conflict may have been formulated in another dimension, but the battle involves this dimension. In order for the Son of God to bring the battle to Earth, he created the human race. Mankind provided a human form whereby the Son of God could be incarnated into this realm.

I do not pretend to know every aspect of God’s ancient plan, but I am convinced that it involves more than just the human race. We are not some divine experiment. We are not mere pawns in a heavenly game of chess. We are vital to God’s plan for Lucifer’s defeat. Furthermore, it was God’s love that caused him to formulate this seven-thousand year plan. Had he simply eliminated his foe on the spot, the rest of Heaven would never have known about the depths of the rebellion, or the greatness of his victory. It is not a simple story.

The Stouthearted

The Book of Isaiah also tells us why God has declared his seven-thousand-year plan from the beginning. He wants to convince the staunchest unbeliever that that he is fully aware of every situation in life. The “stouthearted” must be made to understand that nothing happens by accident. God is in complete control from the very beginning …

“Calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it. Hearken unto me, ye stouthearted, that are far from righteousness: I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory” (Isaiah 46:11-13).

The “ravenous bird from the east” is descriptive of the end time battles that begin with Gog and Magog and conclude at Armageddon. Ezekiel 39 tells us that God will use birds to eat the flesh of the slain upon the battlefield. John also describes the scene for us in Revelation 19. This is part of the “end” in the plan that God declares in the aforementioned verses (9-10) of Isaiah 46. And why are we told about it? Because the “stouthearted that are far from righteousness” must be made to understand God’s ancient plan for Lucifer’s defeat. The primary purpose for declaring his ancient plan is so that we might use it as proof for convincing a skeptical mankind. We should use the study of eschatology to reach the lost with the Gospel.

In fact, every person who has ever received Christ has done so in order to settle his or her future eternal destiny in the glory of a place called Heaven. For those who have not received him have, whether they know it or not, chosen to stay on the path that will lead to damnation when this temporal life is over (see the section at the end of this article titled “THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN AND YOU.“ Therefore, prophecy (a view of the future) is at the root of every conversion.

The Name of Jesus

The term “salvation” is used twice in Isaiah 46:13. The Hebrew root in each case spells the ancient name of Jesus. God is saying, “my Jesus shall not tarry …” He promises to place Jesus in Zion…” The passage starts out by saying, “I am God, and there is none else” and concludes by naming Jesus as the author of “salvation.”

Types and Symbols

In order to explain his ancient plan to the believer while, at the same time, hiding it from the prying eyes of Lucifer, God used types and symbols. For example, Adam displayed characteristics that allude to the “last Adam” Jesus Christ. Adam identified with his wife and took her sin upon himself in order to effect her salvation. In like manner, Christ took our sin upon himself and died to effect our salvation. Joseph was rejected and later accepted as the redeemer of his people – an excellent foreshadow or type of Christ. Ruth was a Gentile bride who married the “kinsman redeemer.”  She displays the characteristics of New Testament Christianity. The Old Testament is filled with many such stories, demonstrating that God “declared the end from the beginning.” As you study the stories of the Old Testament, look for the plan. It is there … and those stories include the plan for Lucifer’s defeat.

THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN AND YOU: WHAT YOU MUST DO TO RECEIVE IT

In order to accept the offer of God’s grace and his salvation, you must take the crucial three steps of …

1. Agreeing – A belief and agreeing with God in all that he says in his word, the Bible, about the fact that you are separated from God, as every man and woman on the face of the earth are before accepting his salvation.  The Bible reveals that all are separated from him in a spiritual state of death, or said another way that the Bible reveals it, in a state of sin, that will result in damnation in the afterlife.  Agreeing with God in your heart that you are in need of his salvation.  The Bible reveals that God looks upon the heart of a man or woman, and thus, responds accordingly to the person who comes to him for salvation in recognition of his inability to save himself.  The Bible makes these facts very clear – “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).  “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).  The Bible describes these three kinds of death:

• physical death (the state experienced when life leaves our bodies).

• spiritual death (spiritual separation from God caused by our state of spiritual death inherited from the first man Adam – the state of sin that results in our daily outward acts of sin, whether deliberate or not, whether omissive or not; and finally …

• the second death (the fixed state entered into by the individual who dies physically while he or she is dead spiritually). This state is entered into after the death of the body which results in punishment in the afterlife until the event of the Great White Throne Judgment occurs wherein the damned are resurrected from Hades, or Hell, and are judged according to their works and finally destroyed and cease to exist after being cast into the Lake of Fire. Revelation 14 refers to this tragic end of the unsaved as the “Second Death” (verse 14). It is this state of suffering entered into after physical death and then final destruction at the Great White Throne Judgment in particular which is the horrible result of receiving the wages of sin (unforgiven due to unbelief and rejection of Christ). The Lord Jesus Christ frequently described such a death as being irrevocable in a destiny which he called Hell.  He described Hell as a literal place of judgment (Matthew 13:42); a place of everlasting fire (Matthew 18:8); a place of torment (Luke 16:24,28); a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:50); a place of remorse (Mark 9:44-48); of bitter memory (Luke 16:25), and a place originally prepared for the Devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41).  In fact, Jesus more often warned about Hell than he spoke about Heaven.

It is not God’s will or desire that any person should be consigned to perish in Hell (2 Peter 3:9), but rather that all should come to repentance of unbelief toward him and believe on him for the salvation of the individual’s soul.  But God’s justice requires that the “soul who sins” (remains in it’s state of death or state of sin) is the one who will die a second time after a long period of torment (Ezekiel 18:4).  So, agree with God, admitting that you are unable to save yourself and in a state of sin under God’s just condemnation for that sin and that you are in need of his salvation.

2. Believing – Then, believe that God does not want you to perish eternally in the torment of Hell because of your sin.  Believe that God loves you so much that he provided a way whereby he could still be a just, holy and righteous God, and yet pardon you.  Believe that God did not just overlook sin, but that he sent his only begotten son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to provide salvation by personally paying the penalty for sin.  Believe that Jesus Christ, whose life, death, burial and resurrection is the best-attested fact of antiquity, did come to earth to live, die, rise again and ascend to Heaven in order to provide justification and salvation for all who trust him.  Believe that he, and he alone, can save you because he has fully satisfied the just demands of God.  Believe that you can’t become righteous in God’s sight by your own effort.  Believe that he wants to save you and that he will save you.  The Bible provides a solid basis for such belief …

“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:16-17). 

“But God demonstrates his love toward us in this:  while we were yet sinners,  Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). 

God presented him (Jesus Christ) as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood.  He did this to demonstrate his justice because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished – he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies the man or woman who has faith in Jesus (Romans 3:25-26). 

“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.  For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;  And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures … ” (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). 

“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). 

“Jesus answered, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:6).  “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out [drive away]” (John 6:37).

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).

3. Calling – It is not enough to agree with God, admit your need, and believe that Christ can and will save you.  You must act upon those facts. God’s requirement is that you repent of your unbelief toward him and actively call upon him for the salvation of your soul based on the fact that you cannot save yourself. It is unbelief in particular that damns the soul to its horrible fate …

“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:18).

You must be willing to completely turn from your own efforts to save yourself or from any other hope.  You must come to Christ, calling upon him for salvation and counting on the fact that he will do what he has promised.  This means simply taking the gift of pardon and eternal life which he offers.  Merely believing about Jesus Christ without coming to him makes as much sense and is as effective as believing that a medication can successfully treat a fatal disease, but failing to take it.  Yet again, the Bible emphatically and authoritatively provides the basis for such statements.

The word translated “believe” here means to “rest one’s entire weight and trust on the object or person in which the belief is placed.”  It requires action in keeping with the intellectual assent of that belief.

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13).

” … but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

The logical question you may be asking at this point is:  “how do I come to Christ and call upon him?”  The answer is that “calling upon the Lord” is just another term for praying, or talking to God.  To talk to God is not a complicated process, dependent upon some special rituals.  God has invited people to approach him through his Son in simple, straightforward terms.  In fact, Jesus approved of the dishonest, despised tax collector who simply prayed, “God be merciful to me, a sinner.”  While the exact words of your prayer to God are not of vital importance (since God sees and knows the attitude of your heart), the following is the kind of prayer that you could pray in calling upon God for salvation …

“Dear Lord Jesus:  I realize that I need you.  I admit that I have sinned and that I deserve your just, eternal punishment for that sin.  But I am sorry for my sin and I am turning to you and asking for forgiveness.  I believe that you died and rose again to pay sin’s penalty on my behalf.  I come to you and open my heart to you.  I ask you to come into my life, forgive me for all of my sin and make me your child.  I invite you to take control of my life and to cause me to be the kind of person you would have me to be.  I thank you for doing this because you have promised that whosoever calls upon you, as I am doing now, shall be saved.  I pray this in the name of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Amen.”

If this prayer expresses the desire of your heart, I urge you to sincerely and genuinely express it to God as your prayer.  The Bible makes clear that when we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ in our heart, God forgives our sins and counts us righteous, and that when we openly confess with our mouth what we have done in our heart,  God gives us assurance of that salvation (Romans 10:9-10).

“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?  Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.  That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” (John 3:3-7).

Questions or comments can be left further down below (sometimes comments end up in my spam box – will approve them as soon as I check it every day).

Recommended Reading:
THE END AFTER THE END OF 6,000 YEARS: HAVE WE ENTERED THE 7,000TH YEAR?

THE BIG PICTURE: THE DRAGON TRAP