….the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory–I Corinthians 2:8.
This is a piece about Christmas, from a perspective you may never have thought of.
First. Bear in mind that there is more going on in this universe–above us, underneath us, in the spirit world surrounding us–than any of us can ever imagine.
God is always at work. The hosts of Heaven are constantly serving Him in ways unknown to us. But we must not forget that so is His arch-enemy also at work, as well as his minions. Satan is constantly on the prowl seeking whom he may devour.
We see this throughout Scripture.
Now, Satan is the enemy is all that is good. Anything that would honor God, bless people, and spread the gospel, Satan works to sabotage.
But God is not stymied by Satan. The Heavenly Father loses no sleep worrying about him. Satan’s doom is settled, his fate is sealed, his days are numbered.
“On earth is not his equal,” said Martin Luther about the devil in His majestic anthem A Mighty Fortress. Granted, you and I are no match for Satan. But in Christ we are more than conquerors. This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith in Christ. (Romans 8:37 and I John 5:4)
God is constantly handing the devil defeat after defeat. We see it in life, we observe it in the world about us, and we can see it demonstrated in Scripture time and again.
Case in point: The First Christmas.
First, understand that Satan is a created being. He shares none of the attributes of Almighty God—not omniscience, omnipresence, nor omnipotence—meaning that he is limited in knowledge and space and power. When it comes to predicting what God is going to do next, he has to rely on what he can figure out, what he remembers from the timeless past when he resided in Heaven as a favorite angel, and what he reads in Holy Scripture.
Since the Holy Spirit does not enlighten his understanding, satan sees as the world sees, not with the mind of Christ. Once we understand this, a hundred puzzles fall into place.
Satan did not know God’s plan which involved the cross.
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