ONLY THE ABBA KNOWS - PART 2

LUKE 10:1-20

SATAN HAS FALLEN FROM HEAVEN

¹After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. ²Then He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest…
¹⁷Then the seventy-two returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."
¹⁸And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. ¹⁹Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. ²⁰Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in the heavens."

v. 18 - "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven" - Electrical storms comparatively rare in Israel. Lightning's fall unpredictable, sudden. But Jesus' vision is in past tense. It is done. Satan has fallen. He has seen it. 

·         Isaiah 14:12-15 -king of Babylon embodied the demonic hubris. The Messiah throws him down. Some see this passage as an historical statement of Satan being cast from heaven. 

·         Luke 11:20-23 - Beelzebub is cast out. The Stronger One is present. 

·         Revelation 12:7-12 - Devil is cast out of heaven. His anger is great. Saints overcome the devil by the Lamb's blood, by faith in the sacrifice of Jesus. 

·         Mark 2:19 - With Jesus, the Kingdom of God is present! The Bridegroom is present. Satan's fall is complete. The battle of Armageddon is over. Decisive battle is won. The earth belongs to its rightful Lord. 

·         Mark 9:14-24 - Consequently the demons must flee. All things are now possible to believers when they are in Christ. His power is invincible. 

v. 17 - "Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." - The defeat of Satan explains the disciples' success. The adversary is conquered, so now the prisoners are being freed. 

·         John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11 - Satan is called the prince [chief ruler] of this world. However he has been judged (condemned, damned). 

·         "even the demons are subject" - the power of the demonic is real, but no longer frightening to believers acting in Jesus' authority. One little Word from Jesus drives them out. 

·         Matthew 16:21-28 - Jesus addresses Satan directly. Peter wants Jesus to evade his responsibility. Jesus sees Satan at work tempting again. 

·         Mark 9:25-29 - specific maladies still require disciplined obedience. However, now that Jesus is here "all things are possible to him who believes" (v.23). 

v. 19 -"Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy" -does not suggest we handle snakes (Mark 16:17-18). 

·          Isaiah 11:8 -when the promised Messiah comes, nursing children play with cobras. With the coming of Jesus, the Messianic age has begun. Satan is thrown down, deposed. So his power is eliminated. We have no fear of the "supernatural" powers. We are not powerless. Jesus has given us authority. 

v. 20 - "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in the heavens." -the reason for rejoicing is Jesus. He is our Savior. To rejoice in one's own power over the demonic is to focus upon oneself. Such power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

·         1 Corinthians 1:25-31 -God has chosen the foolish things. Glory in the Lord's choosing you.  

·         1 Peter 1:10-12 - prophets of old longed to look into these things now revealed. 

·         Revelation 13:8 - your names are written in the Book of life. 

·         Note: The Hebrew word for "heavens" is plural; hence Matthew records Jesus speaking in the plural, thus reflecting the Hebrew "Shemayim".

• Matt. 3:16 - the heavens are opened to Jesus at His baptism. 
• 2 Corinthians 5:1 - an eternal building in the heavens. 

v. 2 - "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." - How do we go about the harvest? As did the Crusaders of the Middle Ages? Drive out unbelievers? No. Such actions are forbidden! Tolerance and patience are commanded. 

·         Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 - Parable of the tares. Jesus specifically forbids the pulling up of the tares. 

·         Matthew 13:47-50 - The dragnet pulls in all kinds of fish. The angels do the separating. 

Discussion

1. Why did Jesus command that the disciples go on their mission in pairs? 
2. What advice does Jesus give when we sense that we have not enough Christian workers? 
3. Why is Jesus not more specific about the methodology of missions? 
4. Why does Jesus not give a more developed message? 
5. What are the implications for ministry now that Satan has been driven out of heaven? 
6. What does it mean to have your name "written in the heavens"? 
7. Why do some Christians give such great attention to the demonic powers? 
8. Why does the world around us have such a fascination with the supernatural? 
9. What power do the demons have? 
10. How can Jesus say "nothing shall by any means hurt you"?
11. In what ways do demons still influence and tempt believers today? 
12. What does Jesus mean by forbidding His disciples from pulling up the tares among the wheat?