04. The Wrath of the Dragon | Chapter 04: The Unholy Pair

 

“Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” Sun Tzu, The Art of War. Somebody once said, “Knowing your enemy is half the battle won.” Knowledge about the enemy is crucial for victory. From the analysis of Sun Tzu’s quote, we can deduce that there are two enemies that we face in every battle we fight.

The Bible clearly mentions the two enemies that we war against:

1. The Rulers of Darkness
   “Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Ephesians 6:11-12.
   
   Paul referred to the Devil and his angels as the rulers of the darkness of this world. Day and night, the enemy of souls carries out his wicked designs against God by leading men into sin and death. Since the dawn of the earth’s history, the Serpent has been around conquering even our perfect and unfallen parents, Adam and Eve.
   
   
2. Self
   The Bible says, “…Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things ye would.” Ephesians 5:16-17. Peter said, “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.” 1 Peter 2:11.
   
   The warfare against self is the greatest battle that was ever fought. The yielding of self, surrendering all to the will of God, requires a struggle; but the soul must submit to God before it can be renewed in holiness. Steps to Christ, pg. 43.

The two allies form the forces of darkness on this planet, working hand in hand in rebellion against God and bringing destruction upon the human race.

The fundamental objective of all the Devil’s attacks is for people to disobey or transgress the commandments of God. In Matthew chapter 22, a lawyer came to Jesus and asked Him, “Master, which is the greatest commandment in the law?” Jesus answered him saying, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” 

In order for the Devil to lead men to their doom, he leads them to break these two great commandments. Sin is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4) and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). When Satan succeeds in leading men and women into sin, he secures their death penalty alongside his own.

The angel Lucifer wanted to be worshipped as God as stated in Isaiah 14:12-14. In his clever design, people have no idea that when they do not worship Jehovah, they automatically worship the Devil. When Paul was writing his second epistle to the Corinthians, he said, “…if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God should shine upon them.” 2 Corinthians 4:3-4. Is the Devil really the God of this world? Let us look elsewhere in the Bible to prove this fact. 

We all know the story of how the Devil, with three temptations, attacked Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11). At the third temptation, the devil took him up to an exceedingly high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them. The Devil told Jesus that he will give all he has shown if the Son of God would fall down and worship him. Jesus said, “Ge thee behind me, Satan! Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and Him only shalt thou serve.”

The Devil really is the god of the glory of this world. Anyone who does not worship the Living God worships him. There are only two parties taking part in this war: Jesus and Satan. Your choices will determine whose side you are on.

The people around us are not our enemies as stated by Paul in Ephesians 6:11. Jesus clearly says in Matthew 22:39, “…thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Neighbours are all the people who exist around us, young, old, male, female, rich, poor, etc. 

Flesh and blood are not our enemies! Do not waste your time fighting against each other. Even if people’s choices lead them to enlist in the enemy’s army, the Bible says, “…Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you.” Matthew 5:44. 

The true enemy is YOUR-SELF. All selfish motives, thoughts and actions must be sacrificed for the sake of God and for the sake of others. When you fail to do so, you automatically enlist yourself in the army of the enemy.

The only criterion to join the side of evil is to have iniquity (sin) in your heart. Jesus said, “He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathers not with me scatters abroad.” Luke 11:23. 

The Bible says, “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” Isaiah 59:1-2. 

God loves sinners, but he hates sin. The only thing that will prevent Him from saving you is sin, which is the transgression of the law (1 John 3:4). God wants to save us, but he cannot save us if we choose to have sin us. No matter how much God loves sinners, “…the wages of sin is death…” Romans 6:23.