The End Times as God Reveals Them Pt. 37 There is an Accuser but We have a Mighty Advocate!

This post is especially important for all born again believers. It touches upon the lives that we live, the accusations lodged against us by Satan and God's path to overcoming by the blood of Jesus.

Revelation 12:10-12  And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 11) And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. 12) Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. 

Our last post looked at the war which will be fought in heaven during the great tribulation. We also looked at the origins of Satan and learned that he used to be called Lucifer.  He was a perfect created being until sin was found in him. 

Since that moment, he has been a liar and a murderer (John 8:44). He deceives the world (2 John 1:7) and lodges accusations against the born again children of God. He has limited access to heaven but will lose that access after the battle is over. 

What will happen when Michael and the heavenly angels are victorious over Satan and the fallen angels? 

First, there will be an exuberant hymn of praise heard in heaven. A loud voice will announce that the full inheritance of the salvation of God through Jesus Christ has arrived. The kingdom of God and the power of Jesus Christ is going to prevail on earth as it does in heaven. 

God's will to be done on earth as in heaven.

Matthew 6:9-10  After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10) Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 

Second, the slandering work of Satan will be over. Remember that I said Satan currently has limited access to heaven to seek to do harm to all born again believers. John tells us that the devil makes countless accusations against all those who are born again and regenerated by the Spirit of God and he does this at the throne of God. 

He is constantly charging each believer with specific violations of God's holy law at the throne of God in heaven. Each time a born again child of God sins, the devil is ready to pounce and make an accusation against us. 

This is why Jesus is our eternal high priest who is always interceding for each believer against whom an accusation is made. 

The word "accuser" means one who filed a criminal charge against a believer by citing the law of God that the believer is alleged to have violated. A sad reality is that we do often fail our gracious God by what we think, what we say and our actions. 

I believe that if we saw a vivid  picture of heaven's courtroom in our minds, and saw the devil running to charge us with breaking God's law each time we sin, that we would make a greater effort to live a holy, God pleasing life. 

Satan's accusations and Christ's faithful intercession for us are connected with the powerful doctrine of justification by faith, not by works. Justification is a word that means even though a believer is guilty of committing a sin against God, the believer is eternally justified through faith in Christ.

We are eternally justified.

Romans 8:33-34  Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. 34) Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. 

Justification is when God pardons the sinner who has turned to Christ in repentant faith and has been born again. Each believer receives the remission of sin. Our sins are gone, nailed to the cross of Christ and when we turn to Him for salvation by faith, believing on Him, our sins are gone. We are declared fully innocent and made as righteous as Christ. How can this be, you may ask? 

Paul tells us that since God is the one who justifies each believer, no one can file charges against us. When the devil seeks to make accusations against us, we know that Christ died for those sins and His resurrection is proof that the blood of Jesus made atonement for us. Therefore, Jesus intercedes for us and can say to the Father "I already died and paid for that believer's sin." 

Psalm 103:10-12  He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. 11) For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. 12) As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. 

Now, we can begin to see some of the Divine glory of what it meant when Jesus cried out "It is finished" with a mighty voice on the cross the moment before He laid His life down as our eternal substitute. Our sins are finished. All of our sins have been paid for by Christ and He suffered the penalty in our place. 

Christ our Intercessor stands between God and our accuser.

Hebrews 7:24-25  But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. 25) Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. 

Hebrews 9:24  For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: 

Jesus Christ is our perfect high priest and He saves each believer to the uttermost, eternally, and securely forever. No one can pluck a child of God out of the Great Shepherd's hands (John 10:27-30). 

The intercessory work of Christ is certainly connected to the devil making constant  accusations against us at the throne of God. Christ is our defender who represents us and perfectly pleads our case to the Father in heaven. 

Overcomers by the blood of the Lamb!

Romans 3:25  Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;

Romans 5:9  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

All believers overcome the accuser by the blood of Jesus Christ and by our testimony of faith in Christ for salvation. We have faith in the blood of Jesus to fully and completely pay for our sins. We have faith that the blood of Jesus brings us the righteousness of God and that our sins are taken away forever. We have faith that through the blood of Jesus we will be spared the crushing  wrath of God poured out during the tribulation period. 

Christ our advocate, defends us before the Father! He removes the charges against us!

1 John 1:7-9  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 8) If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

The blood of Jesus has power to cleanse us from our sins. Each believer should desire to live a holy life that pleases God. Yet, as long as we have this body of flesh, we will sometimes sin. We must do what God's word tells us to do when we sin. Confess our sins, forsake them and plead the power of the blood of Jesus to wash our sins away. God's promise is that when we know we have sinned and we confess it to Him, He will forgive us. He will cleanse us from all the pollution and contamination of sin.

1 John 2:1-3  My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2) And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. 3) And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 

The word "advocate" is a word that means one called alongside us to help us. In this case, John says that believers should live holy lives and not sin. He also says that we will sin and when we do, Christ is our "advocate." This word means that Christ is like a defense attorney in the courtroom of heaven. He gathers the facts needed to prove that his client is innocent of the charges brought against him by a prosecutor. 

The prosecutor is our accuser, the devil. He runs to heaven to say that "This believer just lied to someone and broke you holy law." Our advocate, Jesus Christ rises up and says "This believer has faith in me and has been washed by my blood!" The Father says "The case is dismissed and all charges are dropped. Let the record of these charges be stricken." 

John used the word "propitiation" which means that the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ satisfied the Father's demand for perfect righteousness. The blood of Christ that Jesus shed is the perfect payment to wipe out our sin debt and satisfy God's holy law.

John commands each believer to live a holy life. He tells us not to sin and shows us that we can live a holy life by keeping the commandments of Jesus Christ.

Thoughts to Ponder...

1 Timothy 2:5-6  For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6) Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. 

Jesus Christ is Son of God and Son of Man. He is the only one who can be a mediator between God and man. The word "mediator" refers to a person who brings two parties in conflict back together and restores peace between them.

Our accuser watches and when he learns of a sin that you or I commit he will file legal charges against us in heaven. Praise God that we have an advocate, a mediator, Jesus Christ and that we are justified by faith not by our works. 

We must more fully understand the power of salvation and the blood of Christ in fully satisfying the Father. 

We must allow these truths to sink into our minds so we can be transformed and made more like Christ day by day. 

How we live as a believer matters. I pray that we can see what goes on in heaven's courtroom so  we might be more mindful of our need to think, say and do all that pleases and honors God. 

We have so much to be thankful for because of our Savior Jesus Christ. May we all be filled with praise, adoration and worship to our Glorious, Worthy Savior, Jesus Christ.

Bob