Super Bowl Zero
By Pastor Jim
This evening there are over 70,000 fanatics sitting in the seats of the arena where a contest is underway to determine the annual Super Bowl Champion. As of this morning, the only tickets that could be found were in the end zone and most were in the upper level where you almost need binoculars to see the players. The cost was from $2425 up to $3,675 per ticket on the mid-level end zone. Some hotels in the area where the game is being played are charging about $1200 a night with a minimum 5 night stay for a single room while others are charging as much as $9000 per night for a suite with the same minimum stay. It is estimated that this single sports event will generate a minimum of $400 million income to the local counties where the crowds will gather.
But the impact isn’t only in the area where the game is played. There has been a High Definition TV buying frenzy over the past several weeks so fans at home can watch the game with friends in living, clear and vibrant color as though they were sitting on the 50-yard line. These TV’s are ranging from $2700 up to as much as $150,000 per set and the stores can’t keep them in stock.
No other sports event in America draws a crowd of onlookers like this game. It is estimated that as many as 200 million will be watching it this year. That’s 2 out of every 3 citizens according to the 2000 census that estimated the U. S. population at just over 301 million.
The amazing thing though, is that the Super Bowl isn’t the biggest drawing card for us. It seems that the final episode of MASH drew a bigger audience, as well as the Miss America Beauty Pageant. We are a nation of fanatics. We are fanatical about sports, about movies, about TV, about making money, or just about anything that looks like fun. If you want to make a lot of money get involved in something that gives people a chance to have a few moments of fun and then charge a fee.
The desire of people to be entertained, to forget their troubles for a moment, or to feel the euphoria of victory on the playing field, is insatiable and we will set everything aside and surrender ourselves wholly to the pursuit of it.
But tonight I want to talk to you about another Super Bowl. I call it Super Bowl Zero because it started long before the NFL and the AFC ever existed and started their Super Bowl contests.
Super Bowl Zero is a contest between the two greatest teams in the universe. It’s the Heavenly Hosts versus the Demonic Hordes. It’s a battle between the two great forces of “Good” and “Evil” and it began in ages past, at the very creation of the earth, even before the time of Adam and Eve in Garden of Eden. The contest had been raging long before God formed Adam from the dust of the earth. It began with a war in Heaven.
In the beginning there was only one team. It was the Heavenly Hosts, created by God. God exists outside of time and space. The scriptures describe God in terms that are hard for us to grasp like; Omniscient, Omnipresent and Omnipotent. There is none like Him. He is holy, righteous and good in all his ways.
But then came the challenge. Among men it is always a struggle to be the top dog on the hill; to be King of the Hill. Everyone is always gunning for the man at the top, the one who will stick his head above the crowd and dare to be the best. It was the same way in the Heavenly Realms.
Satan was filled pride and began to challenge God’s authority and power. He wanted to be the King of the Hill.
That’s when the first “kick-off” came. The day that Satan decided to try to dethrone God was the day that Super Bowl Zero began.
On the very first play of the game it was easy to see that the teams weren’t evenly matched. Satan’s offense was stopped and he was thrown out of Heaven along with every player on his team. But he is a wily devil and he wasn’t go to go away that easily.
He went on the offense again, this time against man who was created in God’s own image. Satan figured out that he couldn’t run straight at the Defensive Line of God’s team so he tried an end run. He has been trying end runs ever since, but what he doesn’t know is that the Heavenly Defensive Coordinator already has Satan’s playbook and knows his strategy, so the devil’s team is checked at every turn. The Demonic Hordes are never able to run a switch up, or a surprise play, or a fake pass because God knows their strategy and nothing catches him by surprise.
It’s into the 1st Quarter now and it seems that Satan’s team has made some pretty astounding and successful plays. In a quarterback sneak, the serpent managed to get past the defensive line of righteousness and faked a quick hand off to Adam in the Garden. As a result it looked bad for the Heavenly Hosts for a while. In fact, it seemed to most of those who looked on as though the tide of the contest had definitely turned in favor of the Hordes of Hell.
We are well into the 1st Quarter now and it certainly appears that Satan’s team is way out front. Though there has been no score into the end zone, the devil’s team is on the march in that direction, and seems to be pushing the defensive line of the Heavenly Hosts more with every move. The 1st Quarter comes to an end with Satan’s team on the move; the Heavenly Hosts on the defense and losing ground; and Satan’s time of possession far out in front of God’s team.
Now the 2nd Quarter begins and to some it seems that the Heavenly Hosts are trying to put a better defense but they are simply overwhelmed by the Demonic Hordes.
The Heavenly Hosts put some new players into the line in an attempt to turn things around. Abraham comes in as the Center. Isaac, Jacob, David and Moses take to the field along with a fiery Running Back named Elijah and another named Elisha. It seems that they are going to try to make a faithful stand and try to stop the forward progress of the Demonic Hordes.
But it is just not to be. The Hordes still manage to keep pushing back the defensive line of God’s team as one-by-one, each of the new players falters, falls and is taken out of the game for good. It’s really looking worse for God’s team all the time. Nothing seems to check the forward progress of the Hordes. Even the fans, the chosen people for God’s team, have fallen into a slump and there is none to cheer the Heavenly Hosts onward. It’s as though they are fighting against everyone and everything and there seems to be no hope at all for a win.
As the 2nd Quarter comes to an end, the Demonic Hosts are jumping with joy. Though the score is still tied at 0, they just know that they have what it takes and that they will win the championship.
Its Half Time now, and the Demonic Hordes have arranged for a fantastic lineup of commercials to dazzle the eyes of the spectators. The scenes that pass before the crowds are designed to shock and awe them. As the Half Time show continues, every person in the crowd remains drawn completely into what’s being advertised. With each passing scene, lust, desire, greed, envy, strife, perversion and every form of evil thought enters their hearts and drives them into a sinful frenzy, throwing inhibitions to the wind and becoming more evil with every breath. It’s as though God has given every one of them over to a reprobate mind.
There is murder, fighting, cursing and each section begins to war against another as they all join in to see who can kill the most. Mayhem and hatred is filling the stands. Satan sits back in his chair and smiles because he knows that his strategies are working better all the time. He knows these spectators and he knows how to push their buttons to get what he wants, and what he wants is their eternal loyalty to his own cause of evil.
Down in the locker room of the teams there is a second half strategy being planned for the Demonic Hordes. It’s time for them to make a big move, give it all they have, to make a big score and take a commanding lead in the game.
Satan brings his heavy weights into the front line and they are going to be his main line of offense and his main line of defense.
First there is Death, the center, who never quits and never grows tired. Then there is Grave, who gets support and strength from Death. Working together, these two players seem to make an unbeatable pair. Then there is Hell. He stands right beside Death and Grave. Then there is Doubt; and Fear; and Frustration; and Hopelessness and a fearsome lineup of players designed to shake the confidence of the Heavenly Host. All of these players are a powerful line and almost immovable.
The 3rd Quarter begins with a surprise on the field. The Heavenly Hosts have brought in a new player. This is one that no one saw coming, and it seemed that all of the Hosts of Heaven were putting their trust in the ability of this one single player to turn the tide in the battle for good and evil and the Super Bowl Zero championship.
The player wears a number 1 on his jersey and across the back, there are many names listed there. Let’s see if we can read some of them. There’s Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, and at the top of it all is the name Jesus.
Jesus comes into the game almost unnoticed but we can see that there is a major shift in the playing strategy of the Demonic Hordes. Their whole focus has shifted from pushing for the end zone, to trying to get Jesus out of the game. They plan traps to blindside him, but Jesus is never trapped. They plan schemes to have him removed from the game, but somehow Jesus evades every scheme and plan.
The Demonic Hordes still control the game, or so it seems. They are still on the offense, but the offense is beginning to weaken because the defense of the Heavenly Hordes is growing stronger by the minute.
But then comes a major mistake in the game for the Heavenly Hosts. At a critical moment, they lose possession of the ball and Jesus is taken from the field, bruised and battered, and it doesn’t look like He will be back on this team ever again.
It’s late in the 3rd Quarter now, with only seconds to go, but Satan is happy. He can see the end in sight and it looks like he is going to win easily. The Defensive Line of the Heavenly Hosts have been beaten badly, so much that they seem to be losing hope and looking for the bench and a time of rest. He calls a time out. It’s party time on the bench of the Demonic Hordes. Smiles, laughter and shouts of victory can be heard and their fans in the stands join in the celebration.
Within only 10 seconds to go in the 3rd Quarter, the game resumes. But wait! The time out was only for 3 minutes but here comes Jesus again. He’s revived! He seems more powerful than ever, and he moves into the front line of the Heavenly Hosts and tells everyone else to back off. Jesus is going to take on Death, Hell, Grave and all the other Demonic Hordes single-handed. His very presence and air of confidence seems to rattle the Demonic Hordes and they can’t stand to look Jesus in the face. They tremble at the thought of the coming snap.
The snap comes and Jesus doesn’t move, but every single member of Satan’s team falls backwards onto the ground and there’s no one to stop Jesus from just picking up the ball.
What a turnover! Miracle of miracles – Jesus is alive and he possesses the ball.
The Heavenly Hosts are shouting now. Newly refreshed, Hope comes into the line. Resistance comes in next to him and every demonic player shrinks before him and seems to look for a place to run. But Jesus is gone! He seemed to just float away in the middle of the play as the whistle blows the end of the quarter.
The 3rd Quarter comes to an end and now it’s down to the 4th Quarter. Satan is getting desperate. This is his last chance to win. It’s going to be a do or die situation. It’s time to pull out all of the stops.
The 4th Quarter begins with a new lineup for the Heavenly Hosts. Into the center position steps a new player on the field named Paul. He’s very quick and smart and can handle a ball without making a mistake. Then there’s Peter, James, John, and together with all the rest there are 12 new players on the field and every one of them seems to possess a power that is greater than anything Satan has ever seen before.
No matter what he tries, his Demonic Hordes cannot make any headway against this New team of Heavenly Hosts. Somewhere he has heard them called the Church and they are empowered by the power of God dwelling within. How can he overcome such power? How can he win against such odds? It is literally impossible for his Hordes to prevail against this new team. He has to rely on a good defense long enough to figure out a new offense.
Then it comes to him. If you can’t beat them, join them. His instructions to the Demonic Hordes is simple; just make friends with the Heavenly Hosts. Fool them into thinking that we will give them the game. Let them think that we aren’t trying to score anymore and that we’ve thrown in the towel. But all the while, we will be planning our final strategy to win, because we will neutralize the power of this church.
As the 4th Quarter continues, to those in the stands appears that the devil’s strategy is working. In fact, there are times when they can’t tell whose on which team. It’s almost as though the teams were constantly trading uniforms until you didn’t know who was on which team anymore. As the original lineup for the Heavenly Hosts would leave the game, new players would come in. Some were strong and possessed that inner strength of the first group, but many were nothing more than paper tigers, easily overcome. They had the appearance of the Heavenly Hosts, but they lacked the power to win. Jesus has left the field now and gave instructions to those left behind to do the things that he did, but they don’t have the same authority, or at least they aren’t using it.
Now it’s late in the 4th Quarter and we are nearing the 2 Minute Warning. From the stands it looks like Satan is on the 1 yard line and about to score. The Heavenly Hosts are putting up a good defense. Every one of them is down on one knee, looking toward the sky for help. Though they are battered, torn and appear to be weakening, they simply will not “let” the Demonic Hordes cross that goal line. It’s a terrific goal line stand.
Now we are coming down to the last 15 seconds of the game. The Demonic Hordes are fired up. They can taste victory. One last thrust and they will cross the goal line to win.
The clock starts. Satan’s powerhouse quarterback, named Antichrist is poised to make the final pass for the score. He’s unknown to the fans, but he is about to become the MVP, the “most valuable player” in the game for the Demonic Hordes.
Only a few seconds to go, and the tension is mounting on both teams. The countdown on the play clock is just about to end. Muscles strain, each player knows that this is the final play. Eyes are fixed. The Battle is set.
Then suddenly, out of the sky breaks forth the sound of a trumpet. The Demonic Hordes look up, then down, and the Heavenly Hosts are gone. There’s no one there. Nothing is in front of them but a clear path to the goal line and the scoring win.
They pick up the ball and start walking to the goal line. We’ve won! We’ve won! Those are shouts from team and from the stands. Just a few more steps and the game is ours. We are the Champions of Super Bowl Zero.
Just seven little steps, that’s all it was, but every inch of the field seemed covered in glue. Every step was growing harder to make. The rain and hail begins to fall, and fans are falling from the stands. The ground shakes beneath their feet and huge numbers of fans are lost as the stands crumble in sections to the ground. The lights grow dark and the whole world seems to be in a violent storm, but the Demonic Hordes can’t leave the field. They still have to score.
The fans in the stands can’t leave either. Their whole future rests on the score of this game. They are forced to see it to the end. The fog is thick but they know they’ve won. They can’t see what really happening, but in their blindness they know we can’t lose. There’s no one there to stop us now.
Just one more step! One more and the game is won! The Antichrist has the ball in his hand and, as he picks up his feet to make that final step, he is frozen and cannot move.
The fog clears away. The sky opens up and here comes the Heavenly Host. At the front of the line is Jesus himself. He wears a new uniform now, one stained in red, and with a new name. It reads King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
He knocked the ball out of the hands of the Antichrist and in a moment of time crosses the goal line on the opposite end of the field. With one word of His mouth, the entire team of the Demonic Hordes simply falls into the ground as it opens to receive them. Jesus has scored the winning touchdown. He is the Champion of Super Bowl Zero.
Now I know that I have used a bit of poetic license to tell this story but the point is that there is a great battle going on right now. No, it’s not the one down in Florida; it’s the one in the realms of the Spirit. The most important game in history began a long time ago, but it’s just about over now.
I believe that we are in the final moments of the game and I don’t want to be caught in the stands with the rest of the world cheering on the Demonic Hordes. I want to be counted among the Heavenly Hosts.
I want to go in the Rapture when that trumpet sounds. That’s going to God’s First Round Draft Picks and we will all receive a great bonus when we join that team.
What is the most important to you; is it a game of football called the Super Bowl where a championship team is chosen for a year and then soon forgotten, or is it the Super Bowl Zero, the ultimate contest for the Championship of Eternity?
Let’s just make sure that we keep our eyes on the right team and focused on the right goal line. Satan is blinding the world with deceit and lies, and we, the very elect must remain on guard so that we won’t fall for his tricks too.
Heaven is too great of a prize and Jesus is already the declared winner. Why would we want to be a part of the losing team when we can choose to be victorious in Christ?
