I SAW SATAN FALL! Series
1. YOUR ACCUSER FELL
Luke 10:17-20 (18)
The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
THE CONTEXT:
1) Immediate picture: 70-72 sent out to spread the message that the kingdom of God is coming to a heart near you! They come back to Jesus with this report: “Even the demons are subject to us in your name.”
2) Big picture: One kingdom is temporarily set up = Satan’s; another has come onto the scene = Jesus’.
Let’s make some observations about this
a. The 72 = “Even the demons submit to us in your name”
Even = means there was more than this that happened, but
Do you suppose the 72 ever had demons submit to them before? Before we answer, let’s consider, what are demons?
The demons = btw, was Luke a Jew or Greek? Luke was Greek, and so when he writes these words, he is speaking from a Greek perspective and for a Greek perspective.
Popular Greek belief about “demons”…
These were the creatures the disciples were saying were now submitting to them in the name of Jesus.
Submit to us = they were brought under control and subjection, but not with magical conjuring, but with one name!
In Your name = the name of Jesus!
There is a hidden story in the book of Acts about a man by the name of Sceva who had seven sons who went out in a maverick sort of way invoking the name of “Jesus whom Paul preached” on demons and seeing the spirits flee…until one day something erratic and mysterious and bad happened!
What do you think of when you hear the name, Jesus?
THE NAME OF JESUS refers to for everything which the name covers, everything the thought or feeling of which is aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing, remembering, the name; you think of his position in the Godhead, His authority, His interests, what pleases Him, His commands, what He has done for you and how beautiful He is to you!
Which just blows my mind when I think about this, because Jesus didn’t even have to be there physically—he didn’t have to be at the same place his disciples were for there to be power and authority over these “shadows!”
Look at how Jesus responds here: Is he flattered by the story spoken here about him? Is he shocked or surprised? Not in the least! But what Luke wants teach us and his Greek audience comes to light through how Jesus responds!
b. “[Jesus] saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven”
Jesus saw (was seeing) = s
The Satan = Who is he? And why would Jesus not only see him, but be concerned about seeing him? Why is this Satan brought into the picture here? In other words, Why this reference to the Satan?
Luke has referred to this character previously as The Devil. But Luke calls him Satan four more times in the rest of his book. The name “Satan” is a Grecian-ized word of the Aramaic/Hebrew word for “adversary”.
Historically in Jewish tradition there was an anticipated “last days” conflict between God and Satan.
Fall…from heaven = if you fall, you must have been some place where you could fall. Usually we refer to falling as from being some place UP. But “UP” can mean your position physically or your position in rank. For example, “He fell from his position as being Supervisor (CEO or Pastor)” or something.
Satan was seen to fall from where? Heaven. Where is heaven? Where is it? If we were to point to where heaven is, we’d all point UP. But directionally that is all we seem to know about heaven is that it is UP.
When Jesus ascended UP past the clouds which hid him from their sight, in Acts chapter 1, the angel reported that “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
Heaven is where God is and from His throne is where judgments are made.
Why would the Satan be in heaven? Before we answer that question, I’d like to link in here the next part…the Satan fell… from heaven…
…Like lightning = Satan’s fall from heaven was similar to lightning flashing.
Why? What took place for this event to have happened right then and not earlier or later? Is this a visual of what took place directly with the ministry of Jesus and/or his disciples?
Or was this just a vision experience Jesus had? And if so, was it a vision of what has already happened or what is in the process of happening or of what will happen in the end time future?
When we think of the fall of Satan, we don’t want to be more influenced by MOVIES than by the Bible.
In the Old Testament, the Satan,
is chief prosecutor in the heavenly court,
and when he fills this role
he does so in the presence of God and his angels.
Job 1:6–2:7.
All I want you to see here is the place where the Satan is. Satan by the way means “Adversary/Accuser”. Where does this activity and conversation happen? HEAVEN. And why is Satan there? Perhaps the account in Zechariah 3:1-5 will help.
Satan’s business in heaven was to accuse people before God!
Luke 22:31
And in this case with Peter, Jesus shows us by his own example what to do = HE opposes Satan’s request by what? Intercession.
When Jesus speaks of seeing Satan’s fall from heaven he is not thinking of an event in the remote past. He is thinking of the effect of his ministry at the time. He had sent out seventy of his disciples to spread the announcement that the kingdom of God had drawn near, and now they had come back from their mission in great excitement. “Why,” they said, “even the demons are subject to us in your name!” To this Jesus replied, “I watched how Satan fell, like lightning, out of the sky”. It is implied that he was watching for this when suddenly, like a flash of lightning, it happened; Satan plummeted—whether to earth or down to the abyss is not said.
Jesus may be describing an actual vision that he experienced during the mission of the seventy—not unlike the vision seen by John of Patmos, when, as he says, war broke out in heaven and “the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray” (Rev 12:9). When Jesus’ messengers found that the demons—evil shadowy forces that held men and women in bondage—were compelled to obey them as they commanded them, in Jesus’ name, to come out of those people in whose lives they had taken up residence, this was a sign that the kingdom of God was conquering the kingdom of evil!
Many of the rabbis held that, at the end of the age, God or the Messiah would overthrow Satan. The report of the seventy showed that Satan’s overthrow had already taken place, and Jesus’ vision of his fall from heaven confirmed this. John’s Patmos version of Satan being ejected similarly indicates that his downfall was the direct result of Jesus’ ministry.
Finally, the seventy are directed not to exult in their spiritual achievements but to exult rather in what God has done for them. To have one’s name “written in heaven” is to have received God’s gift of eternal life.
Satan is your Accuser and your Adversary. He is the one who lies about you and brings up all of your mistakes to God over And over again! He complains about you, petitions against you, blames you, files charges against you, and constantly looks for defects in your life to point his finger at and say to God, “Ah-ha! See that! They deserve to die for that! Kill them God! Take out your justice and judgment upon them!
Luke …and I …want you to know because Jesus wants you to know, that He went into Satan’s kingdom and took back all the keys to the cells that bind you! All the sins and past mistakes you’ve made which the Accuser can take before Wherever you go, take this good news of the kingdom with you! Satan doesn’t have access to the throne of God like he once did. Do you know why? Because Jesus has given all people who are in HIS kingdom authority over THAT kingdom! And he tells us “The gates of Hell will not prevail against us!”
What are we to do?
REJOICE in this truth!
RECOGNIZE Satan when he kicks you and points at you &
CALL ON JESUS’ name! And he will be there!
