Each time Jesus healed a demoniac, liberated a soul enslaved to Satan, or encouraged a saint to go on and share the gospel in this world, He was plundering Satan’s house. Today, every time a woman is shown God’s grace and she receives forgiveness of sins, the kingdom comes. Every time a child, nourished in the gospel in his own home, comes to see that this gospel is not just Mom and Dad’s salvation but his salvation, the kingdom comes.
But you say the Bible says that Satan goes about like a roaring lion! And you are right. We all know it in our personal lives. But we also read, “…the ruler of this world is judged” (John 16:11).
Advertisement
Philip Ryken, in his book on the Lord’s Prayer, described the situation by comparing it to how the Allies defeated Nazi Germany in the 1940s:
For all intents and purposes, World War II was over on D-Day when British and American troops established a beachhead in France. There were still battles to be fought, of course, and lives would be lost. But from that point on, the Nazis were fighting a losing battle. All that remains was for the Allies to liberate Europe.3
At the cross the devil was defeated. Battles still rage across the earth and in the hearts of men and women and boys and girls, but Christ is the victor. The war is won. The enemy is exposed and is losing ground, and Christ is gaining. The enemy will at last be vanquished.
The whole book of Revelation could be summed up in three words: Jesus always wins. He won at Eden when victory was declared by God but had yet to be worked out. He won at Calvary when Satan’s domain was given its fatal blow. Jesus won in the early church when Rome, the tool of Satan, became the instrument God used to advance His kingdom throughout the world. He won the day you surrendered to the grace and love of Jesus Christ and welcomed King Jesus to sit on the throne of your life.
One by one the kingdom of God tears down the wall erected by the devil and his demons. Your prayer is being answered.
The Kingdom of God Is Progressing
The kingdom of God is going to burst forth in a new heaven and a new earth.
When we pray “Your kingdom come,” we are also praying for the fulfillment of the kingdom by the return of Christ and the restoration of all things. The Lord said, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea” (Rev. 21:1, NIV).
“He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true’” (Rev. 21:5, NIV).