Regime Change

For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son also gives life to whom He wishes. For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. (John 5:21-30)

Several key issues in the core controversy emerge here. 1) Lucifer had contested the identity of Christ in heaven, inferring that Christ was no greater than Lucifer and seeking to displace Him in the affections and worship of the angels. 2) Satan disputed Christ's authority over the earth because humans had ceded their God-given authority to him and he would never cede it to anyone else, especially Christ. 3) Satan likely had challenged the fact that Christ in creating this world had the same power of life in Himself that the Father possesses. Lucifer has done everything he can since the rebellion commenced to discount and discredit everything God has stated about Christ.

As far as Satan's claim to represent this earth, there has always been serious questions in the universe about the legitimacy of a being representing humans who is not a human himself. This is clearly out of harmony with how every other race of beings throughout the universe are represented in the assemblies of heaven. This leads to 4): Jesus became a human in His plan to displace Satan from his position as the recognized ruler of this world; thus His pointed statement here about being the Son of Man.

Lastly, what I see in this passage anyway, 5) Jesus says that in contrast to the counterfeit justice system used by Satan and the governments of this world, all judgment carried out by Jesus will sooner or later be completely vindicated as really just and fair, precisely because His kingdom is based on agape love, and as such completely defers to the will of God at all times and in all things instead of seeking its own.

Satan's kingdom was founded on selfishness which he insisted was an improvement or liberation from the kingdom of God. Satan masquerading as the ruler of this world refuses to submit to God's ways and will. Satan has perverted the perceptions of all who have been deceived by him into believing that God's kingdom is based on arbitrary law. That is the same tactic he used to confuse and entice such a large number of the angels to embrace his alternative system of government. Satan claimed that his government and way of living offers freedom from law. Yet in reality it is just the other way around; all who follow Satan end up in slavery, both to selfishness and to a fear of death.

Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. (Hebrews 2:14-15)

Jesus came to this world – to the very capital of the rebellion has been set up and where Satan has ruled tyrannically since the fall of man – to challenge, expose and refute every claim of Satan against heaven. He came to overthrow Satan's kingdom by undermining all of Satan's claims of legitimacy for representing this world and humanity. Jesus not only became a human Himself, but also absorbed into Himself the liabilities of the entire race of humans that had been enslaved by Satan's deceptions with Adam and Eve. As our originally intended representatives they sold all of humanity into the fear of death. Jesus came to dispute and replace Satan's claims of authority by creating and establishing His own legitimate authority.

Jesus also came to this earth to flush into the open all of the issues raised in the minds of angels and any other race of beings who have been made vulnerable by the extremely subtle and convoluted reasonings of the great deceiver. Jesus came armed simply with the real light of truth about God demonstrated in Himself as the means by which to expose all of Satan's accusations as fraudulent and baseless. By relying totally on God's principles of freedom, respect, selfless love and humility, Jesus demonstrated that God is the very opposite of what Satan has claimed about Him for so long. In addition, the issue of the real truth about Jesus' relationship to His Father which had also been strongly contested in heaven needed to be clarified as well. That issue was whether Jesus is actually God or just a super-being created by God on which He poured more favor than any other creature as Satan had claimed.

This issue of Satan's kingdom and authority being overthrown on this planet is increasingly capturing my attention. I feel it has been seriously under-estimated in its true significance in the great controversy. I believe it must be seen as one of the core issues (doctrines) that must be much better understood, appreciated and examined if we are to become effective witnesses for God and help to advance His kingdom more rapidly on this earth. It is something that I feel compelled to look into much deeper and to pay more attention to whatever God brings to my notice.

But even more importantly, I must learn to personally come under the authority of Jesus Christ myself and be transformed through a continual renewing of my heart, not just my mind. I want my own life to better reflect God in my spirit and dealings with others with the same reflection of His true character as what Jesus showed when He lived as a human on this planet. I want to renounce all authority Satan has had in my life and fully embrace the true authority of Jesus; to come into complete submission to God's authority which will allow His Spirit to function freely inside of me to produce His kind of fruit.

I have been compiling a list of references about this issue so I can research it more thoroughly. I have not included most of them here, but this subject was again brought to my attention when I was alerted by reading the following verses where I am currently meditating in the book of John.

Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, "Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." (John 17:1-3)

Jesus is given full authority by heaven over all flesh – all humans everywhere and in every age. That has resounding implications that few are willing to admit, but I believe it is vital to know about this as we seek to understand the true nature of salvation and the displacement of Satan's kingdom from the universe.

The issue is not whether Christ has authority over all of us or only over those who accept it; the real issue is which authority contending for our allegiance will we choose to embrace and obey, not just in theory but with all of our heart, mind, soul, body and spirit. (see Matthew 6:24 and Luke 16:13) As long as we entertain a spirit of rebellion, sin, selfishness and resistance to God in our hearts and lives, we are empowering Satan's claims to authority over us and continue to block God's interventions to heal and rescue us from the power of Satan's kingdom. This is a key principle that must be much better understood and acted upon if we are to become the overcomers that inherit the everlasting kingdom that will never fall or be displaced.