The Cross and the Kingdom

By: Daniel Peter

But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.

(1Co 1:23-24 kJV)

In my last contribution to the Call to Prayer, I spoke about how the kingdom of God is established using the kingdom of Israel in the old testament as a model of what is in the new. From that piece, I revealed that power is needed for the establishment of the Kingdom of God, for we need it to displace/expel the enemy. Jesus‘ statement in Luke 11:20, “But if I am casting out demons by the power of God, then the Kingdom of God has arrived among you” affirms this truth.

Before I proceed, it’s good for me to show from scriptures that the coming of the kingdom is in three dimensions (it came, it has come, and it is going to come): it came when Jesus walked this earth (Luke 11:20), it is now by the Holy Spirit in us (Luke 17:21, John 14:16-17), and it will come when the devil is cast down from heaven as revealed in Revelation 12: 7 -12. The latter part is what we are about to experience soon.

Now, despite the casting down of the devil from heaven was described as an aftermath of the fight between him, the devil and his aligned angels, and Michael the arch Angel and the Angels aligned with him (Revelation 7-9), we see that the victory that Michael achieved in heaven was based on the activities of Christians on earth. For the bible went further to say, And they (Children of God) overcame him (the devil) by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death (Rev 12:11). To help us see how our activities on the earth affect what happens in the heavens, let’s consider what happened when Jesus sent out the 72 (Luke 10). As they came back declaring how demons were submitted to them, Jesus replied with the following words: And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven (Luke 10:18). From this, we see how the activities of disciples on the earth led to the fall of Satan from heaven. The statement of Jesus (Satan falling like lightning) was not just literal, but a prophecy of what I believe is going to happen in our day (the fulfilment of Revelation 12:9), as we walk in the power and authority The Lord has given to us. However, there is something more powerful than casting out devils.

As revealed from the above, to bring heaven down, we need power. But what was the greatest act of power that Jesus performed? Reading through the gospels, we find that Jesus did cast out devils and heal the sick, but what brought the eternal victory over the devil was that He submitted to the will of God the Father by dying on the cross. This was the greatest act of power Jesus performed. The cross is not just the power of God, it is also the wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:23-24), and it is a symbol of obedience and submitting to the will of God. This act of obedience to the Father, despite having a different desire (Mat. 26:39, Luke 22:42), is the model/example that Jesus Christ left for the Church to walk in the victory that He has given to us.

So, the statement “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 (Rev 12:11 )”, is revealing that as we keep on living by faith; believing and professing (testifying) that which He has said about Himself and us, and as we lay down our lives by saying yes to His will despite what we feel, The Angels of God are empowered over the devil and his angels, and the devil is cast down. Then the kingdom of God can then come, and it can be established, bringing about the fulfilment of Revelation 12:10.

Prayer Point

Let’s thank God for His word today, and let’s also ask Him to help us walk in the power and authority He has given to us. He should give the entire body of Christ the grace to live a life of faith and obedience. 

Prayer point

Let’s pray to God for the grace not to allow any temptation to seize us but that He will provide divine escapes for us all.

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God bless us all