Day 203

“Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down, the one who accuses them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death.” Revelation 12:10,11. (NASB)

Satan, which means ‘accuser’, is the accuser of God’s people, who brings accusations against the followers of the Lamb day and night. He has been defeated and cast down by Christ’s death on the cross. Salvation has been secured, and the blood of Christ assures them of victory over the foe. He is defeated!

Satan here attempts to defeat God by accusing His people! He questions their standing with God, and their fitness to share in the victory that God won at the cross. They can defeat satan by applying the blood of the Lamb to their experience. When God’s people truly understand what Christ did for them at the cross, even the threat of death cannot affect their loyalty to God. But what does all this mean in real life? Satan’s accusations are powerful weapons in an addictive society. Addictive behaviour can be traced to abuse and rejection in the past. Careless parents traumatize children with words of rejection. Children from caring homes are sometimes abused in school or in the neighbourhood. Even good parents can get trapped by the frantic pace of life, they may be physically there with their children, but they are absent emotionally and mentally.

So many young people grow up with a sense of being rejected and abandoned, even though their parents never intended them to. Satan’s accusations cause them to blame themselves for their pain. He makes youth feel worthless, helpless, and rejected, tempting them to turn to alcohol, sex, and entertainment as emotional medicine for the soul. The more he can make them feel ashamed, worthless, and alone, the stronger the chains of addiction become.

I suspect John knew satan’s accusations from personal experience. “You’ve served God all your life and all you have to show for it is a ticket to some God-forsaken island!” But John doesn’t buy into satan’s accusations because he knows the blood of the Lamb. The blood of Jesus goes to the root of any addiction, (the sense that we are worthless and alone.) How? The “blood of the Lamb” means we are worth the whole universe to God. We are precious in His eyes. With that assurance, we can enter into a process of healing that will affect the whole person.