We need to see
something. Why did the dragon give the beast his seat and
his authority? The devil saw through this beast system, a
greater deception could be worked than with the dragon.
Let us analyze a little. Jesus Christ, the Lion of the
tribe of Judah; came down and set up a church, and became
the head of it. Let me tell you, they had so much power,
that when magistrates would see Paul and another apostle
coming into town or when men would see them, they would
run and get the magistrates and say, "Here comes
those fellows, that are turning the world up side down;
what are we going to do?" Brother, they turned cities
upside down and right side up. There was a power
demonstrated, that shook the powers of darkness and the
old dragon was cast out of that heavenly ecclesiastical
position, that he had held and was cast down to the earth.
The truth, told on the old devil, that these things that
he was working through, was nothing more than earthly
organizations. People try to take that Scripture and say
that the devil was in heaven--the devil never was in
heaven. Greater than that, nobody else, that ever was in
heaven, ever got cast out. Anyone that gets to heaven,
cannot get cast out.
The
Word of God plainly tells us, that when Jesus came, this
old dragon, this paganistic power, had exalted Itself up
to a heavenly position. It had men thinking that it was a
religion ordained of God, if you please. But when Jesus
Christ, (Michael) and-His angels came, they told the truth
of the matter and east her down to the earth and said it
is just a devilish work of men, God's not in the thing.
I'll tell you some of the times when the dragon was cast
down. Read about the 19th chapter of Acts, when Paul went
down to Ephesus and old Diana had been spread around there
and old Demetrius had become 'a millionaire' making little
silver gods and had people ordering them. Old Paul went up
and down the streets and preached that God isn't a God
that can be made with hands, but it is in Him we live and
move and have our being, And the Word of God says that
Demetrius and others called the Sanhedran together, and
that is what tickles me about the ministerial assembly
getting together and getting after you today. You know you
are putting fire on somebody. All down through the Word of
God, whenever a man began to pour the truth out, the next
thing they do, is call the Sanhedran together.
Let
me tell you, Demetrius got his people together and said,
"This Paul, that is preaching about this God of
heaven is going to put us 'out of business.' So they got a
delegation and the Scripture says they went up and down
the streets for two hours and a half crying, "Great
is the Goddess Diana." Paul, stood on the street
corner and preached, "God is not a God made with
hands," Brother, truth will win out. Amen! And truth
did win out. We read on a little farther that he called an
assembly of them together and it said they came together
and built a big fire and burned their books and curious
arts and their old idols; threw them into the fire and THE
DRAGON WAS CAST OUT. Glory be to God. Truth prevailed.
I
said the devil was not in heaven and was never cast out.
Anyone else, who ever got to heaven, was never cast out.
Somebody said, why? Friends, a man cannot sin unless there
is a power to tempt him. There is nothing in heaven, even
to tempt a man to sin. What in the world my friend, could
ever cause an angel to sin against God and be thrown out
of @heaven? There is nothing there to even tempt them. Use
your head. Someone said, "What about Jude 6, where he
said about fallen angels? Go get your Greek --
"FALLEN MINISTERS". Fallen ministers, that fell
from this truth. God put them in everlasting chains of
darkness. What are the chains? Not log chains, brother,
you'll be chained in darkness, when you turn down the
light. Someone said, "I still think you can get out
of heaven once you get there." All right, I'm not
going to argue with you. I'll just bring Jesus to the
witness stand and He will take care of it.
Luke's
gospel, where he uncapped hell -- The rich man was trying
to call over to Abraham and what did Abraham tell him?
There is a great gulf fixed, and we that are here cannot
go there, and you that are there cannot come here. If you
ever get to heaven brother, you never have to worry about
getting kicked out or falling out, you cannot get out once
you got there, Praise God for His truth. I love this old
truth. It will stand.
"I
know thy works where thou dwellest, even where satan's
seat is." Brother, here is something we need to
consider, "And thou holdest fast my name. How did you
hold It? You have not denied my faith. Brethren, when we
deny the faith -- that faith that Jude said to earnestly
contend for, when we deny that, we had better take the
name down because we are blaspheming the name of God.
