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Like a Child Blowing Out A Candle

What lies behind the great struggles of your life? People are not the problem. Our struggle is against dark, spiritual forces that are at work in the world.
Unlocking the Bible
Published Nov 20, 2012
Like a Child Blowing Out A Candle

Like a Child Blowing Out a Candle

“Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  Ephesians 6:12

What lies behind the great struggles of your life?  People are not the problem.  Our struggle is against dark, spiritual forces that are at work in the world.  These dark powers will reach their fullest and most horrible expression in “the man of lawlessness” or “antichrist,” who will appear on the scene before the day of the Lord. 

The secret power of sin is already at work

“He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshipped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” 2 Thessalonians 2:4

This man will be a parody of Jesus Christ, the antithesis of all that is in Him.  He’ll exalt himself over all religion, putting himself in the place of God’s law and Christ’s sacrifice, effectively putting himself in the place of God.  This is what sin looks like on the inside. 

The secret power of sin, that will animate this man, is already at work in the world (2:7).  We see it whenever a person says, “Its all about me,” that’s putting yourself in the place of God, or “Nobody tells me what to do,” that’s putting yourself in the place of God’s law, or “I’m a good person,” that’s putting yourself in the place of Christ’s sacrifice.

That same secret power is in us!  How can I overcome the mystery of sin in my life?  When you know how the antichrist will be destroyed, you will know how the spirit that animates him can be overcome...

Overthrown by the breath of Jesus’ mouth

“The Lord Jesus will overthrow [him] by the breath of his mouth... 2 Thessalonians 2:8

Here is this man, the antichrist, in whom human evil reaches its diabolical worst.  He will be more evil and more powerful than Hitler, Stalin, Nero, or any other person you can think of in history.  How will he be overthrown? The Son of God will be revealed, and He will blow a breath, like a child blowing out a candle.

The Bible speaks about the last battle, Armageddon.  But don’t imagine for one moment that this is some titanic struggle in which Jesus barely wins.  One breath from Him and all His enemies are overthrown.  That’s sovereign power!

The wicked are like the chaff that the wind blows away.  Psalms 1:4

[God]…reduces the rulers of this world to nothing… He blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.  Isaiah 40:23

Do not fret because of evil men… For like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away.  Psalm 37:1-2

Destroyed by the splendor of Jesus’ coming

“The Lord Jesus will... destroy [him] by the splendor of His coming.” 2 Thessalonians 2:8

Think about Saul of Tarsus—a mover and shaker, a man who is going to Damascus to make his mark.  Suddenly he is stopped in his tracks.  He’s lying helpless in the road.  He can’t move.  He can’t see.  Why?  The splendor of Jesus Christ!

Earlier this month there was a partial solar eclipse (the moon passing between the sun and the earth) that was visible from much of Europe, North Africa, and central Asia.  An article in the London Times noted that the government had issued this warning...

“While clouds are likely to obscure the partial solar eclipse this morning, doctors have warned that looking directly at it in clear spells, even for seconds, will cause permanent eye damage.”

If that is what the splendor of the sun could do to us by looking at it for a few seconds, what then is the splendor of the Lord who made it?

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This LifeKey based on the message “The Lord Jesus Christ: Coming in Glory,” by Pastor Colin S. Smith, on January 30, 2011, from the series “Staying the Course When You’re Tired of the Battle.”

Colin currently serves as Senior Pastor of the The Orchard Evangelical Free Church in Arlington Heights, Illinois. He is committed to preaching the Bible in a way that nourishes the soul by directing attention to Jesus Christ.
 

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