THE SEEN AND THE UNSEEN WAR

Lesson 5

Key Text:

“ ‘From the days of John the

Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and

the violent take it by force’ ”

Matthew 11:12,

Each day we make important choices about lifestyle, relationships,

careers, priorities, entertainment, and friends. To truly comprehend the

significance of these choices, we need to make sure we understand

what they are really about. We need to pull back the curtain and see the unseen, for the Bible teaches that there is an unseen

reality that greatly impacts what we do see.

Living in the age of science, we shouldn’t have a hard time believing in invisible realities. We who know about X-rays, radio waves, and wireless communication should easily believe in what we cannot see. With every cell phone call we make or receive, or with any satellite communication we watch, we are working on the assumption of unseen realities that make these seen (and heard) experiences real.

X-rays

radio waves

wireless communication

Indeed, the great controversy between Christ and Satan forms the unseen background to the world of the seen that we experience every day. This lesson we will examine texts from Matthew (and elsewhere) that help to reveal these unseen forces and how they impact our lives, and choices, here.

There is a war between unseen powers in the Bible that is depicted in the book of Matthew too. That war sometimes becomes visible. This week we studied:

The unseen war: Satan

against Christ.

The seen war: John the

Baptist’s case.

The won war: Victory is

guaranteed.

THE UNSEEN WAR“We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies

under the sway of the wicked one.” (1 John 5:19)

Jesus was accused of healing by the power of “Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” Jesus took the opportunity to talk about the war between two kingdoms, God’s and the Devil’s (Matthew 12:24-30).

Those two kingdoms are real, although we cannot see them. Our problem is that we are currently living in enemy territory.We belong to God’s kingdom, we’re on Christ’s side. Therefore, “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but… against spiritual hosts of wickedness.” (Ephesians 6:12).

THE SEEN WAR“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Matthew 11:12)

After being imprisoned, John sent two disciples to ensure Jesus was actually the Messiah.Jesus showed His “Messianic credentials” to the disciples and encouraged John to trust Him. He didn’t offer to deliver him from prison. Then, Jesus praised John before His audience.The greatest prophet couldn’t enjoy the Kingdom of Heaven that Jesus was preaching because he was imprisoned; others did. That’s why Jesus said, “he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he [is more privileged than John].” (Matthew 11:11).

THE SEEN WAR“And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Matthew 11:12)

Jesus ended his speech about John by saying the enigmatic words in Matthew 11:12. What did Jesus mean?Let’s compare how those sentence was translated into English in different versions of the Bible:

“And from the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people are attacking it.” (NLT)

“From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and forceful people lay hold of it.” (NET)

The Greek verb βιαζεται (biazetai) can mean either “forcefully advancing” or “suffering violence.”The Greek word βιασται (biastai) can mean either “forceful or eager men” or “violent men.”We can interpret that verse in different ways by combining those translations:

Forcefully advancingForceful menBelievers who are strongly convinced

make the Kingdom advance forcefully

Violent menThe Kingdom advances forcefully, but violent men stop it

Suffering violenceForceful menThe Kingdom suffers violence and only

those with strong conviction can reach it

Violent menThe Kingdom suffers violence from violent men

No matter how we interpret that verse, something’s certain: There’s a real war and we are involved.The story of John the Baptist is another chapter in this war.We are living chapters of this war too. Being faithful to King Jesus has never been easy on this Earth.There are battles of this war taking place in our hearts daily. The enemy threatens to influence our decisions and our acts.

“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a

sword.” (Matthew 10:34)

THE WON WAR“Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.” (Hebrews 2:14)

The end of this war was determined at the cross. Jesus’ victory was absolute. Satan is a defeated prince.He is aware of that, so he “has come down […] having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.” (Rev. 12:12). He is a “roaring lion” (1P. 5:8) that can still hurt us.

He uses subtle temptations to steal our loyalty and makes us lose the eternal Kingdom.The key question is: Which side are you on?

“The temptations of Satan present earthly things and make them all-absorbing and attractive, so that the heavenly realities are eclipsed and the attachment to the world made first; and this has become so great a power that Omnipotence alone can dislodge it. Satan’s work is to chain the senses to this world. Christ came to break the satanic enchantment, counterwork the work of Satan, and charm the mind away from the earthly to the heavenly. He alone is able to break the enchantment…With eternal realities in view we will habitually cultivate thoughts of the presence of God. This will be a shield against the incoming of the enemy.”

E.G.W. (Our High Calling, October 6)

Further Thought:

Who among us doesn’t know the reality of the great con-troversy? We know about this war because we feel it inside us on a daily basis.

We live in a broken world, a world cursed with anxiety and pain. A world where a serpent isn’t limited to one tree in the middle of a garden but where the entire garden has been overrun with serpents. A world full of the whispers of temptation that come in all sorts of ways and that so easily ensnare those who are not diligent in faith and in prayer. No wonder Jesus said: “Watch and pray” lest we fall into the many snares that await us. And, of all the snares, perhaps the most dangerous one for the Christian is believing the lie that says, “When you succumb to temptation, you’ve gone too far.

There is no God of grace who will welcome you back into His arms.” Who hasn’t at one time or another heard that voice whispering in his or her ears? In one sense, that sentiment is right: when you fall into temptation, even once, you have gone too far to ever get yourself back.

That’s exactly why Jesus came, won the victory for us where we all have failed, and then offers His triumph to us. This is what the whole gospel is about, Jesus doing for us in the great controversy what we could never do for ourselves. At the same time, too, though, we have to choose, daily, hourly, moment by moment, to place ourselves on His side, and we do that by obeying His Word and by claiming the promises of victory that He had assured us we can have, the whole time leaning only upon His merits for us as the surety of our salvation.

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