LESSON 3
THE GREAT CONTROVERSY: THE BATTLE OVER WORSHIP
You are welcome to another edition of Insights from God's Word, a Bible Study Programme that is committed to sharing God's Word by allowing the Bible to speak for itself.
In this edition, we continue with our series on The Final Events of Bible Prophecy. The topic for this study is: The Great Controversy: The Battle Over Worship. It is my prayer that the Lord will use this study to open our eyes to see the underlying issues behind the battle that has been raging on for centuries between good and evil.
1. Friends, the Bible is very clear on the fact that only God is supposed to be worshipped. The first two commandments in the Decalogue read: "3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God ..." (Exodus 20:3-5).
In Exodus 34:14 we read about a similar commandment: "For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God".
2. Beloved, God is able to make this bold claim over worship because He is above all beings. He is the Creator of everything that liveth, and there is none like Him. In Isaiah 45:5-6, we read the following: "5 I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: ... 6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else."
3. Beloved, if there is anyone who we must worship, it is the Lord; the Creator of the heavens and the earth. It is this important point that the psalmist echoes in Psalm 95:6-7. The text there reads: "6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker. 7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand..." (Psalm 95:6-7).
Friends, there is however someone, who has coveted this worship that is due only God. This being is called Satan, the originator of all evil. He was not at first evil or called Satan, but rather Lucifer, meaning son of the morning. He was the sum of perfection of all creation. Yet he desired more. He desired the position, worship and adoration that belong only to God. His passion to be worshiped grew so strong that he plunged the city of God in heaven into a spiritual warfare. Let's read more about this being from the Scripture to know his background, and to understand the genesis of the struggle between good and evil, which is popularly referred to as the great controversy. In Ezekiel 28:13-15, we read the following in regard to Satan: "13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee." But what was the iniquity that was found in Lucifer? We read the answer from Isaiah 14:12-14: "12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High." Friends, this was the sin of Satan. He coveted the throne of God. He wanted to establish his throne above the stars of God. He wanted to be like the most high. He wanted the worship that is due only God.
4. This proud ambition of Satan made him to solicit the support of all heavenly beings. The Bible teaches that he was able to deceive one-third of the angels in heaven, thereby disrupting the peace and order that has always characterized the city of God (Revelation 12:4). In Revelation 12:7-9, we read the following: "7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."5. Friends, when Satan was cast out of heaven, he was not directly placed on our planet by God. The arch deceiver was actually searching for a place where he could settle and continue his rebellion against God. As most of us already know, Genesis 3 presents the sad events of the fall of man through the deception of Satan. After our first parents had listened to the devil instead of obeying the command of God, the enemy was able to claim the title deeds of leadership and dominion of our planet (Romans 6:16; Luke 4:5-6; John 12:31).
After Lucifer fell, he began to contend with God for the adoration and worship of all created beings. The devil craftily pursued this ambition by maligning the perfect character of God throughout His intelligent creation. This action of Satan sparked what has been termed as the great controversy between God and Satan. As Satan misrepresented the character of God, it became necessary for all intelligent beings in the universe of God to show their allegiance as to who they will serve or worship; whether the Creator God or Satan, the fallen angel. It was due to this underlying rule behind the great controversy that gave the devil the chance to enter Eden and test the allegiance of the newly created pair, Adam and Eve.
6. After ensuring the fall of our first parents, Satan has continued his rebellion against God by deceiving and leading the human race to persistently sin against the express commands of God. This he has done with the sole aim of getting the race to worship him, instead of God. Beloved, anytime any of us chooses to sin, instead of obeying the clear "thus saith the Lord", we are actually saying that our allegiance is with Satan, and it is him we will worship instead of God.
7. Now, when Christ came to the earth to redeem fallen man, Satan worked to prevent this plan through diverse means. From Matthew 4:1-11, we read about the fierce temptations that the enemy brought against Christ. In the third temptation of Christ, we read about the heart of Satan and what he intends to achieve in his rebellion against God. From Matthew 4:8-10, we read the following: "8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve."8. Beloved, can you imagine this? That Satan wanted worship from no mean a Person than the Son of God; Who by the way is also the second Person of the Godhead. From Philippians 2:5-11, we read the following concerning Christ: "5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."Beloved, from Hebrews 1:6 we read the following concerning Christ: "And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him." Friends, God allows the angels in heaven to worship His Son because the Son also has the nature of God, and is also God. In Isaiah 9:6, we read the following names concerning the coming Messiah: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Beloved, Christ is also referred to in Isaiah as the mighty God. In the gospel of John, Thomas wholeheartedly declared unto Christ; "my Lord and my God" (John 20:28). Now, these are serious words from the heart of a Jew. But this admission did not come from only Thomas. The apostle John also declared in his gospel the following concerning Christ: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made" (John 1:1-3).
9. Beloved, if Christ were just an angel or other created being, he dared not receive worship. But in the whole of the gospels, we find Him humbly receiving the worship of His friends. This is what Satan has always desired, but as a created being, it is high treason for him to covet and demand the worship that is due only God. In fact, in the book of Revelation, we read the following concerning the angel who brings the inspired testimony of Jesus Christ to the beloved apostle: "And I (John) fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy" (Revelation 19:10). This faithful angel refused the worship that is due God alone.
10. Now, I believe, you may be wondering, what is it at all that this man is trying to prove with all this worship issues? In fact, that is the million dollar question in this study. And the answer to this question is of great importance as our very salvation will depend on it.
Friends, as you may have rightfully asked, what I am trying to prove with all this worship issues is this: Even as Satan tempted Christ to worship him in the wilderness of temptation, so is he in the business of trying to get us to do the same today, however, in a very subtle way.
11. In the great controversy battle between good and evil, God and Satan all use agents. The agents of God are His angels and human beings who serve in various capacities to bring the good news of God's love and salvation to a perishing world. These agents of God work to please and glorify their Maker, never having an eye on the glory that is due only God through worship.
12. The devil also uses agents to further his ambition of being "like the most High" and ultimately receiving the worship that is due only God. Some of these agents are fallen angels who are parading as demons and furthering the cause of their master. Other agents of the enemy are human institutions and systems that carry forward the goal of the devil.
13. One of such institutions that is working craftily to bring the desire of the devil to pass is the antichrist power. This power or system is known by several names in Scripture. This antichrist power is known as the little horn in Daniel 7, the man of sin and son of perdition in 2 Thessalonians 2, the antichrist in 1 John 2, the beast in Revelation 13 and 14; and MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT in Revelation 17. This agent of Satan has the sole aim of soliciting the worship that belongs only to God and delivering it into the hand of the devil. We will find time to go through the Bible to identify who this antichrist power is. But before that, I want to let you know that God has reserved the fiercest of His wrath for people who will want to worship Satan instead of God, through this demonic power. From Revelation 14:9-11 we read the following: "9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name." Exhortation: "4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? … 8 And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. 9 If any man have an ear, let him hear" (Revelation 13:4, 8, 9).
In our next study, we will consider the topic: Don't be soon shaken in mind: the antichrist deception. The Bible study reference for this study is 2 Thessalonians 2:1-13. Please do well to go through this passage before the next study.
Stay blessed and keep shining for King Jesus.
Maranatha!
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