devil and Satan. See Matt. iv: 1, Then was And it ap When Jesus therefore Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil;' this devil was the dragon Israel, who were striving to induce the Lord to become their earthly king. pears that they strove very hard to gain their point. See John vi: 14, 15, Then those men, when they had seen the miracles that Jesus did, Said, this is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world. perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into the mountain alone; these men were of the dragons of the wilderness, and were the devil and Satan; this was the devil that Matthew speaks of, that took Christ up into an exceeding high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, that was of the Jewish world. is likely, that these Jews carried him upon the highest mountain that they could find in all the land of Judea, so as to give Christ the best view that they could over the land of Canaan, which was their former kingdom; then they told him that he would possess the whole of the land of Palestine, if he would become their earthly king, and free them from the Roman authority and It restore their former kingdom to Israel again.So the dragons of the wilderness tempted Christ in this way; they did not believe him to be the Saviour of the world, but they thought, by his miracles which he performed, that he would free them from the Roman authority, and restore the kingdom to Israel again. So this was the way, that the dragon, devil and Satan tempted Christ. This was the same Satan that tempted Aaron to make them a calf to worship; the same that tempted David to number Israel. 'And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel, for which the Lord smote Israel. Christ speaks of the same Satan which was the dragon; and the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold Satan has desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. Christ knew all things, and he knew what a persecuting spirit the dragon possesses; he knew that they had persecuted all the prophets, and they held out the same spirit of persecution against him and his disciples.Christ informed his disciples concerning these dragons, and what they would do to them after he had gone from them. See Mark xiii: 31.'But take heed to yourselves; for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the syna ་ gogues ye shall be beaten; and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake.' This was the way that the dragon, devil and Satan sifted the disciples of Christ after he leít them to go unto his Father. Paul speaks concerning this same Satan to the Romans; he says, 'And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly.'— This was fulfilled shortly after Paul spake to the Romans concerning that matter, when Jerusalem was trodden down by the Romans, who were Gentiles; then the dragon, devil, was trodden under their feet; then the dragon, devil and Satan were bruised under the Roman's feet. Peter speaks of the same devil, 1 Peter, v: 8, 'Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.' Paul was of these roaring lions before he was converted to the truth of the gospel:-The spirit informed John concerning the church of Ephesus-says, he knew where they dwelt. This church was composed of Jews: Christ said, I know the blasphemy of them, which say they are Jews and are not; but are the synagogue of Satan, 'these Jews had become backsliders, and had fallen un der the name of Satan and devil,' fear none of these things which thou shalt suffer. Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that you may be tried; and ye shall have tríbulation, &c. This devil which cast some of the disciples into prison, was no other than the dragons of the wilderness, the backslidden part of that vine that God brought up out of Egypt. Christ tells the Church that he knew where they dwelt, even where Satan's seat is; that was where the seat of the beast was, in the land of Judea and Jerusalem; although the dragon, devil and Satan, suffered so much for their backsliding from God, and having to bear the judgments written in the law, and in the prophets; which caused them to be banished from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power with everlasting destruction; which was only destruction in time, not in eternity. They only suffered in the body for the crimes committed while in the body; but when dead the spirit returned to God who gave it, who is declared to be the kind Father of the spirits of all men, Jews and Gentiles. So this dragon, devil and Satan, will have eternal life in Christ, as well as any of the rest of the human family, As concerning the devils which Christ cast out, was no more than infirmities. Some were insane people, lunatic persons; some were dumb. They had gotten a tradition that when any were taken with one of these disorders, the Jews thought they were possessed of a`devil, and when they made application to Christ he cured the person of his infirmities.-Then the Jews thought that there was an infernal spirit cast out of that person. One possessed of a devil, desired Christ to send him into the swine. Christ told him to go. The person having an infirmity of insanity, it entered the swine, and they felt as crazy as the man did before he was delivered from his insane disorder; and the whole herd ran into the sea and were choaked. This was no more than a tradition among the Jews. Christ did not inform the Jews what was the matter with them, but let it pass for devils. To the same amount he spake nothing to them but in parables: and as to their devils, Christ let their infirmities go for devils, that the scriptures might be fulfilled which saith, Go to this people (Israel) and say unto them, seeing you shall see and not perceive, and hearing you shall hear and not un-' |