SATAN FELL LIKE LIGHTNING FROM HEAVEN

WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL

APRIL 29, 2021

TOPIC: SATAN FELL LIKE LIGHTNING FROM HEAVEN

BY T. O. BANSO 

“And He said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven’” (Luke 10:18 New King James Version).

As a student of history in the 1970s, I learnt about empires. One of the topics was always the “The rise and fall of…” Once the teacher announced the next empire for study, we were sure it must rise and fall! Each empire must rise and fall!  Even in the Bible, kingdoms rose and fell. You will not rise and fall in Jesus’ name. You will rise and rise.

In Luke 10, the seventy or seventy-two disciples of Jesus Christ returned with joy from the mission field. They excitedly said to Him, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name” (verse 17). If you have cast out a demon before and the person was delivered, you can relate to the feeling of these disciples. They came back fulfilled and they eagerly gave Him a report of their successful mission.

Jesus replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (verse 18 New King James Version).  Whereas the seventy said that the demons were subject to them in Jesus’ name, He said He saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

Another translation of that scripture says, “And he said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall from heaven like lightning’” (New American Standard Bible 2020). Lightning is both swift and visible. It is a visible electrical discharge from a cloud. Going by this translation, Jesus was telling His disciples that while they were casting out demons, He was watching what was happening in the spirit. He watched Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

His words meant that though the disciples cast out demons, in the realm of the spirit, Satan, the master of these demons, fell suddenly and visibly like lightning. In other words, what happened was greater than what they saw.  Satan had been cast down. Like the flash of lightning, Satan fell from heaven. He lost his place in heaven; he lost his power over the earth.

Some Bible scholars have also suggested that when Jesus said He saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven, He must have referred to the fall of Lucifer from heaven, as recorded in Isaiah 14. He was aware of the fall of Satan because of His pre-existence.

Isaiah 14:12-15  says, “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations!  For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north;  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit” (New King James Version).

Still talking about the fall of Lucifer from heaven, verses 16-17 say, “Those who see you will gaze at you, and consider you, saying: ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms,  who made the world as a wilderness and destroyed its cities, who did not open the house of his prisoners?’” (New King James Version).

Although Lucifer in this passage describes the king of Babylon who was a despot, Bible scholars consider the passage a description of Satan who was cast out of heaven. He lost his place and power and, therefore, his demons were subject to the seventy disciples.

The book of Revelation also talks about the fall of Satan and how he lost his place in heaven “And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Revelation 12:7-9 New King James Version).

Jesus saw Satan fall like lightning. He further told the seventy disciples: “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (verse 19 New King James Version). This is a powerful statement. Jesus empowered these disciples to trample on all the agents of Satan and power and assured them that nothing would hurt them. In other words, the destruction of the kingdom of Satan that had begun by his fall must be continued by the disciples with the empowerment they had received.

Jesus went further to tell them not to rejoice that the demons submitted to them but rather rejoice because their names were written in heaven. He seemed to be saying that success in casting out demons was not as significant as their salvation. This is important.

What Jesus said to the seventy, He is also saying to you.  “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”  We must never forget that Satan has fallen like lightning. He has lost his place in heaven. The earth is not his place. He has no right here on earth. He is a trespasser. God gave the earth to human beings to manage on His behalf; He didn’t give it to Satan. “The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’s; but the earth He has given to the children of men” (Psalm 115:16 New King James Version).

God gave the earth on lease to man and the lease has not yet expired. Unfortunately, Adam and Eve handed over the earth to Satan in the Garden of Eden through their disobedience. Man lost his dominion on earth but Jesus has restored it by the finished work of redemption on the cross. I saw Satan fall!  “Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it” (Colossians 2:15 New King James Version). The ruler of this world is judged (John 16:11).

I saw Satan fall from heaven! Following Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection, He ascended to heaven and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens (Hebrews 8:1).  “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11 New King James Version).

I saw Satan fall from heaven! Satan is defeated. His demons can be cast out. This should not be our real joy as Jesus warned. Our salvation should be. We must never let casting out of demons seem like an achievement to be celebrated. Our main priority should be eternity with God. I saw Satan fell like lightning.

Satan has fallen. Jesus has defeated him. He will remain defeated in your life, home, destiny, ministry, and business. Our warfare with Satan must be from the position of strength, not that of weakness. We must know that he has fallen like lightning from heaven and Jesus has defeated him.

Satan is a fallen angel. Satan is not a lion. He only goes about like a roaring lion looking for whom to devour. You must be sober, be vigilant (1 Peter 5:8). But you must not be afraid because the real lion is on your side – Jesus Christ, the lion of the tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5). He will always prevail over Satan.

The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). Our warfare is to enforce the victory that Jesus already wrought for us by defeating Satan. Believers are more than conquerors. I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

 TAKE ACTION!

If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit you are a sinner and you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.

Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto you today. I know I am a sinner and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and resurrected the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.

I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.

PRAYER POINTS:  In the name of Jesus, I trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt me. Satan, you have fallen like lightning from heaven and you have no power over me, my family, and my destiny in Jesus’ name. I shall not rise and fall; I shall rise and rise. Those waiting for me to fall shall wait forever.

(For over 600 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).

T. O. Banso is the President, Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org