If you have followed this blog through the years I've been writing, you might remember that I have made references to a "cosmic chess match" between God and Satan. On one side is the Most High God and His army of angels [messengers], led by the archangel Michael, "the great Prince". On the other side is Lucifer, or the devil, and his army of princes, rulers, powers and spiritual forces of wickedness. And from the beginning of the Word in Genesis, to the last verses in Revelation, they are battling for the dominion of Earth.
There is a good argument that Heaven's army, led by Michael, [whose name means "who is like God"] and whose title of "Michael the archangel" can be translated as "the greatest messenger who is God", is a type of Jesus. In other words, Michael behaves in a way that corresponds to Jesus's character or actions in the New Testament. Consequently, Satan's army is led by an angel who was once known as Lucifer, the anointed cherub who was the guardian of God's throne. But the sin of Pride, which caused him to seek to overthrow God, resulted in him being cast away from God and out of Heaven, where he is still seeking to dethrone God in the hearts of men and permanently lay claim to the dominion of Earth.
Throughout history, Satan has attempted to infiltrate this earthly realm and influence, or revive, his rebellious spirit in men who would [willfully] further his cause in defying God and becoming Master of this planet. Remember, Satan has no home ... he was banished from his estate in Heaven, and is jealous that the dominion of Earth, which Jesus created to be like Heaven, [its authority, command, control, and jurisdiction] was given to man. The Bible gives us an abbreviated timeline of the cosmic chess match between God and Satan regarding who will rule Earth. It's a game of strategy, foresight, and calculated moves, and mankind is dramatically affected by each deliberate and purposeful move.
An easy analogy to help you understand this "cosmic chess" premise is to picture Jesus as the King piece, sent by God to re-establish Heaven's dominion over the earth; first through Jesus, as the Son of God, and then to see that authority transferred to us, His children (represented as the Pawns on the chess board). God ultimately evaluates and moves the other pieces on the board in response to Satan's moves, and in accordance with achieving His goal -- first, making us in His image so that we would safeguard earth as a colony of the Kingdom of Heaven; and then to reflect the nature and culture of our true Homeland.
And how has Satan played the game? From the beginning, he has tempted mankind to follow in his footsteps; to become our own "little g" god, rebelling against the mandates of God in order to secure our own earthly empires. God counters with a move that removes mankind from their favored position in the Garden, forcing us to use our free will to decide who we would obey and emulate. Satan's move: his servants give in to their lust for earthly women and subjugate mankind to a race of hybrid giants, who become "men of reknown", self-proclaimed gods who build their own empires and devour the earth with their evil, violence, and brutality. Again, God counters with a Flood that wipes out the wickedness in men and evil angel/gods.
And that has been the recurring story ever since. Satan convinces men to become his willing "pawns" in his strategy to "check" the King. God raises up prophets and righteous men to counter those moves and sets up periods of history in which men turn back to Him -- until the next countermove by the Enemy. And, yes, it should be easy to see that we are the Pawns in this analogous game of chess; the weakest and least mobile of all the pieces on the board. Throughout this match of cosmic strategies, it is the Pawns that are most easily captured and removed from the game. But I found it extremely insightful to find, written within the "Strategy and Tactics" portion of the official Chess instructions, this tidbit of wisdom: At the end of the game, when most of the pieces are gone, Kings typically take a more active part in the struggle, and Pawn Promotion is often decisive in determining the outcome.
So, what is "Pawn Promotion"? In short, it is the advancement or elevation of a Pawn to a prominent position that has an effect on the endgame. Some of the most effective pawns used by Satan have been those individuals who have been able to foment corruption and outright denial of our ancient Biblical history. For instance, in 1830, geologist Charles Lyell published a textbook titled Principles of Geology, which promoted a doctrine called uniformitarianism, which is a belief that "the present is the key to our past". From that premise, he suggested that what is happening in our present geologic processes are enough to account for all geologic formations in all the ages of history. There is no room for the truth that a kind of cataclysm (a devastating, destructive force) such as the Flood to have pre-existed. This is an outright denial and disregard for the historical accounts of hundreds of Flood testimonies from diverse regions and cultures around the world, including Asia, Australia, the East Indies, Micronesia, Polynesia, South America, Central America, North America, and Africa.
Another of Satan's pawns was Saint Augustine, who in the 4th Century rejected the account of Fallen Angels lusting after and mating with human women to produce the race of Nephilim giants who were discussed above. He promoted the "Sethite theory" that it was the sons of Seth who impregnated the women. But it's kind of hard to make that theory work, when you can't explain how that union would produce 20-30 foot giants. But you can see how Satan successfully used these men as pawns to deny and disparage Scripture. But God has men that served as useful pawns for His strategies and tactics to defeat Satan, too. The Essenes who protected ancient writings in the caves of Qumran played an important role in re-establishing the validity of Scripture. The Dead Sea Scrolls have opened up a return to searching for Biblical truth. And it is much needed today!
I don't know how many pieces God has left on the board of this Cosmic Chess match with the devil, but I guarantee you that He wants to promote you to play a part in the final victory. You don't have to be captured by the Enemy's subterfuge and denial of our ancient past. And you don't need to be removed from the Game!
It's time that we deny the misconceptions of pawns like Charles Lyell and his disciple, Charles Darwin. Augustine belongs in that group, too! Their rejection of the testimony of antiquity [the ancient past] and the biblical narrative of antediluvian history, must be challenged. Not only do I subscribe to Proverbs 25:2 (It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, and the glory of kings to search it out), but Solomon's wisdom in Ecclesiastes 1:9-10 is the perfect countermove to the false doctrine that "the present is the key to our past". King Solomon states the following: What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there a thing of which it is said, "See, this is new"? It has been already, in the ages before us.
So, what happened in Genesis 6-9 will happen again. Satan and his pawns, here in the 21st Century, are secretly [and frantically] laboring to recreate their empires as gods; opening portals to entities from spiritual realms; and corrupting the genetic codes of humans so that they no longer are made in the image of God --- all with the evil goal of finally securing the dominion of earth. But just as He did with the Flood in those long ago evil days, God [as He promises in 2 Peter 3:10] will cleanse the earth of corruption once again, this time by fire. It's as if Solomon is warning us ... what has been is what will be. Through the Word, we can know the end from the beginning.
But we also know, just as it did in Genesis, God's judgment will come like a thief in the night, and we cannot predict when it will happen. Now, I don't know how many pieces God has left on the board of this Cosmic Chess Match with the devil, but I guarantee you that He wants to promote you to play a part in the final victory. I believe we will see King Jesus taking a more active part in our struggles, and I also believe that we were created to play a decisive role in this endgame between Good and Evil. I want you to embrace hope and encouragement -- I can assure you that you have a purpose for advancing God's strategy of defeating Satan's kingdom of darkness and re-establishing God's Kingdom on earth. And what an honor it is to be examined and found worthy of advancing the game!
Isaiah 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, "My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all My purpose,
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