Basic HTML Version
Wilderness Temptation
67
such love. Since he had lost heaven, he was determined to cause
others to share his fall. He would cause them to undervalue heavenly
things and set their hearts on things of earth.
Satan Determined to Win
From the time when the Commander of heaven was a baby in
Bethlehem, the evil one continually attacked Him. In the councils of
Satan with his angels, it was determined that He must be overcome.
[46]
The forces of evil followed Him closely to engage in warfare
against Him and to overcome Him if possible.
At the Savior’s baptism, Satan heard the voice of Jehovah testi-
fying to Jesus’ divinity. Now that Jesus had come “in the likeness
of sinful flesh” (
Romans 8:3
), the Father Himself spoke. Before
this, He had communicated with humanity
through
Christ; now He
communicated with humanity
in
Christ. Now it was clear that the
connection between God and mankind had been restored.
Satan saw that he must either conquer or be conquered. He
rallied all the energies of apostasy against Christ.
Many look on this conflict between Christ and Satan as having
no particular effect on their own life. But within every human heart,
the conflict is repeated. The enticements Christ resisted were those
we find so difficult to withstand. With the weight of the sins of the
world on Him, Christ withstood the test on appetite, on the love
of the world, and on a love of display that leads to presumption.
These were the temptations that overcame Adam and Eve and that
overcome us so easily.
Satan had pointed to Adam’s sin as proof that no one could obey
God’s law. In our humanity, Christ was to succeed where Adam
failed. But when Adam was attacked by the tempter, he had none
of the effects of sin on him. He stood in the strength of perfect
manhood, possessing full vigor of mind and body. Surrounded with
the glories of Eden, he was in daily fellowship with heavenly beings.
It was not this way with Jesus when He entered the wilderness
to cope with Satan. For four thousand years the race had been
decreasing in physical strength, in mental power, and in moral worth;
and Christ took on Himself the weaknesses of degenerated humanity.