Where The Real Danger Is
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin ArticlesIn today’s hostile world, we face a danger that has caused far more devastation than any band of terrorists could ever conceive. It is a danger that claims millions everyday, placing us in constant risk of loss — not just the loss of mortal life, but of everlasting life.
The Scriptures warn us of this danger:
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8 – NKJV).
The wiles of Satan, and the sin that results when we succumb to them, pose an infinitely more grievous risk to us than any of the nefarious plans of evil men.
Jesus said of this enemy:
“He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44 – NKJV).
In Juarez, Mexico, evildoers have slain approximately 1,800 people in 2008, and 671 people in 2009, but the death toll from Satan’s murderous handiwork is incalculable. The number who have died in Mexico, pale in comparison with the untold millions who have lost their souls to the devil and his seductions.
Satan remains extremely dangerous because, unlike human terrorists, his destructive impact cannot be blunted with metal detectors at airports — he cannot be identified on a watch list or be recognized from an FBI warning poster — he is not limited in his resources to a handful of targets.
Though Satan wields great power to ensnare souls, he is not unbeatable. From the beginning, God prophesied that One would come who would crush the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:14-15 – NKJV) — a death blow that was delivered when Christ died on the cross. Jesus empowers those who are His to resist the devil, and to make him flee (James 4:7 – NKJV). Nevertheless, we must continually be vigilant, for our enemy will not stop his deadly rampage until he and his minions are forever banished (Matthew 25:41 – NKJV, Matthew 25:46 – NKJV; Revelation 20:10 – NKJV).
Jesus once stated:
“Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28 – NKJV).
The devil is dangerous because his temptations can lead us into the path of the Creator’s wrath (Romans 2:1-9 – NKJV). What God will do to those who follow Satan, is far more dreadful than any act of terrorism ever devised by mankind (cf. Revelation 19:19-20 – NKJV; Revelation 20:7-10 – NKJV; Revelation 20:15 – NKJV).
The most chilling words ever written do not appear on a terrorist’s scrawled note or death threats on television, but in the very pages of Scripture. The following passage reminds the unbelieving apostate, that to be at the disposal of God’s punitive justice, can only be a terrifying expectation of judgment:
“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31 – NKJV).
Brethren and friends, that’s where the real danger is!
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