Extra, Extra!
Jesus Christ defeats Satan!

Satan tried to thwart God's plan by prompting the local king to issue an order that all of the baby boys in the region be killed. The devil hoped he could kill Jesus before He grew in power and spirit, but his plan failed as Jesus escaped and grew to be a man.  

Immediately the Holy Spirit led Jesus to the desert to be tempted directly by Satan, while eating no food for 40 days. Satan tempted Jesus with power and splendor, but Jesus put His trust only in His Father. Satan gave up and waited for a "more opportune time."

Jesus began to take dominion over the devil, loosing many of the strong holds that Satan has held on mankind. Men's faith in God grew as Jesus forgave sins and healed lifelong invalids and took away disease with a word. Even those who were possessed by demons were set free, as demons were compelled to show themselves and declare Him the Son of God.

Satan countered by prompting the religious leaders to challenge Jesus' authority. "By whose authority are you doing these things?" they demanded.

Jesus answered with a question of His own: "John's baptism, was it from heaven, or from men?" The leaders refused to answer, for fear of the people's reaction, and Jesus said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things."

Satan entered the hearts of the most religious men in the world, the Pharisees, and used them to challenge Jesus on doctrine. "Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?" they asked.

To their astonishment, He showed them the inscription of Caesar on a coin and said, "Render to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."

Next they brought to Him a woman who was caught in adultery and demanded this preacher of forgiveness to say if they should break Moses' law by setting her free. He simply replied, "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone." They all walked away, convicted by their consciences.

The people began to see just how powerful Jesus was, how He was able to undo all of the devil's damage, and even expose the hypocrisy of the mighty religious rulers. Encouraged by His power and fairness, they surrounded Jesus and tried to declare Him king in a coup.

But it was really Satan who was compelling the people to do this. He knew that if He could get Jesus to declare Himself victorious before the Cross, it would be a hollow victory, with no lasting power.

Jesus didn't fall for it. As the people gathered, Jesus fled to the mountains to be alone with His Father. He kept His eyes on the cross.

After failing to divert or stop Jesus in a host of attempts, Satan entered the heart of one of Jesus' closest friends, Simon Peter. As Jesus told His disciples that He must be killed, Peter rushed to "defend" Jesus by saying, "Not so, Lord! This shall never be!"

Jesus turned to Peter, but addressed the devil directly as He said, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me. You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men."

Jesus stayed the course, not once straying from His path to the cross.

Drops of blood poured down from Jesus' face as He begged the Father to let "this cup" pass from Him. "Yet not My will, but Yours be done," He prayed. He consigned Himself to take man's place, and put Himself in the very hands of the devil.

Jesus Drops Squad of Soldiers in Their Tracks with Three Words:

"I Am He."

Judas led the Pharisees and a squadron of soldiers to Jesus in the Garden, looking to arrest Him. When they said they were seeking Jesus of Nazareth, He replied, "I am He." The very power of His words floored the soldiers, as they fell to the ground.

Upon seeing this, His disciples took courage and asked Jesus if they should draw their swords. But Jesus stopped them, saying, "Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given Me?"

Jesus declared that if He wanted, He could summon 12 legions of angels to defend Him, but His love for mankind and His obedience to the Father would not allow Him. He submitted Himself to the soldiers and His accusers.

Once Popular Messiah Abandoned by All
as Friends Flee

Still Stays the Course

Long admired by multitudes of followers, every one of Jesus' disciples vanished when He needed them most. As He was arrested, His disciples fled, fearing for their own lives.

Left to face His accusers on His own, Jesus was questioned by the king: "Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?"

Jesus didn't disagree, but responded by saying, "You would have no power over Me if it were not given to you from above."

The Son of God refused to be intimidated by what man could do to Him. He reminded Himself that this was all part of the Father's plan, and He could trust the Father no matter what the circumstances.

Messiah Beaten Viciously

In Keeping with Prophecies, Doesn't Lash Back

Thinking they were dealing with a fanatic or a lunatic, soldiers beat and whipped Jesus as they pretended to worship Him. The whip had beads of metal in the tips that tore flesh off of His body. They placed a ring of thorns around His head as they laughed and bowed to the "King of the Jews."

The most powerful being in the universe stood silently, choosing not to speak back, and electing not to call down the fury of heaven upon His tormentors.

No one present had a clue that this was the One who would one day judge every person. Indeed, the day would come when these soldiers, and every person ever born, would bow the knee to this Jesus, and acknowledge that He is the Christ. But on this day, He stayed silent.

Jesus Nailed to the Cross

Doesn't Resist His Killers

Jesus carried His own cross up the hill to Golgotha, the place of His execution. The carpenter who had carried lumber so many times as a young man was compelled to carry the very wood that He would be nailed to. Spikes were driven into His hands and feet, fixing Him painfully to the cross.

The form of execution seemed ironic, given that He had often told His followers that they would need to "carry their own cross daily" if they wanted to follow Him.

Crowds Watch as Son of God Suffers

Asks God to Forgive His Killers

As His life slowly slipped away, Jesus listened to onlookers say things like, "He saved others, let him save himself if He is the Christ of God."

While Satan must have pressed the attack fervently, pushing for Jesus to embrace bitterness and anger at the injustice of His treatment, Jesus instead uttered these words, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Christ utterly defeated Satan with those words, refusing to join the Accuser of the Brethren in finding fault.

Son of God Dies in Man's Place

Curtain in Temple is Mysteriously Torn in Two

"It is finished," Jesus declared, dying upon the cross. He had paid the price for all of mankind. With His voluntary death, men could be welcomed into God's kingdom, and God's spirit could be welcomed into men's hearts.

As if to signify the incredible transaction that had just taken place, the veil that separates the sanctuary of the temple from the "Holy of Holies" was somehow ripped in two. Men now had access to God.

"We had hoped that He was the One to redeem Israel," two of the disciples remarked in the days following the death of Jesus. They struggled to understand who Jesus really was, after He failed to fulfill the prophecies of a conquering Messiah. Not only was Jesus beaten and killed, but His cause was dealt a death blow.

His followers went into hiding, and Peter went back to his "pre-ministry" job as a commercial fisherman.

Only heaven could see the true story. In heaven, angels gave a standing ovation for the Lamb that was slain, and they waited eagerly for the first resurrection in human history. The inhabitants of heaven saw the fight as a landslide - in Jesus' favor! The apostle Paul would later write: "He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross."

Jesus Rises From the Dead!

Talks and Eats With Friends Before Ascending to Heaven

True to His word, Jesus rose from the dead, on the third day following His crucifixion and burial. "I have the authority to lay My life down, and I have the authority to take it up again," He had proclaimed prior to His death.

An angel moved the giant rock away from the tomb as the Son of God emerged alive. He greeted His shocked disciples and spoke with them several times over the next several days. And He told them that they would receive supernatural help, in the person of the Holy Spirit, to enable them to carry on His work.

From that time forward, Satan was a beaten foe. He was rendered totally vulnerable, and his weaknesses were exposed. The "weakest" follower of Jesus could now fight and defeat the devil, with the power of the indwelling Christ. And the final verdict was delivered concerning the devil: come judgment day, he will be cast into the lake of fire.

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