How often have we heard the fisherman tell about "the really big one that got away"? You know how the story goes. We can all smile in our mind's eye as we reflect on the animated discussion and fictitious dimensions displayed by the fisherman's arms stretching out so far that they can seemingly reach no farther. But upon a keener examination by the listener, the would-be Moby Dick of the pond shrinks into proper proportion. We all laugh. We all go home. We all wait for the next "fish story." But some fish stories are true. Very true! And, in the turbulent and troubled waters of our current age, there are some really "big ones" still out there.

As I write, the U.S. Army has landed a big catch. Uday and Qusay Hussein were, to put it delicately, "reeled in" and put on public display. These two sons of Saddam Hussein were the embodiment of the Baathist regime's evil as they murdered, tortured and raped their way through the decades in Iraqi society. It was a bold decision by the U.S. command structure to place their bullet-ridden and bloated bodies out there for all to view. It may well have shocked our own civilized sensibilities to witness such gore.

The rationale for such a photo op was to break the cycle of fear that is paralyzing the average Iraqi from moving forward to build a new society. After decades of horrendous physical and psychological repression, the Iraqi public has got to know that "these guys simply aren't coming back." A very real mental image had to be indelibly stamped into the minds and hearts of the average Iraqi that the door to the past was shut and bolted from any possible future reopening. Such effective closure, as gruesome as it may be, is certainly a path to new horizons for a people who can only believe what they see.

Still, even bigger fish out there

But even as we all take a collective sigh of relief that justice has been enacted upon such evil men, and seemingly there is some "wiggle room" for hope to find a home in a demoralized society; we also know that there are still even bigger fish out there—and thus our arms knowingly spread much wider to show the size of the potential catch.

Even as I write, it seems Saddam Hussein is moving from house to house seeking to evade capture and the fate of his offspring. Will he be captured? Only time will tell. It has been reasonably postulated that until Saddam Hussein is caught and bound, whether in life or death, Iraq will remain basically paralyzed as a society. A true and lasting peace cannot be assured in Iraq until he is caught and put out of business.

But then, the arms begin to span even wider as we think of the even "bigger fish" out there in global waters eluding capture—yes, Osama bin Laden, whose audiotaped shockwaves still stir up the unsettled imagination of the world's citizenry. Why? Because there has been no effective closure. We don't know whether he is dead or alive. We don't know what he is planning next or where the next "shoe" will actually drop. It truly is unsettling as we move through the uncharted waters of global terrorism.

But what about the biggest one of all?

But stay with me as my story continues and my arms stretch even wider to remind us there's still a bigger fish out there. And yes, he's big. And yes, he's real. And yes, he's oh so elusive. He would like us to divert our attention and energy away from him to the current crop of history's most wanted list of thugs, be it Saddam Hussein or Osama bin Laden or, for that matter, future poster children of inhumanity like the biblically prophesied Beast and False Prophet. And yes, he would like us to listen to "experts" who downplay his existence and influence, or who deny his abilities to affect our daily lives or the course of society.

Yet none other than Jesus Christ Himself defines the dimensions of the "greatest catch" in world history and verifies the reality and enormity of such a creature. In Matthew 10:28, Christ jolts His audience by declaring, "And 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."

Even then, 2,000 years ago, Jesus Christ was challenging His followers to reach beyond the familiar and stretch their senses beyond the known sources of terror of their times and focus on the real source of human woe. His reference was to none other than Satan the devil, the adversary, the ultimate spiritual terrorist threat.

We don't wrestle against flesh and blood

Building on the words of Christ, the apostle Paul in Ephesians 6:11-12 exhorts us to "put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."

While there is certainly "evil incarnate" stalking this earth in the form of man, we must always be mindful that the ultimate source of spiritual mass destruction is not readily seen or noticed by the ordinary individual. Satan seems to specifically like it that way. He chooses to stay behind the scenes and allow his minions to do the dirty work.

In Ephesians 2:2, Paul defines his modus operandi as being the "prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience." This evil power seemingly operates from behind the scenes by projecting attitudes, moods and thought patterns through our atmosphere thus rendering his will upon humans. Yes, while we see the human faces of dictators, thugs, murderers, rapists, thieves, "beasts" and "false prophets," never lose sight of the force behind them.

The apostle Peter adds a chilling dimension in regards to our elusive yet very real spiritual foe by insisting that the reader "be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). It's been said that in Africa, three beasts lie in wait for prey: the lion, the leopard and the hyena. The hyena and the leopard do not completely eat the prey, but desire only certain parts of it. The lion, however, completely devours its helpless victims, leaving not a single portion. What a perfect picture of Satan, the devourer of souls.

The very first prophecy tells it all

But the best news of all is that the time of this "devourer of souls" is coming to an end. Did you realize that the very first prophecy in the Bible clearly indicates his demise? In the Garden of Eden, God clearly spells out the fate of Satan, the serpent.

There can be no doubt. In foretelling the coming of Christ through the womb of woman, God graphically portrays the conquest of Satan by Christ: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel" (Genesis 3:15)."

Yes, God plainly spelled out how this "Son of Man" would be temporarily wounded by death at the hands of an agitated humanity directed by Satan (notice Luke 22:3). But upon His glorious resurrection the clear indication is that Christ would triumph over Satan.

The apostle Paul concludes his great thesis on salvation to all humanity, known as the book of Romans, by ending with this joyful reality, "And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly" (Romans 16:20). This thought was never too far from the minds of the early followers of Christ. It was a reality that they welcomed and reflected on. The apostle John clearly announced in 1 John 3:8 that "for this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil."

What is it going to be like when Satan is put out of commission in the future? Can you imagine what it will be like when "the big one" that kept on getting away is caught? There is going to come a time when Satan is going to be cornered. He will no longer be able to hide his persona behind the actions of others. Everyone, and I do mean everyone, is going to be able to see the depth and size of his monstrous efforts against humanity.

Then the depth, breadth and enormity of his crimes against humanity will be understood by all.

God's servants have spoken through the ages of such an evil one. They have been met with mockery and ridicule as if telling one more "fish story." In the end they will be justified by the reality of events before them.

Do you think God is just going to quietly incarcerate Satan for crimes against humanity? I don't think so. The recent deaths and public exhibition of Uday and Qusay Hussein's corpses help to paint a vivid type of future events and their related effects upon a world completely pulverized by the Great Tribulation. Yes, the world will have lost hope and wonder if the "bad guy," Satan, is coming back. Let's realize that God sees things as if they already are, and thus He shares not only His victory over Satan, but also some of the colorful details.

He laid hold of the dragon

Revelation 20:1-3 paints a vivid and colorful picture that is designed to offer humanity some real hope and effective closure after 6,000 years of spiritual tyranny and abuse. "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more." Can you grasp the sights, sounds and dynamics of what you are going to be privileged to behold?

Just imagine watching an angel enter earth's atmosphere and grab hold of a spiritually tangible Satan, who is going to be incarcerated, bound and sealed up so that he cannot influence humanity.

Just as many of the citizens of Iraq cannot move forward until they know the threat of Hussein is totally gone, likewise, the future citizens of the world are going to have to know Satan has "gone out of business"—even with Christ and His occupying heavenly army now on earth. And God is more than willing to comply with overwhelming force and power. Just imagine the rejoicing and celebration that will occur.

Yes, there is coming a day when the really "big one" out there isn't going to get away. Your family, friends and neighbors will come to realize that the size and scope of your concerns regarding the "god of this age" (2 Corinthians 4:4) were no stretch of your imagination, but in reality were the biblical truth all along.

Until that day of divine justice, let each of us be mindful of the biblical admonition found in Isaiah 30:21 which tells us—"this is the way, walk in it." Perhaps there is no better recurring echo of this advice than that found in the words of Peter who encourages us to "be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour."

In support of Jesus' instructions on spiritual alertness, other New Testament passages explain how Christians can be watchful.

In his last meeting with the elders at Ephesus, Paul said, "For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears" (Acts 20:29-31). Paul's admonition to "watch" meant to be observant of doctrinal matters. In order to faithfully watch, we must study our Bibles so we will be able to discern contradictory messages. Regular Bible reading and study is part of the watching Jesus expects of His followers.

In 1 Corinthians 16:13, Paul linked watching with standing "fast in the faith" and being "brave" and "strong." He was encouraging the brethren to live their lives in accordance with the inspiring hope of their calling. Our lives must reflect our spiritual convictions.

Vigilance

The command to "watch" also entails vigilance. The Greek word gregoreo is also translated as such in several passages. Colossians 4:2 admonishes us, "Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving." Earnest prayer while remembering to thank God for His blessings is another way we can stay spiritually alert.

In 1 Peter 5:8 we are told to be sober and vigilant ("watchful," according to some marginal references) "because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." If we are not vigilantly on guard, Satan will deceive us.

Our spiritual vigilance can also be described as sobriety. The apostle Paul links this attribute with being watchful in 1 Thessalonians 5:6-9: "Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ."

Watchfulness clearly entails watching prophesied world events unfold before Christ's return as well as living godly lives. UN

Recently my family visited the Denver Zoo for the first time in several years. From several exhibits away we could hear the throaty, piercing roars dominating all other sounds and commanding us to an audience with the king of beasts. Two lions looked regal even lounging and basking in the midday sun. Another, a big male with an impressive mane, strutted about his kingdom “majestic in pace . . . stately in walk . . . mighty among beasts and . . . not turn[ing] away from any” (Proverbs 30:29-30).

All three were far back from the heavy-duty fences, and they were so used to visitors staring in awe at them that they didn’t seem to notice. I remember feeling no fear. Of course, if there had been no fence separating us it would’ve been a different story! It’s not yet the age of God’s rule over the nations, when the nature of wild animals will change so that a little child holding a lamb can play safely with such a big, cuddly creature and tug at its mane (see Isaiah 11:6-9).

God speed that day, but for now lions remain dangerous, and their predatory behavior reminds us of a fierce enemy who constantly stalks us. As 1 Peter 5:8 warns: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” In the safe environs of the zoo, it didn’t cross my mind to be too worried about the lions. But on later reflection it occurred to me that I should give more regular thought to Satan as the roaring lion seeking to devour me spiritually.

I needed to step up my game—to avoid becoming his game! Satan and his demons seek to stop us from achieving our destiny as members of God’s family for all eternity. The stakes couldn’t be higher!

Instructions on the right approach

Thankfully, the Bible reveals that we can resist Satan. Here are some instructions that tell us how.

“Be sober, be vigilant,” as we just saw in 1 Peter 5:8. We must avoid becoming drunk out of our minds in a spiritual stupor. Be ever alert.

“Watch . . . and pray always.” Luke 21:36 here shows that a key part of watching involves regular effective prayer “that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

“Submit to God . . . Draw near to God.” Do this and God will draw near to you, James 4:7-8 urges, along with telling you to resist the devil so that he will flee from you. Sadly, a respected Barna study (“The American Worldview Inventory 2020”) found that only 51 percent of Americans believe God is an “all-powerful, all-knowing, perfect and just creator of the universe who still rules the world today.”

Surprisingly, 56 percent said, “Satan is not merely a symbol of evil but is a real spiritual being and influences human lives.” He is, and he does! But the shock is Barna’s conclusion that “Americans are now more confident about the existence of Satan than they are of God!” What are the odds they will get the submitting and resisting backwards?

Praying for deliverance

This brings me to the second time it dawned on me recently that I was not paying enough attention to resisting Satan. One popular technique for praying more effectively is to follow the outline of what’s called the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13), with each line as a topic header to expand on.

I realized that for many days I had spent so much time on the earlier parts—hallowing God’s name, seeking His Kingdom and will, asking for daily needs (including help and healing for others) and for forgiveness and deliverance from sore trial—that I didn’t give time to an element that follows, another key to resisting:

Pray, “Deliver us from the evil one,” going into specifics. Why would I neglect this when I know evil stirred up by Satan is increasing everywhere? For one, we don’t see or consider all the problems. God has graciously blessed me and my loved ones with a peaceful, protected life. And maybe I just didn’t want to constantly be thinking about all the evil in the world to “sigh and cry” over (see Ezekiel 9:4).

As a parent I know we need to pray for protection for our children daily. And of course I want to pray for my wife and loved ones. So now I’m making sure to include this vital part. But let’s always keep it straight in our minds: We need God to deliver us from Satan and help us to resist. We can’t deliver ourselves or do it on our own. We need God the Father and Jesus Christ to live in us through the Holy Spirit and empower us “to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do” (2 Thessalonians 1:11, New Living Translation).

Trust and connectedness

“Resist him, steadfast in the faith.” Just after warning about theroaring lion, 1 Peter 5:9 said we need to do this “knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” This faith is way beyond just believing in Jesus Christ—believing that He exists. James notes that “even the demons believe—and tremble” (James 2:19).

We need the faith of Jesus Christ. A good description of this faith we need from God as an unmerited gift is relaxed trust like a little child has for his daddy. “Jump, and I’ll catch you!” We should giggle and jump! We need God to fill us with this faith along with the other qualities listed as the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).

Hebrews 10:22-25 echoes these thoughts: “Let us draw near [there’s drawing near to God again] with a true heart in full assurance of faith . . . Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works . . .”

And then we’re given another key: “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together” (verse 25). This part of the passage in Hebrews 10 shows that a key part of resisting Satan is to meet on God’s holy Sabbaths with our “brotherhood” to encourage each other. A lion attacks stragglers and loners away from the herd. We must be active in the Body of Christ. It’s not “just You and me, Lord”—or we could end up being the lion’s lunch!

Protected and advancing

In a recent Sabbath service I again came to see, a third time, that I was not paying proper attention to resisting Satan. A speaker was discussing Ephesians 6:11-17, which gives us this key with its various components: “Put on the whole armor of God.”

The speaker confessed that before studying for his message, he had always just thought of these words as being only a nice intellectual metaphor. But now he was convicted that every day he needed to actually put on the spiritual items of this armor. His message inspired my wife and me to realize we need to do this too.

This passage specifically says we need to “put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places” (verses 11-12).

We often think we’re grappling against people or politicians! But we’re really going to the spiritual mat, resisting Satan, and we need God’s help to break every hold Satan’s evil world has on us! In verse 16, Paul specifies that we must take “the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.”

It would make an excellent personal study to go into the six pieces of God’s armor: belt of truth, breastplate of righteousness, feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, shield of faith, helmet of salvation and sword of the Spirit.

Notice that God’s armor is all forward- facing, not covering the backside, because we must never retreat! It will help us “to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13; remember also Luke 21:36).

None of us is immune to underestimating our need to resist Satan. As I’ve shared, my own alertness and resistance are down at times. How have you fallen prey? Through God’s power working in us, we draw close to Him and are assured of victory over Satan!