Today I am going to address myself to this problem. Let me begin by pointing out some passages that describe events long after the initial rebellion of Satan against God and his initial casting down as a result of that rebellion. And these passages indicate that at the time they were true, Satan still had access to the presence of God in heaven. We can start in Job 1:6-7, where it says this:

“One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. The Lord said to Satan, ‘Where have you come from?’ Satan answered the Lord, ‘From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.’” (NIV)

Almost exactly the same incident is recorded again in Job 2:1-2:

“On another day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. And the Lord said to Satan, ‘Where have you come from?’ Satan answered the Lord, ‘From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.’” (NIV)

So at that time, which was in the days of Job, we see that Satan still had direct access to the presence of the Lord. When God’s angels came to present themselves and report to the Lord, Satan was there among them. It seems to me that the passage somewhat indicates that the other angels didn’t identify Satan for who he was. And I can understand this because in 2 Corinthians 12, Paul says that Satan is transformed as an angel of light. The passage creates in my mind the impression that the only one that identified Satan was the Lord. So he could appear in the presence of God apparently mingling with the other angels and not be detected.

The Lord said, “Where have you come from, Satan?” In other words, “What are you doing here?” But the Lord didn’t immediately banish Satan from his presence, He actually had some kind of a conversation with him. So we see in the time of Job Satan was still having access to the presence of God in heaven.

And then let’s go on to the last book of the Bible, Revelation 12:10-11:

“Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: ‘Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.’” (NIV)

The accuser of our brothers we know is Satan. And notice that at this time he’s still been accusing God’s people before God day and night. Then we go on to read:

“They overcame him [that’s Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. [Then there’s this commentary:] Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” (NIV)

That passage indicates that at whatever point that applies, and I believe myself it is still in the future, Satan still has access to the presence of God and he uses his access to accuse God’s people in the presence of God. Clearly, all the above passages that I have quoted refer to periods long after the original rebellion of Satan. So what is the answer? My answer is this: There

Spiritual Warfare

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