This is the manner in which God has worked with the Christian churches throughout history. God has permitted every conceivable deviation, distortion, adventure, idea, program—every effort that the inventive mind of ambitious spiritual man can devise. The angels are closely examining all that is taking place.

Slowly, always considering what has taken place in the past, the victorious saints are becoming convinced of the necessity for following the Spirit of God as He unfolds the Scriptures. They no longer are willing to listen to some new plan for saving the world. They now are convinced that they must wait until they hear from the Lord concerning every step they take. The need to follow the Lord closely has been in the Scriptures all along, but religious leaders may not have been convinced they could do nothing of themselves. Thus the overcoming of Christ's enemies has been delayed.

For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. (I Corinthians 15:25,26)

But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. (Hebrews 10:12,13)

Satan is the enemy of Christ and the enemy of everyone who loves and follows Christ. Christ is the resurrection and the life. Satan and his devices and followers are the corruption and the death.

There are three enemies that must be overcome in whoever would press through to the conquering of the last enemy and thus attain the first resurrection from the dead. The three enemies are as follows:

The willingness to continue in natural physical life instead of seeking to live by the body and blood of the Lord Jesus.

The willingness to yield to sin in order to obtain pleasure.

The willingness to pursue one's own will and ambition in order to accomplish one's goals.

As long as one of these three enemies is active in the believer's personality he or she cannot attain the resurrection to eternal life in the Presence of Christ.

We find the same idea in the following passage:

And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. (Revelation 12:10,11)

The author of death cannot be cast down from his place in the heaven until there are Christians who overcome him. Satan will finally be crushed under the feet of the saints.

And the God of peace shall bruise [crush] Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen. (Romans 16:20)

To be continued.