Matthew 4: 8 “Again, the devil took Him up on a very high mountain and shoed Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory (the splendor, magnificence, preeminence, and excellence) of them. 9 And he said to Him, These things, all taken together, I will give You, if You will prostrate Yourself before me and do homage and worship me. 10 Then Jesus said to him, Begone, Satan! For it has been written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him alone shall you serve. (Deut. 6:13) 11 Then the devil departed from Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.”
What would you do if somebody offered you unlimited power, as long as you were willing to worship him? Would you refuse quickly, realizing that you weren’t cut out for that kind of control? Or perhaps you might entertain second thoughts; after all, think of all the good you could do! All those things and more must have gone through Jesus’ mind as Satan tempted Him. And it was a real temptation; the day Adam and Eve sinned, Satan gained control of the earth. But once more, the fundamental part of this temptation was to entice Jesus to take a short cut and to avoid suffering. Satan might have told Jesus, “Look, be reasonable! Why should you go through all this pain when you can have all power, just as long as you worship me.” Notice this time, Satan does not try to twist Scripture as he did during the first two temptations; he already realized that gambit wouldn’t work.
But Jesus was the Son of God, and before He was born, Jesus was in the heaven from which Satan had fallen so many ages ago. Jesus knew that what Satan was offering was a fake, a cheat, a sham, and would lead only to spiritual death. Why should Jesus trade His place in heaven for control of one small planet? Again, Jesus answers Satan by accurately quoting the Scriptures, affirming that only God is to be worshipped.
Revelations 19 gives us a picture of Jesus in triumph. 11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He [e]had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in [f]fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a [g]sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
Make no mistake, there IS a real “Game of Thrones.” And the contest is not merely for land or for power, but for the souls of men and the Kingdom of God. Today, each of us must make the same choice that Jesus faced: are we worshiping Satan or the one true living God? Make no mistake, each time you choose to serve only yourself, you are choosing to serve Satan. The time of the Lord’s returning is drawing near. None of us knows how much time is left to us. Joshua challenged his people “Choose this day whom you will serve….but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24: 15) At the end of the ages, there will only be one Victor, the God – man Jesus. Choose Him today!
PRAYER: Father God, sometimes we are confused and tired and make wrong choices. But You are the one true living God. You are Elehenu Melech Ha Olam – the Lord God, Ruler of the Universe. Come reign in our hearts forever! Amen.
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