“In that day the LORD with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that [is] in the sea.” (Isa 27:1 AV)
An obvious reference to Satan and his ultimate destruction. Satan has done much to destroy God’s creation. But let’s get something very clear. He did so with mankind’s permission and or involvement. The serpent was in the garden of Eden. Satan tempted Adam and Eve. They ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Yet no one compelled our originators to speak to the Devil. God did not force Adam and Eve to conduct discourse that led to our fall. The divine hand did not force Adam and Eve to be in the vicinity of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They placed themselves in the way of temptation and involved themselves in a conversation that led to temptation. Many hold Satan responsible for much. And rightly so. Most of the time, he does his wicked work on or with complicit people. That is not to say we will mourn his destruction. Not so! All of humanity will rejoice when the wicked One is no more.
This reminds me of the old spaghetti westerns. For those unfamiliar, a spaghetti western was a genre of movies from the earlier to the modern era of movie-making. These films got this moniker from the fact those of Italian lineage directed them. Hence, the ‘spaghetti’ designation. These films tended to be a bit hokey and clichéd. These films, apart from other westerns directed by those not of Italian lineage, had a flavor all their own. One theme that runs consistently through these films was a ranch, settlement, or town controlled by an outlaw bully. He and his gang would extort, abuse, and murder the people merely for pleasure. It always struck me as funny that a movie set in the early 1800s had some many people with perfect teeth. Anyway, I digress. As the story moves along, a lone hero comes to town. One of his biggest hurdles is convincing the people to put their lives on the line and help him defeat the monster. For most of the film, the people are complicit in the crimes of their bully by the mere fact they will not stand up to him. By the end of the film, our hero defeats the foe and despite a slight loss of life, the town is not free. The bully could dominate because the people would not resist. They were complicit in his behavior.
Unlike the western hero, Our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ need not the help of anyone! When He returns, the devil and all his army are no match for one lone rider! Jesus will return, riding His white horse, to destroy all the evil in the world. Although the saints will assist, they do so only for honor’s sake and not because Jesus needs anyone to help Him. He is Almighty God. He is omnipotent. He possesses all power in heaven and in earth and He does so without limit. The promise above is a glorious one. The reference is to Satan. Several times, the Bible refers to the devil as Leviathan. The Bible tells us that he and all his fallen angels will be cast into the lake of fire. After a thousand years, he will be loosed for a brief season. Following the last battle of Gog and Magog, Jesus Christ will take that Wicked One and throw him in the depths of hell to be tormented day and night forever and ever! Oh, glory! So, the next time he gives you fits, rejoice in knowing that his days are numbered. Sing praises to God that the torment of the saints is only brief. The perverse Leviathan will burn forever!
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