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being allowed to silence and weaken the Word of God. How thankful we should be that
like the Ephesians, Paul could also have said to us:
"And you hath He quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time
past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the power of the air,
the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Eph. 2: 1, 2).
The continued patient appeal of reason to the Pharisees left them still rebellious to the
truth. Their final charge against our Lord was:
"Say we not well that Thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil?" (8: 48).
When they made this utterance Satan must have felt that here at least for him with
these leaders was victory:
"And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him:
but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in
this world, neither in the world to come" (Matt. 12: 32).
The climax of this chapter is in verse 58:
"Jesus said unto them, verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I AM"
(8: 58).
Here our Lord unequivocally claims the O.T. name God gave to Himself when Moses
enquired of Him His designation:
"Say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you" (Exod. 3: 14).
Satan is powerless to disrupt the prophecied plan of salvation and although they pick
up stones to kill the Lord of Glory, He passes through the midst of them unharmed. How
we should continually praise God that His Son was preserved to achieve the work of
redemption on the cross on our behalf. Our praise should equally be given to Him that
His Word of Truth has been placed in our hands giving us access by faith and His spirit
into His presence.
Finally with Satan still in our minds observe how he had his disciples ready when Paul
began to turn from the Jews to the Gentile. Paul and Barnabas had found at Paphos a
deputy of the country interested in the truth:
"And when they had gone through the isle of Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a
false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar-jesus: which was with the deputy of the
country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired
to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer . . . . . withstood them, seeking to turn
away the deputy from the faith. Then Saul (who also is called Paul), filled with the Holy
Ghost, set his eyes on him, and said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of
the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of
the Lord?" (Acts 13: 6-10).
This attempt by Satan to pervert (turn aside from its proper use - dictionary definition)
the right ways of the Lord continues to this present day.