And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.
Luke 4:13

Satan is well known for his repetitive attacks.   Anyone fighting the good fight of faith must expect repeated attacks of the same kind.  As long as your enemy is not completely defeated, he may defeat you.  Satan has been defeated but is not completely defeated and eliminated.  When Jesus encountered the devil in the wilderness, He defeated him but the devil was not completely wiped out.  This same devil re-appeared in Jesus’ ministry on several occasions tempting Him, testing Him and even accusing Him.  Even on the cross, Jesus was tempted with the exact same temptation He experienced at the beginning in the wilderness.  Because your enemy is not totally defeated, you must expect him to return again and again.  You must expect your enemy who is not totally defeated to try many times to destroy you.  No matter how old you are and no matter how long you have been fighting the enemy, you cannot rest in this world.

I once saw a man of God who had served the Lord for almost eighty years being attacked by the elders in his church.

These people had been pastored, taught and loved for more than fifty years. And yet they rose up to destroy their pastor in his old age.  It was unbelievable but real.  Satan is not yet defeated.  He may be quietened and subdued, but he is alive and planning another onslaught.

Never think that you have won the fight.  There is a demon spirit standing in your room that looks like half human, half goat.  That entity is seeking a way to get at you.  Satan considers your triumphs as fleeting victories.

There is clear evidence that the devil is not totally defeated today.  Let me give you some scriptural reasons that prove this reality.

1. The devils said to Jesus, “Have you come to torment us before the time?”  There seems to be a time that has been set for the punishment of the devil.  Since God is fair and just, He seems to be keeping to that timetable.  The evil spirits know that they have a time when their punishment will be due.  This reality makes them desperate but also allows them to exist in our world.

2. After the showdown on the cross when Jesus defeated death, hell and purchased our salvation, demons seem to be roaming freely on this earth.  If all the devils had been totally defeated at the cross there would have been no evil spirit operating in the book of Acts.  But apostle Paul cast out devils from the girl in Thyatira (Acts 16:16).  The seven sons of Sceva were also beaten by a man possessed with devils (Acts 19:14-16).  The devils in this mad man apparently knew both Paul and Jesus.

3. At the end of the book of Revelation, the devil is bound on two occasions.  On one occasion he is bound for a thousand years (Revelation 20:2-3). Yet again, he is released and causes havoc in the world.  It is indeed puzzling to understand why Satan would be bound for only a thousand years and be released again.  But that is what happened according to the book of Revelation.

4. Finally, in the book of Revelation, the devil is bound and dealt with permanently.    The final and absolute defeat of the devil is recorded in the book of Revelation.  “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).

Never forget; as long as the enemy is not completely defeated, he may defeat you and you will no longer be your own master.  Your enemy will then dictate to you as you did to him.  Fight on whilst on earth.  Rest when you get to Heaven.  Don’t allow people to feed you with the delusion that you have “arrived”.  You are not yet successful.  It is not yet over.

The Return of Napoleon

The defeat and imprisonment of Napoleon on an island and his escape from that island, returning from prison to the throne, is like a story out of a fairy-tale.  But it illustrates the point that “as long as your enemy is not completely defeated, he may defeat you and you will no longer be your own master”.Napoleon is considered to be one of the greatest generals who ever lived.  He was a French military and political leader who started his career as a very young man.  He fought several wars and even invaded Russia.  He was very successful in most of his campaigns.   However, by 1813, Napoleon was running out of luck and was defeated by a coalition that included countries like Austria, Sweden, Prussia, Britain, Spain and Portugal.  After France’s capital, Paris, surrendered to the coalition, Napoleon was at the mercy of the coalition of nations.  These allies decided to exile Napoleon to the Island of Elba. Elba was just twenty kilometres off the Tuscan coast.  Napoleon was given this island of twelve thousand inhabitants where he would retain his title Emperor.  Napoleon, who was not forty-five years old, worked hard to improve the island.  To all observers, it seemed as though Napoleon was content to live a life of peace and retirement.  Whilst he was on the island, Napoleon was under the constant watch of the Austrian and French guards.  He also received thousands of letters and read major newspapers from all over Europe that kept him abreast of events all over the world. After some months of apparent defeat, Napoleon somehow escaped from the island, slipped past a British ship and returned to France.  He arrived on the French mainland two days after he escaped.  But there was a new government in France which did not want Napoleon back.  The government of France, hearing of his escape, sent the army to intercept him.

When Napoleon saw the approaching regiment, he dismounted his horse when he was within gunshot range and shouted, “Here I am, kill your emperor if you wish.” The soldiers responded, “Vive l’empereur.”  The French police forces and military, upon arriving in his presence, kneeled before him and troops rallied and hailed the returned emperor.  Triumphantly, Napoleon marched into Paris and the king, Louis XVIII fled to Belgium.

Amazingly, Napoleon was back in power in Paris.  Napoleon had been defeated in war, he had been captured but he had not been executed.

Remember, that if your enemy is not completely defeated he may rise up and defeat you!

When the coalition of nations which had fought against Napoleon received the news of his escape, they were intensely shocked.  They instantly declared Napoleon an outlaw and pledged 150,000 soldiers each to fight to recapture Napoleon and put him out of business once and for all.  

After a hundred days, Napoleon was finally defeated at the Battle of Waterloo.  Napoleon was defeated because he had to fight two armies with one.  When Napoleon heard that Prussian troops were sent to capture him dead or alive, he fled, intending to escape to the United States.

However, British ships blocked every port, preventing his escape and he was finally captured and imprisoned.  This time, he was sent to the island of St Helena, 1,780 km nearer the west coast of Africa.  From this place, Napoleon had little chance of escape and remained a captive until his death in 1821.  He spent only six depressed years on this island before he died. “His body was brought back to France in 1840 where a state funeral was held for him.  

Your Conquered Enemy Sees Defeat as a Passing Evil

Afterward the prophet said to King Ahab, “GET READY FOR ANOTHER ATTACK. BEGIN MAKING PLANS NOW, FOR THE KING OF ARAM WILL COME BACK NEXT SPRING.”
After their defeat, Ben-hadad’s officers said to him, “The Israelite gods are gods of the hills; that is why they won. But we can beat them easily on the plains. Only this time replace the kings with field commanders!
Recruit another army like the one you lost.  Give us the same number of horses, chariots, and men, and we will fight against them on the plains. There’s no doubt that we will beat them.” So King Ben-hadad did as they suggested.
The following spring he called up the Aramean army and marched out against Israel, this time at Aphek.
1 Kings 20:22-26  (NLT)

All enemies think this way.  Your conquered enemy sees his defeat as a passing evil, which may be repaired after a time.

You must beware of your conquered enemy.  We have all watched films in which the conquered enemy escapes and rises up to regain control.

An equilibrium only leads to the suspension of war but always expect war when there is a favourable opportunity for one party!  Always expect your enemy to come back if he is not completely defeated.

by Dag Heward-Mills