"If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (Psalm 11:3)
In the final year of World War II, the U.S troops pressed into Germany. Determined to reach the west bank of the Rhine, the Americans quickly advanced on the cities of Cologne, Bonn, and Ramagen. Knowing that the Rhine River was the last major obstacle to the Allies advance, Hitler ordered the bombing of all the bridges on the Rhine. But Hitler wasn't fast enough. As the Americans came up to Ramagen, the bridge was still standing.
Soon a tremendous battle ensued, with the Germans bent on destroying the bridge and the Americans determined to take it. A massive explosion rocked the bridge, even lifting it from its foundations. But when the smoke settled, it was still standing, though it suffered some damage. Eventually, the American forces cut the wires to the German explosives and took the bridge. An entry into the heart of Germany was now secure, leading to victory 2 months later.
How did the foundation of the bridge at Ramigen withstand the explosion? Historians call this victory the "miracle at Ramigen." Miracle or not, it surely points to the strength of its foundation and its importance in holding up the bridge.
The same is true in the great battle between Christ and Satan. You might say that God's faithful people, who "keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus" (Revelation 14:12) are a bridge. Satan sees us as the last obstacle to his conquest of planet Earth and in taking the kingdom of God. Over the years, He has attacked this 'bridge,' seeking to destroy our faith and our faithfulness to God. Compromise with the world has weakened its timbers, but it is still standing.
But the battle isn't over yet.
Satan understands the engineering of faith and knows very well if he can destroy its foundation, he has us in his grip. We will be rendered powerless in the great controversy between himself and Christ. And what is that foundation except an unwavering faith in the plain word of God? That it is "the word of the Infinite God, as the end of all controversy and the foundation of all faith" (Christ's Object Lessons, pg. 39). That it can no more be separated from Jesus Christ than we can separate Him from Calvary.
#1--To get us to accept unity over truth, by setting up a division between Christ and the teachings of the Bible (i.e. the will of God).
If he can get us to view relationship as something separate from what the Bible teaches (making doctrine a weapon that destroys Christian unity), then the way is prepared to destroy the foundation of faith. Truth will be pushed off to the side in favor of love and acceptance, as if it is unimportant in building a relationship with Christ. And while love for Christ is the foundation of a relationship, we must ask ourselves, "what kind of love will it be?" Will it be the love defined for us in the Bible--a love that bears fruit in obedience (see John 14:15). For "he who says 'I know Him, and does not keep His commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him" (1 John 2:4). But Satan's attack hides this connection, even attacking those who teach that obedience is necessary, branding them as legalists or creators of diabolical division.
But Satan never uses just one line of attack. He has weapons ear-marked for every one of us. And for those who have a high respect for the Bible or God's truth, he has another trick up his sleeve.
#2--To change the way that we interpret Scripture.
The power of the Protestant Reformation has been rooted in the principles of "solo scriptura"--the Bible and the Bible only and "prima scriputra--God's revelation is the #1 authority in interpreting what is truth. But in these days of higher criticism, culture is being jostled into first position, leading many to view the Bible as a book about God rather than a book from Him. Once this new view is in place, scripture can become very relative and subjective--meaning, it is no longer absolute. It is no longer universally binding on all peoples from every nation, tongue and people. It can mean one thing to you and a totally different thing to me, and both views are okay. But such divergence will not lead us to the unity that Christ prayed for in John 17--"that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You" (verse 21) nor to the unity where we grow "to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13). Rather, we will only go backward, to the days of the Judges, when "everyone did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25).
The protest begun by the Protestant Reformers is far from over. The Bible is still under attack; it always will be until Christ shall come in the clouds to take His people home. If anything, the warfare is increasing. It is heating up as we move closer to the 2nd coming of Christ. If we ever needed to study our Bibles and commit its words to memory, it is now.
"Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise: 'For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry'" (Hebrews 10:35-37).
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