How does God really win?

Just wanted to post an interesting thought on the following scripture Mathew 7:13-14

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

My thought on this scripture that I find difficult is if most are on the path to destruction and only few make it to life does God really win over the power of the enemy? after all won't most people be thrown into the fire?
I just wanted to also state that I truly do believe the power of God is greater then the enemy, just wondered if anyone has some clarity on this I haven't understood yet,
Thanks for reading
 
I have heard the teaching, and tend toward believing it, that the verses refer to life in the sense of life in the here and now...not our eternal life reward or condemnation.

The narrow road is the road of life---this temporal life we live. With Jesus, we have an abundance to life, whereas those who step off onto the broad road suffer needless hardships and destruction.
 
First I think you are off on your notion of winning, He and Satan are not playing checkers. Each and every single one of us has been endowed with free will. What we do with that free will is completely up to us. We can follow God or follow our own whims (which is what Satan does). Satan doesn't win anything, all that he does is through and for pure spite. What Jesus was referring to is that the way towards God is narrow and difficult (from a human point of view) and very few want to be bothered.
One thing to note, all that Satan does is permitted by God. Satan can't do anything to or harm anyone he has not been given the authority to by God Himself.
 
First I think you are off on your notion of winning, He and Satan are not playing checkers. Each and every single one of us has been endowed with free will. What we do with that free will is completely up to us. We can follow God or follow our own whims (which is what Satan does). Satan doesn't win anything, all that he does is through and for pure spite. What Jesus was referring to is that the way towards God is narrow and difficult (from a human point of view) and very few want to be bothered.
One thing to note, all that Satan does is permitted by God. Satan can't do anything to or harm anyone he has not been given the authority to by God Himself.

Satan has had his authority revoked by Jesus.
 
Thank you and I agree with all replies. It is interesting that by sheer numbers alone more will follow Satan than will follow God, so at first glance it appears Satan will have the overall 'victory'. However as I have thought more on this I realize that everything Satan gains will be thrown into the fire along with himself, but God does have the victory as He and all that follow Him shall have eternal life, I suppose its like Satan winning the battle but God winning the war.
The word of the Lord endureth forever!
 
Satan has had his authority revoked by Jesus.

"The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law."

When Adam sinned he became subject to sin and death.
But God had given man so much life it took 800 odd years for that death that now reigned in him to manifest itself .
If Adam had not sinned he would still be walking this earth .
Jesus the last Adam coud not have died as he had not sinned and if he had not laid down his life for our sakes he would still be walking this earth after the flesh .
But because he was amde subject to the law that we who were under the law might be set free from the law he who knew no sin became sin " died .
and death could not then close her gates against him . What sayeth the scriptures ? "Open up ye gates for the king of glory shall come in"
The devil has the power of death and through fear of death brinds all men into bondage .
That power was given to him by God fro all power belongs or comes from God . Why and the wherefores is for another post whcih we cannot hope even if we could explain here . The fact is that he has it .
But the power of sin is the law . He therefore could not as it were refuse the Lord and close the gates against him.
But as the Lord had not sinned death could not hold him either and the gates keep him in .
Thus God raised him from the dead and with him he took the keys of death and hell .
Not actual keys but the authority and power of/over the city as it were .
The devil then has no place he can call his own . Nor is there anybody he can keep bound if God so wills it .There is no pit a man may have fallen into or finds himself or dug that he cannot be delivered from .Potentially .
All the devil has is dust and ashes. Which was the curse that God gave the serpent .
Thus THAT victory though not yet fully manifested will in due time be manifested to all . "and men will look on hin ;Satan ,with narrow eyes and wonder how ..........."
So as the death that was wrought in Adam on the very day that he partook of that whoch was evil to do. Took 800 years to manifest itself .
So too it has taken a long time for the fullness of the victory over "the prince of this world " to manifest itself . But which can be manifested in the life of a believer .
So too then when Christ comes into the heart of a BORNagain believer .That life takes a while to manifest itself .
For the body is still subject to sin and death .Albeit it is redeeemed it is "yet to be revealed"
The devil has ALWAYS been defeated by God and bene under his feet .
In heaven whereLucifer rebelled against God and sought to take the throne . and a 1/3 of the angels with him.
He was "cast down to the earth " and his power "is in the air"
When the Lord comes to the air for His Bride . Then he is cast down upon the earth .
When the Lord comes to the earth .he is cast down to the pit .

When the Lord said as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness . So shall the son of man be lifeted up ........"
We are to understand that even as the serpent was judged in the garden of eden . Sin has already been judged .
and God" condemned sin in the flesh " and Jesus for our sakes bore the sin of the world and he was ground between the millstones of Gods wrath and bore the judgment of sin in his own body.
To all then that believe on Him they are saved . and have passed from Judgment to life .
To all that do not believe the wrath of God abides on them still.
Perfect love casteth out all fear . and the fear of death who si "the last enemy " is also the often the last fear .
But the scriptures say that even "death will die" and death and hell "will be cast in to the lake of fire"
Truly then is it written and recorded that "I will build my church and the GATES of hell shall not prevail against it "

The moment we are BORNagain the devil has no mor eauthority over us and we have over all the powers of darkness .
But to be able to excersise that authority we must be under or subject to authority so we needs must be filled with the Spirit of God and be under His authority.
Not even the angels reviled against the devil. But said "The Lord rebuke thee"
"They overcame the devil by the word of their testimony and the blood of the lamb "
That potentially is not only in our own lives but also in the lives of others .
For in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth . and he made the greater light to rule the day and the elsser light to rule the night ."
The light shines in the darkness and comprehended or overcame it not.
The church is to be as the moon in the darkest night not only to bare witness that the sun still shines and there is coming a perfect day . But to be a light to them that are in darkness .
To "break the bonds of wickedness " Destroy the yoke " cloth the naked and .......... Isiah 58

in Christ
gerald
 
First I think you are off on your notion of winning, He and Satan are not playing checkers. Each and every single one of us has been endowed with free will. What we do with that free will is completely up to us. We can follow God or follow our own whims (which is what Satan does). Satan doesn't win anything, all that he does is through and for pure spite. What Jesus was referring to is that the way towards God is narrow and difficult (from a human point of view) and very few want to be bothered.
One thing to note, all that Satan does is permitted by God. Satan can't do anything to or harm anyone he has not been given the authority to by God Himself.

Free will.
In truth; whos will did Adam and Eves do?

The term free will is and has been seriously taken out of context.
It is often said that God gave them the freedom of choice to eat of the tree of life or the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Not so .
What God gave them was the liberty of sons of God . To choose any GOOD they could find .
For did not God say "Of all the trees in the garden you may freely eat"?
That then included the tree of life .
What he gave them no liberty to do was to eat of that which he said not to and was evil to eat.
"But of the tree of the knowldge of good and evil though shalt NOT eat fro in the day ye eat of it ye shall surely die"

Thus when men do good they are free. When men do evil they are bound.

True liberty is doing the will of God .

For in that you find liberty.
The serpent seemed to offer them liberty but brought them only bondage .
When the cross is preached it appears to be bondage or no freedom . But it leads to true freedomg and liberty..to do what? GOOD!
for in Christ we are free to do any good we find or think to do.
The bondage is as Paul says it . Knowing what is good to do .But not havign the power to do it!
People want a sliver of their own will or some how an independence from God to choose .
A free will as it is often called .
But I ask again whos will did Adam and Eve do when they partook of the fruit of the tree of the knowldge of good and evil?

in Christ
gerald
 
  • Like
Reactions: aha
Gerald, I know you mean well, but all that text you wrote has less than nothing to do with what I wrote.
 
Just wanted to post an interesting thought on the following scripture Mathew 7:13-14

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

My thought on this scripture that I find difficult is if most are on the path to destruction and only few make it to life does God really win over the power of the enemy? after all won't most people be thrown into the fire?
I just wanted to also state that I truly do believe the power of God is greater then the enemy, just wondered if anyone has some clarity on this I haven't understood yet,
Thanks for reading

Jesus is the "door", and he is the "way", which means "highway" to the Father. No man can get there except by this door, and highway.

As for God winning a war, it was already won before time ever began. There was never a time in which the Lord God had any threat to his Kingdom. There is absolutely no way any one can fight against a spirit being who knows all the thoughts of those whom he created, and also knows everything that is going to happen before it happens. Anyone who thought they could overthrow God is really really stupid. There is no Wisdom against God.
 
Last edited:
after all won't most people be thrown into the fire?

This is true, but it is of their own choosing. It has nothing to do with God's power not being used to save. In fact man would have no choose if it was not because of the power of God in revealing himself to man, so man could have a choice between life, and death.

Tit 2:11.. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

Joh 3:19 .. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
 
Gerald, I know you mean well, but all that text you wrote has less than nothing to do with what I wrote.

I would have to disagree.Simply because modern thinking/theology on the subject of free will has little baring with scripture.

I was simply showing that a lot of peoples idea of free will and free isnt what they think it is.
In Christ
gerald
 
"The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the law."

When Adam sinned he became subject to sin and death.
But God had given man so much life it took 800 odd years for that death that now reigned in him to manifest itself .
If Adam had not sinned he would still be walking this earth .
Jesus the last Adam coud not have died as he had not sinned and if he had not laid down his life for our sakes he would still be walking this earth after the flesh .
But because he was amde subject to the law that we who were under the law might be set free from the law he who knew no sin became sin " died .
and death could not then close her gates against him . What sayeth the scriptures ? "Open up ye gates for the king of glory shall come in"
The devil has the power of death and through fear of death brinds all men into bondage .
That power was given to him by God fro all power belongs or comes from God . Why and the wherefores is for another post whcih we cannot hope even if we could explain here . The fact is that he has it .
But the power of sin is the law . He therefore could not as it were refuse the Lord and close the gates against him.
But as the Lord had not sinned death could not hold him either and the gates keep him in .
Thus God raised him from the dead and with him he took the keys of death and hell .
Not actual keys but the authority and power of/over the city as it were .
The devil then has no place he can call his own . Nor is there anybody he can keep bound if God so wills it .There is no pit a man may have fallen into or finds himself or dug that he cannot be delivered from .Potentially .
All the devil has is dust and ashes. Which was the curse that God gave the serpent .
Thus THAT victory though not yet fully manifested will in due time be manifested to all . "and men will look on hin ;Satan ,with narrow eyes and wonder how ..........."
So as the death that was wrought in Adam on the very day that he partook of that whoch was evil to do. Took 800 years to manifest itself .
So too it has taken a long time for the fullness of the victory over "the prince of this world " to manifest itself . But which can be manifested in the life of a believer .
So too then when Christ comes into the heart of a BORNagain believer .That life takes a while to manifest itself .
For the body is still subject to sin and death .Albeit it is redeeemed it is "yet to be revealed"
The devil has ALWAYS been defeated by God and bene under his feet .
In heaven whereLucifer rebelled against God and sought to take the throne . and a 1/3 of the angels with him.
He was "cast down to the earth " and his power "is in the air"
When the Lord comes to the air for His Bride . Then he is cast down upon the earth .
When the Lord comes to the earth .he is cast down to the pit .

When the Lord said as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness . So shall the son of man be lifeted up ........"
We are to understand that even as the serpent was judged in the garden of eden . Sin has already been judged .
and God" condemned sin in the flesh " and Jesus for our sakes bore the sin of the world and he was ground between the millstones of Gods wrath and bore the judgment of sin in his own body.
To all then that believe on Him they are saved . and have passed from Judgment to life .
To all that do not believe the wrath of God abides on them still.
Perfect love casteth out all fear . and the fear of death who si "the last enemy " is also the often the last fear .
But the scriptures say that even "death will die" and death and hell "will be cast in to the lake of fire"
Truly then is it written and recorded that "I will build my church and the GATES of hell shall not prevail against it "

The moment we are BORNagain the devil has no mor eauthority over us and we have over all the powers of darkness .
But to be able to excersise that authority we must be under or subject to authority so we needs must be filled with the Spirit of God and be under His authority.
Not even the angels reviled against the devil. But said "The Lord rebuke thee"
"They overcame the devil by the word of their testimony and the blood of the lamb "
That potentially is not only in our own lives but also in the lives of others .
For in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth . and he made the greater light to rule the day and the elsser light to rule the night ."
The light shines in the darkness and comprehended or overcame it not.
The church is to be as the moon in the darkest night not only to bare witness that the sun still shines and there is coming a perfect day . But to be a light to them that are in darkness .
To "break the bonds of wickedness " Destroy the yoke " cloth the naked and .......... Isiah 58

in Christ
gerald

Jesus has taken the keys of death.

Revelation 1:18
I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.
 
Thank you and I agree with all replies. It is interesting that by sheer numbers alone more will follow Satan than will follow God, so at first glance it appears Satan will have the overall 'victory'. However as I have thought more on this I realize that everything Satan gains will be thrown into the fire along with himself, but God does have the victory as He and all that follow Him shall have eternal life, I suppose its like Satan winning the battle but God winning the war.
The word of the Lord endureth forever!
With God it is not a 'victory' thing. In the context of X amount more go to hell = God loses. I would say that God would feel like the loser even if ''one'' went to hell and all others to heaven.

The only verse on victory that comes to mind is Jesus conquering sin.
 
With God it is not a 'victory' thing. In the context of X amount more go to hell = God loses. I would say that God would feel like the loser even if ''one'' went to hell and all others to heaven.

The only verse on victory that comes to mind is Jesus conquering sin.

"If we sow abundently we will reap abundently ,If we sow sparingly we will reap sparingly"

In ChRIST
gerald
 
Hi David S,

Now you said - `after all won't most people be thrown into the fire.` Have you considered that today there are more people than has been throughout history. And that in the tribulation (Dan. 70th week) that the great multitude out of the nations, who turn to God are a number that no man can count. (Rev. 7: 9) That would be billions I think.

The scripture you are referring to `the narrow way..` refers to Israel as that is who the Lord is talking to.

Blessings, Marilyn.
 
Just wanted to post an interesting thought on the following scripture Mathew 7:13-14

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

My thought on this scripture that I find difficult is if most are on the path to destruction and only few make it to life does God really win over the power of the enemy? after all won't most people be thrown into the fire?
I just wanted to also state that I truly do believe the power of God is greater then the enemy, just wondered if anyone has some clarity on this I haven't understood yet,
Thanks for reading
God wins when mankind humbles themselves and surrenders to the Lord. He can't make people do what they should, they must humble themselves to His will, then no matter the situation, they'll come out a winner! :D
 
God wins when mankind humbles themselves and surrenders to the Lord. He can't make people do what they should, they must humble themselves to His will, then no matter the situation, they'll come out a winner! :D

God always wins .
Men only win when they conform to what they were created for .

in Christ
gerald
 
Back
Top