he could to destroy the followers of Jesus. He imprisoned them, and put them to death. Paul's soul was like a strong fort on the side of Satan. It was altogether in his power. But when Paul became a Christian, what a wonderful change took place! He began at once to preach that very gospel which before he had been laboring to destroy. He went all up and down the world telling about Jesus and his wondrous grace and love. and love. He became the greatest preacher that ever lived. Multitudes of people were converted by him. He established churches wherever he went. He wrote thirteen out of the twenty epistles which the New Testament contains. His writings have been a blessing to the church and to the world for eighteen hundred years. And here we see how Jesus bruised Satan's head, or destroyed his power, when he converted Paul's soul. And he does the same, in some degree, every time that a soul is converted. This is one of the ways in which the first promise is fulfilled, and Jesus, "the seed of the woman, bruises the serpent's head." But there is another way in which this promise will be fulfilled, and Jesus will bruise Satan's head, and this will be by delivering the world from his power. He has not done this yet; but he certainly will do it, by and by. This is what the apostle Paul means when he says-"The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly." Rom. xvi: 20. Satan is now called "the God of the world," II. Cor. iv: 4. and the "prince of the power of the air." Ephes. ii: 2. But the Bible tells us that the time is coming when Satan will be driven out of the world. We read (Rev. xx: 1-3,) how a mighty angel will come down from heaven, and bind Satan in chains, and lock him in the bottomless pit. Then he will be a prisoner or captive, and his power will be destroyed, just as Napoleon Bonaparte's was when he was made a captive in the lonely island of St. Helena. Then Satan will not tempt, or deceive men any more. This will be a blessed world then. There will be no wicked people in it. No body will be cross or ill-tempered. There will be no swearers or liars. Nobody will cheat then. There will be no robbers or murderers then. No prisons or penitentiaries will be needed in those happy days. “Then men will beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks, and they will learn war no more." Then "the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf, and the young lion, and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them." Then "the people shall be all righteous;" "and they shall not hurt, nor destroy saith the Lord in all my holy mountain." And when this "good time comes," and all the world is as bright, as beautiful, and as happy as the Garden of Eden was before sin entered there, then this first promise will be fulfilled; and we shall see how clearly Jesus spoken of in this first promise has been a helper-a human helpera suffering helper-and a successful helper. All the work that Jesus was to do for us, and for our world was wrapped up in these wonderful words "I will put enmity between thee, and the woman; and between thy seed, and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." |