The Defeat of Satan

Satan stood there glowering,
His eyes aflame with hate,
As he watched the humans crucify the Christ
And seal their fate.

His lip curled up in mockery
As he saw them kill the Son,
And he raised his fist in victory,
For his reign had now begun.

But as the sky turned dark he saw a flash
Of lightning from the clouds,
As an angel out of heaven came,
And Jesus cried aloud,

“It is finished!” as the angel nailed a scroll
Upon the cross.
And Satan’s brow grew furrowed
As he wondered what it was.

The angel turned to Satan,
And raised a finger of fire,
“You’ve had it now, you dirty snake,
You murderer, you liar!”

“Upon that scroll is written all the sins
Of God’s elect,
In helping kill the Son of God,
You helped pay off their debt!”

At first the Devil chuckled
And his smirk remained undimmed,
The Christ was dead, and that was that,
He was sure that he would win.

But as night turned to dawn,
The Devil’s eyes were worried,
And he set himself to watch,
At the place the Christ was buried.

The third day dawned, and Satan thought,
“I’ve called that angel’s bluff.
I’m leaving now. There’s nothing here,
I’ve wasted time enough.”

When suddenly, from in the tomb,
He heard a mighty shout,
The stone rolled back, a light streamed forth,
The Son of God burst out!

Satan groveled on his knees
Before the risen Lord,
Christ’s face shone brighter than the sun,
His eyes pierced like a sword.

“Listen, Satan,” Jesus said,
“You’ve served your purpose well,
And you’ll keep serving it until
You make your bed in Hell!”

“Did you think God, the Sovereign Lord,
Didn’t know what was going on?
You’re no worthy opponent,
You’re just a pathetic pawn.”

“And now my resurrection
Is the sign of God’s approval.
I’ve conquered you, you dragon,
The time is short till your removal.”

And so the Devil wanders
To and fro upon the earth,
He tries to thwart God’s sovereign plan,
He fights for all he’s worth.

But in the end, he knows
He has already been defeated,
And how? Well, that’s the story
That you’ve just heard repeated.

 

Philip Bramblet