-An age-old rebellion, this. Older than the hills, a desperate attempt to supplant God and install me on the throne of my universe. And the rabble-rousing ringleader has a name - diabolos. The devil. The one who accuses (falsely). The Hebrews knew about him. They called him Satan, also meaning accuser. He accuses God of being a liar and not worthy of being in charge. Among other things. He comes up with all kinds of accusations, some of which may contain a grain of truth, yet all of which are false. It’s what he did with Eve. It’s what he did with Job. It’s what he do. He accuses. He lies. He steals and destroys. He has done this from the very beginning, John says, meaning the original beginning, that beginning of time, the earliest of times (cf Proverbs 8.23, John 8.44). The original sinner, this one. Not lawless, per se, in that he had the law, if you will, God’s truth - he beheld it with his own two eyes. And he chose to reject and rebel against it, against the one Who made him, against the one true God. To this day he incites rebellion and doubt towards God and the truth about Who He is. All in this diabolical endeavor to insure that God is not worshipped above all else, and that what He wants does not come to pass. This is the textbook example what the Bible calls ‘sin’. A futile effort, really, and ultimately doomed to fail. yet the devil persists, persists in instigating rebellion and inciting evil throughout our world, engendering both unspeakable horror and passive indifference. It makes no difference, as long as the God of love and truth is dishonored. Thus John here rightly states that the person who persists in sin, in their mark-missing behavior - regardless of any profession to the contrary - is essentially "out of the devil". They are working with him, walking in rebellious lock-step with this one who would hold them captive to do what he wants instead of what God wants.
-And yes, he is doomed to fail, as the ultimate heavenly irony is that the Son of God has come to destroy the works of this one who destroys. It’s what He do. John here says that this is the purpose for His coming, it’s why Jesus came. And He WILL do this - it is locked and loaded. The reason for the delay, in case you’re wondering, is the compassionate patience and forebearance of God, full of mercy, so loving the world and not wanting any to perish along with diabolos in their rebellion, but for all to come to repentance, to believe and turn around and come back to Him in their hearts, as many as possible. But rest assured, one day, it - all of it - will all be put right, fully and finally, the devil and his works and his minions will be destroyed, and love WILL win, love and truth together, personified in the One Who IS the beginning and the end of all things. Son of God, let it be so.
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