Ascension has been at the core of Satan's ambition from the first moment of rebellion. The last declaration ‑ "I will be like the Most High" ‑ is the essence of his rebellion. The four preceding statements identify how Satan was planning to become like the Most High.

But it is important to understand that Satan's five‑fold declaration was not an idea that appeared spontaneously, but was reactive ‑ Lucifer was reacting in rebellion to the unveiling of God's grand purpose.

Mankind was not an afterthought in God's creation. We were planned (Eph.1:4‑5). Satan's five "I wills" reveal his reaction to the plan of God for mankind.

God's plan for us was that we would take a special place of authority in the courts of heaven. Lucifer reacted against this.

The term "stars of God" refer to two groups in the Bible ‑ the angels (Job 38:7; Rev.12:4) and the redeemed people of God (Gen.15.5; Dan.12.3; Phil.2:15). Although Lucifer was already as close to the Throne as any angelic being could get (Ezekiel 28:14), he rebelled against God's plan for us to sit above the "stars of God" (1 Cor.6:3).

The "mount of assembly" was Mount Zion (Psalm 48:2), which represented redeemed Israel in the Old Testament and the redeemed Church (Jew and Gentile) in the New. Mount Zion represents the highest and deepest worship to God.

Clouds surround the Throne of God (Psalm 97:2) ‑ a manifestation of the glory of God (1 Kings 8:10‑11; Eze.1:4; Matt.17:5; 24:30). But Lucifer was also countering God's plan for mankind to "ascend above the tops of the clouds".

This was the heart of Lucifer's ambition ‑ to be like God in every way. But behind this declaration was also his cut pride. God's plan for mankind was that we would be in the image of God. Lucifer's pride‑inspired reaction was that he, not man, would be like the Most High.

It is important to understand that it was the plan of God for mankind which initiated the war, not Satan's rebellion. We are not simply victims on the battlefield in some abstract conflict between God and Satan ‑ we are the battlefield, the actual reason for the war. But God, in His sovereignty, has caused the conflict itself to become the means of achieving His original purpose. Through Christ, we:

! Have ascended into heaven (Eph.2:6).

! Are seated above all principalities and powers (Eph.1:22‑23).

! Have now come to Mount Zion (Heb.12:22‑23).

! Will ascend above the clouds (1Thess.4:16‑17).

! Have been created in the image of God (Gen.1:27) and are being conformed to the image of Christ (Rom.8:29; Col.3:10).

The grand strategy of God is defined by His original purpose for mankind. His entire strategy revolves around the redemptive work of Christ (Eph.1:9), but is outworked in two complementary expressions:

65398. The Cross

65399. The Church

The Cross is the redemptive act of Christ which legally dealt with man's initial rebellion and its penalty due. The Church is the redemptive company of God's people, where the experiential outworking of the Cross is experienced in people's lives. The Cross is the means of salvation; the Church is the vehicle of that salvation ‑ the Body of Christ reaching out to a lost world.

As the means of salvation, the Cross dealt a death blow to Satan's rebellion. At the Cross, Satan was defeated in five realms:

! In the realm of sin (1 John 3:8; 2 Cor.5:21).

! In the realm of sickness (Isa.53:4‑5; Ps.103:1‑3).

! In the realm of death (Heb.2:14; Rom.5:12‑21; 6:2‑14; I Cor.15:51‑57).

! In the rulership of this world (John 12:31‑33; Rev.11:15).

! In his rebellion against God (Phil.2:8‑11; Eph.1:10; Col.1:20; Rev.1:18).

In the Second World War, June 6th, 1944 was called D‑Day ‑ "Decision Day". At that point, the strategy of the Axis Powers to control Europe was defeated, even though it took another year before every last unit of the German forces surrendered. In the same way, the Cross was our D‑Day, when the back of Satan's rebellion was broken. Now we are pushing back the dark powers that still control people's lives. This is the Church's mandate.

The Church is the cutting edge of God's grand strategy (Eph.1:22‑23; 3:10). As the vehicle of salvation, the Church has a military mandate:

! To storm the gates of hell (Matt.16:18).

! To frustrate the Enemy's plans ‑ "binding" (Matt.16:19).

! To rescue the captives ‑ "loosing" (Matt.16:19).

! To proclaim the news of God's Kingdom (Matt.28:18‑20).

! To present God on Earth (2 Cor.5:18‑20; 1 Peter 4:11; Matt.12:28).

Here we see Satan's grand strategy to control mankind. But notice that God's strategy is different. It doesn't even attempt to tackle the Enemy's strategy head on. Instead of trying to convince people's minds, God aims for a different place.

"For God, who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ" (verse 6).

God's solution to the unbeliever's blinded mind involves three simple steps:

! Bypass the mind

! Reach the heart

! Renew the mind