“And the God of peace will crush satan under your feet shortly”
(Romans 16:20).
Crushing is flattening, distorting, or bursting something because of a very large weight or pressure that is placed on it. It also means defeating someone in a fight, argument, or confrontation.
Paul said that this crushing will take place soon, and that it will be the last battle of this conflict against evil and its ultimate defeat. The one to be crushed will be satan himself, who is also called the evil one, the dragon, the ancient serpent, the tempter, the prince of this world, and the accuser of the brethren.
The enemy’s main goal is to thwart God’s sovereign plan and destroy His people. He knows that he has only a little time left, and like a starving lion, has come out to devour everyone – if possible, even the chosen ones (see Pet. 5:8; Matt. 24:24; Mar. 13:22).
The enemy blinds the minds of unbelievers and has the forces of evil under his control. He always seeks to seduce, tempt, destroy; he encourages indifference, unfaithfulness, and idolatry. However, in spite of his power, he is an enemy who has been defeated several times and definitively. Jesus overcame him in the wilderness, on the cross, and in the grave; and He can defeat him with you everytime you choose to be on His side.
The apostle went still further and said that satan will be under our feet. The One he hurts does not like war; He is the God of peace who will end this sad process of sin. How many times the archenemy trips the feet of unsuspecting and deceives the hearts of the innocent! Nevertheless, in the end, he will be crushed by those he afflicted. It will be God who crushes him under our feet, for the enemy was not able to defeat us, by God’s grace. If Jesus had yielded to even more temptation, then satan would have arisen in victory.
The struggle is still going on. Our adversary does not give us any rest. He harasses and besieges the children of God harshly. We cannot expect good treatment from him, but one piece of news strenghtens us: “There are angels who excel in strenght who will be with us in all our conflicts if we will only be faithful. Christ conquered satan in our behalf in the wilderness of temptation. He is mightier than satan, and He will shortly bruise him under our feet” (Testimonies for the Church, vol. 3, p. 526).
The Lord promises to be at our side today.
May we always choose to be at His side,
knowing that the enemy trembles and flees
before the weakest soul
who seeks refuge in the mighty name of Jesus.
God bless you, you are victorious…