Fall 1996
The Last Laugh
Wade E Taylor

"And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall
not surely die: For God doth know that in the
day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be
opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good
and evil."

"And when the woman saw that the tree was good
for food ... she took of the fruit thereof, and
did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her;
and he did eat ... and they heard the voice of
the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool
of the day."

"And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the
presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of
the garden" Gen 3:4-8.

It is very probable that Satan then laughed at God, as he thought he had frustrated the intent of the Lord in His creation of man. However, the Word tells us that before the foundation of the world, Jesus had been foreordained as our Saviour.

"Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed
with corruptible things, as silver and gold ... but
with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb
without blemish and without spot. Who verily was
foreordained before the foundation of the world,
but was manifest in these last times for
you" I Peter 1:18-20.

Thus, Satan had not pulled a "fast one" on God. His laugh was in vain, and God will yet have the last laugh. The wisdom of God is seen in the fact that He will use the very ones whom Satan thought he had defeated, to defeat Him.

"To the intent that now unto the principalities
and powers in heavenly places might be known
by the church the manifold wisdom of God,
according to the eternal purpose which He
purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord" Eph 3:10-11.

The Lord could have "zapped" Satan and brought all the suffering in the world to an end. But He has something higher in mind, for which He is preparing His Church.

Many years ago, while walking through Times Square in New York City, I noticed a man who had attracted considerable attention. He was standing on a box, loudly proclaiming that there was no God and that he could prove it. He demanded that if there were a God, he should immediately be struck dead. Because this did not happen, he then said he had proved there was no God.

The Lord will act in His time, but we are living in a day of grace, in which we are free to make choices and decisions. If we so choose, the Lord will allow us to go our own way. But when we submit our lives to the Lord, He will begin a process of spiritual development within us, which will qualify us to partake with Him in the coming day of His power (Psalm 110:3).

We are living in a time when Satan, fallen angels, and demons, are running rampant. It would appear that they are having their own way, but their days are numbered. The Scriptures tell us,

"And he that overcometh, and keepeth My works
unto the end, to him will I give power over
the nations: And he shall rule them with a
rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall
they be broken to shivers: even as I received
of My Father" Rev 2:26-27.

The Lord is quietly preparing an army of "overcomers" who will have the power and authority to deal with these, along with all of the problems which vex the nations and mankind.

While I was in the Army during World War II, we had officers over us who had been trained in 90 days, due to the urgency of the time. These were then given the right to exercise authority, but they themselves had never been under authority. The enlisted men despised these officers whom they called, "90 day wonders." But they respected those officers who had come up through the ranks.

In God's army, there are no "90 day wonders." He was not caught off guard, as was our nation. He is presently, quietly, preparing those who will exercise this authority, in His time and way.

"For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and
scourgeth every son whom He receiveth" Heb 12:6.

The purpose of our being chastened and scourged is that the Lord alone, as the Head, will be in total control of the Body, which will have been so dealt with, that it will be able to perfectly respond and submit to the dictates of the Head.

Paul said,

"And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not
with excellency of speech or of wisdom ... and
my speech and my preaching was not with enticing
words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of
the Spirit and of power: that your faith should
not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power
of God" I Cor 2:1-5.

There is a present work that is taking place in which those who have unconditionally submitted their lives to the Lord are being prepared to partake with Him in "that day."

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus unto good works, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them" Eph 2:10.

The ministry of the Word of God must go beyond our simply hearing the Word. We are to be brought into an active, cooperative relationship with the Lord which will result in an accompanying demonstration of the authority that is behind the letter of the Word.

"If so be ye have tasted that the Lord
is gracious ... ye also, as lively
stones, are built up a spiritual house,
an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual
sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus
Christ" I Peter 2:3,5.

The "manifold wisdom of God" (Eph 3:10-11), which presently is being perfected within those who have experientially made Him Lord, (not 90 day wonders), will accomplish His purpose in that day, by fully defeating Satan.

"But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery,
even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained
before the world unto our glory" I Cor 2:7.

In the King James translation, the words "even" and the second "wisdom" are in italics. This means that they are not in the inspired text. Thus, this verse should read,

"But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery,
THE HIDDEN, which God ordained before the
world unto our glory."

Again, the Lord was not caught off guard by Satan, but rather had predetermined how Satan would be dealt with. He is preparing those whom Satan seemingly defeated to defeat him. This is the "wisdom of God."

The outworking of this "preparation" is becoming increasingly more effective, and although hidden from open view, is beginning to bring down Satan and all his hoards. The fact that God is using those who are seemingly weak to bring down Satan will embarrass him in a greater way.

"For ye see your calling, brethren, how that
not many wise men after the flesh, not many
mighty, not many noble, are called"

"But God hath chosen the foolish things of
the world to confound the wise; and God
hath chosen the weak things of the world
to confound the things which are mighty;
And base things of the world, and things
which are despised, hath God chosen, yea,
and things which are not, to bring to
nought things that are" I Cor 1:26-28.

If I were to get in the ring with Hulk Hogan, the wrestler, and he quickly put me on the floor, I would not be one bit embarrassed, as this would be expected. However, if a skinny weak boy did so, I would be greatly embarrassed. So will Satan be embarrassed by the seemingly weak Church which will indeed put him down on the floor. This day is approaching, and the Lord is beginning to arise to activate His Church for this purpose.

God will yet have the last laugh through a Church that no one might suspect would have the power to bring Satan down. Because this preparation is veiled, there is more spiritual power present within the Church than most realize.

Quietly, within the Church, the Lord is preparing spiritual overcomers, "officers" who will rule with a rod of iron in that day. But before these will ever rule others, the Lord is at work, dealing with them to rule over and totally overcome, all the nations which are within them.

To those who are faithful in the outworking of this process,

"His Lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and
faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a
few things, I will make thee ruler over many things:
enter thou into the joy of thy Lord" Matt 25:21.

Those who are submitting to His "scourgings" today will be lifted up into a higher realm of authority in that day, and will have a part in bringing Satan down.

The promise in Rev 2:26 is to those who "overcome and keep My works to the end." Because we presently are being faithful in allowing the Lord to deal with things within us, He will use us in that day, to deal with outward and greater things.

Not only did Satan laugh at God, but he had said,

"I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt
be brought down to hell, to the sides of the
pit" Isa 14:14-15.

In effect, Satan said that he could rule better than God. Therefore, he ever seeks to displace the government of God with his government. Rev 12:4 speaks of one-third of the stars falling. These are angels who believed what he said, and fell from their created place.

Had God "zapped" Satan at that time, all of creation would never have known if Satan could indeed rule better than God.

Therefore God, in His infinite wisdom, brought into being a people who could choose who would rule over them. In his transgression in the garden, Adam chose the rule of Satan, and we have six thousand years of recorded history as to how he rules; sickness, disease, death, murder, famine, and more.

Soon, the Lord will raise up those whom Satan seemingly defeated, and use them for a righteous rule in His Millennial Kingdom.

Consider again the man on the box in Times Square who said there was no God. Presently, the Lord only rules in the lives of those who give Him permission to do so. Therefore this man is left unchallenged. However, this time is coming to an end, and there will be a righteous rule. The statement of this man will face "the rule of the rod of iron." He will no longer do as he pleases.

God is obligated to rule. But He has chosen, in His wisdom, to rule through the very people whom the enemy seemingly defeated. This is the manifold wisdom of God.

Many attend church and rightly seek to serve the Lord, waiting for a future heaven with streets of gold, not understanding that there is something more that the Lord intends.

Those of us who are wise will push beyond this and partake with our Lord in His last laugh.