The story is told of a chess champion who was fasci­nated by a painting of a chess game with two players in a European art gallery. One player was depicted as the devil, laughingly making what appeared to be a final move; the other, a young man, shaking and bit­ing his nails. The title of the portrait was “Checkmate.” The message was clear: the devil was about to capture the young man’s soul forever.

After studying the chessboard for hours, the chess champion realized that the move the devil was about to make would still leave a way of escape for the young man, and that he in turn could move to checkmate the devil. “I wish you could hear me,” the champion cried aloud to the young man. “Though Satan has tricked you, you are not going to be checkmated. There is still one move left, and you can checkmate him. Your life can be transformed. You, not the devil, can have the last move.”

In Christ, believers shall have the last move against Satan. Shortly before Christ returns on the clouds, Satan will be “loosed” for “a little season” to launch a mighty onslaught against the church (Rev. 20:1-10). The believer may well fear that he will be checkmated by the archenemy, but Christ will then come as Victor to fatally bruise Satan’s head in the final judgment. Christ will seize the old serpent Satan and cast him eternally into the bottomless pit of hell, which He Him­self described as the lake of everlasting fire “prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41).

Satan and his fallen angels dread this final judg­ment. Even when Jesus was here on earth, demons cowered before Him, saying, “What have we to do with thee? Didst thou come to destroy us?” (Mark 1:24). Luke 8:31 tells us that demons begged Jesus not to send them into “the deep,” or the abyss of hell. They knew that the abyss was their ultimate destination. Jude 6 also tells us that Christ has reserved everlast­ing chains for the evil spirits who rebelled in heaven.

J. Marcellus Kik writes,

What a welcome will the Devil receive from those whom he has deceived! What curses, what vituperations, what abuses, what revil­ing, what berating will be heaped upon his head! He will be surrounded by a lake of curses. He will be hated, despised, and rejected throughout all eternity.An Eschatology of Victory, p. 248

What a comfort it is for believers to know that on Judgment Day, Satan and his seed will be cast out for­ever. The bruising of Satan’s head will become complete and final. The accuser of the brethren will never again bruise and accuse believers; he will never again trou­ble the seed of the woman. What a consolation to know that we fight a mortally wounded foe!

On Judgment Day, the suffering church of today will become the church triumphant. Believers will fully experience the spiritual essence of Exodus 14:13-14,

Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will shew to you to day: for the Egyp­tians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

On Judgment Day, corruption will inherit incor­ruption (1 Cor. 15:50). All of the elect, from beginners to those advanced in grace, will be ushered into an everlasting Elim. Good will be walled in and evil walled out. Conflict will cease. Satan and his seed will be buried in the abyss of divine malediction.

Be of good courage, dear child of God. Christ’s seed will not perish, despite all the efforts of Satan. Christ your Victor cannot fail. Satan has his limitations. “The devil shall never lift his head higher than the saint’s heel,” William Gurnall wrote. Though extremely pow­erful, Satan and his demon host are not omnipotent, omniscient, or omnipresent. He simply cannot be everywhere at once. He is a fallen angel, not a fallen God; he is mighty, but not almighty.

Christ is the Almighty who will not forsake the work of His own hands. His cause is sure. His Second Advent is near. If you do not know Christ, be warned that, when Satan is thrown into the everlasting lake of fire, unbelievers will perish with him. If you go to hell, you will be without a merciful God forever and with a condemning Satan forever. In hell you will find no relief from Satan’s bruisings, no relief from the agonizing worm that dies not, no relief from the evil devices of the wicked one. As Hebrews 2:3 tells us, “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?”

Let us remember that if Luther is right that the devil is God’s devil, then hell is God’s hell. Jesus Christ, not Satan, has the keys of hell. Dreadful will it be to fall into the hands of the living King of kings unpre­pared to meet Him. To escape hell and be safe forever, we must belong to Christ’s seed.

Are you Satan’s seed or the seed of Christ? There is no other kind. You either belong to Christ or Satan. Make haste to answer that question. You still live in the day of grace, the time of salvation. Christ, the seed of the woman, is still offered to you; yes, Christ offers Himself to you. Pray for grace to receive God’s gracious invitation, to bow under His Word in holy surrender to Him, and to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ Jesus.

Let me close with two pieces of advice for when you feel the power of Satan in your life:

1. Flee to the Intercessor, Jesus Christ. He is the almighty Advocate, the perfect Paraclete, who promises to help you in every need. He is your only hope and your only stronghold. In Christ, Satan is defeated. Condemn yourself as Satan con­demns you, but then come with all your unwor­thiness to your righteous Advocate before the Father.
    
2. Resist Satan with the Word and promises of God. Do not bargain with Satan or give way to his enticements. Spurgeon wrote, “Of two evils, choose neither. Learn to say ‘no.’ It will be of more use to you than to be able to read Latin.” Stand fast. Gird yourself with the armor of God. Resist Satan by showing God His own handwrit­ing in His Word. Remember that Satan is in chains and that you belong to Christ, who is mightier than Satan.
    
3. Be sober, be vigilant, and hope to the end. Do not be self-confident or overly fearful, but stand guard against the seed of the serpent. Remember that Satan fell through pride and his goal will ever be to duplicate his sin in us by having us attempt to live independently of God, as if we were gods ourselves. Let us take heed lest we fall. Let us persevere in the faith and in humility before God. Let us remind ourselves that life is short and trials fleeting. Soon we will fly away and will then know the truth of Romans 16:20: “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly.” Commenting on this verse, Robert Hal­dane said, “There were two victories to be obtained over Satan. By the first, his head was to be bruised under the feet of Jesus Christ; and by the second, the rest of his body will be bruised under the feet of believers.” Let these grand truths help you persevere in fighting Satan by the strength of our glorious Triune God.