![]() Third, while I have never had a verbal conversation with demonic tempter like Christian does here, there is great help in reflecting upon Bunyan’s allegory. We answer as Christian did: “All this is true, and much more, which thou hast left out but the Prince whom I serve and honour, is merciful and ready to forgive” (62). Regardless of how accurately he recounts our sins back to us, we conquer by the blood of the Lamb that has cleansed away all of our sins. The accusations of the Accuser have been silenced. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. ![]() We find a similar picture in Revelation 12:10-12:Īnd I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. It is significant that whenever Christian repelled Apollyon’s temptations, he was finally met with accusation before the monster flew upon him in rage. He took such a role against Job, confidently asserting that Job would curse God to His face. Indeed, we often think of Satan and the demonic hosts as purely agents of temptation, yet the other branch of his schemes is accusation. All backed by our own consciences as if Apollyon straddled quite across the way, and stopped us from going on.” The supposition that all our profession is founded in pride and vain-glory. The recollections of our sins and backslidings, under a profession of religion. The difficulties, dangers, and sufferings of the Lord’s people, are contrasted with the prosperity of sinners. The profits of the world and pleasures of sin are held out as allurements. Second, we should “mark the subtlety of this gradation in temptation. If I have a feast at Thy table, I will remember that it is but a short walk from the upper chamber to the garden of Gethsemane.” Indeed, we should each pray as Spurgeon did: “Lord, if Thou hast given me these goodly weapons, it is sure I shall need them in hard fighting. We cannot wrestle against “the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly places” without such celestial weapons ( Ephesians 1:12). Our weapons are mighty because we have a mighty need. The armor of God, which is really just another way of explaining how we are to put on Christ is our heavenly protection during this evil day ( Ephesians 6:13). Yet with our modern sensibilities, we tend to dismiss that command as purely figurative, at least we do so subconsciously. Spurgeon rightly said that “God does not give His people weapons to play with He does not give them strength to spend on their lusts.” This is a necessary point to make since Paul calls upon all of us to “put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” ( Ephesians 6:11). Let us make a couple of general comments.įirst, within this battle, we see plainly that Christian’s armor (that he was given at the House Beautiful) was not merely decorative nor a costume. Bunyan clearly intends for this monster assaulting Christian to represent Satan, for the temptation tactics reflect the devil’s real-life strategies. The name Apollyon is taken from Revelation 9:11, and it means destroyer. This, of course, is exactly what befell Christian, as Apollyon came to meet him. We should take heed that it is often after a time of rest, peace, and joy that the Tempter strikes hardest, hoping to catch us unprepared. Indeed, despite Prudence’s warning and Christian’s wariness, “he caught a slip or two” (59). Scaling the Hill of Difficulty left Christian ascending slowly upon his hands and knees, but descending can be just as perilous as the ascent. ![]() Here Christian discovered a different kind of difficulty. Discretion, Prudence, Piety, and Charity accompany him down to the foot of the hill, the beginning of the Valley of Humiliation. Our reading picks up with Christian setting out from his stay at the House Beautiful.
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