We think of God as a Heavenly Judge, and that role belongs to Him and no one else. But if God is the judge, who is the prosecutor? Some think it’s the devil. Not only does Revelation 12:10 call Satan the “Accuser of the Brethren,” but the first two chapters of Job indicate Satan busies himself slandering us before God.
But the devil is NOT God’s prosecutor.
A prosecutor is a respected Officer of the Court, with a legitimate, honored role in a legal proceeding. God has not given Satan that role or any role.
Whatever responsibility the devil may have once had, he abdicated when he rebelled against God. So while he may appear before God to accuse Job and others of sinful motives,[1] the devil is not welcome as a prosecutor in God’s Courtroom. Instead, he is the angry, out-of-order witness shouting from the back of the room, treating the process with contempt and being found in Contempt of Court by Heaven’s Judge.
The fact is, God is the prosecutor in God’s courtroom.
Consider the vision He gives Ezekiel. God knows the idolatry of His people, and He chooses to reveal it to His prophet Ezekiel, much like a prosecutor revealing evidence to a jury.
“Son of Man, do you see what they are doing here? … You will see even more detestable things” … Then He brought me to the temple court where there was a hole in the wall. “Son of Man, go in and see the terrible things they are doing.” And I went in and looked and saw … all the idols of the house of Israel. … “Son of man, do you see what the elders are doing? For they are saying ‘the Lord does not see us.’ … They were bowing to the east in worship of the sun.” Ezekiel 8:6-16.
God showed Ezekiel the evidence of Israel’s crimes. Why? So the prophet could preach to the people about their sins, charging them with a long list of crimes against the God who delivered them from slavery in Egypt, and perhaps rescuing some of them from the coming judgment.
Thus, in Heaven’s courtroom, God is both Prosecutor and Judge. And He plays a third role. There was a time I mentioned this final role in so many conversations. When I played the adult Jesus on stage, people always teased me:
“I can’t wrap my mind around a lawyer playing Jesus.”
I always answered the same way:
“Well, the Bible says Jesus is our Advocate with the Father” (1 John 2:1).
Suddenly they had to face the notion that Jesus is a lawyer. That always rocked their world. Thus, God is our Prosecutor, Defender, and Judge. It is His Court and He plays all the roles. Equally important, your adversary, the devil, does NOT have a role. His status in God’s Courtroom is that of a convicted criminal and nothing more.
Jesus, we praise you for being our Advocate with the Father!
ΑΩ
[1] Jesus rightly called the devil the “Father of Lies” in John 8:44. But because the enemy constantly questions good people’s motives, I might call him the FATHER OF ALL CYNICS.
Household Words: 