11:22Luke 11:22

The armed strong man is Satan, who holds men and women in bondage of mind and body, and the stronger one who comes upon him and overcomes him is Christ, who is God and mightier than he.Ms 78, 1899, par. 3–4+2 Only Christ could meet Satan in battle, for Satan as the exalted covering cherub stood next in power to Him, so help was laid upon One mighty to save.ST Mar 26, 1894+2 Christ met him in the wilderness after forty days without food, in Gethsemane, and at the cross, and though meek and seemingly helpless He conquered by humility and reliance on the Word of God without reasoning with the tempter.Lt 103, 1894, par. 9–10+2 His victory binds Satan and casts him out, takes from him the armor in which he trusted, limits his power, and rescues his prey, so that had Christ failed the race would have been lost but as He triumphed believers may become heirs of immortality.Ms 78, 1899, par. 3–4+2 When the captive longs for freedom and by faith takes hold of Christ, cooperating with heavenly help and abiding in Him in obedience, he becomes stronger than the strong man armed and safe from his snares, for Christ alone can dispossess the enemy and keep the soul hid with Him in God.Ms 78, 1899, par. 3–4+4

The stronger one who comes and overcomes is Christ, who is God and mightier than Satan, while the strong man armed is Satan himself.Ms 78, 1899, par. 3–4+4 Christ overcomes him, takes away the weapons on which he relies, limits his power, and alone can dispossess him when He takes possession of the soul.Ms 78, 1899, par. 3–4 Help is laid upon One mighty to save, who by His own power measures weapons with the apostate prince of darkness.ST Mar 26, 1894+2 Satan, though armed and powerful, is not invincible, for Christ is stronger and overpowers him.Lt 12, 1894, par. 18–20+2

Satan as the strong man armed seduced man away from allegiance to God and holds those under his rule in bondage in mind and body.Ms 78, 1899, par. 3–4+1 He is on the track of everyone corrupted by false principles and is determined to hold dominion over them as he holds dominion over the world.Lt 18, 1901, par. 11 He controls strong and terrible masters of iniquity in the world and works to prevent the truth from triumphing, yet the Lord who is mightier can overcome him, take away power to harm by force or fraud, and make a place for His truth in hearts not firmly closed against it.Lt 6, 1884, par. 10+1

Only Christ could engage Satan in battle and endure successfully the temptations with which he had beset the human family, for Satan was next in power to Christ as the highly exalted covering cherub.ST Mar 26, 1894 If Christ had not pitied man and interposed to help by undertaking redemption, Satan would have had the whole human family on his side at war with God and the law of His kingdom which governs human intelligences.Ms 75, 1886, par. 23–24 The battle between these two great generals was carried on in this world, and Christ overcame in the wilderness of temptation after forty days and forty nights without food or drink, fainting and apparently dying on the field of battle when angels from the world of light came and ministered to Him and strengthened Him with food.Ms 75, 1886, par. 23–24 Through His humiliation and agony and shameful death He by His own power rescues sinners from slavery, takes Satan's prey away, and makes them free because He is their owner and would save them as His own children belonging to God in body and spirit.Lt 29, 1893, par. 3–4

Luke 11:22 pictures a battle fought in this world between two great generals, Christ the stronger and Satan the strong man armed who seduced man away from allegiance to God.ST Mar 26, 1894+1 Satan came hoping to gain the victory and thinking he had every advantage, striving with all his power, including hypnotic power, to make Christ sin against God.Lt 159, 1903, par. 12–13+1 Against Christ stood an unholy confederacy of rebellion, evil angels and evil men combined against Him in war on God and His government.ST Mar 26, 1894+1

Christ met Satan in the wilderness after forty days and forty nights without food or drink, until fainting and apparently dying on the field of battle when angels from the world of light came and ministered to Him and strengthened Him with food, and He met him again in Gethsemane and at the cross.Lt 103, 1894, par. 9–10+1 Though meek and lowly and seemingly helpless, He was stronger than Satan and conquered by meekness and humility and reliance on the Word of God.Lt 159, 1903, par. 12–13+1 Once Scripture was quoted Satan knew he had no chance of triumphing, for Christ did not reason with the enemy as the first Adam did in Eden and thus gave him no advantage, but through humiliation and agony and shameful death rescued sinners from slavery and made them free.Lt 29, 1893, par. 3–4+1

If Christ had failed under the burden of human sin, Satan would have won and the human race would have been lost, but His victory secures the kingdoms of the earth, binds Satan and casts him out, takes away the weapons in which he trusted, and limits his power.Ms 78, 1899, par. 3–4+1 By His own power He takes Satan's prey away from him, because He is their owner seeking to save them as His own children belonging to God in body and spirit.Lt 29, 1893, par. 3–4+1 His death wound became the trophy of His victory and the victory of all who believe in Him, breaking Satan's power over those who loyally believe so that fallen people accepting Christ by faith may become heirs of immortality and eternal glory.Lt 103, 1894, par. 9–10+1

Every advance of the gospel into Satan's dominion and every inroad into it is met by fierce opposition and the greatest opposition from his apostate army.Lt 18, 1901, par. 11+1 In the last days of this earth's history he knows his time for destroying is short and uses every deception he can devise to ensnare souls, so the last conflict with him will be terrible.Lt 18, 1901, par. 11+1 Yet his overthrow will be complete, and those who choose apostasy over loyalty will perish with him.Lt 18, 1901, par. 11+1 So it was when Satan's stronghold in the pope's citadel was breached by Luther's stand at Worms in the Reformation, a defeat that compelled Satan to acknowledge that Christ was mightier.ST Oct 11, 1883

Those held under Satan's rule are held in bondage in mind and body, but Christ is stronger than Satan, overcomes him, takes away the weapons on which he relies, and limits his power, and Christ alone can dispossess Satan.Ms 78, 1899, par. 3–4 When a captive longs to escape and seeks freedom Satan tightens his hold, yet when faith takes hold of Christ the person cooperates with heavenly help and is strengthened by the Holy Spirit to gain freedom.FE 299.1+1 When He takes possession of the soul He overcomes Satan's power, and the person abiding in Christ by faith becomes one with Him and through cooperation with the Saviour and obedience is made stronger than the strong man armed and kept safe from the wicked one's snares.Ms 78, 1899, par. 3–4+1

The life and soul hid with Christ in God is safe because Jesus is stronger than the strong man armed, though Satan as the strong man armed comes in every conceivable form to distress, annoy, and delude every follower of Jesus.Lt 12, 1894, par. 18–20 That safety is held by living by faith and not by feeling, by believing in Jesus as a personal Saviour able to save to the uttermost, and by advancing step by step into experimental knowledge of God through daily, hourly communion and abiding close to God in prayer.Lt 12, 1894, par. 18–20 Those who depend wholly on God and stay close to Christ share in that victory by standing firm in eternal truth and using God's word as their weapon, rather than arguing with Satan or repeating his deceptive claims.21MR 10.3–4 He comes with power as an armed enemy, but Christians must give him no advantage, resist sin with all their strength, and keep their eyes on Christ their Captain through the conflict.5T 309.1

God is mightier than the strong man armed and is set for the defense of His loyal people, so Satan's power and the force and fraud of his followers cannot finally harm the faithful.21MR 326.4–327.1+2 Though Satan controls strong and terrible masters of iniquity in the world, the Lord God who judges Babylon is stronger and overcomes them, taking away their power to harm by force or fraud, and as long as the just remain loyal and true they have nothing to fear.Lt 6, 1884, par. 10 Those who have believed and stood in firm defense of the truth and of the laws of God will be given victory and honor and all power and greatness and excellence of character and strength.21MR 326.4–327.1+2 Though the enemy works to prevent the truth from triumphing, the Lord is mightier than the strong man armed and can make a place for His truth in hearts that are not firmly closed against it.Lt 102, 1893, par. 6

When a sin-tortured, suffering soul accepts Jesus as the sin-pardoning Saviour who can heal every spiritual disease as well as every physical disease, even at the last hour of life, Satan as the stronger one's conquered foe loses his hold and his prey is taken away, peace comes to the sufferer, and melody is awakened in the heavenly courts.Lt 50, 1900, par. 8–9 Christian physicians share in this victory when they point the sick and suffering to the love of Jesus and His willingness to save.Lt 50, 1900, par. 8–9 Though God's afflicted servant under His charge has conflicts with the enemy, who is weaker than God, he need not fear but can dismiss fears, anxiety, doubts and unbelief and calmly trust in the great yet merciful God who pities, loves and cares for him and whose arms are beneath him.Ms 5, 1866, par. 10–11 By faith relying on the evidences God has given he will gloriously triumph in God, and God will be glorified in restoring him to health in answer to the prayers of His people.Ms 5, 1866, par. 10–11

Satan as originator of all evil and the strong man armed is continually on watch to penetrate to the very heart of God's working force.Ms 52, 1901, par. 10–12 He strives with all his power to bring questionable methods of dealing and specious, evil theories into the business of God's people, to mar God's work, to eclipse the brightness of God's pure, elevated, unselfish heavenly principles with the selfishness of his own principles, to tarnish the pure gold of character, and to place the false where the true should be.Ms 52, 1901, par. 10–12 He comes with stealthy tread presenting plausible theories that even questionable acts will gain great advantage and the end will justify the means, persuading men that eating the forbidden fruit will be a source of great good.Ms 52, 1901, par. 10–12 When men listen spiritual eyesight is dimmed and the power of distinguishing between good and evil is weakened, so that doing one unrighteous action paves the way for the second and God is dishonored.Ms 52, 1901, par. 10–12