Jesus Christ and Satan
Who's Causing Your TroubleThis flow traces the conflict between Jesus Christ and Satan from hidden interference to explicit rebuke and decisive defeat.
increasing
Bearing strength in each event
decreasing
Opposition Concealed

Opposition Concealed
Indirect Pressure
Satan often works through other people rather than confronting Jesus Christ openly. Judas’s corruption and Simon Peter’s rebuke show the adversary attempting to redirect the mission through trusted relationships.
Discernment of Jesus
Jesus sees beneath appearances and recognizes the spiritual source. His authority begins with perfect clarity about who is actually opposing him.
The conflict first develops through hidden channels.
Mission Resisted

Mission Resisted
The Cross Rejected
Peter’s attempt to prevent Jesus Christ from suffering seems protective, but it resists the announced path toward death and resurrection. Satan’s influence is aimed at the mission’s meaning.
Direct Rebuke
Jesus addresses Satan behind Peter’s words. The confrontation makes clear that opposition to the sacrificial purpose is opposition to God’s redemptive plan.
The hidden conflict becomes audible.
Betrayal Advanced

Betrayal Advanced
Judas as Instrument
Satan’s influence over Judas turns intimacy into betrayal. The adversary advances through a disciple who knows Jesus Christ closely.
Crisis Intensified
The betrayal places the mission under immediate human threat and contributes to the sequence leading toward the crucifixion. Evil appears to be gaining through personal treachery.
The conflict reaches its darkest visible phase.
Crucifixion Endured

Crucifixion Endured
Apparent Triumph
Jesus Christ is rejected, killed, and placed within the crisis Satan has helped intensify. To surface judgment, the enemies’ plan appears successful.
Hidden Turning Point
The book refuses to define the crucifixion as the adversary’s final victory. Death becomes the setting in which Jesus’ decisive triumph is prepared.
The conflict passes through apparent defeat.
Power Stripped

Power Stripped
Open Defeat
The resurrection is presented as the moment when Jesus Christ spoils principalities and powers and makes an open display of their defeat. Satan’s authority is fundamentally broken.
Basis for Belief
This victory becomes the foundation for believers’ later authority. The adversary may still attempt interference, but he no longer possesses uncontested dominion.
The conflict resolves in the triumph of Jesus Christ.
during Jesus Christ’s earthly ministry
during Peter’s rebuke before the crucifixion
near the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus
during the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus
after the resurrection of Jesus Christ