What actually is the great drama? The decisive conflict? North Carolina vs. Duke? Republicans vs. Democrats? Dog people vs. cat people?
The strong man, fully armed, guards his palace…
We know that Mother Nature possesses many frightening powers. Tornadoes can level whole towns. Tsunamis can drown cities. Hurricanes can cripple coastlines.
All of these forces of natural destruction, however, look like so many wavelets lapping in a kiddie pool, when compared to the power of Satan.
All the volcanic eruptions in the history of the world cannot ruin a single human soul. If and when the sun explodes, the force of the blast will not of itself bring about a single sin. But even Satan’s least powerful minions have been known to turn whole television networks into sin factories, with minimal effort.
Who can fight with more strength than Lucifer? Who has more powerful weapons than all the riches of the world, all the pleasure of the flesh, and all the pride of human pomp and splendor?
The great drama, the great conflict. Satan vs. the well-read carpenter.
The conflict began in the beginning. Satan, immeasurably stronger, smarter, and more beautiful than Adam and Eve, hated us. He hates our race. We look like worms to him. And yet God treats us like His children. Satan burns with an uncontrollable, unending jealous rage, like Glenn Close boiling the bunny forever.
The drama—the conflict—will end when history ends, not before. Man on earth can never altogether escape the Enemy’s depredations. His weapons are everywhere.
But: In the little corner of the world where camels make their way between Egypt and Arabia, the carpenter doled out the Holy Spirit with flashes of infinite power. Then the stronger Man deployed the decisive weapon.
He went nuclear. He shot the proton torpedo into the Death Star’s thermal exhaust port.
What did He do? What fire-forged sword can actually overpower the strong man who made the earth his palace back in the days when fruit grew in the Garden of Eden?
Obedience. Humble, brave, serene, faithful obedience. The Messiah did the will of the Father. They nailed His gentle hands to the cross. At that point, Satan was toast.
Father Mark White Blog 
Father Mark,
While “Star Wars” had an exciting ending, “Independence Day” had a fitting ending — in fact, a string of them, including, “Is this glass bulletproof?”, “You think they have any idea what’s about to happen to them?”, and the epithet that precedes the bringing down of the giant (as it turns out) satellite space ship.
“Why fitting?”, you say? How about being Ol’ Took, destined to defeat for all time — right from the beginning: what kind of creature would engage in such uselessness? One Devil-posessed, or the Devil, himself. Just look at your premise: the strong man already guarded his beloved in the Garden. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow, the Devil is doomed — if we but cling to Him.
I watched a webinar on earthquakes, including the Christchurch, NZ, earthquake of early last year, today @ noon. I was in Christchurch in December, 2010. The devastation is unreal. Maybe, if we wish to get an idea about what we’re up against when we play God, and choose to “go it alone”, or “do it our way”, viewing these natural disasters will offer a sobering view.
LIH,
joe