“Get behind me Satan!” Second to hearing the words “I never knew you.” these are words no one wants to hear, especially from Jesus. But what almost no one today realizes is that the Apostle Peter's mistake that elicited that response from Jesus is the same mistake that countless modern prophecy teachers and maybe even you yourself may be making every day.
Now we’ve all probably heard that phrase a hundred or more times taught from the pulpit or online. It comes from a section of scripture where Peter makes his big confession of faith that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of God. So, it's very popular and this passage is familiar to many of us.
Here’s the scene, as Jesus and his disciples went to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them "Who do people say that I am?" They replied "Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah and still others one of the prophets." "But what about you?" he asked "Who do you say that I am?" BTW, this IS the fundamental question we all need to answer. That’s when Peter answered "You are the Messiah” Mark 8:27-29.
I think that part of the reason for this little problem that I’m alluding to is that almost no one teaches this out of the Gospel of Mark. They usually teach it out of the Gospel of Matthew, which is the more famous version. Mark is kind of the stripped down and abbreviated version of the this story. That being said, when you read it from Mark’s version, I think that the full meaning actually comes through a little clearer.
In Mark’s version, it says that he began to teach them that the son of man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders the chief priests and the teachers of the law, that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this and that is when the ever impetuous Peter took him aside began to rebuke him. Then Jesus turned and looked at his disciples and he rebuked Peter by saying “Get behind me Satan.” He went on and said, and this is key, "You do not have in mind the concerns of God but merely human concerns." Mark 8:31-33.
The problem here is that we may be so familiar with this passage that we miss what was said and more importantly, how it applies to you and me, how it applies to the days we’re living in right now and how it applies to the end times. But before we get there, let's look at how Jesus concludes his rebuke of Peter and applies it personally and then ties it to the end times.
Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it And whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world yet forfeit their soul. Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul. If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his father's glory with the holy angels.” Mark 8:34-38.
It all starts with Peter's famous confession In Matthew where he says Jesus is the Messiah and the son of God. Jesus then praises him and explains that he only learned this by listening to the voice of our father in heaven. Peter’s problem, and all of ours too if we’re willing to be honest here, is that we aren’t just hearing God’s voice, we hear other voices too! After Jesus explains the father's plans that he is to be killed buried and yet rise again Peter rebukes him and second guesses God’s plan of salvation. Peter wasn't only rebuking his friend He was rebuking the son of God. How many of us have second guessed what God is telling us and/or are listening to voices other than the one we should?
When Jesus told Peter to "Get behind me Satan." Jesus is saying the words coming out of Peter's mouth are coming directly from Satan himself not Peter. Peter's rebuke shows he is worried about himself and not about God's overall spiritual plan for humanity. Peter's inner thoughts, that Satan preyed upon, were probably something along the lines of: "Wow if they do this to you, they could do it to me and I want to protect my own skin and my standing as a leader of this movement. I want to do this but, with as little cost to me as possible."
So while it may have seemed on the surface that he was worried about Jesus, the truth of the matter is, he was also worried about himself. We know this because what is the very next thing Jesus says when he speaks about taking up your own cross, metaphorical or real, and following God's plan. Then Jesus concludes by making this a matter of salvation that when Jesus returns with his angels in flaming fire he is not saving or rapturing disciples who have not followed God's plans.
That one hurts because it shows that just a simple confession of faith alone is not saving faith. A simple confession of belief alone is not enough. Think about it, the Devils believe and at least they’ve got the good sense to tremble, James 2:19. So what is it about us humans who think that we’re exempt? Remember, it was only a few verses prior where Peter confessed Jesus as the Messiah! So I take this to mean that we have to both believe and then prove we believe it by acting according to our beliefs. Otherwise what we say are just words.
This is why the formulaic recital of a “Sinner's Prayer” and you're saved taught by so many otherwise well meaning Christians is so wrong. Without a change of heart that is evidenced by action, a person is probably not really saved. Unfortunately, that is how this prayer is used time and time again. Teachers, again, many of them well meaning will say repeat this prayer and you'll be saved. I think that it’s only the first step. The saying of the prayer and actually believing what it is you’re praying that results in action is what really matters. Faith is belief in action. So that's the first thing.
Second, look at what Jesus rebukes Peter for. He rebukes him for his human concerns about comfort and his denying of him when times get really tough. Peter's mistake wasn't just a momentary lapse in judgment. It was the very embodiment of what we see all too often in modern churches today. That is an unwillingness to face suffering and the desire to protect yourself from the hardships at all costs by rejecting the uncomfortable truth that God's plan is a sacrificial plan. Being a follower of Jesus isn't about comfort or having your best life now.
So think about this, if Peter, who stood face to face with Jesus and saw him every day could make this mistake, how much easier is it for the people attending today's churches to fall into the same deception? I mean, just walk into most churches on a Sunday morning and what do you hear? A gospel that soothes, a gospel that doesn't mourn, a message that tickles our ears telling us all what we want to hear rather than one that prepares the saints for enduring tribulation.
Most modern churches avoid talking about being ready to suffer. They avoid the hard truths about the coming tribulation like it was the plague. Instead, most of today’s churches focus on intellectual curiosities and endless theological debates about who the two witnesses are and things like that. And even more dangerous, they focus on a dangerously and arguably false assurance that because someone once made a tearful profession of faith, they are guaranteed eternal security no matter what. Sadly, most churches are guilty of this.
But what was Jesus's response when Peter, his very own disciple, tried to shield himself from suffering? He said “Get behind me Satan!” That's right, Jesus didn't sugarcoat it. The idea that God's people won’t have to suffer was not just a human misconception, it was a satanic deception! It was Satan who whispered in Peter's ear that led him to rebuke Jesus. And today Satan is still whispering that same lie leading countless believers to believe in a Christ who exists solely for their comfort rather than their sanctification.
Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 24:13 "But he who endures to the end shall be saved." Not the one who merely professes faith. Not the one who prayed a prayer once and then lived a life of debauchery or complacency, but the one who endures. Endurance means standing firm when the world tells you to bow. It means keeping the faith when persecution rages. It means refusing to deny Christ even when it cost you everything, your family your possessions, your life.
Sadly, we can’t give Satan all the credit. This is our human nature at work too. We all want the easy way out. So all I am saying is that if your theology is built on going the easy way, you might want to examine what voice it is that you're listening to. Adding insult to injury, it's hard to talk to Western Christians about being prepared to suffer. Westerners, particularly Americans don't want to hear that message. That is why so many “business oriented” ministries that rely on growing their numbers and building their financial base simply aren't going to go there. The pastors and Ministers of those churches don't want to be unpopular because you can’t build a large following or increase your wealth if your message is unpopular.
Consider this, many, myself included, are thinking that we may be at the very beginning of the Great Tribulation. But even so, hundreds of millions of Christians have been already been martyred for their faith. All of us need to be prepared and it doesn’t matter whether the rapture of the saints is pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, pre-wrath or post-tribulation. It doesn't matter! We should all be prepared no mater what.
Some will say that Jesus would never allow Christians to suffer or that “he would never beat up his bride.” Still others believe that we can't go through the great tribulation because they believe as they’ve been taught that the Great Tribulation IS The Wrath of God. I need to address this too because I say, “Really, where in the Bible does it say that the great tribulation and the wrath are one in the same?" Go ahead find a place in the Bible where it says the great tribulation is the wrath of God. I'll wait because you aren't going to find it anywhere in the Bible.
Here’s what virtually every believer will agree upon, the opening of the seven sealed scroll in the book of Revelation and all of the events that ensue as each seal is opened are all part of the great tribulation. However, the bible clearly says that at the opening of the fifth seal, God has yet to judge or avenge martyrs and it isn't until after the sixth seal is opened that the pouring out of the bowls of God’s wrath begins. This is when the Bible clearly says His wrath has started.
I think this means that the entirety of the tribulation leading up to that sixth seal is not God's wrath! It may be the wrath of men and even the wrath of Satan. It is a persecution of the saints and a war against God's people and arguably a refining fire that eventually separates the wheat, true believers, those who will stand for their faith from the chaff, those who only profess faith with their lips.
And unlike modern preachers who promise peace and prosperity, neither Jesus or the Apostle Paul ever sugarcoated the Christian life. Paul made it abundantly clear that following Jesus comes at a cost. In Acts 14:22 he exhorts the early believers with a sobering truth “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” Not just some tribulations and certainly not none, but many! In 2 Timothy 3:12 Paul gives an unmistakable warning “Yes And all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.” And all of the other apostles all had the similar messages too.
There's no way around it If you truly follow Christ, get ready now because the world is going to hate you! The path ahead is not one of health, wealth and your best life now, but one of endurance! And the cold hard truth of the matter is, only those who truly love you are going to say things like that to you. They're going to warn you of danger. Those who love themselves and hold to human concerns won't because they want to make a name for themselves and more money for their so-called “ministry!” So, word to the wise, decide who it is who you’re going to listen to. If facing the antichrist frightens you, just know that is normal and if it's news to you, it’s probably because no one taught you differently. Get ready, hard times are coming. We were warned. Are we listening to His voice or Satans.
You got that right! (Thanks for the article.)