What does "Time of Permission" mean? What does it mean to get permission to do something? Think back to when your kids asked you for permission to have or to do something. Or think back to when you wanted permission from your parents to do or to have something.
When I wanted to get my drivers license, I asked permission from my parents. I was told that if I could improve my grades and get on the B honor roll, then I could start the classes. So I did, and I got my license. I did this within the parameters of the authority of my parents.
In every case, the one receiving the permission is subordinate to the one giving the permission. Or to put it another way, the one giving the permission is in authority over the one receiving the permission.
Even to get my first job, I had to ask permission from my parents because they were the authority in my life. I needed them to drop me off and pick me up at first because I couldn’t drive yet.
Almighty God is the ultimate authority in the universe and Satan always has been, and always will be subordinate to Him!
The Book of Job
Think of the story of Job for a minute. And if you haven’t read it in a while, I’ll give you the condensed version. Job was a very rich man who was protected by God but in the first 2 chapters of Job, Satan shows up before the Lord God Almighty and receives permission to harm everything Job has but he is told not to lay a finger on Job himself. So, notice the permission. God tells Satan how far he can go and he can not cross that line.
So Satan attacks Job’s family and his possessions and Job loses all of his children and everything he owns in a single day! How would you respond if that happened to you? Job responds by basically saying, “I entered this world with nothing and I will leave it with nothing, so blessed be the name of the Lord.” Not even a hint of accusing God of doing anything wrong.
See, Satan thinks he can get Job to curse God, but when his first attempt doesn’t work, Satan has to go back before God to get permission to actually harm Job physically. God tells him that he can harm Job physically but he is not allowed to kill him. So that is what Satan does. He harms Job with a physical ailment but can’t go any farther. Because that is how the word of God works! God declares it and it is so! Period!
It is like this, when God says something, it creates an invincible, impenetrable, immovable, condition that no being in the universe can change! Not even the devil himself. So who is greater, the one giving, or the one receiving the permission? Obviously, the one giving it!
What do you know about Satan? He’s defiant against the most high God isn’t he? Why didn’t he just say, “screw you God, I’m gonna harm or kill Job if I feel like it?” He couldn’t! Because he isn’t powerful enough to operate contrary to the invincible permission of God!
Always remember that the devil can only do what God allows him to do. Throughout all time and eternity! He may be a powerful, ancient, diabolical, evil being, but he will never be allowed to operate outside the boundaries that God sets for him.
Then, for the next 36 chapters of Job we read a back and forth conversation between Job and his well meaning, ignorant, religious friends. They basically keep telling Job that bad things happen to bad people and that good things happen to good people. They consistently tell Job that he must be hiding some evil wickedness that God is punishing him for. And Job consistently affirms his innocence. He keeps saying, “I've done nothing wrong but God is letting this horrible set of circumstances happen anyway.”
Then in the final 5 chapters The Creator of the Universe shows up and basically says that Job was in the right. Almighty God tells Job’s friends that He’s angry with them because they were giving Job bad advice. The truth is that good things happen to both the wicked and the righteous, and bad things happen to both the wicked and the righteous.
God never answers Job as to why all this bad stuff happened. He simply asks Job a myriad of questions that Job is unable to answer. I think the intent of these questions is to show Job the immeasurable gap between his level of understanding and the infinite understanding of God.
Job never gets any answer but he does receive the blessing of God! He is blessed with a greater family and greater riches than what he had lost. It actually says that he received twice as much as he had lost. Therefore, his final condition was twice as blessed as his original condition.
What if Job Represents The Church (Followers of Christ) of These Last Days?
Think about it. There are definitely some parallels. The church is certainly blessed right now. The bible clearly says that a time is coming when the church will be attacked by the devil, through the antichrist. (Yes the church will still be here on the earth (not raptured) to be attacked by the antichrist).
When that happens I’m sure the false prosperity teachers will say that those who are being attacked must have some unconfessed sin in their lives, much like the friends of Job did.
I wonder what those false prosperity teachers would say to the persecuted church in Somalia, North Korea, Afghanistan, etc…today.
Then in the end, God will basically say, “who are you to question me and what I do or why I do it?” God does what He does and He is always right. He never does anything wrong. So who are you or I to ever question any decision He makes?
Then, in the end, we, the followers of Christ, will receive a Kingdom and we will rule and reign with Christ for 1000 years. That’s awesome! That's a double blessing (or more) than what we have now. Right?
Another Time of Permission is Coming for Satan
But this time it isn’t between Satan, Almighty God, and Job. This time it will be between Satan, Almighty God, and the worldwide followers of Jesus Christ. Let’s look at what we see in the book of Daniel. In Daniel 7:24-25 we see something that can be difficult to accept. We are told that a little horn will rise to power. That is the antichrist. But then it says that the saints (all followers of Jesus Christ on the earth) will be delivered into his hands for 3 ½ years.
So if God is going to allow Satan, through the antichrist, to overpower and defeat (i.e. kill) the followers of Jesus, for the final 3 ½ years of this age. That means the devil must not have permission to do that yet. It means that right now we are in a time of the protection of God. Yet, in the end of the tribulation, God will allow the devil to kill God's people all over the world for a short time.
If that seems wrong to you, remember that we are strangers and aliens here. Remember that the death of His followers is precious to God. Remember that from God’s perspective, He is rescuing His people from a wicked and corrupt world and taking them to paradise. So on earth it will look like the people of God are being defeated, but in Heaven it will look like a homecoming of dearly loved family members!
Picture in your mind's eye a ferocious junk-yard dog on a chain. Who is the boss? Who has more authority, the guard dog or the owner of the chain? Of course it’s the owner of the chain. It’s just like that today. The devil is on a chain and only can go as far as the Lord lets him. If the owner lets out a little more chain, that’s up to Him.
One day, at the end of the tribulation, the devil will be wrapped in a chain and thrown into prison for 1000 years. I wonder if the chain he will be wrapped in is the same leash that almighty God has been holding the other end of for thousands of years (since Satan fell from Heaven). Look at Revelation 20:1-3 to see it for yourself.
I envision Almighty God handing one end of a chain to a mighty angel but in my mind, the other end of that chain will have been around the neck of the devil for thousands of years. Then the angel grabs Satan by the throat, binds him from head to toe with the chain and locks it securely. He then picks up this ancient, diabolical, fiend, and throws him into prison for 1000 years! Then there will truly be peace on Earth!
Again We See Permission Being Given
Look at Revelation 13:7-10. It says that the antichrist will be given power to wage war against God's people AND TO DEFEAT THEM! We are told that some will go to prison and some will meet the sharp edge of a sword. It says that the followers of God will need to endure this patiently.
Notice that the antichrist is GIVEN power to “defeat” God’s people. Well, who gives him that power? I believe that it is God Almighty who gives him that power. God is just letting out a little more chain to let the devil have a little more freedom. But he is really just playing right into the eternal plan of God!
Let’s contrast this with Psalm 121 where we’re told that God watches over our life. He watches over our coming and our GOING both now and forever. So, once the antichrist is given permission to kill the followers of Jesus, many will be GOING to Heaven. And that is NOT a bad thing. It IS a mass migration from the wicked kingdom of darkness into THE GLORIOUS KINGDOM OF LIGHT!
So please do not be deceived. Do not believe the lie that you will be raptured before this. You will be here for these events and you will need a faith that can resist the antichrist and resist taking his mark. So settle it in your mind right now, that you will not deny Christ no matter what. Develop a faith and relationship with Jesus that can withstand all the last days assaults of the enemy. Even if you are threatened with death. Because, from the perspective of eternity, death in this world is simply a fast track to the paradise of God.
I am looking forward to meeting you in that paradise!
Your brother and fellow servant of Christ
Kurt Olson
