My eyes consumed hours of daytime television when school was out during the summer. But, while most kids my age were watching the Disney channel or Nickelodeon, I was glued to “reality court” shows like Judge Judy, The People’s Court, and Judge Joe Brown. I always found it uniquely satisfying when the judge ejected unruly and disruptive litigants from the courtroom. The case had been settled, the gavel had been slammed, but there was always one defendant or plaintiff who would snivel and chatter about how unfair the trial had been—until the judge finally snapped. And then, in a commanding tone, they would exclaim, “Alright, that’s enough! Get out of my courtroom!”

Satan, the foremost accuser and counteragent of God’s people, has met the same fate at the hands of the Judge of all the earth. The devil lost his privileged position in God’s heavenly courtroom after Jesus paid the sin debt of believers and ascended to glory as the triumphant Lord. The Scripture says,

“And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God” (Revelation 12:9-10).

The devil was formerly granted special access to God’s tribunal, where he would slander believers and attempt to tarnish God’s glory. He attempted to slander Job of old before the bench of heaven, saying, “Job is too wealthy. He’ll curse you if you let me have him” (cf. Job 1:6-12). He sought to discredit Joshua, the high priest, alleging, “Joshua is too wicked. He should be cursed” (cf. Zechariah 3:1-5). But now that Jesus the Advocate has inexorably settled the case for believers, Satan has been expelled from God’s court, and the Lord will never hear another of his allegations (cf. 1 John 2:1). All those whose sin debt has been paid may thus join Paul in saying,

“Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us” (Romans 8:33-34).

“Down to the earth was Satan thrown,

Down to the earth his legions fell;

Then was the trump of triumph blown,

And shook the dreadful deeps of hell.

Now is the hour of darkness past,

Christ has assumed His reigning power;

Behold the great accuser cast

Down from the skies, to rise no more.” —Isaac Watts (1674–1748), “Let Mortal Tongues Attempt to Sing.”

Bible Gleanings is a widely-read weekend devotional column, written for the Murray Ledger & Times in Calloway County, Kentucky.