The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Look, I have given you the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy; nothing at all will harm you. However, don’t rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” 10:17-20
This is what is meant by eternal perspective. Regardless of how much power or success you have on this earth; even in earthly ministry, time is short and life is but a vapor. It is important to walk with Jesus and it is important to be faithful to the tasks that He gives us. When we complete those tasks it is good to rejoice in our obedience and give Him glory and thanksgiving for the fact that He helped us finish the job. However, what really matters is if you name is written in the Lamb’s book of life. That is the difference between ultimate success and ultimate failure.
Jesus told them, “Don’t rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” After all, He has always existed even before time began. He saw the rise of Lucifer and his fall when he became Satan. Jesus is the King and He knows that all of the spirits will bow down and submit to Him; even the very Devil himself. An earthly victory over an already defeated foe is something to rejoice about, but it pales in comparison to the joy that is ours because we are His children and we will live with Him forever. That is the greatest miracle of all, when a lost, dead person is given new life and born again. Success on earth is nothing compared to eternity in heaven.
