The Blood Of Jesus And The Last Days - Part 2 — Keith Malcomson

Praise God. Welcome to our Sunday morning meeting here. We're gonna turn to the Word of God this morning. Again, carrying on from last Sunday morning, we're gonna look at Revelation chapter 12 again. And this is part two of our message here, dealing with the blood of Jesus and the last days.

The Accuser Cast Down and Victory by the Blood

Last week, we began to look at Revelation 12, and we saw in that vital chapter that three things come together and converge together in that chapter. The first thing is a unique prophecy, which I believe is for this hour, a remarkable prophecy of the accuser of the brethren getting cast out of heaven.

The second thing that happens is the warfare that goes on, a spiritual invisible warfare that goes on in the heavenlies between Michael and his angels, and Satan and his angels. And there is no more space or room found in heaven for them.

They are cast out onto the earth. But there's a third thing that converges with these two other events, and it's a victory by the blood. It's born again believers. The church of Jesus Christ rising up and overcoming the accuser of the brethren by the blood of the lamb.

We're turning here this morning to the word of God, to Revelation chapter 12, just reading from verse seven until verse 11. Revelation chapter 12, verse seven. And it says, and there was war in heaven.

Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought against his angels and prevailed not. Neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out. That old serpent called the devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world.

He was cast out into the earth and his angels cast out with them. And I heard a loud voice saying, in heaven now is come salvation and strength and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ. For the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

And they overcame him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony. And they loved not their lives unto the death. Let's pray here this morning, as we come to the word of God. Father, I thank you for the power in Jesus' blood.

What would we do with such an adversary as this old serpent, as this dragon, as the devil, as Satan? How would we stand against his accusations? This old serpent that was in the garden with Adam and Eve, how would we stand against his lies, his accusations, his falsehoods, if we didn't have the blood of the lamb?

Yet here this morning, by grace alone, by faith through that blood and the finished work of Calvary, we know that we have gained a victory over the accuser of the brethren. And my God, in faith, we know here this morning, Lord God, there is an hour where you yourself are going to cast Satan down and he shall accuse the saints no more.

There is coming an end to every accusation, to the throwing of accusations against your saints. And Lord Jesus, we ask, let it be. Amen. Let it come to pass. We pray for it. Let your kingdom come and your will be done on earth, even as it is in heaven.

In Jesus' mighty name. Amen. We come here to part two of this message from Revelation chapter 12, and we've called this the blood of Jesus and the last days. It's so vital that we see the importance, the power and the place of the blood of Jesus in these last days.

If ever we needed to be gripped that we are in the midst of the beginning of sorrows, that we are in those days that are setting the stage for all the prophecy to come to pass. We need to be gripped by this.

And as we do, we need to see the vitalness. We need to see the power and the virtue that is within the blood of Jesus Christ. We come here to part two, the blood of Jesus and the last days. We dare not face these last days.

We dare not face the year that's ahead of us unless we overcome by the blood of the lamb. It must be through the blood, by the blood, with the knowledge of the blood and faith in the blood. It says here in Revelation chapter 12 and verse 10, concerning the accuser of our brethren being cast down, which accused them before our God day and night, verse 11, and they overcame him by the blood of the lamb and by the word of their testimony.

And they loved not their lives unto the death. I want you to see here, the marvelous truth of scripture here, that we overcome the accuser of the brethren only by one way. Chapter 12 here is marked by the accuser of the brethren.

We see the casting down for the first time in 6 ,000 years of history. For the first time in 2 ,000 years of church history, we see the accuser of the brethren that has accused the saints of God, morning, day, and night, morning and night.

He has accused the saints of God. He has been regular and faithful in his ministry against the saints of God. And here we read in this chapter, for the first time in 6 ,000 years, he is cast out of heaven and he shall no longer make any accusations against the saints of God.

Notice here how we overcome and get a victory against the accuser of the brethren. It is by two things, by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. Notice here that to gain a victory against Satan, against the accuser of the brethren, it's gotta be by the blood.

The accusations of Satan, the accusations against you in your Christian life, you cannot stand against them unless you go to the blood. It's only by the blood of the lamb. Do you see that when the accuser comes against us, when the devil comes against us, you have got to be driven to the blood of the lamb.

Notice here, it is the blood of the lamb. It is the lamb of God. We are laid back as we face the accuser of the brethren. We are driven to return to Calvary, to look to Calvary again, to remember what happened on the cross when Jesus was offered as a lamb without spot or blemish.

Saints, we overcome, we gain a victory. We triumph over the devil. We subdue him under us. We gain a victory over the accuser, but only by the blood of the lamb. It's by the blood, through the blood, because of the blood that we gain a victory against the accuser of the brethren.

But it goes further and it says, and by the word of their testimony. By these two things, we gain a victory against the accuser of the brethren, by the blood shed by the lamb of God on that old tree called Calvary, by that precious blood, but also by the word of our testimony.

What is the word of our testimony? It is the spoken word. It is literally a testimony carried. It is something that you as a believer, you can speak out and you testify too. It is the word of your testimony.

That word testimony there means evidence, true record. The facts are a personal report. In other words, through the blood and through our personal testimony of what that blood has done in our life, a real experience of the blood.

There is evidence. I know the blood has given me a victory. I know the blood has forgiven my sins. I know the blood has brought me into relationship with God. I'm made righteous. I'm justified by faith.

I'm made clean through the precious blood of the lamb. I'm walking in a relationship with God, but by the blood of the lamb, since this is how you gain a victory against the accuser of the brethren. I want you to realize this morning, as we come to this message, that our adversary is a vicious enemy.

The Devil’s Attacks on Believers

He is the accuser of the brethren. When we come to the Bible, we read that the devil comes to real Christians, real saints, to tempt them. He comes to them to try and sift them or to cut them down. He comes to deceive them with lies and falsehood.

He comes to buffet them or to thump them with his fist. He comes to hinder them and to stop them where they are so that they can't advance in the will of God. He comes to gain an advantage over them and also to gain a foothold in some area of his life, knowing that this devil is real.

And when we speak about the devil, we're talking about his kingdom, all his minions, fallen angels and demons, which are synonymous. We're talking about the full structure of his kingdom. When I say the devil comes, I'm not talking about him personally in every incident, in every case, but I'm saying every Christian encounters the kingdom of Satan, the powers of darkness, wicked spirits, lying spirits, tempting spirits.

I assure you, the real Christian has to face the darkness. There is something more than this physical world. There is a spiritual realm and we are in a spiritual warfare since knowing all that the devil comes to do and his kingdom does, we've got to know what it means to be washed in the blood of the lamb and to be born again.

It says in Colossians 1, verse 13, listen to what Christ has done. Who has delivered us from the power of darkness? Have you been delivered from the power of darkness and have been translated into the kingdom of his dear son?

This is the work of Jesus Christ in the born again experience. When you're saved by grace, when you put your faith in the blood of the lamb, these two things happen. Jesus himself delivers you out of the kingdom of darkness.

You're not in his kingdom anymore. You've been delivered. You've been brought out and he translates you into the kingdom of his dear son. This is what God does to us in salvation. We're brought out of one kingdom and we're brought into another.

We're brought out of the kingdom of Satan and we're brought into the kingdom of the son of God. We have been delivered. Saints, I'm not in between. I'm not half in and half out. You're either in Satan's kingdom or you're in the kingdom of his dear son.

It is one or the other. Listen, you've got to know what it means to be truly born again and washed in the blood of Jesus. When we go to 1 John, John speaks about this very much in his letter. Listen to what he says.

He says concerning those who are born of God or begotten of God. In other words, they're born again. Listen to what it says. That those that are born of God, they keep themselves and the wicked one touches him not.

A real born again Christian, do you know what he's gonna do? He's gonna keep himself. He's not gonna play around with sexual sin or drugs or alcohol. I assure you, the real Christian is going to keep himself.

It is a mark that you're born again, that you keep yourself, you guard yourself, you separate yourself from the darkness of this world. Saints, be a Christian in this world. The new birth is a mighty thing.

You are born of the spirit of God and you keep yourself from the devil. You guard yourself. You don't just accept his lies or you don't just shield to his temptations. There is a keeping of yourself. Oh yes, I know there's failures along the way, but saints of God, get up and keep yourself here this morning.

If you're really born again, you can keep yourself. You can guard yourself. You can watch yourself from the onslaught of hell. And it says the wicked one touches him not. If you're born again, if you're in Christ Jesus, the wicked one touches you not.

Do you know what that Greek word means? And it's very important. It means the wicked one does not attach himself onto you. He cannot cling to you. He cannot hold you fast. He is not there holding you, refusing to let go or to have such a grip on your life that you can't get free.

Do you know what? I reject the teaching of demonized Christians. There are no such thing. Satan can dwell in you at the same time as the spirit of God. You're either in the kingdom of Satan or you're in the kingdom of God, but you cannot be both.

You know, the church is filled with people, preachers having demons cast out of them. The church is more like a hospital than a military army. But I wanna show you for these last days, let the real church of God arise.

They're not having demons cast out of them. They're casting demons out. They're not there licking their wounds. They're going out to heal the wounds of others who are out there in this sin-lost world.

I wanna assure you that real Christians are not indwelled. The devil cannot touch them. The evil one can. They can be tempted. They can sin. They can fail along the way. They're buffeted many times, but I assure you through the blood of Jesus, they gain a victory over the evil one.

The devil cannot touch you. He cannot so grip himself onto you. Do you know what the word also means? It means to appropriate or handle for your own purpose. The devil can't use a sink for his own purpose.

It means to permanently harm. This word is vital because the devil cannot touch someone who is really born again and washed in the blood of Jesus. If ever we needed to understand that, it's in this hour and this generation, since you, the redeemed of the Lord, if you're born again, if you're washed in the blood here in this church, if you know Jesus Christ, do you know what?

I want you to realize there's power, power, wonder-working power in the blood of the Lamb. And do you know what? There's a blood-washed church that's gonna function in one of the darkest hours in church history.

The Last Days and the Signs of Matthew 24

This is a remarkable hour. We have come to the end of the church age. I believe we're right in the last chapter of church history. We are the last church that's going to be upon the earth before the coming of the Lord.

I believe we're at the end of it all. And you know what? We've got to know the power of Jesus' blood. There is a victory. It's gotta become personal. It's gotta become our testimony. There's gotta be evidence that we have a victory over the blood of the Lamb.

When Jesus warned the church of the signs that they are gonna see just before the end, the signs that would indicate that the last generation has come. In Matthew 24, He gives 10 significant signs and warnings that would indicate the beginning of sorrows are here.

In other words, a period of time that's gonna intensify, that's gonna grow stronger, that's gonna become more obvious. Listen to what He said in Matthew 24 and nine. Ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

Do you know what? Our world right now is changing. Every single nation, you're gonna be hated for Christ's sake. That didn't used to be the case. There were nations where you'd be respected for being a Christian, for following Jesus Christ.

But Jesus predicted that this would be one of the last signs of His coming to make the church look up for the redemption drawth now, to look for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you know what He said?

All nations are gonna hate you. You, the church, the redeemed of the Lord, because of the name of Jesus Christ. There's gonna be a radical change in our culture, our society, our politics. All of this makes us look up.

Saints, I'm not in defeat this morning. I'm not scared this morning. I'm not trembling this morning. I was born for this hour. Jesus warned me about this hour. He gave indications. He explained it. And He showed me what the church is to be.

We are gonna live, and we are living in an hour when the real people of God are hated for His name's sake in every single nation. He goes further and He says, and then, so at a time where the nations are literally beginning to hate real believers, and then shall many be offended.

Talking about those in the church, they're gonna be offended. They're gonna trip over it. They're not gonna be able to handle this hatred. They're gonna say, this shouldn't be happening. Everyone should love me.

I just wanna love Jesus. They're going to get offended. People in the church who were happy a year ago are suddenly, as this hatred arises, they're gonna become offended. And listen, Jesus said, and shall betray one another.

Offense will lead to betrayal. And shall hate one another. I believe this pinpoints people who are professing to follow Christ, to love Christ, to be in the church, but our whole world is gonna soon change.

The whole culture of this generation is gonna so dramatically begin to change. There's gonna be a progression from offense to betrayal, to hatred. Step by step, we are gonna see a Judas generation in the church arise.

People are gonna shock you. People who said they once loved Jesus, you're gonna be shocked at what they're gonna do. They're gonna sell out Jesus for a lousy 30 bits of silver and shall hate one another.

Do you know what hatred is? It is to love less, to have no emotion, no natural feeling, and betrayal leads to that. Betrayal always leads to no feeling. Before you betray a man or a woman, you have to be in a condition where you just don't feel anything anymore.

You'll sell them out, betray them, be unfaithful, not be a real Christian. I assure you, there is something at work in your heart. It also says in Matthew 24 in verse 12, and because iniquity shall abound, because it's going to multiply, it's going to explode.

What is iniquity? It is lawlessness. It's the Greek word for lawlessness. In other words, an utter contempt for law. It means a breaking of all law. God's law, man's law, the tradition of law. It is a throwing away of all boundaries, all distinction, of all regulation.

It is going beyond God's law. That's what Jesus said this last hour would be like. Iniquity is going to abound. It's gonna multiply. This lawless spirit that we are watching right now in our nations, I mean, the riverbanks are busting.

There's no more restriction. There's always been iniquity. There's always been homosexuality. There's always been sin. There's always been abortion. There's always been depravity. But do you know what?

It's bursting its banks. Saints, welcome to the last of the last days, to the last chapter of church history. You need to be equipped. And this message is to stir you to be equipped. This isn't for the light.

This isn't for the frivolous, but this is for those who truly love Jesus Christ. It says there, and Jesus warned 2 ,000 years ago. He warned us clearly. He said, an hour is coming. I'm giving you the signs that you've reached the last days, that you're living in the last hour.

I'm showing you clearly that because iniquity abounds, because it begins to overflow in every nation, every area of society, the love, and that word love is agape love. The love of many is going to grow cold.

It's gonna wax cold. Agape love is gonna become filial love. That's in the church, and it's taught about real, genuine, born-again believers, those that are born again, washed in the blood. You know what he says?

The love of many is gonna grow cold. I wanna give you a serious warning, but I wanna give you the remedy. The remedy is the blood of Jesus Christ. Nothing will keep you as fervent as the blood of Jesus.

Nothing will keep you as fresh as the blood of Jesus Christ. I'm telling you this morning, hard to gain a victory over the accuser of the brethren. Who is it behind this rise of iniquity? Who is it behind this flood of abomination in this hour?

It is the accuser of the brethren. Who is this accuser of the brethren? We're told in Revelation 12 and verse nine, this accuser who is going to get cast down. Saints, I told you how dark it'll get, but I'm telling you of a church that's going to rise up in such an hour, in such a climate, and by the blood, they're gonna gain a victory over the accuser of the brethren.

What the devil means for evil, to annihilate the church, to corrupt the church, to pollute the church, to compromise the church, there is gonna arise a church that's gonna gain a victory over that same accuser.

It is gonna rise up in this last hour. It says in Revelation 12 and nine, and the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world, he was cast into the earth, and his angels were cast out with them before the final prophecies are fulfilled, before the rise of Antichrist.

There's gonna be a church that overcomes by the blood of the Lamb. Saints, I'm talking to you this morning. We are that generation. We are that church. Prophecy is about to come to pass, and I assure you, our time is restricted.

Our time is limited for this casting out of the accuser of the brethren, the rising up of the church to overcome by the blood, for Michael and his angels to triumph against the accuser of the brethren.

All of this is coming in very fast, and I believe we're there. We are gonna be put in a situation where we'll have no choice but to lay hold of the blood of the Lamb, and by a personal experience, overcome the accuser of the brethren.

The Dragon, Serpent, Satan, and Devil

Notice here concerning the accuser of the brethren. It gives two animals and two names. The two animals are the dragon and the serpent. In this chapter, chapter 12 of Revelation, the dragon is mentioned eight times.

He's only mentioned 13 times in the entire book of Revelation. He's not called the dragon anywhere else in the Bible, but he is called the dragon here. In other words, the devil is defined as a dragon more in Revelation 12 than any other chapter of the entire Bible.

Look at him in this chapter. We see his tail drawn down a third of the stars of heaven. That means a third of the angels that become demonic spirits. We see him there waiting to devour the man-child.

We see him in heaven fighting Michael. We see him trying to destroy the woman and pursuing after her. And then after that, we see him making war with the remnant of her seed. This dragon has seven heads and 10 horns.

This dragon is the one who is just about to empower a political, economic, and religious system. It's going to arise on the earth. Once he's cast onto the earth, he's going to empower and inhabit a demonically controlled political system across our world.

That's who the dragon is, but it's not the dragon we're dealing with here. We're dealing with the serpent. The serpent is the one who comes before the dragon. We read of the serpent three times in this chapter, and we read of him, of his face, and of his mouth.

Notice that very carefully about the serpent in this hour that we live in. The serpent who is the dragon, who is the devil, who is Satan. As a serpent, his mouth and his face is very important. When we look for the serpent, we go back to Genesis chapter three and verse one, and it says, now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field.

That means cunning, crafty, shrewd, to be smooth in your words, to be crafty in your actions, your plans, your motives, all of the devices that you put into operation. We are dealing with a serpent that was in the garden of Eden.

We are dealing with a serpent that had a dealing with our first parents 6 ,000 years ago. I want you to realize that the serpent has been coming against a choosing man, tempting them, deceiving, lying, manipulating, standing against them for 6 ,000 years since the garden of Eden.

The name Satan and devil here are also important. Satan is taken from the Hebrew, and has the meaning of adversary. He stands against, he resists, and this name Satan is used 14 times in the book of Job.

If you want to understand who Satan is, how he operates, what his task is, remember name denotes character. If you want to understand what God means by calling him Satan or exposing him as Satan, do you know what?

Go to the book of Job and see how Satan dealt with Job. You are looking at what it means to be Satan. You're looking at a definition of his character and his nature. He is also called the devil here, which is the Greek word diabolos.

That word diabolos means false accuser or one who comes to slander. It's not just one who accuses, but he makes false accusations. It comes from the verb word or the action word, diabolos, meaning the act of accusing someone or to throw darts.

It actually is where you would have arrows or darts and you would throw them. That's where it comes from. The accuser throws words, and that's where we get the word diabolos. He is throwing accusations.

He is throwing slander. He is throwing mud. He is defaming your character. Saints, I'm telling you who the serpent is, who this accuser of the brethren is. Here in Revelation 12, he is revealed in all of his fullness.

He is defined in his character, in his calling, in his history. He is, the cover is pulled back and we see who the accuser is. And you know why you need to know this this morning is we are so ignorant when thoughts come to our mind.

When somebody speaks to us the wrong thing or a wrong teaching, when we see things go on in our world, we don't realize who is operating there. We are so blind and ignorant so often to who it is that's working in the dark.

I assure you, this word devil is used 34 times and even once of Judas in the gospel. It is a real thing that we are facing here as the devil hurls and throws a verbal assault against who? The brethren, the bloodwashed believer in the Lord Jesus.

Three Realms of Accusation

I've got three points for you here. Now that I've laid a foundation, I want you to hear this. We're in the last days. We're in the last hour of church history. There is a vital role for us to play in the world.

We may look small and insignificant, but I assure you a believer that discovers and renews his knowledge of the blood of the lamb is gonna find himself in a place of experiential victory in this hour.

Since the battle has come at us, whether you like it or not, you better hear what I say. You better be instructed by the spirit of God because there is coming a flood of the accuser of the brethren, the like of which you and I have never yet seen in our generation.

It's gonna engulf every nation, every government, all legislation. It's going to come against our children in the schools. It's gonna affect you in the workplace. It's gonna affect you from the highest realms of authority to the lowest.

I assure you the accuser of the brethren is bringing the battle to us, but it is time for the church to rise up, to stand by virtue of the precious blood and to gain the victory over the accuser of the brethren.

What the devil means for evil, God is gonna use for good. What the devil thinks is gonna floor us and wipe us out is gonna be used to stir us up, to stand up as the redeemed of the Lord. I've got three points here for you this morning as we look a bit closer at this.

The Personal Accuser and the Blood’s Cleansing

Number one, he is a personal accuser. I wanna show you three different realms of how the accuser comes and how we gain the victory, but I want you to see this one first. He is a personal accuser. You see, I want you to stop and to consider this for a moment, that the accusations of the one in Revelation 12 who's gonna get cast down, those accusations that are gonna come to an end, it's a personal accuser that you're looking at.

You are looking at your personal accuser. You see, the accuser of the brethren is an accuser of you. If you're a born-again blood-washed believer, you are a brother. He is an accuser of the brethren, of the brotherhood of Jesus Christ, those born again by the grace of God.

He is an accuser directly of you. And notice with me here, we know from scripture that the accuser of the brethren, he will have a direct line towards you. He will tempt you. He will speak to you. He will attack you.

Since if you find yourself in a place of condemnation and guilt through your own personal sin, you've sinned against God, it is time to turn to the blood of Jesus. If you're in this gathering and you're listening to my words this morning, and there's condemnation and there's guilt and there's thoughts and there's feelings, and you feel afar off, it is time for you to overcome the accuser by the blood of Jesus.

You may say, I deserve this. Yes, you do. But it's time to rise up by the grace of God and say, God, forgive me. I'm so sorry for sinning against you. Will you wash me? You've just gained a victory over the accuser of the brethren.

It says in 1 John chapter 3 and 20, for if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart. Some of you think because your own heart condemns you that you need to stay in that case. You know what?

God is greater than your own heart. Your conscience may be condemning you. Your own heart may condemn you because of something you've said or something that you've done or something that you've thought.

But I wanna show you, God is greater than your heart. The blood of Jesus Christ washes you from all sin. There is a victory in the blood of Jesus. You may be in a battle against the accuser. He's pointing out your past sins.

He's pointing out your lack of sanctification. He's pointing out something in your life this morning that you've been struggling with. You wanna be like Jesus. You wanna walk with God. But there's one thing you've been wrestling with.

You know what? The accuser of the brethren, he'll be there to accuse you. He will come and accuse you. He'll say, what sort of Christian are you? You'll never change. You'll never be free. You'll never grow beyond this.

You'll never get the victory over me. Saints, can I tell you, when the tempter comes, the accuser, it is time to lay hold of the blood of Jesus. You need to turn around to that devil this morning and say, I'm washed by the blood of the Lamb.

I'm forgiven by the precious blood of the Lamb. I can gain a victory by the blood of the Lamb. I'm not the worthy one. I'm not the perfect one. But the Lamb of God died at Calvary. His blood was shed for me that I may go free.

I want you to see that the accuser of the brethren has a direct attack to you. You may think it's your own thoughts. You may think that it's you condemning yourself, but he is a condemner. He is a liar.

He is a murderer. How do we know the difference between the devil condemning us and the Holy Spirit convicting? The devil says, you're done, you're out, and there's no hope for you. You know, over the past three months, I've had a number of emails and conversations with individuals, backsliders who once knew Jesus Christ.

And they said, I've sinned and I cannot be forgiven. I don't think God can forgive me. Maybe I've sinned away the day of salvation. Do you know the Holy Spirit, when he convicts you of sin, he always leads you back to the blood.

And he says, there's power in the blood. There's power in the blood. There's forgiveness in the blood of Jesus. You say, but you don't know me. I wanna tell you, one of Christ's own apostles, Peter, the apostle, chosen by Christ, raised up.

You remember, Christ one day prophesied, Peter, there's a day coming, you're gonna deny me. Peter said, never. All the rest might, but I will never deny you. You know, it was only days later. He's standing warm in his hands by the fire, the world's fire.

There's Roman centurions there. There's little handmaidens. And he's there in the coldness of night, standing with the ungodly, standing amidst their conversation, warm in his hands, seeking to get warm by the fire of this world.

In that environment, he denied Jesus Christ three times. What a heartbreaking thing. Do you know what happened next? He was heartbroken. He went out and he wept. He went out and he wept. I can assure you, the accuser of the brethren came to him.

Do you know what he done next? He went and took those other fishermen apostles. And he said, come, let's go fishing. You know what? He gave up on the ministry and he went back to his fishing nets. When Christ next finds him, he's out there fishing again.

He's turned away from ministry, gave up on preaching. Why? Three times he denied Jesus Christ and said, I do not know him. I do not know him. Do you realize that the devil came in on that as the accuser of the brethren?

Don't you realize the devil must have said, I've got Peter now. Peter will never recover from this. You say, how do you know that the devil was there? Jesus said, Jesus had said previously to Peter, Peter, Satan has asked to sift you like wheat.