Cosmic Battle in the Wilderness — January 25 [Description]This passage describes the pivotal moment when Jesus, immediately after His baptism, is led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to face Satan’s temptations. Jesus isn’t seeking temptation, but rather solitude to prepare for His mission through fasting and prayer. However, Satan seizes this moment of physical weakness to launch a full-scale spiritual attack.Behind the wilderness scene lies a cosmic war between Christ and Satan. The stakes are massive—Satan claims control of the world through humanity’s sin, but Jesus has come to challenge that claim and prove that loyalty to God is still possible in human form. This isn’t just history—it’s a template for our own spiritual battles. Christ faced the same types of temptations we do: appetite, pride, and the desire for power. But unlike Adam, who fell in paradise, Jesus stood firm in a barren desert, carrying the burden of a weakened humanity.This epic showdown reveals Jesus not only as Savior, but as a living connection between God and humankind, restoring what sin broke. It reminds us that our personal struggles are part of a larger war—and Christ has already won the decisive victory.Overview of Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4:1-13These three passages (called the Synoptic accounts) describe the same pivotal moment: Jesus being tempted by Satan in the wilderness right after His baptism. Here’s what they collectively reveal:- The Holy Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness, where He fasts for 40 days. This mirrors Israel’s 40 years in the desert—but unlike Israel, Jesus remains faithful.- Satan tempts Him with three core challenges: turning stones into bread (to satisfy hunger), jumping off the temple (to force God’s hand), and bowing down to Satan in exchange for worldly power.- Each time, Jesus responds with Scripture, specifically from Deuteronomy, demonstrating that God’s Word is His anchor.Mark’s account is brief, emphasizing the spiritual intensity and that Jesus was among wild animals, but also attended by angels.Together, these texts show that Jesus is not just resisting temptation—He’s proving Himself as the obedient Son of God, laying the groundwork for His victory over sin and evil. 365D 25

Bible discovery 365D 25

Matthew 4:1-11 365D 25.1

1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 365D 25.2

2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. 365D 25.3

3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” 365D 25.4

4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ ” 365D 25.5

5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, 365D 25.6

6 and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” 365D 25.7

7 Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not ^[a]test tempt the Lord your God.’ ” 365D 25.8

8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 365D 25.9

9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” 365D 25.10

10 Then Jesus said to him, ^{[b]M Get behind Me} “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” 365D 25.11

11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him. 365D 25.12

Mark 1:12-13 365D 25.13

12 Immediately the Spirit ^{[e]sent Him out} drove Him into the wilderness. 365D 25.14

13 And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him. 365D 25.15

Luke 4:1-13 365D 25.16

1 Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit ^{[a]NU in} into the wilderness, 365D 25.17

2 being ^[b]tested tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. 365D 25.18

3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 365D 25.19

4 But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, ^{[c]NU omits but by every word of God} but by every word of God.’ ” 365D 25.20

5 ^{[d]NU And taking Him up, he showed Him} Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 365D 25.21

6 And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 365D 25.22

7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” 365D 25.23

8 And Jesus answered and said to him, ^{[e]NU omits Get behind Me, Satan} “Get behind Me, Satan! ^{[f]NU, M omit For} For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” 365D 25.24

9 Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. 365D 25.25

10 For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,’ 365D 25.26

11 and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” 365D 25.27

12 And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not ^[g]test tempt the Lord your God.’ ” 365D 25.28

13 Now when the devil had ended every ^[h]testing temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. 365D 25.29

Spirit of Prophecy Reading 365D 25

The Desire of Ages pp.114-116: 365D 25.30

This chapter is based on Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12, 13; Luke 4:1-13. 365D 25.31

“And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.” The words of Mark are still more significant. He says, “Immediately the Spirit driveth Him into the wilderness. And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts.” “And in those days He did eat nothing.” 365D 25.32

When Jesus was led into the wilderness to be tempted, He was led by the Spirit of God. He did not invite temptation. He went to the wilderness to be alone, to contemplate His mission and work. By fasting and prayer He was to brace Himself for the bloodstained path He must travel. But Satan knew that the Saviour had gone into the wilderness, and he thought this the best time to approach Him. 365D 25.33

Mighty issues for the world were at stake in the conflict between the Prince of light and the leader of the kingdom of darkness. After tempting man to sin, Satan claimed the earth as his, and styled himself the prince of this world. Having conformed to his own nature the father and mother of our race, he thought to establish here his empire. He declared that men had chosen him as their sovereign. Through his control of men, he held dominion over the world. Christ had come to disprove Satan’s claim. As the Son of man, Christ would stand loyal to God. Thus it would be shown that Satan had not gained complete control of the human race, and that his claim to the world was false. All who desired deliverance from his power would be set free. The dominion that Adam had lost through sin would be recovered. 365D 25.34

Not without hindrance was the Commander of heaven to win the souls of men to His kingdom. From the time when He was a babe in Bethlehem, He was continually assailed by the evil one. The image of God was manifest in Christ, and in the councils of Satan it was determined that He should be overcome. No human being had come into the world and escaped the power of the deceiver. The forces of the confederacy of evil were set upon His track to engage in warfare against Him, and if possible to prevail over Him. 365D 25.35

At the Saviour’s baptism, Satan was among the witnesses. He saw the Father’s glory overshadowing His Son. He heard the voice of Jehovah testifying to the divinity of Jesus. Ever since Adam’s sin, the human race had been cut off from direct communion with God; the intercourse between heaven and earth had been through Christ; but now that Jesus had come “in the likeness of sinful flesh” (Romans 8:3), the Father Himself spoke. He had before communicated with humanity through Christ; now He communicated with humanity in Christ. Satan had hoped that God’s abhorrence of evil would bring an eternal separation between heaven and earth. But now it was manifest that the connection between God and man had been restored. 365D 25.36

Satan saw that he must either conquer or be conquered. The issues of the conflict involved too much to be entrusted to his confederate angels. He must personally conduct the warfare. All the energies of apostasy were rallied against the Son of God. Christ was made the mark of every weapon of hell. 365D 25.37

Many look on this conflict between Christ and Satan as having no special bearing on their own life; and for them it has little interest. But within the domain of every human heart this controversy is repeated. Never does one leave the ranks of evil for the service of God without encountering the assaults of Satan. The enticements which Christ resisted were those that we find it so difficult to withstand. They were urged upon Him in as much greater degree as His character is superior to ours. With the terrible weight of the sins of the world upon Him, Christ withstood the test upon appetite, upon the love of the world, and upon that love of display which leads to presumption. These were the temptations that overcame Adam and Eve, and that so readily overcome us. 365D 25.38