Beale (4): Adam, Israel, Jesus, & Ousting Satan

Continuing a series of posts on fascinating insights from Greg Beale's 'The Eschatological Conception of New Testament Theology,' which argues that the center of the New Testament is that Christ's death and Spirit-empowered resurrection constitute the beginning of the glorious end-time, latter-day new creation, note how Jesus' exorcisms fit into this picture.

Christ's ministry of casting out demons was an expression of his beginning, though decisive, defeat of Satan, who had brought creation into captivity through his deception of Adam and Eve. This is the significance of the parable of the binding of the strong man (Matt. 12:29). Of course, his victory over Satan's temptations in the wilderness was the basis for His subsequent victories over the demons. It is certainly not coincidental that in resisting the Devil in the wilderness He is depicted by the Gospel writers as doing what Israel should have done in their wilderness wanderings, and even what Adam should have done in the Garden of Eden. Therefore, when Jesus exorcised demons, he was doing what Adam should have done in Eden by casting out the Devil and his forces.

--G. K. Beale, 'The Eschatological Conception of New Testament Theology,' in The Reader Must Understand: Eschatology in Bible and Theology (IVP 1997); italics added