When Satan provoked Judas to betray Jesus he played into Jesus’ plan. Satan fulfilled his part in God’s eternal story and Judas obeyed Jesus even as he despised Him. The enemies of Christ did not know that they were working toward their own destruction.

Paul told the Corinthians that he and his fellow representatives of Christ imparted a “secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory.” It is a wisdom that the world doesn’t get. In fact, “none of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Corinthians 2:8). The jealous Jewish authorities, the ignorant Roman officials, the spiritual forces of evil could not see their own defeat in the death of Jesus.

It all happened according to God’s wisdom, under His direction, for our glory. Those who are spiritual, those who are mature, see by faith great ends to traumatic trouble.

What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him.
(1 Corinthians 2:9)

Without God’s Spirit in us we too would see Judas as a rogue character, Satan as having the upper hand, the cross as the enemies of Jesus defeating Him not the means of Jesus defeating His enemies. The world doesn’t know–and wouldn’t appreciate it if they did–how they are fulfilling God’s purposes even when it looks to them like they are winning. We believers are a people who see a glorious future out of impossibly ugly loss. That’s how God works.