By: Gen. Jim – 3/31/25
Whose army are you in? Who is your commanding officer?
The Bible tells us that there are two forces/armies: Jesus’/Satan’s.
Jesus: “… I am the WAY, the TRUTH, & the LIFE…” Jn. 14:6.
Satan: “ye are of your father the devil, … He was a murderer from the beginning, & abode not in the TRUTH, because there is no TRUTH in him. When he speaketh a LIE, he speaketh of his own: for he is a LIAR, and the father of it.” Jn. 8:44
Here in John we read about 2 very different persons/powers: Jesus, the “Prince of Peace” (see Isa. 9:6; & “Prince of Life” (see Acts 3:15), i.e. the Originator of N.T. “Eternal Life”. Acts 5:31 says, “Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a PRINCE & a SAVIOR, for to give repentance to Israel, & forgiveness of sins”; Satan in John 12:31 is called “the prince of this world”. The Greek word for “prince” is “archan” which denotes a “ruler” … one who rules or commands. The same Gk. word is used for Jesus, the “Word of God” in flesh.
Satan only has delegated authority, i.e., authority allowed by God, for God is the Supreme authority! Satan doesnot have power/authority over true Believers. John 12:31 tells us that “… now shall the prince of this world be cast out.” This was done by Jesus dying upon the Cross. This means that Satan’s power was broken over the human race – he no longer had all power over it, for “He (Jesus) has delivered us from the power of darkness & conveyed (i.e., transferred) us into the Kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption (FREEDOM) through His blood, and the forgiveness of sins.” (Col. 1:13,14, NKJV).
As Prince
As “prince of this world”, Satan is ruler & exercises power/dominion only over the unsaved who are in this world & the evil world system he has organized, his “Sin World Order”.
Prince of the Power of the Air
Eph. 2:2 mentions that when we were sinners (pre-Christian), we “walked according to the course of this world, according to the ‘prince of the power of the air’, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” In Eph. 6:10-18 we find the Christian warrior’s armor, his weapons & the forces of HELL he/she will – WILL! – fight in their earthly walk/war. (see my many articles posted under “Spiritual Warfare).
LIAR! LIAR!
John 8:44 exposes one of Satan’s MAJOR characteristics – LIAR! Jesus claims to be TRUTH / Satan is (rightly) accused of being a LIAR!
“LIAR, LIAR,
your Tongue is on FIRE!”
Satan entices the earth’s people to give heed to the world’s points of view & not to God’s view, i.e. salvation, not damnation. He (God) wants His people to be dedicated, consecrated, & separated unto Him. This is the way of Righteousness Revolution.
The world, dear Christian, is in deep need of TRUE witnesses. We’ve got enough “Christian” mockers & scoffers pursuing their own selfish lusts. The world needs to see/hear what the Spirit is doing & saying. The Spirit is saying, “Come Up Higher, Forsake the LIAR!” Enough of great shows, we need to show the lost & the foolish believers THE WAY that leads to eternal life.
Jesus Identifies Satan
“… for the ruler of this world is coming, & he (Satan) has nothing in Me.” -Jn. 14:30.
What did Jesus mean by that? The “ruler of this world”, according to Jesus, Satan uses the embodiment of the spirit of worldly (witch) craft & power. God was going to allow evil men to crucify the “Prince of Peace”; men who were yielded to Satan’s hatred for TRUTH. Jesus was stating that Satan had nothing in Him, i.e. no space within His soul for evil to enter. The Hebrew phrase behind the Greek, “he has no claim against Me.” The death of Jesus was/is no defeat. NO! It was/is a victory over the world, the flesh, & the devil. By & through their evil deed, Jesus defeated “evil itself… giving His people power over Satan.
“Prince” debate
There is a debate over who John was writing about in Jn. 14:30. One Prof. thinks that Christ speaks here of Himself (he cites 12:31: “Now is the judgment of this world; now shall the prince of this world be cast out.” He reckons that vs.32 settles it, Jesus was to be crucified as the “prince of the world”. But the Word does not call Jesus “prince of this world”. It was Satan who blinded the eyes of the Jewish people, & hardened their hearts, that they might not believe on Jesus, the “Prince of Peace”.
“Sar ha-ólam”, “prince of this world”, is repeatedly applied to the devil, or to Samael, who is termed the angel of death.
Believing Greeks
The Believing Greeks understood Jesus’ meaning to mean, “In a short time ye shall see what sort of a judgment this world passes. I, who am its ruler & prince, shall be cast out, shall be condemned by my own creatures, as an impious & wicked person. But do not be discouraged; though I be lifted up on the cross, & die like a malefactor, nevertheless I will draw all men unto myself…”
Others
I’ve read many takes on Jn. 14:30. There are manuscripts that completely omit, “The prince of this world”. Some scholars believe Jesus to mean the Roman government, the ruler of the world, who, by its deputy, Pilate, was going to judge Him, but who should find nothing (οὐδεμία οὐδείς οὐδέν), which is the reading found in some MSS & versions, & is followed by almost all the primitive fathers), as a just cause of death in Him – nothing in the whole of His conduct which was the least reprehensible; & this Pilate witnessed in the most solemn manner (see Jn. 18:38 – “I find no fault in Him,” et al.).
Most Christians believe, as I do, that Jesus was referring to Satan. He is called “the prince of the power of the air” in Eph. 2:2 – archōn.
Prince: (ἄρχων), the present participle of the verb archō, meaning “to rule” denotes a “ruler”. It is used as follows (“P” denoting “prince”; “r”, “ruler”): a) of Christ, as “the Ruler (A.V.) of the kings of the earth,” (Rev. 1:5); b) of “rulers of nations” (Mt. 20:25, R.V., “r”, A.V., “p”; (Acts 4:26, “r”; 7:27, “r”; 7:35, “r” (twice); c) of “judges & magistrates”, (Acts 16:9, “v”; Rom. 13:3, “r”; d) of “members of the Sanhedrin”, (Lk. 14:1, R.V., “r” (A.V., “chief”); 23:13,35, “r”; so 24:20; Jn. 3:1; 7:26,48; 12:42, R.V., “r” (A.V., “chief r.”); “r” in Acts 3:17; 4:5,8; 13:27; 14:5; e) of “rulers of synagogues”, (Mt. 9:18,23, “r”; so Lk. 8:41; 18:18; f) of “the Devil”, as “prince” of this world”, Jn. 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; of “the power of the air”, Eph. 2:2, “the air” = being that (spirit) sphere in which the inhabitants of the world live & which, thru the rebellious/godless condition of humanity, constitutes the seat of his authority; g) of “Beelzebub, the prince of the demons”, (Mt. 9:24; 12:24; Mk. 3:22; Lk. 11:15.).
Other Greek words
Archēgos, primarily an adj. signifying originating, beginning, is used as a noun, denoting a founder, author, prince/leader, (Acts 3:15);
Hēgemōn, “a leader, ruler, is trans. “princes” (i.e., leaders) in Mt. 2:6 [note: for megistan, (Rev. 6:15; 18:23, R.V., “princes”).
Eph. 6:12
I cover principalities, powers, dark rulers, & spiritual wickedness in other articles (posted). These devilish/satanic forces are REAL. Peter says of Satan/the devil that he is our adversary who walks/roams about the world, “seeking whom he may DEVOUR!” -1 Pet. 5:8.
Peter goes on to write, “RESIST him, steadfast in the faith,” vs.9. Satan, via principalities/powers works in and through human vessels just as the Holy Spirit works in & through His yielding vessels. [note: Nehemiah (O.T.) outlines specific ways in which Satan will try to DESTROY our Christian work/life, see chapters 4-6: ridicule, intimidation, threats, discouragement, division, compromise, exhaustion.].
2 Cor. 10:3-6
Spiritual victories will not be won if we do not engage in spirit Warfare. Paul writes that we live in the flesh (humanity) but our WARFARE is not of the flesh, i.e. physical, “but MIGHTY through God (Spirit) to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations, & every high thing (like pride et al.) that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, & bringing into CAPTIVITY every thought to the OBEDIENCE of Christ; And having in a readiness, when your OBEDIENCE is fulfilled.” (see My articles on Spirit Warfare).
Some believe we are to engage in carnal/physical warfare, but the Bible does not teach this. This is not to say that a Believer cannot be part of the Armed Services to serve their country (I am a vet); we’re not to fight with physical weapons for the Gospel’s sake.
Pt.2
In part 2 I want to lay out a SW (spiritual warfare) index; you look up the texts for yourself:
Appraise the Battlefield
Rom. 8:6-9 – where is the battlefield?
Eph. 4:17-23 – how shall we walk/war?
Mt. 6:25-34 – what kingdom do we seek?;
Assess Enemy Strength
2 Cor. 2:11 – Satan’s devices used;
Spiritual Breakthrough
1 Cor. 2:9,10 – what God has prepared for us.
1 Cor. 2:4,5 – Spirit & Power.
Mt. 13:30 – tares or wheat?
Acts 6:7,8 – faith, power, & wonders;
God’s Covenant Anointing
(It is God who appoints & anoints) Heb. 7:22 – Jesus offers a better covenant;
God’s End Time People
The Spirit has been revealing to us that God is raising up a people out of a people – a “Righteous Revolution” people that will be separated from the world & from “religious Babylon”, aka “Churchianity”, consecrated, & dedicated! (see our Words of the Spirit site, Jesus Calls to All for information). You can read or listen to what the Holy Spirit has been revealing to us (start with Jan. 1, 2025 – New year’s Word gives us future events that are coming – “diversities of the damned & the perversions of the proud.” -read 2 Tim. 3:1-13)
Eph. 1:17,18 – spirit of wisdom/revelation.
Jn. 2:17 – zeal of the Lord.
1 Cor. 3:1,2 – a spiritual people;
Locate/Annihilate Enemy
Mt. 16:21-23 – Satan, an offense.
Eph. 6:12 – who & what we fight against.
2 Cor. 10:3-5 – our weapons / our enemies.
Eph. 2:2 – Prince of the power of the world.
2 Cor. 11:13-15 – Satan/his ministers.
2 Tim. 1:7 – spirit of fear vs sound mind.
Rev. 9:11 – angel of bottomless pit – Apollyon.
Rev. 13:18 – the beast/666.
Rev. 17:5 – mother of Harlots.
Rev. 20:10 – the devil, beast, false prophet.
[note: Some texts are literal, and some are used metaphorically.].
Jn. 12:31 – ruler location
Jesus tells Simon Peter, “… Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat,” -Lk. 22:31. Although Jesus had called Satan “the ruler of this world” (Jn. 12:31), here in Luke Jesus tells Peter that Satan must ask permission, putting him in a lower position of authority. Vs.32 (Luke 22) says it all – Jesus knew the future, Peter would deny Him, repent, & become a powerful warrior for the risen Christ. While Satan has permission (for now!) to attack God’s people, Jesus is at the Right Hand of His Father interceding for them, for us. (please read Rom. 8:26,27 where the Holy Spirit intercedes for us; Rom. 8:34 = Christ at Right Hand of God).
Early Ekklesia Knew
One Bible scholar lists 6 things the early N.T. Believers knew:
1. They recognized the existence of evil spirits, aka, demons;
2. They knew that demons deceived, harassed, tormented, crippled & possessed men;
3. They understood that Satan was the arch enemy of the Tri-Unity & humankind;
4. They knew that Christ had given them power/authority over them thru His Name;
5. They recognized their enemies (e.g. demons & humans who were controlled by Satan);
6. They located them, fought them, & pressed onward to victory.
From Defense to Offense
During the Vietnam War (in my early years) there were special forces that used the SSD stratagem (“seek, strike, & destroy!” See my articles on “Spirit Warfare” (36) at aggressivechristianity.net; see “Special Strike Force” et al. at aggressivechristians.com.; see “MACV – SOG Soldiers Needed” at same site above – aggressivechristians.com, under Basic Foundational Truths).
It is time to ADVANCE! The Church has sat in its foxholes long enough. ENOUGH! Time to attack enemy positions/strongholds with the aggressive Christian message – you can be FREE from demonic captivity!
Standing Orders!!!
“For you (God) have ARMED me (us) with strength for the battle; You have subdued under me those who rose up against me. You have also given me the necks of my enemies, so that I destroyed those who hated me…” -Ps. 18:39,40.
Jesus War/Prepared for Battle!
Luke 4:1 tells us that, “Jesus, being FILLED with the Holy Spirit, … was led by the Spirit into the wilderness” (to be tempted by the devil). He had received the very same Holy Spirit that we receive today. (see my articles on “the Baptism with the Spirit,” front page, aggressivechristianity.net. I have 19 articles dealing with the Spirit life).
It was the Holy Spirit that led Jesus into BATTLE! See related texts: Jn. 13:3,4 = Jesus prepared Himself & His disciples for severe persecution, prosecution, prison, & death!;
Jn. 1:12,13 = Jesus gives those who come to Him the right to become His soldiers… by the will of God;
Col. 1:16 = tells us that He created principalities & powers, i.e. rulers & authorities;
2 Cor. 4:8 = Paul relates his warfare, e.g., hard-pressed, perplexed, persecuted, struck down;
Jesus knew He was called/sent into BATTLE by His Father; so did His apostles/disciples. Sadly, many today see Christianity as nothing more than “fire insurance”. Heb. 3:1,2 tells us that “the Apostle & High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus… was faithful to Him who appointed Him.” Should we also be & remain faithful… even under FIRE from the enemy? John 20:21 states “… As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” Where? To a dead Church? To the world to enjoy the sights, the sounds, the SINS?
Jesus, knowing the future, spoke about “the hour is coming… that you will be scattered, each to his own, & will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me… In the world you WILL have TRIBULATION…” -Jn. 16:32,33. This IS A PROMISE folks, a promise most do not pray for!
Foot Power
Many are looking for a pre-trib. rapture to take them out of this demon-infested world. Others, like myself, realize we are here & we must learn how to prevail against HELL! Still others don’t give a damn one way or the other about salvation or damnation.
When Paul wrote, “Then comes the end, when He delivers the Kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule & authority & power. For He (Christ with His true ones) must reign till He has put all enemies UNDER HIS FEET.” – 1 Cor. 15:24,25, NKJV. Christ & His Army EKKLESIA must reign (rule) until all enemies are subdued.
Ok, let’s check this out – “The end”:
(1) Christ will hand over the Kingdom (reign – Gk. βασιλεία, the noun for “the Kingdom of God”. Its cognate verb βασιλεύω appears in the next sentence by way of further explanation as to what this means. The need to use a cognate n. & v. in English (“reign”) to make this clear);
(2) “He [will] bring to an end all dominion & all authority & power.” Scholars point out that at the rest of the argument indicates, these 2 items lexically occur in reverse order (hence the NIV’s “after He has destroyed”). It is often suggested that this is also inherent in the use of the aorist in the second clause; but that runs aground grammatically, & in any case is unnecessary since the succeeding context makes this perfectly plain.
So, In Paul’s sentence, however, they are coordinate & without a conjunction; most likely he intended them to be in double opposition to “the end”. I’ll leave all this up to the experts to settle it.
My point in all this is to point out “dominion power” = “foot power” – enemies under our feet! One can get confused over apocalyptic & eschatological.
“Christ must reign till…” 1 Cor. 15:25. In short, He & His true ones will win in the END! They will place all enemies under their feet (subjecting all things) Prof. G.D. Fee has written that Paul does not use “citational” language, although he seems more bound to the O.T. text (remember the text I quoted in Ps. 18:39, “You have subdued under me (my feet) those who rose up against me. You have also given me the necks of my enemies…” It was customary in ancient times to place one’s foot upon the neck of their enemy in battle.
Foot Stool
I will point out that the author of Hebrews wrote about the same thing: “Sit at My right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool” – Heb. 1:13.
Heb. 2:8 carries the same thought: “you have put all things in subjection under His feet. For in that He put all in subjection under Him, He left nothing that is not put under Him. But now (presently) we do not yet see all things put under Him.” – Heb. 2:8, NKJV.
These were well-established messianic texts in early Christianity (Ps. 110:1 is the most cited O.T. passage in the N.T. Paul does not actually cite it, but rewords the language of the O.T. text into his own sentences.
“Christ’s Rule”
It began with His resurrection (or subsequent ascension), must continue: “He MUST REIGN” (vs.25) or “MUST CONTINUE” (Gk. δεῖ), see vs.53 for “must put on immortality”. The “must” has to do with the divine purpose, not with the necessity of “fulfilling” Scripture, since no introductory formula is given. Paul’s theological concern has to do with the continuing reality of death (says Fee). Christ must REIGN/RULE until He has brought the rule of death to its END! Praise the Lord!
As scholars ponder the meaning “until He has put all His enemies under His feet,” they (some) say what is not certain is the intended subject of the verb “until He has put” [note: a good source is “Christological Use” by Lambrecht, pp. 509-10] Christ & His true people MUST REIGN (as He/they are now doing by virtue of His being Lord & theirs as being “one” with Him: “… keep through Your name those who You have given Me, that they may be ONE as We are.” – Jn. 17:11 (Gk., heis = a prim. numeral, i.e. a certain one in contrast to many, metaphorically, UNION, emphatically, one and the same). By subjecting death to Himself thru the resurrection of the dead, Christ & His people have or will have brought Satan’s tyranny to its conclusion.
Jesus Defeated Satan!
Jesus’ mission was to die in order to give “resurrection power” to His people. He says as much when He rebuked Peter, “… Put up thy sword…: the cup which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?” – Jn. 18:11.
Paul acknowledges this by what he wrote: “For as by one man’s disobedience (Adam the first) many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one (Jesus = second Adam) shall many be made righteous.” – Rom. 6:19
Yielding to the Holy Spirit
Rom. 8:1-5: read these texts. God gives us the Holy Spirit in order to have power to walk-the-walk. Even Ezekiel wrote about this: “I (God) will put My Spirit within you & cause you to walk in My statutes, & you will keep My judgments & do them.” – Ezek. 36:27. But we MUST yield to the H.S., not to the flesh/carnality.
Just think what “Christianity” would be like IF God’s people were to yield to the Spirit rather than to the human spirit (controlled by Satan).
The Battlefield
The flesh: Gk., (1) sarx (σάρξ) has a wide range of meaning in the N.T. than in the O.T.:
a.) the substance of the body (men or beast);
b.) the human body;
c.) by synecdoche, of humankind, in the totality of all that is essential to humanhood;
d. by synecdoche, of the humanity of Jesus, in the totality of all that is essential to manhood;
e.) by synecdoche, the complete person;
f.) the weaker element in human nature;
g.) the unregenerate state of humans;
h.) the seal of sin in humanity;
i.) the lower & temporary element in the believer;
j.) the natural attainments of men/women;
k.) circumstances, i.e. the externals of life;
l.) by metonymy, the outward & seeming, as contrasted with the spirit, the inward/real;
m.) natural, consanguine, marital.
(2) Kreas (κρέας) denotes flesh in the sense of meat.
One can research all these meaning of “flesh”. The Bible also uses the words “fleshly” & “fleshy”, sarkikos/sarkinos. The adjectives “fleshly”, “carnal” are contrasted with spiritual qualities in Rom. 7:14; 1 Cor. 3:1,3,4; 2 Cor. 1:12; Col. 2:18 (lit., “mind of flesh”).
Pt.3
Speaking of Satan, the name of the archenemy of God/His people = the personification of EVIL. The name may derive from a Semitic root “stn”, but the primitive meaning is still debated, the most popular suggestions being “to be remote” & “to obstruct”. Some scholars/historians think Satan – alternative roots – include “swt” (Hebr. “to rave”) & “syt” (arabic “to burn”, esp. of food).
In the Heb. Bible Sātān could refer to any human being who played the role of an accuser or enemy (see 1 Sam. 29:4; 2 Sam. 19:22; 1 Kg. 5:4; 1 Kg. 11:14). In Num. 22:32, Sātān refers to a divine messenger who was sent to obstruct Balaam’s journey, according to Prof. H.I. Avalas-Univ. of N.C. at Chapel Hill.
Job 1-2, Zech. 3, & 1 Chron. 21:1 have been central in past efforts to chart an evolution of the concept of Sātān. Some say these texts do not necessarily refer to a single enemy of God & because the relative dating of the texts remain problematic.
However, most scholars agree that in the writings of the 3rd/2nd centuries B.C. are the first examples of a character who was the enemy of God/humanity, [note: one can research Mastemah (Jubilees 10:8), Semyaz (1 Enoch 6:3), & Belial at Qumran (Zadokite Document 4:13).
The N.T. is probably more responsible for standardizing “Satan” (Gk. satanas) as the name for God’s enemy. However, “the devil”, “Beelzebub”, as “Baal-zebub”, “Belial”, “the evil one”, & “Apollyon” are other names in the N.T.
Satan, it is recorded, can & does imitate “an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14), has command of the air (spirit dim., Eph. 2:2). “Dragon” is another word for Satan, reflecting a gigantic primordial beast.
The Council of Braga (563 A.D.) has defined Satan as the enemy of God/humanity. [one may see Lucifer: The Devil in the Middle Ages, 1984 by J.B. Russell. He lists writers/theologians of the medieval period, plus sources in Gk. Roman, & Teutonic Mythology.]
The N.T. is full of texts regarding Satan & God’s people – their warfare, their weapons, their strategies, I could spend days writing on this subject.
People get upset at me for writing so much about all this. But look at today’s Church – weak & sin-infested. Excuses are made WHY the people of God are so laid back. Before one can launch a victorious offensive, one must first be empowered.
Ponder Luke 14:28,31
“For which of you,” says Jesus, “intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, & counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?” Then Jesus talks about war: “Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, & consulteth whether he be able to with 10,000 to meet him that cometh against him 20,000?”
In my years of mission work, I’ve seen some pretty stupid things done by those who thought they could whip the enemy without God’s help or the help of others. Total disaster! I knew one guy who thought he was God’s gift to lost humanity. He was going to go into all the bars (this was in Sacramento, CA in the early 1980s) & witness to the drunks. We told him he was not yet ready for that kind of warfare (he hadn’t been saved for very long, he had been a drunk himself). We begged him to be trained a bit more, learn some warfare before he attacked Satan’s strongholds. Well, he did not listen. He launched his attack. That night we were awakened by a car horn in front of our house. There “Mr. Warfare” himself was, screaming at us to come out & fight! He was so drunk he kept falling down. He threatened to BURN DOWN our home… cursing like a mad man. Well, this is one (true) story of how Satan defeated a “Christian warrior”.
And, yes, others, “counting the cost” decided that the cost was just too high & returned to the world. Others we’ve known had meeting after meeting talking about going to war; weeks, months, and years passed, and they never went! Luke 14:31 is speaking about measuring the strength of the foe or foes. While now “faith” is needed, common sense is also needed. We can be fools or wise in the things of God. We can be impulsive or smart. We can be headstrong… walking straight into an ambush or we can wait for battle instructions (given by the Holy Spirit).
But as we go & grow we will make mistakes & mistakes will cost us. But mistakes are not the same as headstrong rebellion – we’ll do it “our way!”
Pt.4
No matter where you go in the New Testament, you’ll find Satan & Jesus, evil & good, darkness & light, either implied of hinted at. Paul wrote much about his personal temptations, trials, persecutions, prosecutions etc. We know Jesus was the precursor, the forerunner, the human/divine harbinger. His life was a precursory example of what His people were to go through. His O.T. saints led up to the N.T. warfare against Satan & his principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, & hosts of wicked spirits. Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, “… Satan hindered us” (1 Thes. 2:18). He went on to say, “no one should be shaken by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we are appointed to this.” What? Is he saying that the “loving” God purposed his “afflictions”? (3:3).
The precise form of this hindrance is not told. It is connected with “distress”/ “affliction” in 3:7. These 2 words are also found in Paul’s description of his warfare experience in 2 Cor. 6:4. Some versions have tribulations & distresses. He continues to explain that beatings, sleeplessness, fastings, were part of his life as an apostle of Christ.
Paul, on the other hand makes mention of turning a certain sinning member over “to Satan for the destruction of the flesh,” 1 Cor. 5:5. What? Not only this but Paul himself delivered 2 blasphemers over to Satan (1 Tim. 1:20). What? Yep! I’ve written on these texts in the past. Paul also mentions judgment that has come upon those who have partaken undiscerningly of the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:28-30); the judgment caused weakness, sickness, & even death. Paul warns the believers not to be overtaken or put to disadvantage by Satan, “For we are not ignorant of his designs,” as one translation reads. He tells of the affliction, i.e. a “messenger of Satan to buffet me,” (2 Cor. 12:7), which I have also written about. He mentions the man of sin that is to come “by the activity of Satan.” (2 Thes. 2:9).
There are numerous accounts where Satan/demons work to hinder or stop the work of God.
James says, “Blessed is the man who endures temptation,” Ja. 1:12. What if a believer does not endure? Are we to believe he/she will be “cursed”? Paul writes: “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted…” – 2 Cor. 11:3. Can a believer’s mind actually be corrupted? No matter what versions are read, the words subtilty, cunning, craftiness etc. describe Satan’s mode of workings. The Bible teaches that a believer CAN be led astray, corrupted… to the point of apostasy – the abandoning of the faith! (see my articles on Backsliding/Apostasy).
Once again Paul brings up the subject of Satan: “Whose minds the god of this world (or age) has blinded…” -2 Cor. 4:4. Paul sees this world as a battleground in which Satan (Sātān is preferred by some) & his hosts contend with God & His hosts for the lives of men/women. While Paul was speaking about men/women that are lost, here in 2 Cor. 4:3,4, other places he mentions the same attacks upon the saved.
Naturally the unsaved are not ALIVE in Christ, but “DEAD in trespasses & sins,” Eph. 2:1. They are called the “children of wrath” in vs.3.
Peter mentions false prophets/teachers who bring destructive heresies… “and bring on themselves swift destruction,” 2 Pet. 2:1. Read all of chapter 2. Peter’s exposure of false leaders is sharp! Yet today we have the very same false teachers/prophets et al. teaching DAMNABLE heresies – one being “once saved always saved” – no matter how in the HELL one lives! (see all my articles on this vital subject, esp. the “if”/ “then” clause, posted).
It was & is Satan who uses these false teachers/leaders. Satan wants to CAPTURE the “Christians” via “heresy”, “opinions”, “sins”. Lawlessness is on the rise in both Church & State. Disobedience is the vogue nowadays. Obedience to God & His Word = irreverence. (read 1 Tim. 4:1,2).
If one carefully reads the N.T., temptations, deception, unbelief, worry/anxiety, disobedience, rebellion, sex-sins, hardening one’s heart, circumstances, lies, fear, apathy, accuse making, slander et al. are demons & demonic weapons. But God has supplied us with Truth, Power, Authority, Righteousness, Peace, Faith, Prayer, et al. We have the Blood of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Divine revelation/revolution/determination as well. We have the Sword of the Spirit for both offensive & defensive warfare.
I will leave you with one of my favorite Scriptures: “If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, & pray, & seek My face, & turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, & will forgive their sin, & will heal their land.” – 2 Chron. 7:14.
First, note the “if”/ “then” clause: “If My people” will humble themselves, pray, seek, turn; “then will I hear, forgive, heal.” In short, conditional! NO humbling, praying, seeking, turning, NO hearing, forgiving, healing!
How many pay attention to the “if”/ “then” clauses in both testaments? If we today expect an OUTPOURING/REVIVAL there are conditions to meet. [note: there are times when God did things for His name’s sake because His people would not. But the common thing was conditional!).
All this MEGA Church stuff is not what counts – it is God’s people humbling themselves, repenting & praying for change. Satan has got the Church looking at the surface & not the internal. Lots of people, lots of $$, BIG ministries/ministers etc. is counted as “spiritual” these days. How many “saints” pray for lost souls? I know some do but the fact is the Church has lost its desire to see the lost redeemed. Instead of fasting (which we’ve done a lot of), feasting; instead of warring, the Church has gone a whoring!
Satan has done a mighty work in the Church. No use denying it, it is a FACT. We need, we MUST kick his influence, his authority OUT & once again invite the Holy Spirit in to RULE & REIGN!
Read the prophetic Word of the Lord below!
“Realize there is a WAR in the spirit dimension for souls & the souls of those who have made vows & dedicated themselves to Me are TARGETED by the devil & his DEMONIC FORCES who despise them because they are free. Therefore, the freed former captives are under PERPETUAL ATTACK in order to deviate them from My intentions & purposes for their lives. Keep aware of anything or any attitude which the Spirit is grieved by & do not persist in holding onto the FORCES of DEADLY DESTRUCTION… the fools who imagine themselves independent are being LURED AWAY from the WAY of safety into the way of FATALITY.”
WOS – FORGETFUL OR FAITHFUL?
I speak unto you this day and I ask are you unreasonably forgetful or are you faithful to Me. There are many who conveniently forget their promises and vows to Me so they don’t have to keep those commitments they have made to Me in the time of their distress and desperation. However I do not buy into their excuses of forgetfulness because the same is spiritual laziness and slothfulness whereby they imagine they get by on Me. I know exactly the workings of the carnal mind and the workings of the Spirit Mind.
Therefore do not think to hide behind perpetual forgetfulness as an excuse for disobedience towards what you have promised Me. Those who are hiding themselves in forgetfulness are fools because they are allowing other gods, other masters to usurp My authority over them. In their fornication with demonic spirits they become one with such evil forces in the spirit dimension and by the same are delegated to the place of rebels.
Be aware, I am not mocked, nor am I deceived by the cunning craftiness of demon spirits as well as the carnal mind. Both of these forces are enemies of My purposes and plans for My people and by choosing to listen to such entities, My people are taken far from Me and into the despair of darkness. There is no reason to live in darkness when you have been given the opportunity to come into and dwell in the Light which Jesus offers to all who want to follow Him. If you do not keep your old nature pushed down, the same will rise up and gang up on you with demon powers to rob you of what you are meant to have in Me as you keep your promises and vows. Do not let yourselves become the victims of the thief, the liar, the murderer, namely the devil. His agenda is always the same: kill, steal, and destroy those who have the integrity to choose My Way and not their own. I do not want you to be found in the place of violators and rebels because you have grown lazy and hazy. I want you to be alert, alive, and active for My Kingdom and doing My desire at all times. It is only the fools who imagine they can get by with their transgressions and I do not know it.
Those who are fools are so because they prefer to believe lies over the Truth and they would rather go down in the mire, than to come up in the way that I desire and require of them. Therefore, do not let yourselves be found in the stupidity and darkness because the same are a dead end street and those who go there will end up dying in their sins, and face Hell. I do not want those who have made their commitments to Me to somehow forget to keep those commitments and by the same classified as rebels because they are choosing to please the lusts of their flesh above the desires I have for them to fulfill in their journey on this earth. Know of a surety how important it is to keep steadily pursuing the course I have put before you and doing what I want you to do, not what you “want to do.” Keep steadily choosing the Way of Faithfulness and refusing the way of forgetfulness for such a way is the devil’s seduction of your soul. I never have intended for those who are My people to be in the condition of forgetfulness, I have called them to be in the Way of Fidelity to Me. I do not see the reasons of their carnal “reasoning” to be acceptable in My sight simply because to choose for death is destroying and damning.
I call My people to be under the covering of the Mind of My Spirit and if they will remain under such, My Spirit will keep them from the snare of forgetfulness and they will be led forth in faithfulness to Me. How much better it is to be found in My Way rather than the Way of the damned which leads to destruction of body and soul.
When people are under the mind of the devil and his demons they will do more than offend Me through forgetfulness, for he will lead them by demonic infiltration into the moral and mental decay which will end in Hell. Why should you end in Hell when you are called and chosen to be found in heavenly dimensions through Christ Jesus your Lord and Savior? Do not be seduced away from My intentions by the enticement, entanglement, and seduction of demons.
Reality is either you keep yourselves in integrity of relationship to Me or you will be the one responsible for your fall through forgetfulness or any other disguise you want to imagine is acceptable to Me as your Maker. I don’t want those who are Mine to be found in the foolery, the vanity, the darkness of those who are transgressors and violators. Once you have received the Light you are meant to walk in that Light and to cherish the Truth you have been given by Me. Do not walk in the way of fools, walk in the way of the wise, accepting with gladness the direction, instruction, and guidance of the Mind of My Spirit. It is indeed a good thing to be in obedience to My Spirit for the same is given to lead and guide you into all Truth and when you are in Truth you will do what is right. Those who choose to lose by walking afar off will be taken down the road to destruction, devastation, and damnation forever. What a price to pay for offering to Me excuses rather than obedience. Thank Me that you can be found in the Way of obedience and give Me thanks each day to be alive in Me. There is no other Way to Eternal Life with Me except the Way I’ve given to those who will hear and obey and come forth in Faithfulness. I do not accept the ones who are willfully deceived and shown up to love lies.