This post is written by Tom Terry, head of the Preach It, Teach It Board of Directors and well-known author.
HAVE YOU EVER HAD AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE DEMONIC?
NO? WOULD IT SURPRISE YOU TO LEARN THAT YOU MAY HAVE?
Today we’re going to look at seven areas regarding Satan and the demonic. We will look at the origin of Satan, our relationship to Satan, Satan’s plan, the tools at Satan’s disposal, when Satan attacks, myths about Satan, and our victory over Satan.
There are actually many things in scripture about Satan, demons, and spiritual warfare. We don’t have time to cover them all. Doing so would take several lessons. But I’ve chosen these seven areas as areas of importance.
Who is Satan? What is the origin of Satan?
Stan was created by God as an angel of great power and dignity. Ezekiel 28:11-15 states,
“You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, emerald, and carbuncle; and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created they were prepared. You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created.”
Notice the mention of precious stones as part of his covering. This is similar to the description of the high priest’s breastplate in Exodus 28. This may indicate the Satan once held a high position of honor in the heavenly realm like the high priest did in Israel. But what this position was we do not know. Regardless, scripture refers to Satan as a “guardian cherub.” Cherub are powerful angels that are arrayed around the throne of God (Ezekiel 10). In Old Testament imagery they functioned in the position of a guardian. We see this in the decorations of the tabernacle and temple and Ark of the Covenant. We also see it in Genesis 3:24 when a cherub was sent to guard the entrance to the Garden of Eden so Adam and Eve could not re-enter.
Some believe that Satan lead the worship of God in heaven. But this is not directly stated in scripture. At some point Satan fell from his lofty position and sinned against God, though we do not know the details of what happened other than he was beset with pride. Ezekiel 28:17 records, “Your heart was proud because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor.” Isaiah 14 also records his pride.
What is our relationship to Satan?
The name or title, “Satan,” means adversary. Satan stands opposed to God and his people. Most people will not have a direct experience with Satan, himself. We may have experiences with demons, but not Satan. Most of us don’t rank that high to warrant Satan paying us much attention. But, we may deal with temptations brought on by demons from time to time. But this does not mean there is a demon behind every temptation.
The Bible calls Satan the god of this world in II Corinthians 4:4. It also says, “We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). This means that the world system of sin is under the influence and direction of the Evil One. Satan does not need for his demons to possess every unbeliever because every unbeliever is already obeying Satan by rejecting Christ.
HAVE YOU EVER TRIED TO COMMAND A DEMON TO LEAVE YOU ALONE OR CAST OUT A DEMON OF SOME KIND OF SIN, LIKE THE DEMON OF LUST?
Some people think that in order to defeat Satan we must cast out different demonic influences, such as the demon of alcohol or the demon of tobacco. It sounds silly in one sense. But, some people take that seriously though the Bible does not speak in this way. Professor Wayne Grudem in his book, Systematic Theology, explains it this way:
“If we consider the overall emphasis of the New Testament Epistles, we will realize that very little space is given to discussing demonic activity in the lives of believers or methods to resist and oppose such activity. The emphasis is on telling believers not to sin but to live lives of righteousness. For example, in 1 Corinthians, when there is a problem of “dissensions,” Paul does not tell the church to rebuke a spirit of dissension but simply urges them to “agree” and “be united in the same mind and the same judgment” (1 Cor. 1:10). When there is a problem of incest, he does not tell the Corinthians to rebuke a spirit of incest, but tells them that they ought to be outraged and that they should exercise church discipline until the offender repents (1 Cor. 5:1–5). When there is a problem of Christians going to court to sue other believers, Paul does not command them to cast out a spirit of litigation (or selfishness, or strife), but simply tells them to settle those cases within the church and to be willing to give up their own self-interest (1 Cor. 6:1–8). When there is disorder at the Lord’s Supper, he does not command them to cast out a spirit of disorder or gluttony or selfishness but simply tells them that they should “wait for one another” and that each person should “examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup” (1 Cor. 11:33, 28).” (1)
It is true that when the believer sins he may be giving a demon a foothold in his life. Paul said, “Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil” (Ephesians 4:26–27). In some translations the word opportunity is translated as foothold.
It indicates that a demon may have a strong influence in an area of sin. Some people have besetting sins, sins which they repeat over and over, such as anger, pornography, lying, stealing, pride, and so on. Demons can exert influence in these areas and it usually takes confession and accountability to overcome these influences along with prayer. If you have a besetting sin in which the demonic has influence it may take partnership with other believers to help you overcome it.
What is Satan’s plan?
If you were asked what is Satan’s plan for mankind, how would you answer? Many Christians think that Satan’s plan is to steal, kill, and destroy. This comes from John 10:10. But this is not Satan’s plan. These are tactics, but his tactics are part of accomplishing his plan.
So, what is Satan’s plan? What is Satan trying to accomplish? What is his goal?
I think we see Satan’s ultimate objective in Isaiah 14:13-14. Consider this carefully.
“You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north;I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”
Satan’s objective is to become like God, to replace God in the hearts of men. We see him carrying out his objective through history. In the Old Testament when people worshipped the false gods of the nations around them, the Bible reveals they were actually worshipping demons. Note these passages from the Old Testament:
“They stirred [God] to jealousy with strange gods; with abominations they provoked him to anger. They sacrificed to demons that were no gods, to gods they had never known” (Deuteronomy 32:16–17).
“They mixed with the nations and learned to do as they did. They served their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons.” (Psalms 106:35–37).
Consider also the original temptation in the Garden of Eden. Satan did not tempt Eve by claiming to be a god or tell her to worship him. All he did was to get Eve to disobey God. When she disobeyed God she was, effectively, obeying Satan. Obedience is an element of worship. And Adam did the same.
WHAT KIND OF TOOLS DOES SATAN HAVE THAT HE CAN USE AGAINST YOU?
Tools at Satan’s Disposal
Most of Satan’s tools against us consist of deception, temptation, lust, and other human weaknesses. Even his temptations of Jesus in Matthew 4 centered around human weaknesses like hunger. He didn’t attack him bodily like he did Job. He didn’t take his health or family. But he did use what he was going through to attack him.
We learn from Job that Satan can manipulate weather, natural processes, disease, and cause death through other agencies. But only with God’s permission. Therefore, there is nothing that a demon can do to you that does not pass through the knowledge of God. If God has permitted a demonic attack against you it is because he has a plan for you as you go through it. Remember what Jesus said to Peter. “Satan has demanded to have you to be sifted as wheat. But I have prayed for you.” Jesus didn’t forbid Satan’s attack. But he had a plan for Peter through it.
Possession of nonbelievers. This one scares many people. The term possession is never used in the original languages in the Bible. The Bible talks about different levels of harassment or that a demon may be inside someone. It says Satan “entered into” Judas (Luke 22:3). Jesus commanded demons to go “out” of a person (Mark 9:25). The demoniac had a thousand demons in him that went “into” the pigs (Matthew 8:32). So, possession is somewhat accurate. However, possession doesn’t mean a 100% loss of control. Consider Judas who was possessed by Satan, but he was still held responsible for what he did.
Can a Christian be possessed by a demon? A Christian can be tempted. A Christian can be harassed. A Christian can be attacked and even give demons a foothold in their lives through besetting sin. But nowhere in scripture is a demon said to be in possession of a Christian. I think this is because of the Holy Spirit. Once the Holy Spirit takes up residence in the believer a demon cannot occupy that space. One place where this happened in scripture was in I Samuel 16:14. “The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him.” Notice that the demon did not torment him until the Holy Spirit had left. One word of caution. If you are a Christian you have the Holy Spirit forever. He will never leave you. Thus, a demon cannot take up residence in you.
When does Satan attack?
Satan attacks the big boys. You have likely never encountered him
Out of all of the billions of people alive on earth, I seriously doubt I rate as high enough of a threat to be a direct concern of Satan. How about you?
Consider that most of Jesus’ demonic encounters were not with Satan himself. Jesus usually encountered other demons of various strength and importance. But we are only told of a few times about Jesus’ encounters with Satan. And all of those encounters were strategically timed. If this was true about Jesus’ encounters with the Enemy, then how much more with you and I?
Satan attacks at opportune times. So do his demons
What constitutes an opportune time in your life for a demonic attack? Consider when Satan attacked Jesus in Matthew 4, after fasting for 40 days. At a great moment of sacrificial devotion Satan attacked. Yes, Jesus was physically weakened by his fast. But it was also a time of spiritual intensity. Demons come upon us not only in moments of weakness, but also in moments of great devotion, spiritual fervor, and passion. But also keep the following in mind.
Opposition isn’t always from Satan
Sometimes opposition is just other people and isn’t spiritual. Don’t over spiritualize your troubles. Most of the attacks against Jesus were just from people. Yes, there may have been a spiritual component to many of them, but here’s the thing—those assumed spiritual components are not revealed.
Considering how often Christians around the world pray everyday to bind Satan, if such a thing were possible, then Satan would be continually bound and unable to do anything. Yet we can see from the state of the world and even our own trials that this is not the case. Remember that the scripture also tells us this in I John 5:19, “The whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”
What Did Jesus Do?
Have you ever heard someone say they bind Satan, “Satan I bind you?” Consider also how Jesus dealt with Satan. Did you know that Jesus NEVER bound Satan during his earthly ministry? During his temptation in Matthew 4:1-11 Jesus never bound Satan. Satan withdrew. When Satan possessed Judas so that Jesus would be betrayed, even though he knew what Satan was doing to him, Jesus never bound him. In fact, he actually told Judas (and thus, Satan) to get the job done quickly (John 13:26-28).
How about when Jesus prayed for Peter? Note in this passage that Jesus didn’t bind Satan from harming Peter. Rather, he let him. “Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again…” (Luke 22:31-32). Did you catch that? Jesus didn’t bind Satan from Peter, he actually let him at him. Jesus was more concerned with Peter overcoming Satan during a period of testing than he was in protecting him.
CAN YOU THINK OF ANY MYTHS THAT SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE ABOUT SATAN?
Myths & Facts About Satan
Myth: Satan is God’s equal.
Fact: Satan is a created being and has limited abilities.
Myth: Satan can be in multiple places at once.
Fact: Satan can only be in one place at one time.
Example: In Job Satan said he went roaming on the earth (Job 1:7). He could only be in one place at a time.
Myth: God is not in control of Satan.
Fact: God is sovereign over everything, including Satan, and he uses Satan for his own purposes.
Myth: Satan can make you do things you don’t want to do. “The devil made me do it.”
Fact: Satan can tempt you but not force you. You are responsible for your own behavior.
Example: Satan possessed Judas to betray Jesus. But Judas was still responsible for what he did.
Myth: We can bind Satan.
Fact: We don’t have this kind of authority over Satan.
Example: Only God binds Satan at the millennial reign. No other scripture says we can bind Satan. If we did, Satan would always be bound. But, clearly, he is not.
Myth: Satan can possess a Christian.
Fact: Satan cannot possess a Christian, though he can tempt, harass and attack a Christian.
Example: There are no accounts in scripture of demons possessing a Christian.
Myth: Satan can take away your salvation.
Fact: Once you belong to Christ, nothing can snatch you out of his hands.
Example: Romans 8:38-39. Nothing can separate us from God’s love, not even demons.
Myth: Satan can read our minds.
Fact: Satan can influence our minds, and plant thoughts (I Chronicles 21:1), but he cannot read our thoughts.
Our victory over Satan
My experience with demons.
I once attended a New Age church with a friend. We heard rumors about the church and wanted to check it out for ourselves. The minister stepped into the audience, asking each person if he could come into them. They would say, “Yes, lord,” and bow their heads. Then he would tell people some secret about their lives and tell them how to live. He came to me and asked if he could come into me. I did not respond. Then he began to describe my kitchen table, and the Bible study books I had, and what I was studying. Then he told me not to be closed minded and consider that there were many ways to get to God. What he said contradicted scripture and I knew it was a doctrine of demons.
On another occasion Diane and I were at my apartment praying and I was suddenly overcome with great fear. It paralyzed me and I didn’t know what to do. I was in terror. We called our pastor (Roger Barrier) asking for help. He told us what to pray. After we prayed the fear subsided and disappeared completely. At first, I thought that perhaps I was led astray by my own emotions. So I asked the Lord for confirmation that he had helped me. Immediately a scripture reference came to mind. It was Matthew 17:18. It was not a passage that I knew or memorized. So I looked it up. It said, “Then Jesus rebuked the demon in the boy, and it left him.” Then I knew what had happened was from the Lord.
Our daughter, Whitney, had multiple encounters with the demonic from the time when she was a little girl until she came to Christ in her adulthood. She would often have visions of a girl in white or a boy that would terrify her. She had a vision of a clown (she is terrified of clowns) that reached over and touched her. All of these experiences terrified her even into her adulthood. But, when she dedicated her life to Christ she had one more experience and then they went away. Ultimately, they were just visions, but they could not truly harm her once she was in Christ.
Jesus has given the Christian the authority to overcome the demonic and even command them to leave. First, overcoming demonic influence is a matter of prayer, obedience, and fellowship. If you are without any of these three things you are in danger of attack. When attacked the scripture says, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Notice the two-fold process: submission to God, then resisting. Likely, resisting temptation.
Second, a Christian who is walking with God can set free a person possessed by a demon. The disciples were surprised to learn they had this power (Luke 10:17). The apostles cast out demons. Paul cast out demons (Acts 16:18). This would seem to indicate that Christians, through the Holy Spirit have the same power. This does not mean that you can command demons willy nilly to leave this situation and that remotely. Rather, when confronted directly by the demonic you have authority in Christ to drive it away.
Ultimately, the Lord will have a final victory over Satan and all demons. Revelation 20:10 reveals, “The devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.” After this, there will be no more sin and no more adversary to oppose God or his people forever.
APPLICATION
- You have probably encountered demons in your temptations. Handle those temptations the same way you would any other.
- Don’t be afraid. The demonic can be scary. But remember this scripture: “Greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world” (I John 4:4). Ultimately, the victory is yours.
- Don’t confront the demonic alone. Jesus sent out his disciples two-by-two. Even Paul had Barnabas.
- If you struggle with a besetting sin, confess it to someone you trust, pray, and submit it to God. Ask the Lord to remove the demonic influence.
- Rejoice. You may be in a battle, but the war is already won. You can live in that victory through the word of God, prayer, confession, and repentance.
- Grudem, Wayne. 2020. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Second Edition. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic.
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