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The reality of the invisible realm &
satan
Colossians 1:16
For by him were all things created, that
are in heaven, and that are in earth,
visible and invisible, whether they be
thrones, or dominions, or
principalities, or powers: all things
were created by him, and for him. The
invisible realm is real . It is a
creation of GodThrough natural senses we
cannot understand satan – Why?
Because he belongs to the invisible
realm.
How do we know that Satan exists?
The Bible is so full of references to
the devil that it is impossible to hold
to the Christian faith without accepting
the reality of Satan. His existence is
taught in seven Old Testament books:
Genesis, 1 Chronicles, Job, Psalms,
Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Zechariah. And it
is affirmed by every New Testament
writer. Jesus clearly believed in the
personal existence of the devil (Matthew
4:1-11; 13:39; Luke 10:18; 11:18).
In fact, in 25 of the 29 passages that
refer to Satan in the gospels, Christ is
speaking.
Satan is a spirit creation. Many have
tried to study Satan the result. Ludwig
Staudenmaier was a German scientist who
accepted the Freudian idea that the
devil was only a "myth," a
"personification of repressed,
unconscious drives."
After completing his doctoral work in
chemistry, zoology, and theology, he
became obsessed with a desire to
"explore and to determine as accurately
as possible the distinction between
pathology and actual satanic
manifestations."
At the suggestion of a friend,
Staudenmaier began experimenting with
the psychic technique known as
"automatic writing," (a phenomenon in
which the subject learns how to place
himself into a trance, permitting unseen
forces to write messages through his
hand.) He soon became quite adept at
automatic writing even though he
considered what he wrote to be the
product of his subconscious mind.
Soon, however, he was disturbed by
hallucinations, which rapidly increased
in both their frequency and severity.
One night as he lay in his bed, he had
the distinct feeling of a chain being
fastened around his neck and tightened.
Then came the strong odor of sulphur and
a sinister voice saying, "You are now my
captive. I will never free you. I am the
devil." Although still clinging to his
scientific perspective, Staudenmaier
began to have second thoughts about his
venture. He wrote:
There remains in my mind no doubt that I
have become possessed.
He continued to be tormented by
hallucinations until he died some years
later in Rome. Staudenmaier's experience
is not unique.
Satan before his fall
LITV - Ezekiel 28:12
Son of man, lift up a lament over the
king of Tyre, and say to him, So says
the Lord Jehovah: You seal the measure,
full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
Ezekiel 28:13
You have been in Eden, the garden of
God. Every precious stone was your
covering; the ruby, the topaz, and the
jasper, the beryl, the onyx, and the
jasper, the sapphire, the turquoise, and
the carbuncle, and gold; the workmanship
of your tambourines and of your flutes
in you. In the day you were created,
they were prepared. Ezekiel 28:14 Thou
art the anointed cherub that covereth;
and I have set thee so: thou wast upon
the holy mountain of God; thou hast
walked up and down in the midst of the
stones of fire.
Ezekiel 28:15
Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the
day that thou wast created, till
iniquity was found in thee. Satan was
not always evil. In the beginning, he
was an angel created in perfection and
beauty. Lucifer had been gifted with
beauty and had walked upon the holy
mountain of God
How did God create him?
Ezekiel 28:12
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty
Ezekiel 28:13
You have been in Eden, the garden of
God.
He was covered with precious stones ;
the ruby, the topaz, and the jasper, the
beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the
sapphire, the turquoise, and the
carbuncle, and gold; the workmanship of
your tambourines and of your flutes in
you. In the day you were created, they
were prepared
Ezekiel 28:14
You were the anointed cherub that
covers, thou wast upon the holy mountain
of God. You walked up and down in the
midst of the stones of fire.
Ezekiel 28:15
You were perfect in your ways from the
day you were created, until iniquity was
found in you. You couldn’t have
seen a better creation of God than satan.
How did he lose his Position?
Ezekiel 28: 16, 17
From these verses we can understand that
the one Who was walking in the mountain
of God, The one who was the covering
cherub The one who was in the midst of
the stones of fire ( mentioned in
Ezekiel 28:14)-the one who was full of
wisdom and perfect in beauty Ezekiel
28:12 was cast down.
Isaiah 14:12-15
"How art thou fallen from heaven, O
Lucifer, son of the morning! how art
thou cut down to the ground
Why was he cast down?
Ezekiel 28:15
Iniquity was found in him
Ezekiel 28:17
His heart was lifted up
What Iniquity?
Isaiah 14:12-15
" For thou hast said in thine heart, I
will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my
throne above the stars of God: I will
sit also upon the mount of the
congregation, in the sides of the north:
I will ascend above the heights of the
clouds; I will be like the most High. He
said in his heart not openly with his
mouth.
( God knows what is going on in the
heart This in itself is a sin)
5 Times I will he said in his heart.
Why because
Angels were given a will with a free
moral choice. Lucifer opted to use the
will to rebel against God his creator.
Result:
SATAN WAS CAST OUT OF HEAVEN
The Lord never meant for evil to exist.
It was simply the opposite of good, and
since it takes a free will for evil to
come into existence, Lucifer was the
first created being to exercise his will
against God. others also followed. Jude
6 - (LITV) And those angels not having
kept their first place, but having
deserted their dwelling-place, He has
kept in everlasting chains under
darkness for the judgment of a great
Day;
Satan’s sin was a desire to promote
himself: . He desired God's throne and
set his will against God's will. Five
times he said, "I will" in this portion
of Scripture. This is what man is doing
today – He prefers to do his will rather
than doing the will of God - Satan chose
to rebel and it brought him down to
hell. Men are making the same choice
today and those who rebel will
ultimately go down to the pit (hell)
with the devil.
By Satan's own choice, he became evil
and was cast out of heaven.
His Punishment. After Satan sinned, God
threw him out of heaven to the earth
(Isaiah 14:12; Ezekiel 28:16,17).
Satan’s present position Ephesians 2:2
abode in the air.
Personality & Attributes
of Satan
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Satan is a live person possessing
life, intelligence, will power and
feelings.
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He is a spirit being and does not
possess a body ( no tail or horn)
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He is a created being, a former
Archangel, and thus is inferior to
God.
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He can be only in one place at one
time. ( not omnipresent)
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He has limits to his knowledge and
power.( Limited )
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(Job1:6 to 2:10 - Satan cannot
perform any acts unless God approves
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He is the ruler of the earth (John
12:31, Ephesians 6:12 and 2
Corinthians 4:4)
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He leads a personal army of demons
(Matthew 12:24)
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He can adopt a spirit form, reside
inside a person and influence their
thoughts and behavior:
Satan’s Character
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John 10:10 - He is a thief
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John 8:44 - He is a trickster and an
unreliable source of information.
speaks of him as a liar, the father
of all lies.
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John 8:44 - he is a murderer.( no
conscience)
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Revelation 12:9 - He is a deceiver.
The 2 major activities of
Satan
Satan is very much involved in your life
and in the life of every other human
being who has ever existed. The main
purpose of satan - is to destroy our
relationship with our Creator. His
ultimate design being to destroy the one
eternal possession that we have…the
soul.
John 10:10
The thief (satan) cometh
The Bible reveals the plan and strategy
of Satan and the methods he uses in
achieving his objectives. Every human
being is the target. To achieve his plan
of destroying our relationship with our
Creator he does 2 major activities:
Acts 26:18
He uses his power to keep people in
darkness. In the event of failure in his
first objective he ensures that
believers live in ignorance ( so that
they may be captive believers all their
life)
The other activities of Satan
a) Lure us away from the "truth" and the
reality of invisible realm... The design
and intent of this first step is to lure
us away from "the truth" and from the
reality of spiritual realm so that we
will be open to satan’s seductive
deceptions.
Matthew 13:19
He steals the word from the hearts of
hearers Ignorance and confusion about
spiritual things are satan’s most
powerful weapons. A person who is not
clear about God and His truth becomes
vulnerable to every deceptive suggestion
of satan. But ignorance in God’s
realities is not accepted. Spiritual
ignorance opens the door for satan’s
second level of attack.
b) Secondly his strategy is to...
Introduce his " views" that appeal to
our human mind... Satan is a good liar
and a spiritually ignorant person is a
good listener. A person with a natural
mind is a very good candidate for satan.
Satan can make it all sound so good that
the urge becomes irresistible to "go for
it".
His appeals touch the things that humans
desire e.g.,self-independence, pleasure,
success, fame to name a few. He fully
understands our human pride, our lusts,
our ambitions as well as the basic needs
and desires of our flesh, mind, heart
and soul.
Satan knows exactly what we want and
offers to provide everything that we
desire. His offerings, however, are weak
and temporary substitutes for God’s
fulfilling and permanent provisions.
c) The third strategy of satan is
to...make believers live a casual ,
carefree life and making them think
irrespective of how they live God’s
mercy will take them to heaven once they
accept the Lord Jesus Christ. He quotes
scripture to justify his stand. ( 1 John
1:9 & 1 John 2:1 )
But scriptures like Matthew 3:8 Bring
forth fruits worthy of repentance &
Hebrews 2:3, Amos 6:1, Proverbs 29:1
will be quietly omitted.
d) The fourth strategy of satan is to:
Bring us into his total submission and
control...
I Timothy 4:1-2 - "Now the Spirit
speaketh expressly, that in the latter
times some shall depart from the faith,
giving heed to seducing spirits and
doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in
hypocrisy; having their conscience
seared..."
The final goal of satan’s plan is to
bring us to the point of a "seared
conscience".
Seared conscience: (kow-taw-ree-adzo =
to brand, to sear with a hot iron, to
render insensitive) The point where our
conscience is so hardened that, no
matter how extreme it may be, there is
nothing we view as wrong or sinful. We
have now fully surrendered to all of
satan’s deceptions.Self justification
now replaces guilt.
Self righteousness and arrogance now
replace the fear of punishment. A person
with a seared conscience no longer has
feelings toward God or His eternal laws.
Spiritual truth and reality are no
longer of interest and are not pursued.
This person is content with being
outside of God’s authority and
fellowship to be under satan’s control
although the person may be deceived into
believing that he or she is actually in
control of their own life.
2 Corinthians 2:11
Lest Satan should get an advantage of
us: for we are not ignorant of his
devices.
The three-fold plan is well designed and
has been functioning from the beginning
of the human race. To assure its
success, satan has a wide arsenal of
weapons aimed directly at the target…and
you’re the target.
Remember that:
1) The Devil aims to shake our faith in
the word of God, and bring us to
question the truth of that. He did it to
Adam and Eve, he tries it here with
Jesus. God had just said "This is My
beloved Son, in whom I am
well-pleased.", and yet Satan says "If
You are the Son of God...". If we ever
question any part of the Word of God, we
are giving Satan an opportunity.
2) Satan uses our physical conditions
and circumstances to attempt to make us
believe that God has left us, does not
really love us, is not really good. When
a crisis arrives, we MUST work to see
Satan's role and refute him.
The temptation of Jesus
Matthew 4: 1- 10
Lessons we learn from the temptation of
Christ
a) Satan's temptation of Christ gives us
an understanding about our enemy:
b) Matthew 4:3 And when the tempter came
to him - When did he come?
Matthew 4:2
And when he had fasted forty days and
forty nights, Satan can tempt us even
when after we spend a long time with God
and have become empowered with his power
c) Satan tempts us when we are alone
Jesus was tempted while he was alone in
the wilderness. A place of solitude is
perfect for spending time with the Lord,
but it is also a perfect opportunity for
Satan to attack. We must be on our guard
when we are alone and Satan has
opportunities to make our thoughts
wander, often followed by deeds which we
would NEVER do if we were in the
presence of others.
d) Satan moves when the time is
opportune for him:.
Satan's objective is to take advantage
of our outward condition. He watches
carefully for what opportunities present
themselves. He selects the right time to
step in
Matthew 4:2
And when he had fasted forty days and
forty nights, he was afterward an
hungred.
Matthew 4:3
And when the tempter came to him
Take the example of a man whose 3
children are starving because he has
lost his job and no matter how he tries
he gets no job for 6 months - is it all
right for him to steal to keep them from
dying? What should he do? Our outward
condition is no excuse to go against the
commands and the will of God.
e) In the temptation of Christ we find
that our enemy is subtle, and uses the
word to justify his suggestion
How did Jesus overcome satan?
1) Jesus responds with Scripture -
1st Temptation Matthew 4:3 -
2nd Temptation satan can add or minus
scripture to justify his
arguments:
Note Psalms 91: 12 Matthew 4:6
words "at any time " added to make it
more secure.
Again Jesus uses scripture Matthew 4: 7
Lesson : 2 Timothy 2:15 Study the
scriptures.
Whatever work, we do we must
a) get the leading of the Lord
b) do it with his ability
c) and ensure he gets all the credit (
John 3:30)
Danger of not doing the above. Prepare
yourselves for a fall. Note also that
the higher we are, the more costly can
be that fall.
Matthew 4:6
Remember: Satan is still attempting to
question the goodness and the
faithfulness of God.
Different names of Satan
Through the names of Satan we can
clearly get an understanding of who he
is
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Zechariah 3:1-2 - the adversary
resisting God’s chosen ones
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(Matthew 4:1-3, Luke 4:2) He is
called as the tempter
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Beelzebub = the prince of the devils
or in Luke 11:15 called as the chief
of the devils (Matthew 12:24, Mark
3:22,)
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(Matthew 13:19 & 1 John 2:13) the
wicked one
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Luke 10:19 - the enemy a murderer
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John 8:44 the father of lies & a
liar
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(John 12:31 & 14:30 & 16:11) - the
prince of this world or (Ruler of
this world) refers to his power over
the evil world-system of men and
demons
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2 Corinthians 4:4 - god of this
world is used in reference to his
power to blind the minds of the
world to the gospel
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2 Corinthians 6:15 - Belial the
worthless one
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Ephesians 2:2 -prince of the powers
of the air, the spirit that now
works in the sons of disobedience -
Prince of the power of the air
(Ephesians 2:2) describes his
pervasive spiritual influence.
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power of darkness (Colossians 1:13)
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like a roaring lion who walks about
seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter
5:8)- It describes him as hungry and
on the prowl to devour Christians
the angel of the bottomless pit
named Abaddon in Hebrew = a
destroying angel , Apollyon in Greek
( the destroyer) (Revelation 9:11)
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a great red dragon (Revelation 12:3
& 12:9 & 20:2) - Dragon (Revelation
12:3,) indicates his fierce nature
and power to destroy.
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the accuser of our brethren who
accuses Christians before God day
and night (Revelation 12:10)
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(Genesis 3:4 & Genesis 3:14)- He is
called as serpent one who is subtle
( crafty , cunning & in (Revelation
20:2) called as the dragon, the old
serpent the devil (from the Greek "diabolos"
which means "slanderer"),
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Lucifer (Is. 14:12) means "son of
the morning," "shining one," or
"light bearer." Even though this
describes him before his fall, Satan
currently "transforms himself into
an angel of light" to deceive the
world (2 Cor. 11:14).
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Anointed cherub (Ezek. 28:14)
indicates that he had one of the
highest (if not the highest) ranking
of all the angels.
How powerful is the devil?
Luke 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power
to tread on serpents and scorpions, and
over all the power of the enemy: and
nothing shall by any means hurt you
Power = exousia ex-oo-see'-ah delegated
influence: - authority, jurisdiction,
liberty, power, right, strength.
Power = dunamis doo'-nam-is - ability,
abundance, meaning, might (worker of)
miracle power, strength, violence,
mighty (wonderful) work.
Colossians 1:13 Who hath delivered us (
rescued us ) from the power of darkness,
and hath translated ( transferred) us
into the kingdom of his dear Son: Satan
could not cast Jesus down. Satan's power
is limited. He cannot make us sin. All
he can do is entice us, tempt us. The
sinning is up to us (James 1:14-15). For
believers, temptation can be resisted (1
Corinthians 10:13). We must remember,
however that just because the Holy
Spirit gives us the power to resist
temptation and flee sin, that we need to
not be presumptuous.
Important facts you
should know about Satan
1) Satan's power is limited. He cannot
make us sin. All he can do is entice us,
tempt us. The sinning is up to us (James
1:14-15). For believers, temptation can
be resisted (1 Corinthians 10:13).
2) Luke 10:17 - And the seventy returned
again with joy, saying, Lord, even the
devils are subject unto us through thy
name.
Satan is subject to you. It MUST obey
the order given in the name of Jesus. We
need to recognize our authority over
Satan.
3) Ephesians 4:27 Neither give place to
the devil.- Satan can take advantage of
us only when we give room or place.
The final destiny of
Satan
His final punishment will come shortly
after the end of the millennial reign of
Christ on the earth. At that time, Satan
will be "cast into the lake of fire and
brimstone where the beast and the false
prophet are. And they will be tormented
day and night forever and ever"
(Revelation 20:10).
Revelation 20:7
And when the thousand years are expired,
Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,
Revelation 20:8
And shall go out to deceive the nations
which are in the four quarters of the
earth, Gog, and Magog, to gather them
together to battle: the number of whom
is as the sand of the sea.
Revelation 20:9
And they went up on the breadth of the
earth, and compassed the camp of the
saints about, and the beloved city: and
fire came down from God out of heaven,
and devoured them.
Revelation 20:10
And the devil that deceived them was
cast into the lake of fire and
brimstone, where the beast and the false
prophet are, and shall be tormented day
and night for ever and ever. According
to the plan of God after the 1000 year
reign the devil will be released. After
his release = he will go out to deceive
the nations. What will be the devil's
ultimate fate
Revelation 20:10
And the devil that deceived them was
cast into the lake of fire and
brimstone, where the beast and the false
prophet are, and shall be tormented day
and night for ever and ever.
Demons or Unclean Spirits
The word "demon" is not found in the
King James Version of Scripture,
The Greek verb daimonizomai (to be
possessed by an evil spirit; be
demonized) and the nouns daimon and
daimonion refer to evil spirits, demons,
or devils. Demons are disembodied
spirits capable of possessing the bodies
of both animals and men.
Facts on demons
They are unclean :
Mark 5:8
For he said unto him, Come out of the
man, thou unclean spirit.
Jesus calls the evil spirit as unclean (
they keep a man dirty, filthy
spiritually, physically)
They are Evil
Luke 7:21
And in that same hour he cured many of
their infirmities and plagues, and of
evil spirits Their name itself
clearly indicate their nature Evil
They are wicked
Luke 11:26
Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven
other spirits more wicked than himself;
and they enter in, and dwell there: and
the last state of that man is worse than
the first. They have knowledge and are
aware of many facts which human beings
are not aware of
Luke 4:41
And devils also came out of many, crying
out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son
of God. And he rebuking them suffered
them not to speak: for they knew that he
was Christ. What Pharisees and Saducees
and teachers of the Law were not aware
of the devils were aware of
Acts 19:15
And the evil spirit answered and said,
Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who
are ye?
Many demons can occupy one human
Mark 5:9
And he asked him, What is thy name? And
he answered, saying, My name is Legion:
for we are many. They can be cast out
Mark 16:17
And these signs shall follow them that
believe; In my name shall they cast out
devils; they shall speak with new
tongues. They have separate
personalities
Mark 16:9
Now when Jesus was risen early the first
day of the week, he appeared first to
Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast
seven devils.
Acts 19:15
And the evil spirit answered and said,
Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who
are ye? The words "I Know" is an
individual personality with knowledge
speaking facts
They have feelings
Matthew 8:29
And, behold, they cried out, saying,
What have we to do with thee, Jesus,
thou Son of God? art thou come hither to
torment us before the time?
James 2:19
The devils also believe, and tremble.
They have the ability to possess and
live in humans
Matthew 10:8
Cast out devils
They can believe
James 2:19
Thou believest that there is one God;
thou doest well: the devils also
believe, and tremble.
A human being can fellowship with
demons
1 Corinthians 10:20
But I say, that the things which the
Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to
devils, and not to God: and I would not
that ye should have fellowship with
devils.
They have preferences and choices
Matthew 12:43
When the unclean spirit is gone out of a
man, he walketh through dry places,
seeking rest, and findeth none.
Matthew 12:44
Then he saith, I will return into my
house from whence I came out; and when
he is come, he findeth it empty, swept,
and garnished.
Matthew 12:45
Then goeth he, and taketh with himself
seven other spirits more wicked than
himself, and they enter in and dwell
there: and the last state of that man is
worse than the first. Even so shall it
be also unto this wicked generation.
They hate being driven out of humans
Acts 8:7
For unclean spirits, crying with loud
voice, came out of many that were
possessed with them: and many taken with
palsies, and that were lame, were
healed. Their aim is to make the last
state of the man worser than the
beginning stage
Matthew 12:45
Then goeth he, and taketh with himself
seven other spirits more wicked than
himself, and they enter in and dwell
there: and the last state of that man is
worse than the first. The work that
demons do in this world.
The main job of demons is to assist
satan in his objective of making man
live in rebellion with God his creator.
They blind the minds of people ( 2
Corinthians 4:4) and inspire them to
worship satan – This is their main job:
Revelation 9:20
And the rest of the men which were not
killed by these plagues yet repented not
of the works of their hands, that they
should not worship devils, and idols of
gold, and silver, and brass, and stone,
and of wood: which neither can see, nor
hear, nor walk:
They make humans follow their
doctrines
1 Timothy 4:1
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that
in the latter times some shall depart
from the faith, giving heed to seducing
spirits, and doctrines of devils;
To achieve their goals
They seduce
1 Timothy 4:1
( attract, persuade )humans to obey them
They join hands with other evil spirits
to help them in their task of keeping
humans under their control in the event
of them failing by doing it alone
Matthew 12:45
Then goeth he, and taketh with himself
seven other spirits more wicked than
himself, and they enter in and dwell
there: and the last state of that man is
worse than the first.
They tell Lies
1 Kings 22:21
And there came forth a spirit, and stood
before the LORD, and said, I will
persuade him.
1 Kings 22:22
And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith?
And he said, I will go forth, and I will
be a lying spirit in the mouth of all
his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt
persude him, and prevail also: go forth,
and do so.
They instill fear among humans and keep
them in bondage
2 Timothy 1:7
For God hath not given us the spirit of
fear; but of power, and of love, and of
a sound mind.
They maketh people to sin
1 John 3:8
He that committeth sin is of the devil;
for the devil sinneth from the
beginning. For this purpose the Son of
God was manifested, that he might
destroy the works of the devil.
They make people sick and keep them
in sickness
Matthew 9:32
As they went out, behold, they brought
to him a dumb man possessed with a
devil.
Matthew 9:33
And when the devil was cast out, the
dumb spake:
Satan, therefore, is our enemy--clever,
cruel, hungry, always on the prowl. As
the enemy of the church, he plants
counterfeit Christians alongside the
genuine. We must be on guard against
these tactics. And we must counterattack
by bearing fruit for God wherever we
have been planted. As the devouring
enemy, he will draw us into himself and
make us his instruments unless we
maintain a serious attitude toward life
and keep on the alert.
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