Bible doctrines paper 1st semester
Satan chomps the bit as he waits to destroy us.
Satan rebels against God with his attacks upon mankind day and night. Satan has set up a system of attack. He has laid out his battle plan for this present evil world. He has power to back up his plan, he has the gear to carry his plan out, and he has his group of demons to aid him with his dreaded task, the powers that Satan possesses are real and he is venomous serpent watching for more victims. It is important for all christians to know and understand what power Satan has and how he uses it.
Satan backs up his plan for battle with power. Satan uses the powers he has as an angel, his powers as the devil, and his power to be efficient. First, Angels excel in their strength according to David in Psalms 103 and before Satan fell from heaven he was the most powerful angel. According to the Bible, when Christ came to earth he was made a little lower than the angels. When the scriptures compare the strength and standings of men to angels, angels are much higher and more powerful beings. Angels also have power over the air, unlike mankind. Satan brought down fire from heaven on Job’s belongings and took Christ in His fleshly body through the air from place to place during his temptation.
Second, Satan has power as the devil. He is the prince of this world according to John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11 and Ephesians 2:2. As the prince of this world he is ruling it. He rules his kingdom in darkness. He owns and controls the events of the world for now, but someday it will no longer be his to control.
Lastly, Satan quickly and effectively administrates his power against the wicked and the righteous. Satan has a strong grip on the wicked that he does not want to lose. He has sinners bound to sin so that they carry out his wishes as if they were law. They do all his will as law without even realizing that they are doing his will and not their own. Jesus referred to Satan as a strong man whose house cannot be taken over unless he is bound. Satan is a strong man who holds the wicked captive in their sin. Satan even can rule in the lives of the believer as well. According to Acts 5 Satan filled Ananisas and Sapphira. When Satan filled their hearts to sin, they fulfilled Satan’s will completely.
Satan efficiently uses his power against the Saints. "The saints, which are subjects of another kingdom, are still fearing, complaining, watching, praying, and spreading out their hands, with lifting up their eyes to heaven for help against him."[1] He seeks to tear down the believers' faith and bind their hearts with the fear of himself. When believers live in fear and keep their eyes on the world around them, they are ineffective. Satan knows he cannot get believers into hell, but he can make them ineffective.
Satan is quick to minister evil and is respected by other angels. The afflictions that he brought upon Job are a clear example of this. When Satan received permission from God to bring bodily harm upon Job, he immediately went to work. Not only is Satan quick to minister evil, but he is also respected by God’s angels. When the archangel Michael was wrestling with Satan over the body of Moses, Michael would not rebuke Satan. He said that the lord would rebuke him. Satan is efficient at quickly doing his evil works and using his powers as an angel, devil, and efficient minister of evil.
Satan has gear that he uses to hold unbelievers in darkness and believers in defeat.
Satan imitates God to deceive men and he stirs up strife cause discord among believers. First, Satan tries imitating God. The Methods he uses to imitate God would include his false trinity, his synagogues, his throne, his kingdom, his worshipers, his angels, his ministers, his miracles, his sacrifices, his fellowship, and his armies.[2] According to Revelation 13:2 and Revelation 16:13, Satan established a false trinity. This false trinity includes Satan as the father, the antichrist as the son, and the false prophet as the spirit. Satan’s synagogues include any church that claims to have the truth, but does not preach the Gospel. Donald Barnhouse Once commented, “When searching for the devil one should not forget to check behind the pulpit”[3] Satan uses these methods to work against God by imitating Him.
Satan also delights in sowing tares among the wheat according to Matthew 13:24-30. The parable of the man who planted his field and his enemies came and planted tares in his field are an illustration of what Satan does to believers. He seeks to spread false doctrine, twist Gods Word, hider Gods workers, opposing believers in prayer, blind men from the truth, accuse the brethren before God, set snares for men, tempt men, and he afflicts them. Satan is delighted with his success with these methods of creating problems for the believer.
The many false religions and cults in the world are nothing more than a witness of Satan’s false doctrine being believed and spread abroad. Satan loves to take God’s word and twist it out of context. When he tempted Christ, he did exactly that. He took verses of Scripture out of context and used them against Christ. Not only does he use Scripture out of context, but he also puts a wrong emphasis on doctrines. He will over emphasis certain doctrines and under emphasis others.
I Thessalonians 3:5 shows that when Satan tempts people that one method he uses is conformity. Satan tried to get Paul to conform to the government so he would not return. Acts 5:1-11 records how Satan tempted Ananias and Sappharia to cover up their selfishness.
Satan can afflict believers with physical and mental problems as well as he can cause death, deceive men, attack the home, and urge saints to go against the holiness of God. The physical diseases that Satan uses include muteness, blindness, and seizures, although he is not limited to these methods. Satan can use other illnesses to afflict the believer. Satan’s use of mental disorders is found many times in the gospels. Mark 5:4-5; Mark 5:9-22; Luke 8:27-29; and Luke 9:37-42 are a few examples of mental disorders Satan used to hold people in bondage. The attacks that Satan places on the believer are trying to deceive them and give them a wrong view of God. The home is one of Satan’s frequent battlegrounds. If Satan can destroy the home, he can destroy multiple lives and generations in a short amount of time. Satan can easily deceive believers who want to do right and serve God, so that they transgress the holiness of God.
Satan’s demons aid his plan for battle. Satan’s demons are at war with God’s angels according to Revelation 12:7. This battle is no small skirmish. Satan has multitudes of demons working for him. If seven demons abode in Marry Magdalene before she was saved and an entire legion can be cast out of one man than how many more are out doing the will of Satan. The demons all aid Satan is his work here on earth.
Satan has set his demons in parallel to the organization that God has established for his angels. Satan has his thrones, dominions, principalities, and mights set up against God. All the power and tools that Satan uses is used by his demons as well. His demons may not be quite as strong as him, but they excel in strength compared to man.
Satan’s power, gear, and helpers are no match to God. God created these beings and is still superior to them. All their powers are limited by Gods will and wishes. Believers as the children of God have no reason to fear Satan and his cohorts. They have Christ living in them and He has over come the world. We can have victory over sin through our Savior. Believers living bound in sin and in the muck and mire of this world are not accessing the grace of God. Satan hates the blood of Christ. The blood of Christ is what defeated Satan at the cross.
Satan’s power is real, his gear is working, and his group of demons are fighting for him, but thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Although Satan has devised a plan and backed it up, we know God and His power. Believers must rest in his grace and not look to the circumstances around them. Christians must understand and guard against the attacks of Satan
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[1] Richard Gilpin, M.D., Biblical Demonology, ed. by Rev. Alexander Balloch Grosart ( London: James Nisbet & Co, 1867; reprint ,Minneapolis: Minnesota: Klock & Klock, 1982), 18.
[2] H.L. Willmington, Dr., Willmington’s Guide to the Bible, ( Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1981), 764.
[3] H.L. Willmington, Dr., Willmington’s Guide to the Bible, ( Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1981), 763-765.