LESSON THREE
Book B
IS THERE A DEVIL IN THE WORLD TODAY?
Many people can see the devil at work in all the evil wars and tragedies of the past. Many can see the devil at work in crime and murderousness. Insane and psychopathic responses say some is the devil's work but few see the devil the way that the Lord Jesus said that he is.
"Let your Yes be Yes and your No be No. For whatever is more than these is from the evil one" Matthew 5:37
"Get behind me satan. You are an offence to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men". Matthew 16:23
" I beheld satan fall as lightening from heaven". Luke 10:18
In these three references alone Jesus stated that the devil was a very real person and that he tempted and interfered with day to day life. That it was satanic to talk too much. It was satanic to get involved in the things that men get involved at the expense of the will of God.
Jesus dislocated satan and his kingdom from having ascendancy over the ways of mankind and say in a vision satan falling as lightening from heaven. His position of always being able to rule the lives and thoughts of men being usurped by Jesus, in the name of the Father whose position this really belonged to.
No, satan is a very real person and he has a kingdom of his own. He rules mankind because of the sin of Adam and Eve. The flesh nature of man. But his position has been successfully challenged in Christ Jesus.
WHERE DID SATAN COME FROM?
"And war broke out in heaven, Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old called the devil and satan, who deceives the whole world, he was cast to the earth and his angels were cast out with him". Revelations 12:7-9 (NKJ)
"You were the anointed cherub who covers. I established you. You were on the holy mountain of God. You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in all your ways until iniquity was found in you". Ezekiel 28:14,15 (NKJ)
These scriptures tell us that satan used to be a holy and anointed cherubim angel in the very presence of God. He tried to take over heaven and was relegated to the earth. Banished from the presence of God to await further sentencing. He took with him many angels, a third actually. Michael and his angels overcame him.
He was bound to the earth realm from this time forward and judged through Christ. He will be further judged in the time to come. He had a choice but now there is no future for satan. He will be thrown into the fiery lake of fire when the time comes.
He still has at the bottom of all insurrection, murder, theft and hatred. His kingdom represents him and Jesus told us that he has a kingdom.
"If satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?" said the Lord Jesus. Luke 11:18 (NKJ)
THE WORKS OF SATAN IN THE EARTH TODAY
There are some obvious works of evil in the world today but Jesus opened up our eyes to works of satan that we would never have dreamed of.
"How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil for God was with him". Acts 10:38
"And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom satan has bound - think of it - for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?" Luke 13:16 (NKJ)
Jesus said that satan caused the back problem that caused this woman to be bound for eighteen years. Most people would have called it sickness or infirmity but Jesus said it was the work of satan. Acts 10:38 also backs this up stating that Jesus was anointed for the purpose of healing those who satan had oppressed with sickness either of soul or of body. and that He obeyed God and went about healing them.
So satan is the author of bodily sickness as well. What else?
"Whose minds the god of this age has blinded who do not believe..........." 2 Cor. 4:4 (NKJ)
Satan is the deceiver. Revelations 12:9 says that he deceives the whole world. That's quite a deception, deceiving the whole world. So Satan’s abilities include propagating sickness and disease and deception on a monumental scale.
Demon possession is obviously satanic and does not really need any further enlightenment. Demons are real and need casting out of those either oppressed by them and possessed by them.
"The sower sows the word and these are the ones by the wayside where the word is sown, and when they hear, satan comes immediately and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts" Mark 4:14,15 (NKJ)
Here Jesus stated that Satan’s objectives were to steal the word of God. "Has God said?". Is the question that satan brings to the hearts of Adam and Eve and still brings this question to every person in the whole world.
God promises a way of salvation out of every situation and satan always brings forth the challenge, "Has God said?". A question thrown up in the minds of even good men to doubt the God who says that His word can be relied upon and followed without question.
No, the devil is a very real person, seen, like God, in many aspects of daily life not just in the abnormal genocides that the world has seen. He has a kingdom or power structure and the bible goes further to say that we are at war with him.
"For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places". Ephesians 6:12
So God says that we wrestle against this kingdom of darkness and all it's powers.
"Behold I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you". Luke 10:19
"Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee". James 4:7
So then we are to fight this kingdom of darkness and resist it in all the ways that it operates. God says that it is a rebellious kingdom driven by the prince of rebellion, satan. The word satan means enemy of life. But Praise God, He has given us power over all the power of the enemy and promises that nothing shall harm us from Satan’s kingdom.
FURTHER READING FOR THOSE INTERESTED -
Mark 4:1-34, Luke 10:18-20, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, Ephesians 6:10-18, Matthew 16:21-28, Luke 4:36, 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, 1 Timothy 4:1
