Know Your Enemy预览

DAY TWO

The Evil Empire 

I heard a teaching about the devil that challenged my thinking but was very helpful. The pastor said, “Satan is not Omnipresent like God.” That means he cannot be in all places at the same time. In Job 1, we read about the angels presenting themselves before the Lord. “The Lord said to Satan, ‘Where have you come from?’  Satan answered the Lord, ‘From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.'” Job 1:7 NIV  

So even though Satan is a spiritual being, he is limited by time and space and can only operate in one place at a time. The pastor, however, said that Satan has an army of demons and minions, an evil empire, assisting him in his bidding. In Ephesians, we read about an elaborate organization, all targeted at the inhabitants of earth.  

“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Ephesians 6:12 NIV 

The pastor said that if we have been attacked spiritually, in all likelihood, it was not Satan himself, but rather, one of his demons. That gave me a greater sense of strength with the thought of battling demons rather than the Prince of Darkness, himself. 

We know from the Bible that demons definitely exist. In Revelation 12, it talks about the devil being hurled to the earth with his demons (or angels), and we can surmise that these demons are some sort of angelic beings or spirits. In Mark 5, we read about Jesus encountering a demon-possessed man:

“Then Jesus asked him, ‘What is your name?’  ‘My name is Legion,’ he replied, ‘for we are many.’ And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area. A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. The demons begged Jesus, ‘Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.’ He gave them permission, and the evil spirits came out and went into the pigs.  The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.” Mark 5:9-13 NIV

Just like God’s angels who visit the earth and do his work and are Holy and fully represent Him, these evil spirits look and act like Satan and fully represent him. However, did you notice something in both quoted verses? In Job, Satan approached God in submission. It goes on to say he had to have God’s permission to do anything to Job. Likewise, Jesus had authority over the legion of demons who were afflicting the man in Luke 22:31-32 NIV: Jesus tells Peter, “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you like wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” Again, Satan had to ask permission to cause any grief to Peter, and Jesus was praying for him.

1 John 4 talks about evil spirits:

“This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. You, dear children are from God and have overcome them, because the One Who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” 1 John 4:2-4 NIV 

So, before we go further, understand that if you are a child of God, you can overcome any evil and if it’s in your life, it ONLY comes by God’s permission.