|
caveat: we may disagree on this. However, we can still love each other
and do God's work together
OUR VIEW FROM SCRIPTURE
 | how we view scripture will determine our beliefs about the supernatural
 | Francis MacNutt: "A basic principle of Scripture interpretation
is that we should accept what the writer says in its literal sense
unless there is strong evidence that we should understand the passage in
a symbolic or metaphysical way." |
| others will say the stories that mention demons or Satan are either (1)
always symbolic of evil in general or (2) the people of
Jesus' day grew up in a culture that believed in evil spirits and thus,
for instance, they would see an epileptic person as being possessed
 | about (1): the writers were obviously not writing about Satan in a
symbolic way, any serious study of scripture will show the obvious
falsehood of this belief. |
| about (2): there are several problems with this line of thinking:
| Yes, we do have more medical knowledge than was available
2,000 years ago, however, the stories in scripture clearly
delineate between healing a physical problem and casting out of
a demon. People argue, however, that the casting out of demons
was the cultural way of describing the healing of a
psychological illness. The problem with that line of thinking is
we are throwing our cultural and educational thinking backwards
to explain something we do not want to believe. In other words
we are guilty of doing what we describe them as doing. |
| When we attempt to explain away what Jesus is doing, we are
forgetting that we believe Jesus is all knowing. If we really
believe that Jesus is all knowing, then why would he cast out a
demon if he "knew" it was a physical or psychological
illness? If we do not believe that Jesus is all knowing, then
what do we do with the scriptures that say Jesus knew the
thoughts of their hearts? |
|
|
|
| the entirety of scripture argues for a view of the supernatural which
includes God and Satan. If belief in Satan was simply a result of cultural
conditioning, then that conditioning has taken place from the beginning of
time until the present. Can cultural conditioning be changed? Obviously it
can. New knowledge can change beliefs. However, no new knowledge has come to
light which denies with absolute certainty existence of Satan. |
| Another thought about how we view scripture: how can we accept the concept
of God, miracles and angels, but not believe in Satan and demons? If we
accept anything about the supernatural, such as the resurrection, then it is
absurd to not believe other aspects of the supernatural |
Satan's Names
| serpent (Revelations 12:9) |
| the devil (Matthew 17:18) |
| Satan - from the Hebrew, which means adversary (Luke 10:18) |
| deceiver (Matthew 27:63) |
| the accuser (Revelations 12:10) |
| Beelzebub (Matthew 10:25) |
| prince of demons (Matthew 9:34) |
| great dragon (Revelation 12:3) |
| fiery flying serpent (Is. 14:29) |
| evil one (Matthew 13:19) |
| king of terrors (Job 18:14) |
| god of this age (2 Cor 4:4) |
| angel of light (2 Cor 11:14) |
His Minion's Names
| demons |
| evil spirits |
| fallen angels |
| spirit guides |
| spirits of the dead |
| prior incarnations |
SATAN AND HIS WAYS
C. S. Lewis - there are two mistaken views: an unhealthy interest or
disbelief
Who is Satan?
| Satan is a fallen angel:
| Luke 10:18 Jesus replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from
heaven. |
| Revelation 12:9 The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent
called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was
hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. |
|
| leads demons, who are other fallen angels. Usually, we are referring
to Satan's powerful organization of angels and humans. |
What is his character?
| evil |
| rebellious |
| self-willed |
| limited power and knowledge |
What authority does he have?
| limited on earth to the authority given him by gullible humans who own the world.
Genesis 1:26-28 |
| no longer has the authority as an archangel to do things for
himself. Luke 10:18 |
| to teach - 1 Timothy 4:1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some
will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by
demons. |
| controls the world right now through gullible humans through the promise
given them by God - 1 John 5:19 We know that we are children of
God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. |
| hinder the work of Christians - 1 Thessalonians 2:18 For we wanted to come
to you--certainly I, Paul, did, again and again--but Satan stopped us. |
What are his tactics?
| deception - John 8:44 You belong to your father, the devil, and you want
to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not
holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks
his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. |
| temptation - Jesus was tempted, Matthew 4:1-11 |
| sows doubt - Genesis 3 "Did God really say . . . " and
Matthew 4 "If you are the Son of God . . ." |
| accuses - his very name means "accuser"; difference between
conviction & condemnation |
| devours - 1 Peter 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil
prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. |
| blinds us - (2 Corinthians 4:4) The god of this age has blinded the minds
of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory
of Christ, who is the image of God. |
| leads us away from Christ - 2 Corinthians 11:3 But I am afraid that just
as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led
astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. |
| uses people for his purposes - (John 13:27) As soon as Judas took the
bread, Satan entered into him. |
| influence & possession - (Luke 8:27-39) The Gadarene
demoniac had enough control to bring himself to Jesus; the demons upon him
resisted Jesus' efforts to cast them out. This can be minor influence
upon a human's thoughts all the way to suppressing the human personality for
a time. |
What do we do?
| Put on the spiritual armor: Ephesians 6:10-18
| vs. 14 Gird your waist with Truth. (to counter Satan's primary weapons
-- lies) |
| vs 14 put on the breastplate of Righteousness. (to counter Satan's
accusations) |
| vs 15 shod your feet to go share the gospel of Peace. ( to
reduce Satan's sources of power) |
| vs 16 take up the shield of faith (by which we can stop Satan's
attacks against us) |
| vs 17 put on the helmet of salvation (to counter Satan's
discouragement and despair) |
| vs 18 take up the sword of the Spirit ( the spoken word of God to
break down Satan's strongholds) |
|
| resist and stand firm in Christ - 1 Peter 5:8-9 Be self-controlled and
alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for
someone to devour. {9} Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you
know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of
sufferings. |
| Evangelize his followers. The fewer there are, the less power he
has. |
| reckon our victory is in Christ on the cross - Colossians 2:15 And having
disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them,
triumphing over them by the cross. |
| we have authority in Christ to cast out demons - Mark 16:17-18 And these
signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out
demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their
hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they
will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." |
what we don't do:
| horoscopes, sun signs and Astrology |
| ouija boards, dowsing rods and pendulums |
| reading tarot cards, palms, tea leaves or iris patterns |
| consult psychics, mediums or channelers |
| do channeling or seances |
| black or white magic, magick, witchcraft and Wicca |
| mind-blanking meditation, chanting or hypnosis |
| automatic writing |
| have amulets, talismans, idols, masks and charms |
| communicate with spirit guides or 'voices' |
| Reiki, soulish power massage and Shamanism |
| sorcery and homeopathy |
| Feng Shui |
| etc. |
All of these things seek for power or hidden knowledge from Satan.
These open back doors to your soul for Satan's demons to disrupt your Christian
walk. They take special prayer to close them. Contact the
pastor if you have any questions or engaged in any of these.
|
