This is part 1 in a series of 4 articles on Spiritual Warfare.
Are Christians really at war?
The answer is quite clearly yes, we are at war! So now let’s try and find out who with and why by examining the scriptures. The Word of Truth as revealed by God!
What does the Bible say?
Our first scripture reference comes from the book of Genesis:
Genesis 3:14-15 (NIV)
14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring[seed] and hers; he will crush[strike] your head, and you will strike his heel.”
So, in the above verses we see that because of the disobedience of Adam and Eve to the instruction (Word) of God and because of Satan’s leading them into sin through the serpent, God put enmity between man and Satan. This means war, Satan is out to destroy you – his way leads to spiritual death which is everlasting separation from God!
Revelation 12:17 (NIV)
Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring—those who keep God’s commands and hold fast their testimony about Jesus.
Ezekiel 28:13 (NIV)
You were in Eden,
the garden of God;
every precious stone adorned you:
carnelian, chrysolite and emerald,
topaz, onyx and jasper,
lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl.
Your settings and mountings were made of gold;
on the day you were created they were prepared.
The Bible also tells us that the whole world is under the control of Satan:
1 John 5:19 (NLT)
We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.
How did Satan get his name?
The word ‘Satan’ in the Old Testament is a transliteration (transliteration is the process of transferring a word from the alphabet of one language to another) of the Hebrew word ‘satan’ which means, the adversary, the accuser or opponent or one who resists.
The Hebrew word is a descriptor (adjective) which the Bible translators have turned into a noun – hence we get Satan.
Similarly, in the New Testament written mostly in Greek, the writers have transliterated the Hebrew word ‘satan’ as the Greek word ‘satanas’ which has the same meanings as the Hebrew word.
Another name for Satan, which we find in the New Testament but not in the Old Testament, is “the devil” from the Greek word “diabolos”, which in its Greek form is an adjective and means, slanderous, falsely accusing, opposing. Here again the Bible translators have turned the word into a noun as the Devil!
From this we get, in the New Testament, that Satan is an evil spirit being that opposes everything that God is and that he is the leader of a number of lesser evil spirits (fallen angels) that were thrown out of heaven with him.
Satan and his followers are thus described as at war with God as in the below scripture and as such they are at war with His creation.
Revelation 12:7-9 (NLT)
7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 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.
Other descriptive words used for Satan in the New Testament are:
Morning star, son of the dawn:
Isaiah 14:12 (NIV)
How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!
The name “morning star” or “day star” when translated from Latin is Lucifer, a name by which Satan is also referred to before his fall.
The Anointed cherub:
Ezekiel 28:14
“You were the anointed cherub who covers and protects,
And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked in the midst of the stones of fire [sparkling jewels].
Satan was not created evil, he was once a beautiful and anointed cherub of God, but he chose to be evil by his own free will! Sin has a way of turning us nasty and evil!
Satan is evil with a capital 'D'!
The Devil:
This is one of the more popular names for Satan and is only found in the New Testament. As mentioned above the devil means slanderer, a slanderer is someone who makes false statements about another – he lies, he is a liar and Jesus calls him the father of lies.
The Devil:
Matthew 4:1 (NIV)
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
This is one of the more popular names for Satan and is only found in the New Testament. As mentioned above the devil means slanderer, a slanderer is someone who makes false statements about another – he lies, he is a liar and Jesus calls him the father of lies.
John 8:44 (NIV)
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. 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.
The Accuser:
Revelation 12:10 (NLT)
Then I heard a loud voice shouting across the heavens,
“It has come at last— salvation and power
and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters has been thrown down to earth—
the one who accuses them before our God day and night.
The Tempter:
Matthew 4:3 (NIV)
The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
Satan’s aim is to lead people away from God by tempting them into sin through lies and disobedience to God and His Word. The very same tactics he used successfully used against Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, he tried to use unsuccessfully against Jesus in the wilderness as Jesus was starting our in His ministry on Earth!.
The Thief, Killer and Destroyer:
John 10:10 (AMP)
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].
Revelation 9:11 (NLT)
Their king is the angel from the bottomless pit; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon—the Destroyer.
The Great Dragon:
Revelation 12:9 (NIV)
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.
Appearing as a Roaring Lion:
1 Peter 5:8 (AMP)
Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour.
The Devil is insatiable in his desire to destroy the pride of God’s creation – man!
The Ruler of the Kingdom of the Air and god of this Age and the god of this world:
Ephesians 2:1-2 (NIV)
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
John 14:30 (NLT)
I don’t have much more time to talk to you, because the ruler of this world approaches. He has no power over me,
Matthew 4:8-9 (NIV)
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
2 Corinthians 4:4 (NLT)
Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.
The Devil's authority and power is over all the nations of the earth. He can influence men in such a way that they are not even aware that they are being influenced toward evil. He manipulates people's attitudes through lies and by moving our reasoning processes toward satisfaction of self. He gives disinformation and stirs up evil and disobedience within us towards the things of God.
But for those of us who are in Christ Jesus we have the victory over Satan - Jesus did it all at the Cross - His shed blood covers us (born again Christians) from all our sin.
The Father of Lies and a Murderer:
John 8:44 (NIV)
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. 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.
If you don’t belong to the Father in heaven, then you belong to the Father of lies – the Devil!
The Enemy and the Evil One:
Matthew 13:19 (NLT)
The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message about the Kingdom and don’t understand it. Then the evil one comes and snatches away the seed that was planted in their hearts.
Matthew 13:39 (NLT)
The enemy who planted the weeds among the wheat is the devil. The harvest is the end of the world, and the harvesters are the angels.
But Satan wasn’t created evil!
Satan or the Devil is a God-created spirit being (an angel) and, like us (mankind), he was given freedom by God to choose between good and evil. Let’s verify this through scripture!
Ezekiel 28:15 (NIV)
You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created
till wickedness was found in you.
The above scripture tells us quite clearly that Satan was not created evil but was blameless until he embraced evil by his own freewill choice.
Before his fall Satan was placed in a position of trust and authority as a guardian angel, firstly on God’s Holy Mountain and then, after God created earth, in the Garden of Eden. Let’s confirm this through scripture:
Ezekiel 28:13-14 (NIV)
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you:
carnelian, chrysolite and emerald, topaz, onyx and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared.
14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you.
You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones.
But what caused Satan’s fall? What was his sin?
Pride!
Ezekiel 28:17 (NLT)
Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty.
Your wisdom was corrupted by your love of splendor.
So I threw you to the ground and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings.
In Isaiah 14 we are told that Satan, because of his pride and consciousness of self, began to think that he was greater than God – and strangely enough, he still thinks the same to this very day!
Isaiah 14:12-14 (NIV)
12 How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!
13 You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”
So, in the above verses it is clear that pride had gotten hold of Satan big time:
I will ascend to the heavens…verse 13
I will raise my throne…verse 13
I will sit enthroned…verse 13
I will ascend above the clouds...verse 14
I will make myself like God…verse 14
What is often missed when reading these scriptures is the significance of Mount Zaphon - verse 13 above! This mountain was the focal place of worship of the Caananites, worshippers of the man-inspired false god and idol, Baal. In other words they were open Devil worshippers - the whole nation!
This mountain was set up by Satan in opposition to God’s Holy Mountain - Mt Zion. It was thus an abomination in the sight of God, and this is where Satan says he will enthrone himself higher than God. It is a place of evil!
Although Jesus gave us the victory at the Cross, we still have a battle to fight in our daily walk to work out our salvation! We still have to work out our salvation with fear and trembling and fight of the wiles of the evil one daily by pursuing spiritual maturity!
Philippians 2:12-13 (AMP)
12 So then, my dear ones, just as you have always obeyed [my instructions with enthusiasm], not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation [that is, cultivate it, bring it to full effect, actively pursue spiritual maturity] with awe-inspired fear and trembling [using serious caution and critical self-evaluation to avoid anything that might offend God or discredit the name of Christ]. 13 For it is [not your strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work [that is, strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability to fulfill your purpose] for His good pleasure.
Prayer
Heavenly Father
I pray in the name of Jesus that you would keep my heart pure before you. Do not let pride in any form enter into me. I pray that by your Spirit, Lord that you would protect me from the evil one. Help me, Lord, to be a good and faithful servant. Amen.
To Jesus belongs all glory, honour and praise!
Jesus the Name above all names!
Remember: Reading this article is no substitute for reading and studying the Bible for yourself! I am flawed the Bible is not!
Part 2 is here! Know your enemy, know yourself.
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