Fighting the Unseen
Spiritual Warfare Week II

Last week we established the definition and the real existence of spiritual warfare. We all agreed that it WAS real and that it DID occur daily in our lives. We also talked about the importance of developing and practicing “Spiritual Vision”.

The next logical step in this fight would be to determine who is involved in this battle.
** Who ALL is involved?
 

There is a short list of who we can expect to be the key players, as this epic battle unfolds.

This week I want us to focus on Satan. Who he is, where he came from, where he lives etc.

Is Satan real? Astonishingly, many people, including “Christians” claim he is not. (Here is the stat I could not remember last week: 47% of self-professed evangelical Christians, 69% of Catholics and 65% of mainline Protestants DO NOT BELIEVE that there is a REAL Devil! All studies show that believing in a Devil who is served by angels and demons in NOT AT ALL popular in the “religious world” of America.
Why do you think this is?
What is the danger in this? This is EXACTLY what Satan wants us to believe…by denying his existence, we give him immense leverage in his efforts on Earth!!!

Jesus sure thought he was real! He referred to Satan some 25 times and had a personal encounter with him described in Matthew 4. Jesus clearly believed in the Devil…so why shouldn’t we?

Why should we believe in a very real Satan?????? Because the Bible assures us of his existence! Before we move any further, I want to make sure we are all in agreeance that the Devil is real. He is not just a “picture of the manifestation of evil in the world”, or a metaphor, or some scary fairy tale…HE IS REAL! By denying this basic concept, you would also deny his power, which could prove a deadly mistake!

Most world cultures very strongly and openly believe in the Devil and demons. Western culture though still struggles. Maybe this can be attributed to the fact that he has disguised himself well (ex: cartoon character, sports mascots, metaphor etc.) He works VERY hard to deceive us into believing he’s just a figment of imagination. Listen to this quote from the “Sr. Devil to the Jr. Devil” in CS Lewis’ Screwtape Letters: “suggest to your subject a picture of something in red tights and persuade him that since he cannot believe in something like THAT (it is an old textbook method of confusing them) he therefore cannot believe in you!” And so…many deny his realness!

So….for those who deny his existence, there is still an undeniable problem: THE EXISTENCE OF EVIL. Deny Satan all you want, but NO ONE can deny evil that is in the world. Denying him forces us to look for sources of evil in other places. All it takes to be convinced is a quick glimpse of the evening news! So, for those lacking a belief in the Devil, mankind has been forced to find substitutes on which to blame their problems. Can you name any of the substitutes we use???
Here are just a few: humanity, parents, past abuses, poor role models, poor choices, addictions, economic factors, ourselves etc….
Satan is the true source of all evil. What part do we play in this? Are we evil? There is potential problem here, as evil CANNOT be blamed on us, BUT it also MUST be blamed on us! There should be a distinct balance of responsibility. You cannot believe you’re NEVER at fault for your actions, while at the same time, we cannot feel that everything is our fault. We are called to balance. We must accept personal responsibility, but also understand that the temptations in life DO NOT come from within us, but are put before us! Our battle, lest we forget is always always always against Satan!

If he is real….where did he come from?

I believe this very question may be one of the reasons that many believers struggle with his existence. “Because if Satan exists, then he must have been created, and SURELY God would not create evil would he?”

Was Satan created? I do believe so. In fact I think he was one of God’s glorious creations, full of beauty and wisdom.

What does the Bible tell us about his origins? LET’s READ EZEKIEL 28 together!
(focus on vs 11-19). While God IS talking about a King of Tyre, he is also using it, paralleling a story of just who Satan is, and telling a VERY interesting story about things going on in the Garden of Eden that are NOT recorded anyplace else! It gives us an unusual glimpse into Satan’s role in cutting away Man from God!

(Don’t try to reason with me or argue that this is not literal! For one the King of Tyre was NOT in Eden! Also God did not speak him into existence (his parents took care of that).The King could not have been described as “guardian cherub ordained by God”. And since his existence began on Earth, I doubt he was expelled from the “mount of God” TO Earth! And I DO NOT think this is just merely symbolic or apocalyptic language either, because the symbolism would ONLY be valid if something happened in the Garden of Eden that this language could symbolize! What was it? NOTHING: it did not happen! He is describing Satan!)

WOW! Crazy huh? It would seem that God appointed an awesome being to be a guardian angel in the Garden, one who was created a model of perfection, and stayed that way until he decided to sin (which sprang from pride). This is an AMAZING passage! While comparing the King of Tyre, good ol’ Ezekiel gives us a glimpse of what happened in the Garden and how Satan’s pride lead to his fall. (MORE READING: Isa. 14:12-15)

So…..Where does he live now?

Well….this being still exists. So..where does he now live, since he can no longer live in Heaven? HE LIVES ON EARTH, WHERE GOD CAST HIM, WHERE HE STILL REMAINS!
So here is a tough question: If he lives here, and let’s face it- he IS powerful, who controls Earth? Satan does! Does that answer surprise you? Read I John 5:19
Satan does not OWN the world (Psalm 24:1), but he surely does CONTROL it!
(MORE READING: Rev. 12)

Where does Jesus fit in…Where does his rule take place in the world?

Does Jesus have any sovereignty over the world that is controlled by Satan?
In the great commission Jesus says “All authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to me…” (Matt 28:18) In Hebrews 2:8 we are told “In putting everything under Him, God left nothing that is not subject to Him. Yet at present, we do not see everything subject to him”………..somehow, I always skipped that part I guess! Think about that last sentence. At present, not EVERYTHING is subjected to Jesus, even though he has all authority.
WOW! Doesn’t that rattle your brain and worldview just a bit! When will everything be subject to him then? Perhaps the answer lies in I Cor. 15:24-27.

Doesn’t this all seem a little crazy heavy to you? It does to me! Jesus reigns now, but according to the Bible…THERE ARE STILL DOMINIONS, AUTHORITES AND POWERS THAT ARE NOT YET UNDER HIS FEET! That takes a minute to absorb!
Make no mistake: The victory of Jesus was ultimate and sure, and we are assured that ultimately all of these powers are conquered and will be totally subjected to him when he hands it all over to his Father, but for now……… I guess it is safe to agree: SATAN RULES THIS WORLD! We will talk more in later classes on just WHY there is still a battle.

So how do we process all of this?

This next statement I will make is essential. You have been asked to swallow A LOT in this lesson, but pay attention to this:
WE MUST RESPECT OUR FOE BUT NOT FEAR HIM; WE MUST BECOME ACUTELY AWARE OF HIM AND HIS METHODS, BUT NOT BE PREOCCUPIED WITH HIM

Or, as my buddy C.S. Lewis said: “There are 2 equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them.”

While respecting our enemy, we are never instructed to be totally preoccupied with him. We should only ever be preoccupied entirely on God!

Understand this” GOD IS ALL POWERFUL…..NOTHING WILL EVER DEFEAT HIM! But I think it is very very very important that we also understand and acknowledge that Satan is also a very powerful being. He controls our world, and exudes much power in it. He has millions of weapons of deception and lies. Next week, we will begin to look just HOW MUCH power he has and more specifically…how he operates within his power to try and get to all of us!

Continue growing in God’s word. Continue developing your spiritual vision…..and I look forward to studying with you all next week!


Homework and Reflection Questions for the Week
• What do you think is the biggest reason more people don’t believe in Satan?

• How do you personally KNOW Satan Is real?

• What is the difference between God “owning” the world and Satan “controlling” it?

• What evidence in your life have you seen backing up that Satan really does control this world?


****Make sure you read over all of these notes again and ponder them, study them and pray about them. I really want you to absorb the information and take it in your heart! Read all of the passages referred to again this week!





More suggested reading:
The Singer Trilogy- Calvin Miller
Spirit Warriors- Stu Weber
This Present Darkness- Frank Peretti