Rex Banks

Enemies of God and Man

It is clear from Scripture that in all of his plans and activities, Satan is motivated by an unrelenting hatred, not only for God but also for humanity, but it is not clear why this once glorious angelic being harbors this antagonism and rancour towards man. Louis Sweet opines:

"The popular notion is that Satan is the enemy of men and active in misleading and cursing humanity because of his intense hatred and opposition to God... but if one were to venture an opinion in a region where there are not enough facts to warrant a conviction, it would be that the general tenor of Scripture indicates quite the contrary, namely, that Satan's jealousy and hatred of men has led him into antagonism to God and, consequently, to goodness". (I. S. B. E. vol 4 [emphasis mine])

Perhaps having been sentenced to eternal destruction by God, Satan has vindictively turned his attention to those who are created in Jehovah's image, and whose redemption brings glory to Him. (Gen. 1:26, 27; Isa. 43:7; Eph. 1:6, 14) On the other hand we have Sweet's tentative suggestion that it was Satan's jealousy and hatred of man which produced his resentment towards God. Whatever the reason, the fact is that "the devil prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Pet. 5:8) and Scripture makes it clear that this cunning predator is dreadfully efficient.

Satan: Confined or At Liberty?

But the fact that Satan is active in the affairs of men raises yet another question: "How is it that this deadly enemy of God and man "prowls about" (1 Pet. 5:8) among men and roams about on the earth, (Job 1:7) when he and his rebellious hordes are said to have been cast into hell, committed to pits of darkness, and restrained in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6)?" How do we harmonize those passages which speak of the confinement of Satan and his minions, with those passages which speak of his freedom to operate among men?

Some, like Charles C. Ryrie have argued that "The Scriptures clearly indicate two groups of fallen angels, one consisting of those who have some freedom to carry out Satan's plans, and the other who are confined". (Basic Theology) In similar vein Wesley comments upon Ephesians 6:12: "Perhaps these principalities and powers remain mostly in the citadel of their kingdom of darkness. But there are other evil spirits who range abroad, to whom the provinces of the world are committed." This may be the case. Perhaps there are two groups of fallen angels. However I do not think that this is the best explanation.

In my view, it is more likely that Peter and Jude are speaking of the punishment and limitations imposed upon fallen angels rather than of their confinement, and perhaps John uses similar confinement language to speak of limitations upon Satan in Revelation 20. John here says "And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for 1000 years..." (Rev. 20:1, 2) Clearly as a spirit Satan cannot be bound by a chain literally, so what is John's point here? In my view, the book of Revelation describes the conflict between Pagan Rome and the church, and as I see it the "binding for 1000 years" simply speaks of the completeness of Satan's defeat in a particular area, namely the Rome/church conflict. Never again will Satan be able to use Pagan Rome to persecute God's people. Likely, when John speaks of Satan's release for a short time (v.3) he is telling us that Satan will again have opportunity to persecute God's people, but he is also telling us that the defeat of Rome has limited this power. Perhaps the confinement language of Peter and Jude is also best explained in terms of limitations placed upon man's ancient foe.

Satanic and Demonic Power is Limited

In my view, many today possess a distorted view of the Enemy's activities among men because they fail to take into account certain relevant facts of Scripture. One such fact is that the miraculous era has ceased (see our Miracles), and this is an important consideration in the present discussion, because it leads us to the conclusion that Satan no longer has the ability to employ supernatural power against man. Thus, for example, while there is no doubt about the reality of demon possession during the days of Jesus and the apostles, (see below) there is every reason to believe that this phenomenon did not outlast the miraculous age. Likely "demoniacs" of the post-miraculous period are not suffering from the affliction described in the New Testament, but rather are victims of some kind of emotional disorder. Yes, Satan is alive and active today but the point is that in the post-miraculous era, Satan employs only indirect and non-supernatural means to exert influence upon human affairs, just as in the post-miraculous era the Lord exerts influence through Scripture and through providence (see our On Providence) rather than through the direct use of miraculous power.

What's more, many verses which are cited as proof of direct diabolical influence over man, may simply be affirming that Satan is implicated in disasters and woes because these are the consequences of living in a fallen world. For example, if Paul's "thorn in the flesh" (2 Cor. 12:7) was a physical malady, he may have described it as a "messenger of Satan" simply because all such ailments are the result of the Fall. In similar vein when the Hebrew writer speaks of the Devil's having "the power of death" (2:14) he does not mean that our Enemy determines the time and means of our demise, but simply that death entered the world as a result of Adam's having succumbed to the Satanic temptation. (Gen. 2:17; Rom 5:12) Our Ancient Foe has many weapons at his disposal, but like every other contingent being he is subject to the authority of his Creator.

Clear evidence that Satan operates within certain divinely prescribed limits is found (among other things) in the fact that Satan can act only with the permission of God. (Job chpts 1, 2; Lk 8:27 ff; 22:31) What's more it is also clear that "in spite of themselves (the devil and his angels) ..execute God's plans of punishing the ungodly, of chastening the good, and of illustrating the nature and face of moral evil". (Strong) So just as God uses the evil actions of wicked men to achieve His goals without causing these rebels to sin, so too God uses Satan's malevolent actions to achieve beneficial results. Thus when Micaiah says that the Lord put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of Ahab's prophets (1 Kings 22:23) in order to bring disaster upon the wicked king, he is not affirming that God is directly responsible for the deception, but rather that He permitted the father of lies (Jn 8:44) to have his way with Ahab so as to achieve a salutary result. A similar situation is described in 2 Samuel 24:1 and 1 Chronicles 21:1 where we read of David's sin of numbering Israel. In Samuel we are told that it was "the anger of the Lord" which incited David to sin, while according to the account in Chronicles "Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel." Again the Lord permits (but does not cause) Satan to tempt David, and as a result Israel is disciplined for her ultimate good. In similar vein, Paul's thorn in the flesh was indeed a "messenger of Satan," but in keeping with the divine plan, it produced a good spiritual result. (2 Cor. 12:7) As Calvin points out:

"(The) disposition of the devil being wicked, he has no inclination whatever to obey the divine will... (but) as God holds him bound and fettered by the curb of his power, he executes those things only for which permission has been given him, and thus, however unwilling, obeys his Creator, being forced, whenever he is required, to do Him service." (Institutes vol 1, chpt 14 section 17)

Finally, as we consider the limitations upon Satan, let's never forget that Satan has no power to bring spiritual ruin upon an individual unless that individual himself chooses to abandon truth and to embrace a lie. Paul tells us that those who "perish" as a result of having been deceived by Satan's agent, "the lawless one" do so "because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved". (2 Thess. 2:7-10) These individuals "believe what is false," not because they are hapless victims in the hands of an irresistible Enemy, but rather because they "took pleasure in wickedness". (2 Thess. 2:11, 12) They participate in their own deception. Too, James makes it clear it is only when he is "enticed by his own (idios) lust" (1:14) that man becomes the victim of Satan. Saints are promised that if they resist the Devil he will flee from them (Jas. 4:7 cf 1 Pet. 5:8), and they are supplied with the "full armour of God" (Eph. 6:13 ff) to enable them to do just that. Let's never lose sight of the fact that the Christian possesses the blessed assurance that the Lord will not permit him to be tempted beyond his capacity but will always provide a "way of escape" (1 Cor. 10:13), and let's take comfort in the fact that if an individual chooses to remain faithful to God "No one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand". (Jn 10:29)

The Reality of Satanic and Demonic Power, Activities

But if Scripture speaks of Satan's limitations, it also documents his ability to influence human choices, to entice to evil and to mislead the unwary, and again and again Scripture warns Christians to be alert, watchful and on guard. Let's make no mistake - while our Enemy's power is not absolute, it is real, and while the believer is beyond Satan's reach while he remains loyal to Christ, victory over the Enemy is predicated upon our preserving a living active obedient faith. Our Ancient Foe is unrelenting, and among other things the Bible tells us the following about his battle tactics:

1. Satan is the Accuser

In Part 1 we cited Thayer to show that diabolos (Devil) means "prone to slander, slanderous, accusing falsely." We also pointed out that in Rev. 12:10 Satan is described as "the accuser of our brethren who accuses them day and night." The relevant term here (kategor) means "to speak against...to accuse" (Thayer) and evidently it speaks of "an open and formal accuser" as opposed to the diabolos who is "a secret and calumnious" accuser. (Thayer) Thus in both Testaments man's deadly Enemy is depicted as an adversary who maliciously brings accusations and charges against man with a view to alienating him from his God.

Now some deny that Satan is depicted as an essentially evil figure in the Old Testament, and they argue that in those passages which picture him as the accuser, Satan actually functions, not as an enemy of God but rather as His loyal "prosecuting attorney." T.H. Gaster, for example, insists that in Job chpts 1 and 2 "It is not implied that ...(Satan) is inherently evil ...(or)..... the antagonist of God". (The interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible vol 4 [emphasis mine]) In this context some maintain that Satan is one of the "sons of God" (Job 1:6) charged with bringing human sins to the attention of the heavenly assembly. Gaster argues that in Zechariah 3:1, 2 "the celestial being who challenges the fitness of Joshua...to function as high priest...is not an inherently malevolent fiend or antagonist of God..." (ibid) In Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, Walter M. Dunnett claims that "In the Old Testament... Satan is not an evil principle opposing God. In Job 'the Satan' is not God's adversary, but Job's. He Acts as one of God's subordinates/courtiers to follow his directives.... Thus Satan carries out divine directives." So according to some students of Scripture, Satan functions as a servant of God carrying out a divinely-appointed task, and it is only later, as a result of foreign influences upon Jewish thought, that he is represented as a malicious, vindictive accuser. What are we to make of this position?

The fact is that this view of Satan does not emerge from Scripture. Charles Hodge says bluntly that: "The opinion that the doctrine of Satan was introduced among the Hebrews after the exile and from a heathen source is... contrary to the plain teachings of the Bible". (Systematic Theology Abridged Edition) In fact this view is the product of liberal scholarship which attempts to explain the Satan of Scripture as nothing more than a Judaized version of legendary figures found in surrounding cultures. But popular or not, it lacks Scriptural support. For example, Satan is not pictured as one of the "sons of God" in Job (Job 1:6) as some have affirmed. What we are told is that when the "sons of God" came to present themselves before the Lord "Satan also came among them," the term "also" suggesting that he is separate from this group. What's more, even a cursory reading of Satan's exchange with God in Job chpts 1 and 2 reveals that he is antagonistic towards the Lord and hostile towards Job. Among other things he alleges that the man from Uz serves God only because he finds it profitable to do so, and arrogantly affirms that Job's loyalty will not survive adversity. The implication is that God does not deserve to be worshipped because of His nature and work. John E. Hartley points out:

"(Satan) answered God's questions obtrusively and brusquely, reflecting a contemptuous attitude. He sought to misconstrue a person's actions by imputing impure motives to good deeds. Thus he immediately doubted what God affirmed and sternly resisted persuasion to a different viewpoint. In the second scene before Yahweh, the Satan would not even debate the issue of Job's integrity, but rather denied it in an impudent style by challenging God with verbs in the imperative." (The Book of Job, New International Commentary on the Old Testament)

It is equally clear from God's response to Satan in Zechariah chpt 3 that the latter's accusations against Joshua are the product of a malevolent disposition. We read: "And the Lord said to Satan 'The Lord rebuke you Satan! Indeed, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not a brand plucked from the fire?" (Josh 3:2) Satan is no mere "prosecuting attorney" acting under divine orders as the liberal would have us believe, but rather a baneful accuser of mankind. John speaks of him as "the accuser of our brethren... who accuses them before our God day and night". (Rev. 12:11)

It is also clear from Scripture that Satan seeks to alienate God and man by bringing accusations against the Lord. In his first assault upon mankind, he accuses God of deception and injustice (Gen. 3:1-5) and sadly man's willingness to believe such charges is all too apparent in the many complaints levelled against the God of the Bible by an unbelieving world. For example it is affirmed by many that the existence of poverty and suffering in the world, the "atrocities" sanctioned by the God of the Old Testament and the doctrine of Hell are all incompatible with the notion of a benevolent Father who wants the very best for His children. Thus God is accused of injustice! Sadly, today in our man-centred society which has lost all notion of holiness and which defines good and evil solely in terms of human happiness, Satan the accuser of God finds a receptive audience.

2. Satan is the Tempter

In Part 1 we noted that one of the many descriptive terms applied to Satan is "the tempter" (Matt. 4:3; 1 Thess. 3:5), and it is in this guise that the first meet him in Scripture. (Gen. 3) Commenting upon Satan's attempt to seduce Jesus in the wilderness, William Hendriksen points out that "(Satan's) meanness consists especially in this, that he first tempts a man into sin. Then, when the tempted one follows his advice the tempter becomes the accuser! Moreover he will even continue to accuse the fallen one after the latter's sin has already been forgiven." (Zech 3:1-5; Rev. 12:10) (New Testament Commentary, Matthew) Satan's hostility is boundless, and the fact that he does not confront us directly as he did Eve in the Garden or Jesus in the wilderness, does not mean that he no longer functions as the tempter. In his Systematic Theology, Augustus H. Strong says:

"The mode of Satan's access to the human mind we do not know....he certainly has the power to present in captivating forms the objects of appetite and selfish ambition, as he did to Christ in the wilderness...and to appeal to our love for independence by saying to us as he did to our first parents - 'ye shall be as God...' "

Strong makes an important point. We may not know how Satan employs indirect means to seduce us, but that he is capable of doing so is beyond dispute. The apostle John provides an insight into the methodology of Satan when he warns us not to love "the world nor the things of the world" and adds: "For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father but is from the world". (1 Jn 2:15, 16) In his comments upon these verses Guy N. Woods observes:

"It is significant that John sums up, in this section, the three avenues of approach which Satan, in his efforts to seduce, follows. The appeal which he ever makes is based on (1) carnal desires; (2) desires awakened through the appeal of objects of sight; (3) vanity, pride, worldly honour. Such was, precisely the course followed in the seduction of Eve...."And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food (the lust of the flesh), and that it was a delight to the eye (the lust of the eyes) and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise (the vainglory of life ["boastful pride of life" NASV]), she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat..." (A Commentary on the New Testament Epistles vol.7)

Well-aware of man's frailty, proneness to self-indulgence and tendency to self-glorification, Satan the tempter brings an arsenal of weapons against him. It is Satan who uses Judas' weakness against him (Lk 22:3; Jn 13:27), who prompts Ananias to lie to the Holy Spirit, (Acts 5) who causes men to shut their hearts to the Gospel (Mk 4:15) and who exploits man's lack of self-control. (1 Cor. 7:5) Christians are warned against giving in to anger and thus "giv(ing) the Devil opportunity" to cause them to commit sin. (Eph. 4:26, 27) Paul tells us that malicious gossip is found upon the lips of those who have turned aside to follow Satan, (1 Tim. 5:15) John makes it clear that Satan is behind the trials and temptations facing the churches of Asia. (Rev. 2:9, 13,24; 3:9) and so on.

Warren W. Wiersbe reminds us that Satan attacked Eve's mind and makes this excellent comment:

"Why would Satan want to attack your mind? Because your mind is the part of the image of God where God communicates with you and reveals his will to you...

God renews our lives by renewing our minds, and he renews our minds through his truth. This truth is the Word of God...

If Satan can work in your life to believe a lie, then he can begin to work in your life to lead you into sin. This is why he attacks the mind, and this is why we must protect our minds from the attacks of the wicked one." (The Strategy of Satan)

Scripture makes one thing abundantly clear - Satan is relentless in his efforts to entice man to sin and to forfeit fellowship with the Lord, and without the "full armour of God" man is powerless in the face of his attacks.

3. Satan is the Deceiver

It is clear from Scripture that Satan's power consists mainly in his ability to deceive. Jesus tells us that "he does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him," and that whenever he speaks a lie "he speaks from his own nature," the reason being that "he is a liar and the father of lies". (Jn 8:44) The Lord is telling us here that "(Satan's) habitat is falsehood," that when he speaks a lie "he is at home" and that falsehood is his "present and continuing characteristic" (Leon Morris, The Gospel According to John, New International commentary on the New Testament) Paul reminds us that Satan "deceived Eve by his craftiness" (2 Cor. 11:3) and John speaks of him as the one who "deceives the whole world". (Rev. 12:9) Satan disguises himself as "an angel of light" (2 Cor. 11:14), his servants misrepresent themselves as "servants of righteousness" (2 Cor. 11:15), his puppets, the man of lawlessness and the beast employ deception to bring about man's downfall (2 Thess. 2:10; Rev. 13:14) and so on. Mendacity, misrepresentation and duplicity are his stock in trade.

Again we have to acknowledge that there is a great deal about Satan's modus operandi that we do not know, but it is quite clear that those who use deception to hinder the progress of the truth are regarded by inspired men as the devil's servants. When Elymas the magician seeks to turn the proconsul Sergius Paulus away from the faith, Paul calls him "son of the devil" and says that he is "full of all deceit and fraud". (Acts 13:10) The word translated "deceit" can mean "bait" and the word translated "fraud" suggests the idea of adroitness. Likely Paul is accusing Elymas of using "magic" and trickery to deceive the proconsul. The hypocritical liars "seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron," whose false doctrines cause some to "fall away from the faith," are guilty of causing Christians to pay attention to "deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons" (1 Tim. 4:1, 2), because the ultimate source of the charlatans' destructive doctrines is Satan. "By teaching in the guise of truth what is actually fake, they have been branded by Satan as belonging to him and obey his will". (Gordon Fee, First and Second Timothy, Titus) Yes, Satan is the master deceiver and one way in which " the god of this world" (Satan) blinds the minds of the unbelieving that they might not see the light of the Gospel (2 Cor. 4:4) is through the activities of those who teach egregious error.

4. Satan is the Oppressor and the Hinderer

Satan's ability to use evil men to persecute and hinder God's people is graphically illustrated by the book of Revelation. Clearly the purpose of the book is to comfort the Church in its struggle against the forces of evil, and in particular it deals with Satanic opposition to the children of God which took the form of Caesar worship in the first century. William Barclay says: "By the time of the Revelation, Caesar worship was the one religion which covered the whole Roman Empire; and it was because of their refusal to conform to its demands that Christians were persecuted and killed". (Revelation) From John's vision we learn that in their murderous opposition to the church, the Roman persecutors were the instruments of Satanic oppression.

John also tells us that Satan is behind Jewish persecution of Christians at Smyrna ("the devil is about to cast some of you into prison" [Rev. 2:10]) and he describes these persecutors as "a synagogue of Satan". (Rev 2:9) Paul says that his desire to visit the Thessalonians was "thwarted" by Satan (1 Thess. 2:18), likely a reference to the uproar caused by "the Jews" and "wicked men" at Thessalonica. (Acts 17:5) True details are scanty, but Scripture leaves us in no doubt that much opposition, maltreatment and suppression of Christians is traceable back to the Evil One, and warns us that "all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted". (2 Tim. 3:13)

5. Satan Encourages Illegitimate Worship

Warning the brethren at Corinth against attendance at pagan temples Paul writes:

"What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God, and I do not want you to become sharers in demons." (1 Cor. 10:19, 20 cf. Lev. 17:17; Deut. 32:17; Rev. 9:20)

Strong asks whether Scripture "recognizes any special connection of evil spirits with the systems of idolatry, witch-craft, and spiritualism which burden the world" and says that 1 Corinthians 10:20 "would seem to favour an affirmative answer." He suggests that this verse may mean that "while the heathen think themselves to be sacrificing to Jupiter or Venus, they are really sacrificing to demons, and are thus furthering the plans of a malignant spirit who uses these forms of false religion as a means of enslaving their souls." This may well be Paul's point here. Speaking of Satan's "passion for worship" D. E. Hiebert comments:

"In his ambition to assume the place of God, Satan is mastered by a consuming passion to receive worship as God. That master passion was revealed in Satan's bald offer to invest Jesus with authority over the kingdoms of the world on condition that He would worship him." (Zondervan Encyclopedia vol 5)

Of course Scripture many times warns of the tragic consequences of misdirected worship. Paul for example, speaks of the perversion, degradation and immorality which result when men exchange "the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures" (Rom. 1:18-32) and human history testifies to the accuracy of his observation.

In his Octavius, Minucius Felix, the second or third century Christian writer speaks of the immorality in the Roman empire and attributes it to "the teachings about (the)... gods, " adding that "the gods act worse" than their devotees. He asks: "If Saturn was a god why was he was he driven by his terrors to devour his children?" He remind us of Jupiter who "deprived his father of the kingdom... (and) then deluded the wives and sisters of the nobles" adding "Ye have conveyed to heaven by your authority one guilty of so many crimes, and, moreover, a parricide of his own relations." With keen insight he observes: "A law without law is your refuge: what wishes to be, will prevail. A woman desires to be wanton; she seeks to live without restraint. Ye yourselves will be what ye wish for, and pray to as gods and goddesses." Yes, misdirected worship and vileness go hand in hand, and thus it comes as no surprise that Satan and his demonic hordes are involved.

6. Demon Possession

Frequently in the New Testament individuals are referred to as demoniacs, or described as having a demon or being demon possessed, and those so designated are represented as victims of evil spirits who have entered into their bodies and taken control of their mental and physical faculties. Some claim that examples of demon possession are found in the Old Testament but from the information available it seems doubtful that the alleged examples (e.g. Saul [1 Kings 16:14]) are instances of the phenomenon described by the inspired writers of the New Testament. There is no systematic treatment of the topic in Scripture, but the following facts (among others) are revealed:

- Demons were able to possess men, women and children (e.g. Matt. 8:28; Lk 8:2; Mk 7:30).

- Frequently victims were afflicted with various bodily ailments, such as blindness dumbness, (Matt. 9:32; Lk 11:14) lunacy, (Matt. 17:15) and unspecified sicknesses, (Lk 8:2), but in many cases there is no mention of bodily affliction apart from the possession itself. (Matt. 4:24; 8:16; 15:22)

- Natural disease is clearly distinguished from possession, (e.g. Matt. 4:24; 8:16) making clear that Jesus and his followers understood the difference between normal sickness and demonic activity.

- Sometimes extraordinary, violent events accompanied the expulsion of demons. A herd of swine is destroyed (Matt. 8:32), one victim is cast upon the ground (Lk 4:35) and another is thrown into terrible convulsions (Mk 9:26). No such frenetic activity accompanied normal healings.

- Some victims were controlled by several demons (Matt. 12:43, 45) and in one case there are so many that their name was Legion. (Mark 5:9; Luke 8:30)

- Apparently victims sometimes manifested superhuman powers. (Mk 5:2-4)

The fact that the evil spirits recognized the person of Christ (Mk 1:23, 24) and enabled a slave girl to act as fortune teller (Acts 16:16) suggests that they possessed knowledge beyond that available to the demonized person.

There is no indication that Jesus ascribed possession to wickedness on the part of the victim, and as far as I am aware we're not told why certain individuals were overcome in this way.

It is abundantly clear that demon possession occurred primarily in connection with the earthly ministry of Jesus. R. K. Harrison points out that "In the Gospels the outbursts of demonic opposition to the work of God in Christ are most evident, and the evangelists depict Christ in continual conflict with evil forces". (Zondervan vol 2) In comparison with the Gospels, demonic encounters in the book of Acts and the Epistles are relatively rare, and evil spirits are mentioned only five times in the former (5:15,16; 8:6, 7; 16:16-18; 19:11, 12; 19:13-17). It is clear that just as God used sickness and death to demonstrate Christ's authority and power (Jn 9:1-3; 11:4, 44), He used demon expulsion to attest to Christ's authority over Satan and his minions. Jesus cites His ability to cast out demons as evidence that "the kingdom of God has come" (Matt. 12:28) and sometimes the very spirits themselves acknowledge Him as "the Holy One of God". (Mk 1:24) It is only by the authority of Christ that His disciples are able to cast out demons (Lk 10:17), and it is weakness of faith which prevents them from doing so on one occasion. (Matt. 17:20) The failure of the Jewish exorcists (Acts 19:14, 16) also illustrates the fact that the underlying issue here is that of authority. Just as Jesus has authority over disease and nature, so too He has authority over Satan and his angels. Earlier we pointed out than "in spite of themselves (the Devil and his angels) ..execute God's plans (Strong)," and in the case of demon possession they do so by authenticating Jesus' credentials and demonstrating that the kingdom of God is more powerful than in the kingdom of Satan. ("he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him" [Mark 1:27])

Many believers are of the opinion that demon possession occurs today, but I am not convinced that this is a case. Hodge is surely correct that "we should abstain from reading Satanic or demoniacal influence or possession into any case where the phenomenon can be otherwise accounted for" (although Hodge does believe that demon possession is possible today). One point to consider is this: it is clear that the ability to cast out demons which Christ imparted to His followers was a supernatural gift (Mk 16:17), and the fact that this ability did not outlast the miraculous age, (See our Miracles) strongly suggests that demon possession was also confined to this period of time. An Old Testament passage which may have a bearing upon this question is found in the book of Zechariah where the prophet looks ahead to the Christian age and says:

"In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity. And it will come about in that day declares the Lord of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered; and I will also remove the prophets and the unclean spirit from the land." (Zech 13:1, 2)

In his Commentary on the Minor Prophets, Homer Hailey has the following:

"True prophets would pass out of the land, but false prophets would cease, for these may ever plague the church. True prophets would cease, for there would no longer be the need for them. Prophets were inspired teachers,... assisting in the laying of the foundation of the Church and the completing of revelation...Once the foundation was laid and the new revelation was complete, the need for prophets would cease....Likewise, unclean spirits, the antithesis of the prophets, would cease. In the conquest of Christ over Satan and his forces, unclean spirits have ceased to control men as they did in the time of the Ministry of Christ and the apostles."

The cessation of the demon possession does not mean that Satan is inactive anymore than the cessation of miracles means that God is inactive, but the point is that our Enemy operates within the limits prescribed by God, and while he has many weapons at his disposal, the evidence suggests that demon possession is not one of them today.

God's Armour

Clearly there is much about Satan that we do not know, but it is clear that all that has been revealed about the Adversary is designed to put us on guard against him. Calvin wisely points out:

"The tendency of all that Scripture teaches concerning devils is to put us on our guard against their wiles and machinations, that we may provide ourselves with weapons strong enough to drive away the most formidable foes. For when Satan is called the god and ruler of this world, the strong man armed, the prince of the power of the air, the roaring lion, the object of all these descriptions is to make us more cautious and vigilant, and more prepared for the contest...

Above all, fully conscious of our weakness and want of skill, let us invoke the help of God, and attempt nothing without trusting in him, since it is his alone to supply counsel, and strength, and courage, and arms." (Institutes vol 1, chpt 14 section 13)

Paul certainly believed that God supplies the Christian with all that he needs to vanquish the Ancient Foe, and in Ephesians 6:11 he urges his brethren to put on "the full armour of God" in order that they might be able to "stand firm against the schemes (wiles, cunning devious plans) of the devil." Nothing less than the "full armour of God" will do, because "The area in our life that we leave unguarded is sure to be the very place that Satan attacks". (Wiersbe) According to Paul the following items make up the Christian's defensive and offensive equipment:

1. The girdle of truth (v.14): "Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth..." Likely Paul has the heavily armed Roman soldier in view as he describes the Christian's armour, but much of the imagery which he employs is taken from the Old Testament. We note that the standing firm follows the girding, not vice versa. Of course the belt kept other parts of the armour in place, and thus Paul is telling us here that "truth" is a vital item of the Christian's defensive equipment. I favour the view that by truth here Paul "refers to an element of character and activity to be demonstrated by the readers ...rather than the truth of the gospel". (Andrew T. Lincoln, Word Biblical Commentary vol 42), although of course the two are intimately connected. Likely Paul's point is that the individual who possesses "truth in the innermost being" (Ps. 51:6) will not easily succumb to falsehood, and as we have seen, Satan's power consists mainly in his ability to deceive. Sincerity of mind and heart and the absence of guile and hypocrisy are among the Christian's most effective defensive weapons.

2. The breastplate of righteousness (v.14): The breastplate often consisted of two parts covering front and back, and it protected the vital organs from the neck to the thighs. "Righteousness" can mean "justification" and can speak of one's legal state, but likely here it means integrity, uprightness of character (4:24; 5:9). In his war with Satan, the Christian's commitment to godly living provides protection against the powers of evil because those who "hunger and thirst after righteousness" (Matt. 5:6) are unlikely to succumb to the temptation to violate divine law.

3. The preparation of the gospel of peace (v.15) is to be the Christian's footwear in the battle, and clearly sure footing is essential in hand to hand combat. The idea is "put on the preparedness or readiness for battle which the 'gospel of peace' provides." The gospel is appropriately called "the gospel of peace" because it enables man to be at peace with God and with his fellow man. (Eph. 2:14-18) Satan's influence manifests itself in division, fragmentation, quarrels, disharmony, alienation from God and from one's fellow men, and the believer's "preparation for standing firm and prevailing against the alienating and fragmentary powers of evil is the harmony produced by the gospel". (Lincoln)

4. The shield of faith (v.16): The shield of the Roman soldier was some four feet long, two and a half feet wide and was usually made of wood, brass and leather. Flaming arrows, or fiery darts were deflected and quenched by this shield. Faith, confident trust in God, is the Christian's shield, the victory which overcomes the world (1 Jn 5:4), the defence against the arrows of doubt, rationalism, fear, temptation, persecution, false teaching etc. It comes by hearing God's word. (Rom. 10:17)

5. The helmet of salvation (v.17): The Roman soldier's helmet, made of tough material, possessing cheek pieces and lined inside, protected the head, a vital part of the body. Elsewhere Paul calls the "hope of salvation" the Christian's helmet (1 Thess. 5:8) and clearly hope derived from knowledge of present salvation and assurance of future salvation is a great defence against the enemy. "Satan often uses discouragement and hopelessness as weapons to oppose us. It is when we are discouraged that we are the most vulnerable. We will make foolish decisions and be susceptible to all kinds of temptations" (Wiersbe). "That which adorns and protects the Christian, which enables him to hold up his head with confidence and joy is the fact that he is saved". (Charles Hodge)

6. The sword of the Spirit which is the word of God (v.17): The Roman soldier used a straight sharp two-edged sword. Our "offensive" weapon is not human genius, philosophy etc. but God's word, called here the "sword of the Spirit" because it is given by Him. (Jn 14:26; 2 Tim. 3:16) The gospel is the power of God for salvation, (Rom. 1:l6 ff), and among other things the word works in us (1 Thess. 2:13), judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart (Heb. 4:12) and defends us against Satan's attacks (Matt. 4:4 ff). Clearly then in our battle with the evil one we must know God's word, treasure it in our hearts, meditate upon it and use it.

The bottom line is that God has thoroughly equipped us in our war with Satan - let's make sure that we use the provisions which He has made available.

Concluding comment

John reminds us that "we (Christians) are of God, and (that) the whole world (i.e. those who have not obeyed the Gospel) lies in the power of the evil one". (1 Jn 5:19) Yes, Satan has been defeated and his end is sure, but as the "god of this world" he is able to blind the minds of the unbelieving (2 Cor 4:4) and as the "prince of the power of the air" (Eph. 2:2) it is his spirit which is "working in the sons of disobedience". (Eph. 2:2) Satan is ruler over a powerful kingdom. Of course the Christian has been delivered from the "domain of darkness" (Satan's kingdom) and transferred to "the kingdom of His beloved Son," (Col. 1:13) but nevertheless he can never afford to relax in the battle with the Ancient Foe. John speaks of those who overcame Satan (1) "because of the blood of the Lamb", (2) "because of the word of their testimony", and (3) because "they did not love their life even to death". (Rev. 12:11) Let's be careful to walk in the light of God's word so that the precious blood of the Saviour continues to cover us (1 Jn 1:7); lets ensure that we hold fast the "the word of ...testimony" (cf. Heb. 3:14; 10:23) as they did, even in difficult times; lets be willing, as they were, to give up life itself rather than give up Christ. Remember the promise: "Resist the devil and he will flee from you". (James 4:7)

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