Podcasts about although satan

     The Bible reveals that Satan is the enemy of God and he attacks His people. Peter warns us, “Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet 5:8). In his efforts, Satan has strategies he sets forth to accomplish his purposes. A strategy is a plan of action one creates and employs in order to achieve an objective. Satan's major objective is to make himself like God and rule in His place (Isa 14:12-14). But there is only one sovereign God (Isa 45:5-6), and He advances His own agenda, which cannot fail because He cannot fail. However, Satan's desire, like his reasoning, has been corrupted by his pride (Ezek 28:17). Satan has been advancing his agenda for millennia and has become very knowledgeable and skilled in what works. Ryrie states: "By his very longevity Satan has acquired a breadth and depth of experience which he matches against the limited knowledge of man. He has observed other believers in every conceivable situation, thus enabling him to predict with accuracy how we will respond to circumstances. Although Satan is not omniscient, his wide experience and observation of man throughout his entire history on earth give him knowledge which is far superior to anything any man could have."[1]      Satan attacks God's people in order to hinder spiritual growth and ministry. Christians who are advancing spiritually and engaging in effective ministry pose a threat to Satan's agenda. Naturally, he will oppose our efforts and try to hinder us. Because Satan cannot touch God Himself, he goes after His people, seeking to frustrate our efforts as best he can. Sometimes he's permitted to have his way. For example, Paul wrote, “But we, brethren, having been taken away from you for a short while—in person, not in spirit—were all the more eager with great desire to see your face. For we wanted to come to you—I, Paul, more than once—and yet Satan hindered us” (1 Th 2:17-18). We're not sure why Satan was permitted to hinder Paul and his companions. Though frustrated, Paul continued to seek the Lord and to minister where an open door presented itself (Acts 14:27; Rev 3:8). But an open door of ministry does not mean there will be no opposition. In fact, Christian ministry often means there will adversaries, as Paul wrote, “I will remain in Ephesus until Pentecost; for a wide door for effective service has opened to me, and there are many adversaries” (1 Cor 16:8-9). Constable states: "We know that Satan is behind all of our temptations having received permission to assail us from God (e.g., Job 1–2). He uses the world system and our flesh (sinful nature) as his tools. He also attacks us directly himself and through his angelic emissaries. God has given us specific instruction in Scripture about how to combat these attacks. We are to resist the devil (1 Pet 5:8–9), flee the temptations of the world system (the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life; 1 John 2:15–17), and deny the flesh (Rom 6:12–13; 7:18–24; 8:13)...Satan has consistently aimed his personal attacks at getting people to doubt, to deny, to disregard, and to disobey the revealed will of God (cf. Gen 3:1-7; Matt 4:1-11). The world system seeks to get people to believe that they do not need God but can get along very well without Him. The flesh tempts us to think that we can find satisfaction, joy, and fulfillment on the physical, material level of life alone."[2]      Spiritual advance means opposition, but nothing more or beyond what God permits. The Christian who learns God's Word and lives by faith will have the greatest impact for God in this world. Living by faith means we learn God's Word and consciously trust Him as we apply it to our lives (Rom 10:17; Heb 10:38; 11:6). God's Word is powerful (Isa 55:7-11; Jer 23:29; Heb 4:12), transformative (Psa 119:9-11; John 17:17), and moves the hearts of those who are positive to God (Luke 24:27, 32). Living by faith is the basis for renovating our thinking (Rom 12:1-2; 2 Cor 10:3-5), and advancing to spiritual maturity (Eph 4:11-15; 2 Tim 2:15; 3:16-17; 1 Pet 2:2; 2 Pet 3:18). Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] Charles C. Ryrie, Balancing the Christian life (Chicago Ill., Moody Press, 1994), 130. [2] Tom Constable, Tom Constable's Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), Eph 6:11.

Can I ask you a question? Why is it that we Christians in America tend to be surprised by the supernatural? Think about what it is that we say we believe. We believe the Bible to be true and supernaturally inspired by God Himself. Because we believe the Bible to be supernaturally inspired, we believe God created all things by the act of His omnipotent will. Because we believe the Bible to be inspired by God, we believe that there was a serpent in the Garden who successfully tempted Adam and Eve to sin, that Satan does indeed exist, as does his legions of demons. One of my favorite stories about the fight between the Kingdom of Light and the kingdom of darkness is the one found in 2 Kings 19:8-37. We do not have the time to read the entire story, but I do think it is worth pointing out a few things that happened in order to teach how we can respond to the threats of our day. Judahs king, Hezekiah, received a letter from the king of Assyria that read: Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by saying, Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria. Behold, you yourself have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, destroying them completely. So will you be saved? Did the gods of the nations which my fathers destroyed save them: Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the sons of Eden who were in Telassar? (2 Kings 19:1012) What was Hezekiahs response? He stood firm against his enemy in the way his great grandfather David encouraged Gods people to do: Some praise their chariots and some their horses, but we will praise the name of the Lord, our God (Ps. 20:7). Here is Hezekiahs response: Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said, Lord, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, Lord, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to taunt the living God. It is true, Lord; the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, and have hurled their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but only the work of human hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them. But now, Lord our God, please, save us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, Lord, are God. (2 Kings 19:1419) God didnt use Hezekiahs chariots or horses, but instead, He sent the angel of the Lord and killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. So, when we read stories like that, how is it that we are surprised? When we read Ephesians 6:10-13 and are warned about the demonic realm consisting of rulers, powers, world forces of this darkness, and spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places... how is it that we do not take such warnings as seriously as we ought? Throughout the gospels we read of Jesus encountering the demonically possessed and how the demons were terrified of Him. We read of the Jewish exorcists in Ephesus who went from place-to-place attempting to mimic the kinds of miraculous things they saw Paul do in the name of Jesus. At one point, in an effort to cast out the demons the Jewish exorcists said: I order you in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches! The evil spirit responded: I recognize Jesus, and I know of Paul, but who are you? We are then told that the demon possessed man, pounced on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of the house naked and wounded (see Acts 19:11-16). I wonder if Paul recalled these stories when he wrote, For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places (Eph. 6:12). As we consider Ephesians 6:12-13 this morning, there are two points that we dare not miss. The first is, Our enemy is spiritual, strategic, and satanic. The second point is, Our fight is direct, dangerous, and dogged. Our Enemy is Spiritual, Strategic, and Satanic What Paul wants us to understand is that when it comes to the world that Jesus said would hate us because it hated Him, that our struggle was NOT against flesh and blood. In other words, our enemy does not include those who reject Jesus or embrace the ideologies of this world, but instead our enemy includes, ...the rulers, the powers, the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places (v. 12). Ephesians 6:10-13 is the most explicit reference to the Christians struggle against evil forces that we have in the Bible. It cannot be any clearer than this! There is no real way to tell if Paul is describing an authority structure within the demonic realm, but it does seem that way from everything else I read in the Bible. Let me begin by sharing five things that we know about angels from the Bible: Angels are spirit beings that possess personhood, created for the glory of God (Ps. 148:2-5), and are a part of the created order (see also Job. 38:4-7; Isa. 6:2-4; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:14; 12:22; Rev. 4:8). Angels are temporarily above man but will be subject to judgment by Jesus church at the judgment (1 Cor. 6:2-3). Meanwhile they are unusually strong, swift and intelligent, and can take the appearance of man (see Ps. 103:20; Dan. 9:21; Ezek. 28:12; 1 Pet. 1:11-12; Gen. 18:1-3; Mk. 16:5). Angels are limited in ways that man is not. Angels cannot marry, man can (Matt. 22:30; 19:4-6); angels cannot experience redemption, man can (2 Pet. 2:4; Rom. 5); angels are created as angelic beings while man is created in the image of God (Ps. 148:2-5; Gen. 1:27). Angels possess personhood: intellect, emotion, and will (emotion: 1 Pet. 1:12; intellect: 1 Pet. 1:12; will: Jude 6). Angels seem to be ranked by authority (1 Thess. 4:16; Jude 9; Rev. 12:7; Eph. 6:12; Col. 1:16; Isa. 6:2; Ezek. 28:14). Lucifer was Gods guardian cherub (Ezek. 28:12-17) who seems to have out ranked all the other angels, there is at least one archangel (1 Thess. 4:16; Jude 1:9), cherubim (Gen. 3:24; Ezek. 10:1-22), seraphim (Isa. 6:2-3), and a multitude of angels (Rev. 5:11ff). We are told that the there was a war in heaven; the timeframe of when the war happened is unclear. I believe the war happened sometime between creation and Genesis 3 when we are first introduced to Satan as the serpent. The angels who sided with Lucifer (the dragon) are now known as demons. Here is what we read in Revelation 12:7-9, And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they did not prevail, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him (Rev. 12:79). The rulers, powers, world forces of darkness, and spiritual forces of wickedness are those angels who sided with Satan in his war against God. Although Satan is only one demon who cannot be in more than one place at a time, he has command over millions of demons who obey his every command. Our enemy is spiritual, our enemy is strategic, and our enemy is satanic. Our enemy is very real and although limited, they are capable of the following: Demons can provide superhuman strength to the victims they possess (Mark 5:1-20; Acts 19:16). They have the same capability that angels have in that physical barriers cannot restrict them (Mark 5:9-13; Dan. 9:21-23; 10:10-14). Demons can physically harm, oppress, and possess humans (see Matt. 9:32-33; 12:22; 17:15; John 13:21-30; Acts 16:16-18; 19:11-16). Behind every idol, false teaching, and anything that is against Christ are demons (1 Cor. 10:14-22; Gal. 4:3-9). Demons can influence nations, world leaders, and governing authorities (read the books of Daniel and Revelation as an example). It is good to have a right and biblical understanding of demons, but you must also understand that the Bible teaches us that they have no power over the Christian because of our relationship with Jesus who redeemed us! If there is any bit of anxiety in what you have just heard about the demonic, consider what Colossians 2:13-15 promises: And when you were dead in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings, having canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. (Col. 2:1315) Our Fight is Direct, Dangerous, and Dogged Jesus did indeed disarm the rulers and authorities through His sacrifice upon the cross and His triumph over the grave with His resurrection. However, we are warned that we are still in a fight, and that our fight is with the demonic forces that stand opposed to God. In this fight, we are to stand strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might by putting on the full armor of God. Our fight is a struggle; the Greek word that we get the word struggle (ά) from is a word used to describe the kind of fight that comes in the form of close hand-to-hand combat. The point is that we must be prepared for the enemys attacks from afar or up close, and the enemy brings his fight against us in all shapes and sizes! It comes in the form of slander, false teaching, and the temptation to sin. Our fight can come in the form doubt, depression, and deception. Our struggle can be with the temptation to sin against God and others. The battle can come in the form of persecution from friends, family, or state authorities. The evil day includes a greater evil that is coming, but it also includes any day you find yourself face to face with the enemys attacks or find yourself in his crosshairs from a distance. The evil day will be the final cataclysmic satanic attack that will come just before Jesus second coming. The evil day is your entire life as a Christian from new birth to physical death. The evil day includes those days in the Christian life when the onslaught of the enemy seems the strongest. The evil day are those days when the temptation to sin is more of a struggle than usual. So, Christian, how will you resist in the evil day? You do so by taking up the only help available to you that has been provided by God Himself: Take up the full armor of God. The three imperatives of Ephesians 6:10-13 are as follows: Be strong in the Lord and the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God. Take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day. When you have done everything to put on the full armor of God, only then can you stand firm. Stand firm with and in all of Gods truth. His truth is the only truth that matters. Stand firm with the breastplate of Christs righteousness. All of Christs righteousness is now your righteousness. Stand firm in the peace of God as a beneficiary of His mercy. You are a child of God almighty. Stand firm with a shield of faith, saturated by the water of the word of God. God is infinitely bigger than all your problems, but you will not know that unless you receive it from His word. Stand firm with the helmet of salvation, which is the assurance that you belong to the One who chose you, redeemed you, and sealed you with His Holy Spirit. What can man do to you ultimately when the God of Life is for you? Stand firm with the ability to handle the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. You have the Word of God that is the authority of God who is able to change lives.

Can I ask you a question? Why is it that we Christians in America tend to be surprised by the supernatural? Think about what it is that we say we believe. We believe the Bible to be true and supernaturally inspired by God Himself. Because we believe the Bible to be supernaturally inspired, we believe God created all things by the act of His omnipotent will. Because we believe the Bible to be inspired by God, we believe that there was a serpent in the Garden who successfully tempted Adam and Eve to sin, that Satan does indeed exist, as does his legions of demons. One of my favorite stories about the fight between the Kingdom of Light and the kingdom of darkness is the one found in 2 Kings 19:8-37. We do not have the time to read the entire story, but I do think it is worth pointing out a few things that happened in order to teach how we can respond to the threats of our day. Judahs king, Hezekiah, received a letter from the king of Assyria that read: Do not let your God in whom you trust deceive you by saying, Jerusalem will not be handed over to the king of Assyria. Behold, you yourself have heard what the kings of Assyria have done to all the lands, destroying them completely. So will you be saved? Did the gods of the nations which my fathers destroyed save them: Gozan, Haran, Rezeph, and the sons of Eden who were in Telassar? (2 Kings 19:1012) What was Hezekiahs response? He stood firm against his enemy in the way his great grandfather David encouraged Gods people to do: Some praise their chariots and some their horses, but we will praise the name of the Lord, our God (Ps. 20:7). Here is Hezekiahs response: Then Hezekiah took the letter from the hand of the messengers and read it, and he went up to the house of the Lord and spread it out before the Lord. Hezekiah prayed before the Lord and said, Lord, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, Lord, and see; and listen to the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to taunt the living God. It is true, Lord; the kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands, and have hurled their gods into the fire; for they were not gods, but only the work of human hands, wood and stone. So they have destroyed them. But now, Lord our God, please, save us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, Lord, are God. (2 Kings 19:1419) God didnt use Hezekiahs chariots or horses, but instead, He sent the angel of the Lord and killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. So, when we read stories like that, how is it that we are surprised? When we read Ephesians 6:10-13 and are warned about the demonic realm consisting of rulers, powers, world forces of this darkness, and spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places... how is it that we do not take such warnings as seriously as we ought? Throughout the gospels we read of Jesus encountering the demonically possessed and how the demons were terrified of Him. We read of the Jewish exorcists in Ephesus who went from place-to-place attempting to mimic the kinds of miraculous things they saw Paul do in the name of Jesus. At one point, in an effort to cast out the demons the Jewish exorcists said: I order you in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches! The evil spirit responded: I recognize Jesus, and I know of Paul, but who are you? We are then told that the demon possessed man, pounced on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of the house naked and wounded (see Acts 19:11-16). I wonder if Paul recalled these stories when he wrote, For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places (Eph. 6:12). As we consider Ephesians 6:12-13 this morning, there are two points that we dare not miss. The first is, Our enemy is spiritual, strategic, and satanic. The second point is, Our fight is direct, dangerous, and dogged. Our Enemy is Spiritual, Strategic, and Satanic What Paul wants us to understand is that when it comes to the world that Jesus said would hate us because it hated Him, that our struggle was NOT against flesh and blood. In other words, our enemy does not include those who reject Jesus or embrace the ideologies of this world, but instead our enemy includes, ...the rulers, the powers, the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places (v. 12). Ephesians 6:10-13 is the most explicit reference to the Christians struggle against evil forces that we have in the Bible. It cannot be any clearer than this! There is no real way to tell if Paul is describing an authority structure within the demonic realm, but it does seem that way from everything else I read in the Bible. Let me begin by sharing five things that we know about angels from the Bible: Angels are spirit beings that possess personhood, created for the glory of God (Ps. 148:2-5), and are a part of the created order (see also Job. 38:4-7; Isa. 6:2-4; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:14; 12:22; Rev. 4:8). Angels are temporarily above man but will be subject to judgment by Jesus church at the judgment (1 Cor. 6:2-3). Meanwhile they are unusually strong, swift and intelligent, and can take the appearance of man (see Ps. 103:20; Dan. 9:21; Ezek. 28:12; 1 Pet. 1:11-12; Gen. 18:1-3; Mk. 16:5). Angels are limited in ways that man is not. Angels cannot marry, man can (Matt. 22:30; 19:4-6); angels cannot experience redemption, man can (2 Pet. 2:4; Rom. 5); angels are created as angelic beings while man is created in the image of God (Ps. 148:2-5; Gen. 1:27). Angels possess personhood: intellect, emotion, and will (emotion: 1 Pet. 1:12; intellect: 1 Pet. 1:12; will: Jude 6). Angels seem to be ranked by authority (1 Thess. 4:16; Jude 9; Rev. 12:7; Eph. 6:12; Col. 1:16; Isa. 6:2; Ezek. 28:14). Lucifer was Gods guardian cherub (Ezek. 28:12-17) who seems to have out ranked all the other angels, there is at least one archangel (1 Thess. 4:16; Jude 1:9), cherubim (Gen. 3:24; Ezek. 10:1-22), seraphim (Isa. 6:2-3), and a multitude of angels (Rev. 5:11ff). We are told that the there was a war in heaven; the timeframe of when the war happened is unclear. I believe the war happened sometime between creation and Genesis 3 when we are first introduced to Satan as the serpent. The angels who sided with Lucifer (the dragon) are now known as demons. Here is what we read in Revelation 12:7-9, And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they did not prevail, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him (Rev. 12:79). The rulers, powers, world forces of darkness, and spiritual forces of wickedness are those angels who sided with Satan in his war against God. Although Satan is only one demon who cannot be in more than one place at a time, he has command over millions of demons who obey his every command. Our enemy is spiritual, our enemy is strategic, and our enemy is satanic. Our enemy is very real and although limited, they are capable of the following: Demons can provide superhuman strength to the victims they possess (Mark 5:1-20; Acts 19:16). They have the same capability that angels have in that physical barriers cannot restrict them (Mark 5:9-13; Dan. 9:21-23; 10:10-14). Demons can physically harm, oppress, and possess humans (see Matt. 9:32-33; 12:22; 17:15; John 13:21-30; Acts 16:16-18; 19:11-16). Behind every idol, false teaching, and anything that is against Christ are demons (1 Cor. 10:14-22; Gal. 4:3-9). Demons can influence nations, world leaders, and governing authorities (read the books of Daniel and Revelation as an example). It is good to have a right and biblical understanding of demons, but you must also understand that the Bible teaches us that they have no power over the Christian because of our relationship with Jesus who redeemed us! If there is any bit of anxiety in what you have just heard about the demonic, consider what Colossians 2:13-15 promises: And when you were dead in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings, having canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him. (Col. 2:1315) Our Fight is Direct, Dangerous, and Dogged Jesus did indeed disarm the rulers and authorities through His sacrifice upon the cross and His triumph over the grave with His resurrection. However, we are warned that we are still in a fight, and that our fight is with the demonic forces that stand opposed to God. In this fight, we are to stand strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might by putting on the full armor of God. Our fight is a struggle; the Greek word that we get the word struggle (ά) from is a word used to describe the kind of fight that comes in the form of close hand-to-hand combat. The point is that we must be prepared for the enemys attacks from afar or up close, and the enemy brings his fight against us in all shapes and sizes! It comes in the form of slander, false teaching, and the temptation to sin. Our fight can come in the form doubt, depression, and deception. Our struggle can be with the temptation to sin against God and others. The battle can come in the form of persecution from friends, family, or state authorities. The evil day includes a greater evil that is coming, but it also includes any day you find yourself face to face with the enemys attacks or find yourself in his crosshairs from a distance. The evil day will be the final cataclysmic satanic attack that will come just before Jesus second coming. The evil day is your entire life as a Christian from new birth to physical death. The evil day includes those days in the Christian life when the onslaught of the enemy seems the strongest. The evil day are those days when the temptation to sin is more of a struggle than usual. So, Christian, how will you resist in the evil day? You do so by taking up the only help available to you that has been provided by God Himself: Take up the full armor of God. The three imperatives of Ephesians 6:10-13 are as follows: Be strong in the Lord and the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God. Take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day. When you have done everything to put on the full armor of God, only then can you stand firm. Stand firm with and in all of Gods truth. His truth is the only truth that matters. Stand firm with the breastplate of Christs righteousness. All of Christs righteousness is now your righteousness. Stand firm in the peace of God as a beneficiary of His mercy. You are a child of God almighty. Stand firm with a shield of faith, saturated by the water of the word of God. God is infinitely bigger than all your problems, but you will not know that unless you receive it from His word. Stand firm with the helmet of salvation, which is the assurance that you belong to the One who chose you, redeemed you, and sealed you with His Holy Spirit. What can man do to you ultimately when the God of Life is for you? Stand firm with the ability to handle the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. You have the Word of God that is the authority of God who is able to change lives.

Question: How much power do Satan, his minions, and the Antichrist have? Can they heal?Response:That Satan has great power is unarguable, as Job chapters 1 and 2 demonstrate. He is, however, restricted in this power: “And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power [within a specific limit]; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD” (Job 1:12). Regarding an “ability” to heal, however, we must recognize that Satan is not the Creator and can't bring life and healing. As Paul clearly told the pagan philosophers on Mars Hill, “For in him [the Lord] we live, and move, and have our being...” (Acts 17:28). In Exodus 15:26, the Lord declared, “...for I am the LORD that healeth thee.”In contrast, Satan can only afflict. Job 2:7 tells us, “So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.” Although Satan can afflict, he can also withdraw the affliction, thus giving the appearance of a healing: “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).During His earthly sojourn, Jesus encountered a woman who for 18 years had been crippled by a spirit (Luke 13:11). Jesus identifies her infirmity as being from Satan: “[T]here was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and...could in no wise lift up herself.... And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?” (Luke 13:11,16). Satan's power is real but easily overcome by our Lord. Jesus' miracle of healing clearly showed His authority over Satan.The hallmark of Satan's end-times deception is found in 2 Thessalonians 2:8-10: “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” He is the master of deception, and if “healing” will attract those being deceived, he will produce a counterfeit healing.

Summary:Everything that God is doing in fulfilling His Word and purposes in His kingdom is being done within a people. The kingdom of God is within us and we must continually be reaching in to be filled up with the fullness of God. This is our high calling in Christ Jesus to know Him in His fullness within us. Show Notes:Jesus Christ and the fulfillment's of His Word are coming forth within us not outside of us.Although Satan is raging, God is in complete control of everything.We choose to be obedient and follow His Word.We were chosen before the foundations of the world to walk with Him.We should be thankful to the Father for all that He is doing.There is only one calling and that is to be filled up to the fullness of God.Quotes:Jesus Christ has come forth in us to one degree or another. Christ the Word is in us. Jesus said, if you've seen Me, you've seen the Father. All these things are in us.I believe that God is continually hammering at us to get us to understand that the fulfillment's of His Word are not taking place outside of us, taking place in us.Satan is raging and trying to destroy the earth. How can you believe that anyone but the Lord is in control of what's happening in the earth? He is the Lord!You can choose to follow God in His word and be obedient and humble and Love Him and serve Him or you can choose not to.I think Thanksgiving is huge. Because He just wants you to be thankful, because He's already accomplished it.There's only one calling, and that's this oneness with the Lord, and it's the only, there is no other calling.His purpose is that we'd be filled up with Him, His fullness.Come up into a higher realm. Come up in the spirit to know the Lord.References:Colossians 1:27To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:Psalms 2(He who sits in the heavens laughs at the nations)John 14:10Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.Romans 16:20The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.Ephesians 1:4-6(Chosen of God before the foundations of the world)John 17(Jesus prays that we will be where He is)Revelation 21:3And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,Ephesians 4:4-6There is one body and one Spirit, just as you also were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all. Takeaways:There is a high calling for every believer in Christ. We must not settle for a lesser goal in our walk with the Lord. Each day we reach in by the Holy Spirit to know Him more and to be filled to all the fullness of God.

Although Satan can no longer accuse us to God because of our Advocate the Lord Jesus Christ that doesn't mean that he can't accuse us personally. How can we handle Satan's accusations against us?

When writing to the church of Pergamos, John the Revelator mentions a seat where Satan sits.  Although Satan has a seat, we also know that there is a place that God inhabits: the praises of His people. True worship can elevate us beyond the grasp of the enemy and into a realm of victory. 01/28/2024 - Sunday NightScriptures Used (In Order of Occurrence):Revelation 2:12-17

Bible Study with Jairus - Summary of Revelation   The Turning Point of the Book of Revelation: The Arrival of the Bride of Christ     The purpose of Revelation is to produce the bride of Christ. When the bride of Christ arrives, Jesus Christ and His Bride will have a wedding feast (Revelation 19). Ultimately, God will judge Satan, evil spirits, and sinners, and cast them, along with death and Hades, into the lake of fire. But until this ultimate mission is accomplished, the negative experiences of judgment exist to help the church spiritually mature and become the bride of Christ. This is what Paul said in Romans 8:28: “For those who love God all things work together for good.”[1]   Chapter 12 is a turning point in the book of Revelation. Before Chapter 12, God is judging the church to bring about its maturity. However, after Chapter 12, the church begins to judge the fallen angels and evil spirits. The Bible says, "Do you not know that we are to judge angels?" (1 Corinthians 6:3). The overcoming bride of Christ (represented by the woman and the male child) will judge angels on behalf of the church. The battle becomes fierce, and the final tribulation begins.    Before his rebellion, Satan's mission was to lead all things to worship God. Later, he rebelled against God and failed to fulfill his mission. God created human beings to replace Satan as the ones who would lead others to worship God. Although Satan tried to tempt man and destroy this purpose, the bride of Christ ultimately triumphs over Satan's temptation. Conquering believers are well qualified to judge Satan and evil spirits.   In Revelation 12, the bride of Christ arrives on the scene. The bride gives birth to a male child (the overcoming believers). To fight against them, Satan's persecution becomes intense, and the tribulation begins. During the tribulation, the battle between Christ with His bride and Satan with his prostitute continues. In the end, Christ and His bride will win the ultimate victory, ushering in the end of the age. This is the summary of Revelation.   The Cycle of Seven in The Bible   Seven is a very important number in the Bible. It reveals the way God has arranged the universe. God created everything in six days, and on the seventh day, He rested. Similarly, he has invited his people to work for six days and to rest on the seventh day (Genesis 3:19).   This cycle of work and rest points to a greater truth. When man first sinned and rebelled against God, they lost their rest in Him. Now, we must accept six days of God's discipline as we learn obedience through suffering. We then hope to find His rest on the seventh day.   This continuous cycle of seven is the basic structure of life. The Old Testament not only teaches us to rest every seven days, but also every seven years. The Israelites were permitted to sow their fields for six years, and in the seventh year, they were commanded to rest. This is yet another example of the cycle of work and rest. It points to the fact that God will lead his people to find rest.   I believe that if the Israelites had kept the weekly Sabbath and Sabbath year, there would be no need for the Year of Jubilee. But this was not the case for the Israelites. Many Israelites lost their land or were sold as slaves before the Year of Jubilee, so God created the Year of Jubilee to save them. After the seven sets of sabbath years came another cycle of seven to reach the Year of Jubilee. After seven times seven years, in the fiftieth year came the Jubilee, where all lands that had been sold must be returned to their original owners and all slaves must be freed. This represents God's ultimate salvation.   Daniel's vision concerning the fate of the Israelites also contained seventy “sevens.” Seven “sevens” represented the time it took to rebuild Jerusalem. Sixty-two “sevens” described the time from when Jerusalem was rebuilt to the time the Messiah was killed. These events have already happened. The last seven represents the last seven years mentioned in the book of Revelation. The next time period, which lasts three and a half years, is the great tribulation. But there is a long period between sixty-two “sevens” and the last “seven”, which biblical scholars call the "Age of Grace." No one knows how long this period lasts, but we know it will be a continual repetition of seven days (Sabbath), seven years (Sabbath years), and 49 years (Year of Jubilee).   In addition, the Israelites had seven feasts every year: the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Firstfruits, the Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. We will not discuss the first six feasts here, but we'll take the time to look at the seventh: the Feast of Tabernacles. The Feast of Tabernacles was a day of thanksgiving and rejoicing after the wheat had ripened. This feast represents the wedding feast of the Lamb and His Bride in the Book of Revelation. God is our tabernacle and will be with us forever. Therefore, the seven feasts of Israel also point to God's final plan in the book of Revelation. If we understand the number seven, the seven feasts, and the prophecies containing the number seven, we will better understand the book of Revelation. The end of Revelation is the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles.   The Cycle of Seven in The Book of Revelation   The basic structure of the book of Revelation contains several sets of sevens. Let's look at seven of those!   Seven golden lampstands (Revelation 1:12). The golden lampstand is an Old Testament type that prefigures Christ. It is a vessel in the sanctuary of the tabernacle of God. There are seven lamps on the golden lampstand. The high priest is responsible for lighting the lamps of the golden lampstand and refueling them so that the light of the golden lampstand may shine continually. The golden lampstand represents the church (1:20), and seven is a “complete” number, a representation of all churches. Remember, the golden lampstands in the Old Testament were made of gold. Gold represents God's divine nature. So, the seven golden lampstands speak of the eternal, heavenly nature of the church.   Seven stars and seven spirits. I believe the seven spirits are closely related to the seven stars. Why do I say that? First, John's letter to the seven churches is a revelation from God the Father (1:4, The one “who is and who was and who is to come”), the Holy Spirit (1:4, “the seven spirits who are before His throne”), the Lord Jesus Christ (1:5, “Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth”). This heavenly vision is the joint work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. When Jesus Christ was walking among the golden lampstands, He was holding seven stars in His right hand (1:16; 1:20). John explained that the seven stars were the angels of the seven churches. Who were the angels of the seven churches? People have different opinions about this. Some people say that they were the overcomers of the churches; others say that they were the angels who represented the churches. I personally feel that the overcomers, who are filled with the Holy Spirit, will appear as seven stars. Why? First, the angels of the church are probably not literal angels. If they were, they could receive commands directly from God. Why would John need to write letters to the seven angels of the churches? Daniel specifically said, "He who turns many to righteousness shall shine like a star" (Daniel 12:3). This is why I believe that the seven stars are believers who turn others to righteousness. Second, when John wrote to the church in Sardis, he mentioned that Jesus had “the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.” In this verse, the seven spirits and the seven stars were placed side by side. Jesus Christ never left his throne, even when he was walking among the lampstands. Therefore, the seven stars in his hand are the same as the seven spirits before his throne. When we read about the Holy Spirit sitting before the throne of God in heaven, he appears as seven spirits; when we read of the Holy Spirit at work in his church on earth, he appears as seven stars. The Spirit manifests himself through the overcomers who are filled with his spirit. Who are the messengers of the church? Are they the overcomers? Or the Holy Spirit? I think that they are the spirit-filled overcomers. Why do I say that the seven stars are the manifestations of the seven spirits? The Holy Spirit is the essence of the church. He is the Comforter sent by the Father in the name of Jesus Christ, who is the head of the church. Jesus is the reality, content, and representative of the church, and the Holy Spirit is the perfecter of the church. Andrew Murray said that the work of the Holy Spirit is to complete what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross in the life of each believer (in the life of the church).   The Holy Spirit is the essence of the church. We come to the Father in one Spirit and have constant fellowship with Him through Christ (Ephesians 2:18). "He who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him." (1 Corinthians 6:17). The fellowship of the Holy Spirit is at the core of the church. “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all." (2 Corinthians 13:14). The church is filled with the fullness of the Triune God. Therefore, the seven stars may represent those who are filled with the Holy Spirit.   Third, the Lord Jesus is the High Priest, who walks among the golden lampstands to trim the wicks and add oil. The seven spirits and the seven stars represent the oil and fire in His hands, so they are all manifestations of the Holy Spirit. The Bible speaks of the Holy Spirit as both oil and fire. When we barbecue, we use both firewood, lighter fluid (oil) and a spark of fire to ignite the wood. The spark will turn into fire, and the fire will ignite the fuel and the firewood, which will make the fire stronger. The spark, the fire, the oil, and even the wood (a representation of our sacrifice) are united in purpose. In the same way, the Holy Spirit is the spark that ignites our love, the oil that fans it into flame, and the wood that keeps our passion burning (2 Timothy 1:6). This is why I believe the seven spirits and the seven stars are two aspects of the same Holy Spirit.   Seven churches. This description reminds us of the earthly side of the church. Although the church is infused with the divine gold of heaven, we are still earthly in many ways. Even though Jesus Christ sees the church as a perfect bride without spot and blemish (Ephesians 5:27), on earth it is still full of blemishes, spots, and wrinkles. As Lord of the Church and Lord of Heaven, Jesus endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God for the sake of his church (Hebrews 12:2). He sees the eternal perfection of the church. But in the here and now, inside of time, the church still needs refinement. That is why Jesus sent seven letters to the seven churches (Revelation 2-3), to point out areas where they needed refinement.   Seven seals (Revelation 4-8). The fourth seven is closely related to the third seven. The third seven (seven letters to the seven churches) reveals the earthly side of the church and the ways it needs to be refined. The fourth seven (seven seals) speak of seven disasters, seven purifying fires that will burn the church and take away its earthly dross. As Peter said, "So that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 1:7). God's judgment revealed in these seven seals is the consuming fire of His seven spirits and seven stars.   Let's examine a few seals in detail. The Gospel (represented by the white horse in the first seal) may be the purifying fire that refines the church in Ephesus. The church in Ephesus had left its first love. Once a church stops preaching the gospel, it will be filled with infighting and internal friction and will gradually lose sight of its first love. Meanwhile, a church that zealously preaches the gospel will often be full of love for God.   Jesus' letters to the seven churches are assessing and diagnosing the seven churches, measuring their spiritual temperature and symptoms to determine the correct remedy. The seven seals are the remedies to deal with the unique and varying problems of the seven churches. I had never noticed this connection before. It was only during our recent Bible study that I received this inspiration from the Holy Spirit. There is no way that Jesus would have mentioned the problems of the churches without providing a solution to the problems in the following verses. Our Lord is a Lord of provision. He not only informs us of our problems but also provides solutions to our problems.   Between the sixth and seventh seals, God gave John an encouraging vision so that the believers would not lose hope. He shared that 144,000 Jews were sealed and that there was a great multitude in heaven serving God. What could be more inspiring? Trials often tempt people to lose their faith, so God specifically asked John to share this encouraging vision between the sixth and seventh seals. Why between the sixth and the seventh? We've previously noted that seven is a number of perfection, completion, and ultimate fulfillment. Not only is there an encouraging vision between the sixth and seventh seals, but there is also an encouraging vision between the sixth and seventh trumpets, and also between the sixth and seventh bowls in the great tribulation. All of these passages follow the same principle.   Seven Trumpets. The seven seals and the seven trumpets take place before the appearance of the woman and the male child in Revelation 12; they usher in the coming tribulation. In other words, the seven seals and seven trumpets help produce Christ's bride and overcomer. The seven trumpets bring more judgments, including the judgment of the land, sea, rivers, sun, moon, stars, those who do not have the seal of God, one-third of mankind, the dead, and so on. The vision between the sixth and seventh trumpets shows that even though God allowed the Gentiles to trample the temple, the two witnesses appeared to testify of God's truth. Believers in trials would learn that God was still sovereign, even if the earthly temple was trampled. They should not be discouraged.   Seven years, 3.5 years of tribulation. The 3.5 years of the tribulation period began after the bride of Christ began to judge evil spirits. Satan tried his best to persecute the church (the woman) because the time for his judgment by the bride of Christ was near. But she gave birth to overcomers (the male child). This birth process is what Jesus referred to as labor pains. At this time, God and angels helped the church fight against the team of evil spirits and sinners led by Satan and gain the victory. Before the Great Tribulation began, God harvested the firstfruits (true believers) while the angels harvested the tares (false believers). Of course, there were also many martyrs. The bride of Christ continued to mature through suffering as Babylon the Great was thrown down.   The book of Revelation can be divided into two parts. Before chapter 12, God helps the church mature through various judgments; after chapter 12, the mature Bride of Christ continues to fight against the enemy and eventually judges fallen angels and evil spirits.   Seven Bowls. These bowls represent the ultimate judgment of God. During the bowl judgments, sores appear on the worshipers of the Antichrist; seas, rivers, and springs turn into blood; the sun scorches people with fire; the kingdom of the Antichrist becomes darkness; the great river Euphrates dries up; a great earthquake takes place; and great hailstones fall. Between the sixth and seventh bowl judgments is a vision that encourages believers. This vision depicts the preparation for the final battle of Armageddon. God reveals his plan and encourages believers that they will be victorious if they persevere.   The Ultimate Seven Brings Jubilee   After the seven bowl judgments, the book of Revelation depicts the destruction of Babylon, the marriage supper of the Lamb, the battle of Armageddon, the imprisonment of Satan, the coming of the millennial kingdom, the last rebellion of Satan, the Great White Throne judgment, the New Heaven and New Earth, the New Jerusalem, etc. At this point, God's judgment is finally complete. Death and rebellion are cast into the lake of fire, and believers reign with God forever and ever. This is the ultimate seven, which is the reality that the Sabbath, the Sabbath year, and the Year of Jubilee point to. It is also the end of human history.   Although I discussed seven sevens in this article, there may be even more sevens in the book of Revelation. The Bible is full of continuous cycles of sevens. Human history is not limited to a linear timeline of 7000 years. Instead, our history culminates with the ultimate Sabbath, an eternity of rest and completion.     [1] All Scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.  

Bible Study with Jairus – Acts 13 The Paradox of Salvation: God's Election and Man's Free Will   One of the big questions that frequently arises in Christian circles is the relationship between God's sovereign election and man's free will. Does God choose who will be saved, or is it determined by our own subjective choice? God's Election and Man's Subjective Will Acts 13:48 says, "And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed."[1] How can we understand this verse? How do we know who is appointed by God to eternal life? Are we saved by God's election or by our own free will? One prominent evangelist said that as Christians approach the gates of heaven, they see a sign that reads, “Whoever believes shall have eternal life.” However, after they pass through the door, they turn back and see a sign that says, “You were chosen before the creation of the world.” In other words, before salvation, we make a choice. After salvation, we realize we were chosen. Before a person is saved, debating election is unhelpful. For an unbeliever, the only message is “believe.” Satan wants us to waste time debating who is “chosen before the creation of the world” and miss the salvation that is right in front of us. God chooses us first, and then he works to win our hearts. For instance, God chose Isaac's son Jacob, and eventually captured Jacob's heart (despite his resistance). This story demonstrates the importance of God's unconditional election, despite human resistance. However, our free will also plays a very important role. If we choose to harden our hearts towards God continually, he may allow us to refuse his free gift. Acts 13 gives a good example of this concept. The false prophet Bar-Jesus was strongly opposing the apostles' words. Acts 13:7 says, "[Bar-Jesus] was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God." Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, rebuked Bar-Jesus. He said that Bar-Jesus would become blind, and he did. Astonished, Sergius Paulus believed in Jesus. Sergius Paulus made a choice to believe. In Acts 24, we see another person who was interested in Christ. The governor Felix and his Jewish wife Drusilla enjoyed listening to Paul talk about Jesus Christ (Acts 24:24). Felix understood Christianity and was concerned about righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment (Acts 24:22, 25). He was counting on Paul to send him money, so he often sent for Paul and conversed with him. But there is no record that he believed. Instead, Felix left Paul in prison to do the Jews a favor (Acts 24:27). My personal guess is that Felix wasn't saved, while Sergius Paulus was. Why? Did these men make a choice, or did God choose one and not the other? God wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4). So in a general sense, God has chosen everyone. But the difference in our hearts—that is, our free will—will bring about completely different results. God does not interfere with our free will. Are we worthy of God's eternal life? If our heart is willing, we will receive God's life. For "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." (Romans 10:9). Why did the disciples shake the dust off their feet? Acts 13:51 says, "They shook off the dust from their feet against them and went to Iconium." Why shake off the dust? Some Bible teachers believe that the power of the Holy Spirit could be transmitted through handkerchiefs, water, Peter's shadow, etc. Similarly, when a believer is in a city that is against God, evil spirits can be transmitted through mediums such as dust. This theory may sound a bit exaggerated. I believe that they shook the dust off their feet as a prophetic act with spiritual implications. For instance, Moses threw a branch into the water, making it sweet. This was a prophetic act. It was God who made the bitter water sweet, but this prophetic act allowed Moses to demonstrate his faith. Baptism is another example of a prophetic act. Baptism is a physical action that shows our attitude or obedience to Christ. It shows that God is baptizing us into Him. Similarly, when the disciples shook off the dust from their feet, it was a visible external act that prophetically expressed the invisible truth. God had drawn the line. This city was clearly in rebellion against him.   Breaking ungodly soul ties Shaking the dust off one's feet is somewhat similar to "breaking ungodly soul ties," a concept taught in the Healing and Deliverance Ministries. This theory teaches that if we have an ungodly extramarital sexual connection with someone or if we watch pornographic videos, we will develop ungodly soul ties with other people and evil spirits. The Bible tells us that when we join ourselves to a prostitute, we become one flesh with the prostitute. But when we join ourselves to the Lord we become one spirit with Him (1 Corinthians 6:16-17). We need to repent, confess our sins, and declare that we are breaking these ties so that the Holy Spirit can help us break free from them. Then we will not be further influenced by the evil spirits entering through these soul ties. If we are not willing to repent, God will not force us to do so. He does not violate our free will. But these ungodly soul ties are the entrance through which the evil spirits continue to attack us. All who oppose the Lord's work are participating with evil spirits; these evil spirits want to drag them into hell. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "The guilty one is not he who commits the sin in darkness, but the one who causes the darkness." Who is the creator of darkness? Satan, of course. Satan and the evil spirits have designed various methods of deception and temptation. They want to harden and darken people's hearts, influencing them to reject salvation. We must break free from Satan and the influence of evil spirits. Then we can be saved and choose faith. Disconnect from Satan and Evil Spirits and Choose Faith The next two stories in this chapter show us that longing for God brings very different results than living in jealousy and selfishness. In this chapter, Paul preaches in the synagogue about Jesus' death and resurrection and the history of Israel (Acts 13:13-43). He explicitly states that Jesus, the descendant of David, is the Savior of Israel (Acts 13:23). The Israelites crucified Jesus because they did not know who he was. But God raised Jesus from the dead. The Bible says, “After the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who, as they spoke with them, urged them to continue in the grace of God." (vs. 43) The hearts of these people were open, and they accepted Jesus Christ. But the next paragraph records the story of some Jews who turned against Paul and Barnabas because of jealousy. The next Sabbath, nearly the whole city came to hear Paul and Barnabas. Verse 45 says, "But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him."  Evil spirits took advantage of these men's jealousy to build strongholds and ungodly links within them. Their hearts began to harden, and they ultimately rejected salvation. Paul told the people that since they rejected the word of God, he must go to the Gentiles to preach the gospel. He said that God had sent him to be a light for the Gentiles and to bring salvation to the ends of the earth (Acts 13:47). Angered, the Jews "incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district" (Acts 13:50). Both Paul and Barnabas shook off the dust from their feet, left Antioch, and went to Iconium. This story is consistent with Jesus' teachings. Jesus told his disciples, "And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.” (Matthew 10:11-15). God gives us free will to test our hearts. He wants to know if we will voluntarily love Him and choose Him. Our heart is important to God. If our heart accepts God, we are worthy of His salvation and will receive His peace. But if our heart does not want God, we are not worthy of His salvation and will be disciplined by Him in the future. Although Satan and the evil spirits have created darkness to deceive us, God has prepared the light of the gospel. The sunlight from on high has visited us, to guide our feet into the way of peace (Luke 1:78-79). But if we refuse to be guided by this light, we will remain in darkness. Conclusion The question about God's election or man's free will is addressed by several stories in this chapter. God chose us and sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to be our salvation. But we must also choose him with our own free will. God never forces us to change our hearts. But He hopes that we will choose Him and be worthy of His salvation.   [1] All Scripture quotations are taken from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

2 Samuel 11-12. Although Satan presents sin as enjoyable and pleasurable, the Bible teaches us that sin is horrible and comes with a high cost. This study by Evangelist Jacob Holman examines a time in the life of David when he sinned to help us see just how high sin's cost can be.

In this session, Pastor Dale discusses how the children of God are qualified to be partakers of a rich inheritance. However, just as Israel had to overcome giants before possessing their Promised Land, new covenant saints must also overcome personal giants in order to receive all God has promised them. Although Satan always opposes God's will for His children, believers have the authority and ability in Christ to take possession of all that is rightfully theirs.

Many of us feel that God doesn't love us or that He's alienated from us. Although Satan is a defeated foe, he's “out on bail” for now, trying to destroy each of us. Understanding his tactics is crucial. In this message, we'll examine the first of five truths we can hang onto when facing spiritual attack. If we belong to God, we have no reason to be under the curse of Satan.   Click here to listen (Duration 14:35)

Many of us feel that God doesn't love us or that He's alienated from us. Although Satan is a defeated foe, he's out on bail for now, trying to destroy each of us. Understanding his tactics is crucial. In this message, we'll receive pastoral counsel through five truths when we face spiritual attack. If we belong to God, we are not under the curse of Satan. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/172/29

Many of us feel that God doesn't love us or that He's alienated from us. Although Satan is a defeated foe, he's “out on bail” for now, trying to destroy each of us. Understanding his tactics is crucial. In this message, we'll receive pastoral counsel through five truths when we face spiritual attack. If we belong to God, we are not under the curse of Satan.   Click here to listen (Duration 25:02)

Jesus Has Won Victory! Although Satan is real, we never have to fear him because Jesus defeated Satan on the cross. The Holy Spirit that lives in us gives us the power to resist Satan and his attacks against us. Do not live in fear because Jesus has already won!

Jesus. God says to the serpent, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Gen. 3:15). Christ, the offspring of Eve, would crush the head of that old serpent. Christ’s body was mortally wounded in the process, but He rose from the dead in victory! His death was but a strike to the heel. On the other hand, Satan was defeated over and over by Jesus during His earthly life. Then at the cross he was utterly conquered with no hope of ever rising again to victory. His head was totally crushed. Even now, as he continues to ravage the world with sickness, disease, temptation, and all kinds of evil, he is a completely vanquished and defeated foe. His only power is what we give him. Although Satan’s ultimate defeat came through the death and resurrection of Christ, Jesus beat the devil soundly at every turn throughout His earthly life. Jesus demonstrated for us what it is to walk in victory. 22 From THE LIVE RAGGED EDGE RADIO BROADCAST/SHATTER LIVE TV WEBINAR RUSS DIZDAR © He gave His disciples authority to walk in that same victory over sin, Satan, and evil. This is our inheritance as children of the light. Kolenda, Daniel. Slaying Dragons: A Practical Guide to Spiritual Warfare (p. vii). Charisma House. Kindle Edition. Intro*1. CHINAS QUEST? • Super powers? • Economic? • The spirit behind it all 2. CHINAS WOLF SOLDIERS • Cyber warfare 3. CHINAS PSI WARRIORS • ‘mind wars’ • Psionic .. • Non human enhancement 4. CHINAS AI -GOD/MACHINE WEAPONS • Can not happen without ‘non-human inspiration.’ Seeing the Unseen: The Nature of Spiritual Warfare (str.org) ……….. Chinas ‘dragon’ Notes: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=spiritual+warfare+song+christian&&view=detail&mid=7CC64CB488AB698EC1037CC64CB488AB698EC103&&FORM=VDRVRV

On today's Bible Answer Man broadcast, Hank returns to Matthew chapter 4 where the temptation of Christ in the wilderness is documented and points out that the temptation of Christ does not in any way imply that Christ was tainted by sin. For sin to take place, there must be a sinful inner response to Satan's seductive suggestion to sin. Although Satan appealed to Jesus' natural human desires, our Lord did not fantasize in response to Satan's suggestion. To mull over Satan's suggestion even for a moment would have constituted sin. And had Jesus sinned, He could not have been our Savior. As with the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, temptations are always crouching at the door. It's as close as a click of your computer mouse and as alluring as easy money. The devil is real and tempts us in myriad ways. This is why the Apostle Paul insistently instructed us to “put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13 NIV). From the Garden of Eden to the present generation, Satan has honed the craft of temptation. And he knows full well that without the spiritual armor listed by Paul in Ephesians 6, we are but pawns in his demonic game.

On today's Bible Answer Man broadcast (03/18/21), Hank returns to Matthew chapter 4 where the temptation of Christ in the wilderness is documented and points out that the temptation of Christ does not in any way imply that Christ was tainted by sin. For sin to take place, there must be a sinful inner response to Satan's seductive suggestion to sin. Although Satan appealed to Jesus' natural human desires, our Lord did not fantasize in response to Satan's suggestion. To mull over Satan's suggestion even for a moment would have constituted sin. And had Jesus sinned, He could not have been our Savior. As with the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, temptations are always crouching at the door. It's as close as a click of your computer mouse and as alluring as easy money. The devil is real and tempts us in myriad ways. This is why the Apostle Paul insistently instructed us to “put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand” (Ephesians 6:13 NIV). From the Garden of Eden to the present generation, Satan has honed the craft of temptation. And he knows full well that without the spiritual armor listed by Paul in Ephesians 6, we are but pawns in his demonic game.

As we go throughout a world where it seems that evil is on every side and the forces of the adversary are seeking to destroy, there is a lot of peace that we can find in this story from church history. Although Satan put it into the hearts of men to try and destroy the Book of Mormon, God had prepared a way 2400 years before for His works to be accomplished. As you and I step into the world everyday, let us always remember that as we seek God and His power we can overcome anything that may come our way.

We must let our prevailing faith move us into a life of obedience and surrendered living in the will of God! Through our prevailing faith, we destroy the power of the enemy who seeks to stop God's people from attaining what God has ordained us to do! Although Satan may be using giants of troubles and obstacles against us right now, through our prevailing faith, we shall prevail and experience God's overflowing blessings and unspeakable joy!

Time  Red Pill Topics & Headlines 6:03am cst Welcome to the Mike Church Show on www.crusadechannel.com Call the show            844-5CRUSADE   Make Canon212 your first place to get news each day. Canon212 - News of the Church and the World.   HEADLINE RUNDOWN  -  The GREAT Debate is tonight! Joe Biden is he mentally ready to face Trump tonight? Jill Biden, Hunter Biden - Ukraine/Russia   Saint Michael the Archangel Feast Day -  Pope Leo XIII Spiritual warfare refers to the daily spiritual battle between good and evil. Satan exists: “Evil is not an abstraction, but refers to a person, Satan, the Evil One, the angel who opposes God. The devil (diabolos) is the one who “throws himself across” God’s plan and his work of salvation accomplished in Christ” (Catechism 2851).  Evil spirits exist: “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6: 11-12). In spiritual warfare, the battlefield is the terrain of our souls. Having a basic understanding of spiritual warfare is an important part of knowing our Catholic faith.  2. Jesus won the victory over Satan, but our battle is not over.                    Satan has been defeated but not destroyed. The enemy is no longer a threat to Jesus, but he does remain a threat to us: “Victory over the ‘prince of this world’ was won once for all at the Hour when Jesus freely gave himself up to death to give us his life. This is the judgment of this world, and the prince of this world is ‘cast out.’ ‘He pursued the woman’ but had no hold on her: the new Eve, ‘full of grace’ of the Holy Spirit, is preserved from sin and the corruption of death (the Immaculate Conception and the Assumption of the Most Holy Mother of God, Mary, ever virgin). ‘Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring.’ Therefore the Spirit and the Church pray: ‘Come, Lord Jesus,’ since his coming will deliver us from the Evil One.’” – Catechism 2853  3. Satan’s power is not infinite like God’s.                                                          God created all angels, including the angel Lucifer, who became Satan after rebelling against God. Satan is powerful, but remains a creature: “The power of Satan is…not infinite. He is only a creature, powerful from the fact that he is pure spirit, but still a creature. He cannot prevent the building up of God’s reign. Although Satan may act in the world out of hatred for God and his kingdom in Christ Jesus, and although his action may cause grave injuries – of a spiritual nature and, indirectly, even of a physical nature – to each man and to society, the action is permitted by divine providence which with strength and gentleness guides human and cosmic history.” – Catechism 395 40m     HEADLINE: Amy Coney Barrett and Joe Biden: Two Catholics, One Double Standard by William McGurn  QUESTION: I don’t understand why the Catholics that are in favor of dismembering babies are the only ones that have the ‘right’ to publicly call themselves Catholic as if it is a good thing. But the pro-life catholics are admonished and told to keep their faith out of politics?! Joe Biden carries rosary beads and he is a great Catholic and they don’t have an issue with it. BUT the Dogma Lives Loud in Amy Coney Barrett -   If you have any issues that need to be resolved, please email Maggie O'Connell directly at sales@mikechurch.com or Candace her personal email candace@mikechurch.com   Do business with those that do business with us. BullDog Kia have been with us since day one of Veritas Radio Network and the Crusade Channel. Get your Kia today from the fine folks at BullDog Kia in Atlanta Georgia.   BRAVE BROWSER: Now you can support the Crusade Channel without spending a D...

As Revelation rushes to the end, we pause for a moment to be encouraged by the reign of Jesus. Although Satan, sin, and death seem to be making their mark on the world, Revelation refocuses us on Jesus, our King. Text: Revelation 20:1-6 Series: It's The End Of The World As We Know It... Speaking: Pastor Rusty McKie August 23, 2020

Although Satan knows who Jesus is and trembles, yet he continues to seek a way to defeat Jesus. When Jesus will cast out the Legion they ask to enter into the swine thinking to escape, but Jesus shows that He has all power.

Revelation 12:1-17 There is a spiritual perspective to consider when it comes to fear. Satan is angry because he has been thrown down by the death and resurrection of Jesus and he wants to attack the church. Although Satan will attack the church by exploiting our fears, God will protect the church and nurture the church in the present wilderness age.

Dr. Eric Mason continues in the Spiritual Warfare series today.  This sermon comes from Revelation 12:1-12. We are encouraged to know that "Although Satan is defeated, we still have to fight him". Tune in and be blessed 

Do you put on the "full armor of God" each day BEFORE you even get your day started?  Although Satan cannot read our minds, he CAN influence our thoughts.  How often do you leave yourself vulnerable to the Enemy and his tactics to control your EVERY thought??

God deserves not only our praise but also our worship. Although Satan seeks to sabotage our walk with God, Pastor Rick Kielley illustrates how God desires us to move into the Holy of Holies in our worship both in spirit and in truth. Beyond The Point Of Praise Pastor Rick Kielley Mar 25, 2018, 10:00 AM

Although Satan tries to persuade us otherwise, believing God when he tells us to look to others' interests doesn't force us to look away from our own joy.

Overcoming the World System God purposes specific circumstances designed for each of us to learn, through dependence on Him, to overcome the world and to learn to know God in our entire beings just as we know Him in our spirit now. Though we have overcome the world in our spirit, we are also overcoming the world in our soul and body as we learn to know God. The world system has a life of its own, and will put up a fight to keep us from learning to rest in knowing God in His time and in His way. There will be peer pressure, time pressure, and contention with the world's standards as we set our soul to follow the Lord. Overcoming Satan Jesus has also already overcome that old liar, the devil. He's left him around, though, to reveal to us where we are depending upon our selves, our soul strength, to get our needs met, and to provide opportunities to learn about our new spiritual nature in overcoming Him in the supernatural and natural realms. Although Satan and his demons are no longer an obstacle to knowing God, they are present in our lives so we can learn how to deal with them. Taking Responsibility God Himself not only made the way for us to enter into a knowing relationship with Him, He also takes full responsibility for every aspect of our progress. He provides the teaching, encouragement, revelation, strength, circumstances, understanding, fellowship and companionship that we need in order to enter His rest. As we accept His timetable, learn to hear His voice and recognize His presence, we enjoy our time here on this earth regardless of our outward measure of success or change in circumstance. God Makes His Presence Known God is a real person, and wants us to be confident of His present-ness. Part of the process of getting to know Him is learning to appreciate our privilege and in turn respecting and honoring our God by responding to His call to “Be With Him.”

Overcoming the World System Jesus has already overcome the world system, so in our spirit being, we also have overcome the world system. However, our soul and body have not yet walked this out experientially. God purposes specific circumstances designed for each of us to learn, through dependence on Him, to overcome the world and to learn to know God in our entire beings just as we know Him in our spirit now. So though we have overcome the world in our spirit, we are also overcoming the world in our soul and body as we learn to know God. The world system has a life of its own, and will put up a fight to keep us from learning to rest in knowing God in His time and in His way. There will be peer pressure, time pressure, and contention with the world's standards as we set our soul to follow the Lord and His purposes alone. It's part of the process, so don't take it personally! Overcoming Satan Jesus has also already overcome that old liar, the devil. He's left him around, though, to reveal to us where we are depending upon our selves, our soul strength, to get our needs met, and to provide opportunities to learn about our new spiritual nature in overcoming Him in the supernatural and natural realms. Although Satan and his demons are no longer an obstacle to knowing God, they are present in our lives so we can learn how to deal with them. Taking Responsibility God Himself not only made the way for us to enter into a knowing relationship with Him, He also takes full responsibility for every aspect of our progress. He provides the teaching, encouragement, revelation, strength, circum-stances, understanding, fellowship and companionship that we need in order to enter His rest. As we accept His timetable, learn to hear His voice and recognize His presence, we enjoy our time here on this earth regardless of our outward measure of success or change in circumstance.

  Overcoming Our Flesh Though our spirit knows God now, our flesh (our soul getting its needs met outside of God), is a barrier between our spirit and our soul. Through the working of sin, death and our flesh, as well as what has been passed down to us historically, our soul is dysfunctional and seeks life wherever it can find it, through control. Knowing God necessitates a subjection of that control to His life, which is now within us. So one of God's goals is to bring us healing in our soul and body so that our soul and body can come into alignment with our true identity. Remember, “I am a spirit, I have a soul, and I live in a body.” God wants to know us and be known completely, so He has set out to make us complete. Overcoming the World System Jesus has already overcome the world system, so in our spirit being, we also have overcome the world system. However, our soul and body have not yet walked this out experientially. God purposes specific circumstances designed for each of us to learn, through dependence on Him, to overcome the world and to learn to know God in our entire beings just as we know Him in our spirit now. So though we have overcome the world in our spirit, we are also overcoming the world in our soul and body as we learn to know God. Overcoming Satan Jesus has also already overcome that old liar, the devil. He's left him around, though, to reveal to us where we are depending upon our selves, our soul strength, to get our needs met, and to provide opportunities to learn about our new spiritual nature in overcoming Him in the supernatural and natural realms. Although Satan and his demons are no longer an obstacle to knowing God, they are present in our lives so we can learn how to deal with them. 3 Realms of Reality Chart  

In the beginning of the world God have us this amazing gift called dominion. To have dominion means that’s we have not only power but authority in the Earth and all of its creatures, this is our territory. We’ve been charged to care and protect it, as well as enjoying it. We know that God is a God of Order, anything out of Order you had to allow. Since he give dominion and freewill it’s YOUR CALL what you allow in you, with you and around you. Hell cant Break loose unless you allow it. Your life can’t fall apart unless you allow it. Although Satan has reared his ugly head, the only way he can stay or even be an influencer is if you allow him to! If you knew the power you had, your life would be wildly different.God created the Earth in an order in line with divine numeration; everything has an order. What you allow is what you get. Time is an unrenewable Unreplaceable commodity. How you spend it, is an important decision that you make every single day. Be weary who let capitalize on your time. If they are wasting your time reclaim your time. If they aren’t sure of your value, reclaim your time. If they seem to be taking advantage of you reclaim your time. Don’t waste your time doing things that don’t elevate your or move you closer to Christ (thus elevating you).

“Jesus replied, ‘This is the kind of demon that can be driven out only by prayer.’” (Mark 9:29) Although Satan gets little attention today in our secular world and even in the church, he remains real, constantly looking for ways to use our weakness...

Sun, Jan 24, 2016 by Pastor Jeff Alexander Passage: Revelation 12:1-17 The cast of characters in Revelation 12 includes a pregnant woman, a male child and a vicious red dragon. Enter into this striking scene today as we seek a better understanding of what God reveals about the saving work of His Son. Although Satan and his minions seek to devour God's Son and attack His people, they are hurled down in a sweeping display of everlasting victory that Jesus Christ gives to all who trust in Him.

Although Satan and his vicious rank of fallen angels are powerful and will stop at nothing to destroy mankind, God's strength is matchless and unconquerable. Pastor Crockett shares how we can lean on His strength to fight our intractable enemies.

This episode of CS is, “Crazy Stuff” because . . . we'll you'll see as we get into it.A short while back, we took at look at the Iconoclast Controversy that took place in the Eastern, Greek Orthodox church during the 8th & 9th Cs.While we understand the basic point of controversy between the icon-smashers, called iconoclasts, and the icon-supporters, the iconodules; the theology the iconodules used to support the on-going use of icons is somewhat complex.The iconoclasts considered the veneration of religious images as simple idolatry. The iconodules developed a theology that not only allowed, it encouraged the use of icons while avoiding the charge of idolatry. They said such images were to be respected; venerated even – but not worshiped. Though, for all practical purposes, in the minds of most worshipers, there was no real difference between veneration & the adoration of worship.The acceptance of icons as intrinsic to worship marked the entrance of a decidedly mystical slant that entered the Orthodox Church at this time, and has remained ever since. All of this was seen in the career of an author now known as PSEUDO-DIONYSIUS the Areopagite. He's called Pseudo-Dionysius because while we know his writings were produced in the early 6th C in Syria, they claim to have been written by the 1st C Dionysius mentioned in Acts 17 who came to faith when Paul preached on the Mars Hill in Athens.Pseudo-Dionysius' most famous works were titled The Divine Names, Mystical Theology, & The Celestial Hierarchy.  The Monophysite Christians of Alexandria were the first to draw inspiration from his work, supposing them to be genuine works of one of the Apostle Paul's disciples. The Byzantines followed suit & incorporated some of his ideas. Then, in 649 when Pope Gregory I and the Lateran Council accepted them as dating to the 1st C, they became more widely looked to as informing Christian theology.Pseudo-Dionysius' writings merged Christianity w/Neo-Platonism.  He saw the universe as divided into a hierarchy of spirits and believed the Church ought to be organized in a similar way as this spiritual hierarchy. Where Pseudo-Dionysius deviated from the Neo-Platonists was in his rejection of the idea that the goal of each human individual was to lose their individuality by re-uniting with the Creator. He went 180 degrees the other way and said it was the individual's goal to grow through mystical moments of revelation so that the person emerged into a divine state; more god-like than human. Pseudo-Dionysius taught that these mystical moments were bursts of revelation that brought enlightenment and advanced the soul's journey to a near-deity. But they weren't moments of revelation INTO divine knowledge so much as they were a stripping away of it. While early cults like the Docetists & Gnostics had made the acquisition of secret knowledge that imparted enlightenment the hallmark of their creed, Pseudo-Dionysius said knowledge stood in the way of enlightenment. The mind was a barrier to spiritual advancement, not a tool to attain it. He claimed the path to salvation, which he cast as “spiritual fulfillment,” proceeded through 3 stages—Purification, Illumination, and Union.First, the seeker needed to strip him/herself of all earthly and fleshly entanglements. Then by extreme forms of meditation in which the goal was to wipe the mind clean, the special moment would arrive when the person would achieve illumination & realize their union with the divine. If this sounds a bit like Gnosticism and the esoteric offerings of Eastern religion, that's because they are similar.This synthesis of Christianity & Neo-Platonist concepts had a huge impact on Byzantine theologies of mysticism and liturgy, on Western mystics, scholastics & Renaissance thinkers. Pseudo-Dionysius' writings were translated from Greek into Latin about 850.They were rejected as inconsistent with the Bible by the Protestant Reformers and exposed as 6th Century forgeries when scholars dug into their origin. But their emphasis on the mystical had already done its damage in the Eastern Church which continued to hold onto many of Pseudo-Dionysius' ideas. Even to this day, salvation in the Greek Orthodox Church means something rather different than it does in the Western Church, where it's conceived as redemption from sin and reconciliation to God. In the Eastern Church, salvation is regarded as a return to a process of spiritual transformation enhanced by the Church; it's priesthood, icons, and rituals, to a destiny that produces a being that is much more than human though not quite attaining to deity. The Eastern idea is that the Redeemed won't be God, but will be certainly be god-like.Now, this is an over-simplification, but may help make THE crucial distinction between the ways the Western and Eastern Churches understand salvation. The West sees the work of Christ primarily as Salvation FROM sin, while the East understands it as Salvation TO glory.  Again—that's a maybe gross reduction of the complex soteriology of the Eastern and Western theological traditions, but pretty accurate nonetheless. It's all in where the emphasis is placed.The Bible does say Adam and Eve were created in God's image. And we know Christ came to restore what they lost in the Fall. Certainly, the redeemed in glory will appear as glorious creatures that dwarf the shades humans are now. We are, as one musical artist sang – like ghosts on the earth, compared to the glory that was once Adam's & will be ours yet again. But in Greek Orthodox theology, salvation seems to be not just a restoration of what was lost so much as a promotion into something new; something even more glorious than the first man and woman enjoyed. Again, something above human if not quite divine.And the emphasis on the mystical in the Eastern Church is all about how to make that leap, that spiritual form of evolutionary advance.In 650, as Pseudo-Dionysius' views were being heavily imbibed in the East, a church leader named Constantine (obviously not the Emperor of the 4th C) resurrected some of the errors of the Gnostics. Constantine and his followers rejected the formal­ism of the Byzantine State church, claiming a desire to return to the simplicity of the Early Church.  We might respond; “Wait! In 650 they wanted to return to the dynamism of the early church? Isn't THAT the early church?  That was 1400 years ago!”Constantine based his beliefs on the Gospels and letters of Paul alone. He claimed an evil deity inspired the rest of the NT and all the Old. In a reprise of Gnosticism, he claimed this evil deity was the creator and god of this world. The true God of heaven was opposed to the physical universe; that material world was unalterably evil. In order to save people's spirits from the wickedness of the physical world, the true God sent an angel who appeared as a man named Jesus.A little history taught church leaders how to shut down Constantine's re-emergent Gnosticism. All they had to do was go back and read of the early church's struggle with the Gnostics and how all these ideas were old hat with no basis in Scripture. While a few church leaders did just that and waged an apologetic battle with Constantine's followers, the State Church persecuted & at times executed them.Constantine changed his name to Silas, one of the Apostle Paul's associates. After Constantine-Silas was stoned to death, the next leader of the sect took the name Titus, another of Paul's assistants. When he was burned to death, a third leader took the name Timothy. The next adopted the name Tychicus. All this lead to the sect being called the Paulicians.During the Iconoclast Contro­versy of the 8th C, the persecution of the Paulicians eased a bit. One of the Emperors may even have been a Paulician. But in the 9th C, the Empress Theodora ordered the Paulicians eradicated. Tens of thousands were killed, most in Armenia.In reaction, the Paulicians formed armies which proved quite capable in battle. So, unable to conquer them outright, the Byzantines offered them independence if they'd move to the troubled border w/the Slavs & Bulgars giving the Empire grief.The Paulicians ended up having a major religious impact on the Bulgars. These Bulgar-Paulicians became known as the Bogomils¸ named after their first leader. In the mid 10th C he taught that the first-born son of God was Satan. Because of Satan's pride, he was expelled from heaven. God then made a new heaven and earth, in which he placed Adam and Eve. Satan had sex with Eve which union produced Cain, the source of all evil among humans. Moses and John the Baptist, according to the Bogomils, were both servants of Satan. But God sent the Logos, his second Son, Jesus to save humanity from the control of Satan. Although Satan killed Jesus, his spiritual body was resurrected and returned to the right hand of God. Satan was in this way defeated; or so said Bogomilism.Some of our listeners may find all of this similar to another religious group headquartered today in a certain State of the US, that has great skiing during the winter and a capital located next to a large, salty inland sea. Turns out, Solomon was right; there really isn't anything new under the sun.The Bogomils adopted a rigidly ascetic life-style. They despised marriage, although they permitted it in the case of less-than-perfect believers. They condemned the eating of meat and the consumption of wine. They rejected baptism and communion as Satanic rituals  since they used material things.Bogomilism flourished in Bul­garia while it was an independent country in the 10th C, then again in the 13th. Bogomilian ideas spread to Western Europe where they influenced the Cathars and Albigensians. When the Turks destroyed the Bulgarian Empire in 1393, the Bogomils disappeared.The Paulicians continued in minor enclaves in Armenia all the way into the 19th C. It's possible that in some tiny corner of rural communities, Paulicianism continues to find adherents.And now you see why I chose to title this episode, “Crazy Stuff.”

The Angelic Conflict - Part 8 - The element in sin which reveals total rebellion against God is the sin of independence. Anything done outside of the will of God becomes a form of evil in the sense of being independent from God. The majority of believers are much more occupied with their own life and their own will over the will of God. God's grace will take some members of the human race, created lower than the angels, and lift them up to an eternal citizenship in the highest realm. HEB 2:6 “What is man, that Thou rememberest him? Or the son of man, that Thou art concerned about him?” HEB 2:7 “Thou hast made him for a little while lower than the angels; Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor, And hast appointed him over the works of Thy hands;” HEB 2:8 “Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him.” JOH 17:21 that they may all be one; even as Thou, Father, art in Me, and I in Thee, that they also may be in Us; that the world may believe that Thou didst send Me. JOH 17:22 And the glory which Thou hast given Me I have given to them; that they may be one, just as We are one; JOH 17:23 I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that Thou didst send Me, and didst love them, even as Thou didst love Me. JOH 17:24 Father, I desire that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am, in order that they may behold My glory, which Thou hast given Me; for Thou didst love Me before the foundation of the world. Satan has no right either by position or redemption to claim this eternal citizenship and this highest of all heavenly positions, so he is very angry! His self-seeking intention is an outrage against the Creator's plan and purpose for the creature. ROM 1:25 exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. ROM 1:23 They exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures ISA 14:13 - “will raise” = rum = “I will cause myself to rule” Although Satan was appointed to the guardianship of the throne of God, he lusted for a throne of his own to rule over the “stars of God.” Satan is the prince of the power of the air, Eph 2:2. Satan is the god of this world, 2Co 4:4. He is the ruler of this world, Joh 12:31. This earth is a terrible reflection of Satan's rulership. “I will sit on the mount of the assembly in the recesses of the north” = rulership over the government of the earth, Isa 2:1-4. (Messianic recognition.) The original sin was a thought of independence from God. Morality is not spirituality! The worst sins are related to what you think or say, such as gossip, maligning, jealousy, and pride. In most churches, people are evaluated on the basis of their obvious, overt sins. ISA 14:13 - This was power lust expressing a desire to rule over God. “ascend” = to rule or to have the sovereignty in heaven. ISA 14:13 - Satan wanted to rule over the angels on the earth as well as those in heaven. ISA 14:14 - Clouds are used to represent the divine presence of God or His glory. Exo 16:10, Psa 104:3, 1Ki 8:10, Isa 19:1. Satan wanted the glory which belonged to God alone. Mat 24:30; Rev 1:7. Satan's ambition was to take over the functions of God. Satan has neither the character nor the personality to control all types of creatures, or to bring them into eternal compatibility with God. Satan wants the glory but he doesn't have the ability - that same spirit is manifested everywhere in the human race. Robert R. McLaughlin Bible Ministries All Rights Reserved Robert R. McLaughlin 2001

The Angelic Conflict - Part 52 - Point 14. - The Angelic Conflict In Human History Answers Basic Questions About Life - A. Why the creation of man? Mankind was created to resolve the prehistoric angelic conflict. B. Why sin? To resolve the angelic conflict all members of the human race must have the same free will as angels have. In the original sin of man in the garden of Eden, there was the function of negative volition against a specific prohibition. God said you could eat from any tree except one! Satan said, “Has God said you shall not eat from any tree?” God's plan went on and God turned the curse into a blessing because at the cross, all human sin was judged while human good was rejected, Tit 3:5. Tit 3:5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, The efficacious saving work of Christ on the cross is the basis for the strategic victory of the angelic conflict, Col 2:14-15; Heb 1:4-14, Heb 2. If any accusation was made like how can a loving God cast His creatures in the lake of fire - the same loving God forsook His Son on the cross while He was bearing the sins of the whole world. The cross broke the back of Satan. At the cross that same character of God condemned His own perfect impeccable Son while bearing our sins. Just as we use our volition to sin, we use our volition to choose for or against the plan of God. Sin exists because God gave His creatures free will, and they have chosen from that free will to violate certain divine standards. c. Why chaos on planet earth? 1Co 14:33 for God is not a God of confusion but of peace, The chaos is only terminated by the Second Advent of Christ and His Millennial reign. Satan does not have the power or the ability to control all the inhabitants of the world nor the ability to produce perfect environment on the earth. Satan would love to have more people think that chaos exists because he is making it chaotic, rather than because he cannot control it! Christian activism is a movement that is blindly and ignorantly trying to help Satan clean up his world and make it a better place to live. Social engineering = trying to force Biblical principles on society. Political engineering = trying to control the government with principles from the Bible. To outlaw a certain segment of society because they do not adhere to Christian principles is a disaster. The devil sponsors Christian activism because that is his way of getting believers involved in the improvement of the devil's world. Christian activism = Church-age believer is involved in temporal solutions to the problems of life when spiritual solutions are available. Satan cannot improve on the laws of divine establishment. He cannot duplicate God's predesigned plan. Satan does not have the power to provide for mankind in the way that he wants to, nor to delegate the necessary authority to the human race. He cannot duplicate God's grace provision in the believer's escrow account. Arrogance results in chaotic activism, crusades of morality, human good, evil, socialism, violence, distortion, and disaster. Although Satan is the super-genius of all time, the world is too much for him to rule. The chaos that exists is an expression of Satan's failure to pull together under his great power the successful rulership of this world. Every Satanic program and attempt to bless mankind in his kingdom always results in evil, human good, crusader arrogance, social engineering, socialism, communism, plus all the folly of rulers. It's questionable if Satan is really happy with all the resultant evil in the world, manifest in degeneracy, since Satan is trying to prove that he's good and his system is as good as God's. The inevitable consequences of man's involvement in Satan's cosmic system is chaos -psychologically, socially, personally, nationally, and internationally. Man's folly in rejecting God's plan - first at salvation, then in the PPOG - brings chaos, unfairness, evil and disaster into the world from both believers and unbelievers. Angels watch to see if believers will get sucked into Satan's plans and operations for the improvement of cosmos diabolicus, or if the believer will remain in the PPOG and have historical impact. The works of Satan can only be destroyed or nullified by the believer's function inside the PPOG under the omnipotence of the Holy Spirit. The cross broke the back of Satan, while the believer's function inside the PPOG destroys his philosophical attitude toward life. Robert R. McLaughlin Bible Ministries All Rights Reserved Robert R. McLaughlin 2001