The Spiritual War!
(a Study into the realms of demon possession and the Kingdom of darkness)
'this kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting, Mk9:29
The Bible says that 'we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Eph6:12
The context of the
passage is admonishing the true followers of Christ to put on the whole armor of
God so they can stand against the wiles of the devil and not be overwhelmed by
his tactics. He also says in another place:
For though we walk in
the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God
for pulling down strongholds,
casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself
against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the
obedience of Christ,
and being ready
to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. 2Cor10:3-6
Again, warning the Saints that their struggle against evil is not to be waged
with bullets and bombs, but through the Spirit with the Word of God. Their enemy
can manifest itself in various forms, either through the philosophies and
doctrines of men as 'ministers of righteousness or literally as 'angels of light
in morphed images, 2Cor11:13-15. Only those with true 'spiritual discernment'
can properly understand these matters and engage this enemy with godly purpose.
Unfortunately most of professed Christianity is under 'strong delusion' in an
apostate state of lawlessness, 'beating the air' without purpose.
They spend most of their time arguing Substitution theories in favor of keeping
the old man of sin alive and 'Christianizing every form of worldliness in the
Churches to increase the head count, than contending earnestly for the faith as
commanded, Jude3-4. Needless to say they pose no threat whatsoever to the
principalities and powers of darkness in our age. (rather they are compliant to
them)
Scripture says of the Devil that he is the 'god of this age', 2Cor4:4, the 'Prince and power of the air', Eph2:2, Christ also called him the 'Prince of this world' Jh14:30 and John said in 1Jh5:19 that the 'whole world lies under his sway'. He was able to offer Christ control of all the Kingdoms of the world, Lk4:5-6, if He would bow to his authority and we see him lurking about too and fro on the earth as his realm of operation, Job1:7, Peter also confirms this in 1Pet5:8 telling us that he roams about as a roaring lion seeking who he may devour. From this we must understand that Satan-Devil-Lucifer is a literal spiritual entity, a personage in the spiritual kingdom of considerable (but limited) power who's realm of present influence is over unregenerate man. Satan is taken from the Hebrew 'Sa'tan, in Greek Satanas, meaning the adversary, one who opposes. Devil (often translated demon in newer bibles) is Greek: diabolos, meaning accuser or slanderer. Lucifer, Isa14:12, in our English Bibles, taken from the Latin Vulgate, (Catholic Bible) In Hebrew the word is: heylel, meaning to shine, brightness, understood as the 'Light bearer, shining one, morning star, in various ancient languages. One of the many names used in Scripture to describe the enemy: 'Great dragon, the Devil, Satan, who deceives the whole world' Rev12:9. Originally created as a mighty Angel of God, perfect in every way, who fell from the heavens through pride and rebellion and is now the ruler of the dark host that followed him. (Isa14:12, Rev12:7-9, Ezk28:13-19, Lk10:18) As created spiritual beings neither Satan nor his minions have the ability to procreate, Matt22:30, Mk12:25, there is no such thing as 'half-breed' angel human Nephilim or any method by which Satan can produce demonic offspring through mortal women. (see my full study on the Nephilim Myth) Also it’s important to understand that Satan is NOT omnipresent or omniscient, is limited in his realm of influence and by the resources available to him. But he is extremely devious in his ability to deceive man and as John says the whole world (political, social, religious) is under his sway, 'lieth in wickedness', keimai, of one buried, of things put or set in any place, of vessels, a city, a throne, in subjection to evil in this sense. He was able to hinder Michael the Archangel from coming to the aid of Daniel, Dan10:12-13 and Paul mentioned that he hindered them from coming to the aid of the assemblies in Thessalonica, 1Thes2:18. These type of powers to hinder and influence is why establishment Christianity no longer poses a threat to his Kingdom, as a System it has been completely marginalized and made of no effect in the spiritual realm of bringing people out of darkness into light, delivered from the power of Satan to God. Since the origins of the Catholic Church in ancient Rome, beginning in mid third Century, evil men and imposters, obviously in league with Satan, have managed to 'wrest (twist and corrupt) the Scriptures to their own demise, keep it out of the hands of the common people and invent 'another gospel that nullifies the Redemption (release from the bondage of sin) that is in Christ Jesus. Although God has always had His holy remnant in every age the institutions of men 'lieth in deception. And only the true Saints of God understand this spiritual battle and how to most effectively oppose Satan's kingdom.
The Saints are given authority to rule and reign with Christ and have the means to bind Satan; 'Resist the Devil and he will flee Js4:7, Be sober and vigilant, 1Pet5:8, Put on the whole armor of God, Eph6:13. But even though Satan has been bound and stripped of his advantage, Col2:15, he has not been made entirely impotent. His spiritual dominion of influence has not yet been abolished or completely destroyed. He has received a deadly head wound which will finally cast him into the lake of fire forever. But for now, within the sphere of his prison he is permitted to cast his influences of evil over the institutions of man. He is like a junk yard dog that is securely bound and restrained with a long and heavy chain but can still do great damage to anyone who trespasses within the circle of his imprisonment. (the perfect example being the apostate 'Christian System that dwells within his circle) But outside of his circle, the True Saints are More than conquerors through him that loved us! Rom8:37. Of course the Saints are often times subject to the death of Martyrs, as God permits to 'witness of His enduring power and authority in the spiritual realm. We may not understand the real purpose of suffering for His name's sake in this manner, but nothing is done in His Kingdom without purpose. Satan may be able to destroy (kill) the body but he has no power over the soul and will face his inevitable demise when Christ returns. Remember, the 'last enemy that is destroyed is death', 1Cor15:25, in the present battle there are spiritual casualties, so to speak, but 'Greater is He that is in you than he that is in the world', every time we pull another soul out of the fire into the Kingdom of Christ we cast down his minions and damage his realm. Not that every person lost in deception is 'possessed by a demon, but they are under the influence of evil and do the bidding of the Devil oblivious of his wiles. This is especially true of those in the professed Christian ranks involved in every form of deception, lying signs and wonders, doctrines of demons that promise liberty in sin. They have succumbed to the 'influence of evil long ago and operate within its realm autonomous of Satan having to stand by 'ruling over them with his minions. There is no real need of a 'demon taking up residence in their Pundits when the entire System is already compromised by evil. We can rightly attribute it all to Satan, but people do not need to be possessed by a demon to be addicted to lust and filthy behavior. They do so because they 'love it and under the 'doctrines of demons they also love, its not necessary to Crucify the self-indulgent passions and lusts in repentance. So the 'old man' of sin remains alive, a 'Slave to who he obeys, 'sin unto death'.
Without the 'once for all putting to death the old man in repentance, Rom6:4-6, Gal5:24, the professed masses have unwittingly given themselves over to lust and a reprobate mind. The Devil himself doesn't have to be present in their midst tempting them to watch Porn, get drunk, molest children or do any other vile thing common among the professed. They do it anyway because they love it and have every excuse down pat why the ruinous cycle of sin-confess is the normal growth experience of Christians. I'd say the Devil is standing aside rejoicing that his victory over the Church in ancient Rome has come to such full fruition that he can dispatch his minions elsewhere to spread his influence over the affairs of men to a much greater effect. People and Pundits in the Church System arrogantly believe the 'Devil (himself) is coming against them to hinder their work and demons are lurking under every rock causing 'Christians to fall into sin, but Satan has much bigger fish to fry than a Church or ministry already in the 'depths of evil' by pronouncing souls saved who remain in bondage to sin. He can leave them to own devices without much concern that any great awakening will take place. They are so 'completely under his persuasion that they pose no threat whatsoever against the domain of darkness. People who think Satan or demons are chasing them around, hiding behind every door, are demented due to false notions or the misuse of meds. (or both!) There's an onslaught of brain altering propaganda coming at people today and those not spiritually awake in Christ often fall victim to it.
Therefore in any discussion of actual 'demon possession' we must take into consideration the fact that 'religious people (in particular) have given themselves over to every kind of evil, superstition and lust of the flesh the Bible condemns as sins unto death. We cannot deny demon possession outright, since so many people of all persuasions are fascinated by manifestations and the magic arts, but we must also weigh it against what they have likely brought upon themselves with mind altering drugs, alcohol and unhealthy living. Many behavioral disorders can be caused by pharmaceuticals, poor diet, abuse and various other addictions. Can we say collectively they have a demon that must be cast out or simply they need to repent, come clean with God and fine true Redemption in Christ. Certainly it won't be easy for them to make it through a repentance of this sort, but that's the problem with going deep into sin, the mind goes reprobate and the understanding is clouded with so much delusion it’s nearly impossible to escape. If it was as simple as 'casting the demon out them in Jesus name and they would be released from bondage and regenerated, we could run around 'saving all the addicts, porn watchers, drunks, etc. But unfortunately it’s not that easy and there more to consider. Even if we did 'cast out a demon, does that guarantee they will instantly start following Jesus and be born again, I see no evidence of this in the incidents where Jesus cast demons out of people, not everyone of them is reported to be a Mary Magdalene, Mk16:9, or the man in Lk8:30 delivered from Legion, who both served Him faithfully after their release. I have to believe that a person's will comes into play after a healing of this sort and a choice still has to be made to follow Christ or not, consequently there's no guarantee a person delivered from demon possessed will go on to serve Him; as is clearly shown in John5:14 of a man instantly healed of a life-long infirmity by Christ and then warned to ‘go and sin no more, lest a worse thing happen to you’. I have to believe this sets the tone of every healing and deliverance in the NT, sin has much to do with it and given that ancient man did not understand the cause of many ailments or brain disorders due to lead in the water, we must weigh our understanding of actual demon possession against the facts.
A person addicted to lust and self-indulgence under the present delusion they can be saved in their sins, who obviously has no love for the truth or any desire in them to seek it out, is NOT going to suddenly put the old man of sin to death and start serving Jesus, regardless if a 'demon is cast out of them or we just warn them to repent or perish. The Choice still has to be made, I think Christ manifesting the Power of God in His time, by casting out demons and healing, was doing so more as a witness to the Kingdom coming among men offering them the opportunity to enter in, than the 'signs themselves being the means of entering in. The Purpose for which He stated: 'Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself. Jh12:31-32 He came to 'bind the strong man' Matt12:29 and spoil his goods (sin) The bondage people were experiencing can indeed be attributed to him, but knowing that man has free will and ability to make choices between good and evil, he is also to blame for giving himself over to evil. Not everyone was demon possessed or self-indulgent sinner, there were righteous people present during the time of Christ, so we must consider these matters carefully against the ancient superstitious prevailing in times past. But also understand that many things have not changed and one of them is man's preoccupation with evil. You reap what you sow and mixing mysticism or sorcery with the Gospel is going to result in demons wreaking havoc over the land and people being in bondage to fleshly lust, plus the deleterious effect on the children will be devastating.
Interestingly we find the exact kind of demonic manifestations Christ encountered active in people today, including young children. Then the people understood it as 'demon possession and some cried out to Christ for deliverance. But today they 'treat it as a chronic illness, disorder, with harmful meds, physiological mumbo-jumbo and counseling. (Christian Psychiatrist!!) We still see people and young children exhibiting the same behavior shown in the pages of Scripture, the foaming at the mouth, the self-cutting, the uncontrollable fits, disruptive thoughts, visions, and dreams, the shouting and screaming of profanities, sudden violent outbreaks, even horrific crimes of mutilation, dismemberment and slaughter of family members. Science has a label for it all: epilepsy, brain injuries, bi-polar, schizophrenic, psychopathic, chemical imbalances of the brain, chronic Lyme disease, post traumatic stress disorder, genetic disorders, and a long list of conditions that fall under behavior disruptive disorders, all treated with the same disease/disorder management mentality that often times makes matters worse. They will attribute such things to all sorts of external/internal causes, but the ONE thing that continues to elude them is the 'one thing that universally affects the entire planet, a defiled heart in rebellion to God! The Professed Christian establishment doesn't have a clue how to deal with it and have been rendered completely impotent against the powers of darkness by the false gospel they love. There are certain segments of the 'Church that run around claiming to 'cast out demons and experiencing various other manifestations of the ‘spirit, but they too are in complete compromise and subject to every deception the demons can dish out. They wouldn’t know a demon possessed person from the average porn watcher teaching a Sunday school class! How could they ‘cast out a demon when they’re teaching the doctrines of demons? It’s their overall disposition toward evil that makes them easy prey to every form of trickery and deceit, what can seem like a demon spirit as described above, is more likely their own doings as a result of their un-crucified flesh and damage they have done to their own mind / bodies through years of self-indulgence and lust.
The fact is that modern man in all his sophistication is as superstitious as his
ancient ancestors when it comes to signs, wonders and manifestations of
spirits. He still dabbles into sorcery, witch-craft, the magic arts, star gazing
and religious superstitions; especially in the mixing of pagan beliefs and
rituals with Christianity, which has been the regular practice of the Catholic /
Orthodox Churches for centuries. As a result the avenues for demon influence
into the lives of the professed have also been wide open to all sorts of
supernatural manifestations they ‘think are of God. People under this mess
wonder why their children are ‘little devils’, the preachers tell them they’re
born that way, but Scripture says that such conduct is ‘handed down by
tradition from their fathers’ 1Pet1:18, so as they are taught by example
to fulfill the desires of their flesh, Eph2:2, it’s the natural outcome of
hypocrisy, selfishness and an unregenerate heart of pseudo Christianity passed
down from generation to generation. They are not only workers of iniquity; they
actually invite the demon spirits into their Churches and homes through a
thousand avenues of access they call entertainment and leisure. The programs
they watch, the celebrity idols they adore, the vile games they consider
harmless fun and the endless hours they squander away in worldly activities that
rob them of any life giving essence in the Spirit. Scripture tells us that
darkness and light cannot mix; 'what accord has Christ with Baal and what
agreement has the Temple of God with idols', 2Cor6:15-16. Many professed
Christians are not even appalled by the slaughter of the unborn, same sex unions
(sickeningly called marriage!) homosexual pastors or the Gay agenda being forces
upon their children. Infidelity, spousal abuse, fornication, molestation, incest
and a host of other vile behaviors are common place among them, dealt with in
'sin management programs that only serve to magnify the false gospel they all
love. The TV programs and movies they watch are filled with demonic influences
and they think nothing of it! When another of their children dies of a drug
overdose, commits suicide, is killed in a drunken car crash or contracts some
sexual transmitted disease, how do they deal with it … by facing suddenly facing
up to their hypocrisy and admit its their own double-standards and neglect
that’s really the cause; NEVER! They blame it on the drugs, the booze,
bullies at school or some behavioral disorder the kids had no control over. It
couldn’t possibly be the result of their self-indulgent life styles, the Devil
just has it in for them, but God will work it out for their good. (or so says
the pastors, he will preach the kid into heaven no matter how vile the sin they
died in) With the doors wide open to every sort of evil influence the demons
could very well be involved, but I think its more likely the influence of a
temperament brought about a ‘spirit (disposition) of disorder in
their midst than anyone being demon possessed. God's not the author of this kind
of confusion (Babylon) the wisdom from above is pure, peaceable, gentle, willing
to yield, without partiality or hypocrisy, sowing the fruit of righteousness and
good works. James3:17. What is manifest among them is 'earthy, sensual,
self-seeking and mass confusion, all of the Devil! James3:15.
Spirit in the Greek is: pneuma, literally the ‘movement of air, from pneō, wind, our word for pneumatic, it can represent the ‘Spirit of God, Holy Spirit, the life giving spirit-soul of a person, an angel or unclean spirit. It can also represent the disposition or influence that governs the soul of anyone as the source of their emotions, affections and desires. Therefore when there is a ‘spirit of disorder, chaos, self-indulgence and lust presiding over a home, church, gathering, the emotions and dispositions of the people involved be ‘moved’ accordingly. (as the ‘wind blows a prevailing tempest) What can then ‘seem like a demon possession, is in reality a ‘spirit of confusion that naturally follows a lawless temperament. We can’t rule out demon possession altogether, they will indeed take up residence in a vessel that is most expedient, meaning the younger ones who are more vulnerable to demonic influences. Remember Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil by binding the strong man and spoil his goods. His ‘goods are sin, confusion and ruin inflicted on mankind, but against those truly in Christ, washed, renewed and regenerated he has been ‘stripped of his advantage. Meaning they have Victory over sin, flesh and devil through faith, 1Jh5:4-5. But those in sin, under the delusion they can be Christians while still defiled within, have no such advantage and are completely exposed to the prince and power of the air, and that’s the reason their young children are sometimes taken hostage by demons. Just as we see recorded in Scripture, whenever a nation/people have given themselves over to evil, idolatry, extremes of paganism and superstitions, demonic influences are lurking everywhere and innocent children often suffer the consequences. (the sins of the fathers visited on the children, by the laws of cause and effect, Num14:18) We see an example of this in Mark 9:14-28, a child (paidion, small child, infant) possessed by a mute spirit who often times convulsed the child and tried to destroy him in fire and water. No information is given in the passage about how the child became possessed of such a spirit, only the explanation of the father to Christ that 'from childhood' he had been that way, so we can only speculate that some kind of powerful demonic influences were present either in the village they lived or in the lives of the parents that brought it about. And freeing the child from such possession is no simple matter of imagining you can 'cast it out' in Jesus name. When He said this 'kind comes out only with prayer and fasting', He is speaking of a pure heart and sanctified home in which a demon cannot dwell. You must realize what you're up against, in Eph6:12 the 'Principalities and powers are called the rulers of the darkness of this world', 'ruler in this sense is a compound word kosmokratōr, from Kosmos-World, the universe, the human family, and krateō, Power, possession, master, take hold of. The 'Kosmos in this sense is the unregenerate masses of the religious, political and social domains of the planet, over which the Devil and his demon host has mastery. (so the people who run things, are 'run' by the devils, 'under his sway', the Church being no exception, 1Jh5:17) So those 'unarmed spiritually are no match against the principalities and must first repent of their sin to help anyone else escape the clutches of evil.
The Spiritual battle is about dominance, Satan wants to be worshiped as a god and exalt himself above the real GOD. He does so through any means at his disposal in which man freely gives him access to manipulate the human domain. That's why Scripture warns the Saints that he can appear as an 'Angel of Light', minister of righteousness. As mentioned, Lucifer means 'Light bearer' (shining one) only the Saints see him for what he is the; 'Dragon, Serpent, deceiver. Others seeking power and dominance see him as their 'Christ-Savior, through which they can dominate their fellow man and promote their agendas of evil. That's why religion has always been the most effective tool to control the people in the mixing of superstitions, the dark arts and the bible to mystify them so they will enthusiastically do the bidding of the devil. Think about it, how many 'religious-Christian' type people do you know who are engaged in the practice of pagan holidays, (not just Christmas and Easter, but many other pseudo Christian observances imported from various pagan religions mixed into Catholicism) going to fortune tellers, Mediums / physic readers, conjuring up the dead, praying for the dead, wearing of charms, beads, marking of face, even witch-craft, magic arts, playing with Quija boards, hexes, casting of spells, Tarot cards, astrology, various types of rituals using animal blood, superstitions involving connotations to protect pregnant women, babies, ward-off evil spirits or conjure familiar spirits. Nearly every Catholic ritual is derived from paganism, the praying to Mary, extreme unction, the wine and wafer magically becoming the body and blood of Christ, the massive attraction to idolatry, magnificently decorated temples with high steeples and pulpits raised above the laity, the obelisk in the center of St Peter's square at Vatican City is an ancient Egyptian symbol representing worship of the sun god. The Pope himself sits on a golden throne with the sun-god symbol above and the Cherubim's at his sides, in exact description of 'Satan exalting himself as god above the throne of God in 2Thes2:4. The symbolism goes on and on for anyone who has eyes to see, its no wonder that even the compromised Protestant reformers identified the Pope as the anti-Christ and the Catholic Church as demonic. But yet at the same time they participate in secret societies, endorse organizations like the Masons, Shiners, the Knights of various orders, Kings and Queens, nobility of Titles and the use of nationalistic symbols to garner patriotic fervor for marching off to war in the name of Christ. In the Pentecostal, Charismatic segments of protestant Christianity they chase after signs and wonders with no regard to righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come. Their highly charged meetings are hard to distinguish from what goes on in Voodoo ceremonies with the emotional euphoria, trance like state of the people, babbling incoherently and thrashing about like zombies. 2Tim3:5 speaks of an apostate Church with a 'form of godliness but denying the power of a godly life, it is in times such as these that the depths of Satan are known and the land is infested with demons. Consequently it’s no surprise that the children fall prey to every form of evil and have no desire to know the truth.
Satan launched his War on the Saints immediately after Pentecost and drove the holy remnant into the wilderness Shorty thereafter, Rev12:13-17, the Beast Church then rose from the ashes of this war and took control of the establishment. Since that time institutionalized religion, Christianity in particular, has taken on the 'appearance of a lamb, but speaks a language of the Dragon, Rev13:11, as a result 'your Church, denomination, splinter / independent group, Mission outreach, theological Seminary, Christian Counseling, publishing, broadcasting organization and everything connected to these things is part of Mystery Babylon, the Woman on the Scarlet Beast, united the with Church-State Lucifarian structure, the habitation of demons, a prison for every foul spirit and unclean and hated bird! His people have 'come out' and are coming out, (the ekklesia, called out ones) and have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness; all others, within this structure, sincere or corrupt, are deceived, spiritually unarmed and dwelling on Satan's turf. They cannot oppose evil because they are 'born with it contaminating their flesh and neither can they pull down the Strongholds of deception blinding them, when they are actively participating in the organizations that teach Salvation as a 'position one enters by trusting in Christ and the Christian life as an endless cycle of sin-confess, revolving door of ongoing failure, crossing back and forth (between darkness and light) within the 'position in an abstract state of faith alone that God counts as trust-worthy acceptability even though it falls far short of heart-felt obedience to the truth. It is a diabolical perversion of the Truth premised on a 'PROVISION (made by Christ) that satisfies Divine Justice and forgives the sinner in his sins, instead of bringing him out of darkness into light, from the power of Satan to God, whereby he is released from the corruption of sin and walks in an abiding state of faithfulness manifest in actual purity of heart. There is no sin-confess, sin-repent cycle in Christ, real repentance means the rebellion has ceased permanently, the old man of sin is put to death once for all, not in a gradual dying out daily, tying to sin less, but never quite winning over your addictions. This is the main reason Satan has prevailed so completely over the establishment Churches, the professed believe they have a secure position in Christ without an abiding faithfulness in a pure and sanctified state in which rebellion of any type is out of the question. So the devils play them for the fools they are providing whatever flavor of Christian profession they prefer, some more dainty than others, but all with the same provisional message of salvation in sin.
Jesus told the religious elitists of His day they were of their father the devil and the desires of their father they want to do, John8:44, he is a liar from the beginning and it’s his lies they love to hear. The same holds true today, the professed love having their ears tickled with fables and fairly tales about being saved in their sins and Christ doing it all in their place, so the false teachers fed them the lies 24/7, and Satan is off securing his world order through the global leaders who think they are running the show. Its Dominance he seeks, I said before, he ALREADY dominates the professed Christian Church establishment, from that vantage point it’s a simple matter of maintenance to keep them under his thumb. But as I said at the outset of this study, I don't believe it requires demon possession to make someone a drunk, drug addict, sex pervert, pedophile, homosexual, liar, cheater, thief, or anything else vile and disgusting. The unregenerate heart given over to the lust of the flesh is enough to enslave anyone to sin. But they only have themselves to blame, not demons or the devil or any mythical sin nature dwelling within or even the preachers selling the lies, by doing these things they exposes themselves to evil and become lawless! (Just as the Bible says: Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: a heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children 2Pet2:14) Certainly demons are involved, are they not also beguiling, covetous, lawless; when they see willing Vessels given over to self-indulgent lust of the flesh and worldliness, they fan the flames and sometimes take possession to make matters worse. However we have no clear description in scripture how Satan and his demon hordes operate, only that they do sometimes take possession of humans and turn them into raving lunatics. (although as I said again, it is NOT necessary for a lunatic pervert addict to have an actual demon in them to do the things they do)
We can only speculate that there is a kind of order to it all, in that, Satan, being the head, acts as the General of an army and dispatches his troops strategically according to their individual talents, where they can do the most damage to carry out his bidding. Perhaps there are certain 'Kinds' among them that have a proclivity for blending themselves into the human conscience, somehow overruling a person's intellect and will (?) giving them super-human strength and fanatical behavior. (but I might add, that we know today of certain drugs-natural and chemical having this same effect) We do not know with absolute certainty how these things work in the spiritual realm; we can only draw our conclusions from what we are shown in Scripture and from carefully discerned and tested 'spiritual observations. It is said that 'unclean spirits' were cast out of people by Jesus and His disciples, Matt10:1, Mk1:26, 3:30, 5:8, 13, 7:24, Lk6:18, 9:42, 11:24, Acts5:16, 8:7, (the word demon is not used in the KJV, only devil diabolos, accuser, slanderer) the word 'devil is used throughout the Gospels and Epistles to describe Satan, an unclean spirit-devil: Matt9:33, 12:22, 15:22, 17:18, Mk5:16-18, 7:30, Luke records similar incidents, or figuratively in the sense, 'you are of your father the devil', John8:49. It is obviously used also to speak of our adversary in the person-entity of Satan, Eph4:17 'give no place to the devil, Eph6:11 'stand against the wiles of the devil, 1Tim3:7, 2Tim2:26 'the snare of the devil, Js4:7 'resist the devil, 1Jh3:10 'children of the devil, Jude1:9 'disputing with the devil, and several passages in Revelation describing him. I think the terms; 'devil, demon, unclean spirits, are used in common, depending on context, to describe the same thing, even the passage that says 'Satan entered Judas', Lk22:3, Jh13:27, (I think) is used in the sense of a 'disposition-spirit' of evil overtook him due to his tendencies toward evil, not that Satan himself actually entered him. It’s the same implication in the incident with Peter, when Christ said 'Get behind me Satan', Matt16:23, Satan had not entered Peter, (he doesn't jump in and out of people to sway their will!) it was the intent of such a statement in light of Christ's mission. The very next thing He told them is that following Him meant taking up their cross and losing their life in this world, that's the 'intent Peter had failed to grasp in this critical moment and that was (and still is) the stumbling block of Satan Christ rebuked. We know Satan can Morph (transform) himself in certain forms, 2Cor11:14, but no where is it said that its common for him to indwell people, he has a certain class of 'unclean spirits' scurrying about that specialize in that (IMO). His influence over the deceitful dispositions of men is more than enough for them to carry out his bidding. MOST of the evil people are involved in is simply because they are 'Slaves to who they obey', Rom6:16, they have no one to blame but themselves for being given over to vile addictions or lunacy, it’s a CHOICE they made to indulge the passions and lust of their flesh and by 'exercising 2Pet2:14, them they are in bondage. Whether the devil or his minions take any personal interest in such a person or not, is moot, they've taken sides with evil and are of their father the devil. (his desires are theirs!) No one forced the addict to take that first step toward bondage, they did so willingly seeking after pleasure and gratification, sin is NOT a disease lurking in your flesh waiting to pounce, you have a mind and the ability to reason. When you take the wide road to destruction you reap what you sow. (he who sins is of the devil! 1Jh3:8)
In Conclusion, I believe Satan and his minions are limited in number and by the
vastness of the ground they have to cover, since they have already fully
infiltrated the religious, political and social realms of the planet they can
concentrate on global consolidation to bring their evil dominion to fruition.
Although I think there is a certain 'kind of unclean spirits that love to run
too and fro among the deceived and make mischief of them, appearing as angels,
dead loved ones and even as Jesus, conjuring up lying signs and wonders,
speaking to them through morphed images they perceive as from God and various
other methods that keep them in their frenzied state seeking after further
manifestations. Does Satan actually press the buttons, control the armies sent
forth to kill and destroy, sit at the secretive meetings of the global elite and
advise them, pop up at Bohemian Grove as Moloch or other Satanic type ceremonies
held around the world?? Not unless he's omnipresent, because all these things
are happening simultaneously around the clock! I think its more likely as I
said, that this world being his domain over which he has sway, many people carry
out his evil plans in willing compliance with his desire for domination. They
are his
servile
'minions, just as every false preacher in the Church System who teaches the
'Provisional Salvation message that keeps the old man of sin alive instead of
putting him to death in repentance once for all, is also on the payroll. (so to
speak, as the wages of unrighteousness) Surely Satan is based some place where
his influence is most effective, probably at the Vatican or perhaps a he makes a
number of appearance from time to time in places like Washington DC, Brussels,
London, Paris,
Beijing
the Middle East and at the various Black Masses held in his honor. We don't know
for sure how spiritual entities travel from place to place, it’s likely they are
not subject to the same laws of physics we are, but they cannot occupy more than
one place at a time. They can observe undetected, somehow influence the thoughts
and dispositions of people, hinder the heavenly host and Satan himself is able
to actually temp selected humans God permits from time to time. (although I
think the only incidents of this are those recorded in scripture)
(the professed, deceived masses however, don't need Satan to temp them, they are temped just as James says: 'when they are drawn away by their own lusts and enticed', Js1:14, they are taken captive by sin because they love to sin!)
I would say that the focal point of his interest in the spiritual realm is anything that poses a genuine threat to his domain, which is the holy remnant who KEEP the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ! Rev12:17. They are the ones assaulting his Strongholds, pulling down the lies that keep people in bondage to sin and bringing others into the Kingdom of God in Christ. He will do anything in his power to hinder and discredit them to maintain his current holdings. (even kill them from time to time as he is permitted by God) Although he is doomed in the end his ferocity will not diminish as the time draws near and there will be no great awakening / revival on the earth before that time comes. The times of Strong Delusion are upon us, 2Thess2:11, the energeia of Satan is at work among those who love not the truth that they might be saved and who take pleasure in unrighteousness; this ‘energy spoken of is used in Scripture as ‘working efficiency of the superhuman power whether of God or the Devil:
Eph1:19 ‘according to the working of His mighty power’
Eph3:7, 4:16 ‘effectual working of His power in us
Col1:29 ‘striving according to His working that wortketh in me mightily’
2Th2:9 ‘after the working of Satan with all lying signs and wonders’
Certainly God is much more powerful than Satan, but as the restraining power of the gospel diminishes, the strong delusion sets in and the Church goes apostate. It’s really as simple as that, when the people give in to evil, Satan’s power and effective working intensifies and he has free run over the land. (this is seen time and again in the OT when Israel turned from God into idolatry, bondage and sin was always the result) Not everyone in sin is ‘possessed of a demon or even under their direct influence of one, but they are part of Satan’s domain and regardless what they are doing, whether supposedly for the Lord, for themselves or just because they believe its right, they’re doing it for him as the ‘workers of iniquity the Lord will send away at the great Judgment, Matt7:21-23. God has always severely warned and strictly forbid man from dwelling into the powers of darkness and the mixing of these things into their worship of Him. Because evil no matter how subtle or seemingly harmless will consume you and bring ruin to your life, here and hereafter. Sin is insanity, self-defeating, annalistic, toying with it is playing with fire! The temporary pleasures always bring about permanent ruin and ultimate bondage. Only in Christ can you be 'set free' from these things and endure the spiritual battle that lays ahead, but you must first DIE to your lust and self-indulgence, not 'gradually over time, as the Church says, but NOW in the process of Repentance, Put the Old man of sin to death once for all and be raised to newness of life in Christ, not a 'sin-repent never ending cycle of ruin, but the abiding faithfulness based in a pure heart and regenerated spirit, in which the world and all its charms has lost its attractiveness and you enter the realms of spiritual warfare FULLY awaken to the things that matter most. But sadly many will 'sleep their way to the Judgment encircled by the powers of darkness.
By Mike D