Isaiah 14:12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 14:13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14:14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 14:15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
14:16 They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, [and] consider thee, [saying, Is] this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; 14:17 [That] made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; [that] opened not the house of his prisoners?
There is a tendency in our modern world to refer to the devil and evil spirits as just imaginary, fictitious
Characters, existing only in the realms of evil propensities and thoughts of man’s mind. Modern science largely rejects the teachings of the Bible which state implicitly that the devil and his angels are intelligent fallen beings who once inhabited heaven, but were evicted because of cherished sin.
The devil is pleased to have himself portrayed as a detestable looking creature with a pitchfork who can be dismissed on the grounds of inferior intellect or just relegated to evil manifestations of sinful human nature. By these common and popular representations, he is then able to intrude himself directly into the thoughts and actions of those who otherwise consider themselves intelligent and in full control of their lives.
This past week a brief presentation was made pertaining to the activities and purposes of the evil one, but today we will not only recap some of the focal points from that presentation, but we will also greatly expand on the ramifications of what the Bible teaches about the past, present, and future activities of satan.
To begin with, the Bible states that satan is an extremely good-looking and glorious being, unlike anything modern man has ever seen. This fact stands in very stark contrast to the various hideous imageries depicting the enemy of God and man. Let’s read:
Ezekiel 28:11 Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 28:12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 28:13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone [was] thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 28:14 Thou [art] the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee [so]: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 28:15 Thou [wast] perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
Here in this passage of scripture, the Bible is describing not a hideous monster with bat’s ears and a pitchfork, but an intelligent angel robed in glory, who once stood in the very presence of God. The king of Tyrus was just doing the bidding of this fallen angel, that’s why the scriptures refer in this instance to satan as the king of Tyrus, for under close examination it is found that the literal king of Tyrus could never have been in Eden, neither was he a Cherub, but rather a mere mortal man. And so the scripture must of necessity be referring to satan, who was in the garden of Eden to tempt Adam and Eve, and who also is a Cherubim, one of the highest orders of angels.
Another point we need to understand fully is the fact that the devil can, and often makes direct intrusions into human experiences even though these instances are largely explained away using logical scientific reasoning. Take for instance the experience of Job and his family with all of their earthly possessions. We read in the scriptures that there was a day when the sons of God assembled for a meeting with the Most High, and satan also came as a representative of planet earth after having stolen the supervisory role from Adam. Let’s read:
Job1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. 1:7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
1:8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that [there is] none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? 1:9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 1:10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. 1:11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. 1:12 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath [is] in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.
This accusation made in the presence of the intelligent representatives of the many worlds God has created, suggested that God was somehow bribing Job to serve Him, which to any intelligent mind would raise some very serious questions about God’s character. If God has to bribe someone to serve Him, then it suggests that there is something intrinsically wrong, or unlovable about God, thus necessitating the use of monetary and other temporal incentives in order to extract service from His creatures.
Such a serious allegation must therefore be signally addressed, in order that the inherent goodness and perfection of God’s Character may be established on unbiased grounds. That’s why the Lord said “ok”,
Let’s put it to the test. Let’s see what Job would do if all of the temporal blessings of God were removed.
What followed next represents a deadly assault by satan in which he directly intrudes himself into the literal human experience to cause massive destruction on an unprecedented scale. Let’s read:
Job 1:13 And there was a day when his sons and his daughters [were] eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: 1:14 And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them:
1:15 And the Sabeans fell [upon them], and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 1:16 While he [was] yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 1:17 While he [was] yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 1:18 While he [was] yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters [were] eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house:
1:19 And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
That “whirlwind” that came from the wilderness was a tornado that came as a direct result of the power of satan being exercised in the atmosphere, as the Bible plainly teaches. Let’s read:
Ephesians 2:1 And you [hath he quickened], who were dead in trespasses and sins: 2:2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:
But let’s rewind a bit before we proceed, for it is important for us to place this particular experience of Job in modern shoes.
Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, I am Wolf Blitzer of CNN with a breaking story that has just been reported by the associated press. A family of nine were having a birthday party at their house when suddenly, without warning a deadly tornado ripped through their backyard, killing all nine persons instantly.
The local weather service did not report any clouds or precipitation in the area, nor did the weather channel detect any convection on their radar. The only known cause according to our research must be “global warming”, however we will report any additional information as the investigation into the cause continues.
Now folks, according to the Bible, it was not global warming, nor was it a polar vortex, nor was it a ridge of high pressure, but rather a direct foray into the human experience by a powerful, intelligent entity better known as satan. This sacred, historical fact then raises the question of whether or not intrusions like these are still being made without us being cognizant of what’s really taking place.
This past week a Malaysian jet with two hundred and thirty-nine people on board, seemed to vanish into thin air without a trace. Now while it’s important for us to note here that we do not believe in any conspiracy theories and, that the jetliner may very well be found, we must at the same time consider, based on what we have just read in the scriptures, whether or not a known person or object can vanish without a trace, without any logical, scientific explanation as we know it.
Could it be that there are invisible, intelligent forces of good and evil, operating within the sphere of human existence, of which the scientific world as we know it is totally oblivious? For instance, every year, right here in America, approximately 40,000 children go missing. Some have been kidnapped for child prostitution and some have been found by various law enforcement agencies, but very many vanish without a trace, and are never ever found.
Could it be that satanic agencies are in operation behind the scenes, and that because of a lack of belief in the Bible, we are not taking into consideration his nefarious work in modern society. Let’s consider for a while the following text and its implications in our modern world. Let’s read:
Isaiah 49:24 Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered? 49:25 But thus saith the LORD, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children.
Who is the “mighty” that the Lord is here referring to and what does the word “contend” mean?
As always, we turn to the Bible for answers, for the word of God does contain the answers to very many of life’s perplexing questions. To begin with, the Bible does teach that there is something such as “vanishing without a trace”, as far as the mortal eye is concerned. Let’s read:
Acts 8:36 And as they went on [their] way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, [here is] water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 8:37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. 8:38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
8:39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.
Luke 4:28 And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
4:29 And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. 4:30 But he passing through the midst of them went his way, 4:31 And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.
Luke 24:15 And it came to pass, that, while they communed [together] and reasoned, Jesus himself drew near, and went with them.
24:17 And he said unto them, What manner of communications [are] these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? 24:27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. 24:30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed [it], and brake, and gave to them.
24:31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.
That’s why we keep saying that soon there will be supernatural manifestations across the globe, for which there will be no known scientific explanations. The tendency to try and explain every occurrence on strictly scientific grounds will one day place us in a very gullible position when the miracle working power of satanic agencies are displayed.
The next point that is worthy of our consideration as it pertains to the issue of satanic agencies, is that the devil is an expert in quoting scripture, and is a much more diligent student of the scriptures than many who attend the various theological institutions across the land. This fact was displayed when he attempted to overthrow Christ in the wilderness of temptation. Let’s read:
Matthew 4:5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 4:6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in [their] hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
This quotation was taken from the book of psalms, but he cunningly left out the important words “to keep thee in all thy ways”. Therefore it becomes very obvious that while the devil tempts us to spend our time with games and T.V shows, and fashions, and making money, he himself is studying the Bible intently that he may know what is to take place in the very near future. As a matter of fact, it is through a study of the scriptures that he knows for sure that his time is short. Let’s read:
Revelation 12:12 Therefore rejoice, [ye] heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
Matthew 8:28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. 8:29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
Not only is the devil and ardent student of the Bible, but the scriptures make a startling revelation that he also has ministers, who are human beings. Now this fact, if nothing else, should put everyone on high alert to be able to distinguish the true from the false, for many of them are already deeply embedded in modern Christianity. Let’s read:
2nd Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 11:13 For such [are] false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 11:15 Therefore [it is] no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
The question is asked, why is this information so necessary to our temporal and eternal security? The answer to this question lies in the final important point to be made this afternoon before we move on with the Bible study. The devil, together with millions of evil angels are scheduled to make public appearances across the globe in the not too distant future, beginning with Heads of states, and then with the ordinary people.
A series of very graphic warnings have been issued in the scriptures against this deceptive phenomena, so that all who will might find shelter in Jesus Christ before it is too late. Let’s study carefully, for the prophecies will certainly come to pass. Let’s read:
Matthew 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
24:23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here [is] Christ, or there; believe [it] not. 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
The following is a rule that must never be forgotten. If anyone has to hear of Christ’s second coming on Fox news or CNN, then it is definitely not Jesus. The Bible is particularly clear on this point. Let’s read:
Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they [also] which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
Isaiah 40:4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: 40:5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see [it] together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken [it].
Although this particular prophecy had a partial fulfillment during the incarnation of Christ, yet the fact of the matter is that “All flesh” did not see it “Together” at the same time, and therefore this prophecy will have a greater worldwide fulfillment when Jesus comes the second time.
But going back to the prophecies pointing to the scheduled appearances of the devil we read:
2nd Thessalonians 2:8 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: 2:9 [Even him], whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
Revelation 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
Revelation 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who [is] like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? 13:13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by [the means of] those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
It is therefore of critical importance for us to recognize the agenda that will be presented under the auspices of satan and his agents. We are not going to see any hideous monster, but rather a glorious, beautiful being, who will seem, for all intents and purposes, to be promoting the good and welfare of the citizens of earth. This information comes directly from the Bible. Let’s read:
2nd Corinthians 11:14 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. 11:15 Therefore [it is] no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
The agenda will first be taken to all the leaders of the world to cause them to unite behind what will be touted as the good of society under the banners of love and mercy. Let’s read:
Revelation 16:13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs [come] out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, [which] go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
Efforts are even now being made to unite all Christians and non-Christians under the banner of “love” and good deeds, without a serious reformation and change of heart on the part of those who are living contrary to God’s commandments.
That’s why we need to be very careful of the interpretation of that word “love”, for true love, according to the Bible, always manifests itself in loving and willing obedience to all of God’s commandments, including the fourth. That’s why the Bible makes clear that any person desiring the gift of immortality from God will first need to be cleansed from all unrighteousness. Let’s read:
Galatians 5:19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are [these]; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 5:20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 5:21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told [you] in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 5:24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
1st Corinthians 6:9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 6:10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
We need to be very careful of the pseudo Christianity that has begun to surface recently, which offers eternal life to those who cling to sin. All of us have sinned and are in need of pardon, and God is still willing and able to restore and retrieve any person from the shackles of any sin, but we cannot presume to change the parameters by which His grace and forgiveness is displayed. That’s why the prophet John writes in the affirmative:
1st John 1:8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
The next item on the devil’s agenda will be to enforce a mandatory, universal day of rest, as being “good” for the working classes, as a means of getting away from the secular and transient pursuits of life, and focusing more on the spiritual and on family. This final departure from the law of God will drive the last nail in the coffin, opening up our vulnerabilities to destruction on an unprecedented scale.
In order for satanic agencies to spread desolation everywhere, they will first have to get the human race into a position of open rebellion against Heaven, then when men have forced God out of the picture, the world is left to the mercy of the evil one, who has no clue what the word mercy means. Let’s read:
Isaiah 24:5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. 24:6 Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left.
It was because some of the Jews of old were farming swine for food consumption, contrary to the laws of the Bible, that the devil was then able to exercise his destructive over their livestock. The same protocol is also applied when individuals and nations knowingly violate the law of God by setting up a system of worship contrary to the Bible.
In doing so we eliminate God’s protection from the equation and the result will be widespread destruction in various places. Let’s read:
Matthew 8:28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. 8:29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? 8:30 And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding.
8:31 So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine. 8:32 And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine: and, behold, the whole herd of swine ran violently down a steep place into the sea, and perished in the waters. 8:33 And they that kept them fled, and went their ways into the city, and told every thing, and what was befallen to the possessed of the devils.
It therefore behooves every sincere, intelligent individual to reason from cause to effect, and to make the wise decision to at least investigate the scriptures pertaining to these things, and hopefully surrender ourselves totally to God so that the good work of sanctification may begin and be completed in our hearts, before these things come to pass.
We therefore end with a direct appeal from the Eternal God to every member of the human Family, inviting us to find shelter and grace in Christ while we have opportunity to do so. Let’s read:
Revelation 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
May God add His blessing to the study and doing of His word. God bless!