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I. The enemy identified.
| A.
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The personal name for this enemy is,
satan. He is also called by other
identifying terms such as, serpent, the devil, and dragon.
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Revelation 20:2
And he laid hold on the dragon, that old
serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, (KJV)
Satan = H-satan (saw-tawn')=
an opponent; adversary.
It comes from a root word (saw-tan') meaning to attack; resist; fig., to
accuse.
"Satan" is the personal name for this spiritual being. All beings
have names. ( Gen. 2:19-20) This name is first found in 1 Chron. 21:1; it is
used 14 times in Job; 1 time in Psa. 109:6 and three times in Zech. 3:1,2.
A total of 19 times in the O.T. the Heb. word is translated, "satan,"
and 7 times as "adversary." An adversary is one turned against another
or others with a design to oppose or resist him or them; hence, an enemy; a foe.
Satan = G-satanas (sat-an-as')=
the accuser; one who charges with a fault or offence; one who blames or censures
This name is used 36 times in the N.T.
- He is the
prince over evil spirits and of the power (exousia = authority,
right, privilege) of the air.
- He incites
apostacy from God and to sin;
- circumvents
men by his wiles = (schemes, methods);
- controls
the worshippers of idols; and
- inflicts
diseases and afflictions upon mankind.|
- Satan is a
created being, under the absolute Sovereignity of Jehovah God.
Devil (when used in the singular) = G-diabolos
(dee-ab-olos)= a traducer or false accuser; a slanderer.
The definite article "the" identifies satan. (the devil=satan). This
term is used 34 times in the N.T. It is never used in the O.T.
Serpent = H-nachash (naw-khawsh')
= from (naw-khash'), a root word that means to hiss, i.e., to whisper (a
magic spell); prognosticate; divine; use enchantment.
These terms mean to foretell from signs or symptoms. We get the word,
"prognosis," from it, which means to know beforehand. It means to
predict as a psychic.
To enchant = to draw, allure; to act on by charms or sorcery; esp. to
lay under a spell; to delude; to captivate; capture; incant; to subdue; to
acquire ascendancy over by art or attraction; to fascinate.
Genesis 3:1
Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast
of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea,
hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (KJV)
devils (plural) - used only 4 times in the O.T.
by 2 different Hebrew words:
| 1. |
= H-saiyr (saw-eer')=a hairy kid or goat; prob. used
for sacrifice;
= satyr (a demon possessed goat); a devil.
Leviticus 17:7
And they shall no more offer their sacrifices
unto devils, after whom they have gone a whoring. This shall be a statute
forever unto them throughout their generations. (KJV)
2 Chronicles 11:15
And he ordained him priests for the high places,
and for the devils, and for the calves which he had made. (KJV)
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| 2. |
= H-shed (shade) = a demon. (used 2 times):
Deuteronomy 32:17
They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods
whom they knew not, to new [gods that] came newly up, whom your fathers feared
not.
Psalm 106:37
Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their
daughters unto devils,
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devils = G-daimonion (dahee-mon'-ee-on)=
a demonic being.
= G-daimonizomai (dahee-mon-id'-zom-ahee) = to have a demon;
= to be exercised by demons; be vexed with or possessed by demons;
exercised = to bring to bear or employ actively; to exert repeatedly;
to vex = to occupy the attention and effort of; harass; to exert authority or
influence; to subject.
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B.
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Demons & evil spirits are the same beings.
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| 1. |
"Demons & evil spirits are "knowing ones," from a root
word, da, to know.
Matthew 8:28-29
When he arrived at the other side in the region
of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They
were so violent that no one could pass that way. 29"What do
you want with us, Son of God?" they shouted. "Have you come here to
torture us before the appointed time?" (NIV)
Mark 1:23-24
And there was In their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried
out, 24Saying, Let [us] alone; what have we to do with thee, thou
Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the
Holy One of God. (KJV)
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| 2. |
Demons & evil spirits act under the authority & leadership of
satan.
Revelation 16:13-14
Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like
frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast
and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14They are spirits of
demons performing miraculous signs, and they go out to the kings of the whole
world, to gather them for the battle on the great day of God Almighty. (NIV)
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| 3. |
Activities of demons & evil spirits. (from Vine's Expository
Dictionary)
| A. |
They are spiritual agents acting in all idolatry. The idol itself is
nothing, but every idol has a demon associated with it who induces idolatry
with its worship and sacrifices.
1 Corinthians 10:20-21
No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do
not want you to be participants with demons. 21 You cannot drink
the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot have a part in both
the Lord's table and the table of demons. (NIV)
1 Corinthians 8:4
As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in
sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol [is] nothing in the world, and that
[there is] none other God but one. (KJV)
Revelation 9:20
The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent
of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of
gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood -- idols that cannot see or hear or walk.
(NIV)
Deuteronomy 32:17-18
They sacrificed unto devils, (= demons) not to
God; to gods whom they knew not, to new [gods that] came newly up, whom your
fathers feared not. 18Of the Rock [that] begat thee thou art
unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee. (KJV)
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| B. |
They disseminate errors among men and seek to seduce believers.
1 Timothy 4:1
The Spirit clearly says that in later times
some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by
demons. (NIV)
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| C. |
As seducing spirits they deceive men into the supposition that through
"mediums" (those having "familiar spirits"), they can
converse with the deceased human beings. Hence the destructive deception of
spiritism forbidden in the scriptures.
Leviticus 20:6
And the soul that turneth after such as have
familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even
set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people. (KJV)
Leviticus 20:27
A man also or woman that hath a familiar
spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone
them with stones: their blood [shall be] upon them. (KJV)
Leviticus 19:31
Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to
be defiled by them: I [am] the LORD your God. (KJV)
Deuteronomy 18:10-12
There shall not be found among you [any one]
that maketh his son or his daughter to pass
through the fire, [or] that useth divination,
[or] an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, 11Or a
charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 12For
all that do these things [are] an abomination unto the LORD: and because of
these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee. (KJV)
pass through the fire = instead of redeeming
the firstborn sons, who belonged to Jehovah, they offered them to the idol whose
image was a large mouth-opened furnace of fire, throwing them into it.
Exodus 13:1-2
And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2Sanctify
unto me all the firstborn, whatsoever openeth the womb among the children of
Israel, [both] of man and of beast: it [is] mine. (KJV)
Divination = qecem (keh'-sem)
= witchcraft; a diviner.
observer of times = anan (aw-nan')
= soothsayer; fortuneteller.
Enchanter = nachash (naw-khash')
= observe signs; take as omens.
Witch = sorcery; practice witchcraft.
Charmer = chabar (khaw-bar')
= have fellowship, make an ally of; or make an alliance with evil spirits.
consulter with familiar spirits = 'owb
(obe) = through the idea of prattling in begging; also is translated: "bottle."
Wizard =
(yid-deh-o-nee') = a knower;
having a familiar= friend.
Necromancer = one who evokes the dead.
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| D. |
Demons tremble (shudder) before Almighty God.
James 2:19
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even
the demons believe that -- and shudder. (NIV)
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| E. |
Demons recognize Jesus Christ as Lord and as their future Judge.
Matthew 8:29
"What do you want with us, Son of
God?" they shouted. "Have you come here to torture us before the
appointed time?" (NIV)
Luke 4:41
And devils (demons) also came out of many,
crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking [them]
suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ. (KJV)
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| F. |
Christ cast them out of human beings by His own power and gave His
disciples power to do so in His Name and by faith in His Word.
Matthew 17:18-21
And Jesus rebuked the devil;=(demon) and he
departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. 19Then
came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? 20And
Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If
ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain,
Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be
impossible unto you. 21Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by
prayer and fasting. (KJV)
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| G. |
Acting under satan, demons are permitted to afflict with bodily disease.
Luke 13:
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? (KJV)
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| H. |
Being unclean, they tempt human beings with unclean thoughts.
Matthew 10:1
And when he had called unto [him] his twelve disciples, he gave them power
[against] unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of
sickness and all manner of disease. (KJV)
Mark 5:2-3
And when he was come out of the ship,
immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 Who
had [his] dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with
chains: (KJV)
Mark 7:25
For a [certain] woman, whose young daughter had
an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: (KJV)
Revelation 18:2
And he cried mightily with a strong voice,
saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation
of devils,=(demons) and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every
unclean and hateful bird. (KJV)
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| I. |
Demons differ in degrees of wickedness.
Matthew 12:45
Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven
other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and
the last [state] of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also
unto this wicked generation.
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