Satan was originally the highest ranking cherub.  He was the keeper of the Throne Room in Heaven (Ezek 28:16).  And he was the most beautiful creature that God ever created (Ezek 28:17).  He was the highest ranking angel under Jesus Christ in His preincarnate form.

However, Satan aspired with arrogant ambition to ascend to the Throne of Christ and rule the angels and Creation (Isa 14:13, 14; Ezek 28:15-18).  This included ruling the Earth, which was the Garden of God and filled with plants and animals.  Satan's sin was rebellion against God, and he convinced one-third of the angels to follow him.

After their sin, God gave Satan and the fallen angels a choice of where they would spend Eternity.  Salvation was not an issue because they already had Eternal Life.  The only question was where they would spend Eternity, with God or in the Lake of Fire.  After Satan and the fallen angels rejected God's offer, they were sentenced to the Lake of Fire (Matt 25:41).  However, Satan appealed the decision, and God granted the appeal.  God's Righteousness is absolute and not dependent nor altered by man's sin (Rom 3:4).  Satan challenged that in the Appeal Trial.

Mankind was created to resolve the prehistoric Angelic Conflict.  Adam and the woman, later called Eve, were created with body, soul, and spirit in the image of God.  They also had a free will; so they could choose to obey God or Satan.  Satan convinced Adam and the woman to sin.  When they sinned, they died spiritually and were destined to die physically (Gen 2:17). Satan became the ruler of the world, and Adam and the woman were subject to him.

However, the Lord Jesus Christ offered Adam and the woman Salvation, which they accepted (Gen 3:21).  They received Eternal Life and were free to choose to obey God or Satan.  Their children would be born spiritually dead due to the imputation of the Original Sin, but would be free to choose Salvation.

Satan's Influence

Satan rules the world (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; 2 Cor 4:4; Eph 2:2; 6:12; 1 John 5:19).  He has direct access to people through sin, as symbolized by the Tree of Evil.³  Unbelievers are subject to him, but believers have a choice of whether to obey God or Satan.  However, Satan is so slick and powerful and brilliant that he is seldom exposed.  The most advanced believers are no match for Satan.  Only by separation from the world and Spiritual growth do believers begin to have impact on Satan's operations.  Believers in Spiritual Rapport are able to win in some conflicts with Satan through the Grace of God.

Satan has power over national leaders, governments, courts, schools, and the people.  He deceives the nations (Rev 18:23; 20:3, 8, 10).  He sponsors religion, which is man by man's efforts trying to reach God, e.g. in the Pharisees (Jn 8:44).  Relationship with God can only come through Grace by faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12; Eph 2:8-9).  Satan controls most churches (1 Jn 4:1; Rev 2:20, 24).  Satan and his demons tempt people to sin and entice them into human good and evil (Jas 1:14).  They can overpower people (Jn 13:27; 2 Cor 4:4), put thoughts in their minds and hearts (Jn 13:2; Acts 5:3), and read their minds.  They can answer the prayers of believers who are not filled with the Spirit.  Satan spoke through Moses when Moses got angry (Nu 20:10).  And he can speak through anyone else, including pastors and educators.

Satan is a liar and the father of lies, and those who believe him in the Cosmic System are full of lies (Jn 8:44) (Psa 62:9; 116:11; Jer 9:4-5; Rom 3:4).  He is a murderer, who will use any means to achieve his ends.  He inspired the first murder in history (Gen 4:8; 1 John 3:12–15; Jude 1:11).  He is the author of sin (1 Jn 3:8).  He is the tempter, murderer, deceiver, liar, and sorcerer (Jn 8:44; Gal 5:20; 1 Thess 3:5; Rev 12:9; 18:23; 21:8).

Satan's followers are called by names like evil, wicked, and reversionistic.  They are full of lies, bitterness, deceit, and murder, like Satan (Rom 3:10-18).  They walk in darkness even though they may appear as angels of light (2 Cor 11:14).  They go from bad to worse on their way to death (2 Tim 3:13).  Their paths are crooked (Psa 125:5).  They are agitated like the tossing sea (Isa 57:20), and the way of peace they have not known (Isa 57:21; 59:8; Rom 3:17).

Ephesians 2:2  Satan's Power Over Man
In which sphere (real spiritual death), you formerly walked according to the lifestyle of this world according to the powerful ruler of the air, the spirit that is now operating in the sons of disobedience.

Before Salvation the Ephesian Christians were spiritually dead.  They were behaving (walking) according to the lifestyle of Satan's world, the Cosmic System.  Satan is the "powerful ruler of the air."  "Ruler" is the Greek, a[rcwn (archon).  The "air" symbolizes the spiritual realm.  Like the atmosphere around the Earth, Satan rules the world.  He is "the spirit that is now operating in the sons of disobedience (unbelievers)."  Satan and his demons (spirits) operate in unbelievers and influence carnal believers.  The outside influence of Satan and the world meet the desires of the Old Sin Nature (OSN) in the soul of the believer (Rom 6:6; Eph 6:12).  "Disobedience" is the Greek, ajpeivqeia, (apeitheia), meaning disobedience or disbelief (in the gospel) (Eph 5:6).

Satan's Pattern of Deception

Satan's pattern of deception in dealing with mankind is illustrated by his attack on Adam and the woman in the Garden.  He did not try to frighten them or bully them, but he craftily appealed to the woman, who was weaker in faith (Gen 3:1-6).  Satan convinced her that eating the forbidden fruit would make her wise.  So, she disobeyed God, listened to Satan, and ate the fruit.  She immediately died spiritually.  She gave the fruit to Adam, and he also ate and died spiritually (ref. The Fall).⁴

The woman was completely deceived by Satan (2 Cor 11:3; 1 Tim 2:14).

1 Timothy 2:14 The Woman in the Fall
And Adam was not deceived, but the woman, having been completely deceived, fell into transgression.

The word, "deceive" is the Greek ajpatavw (apatao), and "completely deceived" is the Greek ejxapatavw, (exapatao) from ejx (out of) + apatavw (to deceive, seduce) = to completely deceive (2 Cor 11:3, Rom 16:18).  This word carries the nuance of seduction (with flattery).

Eve's Fall

Satan attacked the woman in the Garden (Gen 3:1-5).  She was weaker than Adam, and Satan spotted her vulnerability.  He spoke to her alone through her favorite pet serpent.  It didn't raise any alarms.  He used flattery, seductive power, and duplicity to lure her into lawlessness outside the boundary of divine protection (Gen 3:1).  Satan appealed to pride (arrogant-ambition) (Isa 14:14) and lured her into subjectivity (subjective arrogance) (Gen 3:5).

In her state of confusion, the woman rejected God's authority (Gen 3:6).  Satan convinced her to eat the fruit.  Satan lied about God (Gen 3:4-5).  Under the power of the Cosmic System, the woman succumbed to Cosmic (Z-axis), Political (Y-axis), and Ecumenical Babylon (X-axis).  She saw that the tree was:

 Ecumenical Babylon (X-axis) – Good for food.
 Political Babylon (Y-axis)      – A delight to the eyes.
 Cosmic Babylon (Z-axis)     – Desirable to make one wise.

The woman ate the forbidden fruit and became the Prostitute of Babylon under the power of Satan.  She became the partner with Satan against her husband.  She gave the fruit to Adam, and he ate.   She rejected Adam's authority.  Her marriage was destroyed by her sin.  Spiritual Rapport with God was lost.  Harmonious rapport with Adam was lost.  The woman became competitive, and Adam became bitter.

Satan's Attack on Believers

Satan still attacks believers just as he did in the Garden.

2 Corinthians 11:3 Satan's Attack on Believers
But I am afraid, lest as the serpent completely deceived Eve by his craftiness, your thoughts should be led astray from noble simplicity and purity toward Christ.

Just as Satan completely deceived Eve by his craftiness, he is waiting in the wings to confuse the thoughts of believers and lead them away from Christ.  The thinking of Christians should be characterized by "noble simplicity and purity toward Christ."  "Noble simplicity" is the Greek aJplovth" (haplotes), for the noble simplicity characteristic of heroes.  "Purity" is the Greek aJgnovth" (hagnotes), for purity or the quality of being holy or pure.  "Toward Christ" refers to strategic alignment with Christ.

Satan is slicker than the imagination.  Not only can he put thoughts in the mind and feelings in the heart, he influences the underlying assumptions and presumptions that produce the thoughts.  He has established his Cosmic System to influence, tempt, deceive, and outwit people to control the world (Eph 2:2; 6:12; Jas 4:4; 1 Jn 2:15-17).  As Beelzebub, he is like the unseen spider that catches flies in his web.  People are the flies, and they don't stand a chance against Satan.

Satan as Beelzebub rules the demons (2 Ki 1:2; Matt 10:25; 12:24; Mk 3:22; Lk 11:15).  He sends his demons to maintain his power and control over the world.  And he sends demons to attack Christians (2 Cor 12:7).  Satan rules nations and the military establishment through the Evil King (Josh 12:7-24; Rev 16:13-14).  And he rules commerce and the civilian sector through the Prostitute of Babylon (Rev 18:2-3) and lures men with the love of money (Acts 5:3; 1 Tim 6:10).

Satan is a super creature.  He moves faster than light, thinks at gigahertz rates, and is the most brilliant, sophisticated, and beautiful created being apart from the humanity of Christ.  Satan can start a rebellion in the blink of an eye, and convince a person to murder in an instant.  He runs all the governments of the world, the economy, educational institutions, entertainment and news media, and most churches.

Satan hides in plain sight.  Only the masters of Bible Doctrine, the most advanced believers, will ever have a clue of his activities.  The eyes do not behold him.  He is the spiritual force behind the move.  He is not the thing that is seen, but the thing that is not seen.  No man or angel is a match for him, and only by the Grace of God are they protected from him.

To achieve his end, Satan promotes sin, human good, and evil.  His policy is evil.  He uses fear, rebellion, lies, murder, and deceit or any other convenient means to accomplish his end.  He quickly sacrifices his helpers when he has finished using them.

Satan uses people, but people don't use him.  He's far too smart.  Those who pretend to be his priests or to know his deep things are liars and frauds.  They are hopelessly confused and wouldn't recognize Satan if he spit in their face.  They may be full of sin and lust and emotion, and they may be under the power of Satan, but they don't know him.  Being deceived is not a qualification for knowing the truth.

Another fallacy is that Satan doesn't concern himself with the common person and that he deals only with the higher echelons.  Satan deals with everyone.  He has the time, the power, and the inclination to do so.  He is the accuser of the brethren (Job 1:11; 2:5; Zech 3:1; Luke 22:31; 1 Pet 5:8; Rev 12:10).  He also concerns himself with children and animals, since they are also in his domain.  Satan is actively engaged in ruling his world to achieve his purpose.  He rules the world through his Cosmic System with Cosmic, Political, and Ecumenical power (Jude 1:11; Rev 16:19).  He commands armies of demons (Rev 12:3-4, 7-9).  And his demon corps is managed from top to bottom to handle every facet of his kingdom.

Satan undoubtedly prides himself on being able to influence the lives of pastors and congregations to achieve his ends and further his lie.  Religion is one of his most powerful counterfeits.  He empowers the Antichrist (1 Jn 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 Jn 7) and false teachers (Matt 24:5, 24; 2 Cor 11:13; Jud 12-13).

Satan is the enemy of Marriage and is actively engaged in destroying it.  He knows the power of Marriage in society and understands that it is a Divine Institution.  He attacks Marriage and the Right Man - Right Woman relationship through the Prostitute of Babylon (1 Cor 6:15-18; Heb 13:4; Rev 18:2-3).

Satan is also actively engaged in medicine.  He not only can cause most illnesses, but he can also heal them.  Of course, this must be done with God's permission, since God punishes people with sickness.  Satan is all too ready to offer medicinal remedies to those who are under Divine punishment.  He rules health care and fosters the fears and misconceptions of doctors and patients who are spiritually inept.

Satan's History

Satan knows the Bible and God's plan of the ages.  His counterattacks are designed to thwart God's plan and prove that his way (evil) is better.

     a.  He attacked the man and woman in the Garden to get them to sin, so they would die spiritually and fall under his power in order for him to rule the world.
     b.  He attacked the Divine Institution of Marriage before the Flood because that would be the means for the Savior to come into the world (Gen 3:15; 1 Tim 2:15).
     c.  He attacked nationalism through Nimrod and the Tower of Babel (Gen 10:9-10; 11:1-9).
     d.  He tried to kill the baby Jesus (Matt 2:16).
     e.  He tempted Jesus Christ and inspired Judas to betray Him, and he incited a mob to crucify Him (Matt 4:1-11; Luk 22:3-6; 23:21; Jn 13:2, 26-27).
     f.  After the Resurrection and Ascension, he attacked the Apostles and had most of them executed.
     g.  He has attempted to destroy the Jews periodically through the holocaust.  This will happen for the last time in the Tribulation when he will try to destroy Israel in order to rule the world and usher in a false millennium without fulfilling the unconditional covenants to Israel.
     h.  Satan attacks the Christian and the Church (Eph 6:11; 1 Pet 5:8).

Idolatry

Satan seeks to be worshipped as God (Isa 14:14; Ezek 28:2).  He does that through idolatry, which is his counterfeit for the worship of God through the ritual of the Tabernacle.  Satan and his demons are worshiped through idolatry (Deut 32:17; Ps 106:37; 1 Cor 10:20; Gal 4:8; Rev 9:20).  Satan is worshipped through the pantheon of gods in idolatry.  Most pantheons follow the same pattern, namely:

    King – Father of the gods, the Most High god, Zeus, Jupiter

    Sun god – Satan as the angel of light, Apollo (2 Cor 11:14)

    God of War – Evil King, Mars, Molech, Baal (Jer 32:35; Dan 7:25; 8:25; 11:36; 2 Thess 2:3, 8; Rev 13:4-8, 15)

    Moon god, Goddess of Love – Prostitute of Babylon, Baal (2 Ki 17:16), Ashtoreth (1 Ki 11:5, 33; 2 Ki 23:13; Rev 17:5; 19:2), Artemis (Acts 19:24-35), Jezebel (1 Kin 16:31; 21:25; 2 Kin 9:22; Rev 2:20)

    Son – Mother and child, Nimrod, Cush (Gen 10:8-9; 1 Chron 1:10; Jn 8:44; 1 Jn 3:10), Morning Star, son of the dawn (Isa 14:12), Adonis, Tammuz (Ezek 8:14), Mercury (Hermes) (Acts 14:12)

Babylonian Astrology

Satan created a lie of mythology to redefine the meaning of the planets and heavenly bodies which God created.  Satan replaced the true names of the planets in honor of the Lord Jesus Christ with the names of demon-gods that honor him.  When Satan's definitions are applied to the positions of the planets in the heavens, the result is a lie which contradicts the truth of God's creation.

Sorcery

Sorcery is from the Latin, sors for a lot, and thus, casting lots.  Although strictly referring to augury, prognostication, and divination, it is more loosely applied to magic, witchcraft, casting spells, enchantment, and necromancy (Deut 18:10, 11).  Because it appeals to the power of Satan and his demons, it was strictly forbidden under the Mosaic Law (Deut 18:10-11, 12) under penalty of death (Ex 22:18).  It includes appeals to the power of Satan for curses (Job 31:30).  Those who use divination and sorcery to predict the future are frauds and liars (Jer 27:9, 10).

Sorcery is a translation of the Hebrew and Aramaic [v^K* (kashaph), which literally means to pray, but is restricted in use for sorcery, magic, enchantment, and incantation (Ex. 7:11; Deut. 18:10; 2 Ki. 9:22; 2 Chron. 33:6; Isa. 47:12; Jer. 27:9; Dan. 2:2; Mic. 5:12; Nah. 3:4;  Mal. 3:5).

Sorcery is the Greek farmakeiva (pharmakeia), meaning sorcery; drug abuse (Gal 5:20).  This can apply to the use of drugs in magic.  Satan and his demons control through sorcery and drug abuse (Gal 5:20; Rev 9:21; 21:8).

Diabolical Healer

Angels can give people pestilence and disease (2 Sam 24:16).  Satan and his demons, like other angels, can both infect with disease and heal.  Angels infect people by shooting them with rays of spiritual light.  The frequency of the light determines the disease or infirmity.  For example Fritz-Albert Popp discovered that cancer functions at precisely the ultraviolet wavelength of 380 nanometers.

Angels also have the power to heal with the use of light therapy.  Satan and demons use these gifts to the detriment of others – e.g. by empowering faith healers.  They cause physical maladies and empower false healers to cast out the debilitating demons or secure the help of demon powers to heal.

Symbols

Animals symbolize angels, and Satan, as a Throne Angel, and his demons in the Cosmic System are symbolized by various animals.  The following summary lists some of most significant symbols of Satan, who is revealed through the Evil King and Prostitute of Babylon.
 
 
 

Satan

  Scorpion (Luk 10:19; Rev 9:3-10)
  Skunk
  Snake, serpent, dragon (Gen 3:1; Rev 12:9; 20:2)
 

Evil King, God of War

    Baal
         Bear (1 Sam 17:34, 36, 37; 2 Ki 2:24: Prov 28:15)
         Elephant, Rhinoceros
         Whale (Gen 1:21; Matt 12:40)

    Beelzebub, Lord of the flies (2 Ki 1:2, 3, 16; Matt 10:25; Mk 3:22)
         Martin, Swallow (Psa 84:3; Prov 26:2)
         Spider (Job 8:14, 15; Isa 59:5-6)

    Hawk (Job 39:26)
    Lion (Prov 28:15; 1 Pet 5:8)
    Satyr, Goat (Lev 17:7; 2 Chron 11:15; Isa 13:21; 34:14)

    Rooster

 1. yw!k=c#, (sek_evi) = cock as a seer/prophet (Job 38:36)
 2. lg^r=n@ (ner_egal) = Nergal (2 Ki 17:30) = cock - represents god of war (Evil King)

Prostitute of Babylon

    Baal
Alligator, crocodile (Job 41:1-10), turtle, hippopotamus (Job 40:15-24)
Crow (Gen 8:7; 1 Ki 17:4; Job 38:41; Psa 147:9; Prov 30:17; Isa 34:11; Luk 12:24)
Dugong, Manatee (Ex 25:5; Ezek 16:10)
Ostrich (Job 39:13-18)
             Vulture (Lev 11:13, 18; Matt 24:28; Luk 17:37)
 
 

Dealing with Satan

God's Creation and Satan's Power
Satan's Defeat
Age of Grace
Casting Out Demons
Binding Satan
Recognizing Satan

God's Creation and Satan's Power

God created the heavens and the Earth and all their hosts (Gen 1:1; 2:1).  Their hosts included all living creatures.  God created angels, man, and animals. He designed everything for a purpose, and maintained control over everything He created.  Were it not for Divine control, there would be no breath in our lungs, no food to eat, and no one to love.  The Spirit of God makes everything, and without God nothing exists.

Man is a spiritual creation implemented in Time.  For every creature, God has a master plan that includes every minute detail and every strategic purpose. God designs, creates, and controls.  Nothing happens outside His Design.  It can't.

God is all wise and all knowing.  He knew when He created Satan and gave him a free will that he would sin.  He knew when He created man and gave him a free will that he would sin if Satan had anything to do with it.

Man is a glorious creation of God.  He was created in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26).  As the image of God, he was an icon or representation of God with a body, soul, and spirit.  God is three persons in one with invisible essence.  As the likeness of God, man was able to function like God.  He was created perfect, with a unique soul personality, as the world ruler like God's rule over Creation, with heart and mind, volition, and the ability to communicate.

Thus, man is a glorious creation of God.  God controls the very essence of his existence.  He gives him life, love, relationships, a home, air to breathe, and food to eat.  God Loves man.  He watches over him, protects him, and provides for him.  Nothing comes into a person's life that God does not personally allow.  Creation is not statistical.  It is deterministic.

If Satan shows up in a person's life, God didn't just allow it.  He ordained it.  Satan may be allowed to tempt, to attack, to test, or to punish, but only in keeping with God's Divine Plan.  God must personally open the door before Satan has access to anyone.  And when He opens the door, Satan's power is limited.  He told Satan what he could do to Job, but He prohibited Satan from taking Job's life (Job 2:6).

It was God who let Satan tempt the woman in the Garden, and it was God who let the woman tempt Adam.  When man sinned, he became Satan's slave, and Satan became the ruler of the world.  After man sinned, he died spiritually and was destined to die physically.  The Lord promised Him Eternal Life, if he chose Salvation by faith in the Lord who would pay for his sins.

When man accepted Salvation, he had a choice between living a new Spiritual life or living under the power of sin in slavery. Satan's power over man was that he got him to sin, for which God judged him with spiritual death that would lead to physical death.  Satan is the author of sin (1 Jn 3:8) and has the power of death (Heb 2:14).

Satan preaches to people to take them to Hell.  He actively rules the world through his Cosmic System with his hoard of demons.  He lures mankind into his fold with lies, counterfeits, and temptation to sin.  He counterattacks every aspect of the Plan of God.  His objective is to lure as many people as possible to Hell.  Those who obey Satan are his slaves.  They live in darkness in Blackout of the Soul (BOS) and believe his lies.  When he finishes using them, he discards them and takes them to their grave.

With Salvation, man has the promise of Eternal Life along with a New Spiritual Life on Earth.  When the believer sins, he can Rebound and have his sins forgiven.  If he obeys God, he has Spiritual Freedom.  The power of the Filling of the Holy Spirit protects him from sin and death and slavery to the Cosmic System.

Satan's Defeat

Satan and his demons were defeated at the Cross and paraded in a triumphal procession afterward (Col 2:15; Eph. 1:20-21, 4:8).  They will be removed from the Earth and locked up in Hell for a thousand years during the Millennium (Rev 20:1-3).

The victory of the Cross completely defeated Satan and his demons.  When Jesus Christ paid for the sins of the world and defeated the last enemy, death, Satan was stripped of his power.  Satan's power was sin leading to death. The warning to man in the Garden was that in the day you eat the forbidden fruit, "dying (spiritually), you will die (physically)" (Gen 2:17).  With all sins paid for and the power of death removed by the Resurrection of Christ, Satan was strategically defeated.

The believers in the Tribulation will use the victory of the Cross to defeat Satan.  After Satan and his demons are banished from Heaven and cast down to the Earth in the middle of the Tribulation, the young believers will apply the doctrine of the victory of the Cross to fend off Satanic attack.

Revelation 12:11 Victory of the Cross
And they overcame him (Satan) because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the applied doctrine (word) of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to the point of death.

"They" (the brethren) overcame Satan because of the "blood of the Lamb."  "Overcame" is the Greek nikao, which means to conquer or overcome (Rev 6:2).  The "blood of the Lamb" refers to the victory of the Cross.  The "blood" is a metaphor for the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on the Cross for the sins of the world.  It does not refer to the literal blood of Jesus.  It is a metaphor for His death.  Those who plead the blood and don't know this are helpless.  The power comes from believing that Jesus Christ paid for the sins of the world.  Since Satan must attack through sin, the payment for the sins of the world nullified all of his power over mankind (Rom 8:33-39).  This is Z-axis alignment with the authority of the Cross.

The believers also used Bible Doctrine to fend off Satan.  They stopped him "because of the applied doctrine (word) of their testimony."   This refers to application of doctrine, which is the testimony (or witness) of the brethren.  This is X-axis alignment.

And "they did not love their life even to the point of death."  Not loving life "even to the point of death" is an idiom that means they loved God more than their own life even in the face of death.  They would obey God even when faced with death.  Their priority was Bible Doctrine.  They loved the Lord more than their own life.   This is Y-axis alignment.

Thus, Satan must be stopped along the X, Y, and Z axes.  A weakness along any axis can be exploited by Satan.

Age of Grace

The purpose of the Church Age of Grace is far greater than demonstrating sensational Spiritual gifts, such as healing and casting out demons.  The Church Age Believer (CAB) lives in the Dispensation of Grace.  He is a Royal Priest, son of the Royal Family of God (RFG), a servant of God, an ambassador for Christ, a Spiritual Warrior.  He serves God, and is opposed by Satan, his demons, the world, and his own flesh.  He is a witness for God against Satan.  He is promoted by Grace and cursed by his enemies.  He has a Spiritual heritage with a double blessing from God and the Lord Jesus Christ that is beyond the imagination.  He has Spiritual helpers and Spiritual children.  And he has an impact on human history and the Angelic Conflict.

The believer who advances to Spiritual Maturity and Spiritual Rapport will receive Spiritual blessings for Time and Eternity.  He will be tested by attacks from Satan, and by the Grace of God he will be able to win the victory.  His victory over Satan and his Cosmic System will secure Spiritual freedom instead of slavery to the Cosmic System.  And he will also qualify for eternal rewards in Heaven.  And he will receive the spoils of Christ's victory on the Cross (Eph 4:8).  Since Christ won them on the Cross, He is free to give them to believers with capacity to handle them.

The loser, in contrast, lives in darkness and slavery to Satan and his Cosmic System.  He falls for Satan's evil counterfeits and forfeits his eternal rewards.  Thus, he lives under spiritual slavery, resulting in temporal slavery in this life.

Casting Out Demons

Casting out demons means to remove them by force.  Since Satan is the most powerful angel, the only way to do this is with the power of God or Satan.  Satan controls his kingdom, and people cannot mess with his demons.  Jesus and his disciples cast out demons when He was on Earth and in the Precanon Period as a sign of the credentials of the coming of the Messiah (Mk 16:17-18).  The power of Church Age Believers to cast out demons is no longer extant.  It ceased during the early Church Age (2 Cor 12:7-9) just as the gift of healing.  See Dealing with Demons in Grace⁵ for a full explanation.

Binding Satan

Binding Satan is a metaphor for holding him captive and neutralizing (or restricting) his power (Matt 12:29; Mk 3:27; Luk 11:21-22; Rev 20:1-2).  It also applies to Satan's demons.  Satan must be bound before his demons can be cast out of people or ordered to go anywhere.

Matthew 12:29
Or how can anyone enter into the house of the strong man, and steal his household furnishings, unless he first binds the strong man?  And then he will thoroughly plunder his house.

Jesus used the analogy of a strong man who protects his house from thieves.  However, if the strong man is bound (tied up), then the thief can plunder his house.  The strong man is a metaphor for Satan, and the strong man's house is Satan's domain.  Stealing his household furnishings is analogous to taking Satan's holdings or seizing his demons.  Nobody messes with the demons in Satan's kingdom unless Satan is bound.  Satan's holdings include people, who are enslaved through the power of sin (ref. Tree of Evil) (Rom 6:12-23; Eph 2:1-3; 1 Jn 3:8).

Binding the strong man requires the power of God, since Satan is the most powerful creature (Jn 12:31; 1 Jn 4:4; 5:4).  Only if Satan is bound (neutralized), can someone plunder his house (kingdom).  Satan must be bound by God before his demons can be driven out of his house.  Jesus gave his disciples special power over Satan to cast out demons, but that power was removed by the completion of the canon of scripture for the Church.  However, Satan can still be bound, or neutralized, through Grace.

Satan is bound at Salvation when a believer is taken away from Satan's domain and entered into union with Christ through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.  Satan can't get near the new believer without God's permission (Lk 22:32).  And when a person is filled with the Holy Spirit, Satan cannot overpower him (1 Jn 4:4).  Thus, Rebound brings the filling of the Holy Spirit, which protects the believer from Satan.  In addition, the use of the other Problem Solving Devices protect the believer from Satan.

Believers are also protected from Satan when they are actively executing the Spiritual life (Gal 5:16; Heb 12:1, 4), living in the Tree of Life (Prov 3:18), and growing to Spiritual Maturity to become strong (Eph 6:10; 1 Jn 2:13).  They are even protected when they are legitimately engaged in Spiritual Warfare (2 Cor 10:3; Eph 6:12).

God watches over believers and protects them from Satan (Gen 15:1; Psa 41:1-3; 91:11; 121:7; Rom 8:31-39; 2 Tim 4:18; Heb 13:5; Jas 4:6-8; 1 Jn 5:18; Jude 1:24).  After Abraham defeated Chedorlaomer and was in danger of being counterattacked by terrorists, the Lord became a shield to him to protect him (Gen 15:1).  The Lord protected David, even on his sickbed (Psa 91:1-3).  He will even deploy angels to protect the believer (Psa 91:11).   If God is for us, who can be against us (Rom 8:31).  He rescues believers from Satan (Gal 1:4; 2 Thess 3:3; 1 John 2:13; 5:18).  The Lord rescued Paul (2 Tim 4:18).  The Lord will never leave us nor forsake us (Heb 13:5).  Even in the face of direct Satanic attack, if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us and protect us (Jas 4:6-8).

Satan has access to us through sin.  But the believer living in the Tree of Life is not sinning (1 Jn 3:9), and Satan cannot control him.

1 John 3:9 FHS Prevents Sin
Everyone who is born out from the source of God does not commit sin because His seed abides in him, and he is not able to sin, because He has been born out from the source of God.

Here John is differentiating between the New (born again) man and old self after Salvation.  Rather than invent new terms, John calls the New man one "who is born out from the source of God."  This one is filled with the Holy Spirit.  He cannot sin because "His seed abides in him."  "His seed" is the Holy Spirit.   It is impossible to sin in the filling of the Holy Spirit.  This does not mean that Christians never sin.  They do (1 Jn 1:8, 10), but in order to sin, the Holy Spirit must be rejected and the person must choose to sin.

Rebound is the solution to sin after Salvation.  However, Satan is allowed to test, tempt, and cross examine human witnesses in the Appeal Trial with God's permission (Gen 3:1-6; Matt 4:1-11; 1 Cor 7:5; 1 Thess 3:5).  Just as he attacked the woman in the Garden and tempted the Lord Jesus Christ, Satan still attacks the believer.  The believer is then free to choose between God and Satan (Gen 2:17; Deut 30:19; Rom 6:13, 16, 19; 12:1).

When the believer is attacked directly by Satan or his demons, the problem must be handled in Grace, like any other problem (Jn 6:44; 2 Cor 9:8; 12:9; Heb 4:16; Rev 3:7-9).  The attack may come from God's Sovereign Design or from Satan.  When an attack occurs, the immediate problem is the conflict, which includes temporal and spiritual aspects.  There are two sides.  The temporal side, corresponding to the left side of the body, includes the things of this life which are visible, tangible, or physical.  These things are recognizable to believers and unbelievers.  The temporal side includes temporal authority, including the husband in Marriage and governing authorities.  The spiritual side, corresponding to the right side, includes things that are unseen, intangible, or spiritual.  These things may be from God or Satan.  The spiritual side includes love and friendship.

Temporal Examples

Temporal examples include:

Enemy, terrorist, criminal attacks (Psa 56:1-2, 6; 69:1-4)
Sudden cataclysmic Judgment, crisis (Job 1:13-22)
Attacks from people, e.g. lies, accusation, vituperation, gossip, malice, bullying, rebellion (2 Sam 15:14; 16:5; Psa 56:5)
Equipment breakdown which precipitates necessities (2 Cor 11:25)
Medical suffering, emergency, and crisis (Psa 41:3; 56:8).

Spiritual Examples

Spiritual examples include:

Personal sin and problems from OSN.
Divine punishment and testing involving Satan and his demons (1 Pet 4:12-13).
Satanic and demonic attack (2 Tim 4:17; 1 Pet 5:8).
Cosmic System Counterattack (Mk 5:25-34).
Confusion, darkness, pressure, BOS, ERS, H/H (Eph 4:17-19).

Handling Temporal Attacks

Temporal attacks must be handled with objective thinking.

     a.  They often require immediate action (Job 39:19-25; Jer 4:6).
     b.  You must take a stand (Ex 14:13; Deut 11:25-29; Eph 6:11-15; 1 Pet 5:12).
     c.  They require Capacity for Life (Eph 6:10; Phil 4:13) and Capacity for Love (1 Cor 13:13; 1 Pet 4:8).
     d.  The Filling of the Holy Spirit is required to avoid falling into Lawlessness or Legalism.  Do not fear (Psa 56:4, 11); do not be bitter (Eph 4:31).
     e.  God will assist (Psa 56:13).  "The battle is the Lord's" (1 Sam 17:47). "The Lord will fight for you" (Ex 14:14; Rom 12:19; Heb 10:30).

Handling Spiritual Attacks

Spiritual attacks must be handled with Spiritual thinking and deployment of the Problem Solving Devices (Eph 4:26-27; 6:11).

     a.  Direct Satanic attacks require resisting (Jas 4:7; 1 Pet 5:8-9).  Job had to survive the attack of Satan, and God watched over him.
     b.  After surviving the attack, the next problem is to figure out what it meant from Divine viewpoint (2 Cor 4:18), e. g. it may have national implications in Spiritual Warfare.  When the smoke clears, think doctrine.
     c.  The Lord will deliver and drive the demons away in Grace (2 Cor 12:9).

Successfully overcoming Satanic attacks leads to promotion (Psa 40:2; 1 Jn 2:13-14), rest (Heb 4:9-11), and Eternal rewards (2 Cor 4:17; Rev 2:10-11, 24-26).

Recognizing Satan

Satan is revealed through the Grace of God, and Satan may reveal himself.  The growing believer learns to oppose Satan in Spiritual Warfare behind the protection of God.  Later, the mature believer in Spiritual Rapport will be able to perceive the evil one behind the trials and tribulations of life.  For example, Satan is behind the terrorists who are attacking US troops in Afghanistan.  Satan is behind drug abuse and homosexuality.  He is behind murderous rampages, criminality, and gangs.  He is also behind judges, law enforcement, politicians, educators, and medical doctors because they are in the world also.

Satan is controlling almost everything around us; yet, he remains a mystery.  He is like the wind.  It blows and the leaves of trees move, but the wind is invisible.  Satan is the same way.  Things that he does can be observed, but he does not appear.  He can steal thoughts, create confusion, cause flukes, arouse rebellion, undermine, stall, stymie, and screw up the best laid plans of mice and men.  When these things happen, then Satan was behind them, either directly or through his helpers.

Satan's enemies are the Church and Israel and anyone else who gets in his way.  Satan is in rebellion against God and at war with Christians and Jews.  Since Christians are his enemies, Satan hates them.  Although he appeases some for his benefit, he has no use for any of them.  He would as soon see them dead.  He is a liar, a deceiver, and a fraud who cannot be trusted.

There is a spiritual war going on between the forces of God and Satan, and the Christian would be wise to recognize that.  When events occur on the Stage of Life, two questions that must be answered are:  Where is God (or Jesus Christ), and where is Satan in all of this?  If God's side and Satan's side are not perceived, then take another look because they are there.  When God and Satan can be overlooked, there is a fundamental brain flaw in the Christian.

So, when something happens on the Stage of Life, where was God and where was Satan?  Reading God and Satan into the picture will expose the shenanigans of Satan.

Satanic Attacks of People

Attacks of People
Temptation of Christ
Thought Implanter, Stealer
Peter
Pharisees and Religious Jews
Judas Iscariot
Attack from Satan, the World Ruler
Ananias
Elymas the Magician
Paul and the Python Demon
Sin Connection to Satan

Attacks of People

(Gen 3:1-6; Nu 20:10; 1 Chron 21:1; Matt 4:1-10; 13:19; 16:23; Lk 22:3, 31; Jn 6:70; 8:13, 31, 39-59; 13:2, 27; 2 Cor 4:4; 11:15; 12:7; Eph 2:2; 4:27; Acts 5:3; 13:8-9, 10; 1 Tim 4:1; 1 Jn 3:8, 10, 12; 5:19)

Satan can attack people or people under Satan's power can attack other people.  He began by attacking the woman in the Garden (Gen 3:1-6).  When the woman sinned, she was under Satan's influence when she attacked Adam (Gen 3:6).  David was a man after the Lord's own heart, but Satan tempted him to commit adultery with Bathsheba and to have her husband, Uriah the Hittite, murdered.  Satan also influenced David to number Israel in violation of God's commandment (1 Chron 21:1).  Jesus Christ was tempted by Satan (Matt 4:1-10), and Paul himself was pestered by a demon (2 Cor 12:7).

Satan and his demons attack the believer directly and through the world (Cosmic System and people in it).  Adversaries must be defeated through Grace (Psa 60:11-12).

Temptation of Christ

The Lord Jesus Christ in His humanity was tempted by Satan before He began His Earthly ministry (Matt 4:1-11; Luk 4:2-13).  Jesus handled these temptations in His humanity with the same Divine operating assets that Church Age Believers have.  Jesus was filled with the Holy Spirit and knew the scripture, which at that time consisted of the Old Testament.  He did not use His Deity because Deity cannot be tempted.  The temptations of Christ are far beyond anything a believer will face.

Matthew 4:1
Then Jesus was led up into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by the devil.

Jesus was living under obedience to the Holy Spirit when He was led into the wilderness.  So God set the stage to allow the devil to tempt Him.

Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights, which left Him hungry and very weak (Matt 4:2).  This indicates that Jesus was under God's authority for Logistical Grace provision of daily bread.  He was fasting because God had not provided the daily bread.  In this weakened state Satan seized the opportunity to attack.

Matthew 4:3  Ecumenical Babylon Counterattack
And the tempter came and said to Him, "Since you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread."

The devil knew that Jesus was starving; so he tempted Him to disobey God and perform a miracle to make stones into bread.  This would be a sin, which would disqualify Jesus from being a sin bearer on the Cross.  This attack came from Ecumenical Babylon.  Jesus answered Satan by quoting scripture, "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God" (Deut 8:3).

Matthew 4:5-6 Cosmic Babylon Counterattack
5 Then the devil took Him along with him to the Holy City and had Him stand on the wing of the Temple (overlooking the Kidron Valley) 6 And said to him, "Since you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for you see, it is written, 'He will give His angels direction concerning you, and upon their hands they will lift you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.'"

Then Satan got the hang of quoting scripture, since he knows it backward and forward.  He appealed to Jesus to jump off the wing of the Temple overlooking the Kidron Valley and trust the angels to protect Him (Psa 91:11-12).  This was a Cosmic Babylon counterattack associated with falling through the air.

Matthew 4:7
Jesus said to him, "On the other hand, it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

Jesus answered that you should not put God to the test (Deut 6:16).

Matthew 4:8-9 Political Babylon Counterattack
8 Again the devil took Him along with him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory 9 And he said to Him, "All these I will give to You if You will fall down and worship me."

Next, Satan offered Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if He would worship him.  Satan is the ruler of the world, and he could make such an offer.  The offer of the kingdoms of the world was a Political Babylon counterattack.  Jesus, however, resisted the temptation.

Matthew 4:10
Then Jesus said to him, "Begone, Satan!  You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve."

Jesus answered Satan by quoting Deuteronomy 6:13 and 10:20 that you should worship the Lord God and serve only Him.

Thought Implanter, Stealer

Just as Satan can put thoughts in the mind as he did with Peter (Matt 16:22-23), he can also steal thoughts out of the mind.  This is easy for Satan to do, since he thinks at gigahertz rates or higher, whereas the human brain is only capable of thinking at 16 hertz (times per second) and practically can't even see 12 hertz.  Satan steals Bible Doctrine out of the mind before a person can metabolize it (Matt 13:19).  Satan opposes the Gospel by blinding the mind of the unbeliever to it (2 Cor 4:4), and Satan's workers appear as servants of righteousness (2 Cor 11:15).  Satan's demons deceive people and teach them false doctrine (1 Tim 4:1).

Satan and his demons can also cause dreams and visions (Job 20:8; Jer 23:25-27; 27:9; Lam 2:14; Ezek 13:3, 6-16, 23; 21:29; Mic 3:6; Zech 10:2; Col 2:18).  The only way to know if they are behind the dreams is to know Bible Doctrine.  Satan and his demons can also appear as apparitions (Isa 34:14; Mt 14:26; Mk 6:49; Lk 24:37).

Peter

When Jesus explained to his disciples that He must suffer and be executed and be raised on the third day (Matt 16:21), Peter took Him aside and rebuked Him saying that this would never happen to Him.

Matthew 16:22 Satan Speaks Through Peter
And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "God have mercy, Lord! This must never happen!"

Peter was speaking under the influence of Satan.  Jesus recognized Satan's influence and called Peter, Satan.  Peter, under the influence of Satan was opposing the strategic purpose for Jesus coming into the world, which was to go to the Cross and pay for the sins of the world.

Matthew 16:23 Peter Called Satan
But having turned around (with His back to Peter), He said to Peter, "Go away! Get behind Me, Satan!  You are a stumbling-block to Me, because you are not thinking the things of God (Divine viewpoint), but the things of men (human viewpoint)."

Jesus turned His back to Peter and said, "Go away!  Get behind Me, Satan!"  He was telling Peter to get out of His sight because he was Satan (Mk 8:33).  Peter was in the Cosmic System under Satan's power.  Under the potter and clay principle, created beings are not original thinkers.  They belong to God (Rom 9:20-24; Isa 45:9; 64:8) and may be influenced by Satan (Jn 8:44; Eph 2:2; 4:27; 1 Jn 5:19).  Peter was not thinking Divine viewpoint (Rom 12:2; 2 Cor 4:18; 5:7; Eph 1:18; Phil 2:5; Heb 11:1), but human viewpoint.  It was God's strategic purpose for Christ to go to the Cross.  Peter was thinking "the things of men," the thinking of unregenerate men in the Cosmic System with human and Satanic viewpoint (Rom 8:6-7; Eph 2:2; 4:17, 22; 2 Tim 2:26).

Later, Satan requested permission to sift Peter like wheat (Luk 22:31), but Jesus interceded for him and prevented it (Luk 22:32).

Pharisees and Religious Jews

The Pharisees, who were under the influence of Satan, attacked Jesus Christ many times.  They called Him a liar (Jn 8:13-30).  Satan also influenced Jewish believers and led them astray (Jn 8:31-33) and convinced them to kill Jesus (Jn 8:37, 39-40).  Satan was their father (Jn 8:41, 44).

John 8:44
You are from your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father.  He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him.  Whenever he speaks the lie, he speaks from his own nature; for he is a liar, and the father of lies.

They accused Jesus Christ of having a demon (Jn 8:48, 52).  And Satan incited them to try to stone Jesus (Jn 8:59).

Judas Iscariot

Judas Iscariot was a classic case of Satan's attack on people.  Satan was out to destroy Jesus Christ.  Satan, like a smart politician, was sensitive to the threat of the truth from Jesus Christ.  Satan decided to have Jesus murdered, and he picked Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus.  Satan could have worked through anyone, but Judas was already a lover of money and a thief with a hardened heart, which made it easy for Satan to influence him.

Contrary to popular belief, Judas was a believer, or Jesus would never have chosen him as a disciple in the first place.  Judas was full of human good, he did not respond to the Grace-oriented teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Judas became the treasurer of the group of disciples and pilfered money from the treasury (Jn 12:6).  The love of money and sin in the heart of Judas opened the doors to Satan (Matt 6:24).

Before the Last Supper, Judas was under Satan's influence.

John 7:2
And during the supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Him.

Satan had already convinced Judas to turn in Jesus to the Jewish High Priest.  He agreed to tell the Jews where Jesus was so they could arrest Him.

Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him (Jn 6:70-71; 13:11), and He told the disciples of this at the Last Supper (Jn 13:21).  They wanted to know which one of them it was.  So, Jesus pointed out Judas Iscariot by dipping a morsel of bread and giving it to him.  After Judas Iscariot took the morsel, Satan possessed him.

John 13:27 Judas Possessed by Satan
And after the morsel, Satan then entered into him.  Then Jesus said to him, "What you are doing, do quickly."

"Satan then entered into him" (Judas Iscariot).  Satan had already entered the heart of Judas.  Here Satan entered the body of Judas, which is commonly called possession.  "Entered into" is the Greek eijsevrcomai (eiserchomai), meaning enter into someone, especially of demons, which take possession of someone's body as their dwelling (Mk 9:25; Lk 8:30).  It is used for demons entering into swine (Mk 5:12-13; Lk 8:32-33).  It is used of Satan entering into Judas (Lk 22:3; Jn 13:27).

"Into him" is the Greek eis (into) + ekeinos, meaning that person, or him.  This prepositional phrase strengthens the meaning of Satan entering the body of Judas Iscariot.  Satan entered the body of Judas to lead the Temple Guard to arrest Jesus and collect his reward.  Judas was a believer under the Law.  He was not indwelt or filled with the Holy Spirit.  After betraying Jesus, Satan led Judas to his death (Matt 27:3-5; Jn 17:12).

The argument that believers cannot be demon possessed goes out the window here.  The argument that is often presented is "Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world" (1 Jn 4:4).  However, this refers to the Holy Spirit in the soul and not the indwelling, which is symbolic.  The power against Satan and demons is in the filling of the Holy Spirit, not the indwelling.  Of course, Judas Iscariot was neither filled nor indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

Attack from Satan, the World Ruler

The unbeliever lives in sin under the power of Satan, the ruler of the world, as previously explained (Eph 2:2).  After Salvation, the believer has a New Spiritual life with a New self.  He must be diligent to live in the New self in the Tree of Life to avoid falling back under sin, which gives Satan the opportunity to control him (Eph 4:26-27).  Sin must be handled with Rebound to prevent Satan from influencing the believer.  The person who is not filled with the Holy Spirit has no power against Satan and his Cosmic System.

Ananias

Ananias was a believer in the early Church in Jerusalem who fell under the influence of Satan.  The believers in the Church were selling their property and laying the proceeds at the Apostles' feet to be shared by all in the Church.  Ananias and his wife, however, sold some property and brought only a portion of the proceeds as a gift to the Church.  They pretended that they were giving the entire proceeds from the sale.  The congregation in Jerusalem was large with around 1,000 members, and Ananias and his wife wanted approbation.

When Ananias brought only a portion of the money to the Church, Peter caught on immediately and confronted him.

Acts 5:3 Lying to the Holy Spirit
But Peter said, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart so that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and kept for yourself some of the money from the land?"

Peter asked, "Why has Satan filled your heart?"  Rather than being filled with the Holy Spirit, Ananias was filled with the spirit of Satan.  This was not possession, or indwelling.  It was Satanic, or demon, influence.  Satan was attacking the Jerusalem Church through Ananias.

Peter added, "so that you have lied to the Holy Spirit?"  Ananias was tempted from approbation lust under the influence of Satan to sin.  This was arrogant ambition, the sin of Satan.  Ananias decided that he would lie about the price of the property.  This was a sin and he lost the filling of the Holy Spirit.  Therefore, he lied to the Holy Spirit.  The spirit of Satan then filled his heart.  Satan attacked Peter and the Jerusalem Church through Ananias.

Acts 5:4
Did not it (the land) belong to you while it remained unsold? And after it was sold, was it (the money) not at your disposal?  Who made you contrive this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.

Peter pointed out that Ananias, as a believer, was responsible to God for what he had done.  This was very serious because it was a Satanic counterattack.

Acts 5:5 Dying Punishment of the Believer
When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and expired;
Then great fear came upon all who heard these things.

When Ananias heard Peter's accusation, "he fell down and expired."  "Expire" means to exhale one's last breath.  He died from the Sin Leading to Death because he had lied to the Holy Spirit.

Elymas the Magician

On a missionary journey to Cyprus, Paul, Barnabus, and John Mark were evangelizing the people of the island.  At Paphos they encountered a Jewish magician named Bar-Jesus, who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus (Acts 13:6-7).  The proconsul had asked to hear the word of God from Paul and Barnabus, and they were giving him the Gospel when Elymas kept interrupting.

Acts 13:8
But Elymas the magician (for so his name is translated) was opposing them, seeking to turn away the proconsul from faith (in Christ).

Elymas is another name for Bar-Jesus (Acts 13:6).  How his name came to be translated Elymas is somewhat of a mystery.  According to Josephus a Jewish magician who lived in Cyprus about this time helped the procurator Felix win Drusilla (Acts 24:24), the wife of king Aziz of Emesa (Antiquities, xx.vii.2).  In the 11th Cent. manuscript, the magician is called Atomos (Greek A[tomo"), which appears to be one of the variations of the name Elymas.⁶   Drusilla was said to be the most beautiful woman in the world.

Realizing the interruptions from Elymas were a Satanic attack, Paul confronted him.  Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit stared him down (Acts 13:9).  The proconsul was being given the Gospel, and Elymas was trying to distract him and prevent him from being saved.

Acts 13:10
Paul said, "O full of all craftiness and all fraud, son of the devil, enemy of all righteousness, will you not stop perverting the straight ways of the Lord?"

Elymas under Satanic influence was full of craftiness and fraud.  He was a follower (son) of the devil.  Satan was using him to oppose the Gospel.  Those who use magic and the occult are frauds and liars.  What they say cannot be trusted.

Then Paul put a curse upon Elymas, and Elymas became temporarily blind and sought someone to lead him by the hand (Acts 13:11).  The proconsul understood the significance of the power of God putting a curse on the great magician and believed in Jesus Christ and was saved (Acts 13:12).

Paul and the Python Demon

On his Second Missionary Journey at Troas Paul had a night vision of a man asking him to come over to Macedonia to help them (Acts 16:9).  Paul proceeded to Philippi, a Roman colony in Macedonia (Acts 16:11, 12).  On the Sabbath he went out to a place of prayer on the Gangites River about 1.5 miles West of Philippi (Acts 16:13).  There he encountered a group of women and began speaking to them.

One of the women in the group was Lydia, a wealthy merchant from Thyatira who sold purple fabrics (Acts 16:14).  Purple was an expensive dye made from murex shellfish.  She was a "worshiper of God" – meaning, a Gentile believer like Cornelius (Acts 10:2), Thessalonians (Acts 17:4), and Athenians (Acts 17:17) who were not proselytes to Judaism and not yet Christians.

The Lord opened Lydia's heart "to take heed to (believe) the things communicated by Paul."  The Lord opened her heart is an idiom meaning the Lord (Holy Spirit) empowered her to perceive and understand the message taught by Paul.  She did not yet have the Church Age gifts of the Holy Spirit, but she had the Enduement of the Holy Spirit.  She heard doctrine taught and believed it so that it became epignosis.

Lydia was baptized along with her entire household, her children and servants (Acts 16:15).  Water baptism was used in the pre-canon period to symbolize the Baptism of the Holy Spirit of the Church.  This indicates that she became a Christian, a Church-Age member of the Royal Family of God with the indwelling and filling of the Holy Spirit.  Lydia was the first Church-Age Christian convert in Europe.

Acts 16:16 Mantis Demon Attack
But it came to pass that as we were proceeding to the place of prayer, a certain female slave possessing the python spirit (demon), who brought her masters much profit by fortunetelling, came to meet us.

Paul, Silas, Luke, and Timothy stayed with Lydia in her home in Philippi.  As they were going to the place of prayer one day, they were met by a female slave, who was possessed by a demon.  The meeting was arranged by Satan to counterattack Paul's ministry.

The female slave was possessed by "the python spirit."  The "Spirit" was a demon.  Python was the name of a snake, or dragon, that was said to guard the Delphic oracle.  The myth was that the snake lived at the foot of Mt. Parnassus and was slain by Apollo.  Later the word python came to designate a spirit of divination, then also a ventriloquist, who was believed to have such a spirit in his belly.   The Greek god Apollo was believed to be in a python snake in the Greek city of Delphi.  The priestess of Delphi was said to be possessed by Apollo and able to predict the future, and anyone with the python spirit could also predict the future.

Whereas, mythology is a lie, there are demons that can predict the future and act as soothsayers and seers.  They are the spirits of false prophets and false teachers.  The slave girl had such a demon spirit.  She "brought her masters much profit by fortunetelling."  Fortunetelling is the Greek participle manteuvomai (manteuomai), meaning to prophesy, divine, give an oracle.  The noun form of the word is the Greek mavnti" (mantis), meaning a soothsayer, diviner, prophet, used for  false prophets.  This was the demon of the medium of Endor (1 Sam 28:8), where "conjure" is incorrect and should be "divine" or "practice divination."  From experience this is the demon with the bug eyes that is often depicted as an extraterrestrial.

The demon possessed slave girl kept following Paul and company and shouting, "These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation" (Acts 16:17).  The slave girl was a soothsayer, a demonic herald, and a cosmic evangelist.  She was demon possessed, and the demon was speaking through her.  Note, this is stronger than demon influence where the victim complies with the demon's wishes.  Here the demon overpowers the victim, takes the person captive, and speaks through the person.

The slave girl continued doing this many days (Acts 16:18).  Paul became exasperated.  This is the Greek diaponevomai (diaponeomai), meaning be (greatly) disturbed, annoyed; to be worn out, troubled, vexed.  This indicates that Paul was exasperated.  He was worn out due to the annoying influence of the demon.  He was angry due to the demon spiritual influence in his face.  Satan sent the demon and arranged the meeting of the slave girl with Paul.  This was a Satanic counterattack.  Satan was controlling the Stage of Life and the Elect Angels were standing down.   This clearly shows how Satan and his demons can agitate and irritate a Spirit filled believer.  People do not see Satan although he is hiding in plain sight.  Common believers and pastors are not immune to Satan's attacks.  They happen all the time.

Then Paul turned and cast out the demon from the slave girl.  He still had the power to cast out demons but he would soon lose it.  There were other similar encounters with magic (Acts 13:6–12; 19:13–20).

When the masters of the slave girl realized their hope of profit was lost, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them before the local authorities (Acts 16:19).  They accused them before the Chief Magistrates of racial rebellion against Rome (Acts 16:20, 21).  They said these Jews were causing confusion among the Romans.  This was anti-Semitism, and Satan was the real accuser.  Note, Luke (probably a Gentile) and Timothy (a half-Gentile) were not taken prisoner.  The same scenario would be played out when Satan ran Paul out of Ephesus (Acts 19:23–41).

Acts 16:22
The crowd (mob) rose up together against them, and after tearing off their garments, the Chief Magistrates issued orders to beat them with rods.

Satan incited a mob against Paul and Silas.  Roman law was not followed.  The same thing goes on today.  Satan controlled the Chief Magistrates also.  They ordered Paul and Silas to be beaten with rods.  The punishment was ordered without a fair trial.  Satan runs the government  to accuse and attack Jews and Christians.

Paul and Silas were beaten with many blows with rods and ordered to be jailed and guarded securely (Acts 16:23).   They were then imprisoned in maximum security (Acts 16:24).  The jailer put them in the inner prison, maximum security, and fastened their feet in stocks (Job 13:27; 33:11; Jer 20:2f; 29:26).  This was all excessive force.  Satan also controlled the jailer.  Satan wanted to neutralize Paul.

In spite of the harsh treatment, Paul and Silas endured the suffering without complaint.  About midnight they began praying and singing praises to the Lord (Acts 16:25).  They were serving the Lord and using the Problem Solving Device of sharing Divine Happiness.  The other prisoners were listening to them and being evangelized.

Then there was a great earthquake (Acts 16:26).  An angel caused the earthquake.  The foundation of the prison was shaken, and all the doors were opened.  Everyone's chains were unlocked.  This is an example of the power of angels and a demonstration of the "Key of David" (Isa 22:22; Rev 3:7).  Angels delivered Peter in similar ways (Acts 5:18–20; 12:3–11).

The jailer awoke and saw the prison unlocked (Acts 16:27).  He was ready to kill himself when Paul cried out and told him everyone was still there (Acts 16:28).  He went and fell down before Paul and Silas and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16:29, 30).

Acts 16:31 Believe on the Lord Jesus
And they said, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved and your household."

Paul and Silas witnessed to the jailer and all in his household, and they were all baptized that night (Acts 16:32, 33).  The jailer took Paul and Silas to his house, washed their wounds, and fed them (Acts 16:34).

The next day the Chief Magistrates sent their policemen with word to release Paul and Silas (Acts 16:35, 36).  Now the shoe was on the other foot.  Satan had been defeated, and Paul had a case against the magistrates.  They had violated Roman law by flogging a Roman citizen.  Paul was a Roman citizen.  He refused to leave after the public humiliation until the Chief Magistrates came down and personally released them (Acts 16:37).  The policemen reported back to the Chief Magistrates, who personally returned in fear and begged Paul and Silas to leave (Acts 16:38, 39).  Then Paul and Silas went back to Lydia's house before departing Philippi (Acts 16:40).

Sin Connection to Satan

Sin opens the door for Satan's influence over a person.

1 John 3:8 Sin Connects to the Devil
The one who is committing sin is out from the source of the devil, because from the beginning the devil has sinned.  For this reason the Son of God has been manifested, in order that He might destroy the works of the devil.

"The one who is committing sin is out from the source of the devil."  He is under the influence of the devil through the Cosmic System.  The person who sins is the agent of ("out from") the devil.  The devil committed the first sin.  He has been sinning ever since, and those who sin are his followers.  Because of sin, the Son of God was brought to Earth to pay for the sins of the world and destroy the works of the devil.

1 John 3:9 The Filling of the Holy Spirit Prevents Sin
Everyone who is born out from the source of God does not commit sin because His seed abides in him, and he is not able to sin, because He has been born out from the source of God.

Here John is differentiating between the New (born again) man and old self after Salvation.  The one who is "born out from God" refers to the New man, who is filled with the Holy Spirit.  The New man "does not commit sin because His seed abides in him."  "His seed" is the Holy Spirit.  "His seed" abiding in him refers to the Filling of the Holy Spirit.  A person cannot sin when he is under the control of the Holy Spirit.  He must first reject the Holy Spirit and then choose to sin.  If anyone does sin, then Rebound can be used to restore the Filling of the Holy Spirit.

1 John 3:10 Children of God and the Devil
By this the children of God and the children of the devil are evident.  Everyone who is not performing Righteousness is not from the source of God, and the one who is not loving his brother.

The children of God are those who have been born again, and the children of the devil are unbelievers.  Those who are "not performing Righteousness" are not from God.  Righteousness is the Greek dikaiosuvn (dikaiosune), meaning the Righteousness which demands Justice.  It refers to God's absolute Righteousness, which God imputes to the believer at Salvation.   The unbeliever does not have this Righteousness.  The believer can also love his brother, his fellow Christian.  "Love," which is the Greek ajgapavw (agapao), refers to Divine Love.  Only the believer can love his brother with Divine Love.  The children of the devil do not have God's Righteousness or God's Love.  Everyone is either a child of God or a child of the devil.  The children of God are born from God, and the children of the devil reside under the influence and power of Satan.

Next
 

References

1.  Merrill Unger, R. K. Harrison ed. The New Unger's Bible Dictionary, (Chicago: Moody Press, Chicago, IL 60610), 1988.
2.  Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1985). The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Mt 10:24–33). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
3.  Larry Wood.  "Trees of Life and Evil in the Soul,"  Oct. 1, 2012.
4.  Larry Wood.  Babylon the Great, "The Fall," Aug. 26, 2012.
5.  Larry Wood.  "Dealing with Demons in Grace," Oct. 3, 2012.
6.  Metzger, B. M., & United Bible Societies. (1994). A textual commentary on the Greek New Testament, second edition a companion volume to the United Bible Societies' Greek New Testament (4th rev. ed.) (p. 355). London; New York: United Bible Societies.