1 PETER 5:8-9
The belief that Satan actually exists is considered by many people to be horribly superstitious, anti-intellectual, and unscientific, even more so than the belief in a personal God. BUT -- they are wrong: These 'sophisticated' people are simply unfortunate souls who have been tricked into believing that their worst enemy does not even exist.
While there are many folk-lore tales about who Satan is and what he does, we must keep in mind that the Bible asserts that he really does exist, and there is nothing anti-intellectual about trusting a reliably proven authority. The person who chooses to ignore this in favor of his own speculations is the one who is anti-intellectual and thus is hurting himself. He ultimately favors his own view not because he is intellectually sophisticated, but because he would rather continue in his own way of thinking about the world than live by the truth (this allows him to continue in his own rebellion against being subject to the Lord).
The Bible teaches us that Satan exists; we should never be ridiculed into doubting the Scriptures on this point. Rather, we should learn what the Scriptures actually teach about Satan so that we can dispel the modern image of him as a person who wears red leotards, and who has horns on his head, a pointed tail, and a pitchfork in his hand.
Psalm 148:1-2, 5 -- "Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights! Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! . . . Let them praise the name of the Lord, For He commanded and they were created."
I Kings 22:19 -- "And Micaiah said, 'Therefore, hear the word of the Lord, I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left.'"
Psalm 103:20-21 -- "Bless the Lord, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His Word! Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, You who serve Him, doing His will."
Colossians 1:16 -- "For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities -- all things have been created by Him and for Him."
Hebrew 1:13-14 -- "But to which of the angels has He ever said, 'Sit at my right hand, until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet'? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?'
Ephesians 6:12 -- "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places."
II Peter 2:9-11 -- "then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they do not tremble when they revile angelic majesties, whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a reviling judgment against them before the Lord."
Matthew 24:26 -- "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
I Peter 1:10-12 -- "As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful search and inquiry, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you thru those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven -- things into which angels long to look."
Jude 9 -- "But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, 'The Lord rebuke you.'"
Revelation 12:7 -- "And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. And the dragon and his angels waged war."
Daniel 10:13, 21 -- "But the princes of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia . . . . However, I will tell you what is inscribed in the writing of truth. Yet there is no one who stands firmly with me against these forces except Michael your prince."
Daniel 8:16 -- "And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai, and he called out and said, 'Gabriel, give this man an understanding of the vision.'" (Note: although Gabriel is not explicitly called an archangel, yet he appears to be viewed as one)
Daniel 9:21-22 -- "While I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering. And he gave me instruction and talked with me, and said, 'O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding.'"
Luke 1:19, 26 -- "And the angel answered and said to him, 'I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God; and I have been sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news . . . . Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee, called Nazareth,"
Revelation 8:2 -- "And I saw the seven angels who stand before God; and seven trumpets were given to them." (perhaps these are also archangels)
Genesis 3:24 -- "So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every direction, to guard the way to the tree of life."
Exodus 25:18-22 -- "And you shall make two cherubim of gold, make them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub at one end and one cherub at the other end; and you shall make the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at its two ends. And the cherubim shall have their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings and facing one another; the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the mercy seat. And you shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the testimony which I shall give to you. And there I will meet with you; and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak to you about all that I will give you in commandment for the sons of Israel."
Psalm 99:1 -- "The Lord reigns, let the peoples tremble; He is enthroned above the cherubim, let the earth shake!" (also Psalm 80:1)
Hebrew 9:3-5 -- "And behind the second veil, there was a tabernacle which is called the Holy of Holies, having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with told, in which was a golden jar holding the manna, and Aaron's rod which budded, and the tablets of the covenant. And above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat; but of these things we cannot now speak in detail."
Isaiah 6:1-7
1 In the year of King Uzziah's death, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings; with two he covered his face, and two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called out to another and said, 'Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.' 4 And the foundations of the threshold trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. 5 Then I said, 'Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.' 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, with a burning coal in his hand which he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7 And he touched my mouth with it and said, 'Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is forgiven.'"
Ephesians 3:8-10 -- "To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God, who created all things; in order that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places."
Colossians 1:16 -- "For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities -- all things have been created by Him and for Him."
Ephesians 1:19-21 -- "These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come."
I Peter 3:22 -- "(Jesus Christ) who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him."
Genesis 3:1-5 -- "Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, 'Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?' And the woman said to the serpent, 'From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, lest you die.' ' And the serpent said to the women, 'You surely shall not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.'"
John 8:44 -- "You are of you 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 a lie, he speaks from his own nature; for he is a liar, and the father of lies."
I John 3:8 -- "the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil."
Ephesians 2:1-2 -- "And you were dead in your trespas-ses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedi-ence."
Matthew 25:41 -- "Then He will also say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels;"
Revelation 12:9-10 -- "And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, 'Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them before our God day and night."
Revelation 20:1-3, 7-10 -- "And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he should not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time . . . . And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever."
II Peter 2:4 -- "For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness "
Jude 6 -- "And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day."
Mark 1:34 -- "And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was."
James 2:19 -- "You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder."
Matthew 8:31 -- "And the demons began to entreat Him, saying, 'If You are going to cast us out, send us into the herd of swine."
Matthew 12:22 -- "Then there was brought to Him a demon-possessed man who was blind and dumb, and He healed him, so that the dumb man spoke and saw."
Psalm 104:20-21 -- "Bless the Lord, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word! Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, You who serve Him, doing His will."
Hebrews 1:13-14 -- "But to which of the angels has He ever said, 'Sit at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet'? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?
Psalm 34:7 -- "The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them."
Luke 16:22 -- "Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom;"
Luke 15:10 -- "In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
Matthew 18:10 -- "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you, that their angels in heaven continually behold the face of My Father who is in heaven."
Revelation 5:11-12 -- "And I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.'"
f. Satan and the evil angels have power to perform a variety of disservices to God and His people
a. Scriptures which speak of Satan's powers
Genesis 3:1-5 -- "Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, 'Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?' And the woman said to the serpent, 'From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, lest you die.' ' And the serpent said to the woman, 'You surely shall not die! For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.'"
Satan is very crafty and can deceive even unfallen human beings by getting them to question God and believe and act upon a lie (Note II Corinthians 11:3 -- "But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.").
Genesis 3:13 -- "Then the Lord God said to the women, 'What is this you have done?' And the woman said, 'The serpent deceived me, and I ate.'"
Genesis 3:15 -- "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel."
I Chronicles 21:1 -- "Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel."
Job 1:6 -- "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, Satan also came among them."
Satan can come among the sons of God, even at times of worship (Note verse 5 -- "And it came about, when the days of feasting had completed their cycle, that Job would send and consecrate them, rising up early in the morning and offering burnt offerings according to the number of them all; for Job said, 'Perhaps my sons have sinned and cursed God in their hearts.' Thus Job did continually.")
Job 1:7 -- "And the Lord said to Satan, 'From where do you come?' Then Satan answered the Lord and said, 'From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it.'"
Job 1:11 -- "But put forth Thy hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse Thee to Thy face."
Job 1:12 -- "Then the Lord said to Satan, 'Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him.' So Satan departed from the presence of the Lord.
Satan can be given permission by God to do what he wishes to a believer's possessions, in a testing situation (a situation in which God is testing and proving and purifying and strengthening the faith of His child).
Job 1:14-15 -- "that a messenger came to Job and said, 'The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, and the Sabeans attacked and took them. They also slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you."
Satan can influence unbelievers to take the possessions (in this case, cattle) of believers by force, and to kill human beings in the process.
Job 1:16 -- "While he was still speaking, another also came and said, 'The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell you.'"
Satan can bring down fire from the sky (lightning?), and can kill cattle and human beings with it.
Job 1:17 -- "While he was still speaking, another also came and said, 'The Chaldeans formed three bands and made a raid on the camels and took them and slew the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you.'"
Satan can influence unbelievers to take the cattle of believers by force, and to kill human beings in the process.
Job 1:18-19 -- "While he was still speaking, another also came and said, 'Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, and behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died; and I alone have escaped to tell you.'"
Satan can bring great winds to destroy buildings and human beings, even the children of believers.
Job 2:1 -- "Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the Lord."
Satan came among the sons of God, even at times of worship.
Job 2:2 -- "And the Lord said to Satan, 'Where have you come from?' Then Satan answered the Lord and said, 'From roaming about in the earth, and walking around on it.'"
Satan can roam where he wishes on the earth.
Job 2:3-4 -- "And the Lord said to Satan, 'Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil, And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to ruin him without cause.' And Satan answered the Lord and said, 'Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life.'"
Satan can incite God to test a believer, by allowing Satan to bring proximately undeserved ruin upon that believer.
Job 2:6 -- "So the Lord said to Satan, 'Behold, he is in your power only spare his life.'"
Satan can be given permission by God to do what he wishes to a believer's body (in this case, short of killing him), in a testing situation.
Job 2:7 -- "Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head."
Job, chapters 3, 7, 9, and 40:6-8 -- Satan, by means of destruction of a believer's possessions and infliction of painful sores upon a believer's body, can influence the believer to become despondent and very gloomy; and to despair of life, complain against God, and even condemn God.
Zechariah 3:1 -- "Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him."
Matthew 4:1 -- Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil."
Satan can tempt the Lord Jesus Christ, the sinless God-man, to commit sin.
Matthew 4:3 -- "And the tempter came and said to Him, 'If you are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.'"
Matthew 4:5 -- "Then the devil took hIm into the holy city; and he stood Him on the pinnacle of the temple."
Satan can take someone to another place in order to tempt him.
Matthew 4:8 -- "Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory."
Satan can take someone to another place in order to tempt him, and can cause him to see visions in order to tempt him.
Matthew 4:9 -- "and he said to Him, 'All these things will I give You, if You fall down and worship me.'"
Satan can tempt even the Lord Jesus Christ to worship him.
Matthew 12:24 -- "But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, 'This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.'"
Satan has power over the demons, to rule over them.
Mark 4:15 -- "And these are the ones who are beside the road where the word is sown; and when they hear, immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them."
Luke 4:6 -- "And the devil said to Him, 'I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish."
Luke 10:17-18 -- "And the seventy returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name.' And He said to them, 'I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.'"
Luke 13:16 -- "And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?"
Satan can possess human beings and hold them in bondage and illness for many years (verse 11 -- "And behold, there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all"), but he is impotent before the almighty power of God (verses 12-13).
Luke 22:3 -- "And Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, belonging to the number of the twelve."
Satan can take possession of an unbeliever, and can influence him to commit heinously evil sins (verses 4-6 -- "And he went away and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he might betray Him to them. And they were delighted, and agreed to give him money. And he consented, and began seeking a good opportunity to betray Him to them apart from the multitude.").
Luke 22:31-32 -- "Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."
John 8:44 -- "You are of 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 a lie, he speaks from his own nature; for he is a liar, and the father of lies."
Satan can influence unbelievers to do what he wishes them to do. He can murder, but he cannot speak the truth, for he is the father of lies.
John 12:31, 16:11 -- "Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world shall be cast out." . . . "and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged."
Satan rules the world, but is judged by Christ's death. His power is limited, and will surely come to an end.
John 13:2 -- "And during supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him,"
John 13:27 -- "And after the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Jesus therefore said to him, 'What you do, do quickly.'"
Satan can take possession of an unbeliever, and can influence him to commit heinously evil sins (verse 21 -- "When Jesus had said this, He became troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, that one of you will betray me.'").
Acts 5:3 -- "But Peter said, 'Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back some of the price of the land?"
Satan can influence a believer (at least a professing believer) to commit sins, even the sin of lying about a gift to God.
Acts 10:38 -- "You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed by the devil; for God was with Him."
Satan can oppress human beings with various types of illness, but he is impotent against the almighty power of God.
Acts 26:18 -- "To open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God, in order that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me."
Romans 16:20 -- "And the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet."
I Corinthians 7:5 -- "Stop depriving one another, except by agreement for a time that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again lest Satan tempt you because of your lack of self-control."
II Corinthians 2:11 -- "in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes."
Satan can gain an advantage over believers who do not forgive those who repent, and do not reaffirm their love for them.
II Corinthians 4:4 -- "in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is in the image of God."
Satan ("the god of this world") can blind the minds of unbelievers who hear the gospel.
II Corinthians 11:14 -- "And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light."
II Corinthians 12:7 -- "And because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me--to keep me from exalting myself."
Satan can buffet believers with thorns in the flesh, by God's permission (God intending it for good, to humble them).
Ephesians 2:2 -- "in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience."
Satan ("prince of the power of the air") is now working in unbelievers, influencing them toward disobedience.
Ephesians 4:27 -- "And do not give the devil an opportunity."
Satan can be given opportunity to accomplish his purposes by believers who do not control their anger. (verse 26 -- "Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,")
Ephesians 6:11-33 -- "Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places."
Satan schemes to overthrow and defeat believers by causing them to stumble and fall into sin.
Ephesians 6:16 -- "in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one."
I Thessalonians 2:18 -- "For we wanted to come to you--I, Paul, more than once--and Satan thwarted us."
Satan can thwart the plans of believers to minister to other believers.
I Thessalonians 3:5 -- "For this reason, when I could endure it no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor should be in vain."
Satan ("the tempter") can tempt those who profess to be Christians to depart from the Christian faith and to return to the world.
II Thessalonians 2:9 -- "that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders."
Satan can produce signs and false wonders through the Man of Lawlessness in the end time.
I Timothy 3:7 -- "And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he may not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil."
Satan can trap bishops (or overseers) who do not have a good reputation among unbelievers.
II Timothy 2:25-26 -- "with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition; if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will."
Satan holds captive unbelievers, and influences them to do his will.
Hebrew 2:14 -- "Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil;"
Satan can put human beings to death, and can therefore hold them in slavery through their fear of death; but he is powerless to hold believers in slavery, because Christ has removed any necessity of the fear of death by bearing our sins on the cross, and by defeating death through His resurrection. Satan can still put believers to death (but only by God's permission), but he cannot kill them forever, or hold them in death for ever.
James 4:7 -- "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."
Satan can be resisted and made to flee from believers; not by those who are proud and wish to be friends of the world, but by those who humble themselves before God and who are friends of God.
I Peter 5:8-9 -- "Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world."
Satan prowls about and seeks to capture and destroy human beings, but he can be resisted by believers who humble themselves before God, cast all their anxiety upon Him, remain sober and on the alert, and remain firm in their faith.
Jude 9 -- "But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, 'The Lord rebuke you.'"
Satan can dispute difficult theological questions with archangels.
Revelation 2:10 -- "Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life."
Satan can cause believers to be cast into prison to be tested as to their faithfulness, and he can cause them to suffer.
Revelation 12:7 -- "And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. And the dragon and his angels waged war,"
Satan ("the dragon") and his evil angels are going to wage war with Michael and his good angels in the sky.
Revelation 12:8-9 -- "and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him."
Satan and his angels will be cast out of the sky to the earth. Satan is the deceiver of the whole world of unbelievers.
Revelation 12:10 -- "And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, 'Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them before our God day and night."
Satan accuses believers before God day and night, but the time will come when he will be cast down.
Revelation 13:2 -- "And I saw a beast coming out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads, and on his horns were ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names."
Satan will give power and dominion and great authority to the beast.
Revelation 13:7 -- "And it was given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them; and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him."
Satan will give power to the beast to make war with the saints and to physically overcome them; and he will give the beast authority over the whole earth.
Revelation 20:1-3 -- "And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he should not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time."
Satan will be restrained from deceiving the nations during the Millennial reign of the Lord Jesus Christ upon the earth.
Revelation 20:7-9 -- "And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison, and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them."
Satan will be released from restraint after the Millennium, and will deceive the nations, to gather them against the saints and against the city of Jerusalem for the final battle.
Revelation 20:10 -- "And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever."
Satan will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, and will be tormented for ever, with no respite.
(1) Satan rules the evil world-system (the "world")
The "world" in this sense is not the world which God created and sustains, for God rules in that world. Nor does the "world" in this sense include the Church, for Christ rules in the Church. The "world" in this sense includes every place in which sin holds sway. Whereever sin holds sway over the hearts of men, the structures of society, the disciplines of knowledge, and the categories of value (ethics, esthetics, politics, religion), there Satan rules.
Since a rule without power would be an empty formality, presumably Satan has power to exert influence toward moral evil in those places where he rules.
(2) During the present age, Satan can roam wherever he pleases on the earth.
(3) By God's permission, Satan can bring down fire from the sky and can raise winds to destroy buildings, animals, and human beings. Such fire and winds could doubtless destroy crops as well.
(4) Satan can inflict various types of disease and illness upon human beings.
(5) Satan has dominion and power over unbelievers, and can tempt them, can deceive them, can influence them to do his will, and can possess and control them.
(6) Satan can blind the minds of those unbelievers who hear the gospel, and can take away God's Word from them.
(7) Satan can tempt and influence believers to do evil things.
(8) Satan can buffet believers with thorns in the flesh.
The thorn suggests something painful; it could refer to something physical, such as a diseased condition which made Paul's eyesight a painful difficulty, or something non-physical, such as a severe temptation which Satan suggested to Paul again and again and again, and which caused Paul spiritual and emotional pain and distress.
(9) Satan can assault believers with doubt and unbelief.
Since it is the shield of faith that can extinguish the flaming missiles of the evil one, it is probable that these missiles are missiles of doubt and unbelief. They may include other things as well, but faith would certainly seem to imply doubt and unbelief as the kinds of missiles about which Scripture is speaking.
(10) Satan can accomplish his evil purposes through believers who are not careful in their conduct.
(11) Satan can hinder believers in their plans to minister the Word of God.
(12) By God's permission, Satan can cause believers to be cast into prison, to suffer, and to be put to death. Satan influences unbelievers and uses them as his instruments to do these things.
(13) Satan can accuse believers before God of wrongdoing, and does so day and night.
NOTE: Nowhere in Scripture (and we have examined all 65 references to Satan in the Bible) is there any evidence or even any hint that Satan has the power to bring anything objectively real into existence; i.e., create anything real! He can distort natural processes and forces to destroy physical bodies, and can influence the minds, emotions, and wills of human beings to destroy souls, but there is no evidence that he can create something into existence.
However, having said this, we must hasten to reaffirm the truth that Satan has great and manifold powers for evil, and for destruction!
Appendix review and additions
1. Satan is a created being.
Ezekiel 28:12-16 - The "King of Tyre" described in this passage is said to have been in Eden (vs. 13), is called "the anointed cherub" (vs. 14), and is said to have been blameless in all his ways until unrighteousness was found in him (vs. 15). Notice that in verses 13 and 15 his creation is referred to. This person, called the King of Tyre, is thought by many to be Satan. This is very reasonable, because no man could literally fulfill this description.
In Daniel 10:13 an angel says that he was opposed by the prince of the Kingdom of Persia, but then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to his aid. So, there is Biblical precedent to call spiritual beings by the royal titles that are usually given to men. Finally, in vs. 16 of the Ezekiel passage, this king was said to have been thrown from God's mountain for his unrighteousness. Therefore, in view of Ezekiel 28:13,15 we have a reasonable Scriptural basis to conclude that Satan was created by God.
There are some who rightly point out that this passage can also be taken literally as describing the human King of Tyre. For instance, Ezekiel 28:2 cannot be taken literally if this being is Satan. However, with either understanding of this passage some of the verses apparently need to be taken figuratively. This problem brings up a sound principle to use in studying Scripture: we should interpret a passage literally unless doing so would lead to a ridiculous conclusion (ie. Jesus calling Herod a fox in Lk. 13:32 means that King Herod must have been one). , In regard to understanding this Ezekiel passage, we must ask ourselves: is the language of this passage more literal (and thus less figurative) if it is applied to Satan or to a man?
That the LORD is speaking here to the demon-possessed king of Tyre, and so speaks both to the man and to Satan is certainly reasonable. But remember, since we have no inspired commentary on this passage it is difficult to clarify this further.
In the Scriptures God is the only being who is described as having existed from eternity (Ps. 90:2, Micah 5:2). The LORD assures us that there is no one else like Him (Isaiah 46:9). God is thus the only being who we know has existed forever and who was, therefore, not created. For all beings other than God, we have no Scriptural reason not to include them in the "all things" (John 1:3; Colossians 1:15ff) that were made by Jesus, the second person of the Triune Godhead. Thus there is ample reason to teach that Satan is created.
John 8:44. Here we have Satan's heart revealed to us by Jesus. Jesus refers to Satan as "he", and describes him as having desires; these are certainly two characteristics of a person. What does Jesus say this person is like?
a) A murderer from the beginning.
b) A liar by nature. Satan can be relied on to trick and deceive in order to hurt and destroy.
c) The father of lies. Satan not only lies himself, but has made it his self-appointed task to spawn lies in others as well.
Satan, in general, is nothing but despicable and harmful. Any time that we yield to his will at all we are cooperating with his desire to deceive us and to do us great harm. He is most certainly evil.
Why does God permit any evil? (Review the lesson on the attributes of God for a more complete answer.)
Psalm 76:10 "Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee; the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain."
Seeing that there are evil beings who will rebel against God's good will as much as they can, God limits the evil that they do to that which nevertheless will ultimately glorify Himself. Any other evil, God completely holds back. It is strongly implied here that if the Lord were not intervening to restrain evil, our world would be in a far worse condition than it is now. It is gracious of the Lord to limit our rebellion against Him as much as He does.
Job 1 and 2 shows an example of God permitting Satan a limited freedom to do evil. We can see how God uses this evil to His glory throughout the rest of Job.
a) Satan has the power to harm one's body and possessions.
Job chapters 1 and 2 - He has power to inflict disease and disaster on human beings, even believers.
Luke 13:18 - Jesus heals a woman who has been crippled for eighteen years, and asserts that Satan was the cause of her infirmity. Again we see how sadistic a person Satan is.
Job 1:1,6-12 and 2:1-6 - Notice in these passages that God allows Satan the limited freedom to harm Job's property and body so as to show how faithful a believer Job is. Job's faithfulness, even in affliction, honors the Lord. This is a good illustration of Ps. 76:10.
Luke 22:31-32 - Before Satan could attempt to sift Peter like wheat, he had to ask permission. In this passage we see another aspect of Satan's limited freedom to afflict believers: God's provision for us in facing such trials is sufficient for us to come through them truimphantly. Jesus here has prayed for Peter, that his faith may not fail.
It is good for us to remember several things when we face trials:
i) 1 Corinthians 10:13 "No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it." Each trial we face reaches us only because our heavenly Father has permitted it. We see here that the God who knows everything about us (Ps. 139) will only allow those trials to come upon us that He knows we are able to bear. What a loving heavenly Father!!!
ii) Romans 8:28 "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." True believers in Jesus Christ have the confidence that all things will work together for their final good, including trials inflicted upon them by Satan. In case any should doubt that they love God enough so that this great and precious promise applies to them, the Lord further explains that it applies to "those who are called according to His purpose." Any true believer must remember that he has been called by God to inherit eternal life and thus he can expect this loving, providential protection by the God of his salvation.
iii) But how can affliction work for good in the life of a believer?
Hebrews 12:5-11 - The discipline that is learned in a trial yields "the peaceful fruit of righteousness" in a believer's life , (cf. James 1:1-4 and 1 Peter 1:6, 7).
Mark 4:14-15 - After the word of God is sown in some people's hearts, "immediately Satan comes and takes away the word which has been sown in them." In witnessing it would be wise for us to ask the Lord to stop Satan from doing this, and to warn the person with whom we share the good news that Satan will try to do this. (We may not want to say this to him in so many words, but we should say something like, "While what we've talked about is still fresh in your mind, now is a good time to seriously consider becoming a Christian. As soon as I leave, you'll be tempted to forget all about it.")
"And the Lord's bondservant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will." 2 Timothy 2:24-26
We are truly blessed to be free from the snare of the devil, and we should have a genuine desire to want to help free others from that snare. Remember though, that it is God who ultimately grants a person the repentance that leads to salvation, therefore we can not take the final credit for our success in soul-winning (But note the LORD's promise in Daniel 12:3). This should keep us thankful and humble as we serve the Lord with our lives.
1 Chronicles 21:1 - Here we see that Satan enticed David to count the number of people in Israel, and that the Lord was angry with David for doing this. David knew ahead of time that it was wrong to do this (vs.3), yet Satan appealed to David's lusts and enticed David to follow after his lusts and sin.
James 1:13-15 - We see in this passage what the nature of temptation is: it is not the implanting of an evil desire within a person from a force outside of the person, rather it is the person's own lusts that are alluring him. When Satan entices us then, he is not taking us over to force us to do evil against our wills, but he is suggesting to us to follow after our own unclean desires. Understanding this point, that we are not 'being taken over' when we are tempted, helps us to recognize that it is possible for true believers to resist the enticements of even as powerful a being as Satan.
We know from 1 Cor. 10:13 that we can go through any temptation in our lives without sinning by taking the way of escape that the Lord always faithfully provides.What are some of these means of escape? In Matthew 4:1-11 we learn thateven Jesus was tempted by Satan while He was on the earth. Jesus' method for refuting Satan's clever enticements (including the deceitful use of Scripture) was to respond by using memorized Scripture with its proper understanding. We see from Jesus' example that understanding and memorizing Scripture is a very practical tool for overcoming temptation (see also Psalm 119:9, 11).
Revelation 12:9-10 - Satan is called, "the accuser of our brethren . . . who accuses them before our God day and night."
Zecharich 3:1-2 - In this First Testament passage, we see Satanstanding at Joshua the high priest's right hand to accuse him before the angel of the Lord. Note the Lord's reaction to this accusation: "And the Lord said to Satan, 'The Lord rebuke you Satan!'" Then note in verses 3-5 that the Lord removed Joshua's iniquity from him and dressed him in clean robes!
Romans 8:33-39 - Note the argument presented here: No one can bring charges to God against a true Christian, because it is God who makes him just. Jesus Christ, the one into whose hands all judgment has been given, is the one who has paid the penalty for our sins. The conclusion of this wonderful argument: Nothing can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Knowing that Satan's accusations are not seriously considered by the Lord is a great comfort indeed, since we know what our own hearts are really like. Notice that the Lord can even boast about His faithful believers (like Job, Job 1:8, 2:3). Imagine how great it would be for the Lord to be able to boast to Satan about you because of your faithfulness to Him!!!
Luke 8:26-39 - Demons were able to enter into this man and possess him so that he would sin and act insane (note that possession is different than temptation). Notice also that the Jesus' power was sufficient to cast out the demons and to restore the man to his right mind. The power of demons is in no way equal to God's power. In Luke 10:17-18, we learn that after Jesus had given His seventy disciples the power over demons, He told them that He saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning. The same power that cast Satan from heaven gives the Lord power over demons as well.
Matthew 9:32-33 - In this passage the man who was demon-possessed was unable to speak because of the demons inside of him. Again notice the sufficiency of the power of Jesus to cast them out.
Rev. 12:9 - Satan is said to deceive the "whole world", not only those who foolishly worship him.
Rev. 20:6-9 - Here we learn that Christ will come again and reign on the earth for a thousand years. Surely during this period men will see a truly righteous government, and finally learn the difference between right and wrong. But this will not happen; men are so innately evil that when Satan is released after this thousand year period, he will be able to incite them to go to war against God's beloved city. We can rejoice, since it is also taught here that this uprising will utterly fail.
2 Thess. 2:8-10 - This passage describes an evil person, the lawless one, whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan. This person, who will come "with all the deception of wickedness," will be equipped by Satan with the power to do signs and lying wonders. The people who will be fooled into believing this deception are those who did not love the truth. Note then that it is not enough to only hear or know the truth: the truth must be loved if a person is to be protected from believing a cleverly presented lie.
Another lesson to be learned from this passage is that the performing of miracles is not in itself a proof that the person performing them is a servant of God. In Matthew 11:1-6 John the Baptist is in prison and is under stresses that are so great that he wonders if the man he baptized some time ago is really the Messiah. He sends some of his men to Jesus, to question Him about this. Jesus' answer begins with a description of His healing miracles to demonstrate that He comes with power commensurate with the Messiah, but His answer does not end there. Jesus then says that "the poor have the Gospel preached to them." It is only when miracles are performed in conjunction with doctrinally sound preaching and teaching that we have any Biblical basis for saying that they are truly from the Lord.
Deut. 13:1-5 - Signs and wonders alone do not attest to a person's godliness, for if a man performs great signs and then teaches doctrine that will lead men astray from the only true God, that man should be killed. God says here that He is using the false prophet as an occassion to see if His professed believers are really concerned with obedience to the Lord or if those people who claim to know God are only chasing after the thrill of miracles. Again we can see the importance of knowing doctrine so as to be able to tell whether a man's teaching is true or deceitful. A solid love for the Lord coupled with a heart that wants to know and act on the truth is the only sure defense against being deceived by Satan.
In 2 Corinthians 2:8-11 we see Paul under inspiration writing that he has forgiven a man "in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes." Paul had earlier written the Corinthians telling them to rebuke a certain man who was sinning. He had then been punished, and had repented; now Paul is asking the Corinthians to forgive him and to confirm their love for him, in order that Satan not get an advantage. One of Satan's schemes is to sow dissent, unforgiveness, and bitterness between brothers.
a) Satan typically operates anonymously. Job, for example, did not know that Satan was the cause of the sorrow that fell upon him. People would tend to be much more cautious about their actions if they knew that the situation they were in had been set up by Satan. Wishing to cause maximum harm, Satan keeps such cautiousness to a minimum by acting anonymously.
b) Satan and his ministers can assume the appearance of Godly servants.
2 Corinthians 11:13-14 "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light."
Satan can look good; it is only logical to conclude that his servants can look good also.
Examples:
Because of their neat and trim appearance, many people view some cultists as being very godly, yet they do not teach the true gospel.
Theological-modernist ministers study carefully how to appear to be sincere followers of God, yet in their teachings most of them deny the essentials of the redemptive Christian faith.
We must be careful to judge godliness by using the Scriptural standards, and not be swayed by appearance or impressions.
1 Corinthians 10:18-21 ". . . the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God . . . ." False religions worship demons, not God. A "church" may look devout, but unless they worship according to the true knowledge of God found in the Scriptures, they are worshipping demons.
1 Timothy 4:1-3 The Holy Spirit says that there are two clear signs which will commonly mark a group of 'Christians' who have fallen away from the true Faith, and who now are following demons. These signs are:
i) The forbidding of marriage. Notice that the passage does not limit this to a universal forbidding of marriage. It just says that if the group imposes celibacy on anyone ("men who forbid marriage") they have fallen into following demons, not Christ.
ii) The advocating of "abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth." The passage does not specify that this abstinance has to be permanent or for everyone. It only says that to advocate that people not eat certain foods (which God has created to be eaten) is a sign of apostacy. Even if this advocated abstinence were only temporary, this would still apply.
1 Thess. 2:18 - Paul says here that he wanted to come to the Thessalonians more than once, but Satan thwarted him.
Notice that physical hindrances do not neccessarily indicate that God is closing a door; they may instead be the efforts of Satan to hinder a good work. Our decisions regarding what to do in our lives should be based on the Scriptural standards of right and wrong, and on the desire to lead a productive godly life, and not on circumstances. Notice also that Paul does not quietly acquiesce to Satan's hindrances, but struggles against them more than once. After all, who should expect more opposition from Satan: faithful Christians carrying on a good Gospel ministry, or those religious organizations which deceive men into thinking that they do not need a Savior? As we have seen, the Lord for His own eternal glory has permitted Satan much freedom within which to use his power for evil purposes.
Read Revelation 20:2, 7-10.
1. Satan will be bound for a thousand years by an angel of the Lord (vs. 2).
Again we see that Satan can only operate within those bounds of freedom that are established for him by the Lord. Satan is in no way equal to God, and for this period of time, the Lord chooses to completely stop Satan's activity on earth so that Christ and His believers can peacefully rule the world.
2. Satan is then released to deceive the nations into attacking the holy city (verses 7-9).
Note that Satan does not escape; he is released. Notice also that Satan and his army are destroyed by the Lord. Satan will not have the victory in his rebellion against the Lord our God.
3. Satan is thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone where he will be tormented day and night forever and ever (vs. 10).
Satan's rebellion against the Lord will end in his personal defeat and judgment. What will Satan have ultimately accomplished? Will he have defeated any of the Lord's purposes? No, because the Lord so controls Satan's wicked rebellion so as to allow him to do only those acts of wickedness which the Lord can use to most glorify Himself (Ps. 76:10). Quite against his will, Satan will only have demonstrated the Lord's glory. But because his actions are done in direct rebellion to the Lord's perfect will, Satan will be quite justly condemned by the Lord.
The eternality of Satan's condemnation is clearly seen here. When we see events in the world that would seem to be victories for Satan, we must not be discouraged or let our confidence in the Lord be shaken; rather we should pause and remember that Satan will be finally and eternally condemned for his short season of wicked pleasure.
Matthew 25:41 - Notice here that men who do not have Jesus as their Lord will be in the eternal fire with Satan and his angels. It should grieve us that our unsaved friends face this just punishment for their sins, and motivate us to work and pray for their salvation. Further, when we see wicked men prosper in the world, we must not envy them or doubt the Lord's justice in allowing them to prosper (Psalm 73). When the Lord balances all accounts on Judgment Day, their wickedness will not have benefited them in the least. We can rejoice that the Lord is victorious over Satan and over all wickedness.
Why does Satan continue in his rebellion against the Lord, since he knows that he will surely be defeated?
Remember that when we sin, we are rebelling against the Lord also. This shows that within sinful beings there is an opposition between the will and the intellect: even when we know what is right, and how good and reasonable it is to do what is right, we can still choose to do what is wrong. This apparently is what Satan does.
1. True believers are to be aware of Satan.
2 Corinthians 2:11 ". . . for we are not ignorant of his schemes." The main means which the Lord uses to protect believers from Satan is the knowledge available to Christians in the Scriptures. We should learn this material well so that we can wisely act to minimize the effectiveness of Satan's attempts to hurt us. To ignore this information so as to be culpably ignorant of Satan's schemes is to tempt the Lord, and to be a more open victim to our sadistic enemy.
2. Satan is to be taken seriously by believers and resisted.
"Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. 1 Peter 5:8
We are instructed to be as serious and alert toward Satan as we would be toward a ravenous lion stalking us. We are told to resist him, to stop giving in to his suggestions and enticements, and to stand firm in our faith (confident in the Lord's power to keep all of His promises to us).
James 4:6-7 "But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, 'God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.' Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." This exposes Satan's lie that he will persist at enticing believers until they finally sin. No! We are told that if we solidly oppose Satan's attempts to cause us to follow our lusts, he will flee from us. Note that we do this humbly, relying on God's grace, not on our own strength. This is one of the means of escape that the Lord promised to provide (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Jude, verses 8 and 9 Again, we are not to be arrogant or proud of our own ability to oppose Satan. Michael rebuked Satan in the name of the LORD, rather than relying on his authority as archangel.
3. Believers are given special protection by the Lord against their being forcibly possessed by Satan or his demons.
1 John 4:4 - When we remember that God the Holy Spirit indwells Christians, and that Satan is called by Jesus, "the prince of this world," this verse assures us that God is greater that Satan. It is also an assurance that Christians cannot be taken over by Satan since He who lives in us already is stronger than Satan.
Matthew 12:28-30 - Jesus' argument here is that before one can enter a strong man's house to carry off his property, one must first bind the strong man. Satan cannot bind God, and so cannot enter God's temple (true believers' bodies) to possess believers.
While we have confidence that believers cannot be forcibly possessed by Satan, does this mean that believers cannot unwisely open themselves up to the influence and control of demons?
We know that when men ignore the Lord's commands and do not pay attention to His advice, the Lord permits calamity to befall them (Proverbs 1:25-26). The Lord has commanded his believers not to believe every spirit, but to test the spirits to see if they are from God (1 John 4:1-3). The test to be applied to the spirits is a doctrinal, not an emotional one. Given this warning in 1 John 4:1, we can not stretch the promise of Luke 11:13 to the point that we can empty our minds and blindly ask for the Holy Spirit to enter us, assuming that only the Holy Spirit has the ablity to answer this request. Remember that Mormons call upon the Holy Spirit to show them that Joesph Smith was indeed a prophet of God; certainly the conviction which they receive cannot be induced by the true Holy Spirit.
Again, if we are going to ignore 1 John 4:1 and instead judge between spirits on the basis of our feelings, we have no promise from the Lord that we will be protected from a demon accepting our invitation to enter. For a Christian to disregard the Lord's commands and do things their own way is sin; the Lord does allow His children to suffer the consequences if they ignore his warnings in the Scriptures (Revelation 18:4).
In fact there are documented cases of Christians who unwisely thought that all spiritual ,manifestations are from God. These Christians sought the gift of tongues, praying uncritically that the Holy Spirit should enter them to give them this gift. The result? A spirit did enter these people, enabling them to speak in tongues. When these spirits were interrogated according to the Scriptural doctrinal test, they were found to be spirits who confessed Satan as their lord.
Notice also that 1 John 4:1 does not say that there will be a time when a Christian will know the spirits so well that this doctrinal test can be abandoned (for an example of a true prophet's caution, see Jeremiah 32:3-8).
When the Lord commands that we be careful to test spirits to see whether they are from Him (ie. We are only to believe a spirit after it has passed the test) we do not want to be so naive as to ignore this and open ourselves up to our greatest enemy. The Lord has provided us with sufficient armor, if we will only use it.
Ephesians 6:10-20 - Notice that we are to put on the full armor of God if we are to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
Our armor consists of:
a) Truth with which to gird our loins (vs.14) - Note that knowing and loving the truth is real protection to us (cf. 2 Thess. 2:10).
b) Righteousness as our breastplate (vs. 14). We must live up to the truth that we know in order to have full protection against Satan.
c) Witnessing. Being a prepared and active soul-winner keeps us firm against Satan (vs. 15).
d) Faith as our shield (vs. 16) - Confidence in the Lord and in His promises keeps us from wavering and weakening even in the midst of attack.
e) The hope of salvation as our helmet (vs. 17). 'Hope' is defined in the Scriptures as a 'firm confidence', not as wishful thinking, cf. 1 Thess. 5:8.
f) The word of God as our only offensive weapon: our sword (vs. 17).
g) Prayer. We are commanded to pray at all times and to be alert with perseverance and petition for all our fellow believers (saints).
As soldiers for the Lord, we should be experts in the use of our armor and sword. Seeing that the Lord has given us this armor against Satan and has told us to use it, to neglect any part of it would be to tempt the Lord by weakening ourselves unnecessarily to attack.
1 Corinthians 5:1-2, 5, 9-13 - Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, rebukes the Corinthians for trying to be more loving and tolerant than God, and commands that an incestuous man be removed from the Corinthian church. Paul clarifies (vs. 5) that this is to be done so that the man will be delivered over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, that his spirit may be saved. Apparently, by being a member of the local Corinthian church, this sinful man was protected from Satan's schemes. Paul commands that he be expelled from the church so that this protection would be removed from him so that Satan's attacks upon him would cause his repentance. To have church membership denied to this man was the stern, but loving, discipline that Paul prescribed for his unrepentant heart. Yet many Christians put themselves into this unprotected disciplinary state by simply neglecting to be a member of a sound Bible-teaching church. It is the Lord, and not man, who has ordained the institution and the organizational structure of the local church. Knowing that God is all-wise, we can be confident that this is the best structure within which to grow as Christians (We will see this in detail in the lesson entitled, "The Role of the Church"). The Lord honors and protects those who take their good local church seriously enough to be a member of it.
"I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who has been from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one." 1 John 2:14
We want to be the kind of men and women described in this verse: strong, knowledgeable, obedient to God's word, and triumphant over Satan.