Posts

Showing posts with the label Satan

Authority Over Satan

Image
Jesus defeated Satan in the wilderness by rejecting his temptations and lies. The effects of that victory were demonstrated when he exercised authority over demonic forces in the village of  Capernaum  near the Sea of Galilee. The first incident occurred in the local synagogue, typically, a place where Jews would gather to study the  Torah  and pray.

Servant or Caesar?

Image
Satan tempted Jesus by offering him political power over “ all the kingdoms of the world ,” an offer he emphatically refused. Instead of power and grandeur, he submitted to the way of the ‘ Suffering Servant ’ that led inevitably to death on the Roman cross. The most startling detail of this encounter is that Jesus did not dispute the Devil’s claim to have jurisdiction over the political systems of the world.

The Kingdom Herald

Image
After his baptism, the Spirit “ drove Jesus into the wilderness… for forty days and nights .” Like Moses on Mount Sinai, the Messiah of Israel found himself alone in the Judean wilderness where he was confronted by the Devil. His only guide was the Word of God. Like Israel, he was “ tested .” Unlike that nation, he overcame every challenge and emerged victorious from the experience “ FULL OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ,” and he then began to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom in the villages of Galilee.

Spiritual Warfare

Disciples wage spiritual warfare through right conduct, acts of love, and proclaiming the gospel . “Spiritual warfare” is a common topic in popular preaching, an idea derived from Paul’s words to the church in Ephesus - “ Our wrestling is not against flesh and blood but against the principalities and powers… against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places .”

Imprisonment of Satan

The Book of  Revelation  describes how Satan is bound in the “ Abyss ” for the “ thousand years ” until his release at the end of the period. During his imprisonment, he is prevented from “ deceiving the nations .” Only after he is released is he free to mislead the nations of the earth and to wage war without restraint on the church – in modern parlance,  Full-Spectrum Dominance .