John McCain and my Character Flaw

Posted on March 15, 2012 by Tom

In 2008 I supported McCain. I respected him as a hero, but I glossed over his conservative values, or lack thereof. I recall sitting at the caucus back then and arguing, against the Ron Paul supporters, that we had to have a candidate who could beat Obama and in my view, only McCain stood that chance. I did not like Romney then, and I still do not trust the man. Had I maintained the character of conservative values, I would have supported Mike Huckabee.

I was horribly disappointed in McCain’s performance from that point forward, but still believed that he had the best chance to beat Obama. His VP selection was interesting; I quickly gained respect for this feisty woman and felt that her heart was in the right place. McCain’s team failed to properly prep her for what she was about to face, and I lay that fault at McCain’s feet.

I had read two books on McCain – one by him and one about him in which he cooperated, and of course there were glowing reports of his heroism, stamina, and experiences. He spoke the right words about values, but as time went on I realized that he lacked the true conservative values tht a Republican candidate should have. At the time I guess I just didn’t understand how important that was. Seeing the stark contrast with our current president, the importance of having values, and defending those values, became more and more obvious to me. And in the final analysis I concluded that I had failed to either know what values I stood for, or to be able to articulate them, even to myself.

That has all changed now. I am a conservative and I support conservative values. I believe the Constitution means what it says and that it MUST be followed (or appropriately changed), and not simply ignored. It was this flaw in my character in 2008 that caused me to support John McCain as the Republican nominee. Don’t get me wrong. I still believe he would have been a better president than what we have now. I suspect that we would be engaged in far more foreign conflicts and that our Defense Department would be excessively over-extended. We would not be feeling the crunch of unemployment as severely, and the over-regulation of businesses would not be so extreme. We would still have problems, but they would be different problems and society would continue to adjust to them. As a society we would be better. But that’s no excuse.

When Republicans nominate a person who truly demonstrates conservative values, we win. When we nominate a moderate, we lose. Just compare Reagan to McCain. I think I’ve fixed my personal character flaw concerning a true understanding of conservative values. That’s why I support Santorum in the current race and will continue to work against Romney. Once again we have a clear choice between a conservative who truly lives his values, and a clear moderate, if not liberal-leaning, alternative.

Romney was on the news this morning talking about how his business background would help to fix the economy and how he knew he would get the delegates before Tampa. As I’ve noted before, business experience is fine, but it is VASTLY different than running a country. He also made note of his “outsider” status, while his competitors all held positions in DC. Forgetting, of course, that he is as much a life-long politician as the others and more so. He even grew up in a politician family. It’s engrained in him. But conservative values are not.

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. As Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey taught My-my-my Generation, I won’t get fooled again. I stand for the conservative values and will not get sold a bill of goods that suggests that we need to nominate the “one who can beat the opponent.” As Reagan proved, true conservative values can beat the opponent every time. Yes, Romney would be an improvement over the incumbent, but he is NOT what is best for the country. And quite bluntly, I doubt that he CAN beat the president in a head-to-head competition. Just as McCain couldn’t. I think Santorum said it best in the Florida debates – we cannot afford to give up the Obamacare argument in the general election. Nominating Romney does that as our first shot out of the barrel. What a ridiculous position to be in.

Rick Santorum has the support to gain the delegates to defeat Romney. Santorum is far more likely to gain the support of Newt Gingrich (if Newt chooses to leave the race). I do not believe that Gingrich would be inclined in any respect to support Romney after his slash and burn campaign against Mr. Gingrich. Which once again speaks more to Romney’s character or lack thereof than to the former Speaker’s. There is no question that Romney is the “establishment” choice. Despite some other pundits suggesting that there is no “establishment” I suggest you go look at how the schedule of primaries was established by that “establishment.” Isn’t it curious that Romney-favored jurisdictions moved to the front of the line while less Romney-friendly ones were moved back? The hope was that he would lock it down before the others even got a chance to voice their opinion. And then Rick Santorum did something wonderful – he won in Iowa! Started to mess up the plans. Clearly Romney has the biggest treasury, and again – because of establishment support. We need to re-invigorate the grass-roots for Santorum. We need to make that contribution, however small, to help him fight the anointed one. As noted this week – when you outspend your opponent 5 to 1 in Alabama and 3 to 1 in Mississippi and STILL come in third….well, you should not be allowed to buy an election anyway. But that’s a post for another day.

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Some Thoughts about Demons: Part VI

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Tom

This is Part VI of a six part study. The other parts can be found here: Part I; Part II; Part III; Part IV; Part V.

The battle between God and Satan is constant. Although Satan is outnumbered two to one (recall that only a third of the angelic hosts fell with Satan) that does not stop them from putting up a great fight. Satan lost the battle at the cross, but he relies on those who do not recognize what that means. His legions of demons are real. Christ and the apostles spent considerable time casting them out. It was mentioned previously that a deeper study would reveal that there are three possible status of demons. Some are bound for all eternity. Some are bound until the tribulation. Others are not bound at all. We are not given a great deal of information about the demons and I find speculation in this area rather unsatisfying. Suffice that the bible is clear on several points about demons. They exist, they are active in your life, and they want to pull you away from God. Preferably they want to keep you from committing your life to the one true God. So what are we going to do about it?

God gives us all the information we need. It’s right there in the scriptures. (2 Tim 3:16) He tells us to pray and he teaches us with the model of the Lord’s prayer. (Mat. 6:8-13) He tells us to pray in consonance with His character, which means you have to study His revelation to discern his character. He tells us to be baptized as an act of obedience, and He tells us to separate ourselves from the world; to be different than the other people in the world so that God can be seen by others in how we act, how we behave, how we stand up for character, and perform charitable works. We do not seek salvation by works, but true salvation, as James tells us, is demonstrated through our works. He tells us to congregate together, to seek strength and guidance from one another and occasionally to discipline one another. He tells us to come together regularly as one body and to celebrate communion in remembrance of Him. He tells us to support the church, the pastor, and the elders. And He tells us that fasting is good for our soul. It’s all there.

But there is more. He calls on us to be discerning, and sadly there is far too little of that in the world today. Every new pop religion gets loads of followers. Every vision of Mary in an office window or burnt toast picture of Jesus is worshipped rather than the true God. We worship our possessions, our conquests, our power, or our wealth. We put everything, it seems, ahead of God. We lack discernment in seeing what is of Satan and what is of God. Discernment, we are told, is one of the gifts of the spirit. It protects the church. In I Corinthians Paul talks about “distinguishing of spirits” so that we can tell the good from the bad. (1 Cor.12:10). We must seek the genuine. Since the fall Satan, the father of lies (John 8:44) and his demons have imitated God’s message and God’s work. We are called upon to test what we hear, and often what we see, so as to “not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1 John 4:1). In the early church, many of the Jews in the towns where Paul preached did just that. They tested what Paul was saying against the scriptures and found them to be consistent. They knew, therefore that Paul was from God and not from a demon. Do you do that in your life? Do you even know scripture well enough to exercise discernment? Or do you rely on those around you to do the heavy lifting? Have you spent time in the word every day? Do you spend time communing with God through prayer every day? Of course you don’t. We are all sinners and we all fall short. But are you dealing with that sin? Are you trying to improve your life, determine the character of God, and live as a follower who would be recognized in the world as someone just a little bit different – in a good way?

This probably makes you a little uncomfortable, and if it doesn’t I would ask you to examine your heart for the sin of pride. We all fall short, but that is no excuse. When you stand before the throne, will you be saying, “Well, I did better than Bill over there.” Or will you be heard to say, as Isaiah said in Chapter 6 that his lips were unclean until purified by a coal from the fire. Or will you confess to being the sinner that you are and can be saved only through your faith in the act of salvation Christ performed at the cross? Will you hear, “Well done good and faithful servant”? (Matt. 25:23).

Do you invite the demons to party with you, or do you flee from sin? Do you toy with temptation, the occult, a little white lie, a little bit of pornography, or just a touch of dishonesty? God hates sin. He hates ALL sin. He hates the big ones and the little ones. Yes, He died for your sins and stands as your advocate before the throne of God. And as Satan blasphemes you and tells God of all your sins, Jesus stands there covering for you. Are you an obedient Christian? These are tough questions, and I hope they make you squirm a little. It is easy to dismiss Satan as a Halloween figment and his demons as a fiction. You might not be into witchcraft, but do you rely on good luck charms? What’s the difference? The point is that we are all so easily led into activities that invite Satan into our life. He can’t deal with the truth. He can’t deal with the true God. Fill your heart with the word of God and Satan will find no rest.

Let me ask you this: (James 2:19)
Do you believe in one God? So do Satan and his demons.
Do you believe that Jesus came to earth and died for your sins? So do Satan and his demons.
Do you believe that there is a heaven and hell? So do Satan and his demons.
Do you believe that God will return to earth and judge us all? So do Satan and his demons.
Do you believe that God demands our faith and love? So do Satan and his demons.
Do you believe that we will rise from the dead? So do Satan and his demons.
Do you believe that the bible is the inspired word of God? So do Satan and his demons.

So tell me, what is it that separates you from Satan and his demons? Quite simply it is what you do with these beliefs. Knowledge of God and acting in love towards him are two very different things. If you have held to your beliefs for a time and then reject them, your salvation is not real. Jesus spoke often of people with non-saving faith. Some will approach the throne and say, “Look at all the good we did in your name,” But God will say, “Begone. I never knew you.” (Matt. 7:21-23). Are you new wine or old? (Matt. 9:17) What kind of seed are you? (Matt. 13:1-23) Where have you built your foundation? (Matt. 7:24-27)? Are you on the right path and headed for the right gate? (Matt. 7:13-14). Many believe that they are, but they have not developed true discernment. They have not filled their hearts with the love of God.

Satan and his demons know God. They know all about him. They have been in His presence. But they do not love Him. They do not love Him with their whole heart and soul and mind and body. Do you? Is your love of God on a purely intellectual level? Have you received Him? Do you stand with Him? Have you been saved by Him? Do you hold fast to His word? You can make many positive responses to the gospel, but only genuine faith in Jesus Christ results in salvation. Are you any better than Satan and his demons? Have you taken up your sword to join the battle – the very real battle between God and Satan?

So, what are we going to do about it?

Brothers and sisters, I asked you at the very beginning if you were willing to make a decision about God. Don’t start with Revelation and decide that the bible makes no sense. Read it the way it is presented. Start with Genesis 1:1 and decide for yourself whether this book is the revelation of our true God, or a bunch of impossible mythical stories. It really is that simple.

A careful reading of the bible will tell you that Satan is real. Demons are real. They are the current masters of the world we live in. They are active and aggressive in the war against God and his purposes. There is an angelic battle going on all around us. Sound dramatic or a little “out there”? Perhaps, but it is the clear message in this book. Take a look at Daniel 10, specifically verses 10 through 13. Daniel has already had a conversation with Gabriel and he is now being visited by another Angel. This Angel tells him that he was dispatched from the throne of God to bring Daniel this message, but that he was “held up” for 21 days. By what? What could possibly hold up a messenger from God? It was a demon – perhaps Satan himself. And what did God do in response – he sent Michael the warrior general to blast that demon and free this messenger to come to Daniel. Does Satan use all his power to disrupt God’s plan. You bet! Is there an angelic war going on around us? Absolutely, because the bible tells us so.

You are either for God or for Satan. Jesus told us that “He who is not with me is against me (Mat. 12:30). There is no room for lukewarm. In fact, if you are lukewarm, you have denied God and he will in turn deny you. Look at what the church in Laodicea was told in Revelation 3:14-21. And if you consider yourself a Christian I hope that through this you have a better understanding of Satan and his forces. I hope that it literally scares the hell out of you. Decide to fight the good fight; resist the devil by refusing to give him any foothold in your life. Do not give him an advantage in the battle. Give all glory and honor and praise to our Lord Jesus Christ – the true God of the universe. Immerse yourself in the word of God. (Deut. 6:4-12). Are you ready to take this seriously and engage fully in this battle for your soul?

I won’t cover it in detail here, but if you have read this and responded positively, please go read the book of Ephesians. There is a great section in there about the armor that we need to wear. It truly is a battle for which most are simply not prepared. Love the Lord. Do His will. See you in Heaven.

End of Part VI. Click here for Part I.

A note about sources: I use a variety of sources in my research, but I confess that I find the teachings of Pastor John MacArthur Jr. the most scholarly yet practical. I have read many of his books, I use his Study Bible as my primary reference tool, and I borrow liberally from his work. He does not seem to object to greater distribution of his teachings and permits copying of his taped messages so long as it is not done for profit. He is a wiser bible scholar than I am and I trust his discernment to guide mine. So to the degree this parallels his work, that is not by accident. It is all for the greater glory of God. I take full responsibility, however for the accuracy of the citations and the theology presented. Any errors are mine, not the fault of others.

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Why Do Character Values Confuse so Many People?

Posted on March 11, 2012 by Tom

I am always skeptical of any so-called conservative who hails from California, Maryland, or Massachusetts. And this is particularly true when they are from San Francisco. In order to even survive in those lands of liberals run-amok, you only have to be slightly right of extreme leftiness to be considered “conservative.” Just look at Mitt Romney. Thus I read with interest a posting on Townhall by Debra J. Saunders, a columnist for The San Francisco Chronicle. The point of her article was, apparently, to tell Rick Santorum that speaking of evil makes him an exorcist and therefore unfit to serve as President. Her closing comment is “And you don’t get elected telling voters how sinful they’ve been.” I could not disagree with this woman more if she endorsed Ms. Sandra Fluke for Congress.

There are simply too many people who think that policy is everything and character is nothing. As I’ve posted previously, Santorum has the most character of any candidate. He is a devout Catholic and he understands what the bible says about God and His relationship to man. This includes the reality of Satan and his influence on man and this planet we live on. These are his religious beliefs and he is unquestionably entitled to them. And contrary to these pseudo-conservative pundits, there is a TREMENDOUS number of Americans who agree with him.

Sure we can talk about how big government is bad, and we can talk about fiscal restraint, and opine on the need for both moral and financial discipline. But if we have learned one thing in political races, talk is cheap. What I want to know about a leader is where his heart lies. I want to know what anchors his value system. I want to know that when a tough decision arises, he can make the hard call based on those values and not based on the current political winds. This is why I support Rick and have severe difficulty with both Romney and Gingrich. Romney has demonstrated time and again that he will bow to pressure and compromise his values – whatever they may be. His constant reversals make it very difficult to track what the man REALLY believes. And while Newt has “found” religion (also through the Catholic church) (and as I’ve noted before, it was not “religion” that was lost) he is currently disqualified from public service. Like King David (“Oh, no!! Another biblical reference!”), when you screw up at the level Newt has, he has not yet been re-qualified to serve. Maybe someday, but not yet.

Similarly I agree with Rick on the issue of felons regaining the right to vote. It is one of our most fundamental rights and when a person has paid his dues and become rehabilitated, they should get to vote again. Mitt disagrees – once a felon always a lower class citizen. And there we hear it again – Romney talking in terms of the class warfare so prevalent in the words of our current president. Santorum challenged Romney in a South Carolina debate: “I would ask Gov. Romney, Do you believe people who were felons, who served their time, who’ve exhausted their parole and probation should … be given the right to vote?” Romney answered directly – “No.” Compassion and redemption are not words that Romney knows, but as a professed Mormon, perhaps he should.

So Ms. Saunders, please keep your pseudo-conservative views to your locale of California. I suspect that most residents of your city would not recognize a virtue if they tripped over it on Lombard Street. I suspect that Mr. Santorum’s discussion of sin makes you uncomfortable. Good. Character counts and Mr. Santorum has that. Mr. Romney has less. Would I vote for him if he becomes the GOP candidate? Yes, just as I would have voted for Bachman, Pawlenty, Perry, Cain, and even Huntsman over the current class warfare commander in chief. But the country would be BEST served by a man of true character – Rick Santorum. And if that shines too bright a light on your shortcomings, again – good.

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Some Thoughts about Demons: Part V

Posted on March 8, 2012 by Tom

This is Part V of a six part study. The other parts can be found here: Part I; Part II; Part III; Part IV; Part VI.

We still have two questions to answer. The next one to tackle is:
What effect, if any, does he have on our lives?

Descriptions of Satan’s character are everywhere in the bible. Nearly every reference to him gives us some insight. For example, do you realize that Satan stands before the throne of God and accuses us all as sinners? (Rev. 12:10). Which we are.

Satan goes by many names. He is called Satan 52 times in scripture and this name is derived from the Hebrew meaning adversary or oppressor. The term Devil comes from the Greek diabolos and is used 35 times in the New Testament. This title means “one who slanders or trips up.” He slanders God and His people. He slanders Christ, the church, the Holy Spirit, the bible, and the character of Christians. For some of us, that’s perhaps the closest he comes to the truth unfortunately. He is called a Serpent, “The Great Dragon,” and “A Roaring Lion.” One of the more interesting names is “The Evil One.” I say interesting because this name comes from the Greek term ho poneros which identifies him as one of intrinsic internal evil. Evil incarnate, if you will. Everything he touches becomes evil. He is evil personified. An evil that is never satisfied, seeking only to corrupt everything and everybody. The ultimate of “misery loves company” by defiling everything it touches.

Other names are Abaddon or Apollyon (meaning the destroyer), the Tempter (or enticer), and The Accuser. As we will see in a moment, he is a consummate liar. He truly loves to bear false witness and especially about Christians. And sadly, we too often give him the truth to tell of our unrighteousness. Thank God that Jesus is there before the throne to cover for our sins.

Satan’s characteristics track his names. He is a murderer. Christ tells us that Satan “was a murderer from the beginning.” (Jn. 8:44) The first crime recorded after the fall was Cain’s murder of Abel. In 1 Jn. 3:12 we are told that Cain was of “the wicked one.” And you know where Satan has long focused his attention – on the murder of Israel and the messianic line. For a wonderful study, look at all the times recorded in scripture that Satan attempted to kill off the messianic line. On several occasions there was only one male left. Remember what Herod did in Bethlehem when he called for the execution of all male children under the age of two? And why did he do that? All because a couple wise men got lost and stopped to ask for directions. You do realize that is why men never stop to ask for directions any more, don’t you? But in each case God preserved his chosen line and fulfilled every single prophetic scripture pertaining to Jesus the messiah despite outrageous odds.

Satan is also a liar. He lies constantly, yet many Christians seem completely unaware of this and are taken in by his lies. In John 8:44 we read that Satan “abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie he speaks of his own; for he is a liar, and the father of it.” This is so insidious and many gullible Christians are sucked into his lies. Much of today’s pop psychology has bought into these lies. And the resurgence in the occult and people’s preoccupation with the supernatural are other modern examples. Remember the movie “The Exorcist?” Recall that the little girl, after inviting demons in through the use of a Ouija board became possessed. Great Hollywood movie, right? Well think about just how much real biblical truth is in that movie. Yet to many that IS biblical truth. And that is just what Satan wants you to believe. Half truths, slanted perspectives, and “all in good fun” sentiments dilute the true evilness of Satan. We get comfortable with it. It’s no big deal. Do you think that Satan has to create a whole new religion to distract us from the one true God? No!! Not in the slightest. All he has to do is take our focus off God. By distracting us with his lies, he succeeds. It takes very little to deceive with false doctrine. We’ve all heard them – just turn on the TV and listen to any of the so-called Christian preachers. Is it any wonder that if all the world has seen is these false Christians that they want no part of learning about the one true God? This is one of Satan’s oldest tricks. Recall what he said to Eve – so God told you not to eat ANY of the fruit of the garden? (Gen. 3:1) God never said that. Satan is a consummate liar. He would like nothing more than for people to believe he is a mischievous, but ultimately harmless little imp with horns and a forked tail running around in a red leotard. He is evil incarnate and very powerful. We must use everything at our disposal to fight him.

Paul warns Timothy, “Now the spirit speaks expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy…” (1 Tim. 4:1-2). Satan told Eve that God was just messing with them; she responded that God told them not to touch the fruit, but God didn’t say that either. Satan’s evil was already rubbing off on her! God did say that eating the fruit would cause death, but what does Satan say? ”Ye shall not surely die.” (Gen. 3:4) He’s calling God a liar! The whole story of Job says that Christians are materialistic. Thank God that Job was such an upright man. Would you have fared as well? Do you think that your faith in God is because of the promises of material wealth and comfort he has made? If so, then you have succumbed to another of Satan’s lies – the prosperity gospel. Satan also believes that trouble will bring defection. As Jude tells us, those who stray were never part of the flock. Truth is, as we are told in Hebrews, that God chastens his own. We are right to be disciplined and the closer to God we seek to be the more Satan will buffet us. God’s discipline of us prepares us for the battles. Recall that in 1 Corinthians 10 we are told that no temptation will come before us that we cannot overcome. (1 Cor. 10:13). How often have we gotten rid of temptation just by giving in? It seems like the easy way out and Satan wants you to believe that. It is just another of his lies.

Know what else Satan does? He performs miracles. Really. Go worship a rock and Satan will make something happen that encourages your belief in the rock. There are those who claim to be Christian who seem to be on a constant search for miracles. Is that faith? Not hardly. It is in fact doubt looking for proof. Remember, Satan rules this world – for now. We are told often that he is the “prince of this world.” (Jn 12:31) His demons are called the “the rulers of the darkness of this age.” (Eph. 6:12). He encourages us to test God, but scripture warns us very clearly against that. Demons are not unlimited in power, but they have power to perform enough wonders and to make enough predictions come true to keep superstitious worshipers deceived and loyal to Satan rather than God. (2 Thess. 2:9–12).

Satan is also a sinner. In 1 John we are told “He that commits sin is of the devil, for the devil sins from the beginning.” (1 Jn 3:8). This reflects a present tense of sinning continuously or habitually. Christians sin. No surprise there. The issue is whether we are dealing with the sin in our lives. As we mature the sins in our life should become less and less – or at least different.

He is also an oppressor who, like a roaring lion, tracks down the saints so he can devour them. He’s good at it. He is also a perverter. Every good thing God has given us Satan has taken to an extreme. Fruit for drink has become a source of alcoholism; sex has become pornography and adultery. Food has become gluttony or worse, legalism. Have you ever run into a militant vegan? Do you know many Jews who still keep a Kosher kitchen? Many proverbs speak to moderation and temperance in regards to food. Do you know what the rule in Deuteronomy was for gluttons? Stoning! (Deut. 20:21) Food is fuel for our body, but Satan makes it the source of desire. Remember that all he needs to do is distract our focus from God. He is the great extremist. We are advised by God to fill ourselves with his word. Every day. You know there are some things that absolutely HAVE to be done every day. Seven apples on Saturday night is not going to cut it any more than one hour a week in church makes you a Christian!

Lastly, Satan is an imitator. He pretends to be who and what he is not. He has no originality to himself. He constantly attempts to imitate God. Recall his five “I will” statements. He planned to usurp God’s power and glory. When you think of Satan and his army, what do you think of? Some down and out hard on his luck street dweller? A drunk? Criminal? Pervert? While these people are victims of his system, they are not good advertising for him. His great masterpiece is a good, honest, upright man who teaches false doctrine. Again – just look on TV. Paul tells us, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as ministers of righteousness. (II Cor. 11:13-15). Lucifer means “the shining one.” It is unlikely that he appeared to Eve as a scaly little creature. Recall that God did not condemn the snake to crawl on the ground until AFTER the events in Genesis 3. He probably appeared in all of his radiant glory. He would have been quite impressive.

Satan imitates the church as well. Many of you have searched long and hard to find a god-centered church and have found many, if not most, lacking. Only grace-centered, biblical Christianity is from God. Every other form of religion is from Satan, inspired by his demon spirits, promoted by his lying human agents (1 Tim. 4:1–4), and centered in works righteousness.

Satan is working in our life daily. He appears as an angel of light but he is an imitator and a deceiver. He is the preacher who masks himself as a messenger from God. He performs miracles to seduce believers. Recall that even the Scribes and Pharisees condemned Christ, attributing His miracles to those of Satan. And even as far back as Exodus the magicians in the court of Pharaoh performed many of the same “tricks” as Moses did. Their staffs also became serpents. Of course Moses’ staff devoured theirs, but many of the first signs performed by Moses were mimicked by Satan.

What effect does Satan have on our lives? Well, that’s up to you. He will try to have a very significant impact. He will try to deceive and to lead you astray. But with a relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ you can defeat the great imitator – the great liar – the great sinner – the great murderer. You don’t have to let him win.

And as the ruler of the present world he has a phenomenal impact on your daily life. The sin that runs rampant in our world is of Satan. The deception, the politics, the television, and sadly many of the churches are run by Satan. Don’t despair. God will use it all for his ultimate glory, but the road through the valley of the shadow of death is dark and scary. Temptation is everywhere. Satan and his legion of demons are aggressively active in your life. Which leads us to the last question – What are you going to do about it?

End of Part V. Click here for Part VI.

A note about sources: I use a variety of sources in my research, but I confess that I find the teachings of Pastor John MacArthur Jr. the most scholarly yet practical. I have read many of his books, I use his Study Bible as my primary reference tool, and I borrow liberally from his work. He does not seem to object to greater distribution of his teachings and permits copying of his taped messages so long as it is not done for profit. He is a wiser bible scholar than I am and I trust his discernment to guide mine. So to the degree this parallels his work, that is not by accident. It is all for the greater glory of God. I take full responsibility, however for the accuracy of the citations and the theology presented. Any errors are mine, not the fault of others.

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Some Thoughts about Demons: Part IV

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Tom

This is Part IV of a six part study. The other parts can be found here: Part I; Part II; Part III; Part V; Part VI.

So now I can turn to the next question – what is Satan like? For this we must turn to the Old Testament. But first let me make a few observations. Without great exposition, my study reveals that Satan is a spirit that can manifest himself in a physical form that we can see. He is (as we will soon see) an angel. He is NOT omnipresent like God, but has some spatial limitations. He can inhabit a human as easily as an animal or an inanimate object; he is immortal, and he is the current ruler/prince of this world. He is here for one express purpose and that is to defeat God’s plan. Why is he allowed to exist? I’m not sure. Scripture does not make that clear. But I have a thought that tends a little toward speculation. I believe that God is allowing Satan EVERY opportunity to thwart His plans, at which he will fail. So that for all eternity there will never be another challenge to the sovereignty of God. Remember that first commandment.

The bible does tell us of various ranks of Angels, but it is a little less than clear about the full organizational structure. One of the highest order of Angels is Cherubim and the bible introduces us to at least three of them by name. The first is Gabriel. He seems to be the chief of interpretation and revelation of God’s purpose and program for His kingdom. He visited Daniel and Mary. The second one is Michael and he seems to be the chief of the guard – top general of the Angelic army and in a state of constant battle with Satan and his demons. The third one appears in Ezekiel 28.

Ezekiel the prophet was pronouncing judgment on the king of Tyre. This king was a truly horrible man and leader. He proclaimed himself God thus revealing his greatest sin, that of pride. In the first ten verses of chapter 28 Ezekiel speaks directly to and of the king. But in verse 11 he shifts gears. He uses a common technique in scripture where he goes behind the man and addresses the source of the evil. It appears often in the Psalms and recall that Christ did this to Peter when He said “Get Thee behind me Satan.” (Mat. 16:23) Let’s look at what Ezekiel said of the evil behind the king.

You were the seal of perfection,
Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God;
Every precious stone was your covering:
The sardius, topaz, and diamond,
Beryl, onyx, and jasper,
Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold.
The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes
Was prepared for you on the day you were created.
14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers (guards);
I established you;
You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created,
Till iniquity was found in you.
16 “By the abundance of your trading
You became filled with violence within,
And you sinned;
Therefore I cast you as a profane thing
Out of the mountain of God;
And I destroyed you, O covering [guarding]cherub,
From the midst of the fiery stones.
17 “Your heart was lifted up [proud] because of your beauty;
You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor;
I cast you to the ground,
I laid you before kings,
That they might gaze at you.
18 “You defiled your sanctuaries
By the multitude of your iniquities,
By the iniquity of your trading;
Therefore I brought fire from your midst;
It devoured you,
And I turned you to ashes upon the earth
In the sight of all who saw you.
19 All who knew you among the peoples are astonished at you;
You have become a horror,
And shall be no more forever.” ’ ”
(The New King James Version. 1996, c1982 . Thomas Nelson: Nashville)

Wow! What does this tell us? Satan was the highest of Angels. He was “full” of wisdom and “perfect” in beauty. He was in Eden and adorned with precious jewels. He apparently was the lead musician (“timbrels and pipes”). He was of the highest angelic order and guarded the heavenly throne. He was in fact perfect from the point of his creation to the point of his fall. He was then cast out of Heaven as a profane thing for all of his iniquities.

In Isaiah we learn his name. It was Lucifer – “star of the morning” or “son of the dawn.” In fact in Isaiah 14, starting in verse 13 we learn of his horrible sin. With five “I will’s” he attempts to replace God. He claims he will ascend into heaven, exalt his throne above that of God’s, sit on the mount of the congregation (the center of God’s Kingdom rule), ascend above the clouds (the glory of God), and be like “The Most High” – a name exclusively reserved for the God of Gods, King of Kings, the all powerful, omniscient, omnipresent God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

But was Satan the only one who fell? No. For that we have to turn to Revelation 12. But first, let’s talk a little more about Angels. How many of them are there? Well, we don’t really know. There are at least a multitude announcing Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:13), 12 legions that Jesus could have called at his arrest (Matt. 26:53 – somewhere between 72,000 and 144,000), more than people (Matt. 18:10) since Christ alludes to the angels (plural) of the little children, or the same as there are stars in the heaven (Deut. 17:3; Job 38:7; Rev. 12:4), hundreds of millions (Rev. 5:11), and an “innumerable company” (Heb. 12:22). Just too many to count. And to think that it only took one angel to slay 185,000 Assyrians (2 Kings 19:35). This whole issue of Angels and how many there were, or how many could fit on the head of a pin, were the source of meaningless arguments between the Sadducees and the Pharisees at the time of Jesus. No one really knows how many there are, and if it were important God would have told us. It’s simply not important other than to know there are a whole really big bunch of them.

A side note here about Pharisees and Sadducees – the religious leaders in Jesus’ day. At the time of Christ the Middle East was a part of the Roman Empire. The law of Rome prevailed, but to preserve some peace, Rome permitted the local authorities to have jurisdiction over certain matters. Since the local area had essentially been a theocracy, there was a governing body called the Sanhedrin that had some authority over what were principally religious matters. They could mete out judgments and punishments, including imprisonment, but could not sentence anyone to death. That was reserved to the Roman government and we see that play out in the mock trial the Sanhedrin gave Jesus. His death sentence had to be imposed by Pilate and carried out by the Roman legions. Paul was apparently part of that governing body at one point. He professes himself to have been a Pharisee. (Acts 23:6-10). The Pharisees and Sadducees were similar to our political parties. They both knew the law, studied the law, and interpreted the law – but they did not agree on some basic principles concerning the law. The Sadducees were from the wealthier side of the tracks. They were more elite and relied almost exclusively on the Pentateuch, or Torah – that being the first five books of the bible. They claimed, errantly, that since there was no reference to a resurrection or afterlife in that portion of the bible, they did not believe in it. Angels did not exist. Spirits did not exist. Pharisees on the other hand were more of the business class. They believed in an afterlife and angels and a whole spirit world. Now don’t go trying to compare them to see which were the Republicans and which were the Democrats, but suffice to say that politics doesn’t really change over the centuries. You know, of course that since the Sadducees denied the existence of angels and an afterlife, that’s why they were sad, you see! (Confession: I stole that line straight from John MacArthur, Jr., but I really like it!)

So if Satan started out as an Angel, one of an innumerable company, and he fell from heaven, did he fall alone? Now turn to Revelation 12. Here we see Satan depicted as a dragon and as he falls from Heaven in verse 4 “his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven.” So there we have it, a third of an innumerable number fell to earth. Powerful, once-holy, angels now confined to earth as agents of Satan.

A deeper study of Satan and his minions reveals a few other interesting aspects. Some are bound forever, some are bound for a time, and some are free to roam the earth and apparently at least parts of the heavens. Those bound for eternity may well be the ones who possessed men and married women in Genesis 6 – the form of mixed humanity that God had to destroy with the flood. Others who are currently temporarily bound in the pit will be released as revealed in Revelation. And the rest? Well, they are around doing Satan’s work to disrupt God’s plans. They are in fact battling with the holy Angels constantly. This battle is apparently going on around us all the time, but in a spirit world. Sound crazy? Well, if so than Jesus was crazy. He told Peter that Satan had desired him, but Jesus had preserved him for His work. When a Christian confesses his sins and turns his life over to Jesus, there is great rejoicing in heaven. And in one very stark example, God sent a messenger Angel to earth with a message for Daniel, but a demon held him up somewhere in the atmosphere between heaven and earth. God had to dispatch his chief general Archangel/Cherub Michael to battle with the demon to let the messenger pass. (Dan. 10:13)

Is Satan real? Yes. And so are his demons. One third of the heavenly host succumbed to his lies and treachery and now serve him on earth. They are very real, very powerful, and determined that you will join them in hell. They are battling for your soul and this is not something about which you can be passive. People who think that so long as they live a reasonably good life they will have no problem getting into heaven have succumbed to Satan’s lies. He has them right where he wants them. It is a very dangerous place to be. Let’s look at the next question and see what else we can learn.

End of Part IV. Click here for Part V.

A note about sources: I use a variety of sources in my research, but I confess that I find the teachings of Pastor John MacArthur Jr. the most scholarly yet practical. I have read many of his books, I use his Study Bible as my primary reference tool, and I borrow liberally from his work. He does not seem to object to greater distribution of his teachings and permits copying of his taped messages so long as it is not done for profit. He is a wiser bible scholar than I am and I trust his discernment to guide mine. So to the degree this parallels his work, that is not by accident. It is all for the greater glory of God. I take full responsibility, however for the accuracy of the citations and the theology presented. Any errors are mine, not the fault of others.

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