DOCTRINE OF SATANIC STRATEGY

A. The Person of Satan.

1. He was the highest ranking of all angels, and ruler of all fallen angels Mt 8:28, 9:34, 12:26; Lk 11:18-19. He is the most perfect and beautiful creature to come from the hand of God. He has a voice like a pipe organ. He is superior in genius, beauty, personality, persuasiveness, and is invisible. As a creature Satan had a throne, “I will raise my throne above the stars [angels] of God.”

2. He is a prehistoric super(c)creature, Isa 14:12-17; Ezek 28:11-19. He was so brilliant in his defense during God’s trial that God created man to resolve the conflict.

3. He has three falls; two are in the future

a. His angelic sin of arrogance in which he said, “I will be like the Most High God.” He revolted against God, taking one-third of all angels with him, Isa 14:13-14; Ezek 28:12-19.

b. He is cast out of heaven in the middle of the Tribulation, Rev 12:7,9,20.

c. He is cast into the lake of fire, Isa 14; Ezek 28; Rev 12,20.

4. He has two advents.

a. His first advent is in the Garden of Eden, Gen 3.

b. His second advent is when he returns at the end of the Millennium to start a revolt against perfect environment, Rev 20:8. His advents are always related to perfect environment.

5. He is the central antagonist of the angelic conflict, Heb 1-2; Gen 6; 1 Pet 3:18-22.

6. He is an organizational genius with a great organization of demons, Eph 6:10-12. There are four major demon attacks on the human race.

a. The genetic attack on the antediluvian civilization in Gen 6:1(c)13.

b. The attack of demon possession.

c. The attack of demon influence, which involves cosmic one and cosmic two.

d. The attack of demon armies in the Tribulation, Rev 9.

7. He is the origin of murder and violence in the human race, Gen 6:4¦11; Jn 8:44. He doesn’t play by any rules.

8. He is the enemy of Bible doctrine, Mt 13:9, 39, Rev 12:13,15 and attacks your capacity for life.

9. He is the enemy of the Church (the royal family), Rev 2:9-13, 24.

10. He is the enemy of Christ, Rev 12:4.

11. He is called the Anointed Cherub. As such, he held the highest position of all angelic creatures. He is now lower than the Seraphim which are in command of the elect angels.

12. He is the greatest deceiver of history. To be such a deceiver the devil must be the greatest and most effective liar in history, Jn 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 for the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, from his own nature he speaks; because he is a liar, and the father of lies.”

a. When there is no doctrine or establishment truth circulating in the stream of consciousness of either believers or unbelievers, they will automatically lie. When Satan is the mentor of anyone, they have no truth and follow in the function of the mentor. Satan never tells the truth. The power of the truth in your soul as a believer is one of the greatest factors in insulating you against the power of Satan.

b. Satan works through human beings who are liars, 2 Thes 2:9(c)10, “that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with every deception of unrighteousness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love for the truth with the result that they might be delivered.” Believers are deceived as easily as unbelievers by the satanic strategy.

c. Two illustrations of the satanic lie.

(1) Socialism. The basis for socialism in modern history goes back to Sir Thomas Moore in his book “Utopia where there was political and social perfection. This is the Devil’s lie. Utopia, therefore, became a synonym for any visionary system of political or social perfection or perfect environment. The theory of utopian socialism is a lie, an economic tinkering with the laws of divine establishment, whereby a false premise is inculcated(c)(c)that if capitalism voluntarily surrendered its ownership of the means of production to the State or to workers, unemployment and poverty would be abolished. This is a lie because people do not understand that capital and investment creates jobs, not government. The theory establishes slavery to the State rather than freedom of self(c)determination with the government protecting that freedom.

(2) Christian Activism. The Devil sponsors Christian activism on the one hand, while arrogance skills sponsor Christian activism on the other hand. 2 Cor 11:3, “But I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds should be led astray from the purity and virtue which belongs to Christ.” Truth brings purity and virtue to the unbeliever and believer respectively. Our Lord did not become involved in activism (“Deliver us from the Romans.”) and we take our precedence for the Church Age from the dispensation of the Hypostatic union. Satan’s objective is to distract you from the spiritual skills to the political solution. Truth causes Satan to flee, Jam 4:7, “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

(a) Christian activism combines the arrogance skills with legalism(c)(c)self(c)righteous arrogance plus crusader arrogance. Christians involved in activism think they are serving God when they are serving Satan. This is self(c)deception. Temporal solutions to the problems of life are not spiritual solutions.

(b) Paul’s warning against the arrogance skills is found in Rom 12:2(c)3, “Stop being conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renovation of your thought, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. For I say through the grace which has been given to me to every one who is among you stop thinking of self in terms of arrogance beyond what you ought to think; but think in terms of sanity for the purpose of being rational without illusion, as God has assigned to each one of us a standard of thinking from doctrine.” The basis for all satanic religions has always been human sacrifice and the basis for human sacrifice is always a satanic lie. Activism is a way of thinking of self in terms of arrogance. Thinking in terms of sanity is thinking truth.

13. The inscrutable question.

a. Many biblical students have asked the question, “What kind of redemption solution was available for Satan and the fallen angels?” But no one has ever properly answered the question. Instead they say it is inscrutable.

(1) The word inscrutable means not easily understood, infathomable, incomprehensible and undiscoverable.

(2) The answer is “None." There was no redemption in eternity past with regard to Satan and the fallen angels.

(3) The angels did not have something they had to believe in order to be elect angels.

(4) The fallen angels knew what the consequences of their decision to follow Satan would be before they made their decision to follow Satan, but they believed that Satan could set aside God. They knew they would go to the lake of fire and share Satan’s judgment in the lake of fire, but decided to follow Satan.

b. The Bible does not associate redemption with the fall of Satan as an alternative solution. Why? Because all angelic creatures were created perfect with perfect volition and eternal life.

c. Scripture.

(1) Col 1:13(c)16, “For He delivered us from the authority of darkness, and transferred into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in Whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Because by agency of Him [LJC] all things were created in the heavens [angels] and on earth [mankind], visible [mankind] and invisible [angels], whether thrones or angelic powers or ruler(c)angels or angels with the right to decide, all things have been created through Him and for Him.” Cf. Jn 1:3; Heb 1:2, 10.

(a) The Greek word THRONOS is the name of a class of supernatural beings (angels).

i. In the phrase in Isa 14:13, “I will raise my throne above the stars of God” the word for throne is the Hebrew word is KESSE.

ii. It is used figuratively for rulership. Satan revolts against the eternal rulership of God.

(b) The Greek word KURIOTES refers to a special class of angelic powers.

(d) The word “authorities” is an incorrect translation. The Greek word EXOUSIA means freedom of choice, the angelic right to decide in eternity past. The right to decide was not directed toward redemption as with the human race, but since angels already had eternal life, the decision was within the sphere of that eternal life, i.e., eternal life with God in heaven or eternal life with Satan in the lake of fire.

(2) Eph 6:11(c)12, “Put on the full armor from God, that you might always be able to stand your ground against the strategies of the devil. Because our warfare is not against blood and flesh, but against ruler(c)angels [demon general officers], against authorities [demon officer corps], against the demon world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil [rank and file demons] in the heavenly places [the atmosphere around the earth].”

d. At the fall of Satan all angels made a decision to follow God or follow Satan resulting in two categories of angelic creatures. The angels who rejected the temptation to follow Satan and remained faithful to God are called elect angels. The angels who rejected God and followed Satan are called fallen angels or demons.

e. All angels were created perfect, at the same time, and with eternal life. They had eternal life before Satan’s fall and had eternal life after making their decision to follow Satan. All angels made their decision in eternity past when Satan fell. Only two human beings were created perfect.

f. The issue was clear to all the angels in the fall of Satan: either eternal life with God or eternal life with Satan. One(c)third of all angels followed Satan. No redemption was needed for fallen angels because they were created perfect. They were perfect and only had to choose for God or Satan; they did not need a redemption solution. Christ did not die for the angels in any sense of the word because they were already created perfect and did not need eternal life.

g. All of the angels had to make the same decision that Adam made when he faced the fallen woman. Adam had to decide between the fallen woman outside of the garden and Jesus Christ inside the garden. He had to make the same choice as all of the angels made (except Satan). All human beings after the fall of Adam and the woman are born spiritually dead, and therefore, need redemption. Man has to make one decision for or against Christ, just as the perfect angels only had to make one decision to follow God or Satan.

h. The fallen angels went from perfection to following Satan. They were condemned, judged, and sentenced for making their decision to follow Satan. Their sentence was the lake of fire forever, Mt 25:41; Rev 20:10. Elect angels will spend eternity in heaven with God, just as we will. Satan appealed his sentence and was granted an appeal trial. The angel witnesses had all been used, so God had to create a new set of creatures to be witnesses in the appeal trial. But all the witnesses in Satan’s appeal trial are born spiritually dead.

i. Since all fallen angels in a state of perfection by creation made their decision in eternity past, no redemption was necessary. But with mankind it is different. Redemption is only necessary for those who are spiritually dead. God had to provide salvation for the human race only.

(1) Only two human beings were created perfect, just as all angels were created perfect simultaneously and designed to live forever.

(2) Both Adam and Ishah were created perfect, given perfect environment, given sex for their pleasure as an expression of soul compatibility, but without eternal life.

(3) After Satan’s condemnation, trial, and judgment, Satan requested an appeal trial, and God granted that request with the creation of mankind to be witnesses in that trial.

(4) Adam’s pattern began like Satan’s(c)(c)Adam was created perfect; Satan was created perfect.

(5) Adam’s had an original sin; Satan had an original sin. The fall of Adam is analogous to the fall of Satan. Adam had to make a decision for or against God, just as the fallen angels had to make a decision for Satan or for God. But that is where the analogy stops. Theology wants to push past this point in the analogy, but you cannot. There was no redemption in eternity past, except in the divine decrees related to the future human race.

(6) The entire realm of angelic creatures were created simultaneously with no gradual development. The angelic decision to have eternal life with God or the eternal lake of fire with Satan was made as a result of Satan’s fall. Satan’s fall, not redemption, was the issue in eternity past. They already had eternal life. Angels were created with eternal life, not human life. Those who choose to follow Satan follow him forever.

(7) Satan himself attacked mankind in a state of perfection. For mankind there is a new decision issue that did not exist in the angelic realm called redemption. There is no redemption issue with angels.

(a) Because there is a new issue called redemption Jesus Christ became a human being, Heb 1. This is the origin of the doctrine of the hypostatic union. Jesus Christ is the only person ever born perfect.

(b) All human beings are born spiritually dead. Redemption is for the spiritually dead human race. When anyone takes the redemption solution, they are not only saved and will have a superior body to angels but also have a spiritual life which angels do not have.

(8) After the fall of man a new dimension in sex is introduced into the human race(c)(c)procreation for the perpetuation of witnesses for Satan’s appeal trial, which is the doctrine of Christian marriage. The corporate testimony of marriage breaks the back of Satan in every generation of the Church Age.

(9) Every person who believes in Christ accepts the redemption solution provided by the judgment of personal sin in Christ on the Cross, and they become a witness against Satan in the appeal trial.

j. What is the issue in the appeal trial of Satan and all fallen angels? 1 Cor 15:22, “For as in Adam all die [spiritually], so also in Christ shall all be made alive.” 2 Cor 5:20(c)21, “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God was entreating through us; we beg you as the representative of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin as a substitute for us, that we might become the righteousness from God in Him.” We are ambassadors for Christ to angels.

k. The doctrine of angelic observation of the human race.

(1) In order for there to be order and fairness in the court, all angelic creatures have been allowed to come into the court and observe you.

(2) 1 Tim 3:16, “And by consent of all, great is the mystery of the spiritual life; the unique One who became visible by means of the flesh, this same One was vindicated by agency of the Spirit; He was observed by angels; He was proclaimed among the Gentiles; He became the object of faith in the world; He was taken up into the place of glory.”

(3) 1 Cor 4:9, “For I think that God has exhibited us apostles last of all as men condemned to death because we have become a spectacle in the arena of life to the entire universe, to angels and to mankind.” Paul is referring to the end of the gladiator show, when the greatest of the gladiators fought and were killed. The show lasted all day, and the best battles were saved for last. Paul is comparing the spiritual battles which the apostles are waging with the gladiators.

(4) 1 Tim 5:21, “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and Christ Jesus, and His elect angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in partiality.” Paul was telling Timothy not to let anyone in his congregation push anyone else around or malign them.

(5) 1 Pet 1:12, “It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preach the gospel to you by agency of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things which angels bend down to get a good clear look.”

(6) Lk 15:10, “In the same way I tell you there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who changes his mind.”

B. Rulership of the Devil.

1. Satan rules all fallen angels.

2. Satan has greater power than any human and rules the world through his cosmic systems. Since the fall of Adam, Satan has been the ruler of this world, Lk 4:5-7; Jn 12:31, 14:30, 16:11; 2 Cor 4:4; Eph 2:2.

a. The Devil rules all unbelievers through demon possession and demon influence.

b. The Devil rules certain believers though demon influence (not demon possession) and the involvement of the believer in the cosmic system. Negative volition in the soul creates a vacuum in the soul which sucks the doctrine of demons into the stream of consciousness in the soul.

3. However, because of the great power experiment of the Hypostatic Union overflowing into the Church Age, the body of Christ ruled by the head, our Lord Jesus Christ, has received the delegated divine power to resist the devil, as per 1 Jn 4:4. “Greater is He who is in you [omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit in divine dynasphere] than He who is in the world [power of Satan as ruler of the world and cosmic system].”

4. As ruler of this world, Satan has two designations since his fall.

a. Originally, Satan was called Lucifer, the Son of Light. He was the bright and shining angel in the throne room of God, the highest ranking creature of all time, the most beautiful and attractive in appearance and personality.

b. Once his fall occurred in prehistoric times, Satan was called SATAN in the Hebrew, which means “enemy and adversary,” having greater power than we have. However, Satan’s power is not greater than God’s .This reminds us of God’s grace; He has made available to us His power. As humans, we are an inferior, rational creation. All angels are superior to us. Satan is the ARCHON (ruler) of all angels, whose power is therefore far greater than ours. c. But God has made available to us Church Age believers His power, i.e., the omnipotence of the Father in our portfolio of invisible assets, the omnipotence of God the Son who preserves the universe and history daily, and the omnipotence of God the Holy Spirit who provides the power to execute the protocol plan inside the divine dynasphere. We have greater power than Satan.

d. Even for the unbeliever, God in His grace has provided a power to resist the power of Satan under the laws of divine establishment.

e. Satan’s second name is the Greek word DIABOLOS, which means slanderer, vituperater, traducer. One of the functions of the devil as the ruler of this world is to express his antagonism, slander, and enmity, which he does from a position of great beauty and attractiveness.

f. So although Satan is far superior to us in every way, God has provided two factors for us in grace.

(1) The protection of the laws of divine establishment. These laws protect our freedom, privacy, property, and life and unbelievers. We needed this protection because the power of Satan as the ruler of this world is far greater than any power we could ever muster. Satan is under restraint now, though this restraint is removed during the Tribulation and its results are evident in the tremendous violence and warfare.

(2) The protection of the divine institutions. Throughout all dispensations, even the Tribulation, man continues to live on the earth because he is protected by the laws of divine establishment, by divine institution number three, the family.

5. Satan expresses his antagonism, slander, and enmity toward the following things.

a. Satan is the enemy of Israel. All anti-Semitism is satanic. Rev 12:4, 13, 15 specifically documents this. In every generation, he uses all his power to destroy Israel, but he will never succeed. Beware of anti-Semitism, for it has destroyed so many nations, such as Spain from its Inquisition of Torquemada, and almost France from its Edict of Nantes.

b. Satan is the enemy of all unbelievers. He is the greatest deceiver of all time. In 2 Cor 4:3-4, he blinds the minds of unbelievers, which is demon influence or the demonization of the soul. When the unbeliever rejects Christ as Savior, he opens himself to the opportunity of demon influence.

(1) 2 Cor 4:3-4, “If our Gospel be hidden, it is hidden to them that are lost, in whom the god of this world [Satan] has blinded the minds of those who believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” Cf. Col 2:8.

(2) 2 Thes 2:7-10 adds some reasons as to why people remain unbelievers. One is because they are impressed with miracles. Satan is in the miracle-performing business, with a bag full of tricks. He knows that many people are stupid and impressed with miracles. For example, demons can produce illness (Mk 5), and then be removed to imitate a miraculous healing. People are entertained by miracles.

c. Satan is specifically the enemy of the Church, the royal family of God, the new spiritual species, the body of Christ because God has done more for the individual believer in the Church Age than ever before.

(1) The Church is unique because we are the royal family for our Lord’s third royal warrant, a direct result of His strategic victory in Hypostatic Union. These unique things, given to the ordinary Christian, make his life the battleground for this dispensation. Through the forty things given to us at salvation, we are designed to be a battleground to win a tactical victory to complement our Lord’s strategic victory.

(2) Rev 2:9, 13, 24 teach that Satan is the enemy of the Church.

d. Satan is the enemy of the Church Age believer, 2 Cor 2:11, 11:3; Eph 6:10-12; Jas 4:6-10; 1 Pet 5:6-9.

e. Satan is opposed to Bible doctrine. He’s always trying to distort it or distract us from it, as is taught in Mt 13:9, 39.

f. Satan is the enemy of the great power experiment of the Hypostatic Union, Rev 12:4. That alone caused Satan greater frustration than almost anything that has ever happened to him.

g. Satan is the chief antagonist in the extension of the angelic conflict into human history, Heb 1-2.

h. Satan is the enemy of nationalism, which he often opposes with internationalism. This is because nationalism is divine institution number four. Divine institutions are designed to keep the human race, believer and unbeliever alike, from destroying itself. The world is now divided into nations. Prior to this division, the human race almost destroyed itself. The first United Nations is found in Gen 11, and it almost destroyed mankind. That Satan is the enemy of nations in found in Rev 12:9, 20:3, 8, “and he will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth.”

6. All world systems apart from the laws of divine establishment are a part of Satanic policy and administration. All environmental programs, socialism, and welfare programs are of Satanic origin.

C. Satan has a power system for control of others.

1. Satan has a organization of angelic creatures. He has a system of aristocracy among fallen angels. They demons have extensive powers.

a. Abaddon or Apollyon is mentioned in Rev 9:11; Prov 15:11; Job 28:22. He commands one of the demon armies.

b. Beelzebub is mentioned in Mt 10, 12; Mk 3:22, and is one of Satan’s powerful aristocrats.

2. How Satan functions as an enemy.

a. He is the enemy of the Church, Rev 2:9,13,24.

(1) The Church is called the synagogue of Satan when it is full of legalism, Rev 2:9.

(2) When the Church is attacked by religion, it is called the throne of Satan, Rev 2:13.

(3) When the Church is attacked by false doctrine, it is called the deep things of Satan, Rev 2:24.

b. He is the enemy of Bible doctrine, Mt 13:9, 39.

c. He is the enemy of Israel, Rev 12:4,13,15.

d. He is the enemy of Christ, Rev 12:4.

e. He is the originator of all violence and murder, Jn 8:44; Gen 4:11; 6:4(c)6.

D. Satan has a strategy to control nations.

1. His strategy is based on conspiracy and deceit, which explains the basis of war.

2. He does manipulate nations, Rev 12:9,23; 20:3,8.

3. He is the author of every world peace movement, and of all Soviet strategy.

4. He is the chief opponent of the laws of divine establishment and seeks to breakdown freedom and sovereignty of any nation where establishment, evangelism, and Bible Christianity is functioning.

5. Internationalism is Satanic in any form.

6. His policy is power politics: violence, tyranny, and change. Part of his function is to malign law and order.

7. He is the father of religion, liberalism. He is anti-military and pro welfare-state, pro-communist and against free enterprize. He is against marriage and the family.

E. Religion is a part of Satan’s strategy.

Religion is the creation of Satan’s genius to counterfeit the plan of God. Religion is man seeking to use his own merits, his own works to gain the approbation of God. Satan’s counterfeits of the plan of God in religion include a counterfeit:

1. Gospel, 2 Cor 4:3-4.

2. Ministers, 2 Cor 11:13-15.

3. Doctrine, 2 Tim 4:1. 4. Communion table, 1 Cor 10:19-21.

5. Spirituality, Gal 3:2-3.

6. Righteousness, Mt 19:16-28. The Mosaic Law is distorted into self-righteousness, which rejects faith in Christ for relationship with God. This self(c)righteousness is based on morality in the cosmic system.

7. Modus vivendi(c)(c)self(c)righteousness, Mt 23:13-36.

8. Power and dynamics (miracles, healing, tongues) 2 Thes 2:8-10.

9. System of gods, 2 Thes 2:3-4.

F. False teachers are a part of his strategy, 1 Jn 4:1-3.

1. They have a phoney, hypocritical facade. They are bleeding heart do-gooders, who “love” everyone, being all things to all men apart from any standards based on Bible doctrine, Mt 7:15. They seek to stimulate your ego, Rom 16:18.

2. They use human public relations systems and legalistic flirtation and activism to court believers, Gal 4:17-18; 2 Tim 3:5-7.

3. They appeal to human ego, arrogance and pride to distract believers from grace, 2 Cor 10:12. They use mutual admiration society ideas. They love to counsel others to promote their arrogance.

4. They promote idolatry as a part of Satan’s communion table, Hab 2:18-19.

5. They promote legalism as a system of pseudo-spirituality, 1 Tim 1:7-8. They encourage people to gossip.

6. They possess a false spirit, 1 Jn 4:1-3. They are inspirational but do not function by the power of the Holy Spirit.

G. Satan has a specific policy(c)(c)evil.

1. This was first seen in the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

2. See also the Doctrine of Evil.

3. Human good is the application of evil.

4. 2 Tim 3:13. All reversionists have been deceived by Satan to the extent they are influenced by good and evil.

5. 2 Tim 2:25-26. The pastor is to take disciplinary action toward those opposed to doctrinal teaching, so that they will recover from reversionism and be delivered from the devil’s trap.

6. Chafer’s “Systematic Theology , Vol.II, pp. 100, 108-110, gives a fantastic description of Satan’s system of evil.

H. Satan has a strategy regarding the Cross.

1. Satan’s greatest strategy is the doctrinal attack on the Cross and principle of salvation by faith alone. “If our gospel is hidden, it is hidden to them who are lost, that the god of this world might blind the minds of those who do not believe.” This attack is accomplished by adding various types of works to salvation, such as: making Christ lord of your life, walking an isle or raising your hand, inviting Christ into your heart or into your life, etc. Satan must obscure that fact that salvation is by faith alone.

2. The genetic attack on the line of Christ.

a. Through Adam’s seed.

(1) After the original sin of Adam and the woman, God came into the Garden of Eden and promised eternal salvation. Adam was promised that the line of Christ would come through the children of Adam and Eve. Satan inspired Cain to murder Abel who was a believer to keep the Savior from coming into the world. Seth also became a believer, so the line of Christ comes down through Seth.

(2) Gen 6:1(c)3 tells of the angelic attack through sexual intercourse to destroy true humanity on the earth. Except for Noah and his family, there were only half angel half human beings on the earth.

b. Through Abraham’s seed. God promised that the line of salvation would come down through the child of Abraham. When Abraham became a new racial species at age ninety(c)nine, sexual ability was restored to Abraham and Sarah and the line of Christ came down through Isaac, Jacob, and Judah. There were several attacks on the line of Abraham. Sarah had to be delivered from being in the harem of an Egyptian king, Gen 12:10(c)20. Pharaoh’s mandate to kill all the first born children was an attack upon the line of Christ. Pharaoh’s attempt to annihilate Israel was an attack upon the line of Christ, Ex 14:13ff.

c. Through David’s seed.

(1) The case of the son of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat had a son, Jehoram, who he married off to a princess of a Gentile nation in order to make an alliance, 2 Chr 18:1. Jehoram killed all his brothers, the royal seed, 2 Chr 21:4. The Arabs killed all the sons of Jehoram except one, 2 Chr 21:16(c)22:1. The line was down to one person through whom the line of Christ could come.

(2) The case of Hezekiah, who was childless when attacked by the king of Assyria, Isa 36:1. God preserved him until his son was born.

(3) One of the greatest attacks was the Haman conspiracy to annihilate all Jews, the book of Esther.

d. Through Joseph’s seed. Joseph was tempted to divorce Mary since she was pregnant prior to the consummation of the marriage. Herod sent a command to kill the royal line of Israel, Mt 2:13(c)18; Rev 12:4.

3. The necessity for the humanity of Christ.

a. Jesus Christ had to become true humanity to become the savior of the world. Eph 2:15, Col 1:22, Phil 2:2(c)8, Heb 10:5(c)10, 19(c)20, and 1 Pet 2:24, 1 Pet 3:18 tell us that it was the humanity of Christ that was judged.

(1) Jesus Christ, as God, cannot go to the Cross because deity can have nothing to do with sin except condemn it. Sins cannot be imputed to deity. Only perfect true humanity fulfills the concept of “the lamb without spot and without blemish.”

(2) “This is My body which is given for you” indicates that it was not His deity that suffered spiritual death on the Cross but His perfect humanity that was judged for our sins.

b. Jesus Christ had to be true humanity to be the mediator between God and man. The mediator must be equal with both parties; therefore, Jesus Christ must be true God and true man to be equal with both parties. Job 9:32(c)33; 1 Tim 2:5(c)6, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind(c)(c)the man Christ Jesus who gave Himself a ransom as a substitute for all, a testimony in its own times.”

c. Jesus Christ had to become true humanity to be our high priest after the order of Melchizedek. The high priest had to be both a king and a priest, Heb 7, 10. Under the Jewish system, Jesus Christ was not qualified to be a priest since He came from the ruling tribe of Judah, not the priestly tribe of Levi. He is a priest under the King(c)Priest line.

d. Jesus Christ came to fulfill the unconditional Davidic covenant. God promised David that he would have a son who would reign forever. David’s greater son is the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Sam 7:8(c)16; Ps 89:20(c)37.

4. Doctrinal attacks on the Cross.

a. Limited atonement is a great doctrinal attack upon the Cross. Christ died for the sins of the entire world, not just for the sins of the elect. Satan had a strategy regarding the Cross: to eliminate the idea that man has a free will, a volition(c)(c)the idea that Christ died for all members of the human race so that they could make a choice.

b. The erroneous idea that Christ bled to death on the Cross. The blood of Christ is a metaphor for redemption, reconciliation, propitiation, imputation, unlimited atonement, and justification. This strategy attempts to confuse people into believing that Christ died physically (rather than spiritually) for our sins.

I. Satan has a strategy regarding Israel(c)(c)anti(c)semitism.

1. The divine attitude toward anti(c)semitism is given in Gen 12:3, “I will bless those who bless you, but the one who curses [or despises] you I will curse, and through you all the races [individuals and nations] of the earth shall be blessed.”

2. Anti(c)semitism is a person, group, organization, or nation who is hostile to the Jews. It does not refer to all the descendants of Shem, but only to the Jews.

3. Anti(c)semitism is hatred, intolerance, prejudice, opposition, persecution, and violent opposition to the Jewish race. Rev 12 details the future of anti(c)semitism during the Tribulation.

4. Satan has two major objectives in the strategy of anti(c)semitism.

a. His historical objective was to keep our Lord Jesus Christ from going to the Cross. This strategy failed.

b. His prophetical objective is to destroy Israel so that the four unconditional covenants cannot be fulfilled at the second Advent.

5. There is a correlation between the rise and fall of nations and their attitude toward the Jew. Individuals, nations, and empires have been destroyed by anti(c)semitism. Individuals, nations, and empires have been blessed by kindly treatment of the Jews.

J. Satan has a strategy against believers and the Church.

1. Some of Satan’s strategies include:

a. Satanic strategy is to discredit the Canon of Scripture with emphasis on the mystery doctrine of the Church Age.

b. Satanic strategy is to discredit believers through involving them in the cosmic system and Christian degeneracy, so that they shock other believers who then get out of fellowship and involved in false doctrine trying to explain them away.

c. Satanic strategy is to encourage rejection of Bible doctrine and to by(c)pass and ignore postsalvation epistemological rehabilitation by emphasizing experience. Satanic strategy is to hinder or distract believers from the execution of the protocol plan of God. Satan tries to distract the believer from postsalvation epistemological rehabilitation in the following ways.

(1) Through negative volition toward the teaching of the Word of God and Bible doctrine.

(2) Through getting the believer out of fellowship so that there is no filling of the Spirit.

(3) Through getting the believer to understand doctrine academically rather than spiritually.

(4) Through hindering the circulation of doctrine in the stream of consciousness through the filling of the Spirit.

(5) Through the sin nature and the garbage from the subconscious of the soul. Satan tries to control the believer through the old sin nature by tempting the believer to commit sin and to perform good deeds. Believers are distracted into thinking that simple morality is the Christian way of life.

d. All the strategies of Satan are directed toward the free will of mankind, not the sovereignty of God.

2. 2 Cor 2:11 states the general principle, “hold your ground against the devil, in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his strategies.” Satan has a strategy to keep the believer in the cosmic system, Jas 4:6-8, 1 Jn 2:15(c)18, 1 Jn 3:4-12.

3. Satan is the enemy of the Church.

a. The Church is attacked by legalism which in Rev 2:9 is called “the synagogue of Satan.”

b. The Church is attacked by religion which is called “the throne of Satan” in Rev 2:13.

c. The Church is attacked by false doctrine which in Rev 2:24 is called “the deep things of Satan.”

4. Satan’s strategies include:

a. He accuses believers of sin, therefore of being under his control, Job 1:6-11; Zech 3:1-2; Rev 12:9-10. However, Jesus Christ defends us in heaven, 1 Jn 2:1-2.

b. Satan sponsors reversionism and all principles related to Christian degeneracy, 1 Cor 10:19-21; 2 Cor 11:3, 13-15.

c. Satan sponsors fear and anger to distract the believer from the protocol plan, Heb 2:14(c)15.

d. He seeks to frustrate the will of God with regard to your life.

(1) The mental will of God, i.e., Bible doctrine, Rom 12:2; Eph 4:14.

(2) The geographical will of God for you, 1 Thes 2:18.

(3) The operational will of God for you, James 4:7-8; Gal 5:7.

e. Satan tries to neutralize consistent doctrinal perception, metabolization and application through:

(1) worry, fear, anxiety, mental attitude sins, and reaction to historical disaster, 1 Pet 5:7-9;

(2) getting the believer to be disobedient to the Word and the Pastor’s authority involved in teaching it;

(3) ignoring doctrine you have learned, 1 Chr 21:1.

f. Satan destroys the believer’s focus. He uses both cosmic one and cosmic two (the two cosmic systems) to keep the believer from occupation with Christ. (1) Satan causes you to get your eyes on people, Gen 19:28, 20:1; Jer 17:5.

(2) He causes you to get your eyes on self, 1 Kg 19:10; 1 Cor 1:10-11.

(3) He causes you to get your eyes on things, Heb 13:5-6.

g. Satan sponsors Christian activism. He tries to get the believer to become involved in improvement of his (Satan’s) world through becoming occupied with temporal solutions, such as: improving the environment, “the greatest good for the greatest number,” socialism, social action, the social Gospel, welfare state, and temporal solutions to man’s problems.

5. God allows Satan to administer the seven major momentum tests in which he attempts to keep the believer from advancing to maturity

. 6. We are commanded in Eph 4:27, “And stop giving opportunity to the devil.”

a. We are on the defensive against Satan and are never commanded to go on the offensive against Satan. The Ephesian believers were taking offensive action against Satan and Paul commanded them to stop doing what they were already doing.

b. Believers serve Satan through many things like Christian activism, which plays right into the hands of Satan. We give opportunity to the devil in two ways.

(1) Through the failure to execute the unique spiritual life of the Church Age and reach Jeshurun status.

(2) To live a life in perpetual carnality and die the sin face(c)to(c)face with death.

K. Satan has a strategy concerning the unbeliever.

1. He blinds the unbeliever’s mind to the Gospel and motivates every form of unbeliever reversionism, 2 Pet 2; 2 Cor 4:3-4; Lk 8:12; 2 Thes 2:7-10, Rom 1. He takes the gossip away from their right lobes so that they may not believe.

2. When Satan cannot deceive through good and evil, he uses religion, Col 2:8; Rev 17. He uses religion to blind the mind.

3. Whenever the unbeliever rejects establishment or the believer rejects doctrine or establishment, he falls into the Satanic sphere of influence.

4. Satan’s strategy regarding the cosmic dynaspheres is found in 2 Cor 4:3-4 and 2 Thes 2:7-10.

R. B. Thieme, Jr. Bible Ministries 5139 West Alabama, Houston, Texas 77056 (713) 621-3740

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