bible-doctrine-lesson12

Introduction

Many Christians believe that all the evil and bad circumstances they experience in life come from God. They believe that He is somehow punishing them or seeking to get revenge against them for past sins.  They will make statements like, “If God is so loving, then why does He do these things to me?”  

Most Christians are not aware that invisible evil forces roam the earth seeking to hinder, destroy, or even kill them if possible. Satan and his kingdom, also known as the kingdom of darkness, have one purpose: to stop the advancement of God’s kingdom in the earth.  Satan does this by blinding men’s eyes from seeing the Gospel and coming to Christ.  If he cannot stop that from happening, then his next strategy is to make life miserable for the believer to hinder them from being effective for the Kingdom of God.    

This lesson will help you understand and discern the reality of Satan, his fallen angels, earthly demons, and their function. You will gain a greater appreciation of the Heavenly Father and His love for you.  You will also be able to resist the enemy and exercise more faith in God.

I. SATAN’S ORIGIN

   A. Is Satan, also known as the devil, a real personality, or is he some invisible force,
        like the wind? Explain. (Job 1:6-7)

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        Satan, like God and the angels, is a spiritual being.  He cannot be seen.

   B. Ezekiel 28:11-19 explains the origin of Satan. All created beings are made by God. 
        Therefore, they are dependent upon God for their existence. Was Satan created by
        God? If so, in what condition did God create him? (Ezekiel 28:15)

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         This means that he is not on the same level of power with God.

     C. What was Satan’s name as God initially created him? (Isaiah 14:12)

         __________________________________________________________________

     D. God created him to be an anointed what? (Ezekiel 28:14)

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          A cherub is an angel, which means that Satan was originally one of God’s angels in heaven.

     E. Read Ezekiel 28:13. What indicates in that passage that his job was to lead the
          music in heaven (praise and worship to the Lord)?

          __________________________________________________________________

          __________________________________________________________________

II. SATAN’S FALL
    
    A. What did Satan (Lucifer) do to cause him to betray God? What led him to be put
         out of heaven? (Ezekiel 28:17; Proverbs 16:18)

__________________________________________________________________

    B. What did Satan (Lucifer at the time) say in his heart that got him in trouble?
          (Isaiah 14:13- 15)

__________________________________________________________________

         __________________________________________________________________

__________________________________________________________________

         __________________________________________________________________

Satan fell through pride and self will because he wanted to be independent of God. He rebelled
against God.

      C. When God cast Satan out of heaven, how did Jesus say he fell? (Luke 10:18)

                       ________________________________________________________

            ___________________________________________________________

D. What tells us that Satan is behind the violence in the earth? (Ezekiel 28:16)

_________________________________________________________________

             ___________________________________________________________

E. What else is found in Satan? (Ezekiel 28:15) _____________________________

He was the original sinner, and iniquity (or lawlessness) was found in him.  He was once in
truth but did not abide in it.  He is the source of all sin.

       F. What did Satan have in him that helps him deceive mankind even today?
            (Ezekiel 28:17)

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       G. What did God say would be Satan’s end for defiling His sanctuaries?

             ________________________________________________________________

             ___________________________________________________________

III. SATAN’S NATURE AND NAMES 

In Scripture, a person’s name indicated the nature, experience, or function of that which was
named.  The following names and titles of Satan reveal his nature and his work against mankind.
Look up the scriptures listed, find the name, and fill in the blank.

       A. ____________________ One who is an adversary, opponent, or enemy (Job 1:6)

       B. ____________________ An accuser, slanderer, one who slanders God to man
            and man to God (Matthew 4:1)

C. ______________________ Enchanter, beguiler, speaker of subtlety (Genesis 3:1)

D. __________________________ A great enchanting serpent; speaks of the
              vicious, beastly nature and rage of Satan (Revelation 12:7)

E. __________________________ Prince of devils, lord of the flies; heathen god,
              believed to be the ruler of all evil spirits (Matthew 12:24)

F. __________________________  Prince of the world’s system (John 12:31)  

         G. __________________________  Hater; hostility (Matthew 13:39) 

         H. __________________________  Evil one; thief (Matthew 13:19) 

         I. ___________________________ He comes looking as if he is good or like God.
            (2 Corinthians 11:14)

J. ___________________________ One who is against Christ (1 John  2:18, 22)

K.  ___________________________ Killer, destroyer of life (John 8:44).
This means that he has the ability to do it if we cooperate with him.

L. ___________________________ One who opposes truth (John 8:44)

         M.          ______________________ One who steals the blessings, plans, and
               purposes of God for our lives (John 10:10)

N.         _______________________ One who tries to entrap and ensnare
              (Psalm 91:3)

O.         _______________________ A great water animal (Isaiah 27:1)
 
IV. SATAN’S ACTIVITY

      Satan’s power and work is centered around deception.  However, his activities are limited by God;
he cannot do whatever he wants, especially toward God’s children. This is evidenced in the
experience of Job and Satan’s attacks against his person, household, and possessions
(Job 1-2). Though Satan is mighty, he is not almighty, all-knowing, and all-powerful. Satan’s
activities against mankind can be grouped into seven main categories.

        A.         _______________________ He is the enticer. (Matthew 4:1)

        B.          _______________________He causes mankind to rebel against God’s
             authority (1 John 3:8).

C. ___________________________ The greatest power Satan has and uses against
             the whole world (Revelation 12:9).

D.____________________________ Satan constantly hurls these negative
             statements against the saints day and night, looking for a reason to be allowed to
             attack them (Revelation 12:10).

E. ___________________________  He seeks to bring many of these against
            the righteous, physically, mentally, and emotionally.  Yet, the Lord delivers us out
            of them all. (Psalm 34:19)

F. ___________________________Satan and his hosts are involved in great
             spiritual warfare against God and His kingdom (starts with an “o”).
             (1 Chronicles 12:1) 
         G. __________________________This is Satan’s greatest manifested power.
               Yet, through the resurrection of Christ, Jesus has conquered it. (Hebrews 2:14) 

V. SATAN’S JUDGMENT (OR HIS END)
    
     A.  Describe where will Satan end up when Christ comes back again (Rev. 20:2-3).

_________________________________________________________________

           ____________________________________________________________

VI. SATAN’S KINGDOM IN THE HEAVENLIES
     
      A. It is evident that when Satan fell and was cast out of heaven by God, a vast company of angels
was kicked out of heaven with him.  Satan had deceived one-third of the heavenly host.  
These angels were called “fallen angels” (Revelation 12: 4, 7-9).

Many of these angels are now rulers over various territories, regions, cities, and nations. 
They rule from the sky, or the air.  Satan is called the _______________ (Ephesians 2:2).

B. Where does Satan’s principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this world,
            and spiritual wickedness operate? (Ephesians 6:12)

____________________________________________________________

Look at the nature and characteristics of various cities, and you will be able to determine the type of fallen ruling angel Satan has assigned over it. For instance, there is a gambling spirit over Las Vegas, a homosexual spirit over San Francisco, and a voodoo/witchcraft spirit over New Orleans.

VII. SATAN’S EARTHLY KINGDOM
       
        A. WHAT ARE DEMONS AND WHERE DO THEY COME FROM?The Pre-Adamic Race
Most Bible scholars agree that, between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2, there is a time gap
of an undetermined period in the history of the universe, before the creation of Adam. 
It could possibly be millions or billions of years.  This explains scientific evidence about
fossils, dinosaurs, the ice age, etc.

Scriptures such as Isaiah 45:18, Jeremiah 4:23-26, Isaiah 24:1, and 2 Peter 3:5-7
indicate that the earth before Adam was populated with nations, kingdoms, cities, and
inhabitants. Lucifer was God’s ruler over the PRE-ADAMIC earth, and through pride, he led a
rebellion against Heaven and the Lord God of the universe.  Along with Lucifer, in his
rebellion, was  one-third of the angels and the inhabitants of the pre-Adamic earth
(Ezekiel 28:12-19;  Isaiah 14:12-17; Luke 10:18; Revelation 12:9)

God’s judgment upon the rebels is the reason for Satan, fallen angels, and demon spirits as
well as the devastation of the original earth by a flood and its lying in a chaotic mess for
millions of years.

             Genesis 1:1 is a description of the original perfect earth.

              Genesis 1:2 is a picture of the earth that became a ruined, formless wasteland, plunged into
darkness because of God’s judgment upon Lucifer’s rebellion.

             Genesis 1:3-31 is an account of God’s re-creation or restoration of planet earth.
              Demon spirits are on the earth, and they are never seen in the heavenlies.  They seek to
inhabit the bodies of people to express their wicked natures. What are some other names the
Bible gives demons?

1. ________________________________________________ (Matthew 12:43)

2. ________________________________________________ (Matthew 12:45)

3. ____________________________________________________ (Mark 5:12)

4. _____________________________________________________ (Luke 7:21)
 
VIII. DEMONIC ACTIVITY

The activity of demon spirits as servants of Satan is best summed up in John 10:10; the thief
comes to steal, kill, and destroy. They will attack mankind spiritually, morally, mentally,
physically, and emotionally. They come to oppose or attack God’s ministers to try to hinder His
purposes (Luke 22:31). The following is a list of other things demons do under Satan’s control.

         A. What does Satan try to do to the work of God? (1 Thessalonians 2:18)

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         B. The devil (demons) will try to take people ________________ (2 Timothy 2:26).

C. Satan is known as the god of this world.  This means that he influences, and in
              some cases, controls the world’s systems. How does he keep people from getting
              a revelation of the Gospel? (2 Corinthians 4:4)

              ________________________________________________________________

         D. The word that demonstrates how Satan seeks to draw people aside from the
              path, lead them astray, allure, tempt, corrupt, defraud, or entice them to do
              wrong or be obsessed with a false idea (1 Timothy 4:1).

________________________________________________________________

          E. Spirits have the ability to make people fearful, afraid, or terrified, uneasy,
               perplexed, and agitated in the mind. (1 Samuel 16:14)

               ________________________________________________________________

          F. Spirits can overburden the body or the mind (Acts 10:38).
      
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               Demons can speak.  They have feelings, emotions and desires – all the characteristics of
personality (Luke 4:41; Acts 8:7; Matthew 8: 28-31).  They will vex people, or cause
them to experience painful feelings, passions, and sufferings (Matthew 15:22;
               Matthew 17:15; Luke 6:18; Acts 5:16).

          G. They cause people to be bound (confined or fastened). How was the woman in
               Luke 13:11, 16 bound?
        __________________________________________________________________________________
H. What is it called when a person is occupied and owned by evil spirits? To be
                under the power and control of a demon? (Matthew 4:24)

_______________________________________________________________

          I. Demons can cause ___________________________________. (Matthew 8:6)

 

J. When demons hit a person with blow after blow, or punch, or slap, or fight
                against him/her (2 Corinthians 12:7)

         K. Spirits can cause __________________________________ (2 Timothy 1:7).

L. These spirits are constantly aware of your family background, and they know
               you and your bloodline. (Isaiah 19:3)
               
                             _______________________________________________________________

        M. Demons can cause sickness and disease. Name them.

       1. ____________________________________________________ (Luke 11:14)

              2._________________________________________________(Matthew 12:22)

       3. _______________________________________________ (Matthew 9:32-33)

              4. ____________________________________________________ (Luke 4:39)

       5. ______________________________________________ (Matthew 17:14-18)

What did Christ’s authority do for those who were sick with disease?
               (Matthew 4:23-24)

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___________________________________________________________________________________

Always remember that Satan and demons are subject to the name, authority, and sovereignty of the Lord Jesus Christ. They must submit to the power of the Holy Spirit.

Christians Have Been Given Authority Over Satan

Jesus died on the cross to redeem mankind from all the power of Satan and his kingdom over the lives of the believers.

A. What has Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection done to Satan’s kingdom? (1 John 3:8)

_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

B. While Satan (the thief) tries to kill, steal, and destroy the believer, what did Jesus say
      that He came to do? (John 10:10)

_______________________________________________________________________________________

C. What did Jesus say He would give the believer? (Luke 10:19)

_______________________________________________________________________________________
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       Serpents and scorpions represent devils and demons of Satan’s kingdom.

D. The believer has power over how much of Satan’s power (our enemy)? (Luke 10:19)

_______________________________________________________________________________________

E. What was the Lord’s last promise in this verse? (Luke 10:19)

_______________________________________________________________________________________

See these other scripture passages for further proof that you as a believer have authority over Satan. (Psalm 91:13; Matthew 10:1; Psalm 107:2; Mark 16:17; Luke 9:1-2; Ephesians 1:19-23; Ephesians 4:27; Ephesians 6:10-16; Colossians 1:13-14; Colossians 2:10, 15;                  James 4:7;  1 Peter 5:7-10; 1 John 2:13-14; 1 John 4:4; 1 John 5:18; Revelation 12:11)

Make the following authority confession over your life daily.  Doing so helps you to resist Satan. 

Confession of Authority Over Satan

Satan, I bind you and every evil force you have assigned to me, my family, and my home. I loose (release) the Kingdom of God in my home.  I am the redeemed of the Lord.  My life is redeemed from the hand of the enemy.  I have the power to cast out unclean spirits.  The kingdom of God suffers violence, and the violent (in the spirit) take it by force. Satan, I have power to tread on you and your kingdom and over all your power, and you cannot hurt me. I reign and rule in life through Christ Jesus because I am seated with Christ in heavenly places.  Satan, I am submitted to God.  Therefore I resist you.  You have no place in my life, my family, or my home. I am delivered from the powers of darkness.  This day, I cast every care upon the Lord because He cares for me. I overcome the wicked one because greater is He who is in me than he who is in the world. Therefore, we overcome you, Satan, by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony. In Jesus’ name!