Although Satan is no longer able to live in heaven, he is currently able to visit heaven. During these visits, he accuses God’s people of every sin they commit and demands that God pour out His wrath upon His own people. The book of Job begins with the story of one of Satan’s visits to Heaven. God was convening court, and when holy angels made an appearance in court, Satan was found among them.
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Job 1:6-12 NKJV |
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Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. (7) And the LORD said to Satan, “From where do you come?” So Satan answered the LORD and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.” (8) Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?”… |
God engages Satan, asking him if he has looked at Job, who had unparalleled righteousness. Satan takes the bait and argues its only because God blessed him. Here we learn that there is such a thing as a hedge of protection. Satan could not touch job and claimed of only he had the chance he could make Job curse God.
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Job 1:6-12 NKJV |
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…(9) So Satan answered the LORD and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? (10) Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. (11) But now, stretch out Your hand and touch all that he has, and he will surely curse You to Your face!” (12) And the LORD said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD. |
Satan’s visit to God where he accused Job of following God only for selfish gain was not the only time Satan or his minions visited Heaven: In the days of Ahab, a demon, specifically a lying spirit, volunteered for a mission to deceive Ahab’s false prophets. Just as in Job, when God’s court convened, evil spirits accompanied the holy angels in attendance at court.
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1Ki 22:19-23 NKJV |
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Then Micaiah said, “Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by, on His right hand and on His left. (20) And the LORD said, ‘Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?’ So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner. (21) Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will persuade him.’ (22) The LORD said to him, ‘In what way?’ So he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ And the LORD said, ‘You shall persuade him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.’ (23) Therefore look! The LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has declared disaster against you.” |
While Satan currently makes visits into the Divine courtroom, the good news is that Satan will not be able to visit heaven indefinitely. The day will come when he is cast permanently.
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Rev 12:7-12 NKJV |
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And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, (8) but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. (9) So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (10) Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. (11) And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. (12) Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.” |
Good news! Revelation 12 gives us critical information that can be used in our warfare against Satan. The word ‘they’ in verse 11 refers to believers in Christ. We fight together with the holy angels of God to cast Satan out of heaven, and we hold the balance of power. There are four critical pieces of information that will help us.
How Satan Attacks
Satan comes in like a prosecuting attorney. He is called the accuser of the brothers and sisters. Satan seeks to use God’s law as a weapon to oppress His people. Satan had what they call “legal standing,” which is the right to petition a court to obtain a judgment from it. Standing is based on two principles. One as that a litigant has a stake in the outcome of a case, and the other is that they have a right to address the Court.
This doesn’t mean that Satan cares about God’s law. Satan hates God’s law and loves lawlessness. He only cares about how he can use God’s law to gain an advantage and cares ONLY about the parts that he can use. Satan is a master of lawfare – on how to use the law to promote lawlessness. Satan is the Father of corrupt prosecutors. Satan will first seduce you, then accuse you of lust or hate or whatever sin has overtaken you; he will ask God to execute judgment against you and act as your adversary. There are several passages from the New Testament that affirm that God will deliver chastisement to His people.
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Heb 12:5-11 NKJV |
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And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “MY SON, DO NOT DESPISE THE CHASTENING OF THE LORD, NOR BE DISCOURAGED WHEN YOU ARE REBUKED BY HIM; (6) FOR WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE CHASTENS, AND SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.” (7) If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? (8) But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. (9) Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? (10) For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. (11) Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. |
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1 Co 10:1-12 NKJV |
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Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea, (2) all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, (3) all ate the same spiritual food, (4) and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ. (5) But with most of them God was not well pleased, for their bodies were scattered in the wilderness. (6) Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted. (7) And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “THE PEOPLE SAT DOWN TO EAT AND DRINK, AND ROSE UP TO PLAY.” (8) Nor let us commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell; (9) nor let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed by serpents; (10) nor complain, as some of them also complained, and were destroyed by the destroyer. (11) Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. (12) Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. |
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1 Co 11:26-32 NKJV |
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For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. (27) Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. (28) But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. (29) For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. (30) For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep. (31) For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. (32) But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world. |
But Satan
is defeated…
By the Blood
…of the Lamb
It is the blood of Jesus that destroys Satan’s power and works of Satan. We read in Colossians 2:11-15 how Christ overcame Satan at the cross.
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Col 2:11-15 NKJV |
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In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, (12) buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. (13) And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, (14) having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. (15) Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it. |
The phrase handwriting of ordinances that was against us is another reference to criminal charges. Christ dismissed all charges against us by means of His blood This passage could just as easily read ‘And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; dismissing any and all CRIMINAL CHARGES and CIVIL SUITS that have been filed against us and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;‘ The blood of Christ Jesus took away all of Satan’s accusations as well as the sin nature and sins.
Satan loses his legal standing as he no longer has any stake in the business of God’s Courts. If his standing were as a prosecutor and there are no more cases to prosecute, then he no longer has a stake in prosecutions.
By the Word of Their Testimony
We have been given standing as kings and priests in the Courts of God. The book of Revelation begins with this premise, with great judgments happening in correspondence to our prayers, praises, and the proclamation of the word of God. We are to use that standing to petition the King of Kings concerning the conquest of the kingdoms of this world at both the spiritual and physical levels. Principalities and powers refer to Satan and his kingdom (see Ephesians 6:10-18). Satan has been defeated by the blood of Jesus Christ. Christ through the shedding of His blood on the cross takes away Satan’s position and right to prosecute. We engage in warfare as having standing while Satan lacks standing to the end of pulling down strongholds. Second Corinthians
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2 Co 10:3-6 NKJV |
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For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. (4) For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, (5) casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, (6) and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. |
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Eph 6:10-12 NKJV |
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Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. (11) Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (12) For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. |
Our testimony is the means by which the blood of Jesus is applied in the ministry of destroying Satan’s kingdom on earth and Satan’s access to the Throne of Heaven. Our testimony is our confession of the blood of Jesus. This confession has great power. We are to use our covenant rights to testify that the blood of Jesus destroys the power and guilt of our sins. It not only destroys sin but also Satan’s legal standing to appear in God’s courts. But we must make our own appearance and use our covenant rights to testify to the finished work done by the shedding of the blood of Jesus, accomplished through the cross.
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Eph 6:13-17 NKJV |
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Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (14) Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, (15) and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; (16) above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. (17) And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; |
The spiritual war puts Satan down in Heaven. When that happens then disobedience on earth will be Crushed.
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2 Co 10:6 NKJV |
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…and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. |
In addition to the legal force of confession, there is power in using confession to activate faith in God’s Word. God has given a measure of faith to lead people to enter into a Covenant and an increased measure of faith so that his people can exercise covenant rights. We can use the confession of the Word of God to apply the Word of God with power:
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Rom 10:6-10 NKJV |
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But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “DO NOT SAY IN YOUR HEART, ‘WHO WILL ASCEND INTO HEAVEN?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) (7) or, ” ‘WHO WILL DESCEND INTO THE ABYSS?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). (8) But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): (9) that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (10) For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. |
This text says that with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. The confession becomes the salvation. God uses our confession of His Word to apply His Word to our lives. In the war against Satan, we are to confess what the blood of Jesus has done and does. Our confession should be done both individually and in groups and should include the following:
The blood of Jesus takes away Satan’s legal standing
The blood of Jesus takes away Satan’s accusations
The blood of Jesus takes away sinful desires (be specific to your case)
The blood of Jesus has destroyed Satan’s authority.
The blood of Jesus destroys Satan’s power
The blood of Jesus destroys the sin nature
The blood of Jesus draws me near to God
The blood of Jesus has redeemed me from the world system
The blood of Jesus takes away Satan’s access to God.
Repeated confession of the power of the blood, meditation of Scriptures concerning the power of the blood, and singing and listening to songs about the blood, unleashes the power of the blood. My personal favorite is the song by Carman This Blood.
They loved not their lives unto death.
Loving not their lives unto death refers to the willingness to suffer for Christ. This is not incidental but essential. The Bible teaches that we become entangled in Christ at the Cross when we suffer for Christ. This entanglement is an essential part of our redemption. We see in several scriptures the power of entanglement with the Cross.
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Rom 6:1-7 NKJV |
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What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? (2) Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? (3) Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?. (4) Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (5) For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, (6) knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. (7) For he who has died has been freed from sin. |
Romans 6 establishes that we come into entanglement with Christ in regeneration at our baptism into Christ. First Peter extends this into our sanctification. We are to place our faith in this and regard ourselves dead to sin.
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Gal 2:20 NKJV |
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I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. |
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Rom 6:10-14 NKJV |
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For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. (11) Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (12) Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. (13) And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. (14) For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. |
We are to count ourselves dead to sin. Jesus Christ phrased it as the call on a follower of Christ to ”…deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me (Mat 16:24, Mar 8:34, Luk 9:23). This is the beginning of sanctification. First Peter extends this to suffering for Christ in the world. As we suffer for Christ, we become entangled in his suffering – entanglement, which means we also become entangled in His glory and resurrection power that is revealed.
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1 Pe 4:12-18 NKJV |
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Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; (13) but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. (14) If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. (15) But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. (16) Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. (17) For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? (18) Now “IF THE RIGHTEOUS ONE IS SCARCELY SAVED, WHERE WILL THE UNGODLY AND THE SINNER APPEAR?” |
Entanglement is the key to victory because it is the key to understanding the battle and the narrative.
When an individual comes to Christ, he is a new creation. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (2 Co 5:17 NKJV).” This new creation that happened instantly on regeneration is individual and pertains initially to the spirit man. The body is not yet redeemed, and the earth is not yet redeemed. When one comes to Christ, we become spiritually entangled at the Cross.
Entanglement at the Cross is the key to the whole battle, which occurs in four folds. The Cross of Christ is the most powerful weapon in the universe, and how one becomes entangled determines their destiny. Satan became entangled in hostility to Christ at the Cross. Believers became entangled with Christ at the Cross. Persecutors become entangled in hostility to Christ through their persecution of Christians, and Christians become entangled with Christ as they suffer for Christ.
Satan became entangled in hostility to Christ at the Cross. In the Garden of Eden, Satan tempted Adam and Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit. A close look at the text reveals that entanglement is the key to understanding this event. The following is from chapter 3 of The Conceptual God
In the passage relating to the Tree of Life, we see the word knowledge. This world does not refer to the mere acquisition of information but of intimate entanglement. The Hebrew word for knowledge here is da’ath, which is used for skills in accessing good and evil. At first glance, it does not seem like a big deal to know good and evil, but the deal is much. Much bigger than a glance at this text reveals. Why would humanity die? Is God being arbitrary here or is there more?
Gen 2:16-17
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; (17) but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
As we go through the narrative, we encounter the temptation in the Garden. Satan tells Eve that “you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” The Hebrew word for know here is yâda‛, which is used to denote intimate knowledge. The word ‘ yâda‛ ’ is used in Gen 4:1 to describe Adam’s sexual intimacy with Eve.
Gen 3:1-5
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” (2) And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; (3) but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” (4) Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. (5) For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
God uses the same word in Gen 3:22-24 to describe man’s knowledge of good and evil. God also saw this knowledge as intimacy.
Gen 3:22-24
Then the LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— (23) therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. (24) So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
What’s happening here? Did man truly not know good and evil before? Man wasn’t ignorant about what is good and what is evil prior to this. God gave a clear revelation to Adam and Eve in special revelation. Adam had sufficient general revelation to deduce the ethical use of things from their function – enough to name the animals and know none of them would make a suitable mate. Knowledge of Good and Evil was more than mere cognition of ethical principles.
The common thread in knowledge of general revelation and knowledge of special revelation of God is that both result in parsing the wave-function in ways mediated by the commands and instructions in God’s word. Knowledge of Good and Evil in Genesis 3 refers to direct intimate entanglement with Good and Evil that bypasses God’s Word – in other words, it’s hacking the wave function.
In today’s parlance, we would refer to the type of knowledge described in Genesis 3 as quantum entanglement.
Adam and Eve were given everything in the Garden except for the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. By doing so, they were trying to bypass the Word of God in mediating knowledge of Good and Evil. By doing this at Satan’s suggestion, they came into entanglement with Satan’s rebellion and with Satan in an entanglement in which Satan held the lead position.
Satan was not given the garden or the earth, but this entanglement opened the door for him to usurp authority over the earth and over the human race – not rightful authority but usurped authority due to quantum entanglement.
Believers became entangled with Christ at the Cross. This is what Romans 6 teaches. We become united with Christ in his Death. We identify WITH Christ at the Cross. What happens to Christ happens to us, and what happens to us happened to Christ in this relationship. We become identified with God’s Love at the Cross, and are then raised with Christ. Because we are with Christ at the Cross, we are with Christ in his resurrection.
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Rom 6:10-14 NKJV |
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For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. (11) Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (12) Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. (13) And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. (14) For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace. |
Persecutors become entangled against Christ through their persecution of Christians, and Christians become entangled with Christ as they suffer for Christ. We see both of these throughout history, and both escalate to draw in the whole earth during the Final Great Persecution. When believers are persecuted for Christ, they become entangled with Christ in his sufferings. While 1 Peter 4:12-18 focuses on the view of what happens to the Christians being persecuted, to the end to encourage Christians to stand strong and avoid worldly defilement, there are implications for those doing the persecuting.
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1 Pe 4:12-18 NKJV |
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Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; (13) but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. (14) If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. (15) But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people’s matters. (16) Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. (17) For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? (18) Now “IF THE RIGHTEOUS ONE IS SCARCELY SAVED, WHERE WILL THE UNGODLY AND THE SINNER APPEAR?” |
The identification with Christ among those being persecuted implies that what is done to them on account of Christ is being done to Christ Himself. Those who persecute Christians are persecuting Christ. This is why the Lord Jesus told Paul on the road to Damascus, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me (Acts 9:4)?” Saul wasn’t literally persecuting or murdering Christ, but in persecuting Christians in entanglement with Christ, he entangled himself against Christ.
This entanglement against Christ is not done in isolation but in entanglement with Satan. First of all, Unbelievers who persecute are entangled in systemic evil in which Satan is its ruler. This has been true since the days of Christ’s earthly ministry. In the end-time Satanic one-world government, this escalates. In this context, persecutors are worshiping Satan’s Messiah as God on earth and consciously identify with him and with Satan himself. They become entangled both against Christ and with Satan as Satan bites the heel of Christ and Christ crushes his head.
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Gen 3:14-15 NKJV |
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So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. (15) And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.” |
In this persecution, the enemies of Christ are shoving the earth into the Cross and delivering possession of the earth to the rightful Lord of the earth.
Conclusion
Believers overcome Satan through the blood of the LAMB, their testimony to its power and Scriptural promises, and the willingness to become entangled in Christ’s death through persecution.
Scripture References
Job 1:6-12
1 Kings 22:19-23
Revelation 12:7-12
Hebrews 12:5-11
1 Corinthians 10:1-12; 11:26-32
Colossians 2:11-15
Romans 10:6-10
Mat 16:24, Mar 8:34, Luk 9:23 1 Pe 4:12-18, Gen 2:16-17, Gen 3:1-5, Gen 3:22-24, Rom 6:10-14, Gen 3:14-15,
Week 15 Questions
1. How does Satan use his access to Heaven to attack us?
2. Is God’s judgment alive and well in the New Testament?
3. What three methods are used to defeat Satan? Briefly describe them?