How does Satan work today?
Like all things, it will be our Apostle Paul who lets us know how Satan works today in the dispensation of grace...
2 Timothy 2:7
Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things.
So I am going to go through his epistles and let you know what he says about our Adversary and his devices...
2 Corinthians 2:11
Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
So let's look at who our Adversary is...
He is real! And he has waged a continual war against God and his children!
Ephesians 6:11-12
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Satan is the god of this world (the rebellious mindset of this present evil world), aka, the prince of the power of the air [Ephesians 2:2], and as such, he holds sway over the thinking process of those who do not listen to Paul, both lost men and saved. And he does it by both religious legalism and carnal/fleshly means.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
Here we see that all Satan needs is a person to use their freewill to not believe God's word through Paul and he’s got them and keeps them blinded to the truth!
Ephesians 2:2
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience
As the god of this present evil world, Satan has control over the thinking process of the lost.
Satan both fights against and hides the message of grace and the mystery of Christ because it shows him for the defeated foe that he is. He was not as wise as he thought he was and was caught in his own craftiness by our Lord.
1 Corinthians 2:8
Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
Satan is a totally defeated foe when we walk in the truth of God's word to us through Paul.
Rom 16:20
And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
Saints left alone from fellowship from the rest of the body will be successfully attacked by Satan...
1 Corinthians 5:5
To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
1 Timothy 1:20
Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.
Satan seeks to both isolate believers from other believers and seeks to disrupt sweet fellowship.
Ephesians 4:26-27
Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.
2 Corinthians 2:7
So that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.
This verse is the follow up to the man in 1 Corinthians 5, and Paul says that Satan desired for the guy to never come back into the fellowship, even after he repented. And that is just what the Corinthians did, they kept him away, which in turn was doing Satan's will. This is why Paul goes onto say...
2 Corinthians 2:11
Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
Satan tempts us through our flesh to go beyond the bounds of God's word.
1 Corinthians 7:5
Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency.
1 Timothy 5:15; 3:6-7
For some are already turned aside after satan.
Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
He uses false doctrine (that which is not Pauline sound doctrine found only in Paul’s 13 epistles) to confuse us.
2 Corinthians 11:3, 14
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
1 Timothy 4:1
Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2 Timothy 2:26
And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
Here Paul tells us that even believers (the context here are those believers who do not rightly divide the scripture) are held in Satan's snare and are held captive by him at his will.
Satan energizes (through false doctrine) both religious legalistic saints, as well as lost religious people, to persecute those of us who believe Paul's message and God's rightly divided word (like Timothy)!
2 Corinthians 12:7
And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.
Through these people, Satan can hinder the word of God's grace.....
1 Thessalonians 2:18
Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us.
So in conclusion, the number one thing that Paul wants us to know about Satan's wiles is that he uses any means to keep the gospel of the grace of God and the mystery of Christ hidden from others...
2 Corinthians 4:3-4
But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
And as the god of this world’s sinful operating systems, he will use both religious legalism, as well as lost people to fight against God's truth for today! The main way that he will do it is by preaching another Jesus—that being, the Lord's earthly ministry to Israel, instead of his heavenly ministry to Paul and us today! He will preach another Gospel, mainly the gospel of the earthly kingdom committed to Christ and the 12 Apostles for Israel, instead of Paul's gospel of Grace. And he will preach another Spirit, the Spirit given to Israel at Pentecost in Acts 2, one that came upon them, and not in them, like he does today!
2 Corinthians 11:3-4
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent [Satan] beguiled eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received [of us], or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
Acts 20:24
But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
So how do you know whether or not Satan is working today? Anything that goes against Paul's preaching and the rightly divided word is of Satan!
Hopefully this helps!
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Great truth ! Thanks
ReplyDeletebro Roberto