> Who is the enemy?
John 10:10
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy…
1 Peter 5:8
…Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour…
> Where did the enemy come from?
Ezekiel 28:11-17 NLT
Then this further message came to me from the Lord:
“Son of man, sing this funeral song for the king of Tyre. Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord:
‘You were the model of perfection,
full of wisdom and exquisite in beauty.
You were in Eden,
the garden of God.
Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone…
all beautifully crafted for you and set in the finest gold.
They were given to you on the day you were created.
I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian.
You had access to the holy mountain of God
and walked among the stones of fire.
You were blameless in all you did,
from the day you were created
until the day evil was found in you.
Your rich commerce led you to violence,
and you sinned.
So I banished you in disgrace from the mountain of God.
I expelled you, O mighty guardian,
from your place among the stones of fire.
Your heart was filled with pride
because of all your beauty.
Your wisdom was corrupted
by your love of splendor.
So I threw you to the ground
and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings.’”
Isaiah 14:4, 12 NLT
“…you will taunt the king of Babylon. You will say…
‘How you are fallen from heaven,
O shining star, son of the morning!’”
Hebrew : hêlēl = “morning star”, latin : “lucifer”
Isaiah 14:12-15 NLT
“How you are fallen from heaven,
O shining star, son of the morning!
You have been thrown down to the earth,
you who destroyed the nations of the world.
For you said to yourself,
‘I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars.
I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north.
I will climb to the highest heavens
and be like the Most High.’
Instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead,
down to its lowest depths.”
Revelation 12:7-9
Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also fought, but he could not prevail, and there was no place for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was thrown out—the ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the one who deceives the whole world. He was thrown to earth, and his angels with him.
Luke 10:18
Jesus said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like lightning…”
> Could God have stopped the enemy from rebelling?
1 John 5:18-19 NLT
We know that God’s children do not make a practice of sinning, for God’s Son holds them securely, and the evil one cannot touch them. We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one.
> What’s God going to do about the enemy?
Revelation 19:11-16
Then I saw heaven opened, and there was a white horse. Its rider is called Faithful and True, and with justice he judges and makes war. His eyes were like a fiery flame, and many crowns were on his head. He had a name written that no one knows except himself. He wore a robe dipped in blood, and his name is called the Word of God. The armies that were in heaven followed him on white horses, wearing pure white linen. A sharp sword came from his mouth, so that he might strike the nations with it. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will also trample the winepress of the fierce anger of God, the Almighty. And he has a name written on his robe and on his thigh: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
Revelation 20:8-10
[Satan] will go out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the sea. They came up across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the encampment of the saints, the beloved city. Then fire came down from heaven and consumed them. The devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
>> What can we do to defeat the enemy?
1) Recognize and resist
.
Proverbs 16:5
Everyone with a proud heart is detestable to the Lord;
be assured, he will not go unpunished.
“The essential vice, the utmost evil, is pride. Unchastity, anger, greed, drunkenness, and all that, are mere fleabites in comparison: it was through pride that the devil became the devil. Pride leads to every other vice. It is the complete anti-God state of mind.”
– CS Lewis
“You are never closer to Satan…than when pride drives you. Pride distorts your judgment. It makes you covet things you have no right to. It alienates you from God. No temptation confronts us more persistently or entices us more subtly than the temptation of pride, because through pride Satan reproduces himself. So let no one ‘think of himself more highly than he ought’ (Rom. 12:3) — for to do so is to think as the enemy thinks.”
- Michael Youssef
2) Be alert and
the enemy.
1 Peter 5:8-9
Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour. Resist him, firm in the faith, knowing that the same kind of sufferings are being experienced by your fellow believers throughout the world.
3)
put on the Armor of God.
Ephesians 6:18
Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints.
4) Walk in
with Jesus.
John 10:10
[Jesus said,] “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance.”
My Next Step With Jesus: