Chapter 85 - Satanic Strategy

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Jesus said of Satan, “Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44) Satan’s lies are not merely an act of his will. Instead, they are an attribute of his fallen nature. Therefore, Satan has a natural inclination, bent, or disposition to lie. It is an inherent part of him, an essential expression of his personhood.

Relative to his fallen nature, Satan’s strategy against the New Testament church is always characterized by falsehood. He lies about everything, including his authority, or lack thereof, relative to both believer and unbeliever.

Authority

As a result of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, two types of people exist in the world. There are unbelievers and believers, sinners and saints.

God paid in full the price necessary to purchase the right of ownership for the entire human race. The price was the blood of the cross. Nevertheless, not every human being is willing to accept His offer of redemption.

The believer was redeemed by the blood of Christ. God purchased the right of ownership for him and he accepted His offer of redemption by grace through faith alone. Consequently, the believer received the glorious benefit of divine ownership. As a result, he is a citizen of the kingdom of God, the realm of divine authority and therefore, subject to the authority of God. (Philippians 3:20)

Although presently and temporarily existing in the “domain of darkness,” the believer is neither subject to satanic authority nor a citizen of his domain. Instead, believers are “aliens and strangers” who “appear as lights in the [darkened] world.” (Ephesians 5:8; Philippians 2:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:5; 1 Peter 2:11; cf. Matthew 5:14-16; Hebrews 11:13-16)

God also purchased the right of ownership for the unbeliever. However, he has yet to accept the offer of redemption. Therefore, he remains a citizen of the “domain of darkness,” the realm of satanic authority, and thus, subject to satanic authority.

Concordant with the judgment of God, Satan’s opportunity to influence and manipulate the human race for his benefit is limited. God remains sovereign over His creation. Therefore, the activity of Satan relative to the degenerated heavens and earth is always moderated by God for the ultimate benefit of its inhabitants. (Romans 8:28) Nevertheless, Satan has greater opportunity with the unredeemed inhabitants of the degenerated earth than the redeemed.

Lies

Satan is not God. He is merely a created, angelic being who made the unenviable choice to rebel against God.

God’s judgment was devastating to Satan. He was bound; disarmored; disarmed; “rendered powerless”; and exposed as shattered, empty, and defeated. Further, Satan’s “property” (fallen human race) was “carried off” when his “house” (realm of authority; the “domain of darkness”) was “plundered.” (Matthew 12:29; Mark 3:27; Luke 11:22; Colossians 2:15; Hebrews 2:14) Completely bankrupt, he owns or possesses nothing.
Satan’s only remaining offensive weapon against the New Testament church is to perpetrate falsehood. As indicated, lying is an attribute of his fallen nature.

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Some of Satan’s favorite lies include:

He does not exist.

He was not defeated by the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

He retains ownership of the human race.

The New Testament church is responsible to fulfill the righteous requirement of the “law of sin.”

He has the authority and power to defeat the New Testament church.

The New Testament church has the authority and power necessary to defeat him.

He can “possess” human beings.

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Concordant with divine foreknowledge, Satan’s favorite lies were refuted in the Holy Bible, the “word of truth”:

First, Satan does exist. His existence is plainly recorded in the word of God, the Holy Bible. Further, every saint who has pursued the will of God can testify to the opposition of Satan.

Second, Jesus Christ utterly defeated Satan, sin, and death.

Third, Satan no longer owns any aspect of humanity. God purchased the right of ownership by payment of the blood of His Christ, the blood of the Eternal Covenant. Therefore, Satan has no actual authority to harass mankind and he is without the authority to “possess” him. Any thought to the contrary is a lie.

Fourth, God does not demand the New Testament church fulfill the righteous requirement of the “law of sin.” Relative to the sin-weakened state of fallen mankind, its requirement was necessarily satisfied in the past by the sinless life and ministry of the incarnate Christ.

Fifth, Satan does not have the authority or power to defeat the New Testament church. His authority was removed and he was “rendered powerless” by the blood of the cross.

Sixth, the New Testament church does not have the ability or need to defeat Satan. He was already defeated in the past. In the present and future, God has promised to fight the battles of the New Testament church. It must only trust Him.

Seventh, Satan “possesses” nothing. The idea that he can “possess” human beings is derived from a misinterpretation of scripture.

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Aware of his destiny, Satan pursues his only remaining strategy. He attempts to tarnish the reputation of God and His people by spreading falsehood.

Strongholds

Fundamentally, spiritual warfare is a battle between divine truth and satanic lies. The New Testament church is the embodiment of divine truth on earth. In contrast, Satan is a “liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)

Satan understands repeated lies have a much greater influence than a single lie. Therefore, he typically repeats his lies again and again. It is a strategy commonly utilized by liars to normalize falsehood and transform public opinion.

Fallen people throughout the ages have adopted the satanic strategy of repeating lies. For instance, Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s propaganda minister, was known for having said, “Repeat a lie often enough and it becomes the truth.” Individually or collectively, the often-repeated lie soon becomes entrenched thinking. As a result, the truth no longer appears to be true.

In regard to strongholds, the Apostle Paul said, “the weapons of our warfare (manifold attributes of the Lord Jesus Christ; cf. Ephesians 6:14-15) are… divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses (ochuroma; okh-oo'-ro-mah, i.e., “strongholds”). We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ…” (2 Corinthians 10:4-5) From his statement, it is evident strongholds are established from “speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God.” It should be understood “… speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God” are descriptive of ideas contrary to divine truth. They are satanic lies repeated often enough to become entrenched thinking.

By biblical definition, a stronghold is a deeply entrenched pattern of thinking contrary to divine truth. Congruent with the schemes of the devil, it has been reinforced over time by repeated lies.

Jesus plainly stated Satan is a "liar and the father of lies." Whether shallow or deeply entrenched, his lies are his only remaining means of self-defense.

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