The Christian Mark of the Beast Survival Manual Copyright © 2014 by Erik K. Olinger All rights reserved.
READERS: This is a rough-draft of the manuscript. It is unedited and contains errors that will be corrected at the final release.
Satan and the Enemies’ Kingdom
Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down-that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him (NIV Rev. 12:7-9).
That ancient serpent was hurled to earth with his angels, where they continually cause problems for mankind. The first documented problem that resulted from fallen angels was in Eden. That act of disobedience at Satan’s coercion caused the Fall of Man. Satan placed his stake on earth and was able to secure a throne, a position he will hold until Christ deposes him. Even though man retained the image of God that he was created in, man is corrupt and the world is fallen. The devil and his angels are not in the image of God because of not only their rebellion, but they seem to have been created in a different image to begin with. Scripture does not teach that angels were in the image of God. The focal point of this chapter is to outline that the world does indeed belong to Satan at this time, and that the world is the enemy. Select passages about Satan will be shared to reference what kind of enemy the people of earth are dealing with.
At Work in the Disobedient
It is not hard to determine who is in control of the people of the world. Man has a sin problem that God certainly did not infect man with. The thought process is dominated by the flesh, and a man’s drive is poorly inclined for His maker. God said, “Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood” (NIV Ge. 8:21). The men of God are few and far between, and people are pleased to continue in sin. The ruler of this kingdom is busily at work in the disobedient,
Satan is the ruler of the kingdom of air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient (NIV Eph. 2:1-2).
The children of God who live by the Spirit stand in contrast to the fabric of the world, but are living within the boundary of a hostile enemy,
We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one (NIV 1Jn. 5:19).
Satan’s Domain
The devil is not “in hell” as the popular belief would have one believe. Hell, the eternal fire, was prepared for the angels, however the devil is on earth and has truly fallen from heaven,
I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven (NIV Lk. 10:19-20).
Satan’s domain is earth. Prophecy to the church of Pergamum addressed some men and women of faith who would not renounce their faith in Christ, even though they were in the midst of Satan’s domain. Apparently Satan was active and “living” in the city of the people of Pergamum,
“To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, not even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives (NIV Rev. 2:12-13).
The Head Dark Angel: Satan
Satan has in subjection to him the other angels, to whom Satan is the head dark angel. Satan roams the earth seeking to destroy whomever he is able. We are to resist him. The encouragement is that although we may feel alone in our suffering, that the “family of believers throughout the world” are suffering and resisting as we are,
Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings (NIV 1Pe. 5:8-9).
Masquerades as an Angel of Light
Satan is the master of deception. He can slyly whisper thoughts into a person’s mind, or even appear in dazzling brilliance as if he is a holy angel,
And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light, It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness (NIV 2Co. 11:14-15).
Corrupted by His Splendor
The devil was wicked from the start. A proverbial question is if Satan was wicked from the start, did God create him faulty, directly leading to his wickedness? No, perhaps God created him too beautiful and splendid. Satan was the “seal of perfection” and his beauty and proudness was his downfall. He was a murderer from the start because of his own ways,
You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies (NIV Jn. 8:44).
Satan was apparently covered in precious stones and anointed as a guardian cherub, and trusted in the Holy Mount of God. Cherubim angels sit on either side of God (Ps. 80:1). He was in Eden. Sin was found in him, and he was driven in disgrace and expelled from God’s presence. The following passage is widely accepted as pertaining to Satan (at the very least it is about an angel), while it certainly has a duality in the sense that it is also addressed to the king of Tyre,
The word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “‘You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: carnelian, chrysolite and emerald, topaz, onyx and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings. By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made a fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more’” (NIV Eze. 28:11-19).
Lucifer corrupted his heart, desiring to be God. The paradoxical effect that this has is that the more he attempts to be God, the further he becomes from God. Satan has been brought down to the realm of the dead for his proud heart,
How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit (Isa. 14:12-15).
Temptation in the Wilderness
Jesus and Satan had a notable interaction in the wilderness, the temptation of Christ. Jesus was “led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil” (NIV Mt. 4:1). The devil offered “all the kingdoms of this world” to Jesus (NIV Mt. 4:8). “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me” (NIV Mt. 4:9). The devil was able to offer the world to Jesus because he is the prince of this world who “leads the whole world astray” (NIV Rev. 12:9). Jesus can never be swayed by temptation, nor would he let his creation remain the devil’s possession.
Friendship with the World
Friendship with the world and the things of this world is a potential disaster that every person must be conscious of. If one is not careful, one’s heart will be with one’s earthly treasure (Mt. 6:21; Lk. 12:34) and one will be more tolerant of the ways of the world. The Bible teaches that friendship with the world creates a hostile divide, and that friendship with the world makes one an enemy of God,
You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God (NIV Jas. 4:4).
Our command is to not love the world or anything in the world. This safeguards our hearts, and can nearly make a Christian impervious to a plethora of attacks. One can not love the world and the Father at the same time,
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever (NIV 1Jn. 2:15-17).
Chosen out of the World
Quite plainly, Christians are not products of the world. They have been hand-selected out of the world before they even entered the womb. The people of God have no hold to the earth. They have learned from Jesus that though they are tempted by the enemy, the enemy cannot sway them. Christ told the disciples, “If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” (NIV Jn. 15:19). Understand that if we do not belong to the world, that we are not citizens of earth, but rather we are members of God’s household above,
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone (NIV Eph. 2:19-20).
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ (NIV Php. 3:20).
Overcoming the World
The world also has glory and splendor, a kind of glory that only the flesh can see. How does one overcome the temptations and glory of the world?
…for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God (NIV 1Jn. 5:4-5).
Born-again Christians are who overcome the world, and it starts with belief in the Son of God.
The World Reclaimed
Though the world belongs to the enemy, Jesus Christ has guaranteed a total victory over His creation. Rest assured He will completely finalize redemption. When Christ came the first time, He began to drive out the prince of this world,
Now is time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out (NIV Jn. 12:31).
When Christ returns to secure His throne, He will reign for eternity while the saints rejoice. When everything is finished, the enemy will be ashes and the world rightfully restored to the creator,
The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever (NIV Rev. 11:15).
Chapter Summary
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The devil and his angels were hurled to earth from heaven, where they continually cause problems for mankind.
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The world has been fallen since the beginning.
-
The spirit that is at work in the disobedient is Satan.
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Satan is in full control of the world.
-
The children of God are opposed to the ways of the world.
-
The devil is not “in hell” as the popular belief would have one believe.
-
Satan has in subjection to him the other fallen angels, to whom Satan is the head dark angel.
-
Satan roams the earth seeking to destroy whomever he is able.
-
Satan is the master of deception.
-
Apparently Satan was the “seal of perfection” and his beauty and proudness was his downfall. He was a murderer from the start because of his own ways.
-
Satan may have been covered in precious stones and anointed as a guardian cherub, and trusted in the Holy Mount of God.
-
Lucifer corrupted his heart, desiring to be God. The paradoxical effect that this has is that the more he attempts to be God, the further he becomes from God.
-
The devil was able to offer the world to Jesus because he is the prince of this world.
-
The Bible teaches that friendship with the world creates a hostile divide, and that friendship with the world makes one an enemy of God.
-
One can not love the world and the Father at the same time.
-
Christians do not belong to world, but have been chosen out of it and are citizens of heaven.
-
Born-again Christians overcome the world, starting with belief in the Son of God.
-
When Christ returns to secure His throne, He will reign for eternity while the saints rejoice.
