What ARE
Deceiving Spirits? By KiDong Kim
Translated by The Semuon Translation Mission Center
BEREA PRESS
Pastor KiDong Kim (TH.D., S.T.D., D.Min., D.D.) * Senior Overseer, 21st Century Berea Missions Seoul Sungrak Church, Seoul, South Korea
* Honorary and Founding President, Berea International Theological Seminary, Seoul, South Korea
1st Translation and Publication: 24.03.2001 Revised edition with original material: 25.08.2015 Publisher: CHOI, Eul Sook Publishing Press: Berea Press Registration: No. 13-69 Address: 308, Dorim-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, Korea Tel: 82-2-831-3851~3 Fax: 82-2-831-3854
www.bereapress.co.kr All rights reserved. No part can be reproduced or copied in any way, or by any means, without prior written permission. Š 2015 KIDONG KIM
All Scripture quotations, unless noted otherwise, are from the New King James Version (1982).
PREFACE 3
Pointless arguments concerning the topic of this book are not necessary just because the existing theologies or past preachers had not discovered its reality. The Bible definitely exposes the topic of deceiving spirits. Many saints, who were redeemed by the blood of Jesus, suddenly fall from their faith because deceiving spirits deceive them. The Bible gives explicit warnings to prevent such downfall; however, these admonitions are mostly ignored or not acknowledged as legitimate. Though people do not acknowledge deceiving spirits, their existence still cannot be denied. God uses them and so does the Devil. Those who have fallen in their faith are viewed as forsaken in the sight of God (2 Thess. 2:11-12). But from the Devil’s point of view, deceiving spirits deceived them. The issue of deceiving spirits is of grave importance because many church leaders have received fatal blows from those spirits. This third release includes the contents from the author’s lectures and sermons for the last 45 years that had been excluded during the transcription process. There is no doubt that the author’s intent will be fully communicated because Evangelist KiTaek Lee has accomplished the most exhaustive work for this project. It is the utmost desire of the author that the saints would humble themselves before the Bible and understand what it divulges concerning important spiritual issues. The author has
stubbornly stood his ground and not acquiesced to the countless persecutions and misunderstanding of critics because the Bible has fully divulged the topic of this book. It is my desire that people would be victorious in their spiritual walk, as they deeply understand about deceiving spirits.
July 2007 Ki Dong Kim
PREFACE 2 The knowledge about deceiving spirits is the best armor that the saints should acquire. Saints must know about them well. Christians ignore the God-given spiritual power because they treat spiritual lives as something abstract. They deny themselves the authority that has been given to them because they ignore the truth. They bring upon themselves great spiritual ruin because they ignore the disciplinary measures that God enforces through deceiving spirits. We need to understand who is really for us. God sent Jesus Christ for us. He also sent the Holy Spirit for us. Since God sent the angels to serve us, shouldn’t we be grateful for such provision? People carelessly show adverse disposition against knowledge held by others. So they either join themselves to groundless ideas and deceptive theories or fall into the pride of exclusively advocating dogmas. Thus, they do not experience the greater love and grace of God. As I release a revised version about deceiving spirits, I would like to express my regret beforehand that I could not sufficiently explain all details because of deadlines. Please understand that there will be repetitions in this book because its content has been extracted from sermons given on the subject. Also, please note that there will be similar contents from the books What is the Devil? and What are Demons? to show their interlinking relationships. Anything repeated in this book exists to establish the background for proper understanding about deceiving spirits. Thank you.
April 1993 Ki Dong Kim
First Edition Preface
The world is full of sin, corruption, and indescribable sufferings. To heal the endless sufferings, more hospitals and pharmacies are being expanded. There are more and more counselors. More police stations are built with greater disciplinary measures. However, because the source of all problems is not addressed, there is no end to problems. Man’s actions come from his heart, which is rooted in his spirit. If man’s spirit does not receive proper instruction from God, then it wanders aimlessly like an orphan. The source of corruption and sickness is demons. And demons rely on deceiving spirits to carry out their work. Deceiving spirits are angels that have become corrupt. These are angels that were initially sent to help those who are saved, but later turned. If enough knowledge and principles concerning the deceiving spirits were acquired, then pastors and even laypersons would truly benefit when it comes to dealing with personal and family problems. Too many people are experiencing perils because they are ignorant of deceiving spirits. The cure for chronic diseases and habits would be easily obtained if one could discern the work of deceiving spirits. Through this book, you will definitely discover the reality of the power of the Gospel. This book is for everyone, especially for those who are in the ministry.
August 1985 Ki Dong Kim From his office
Translators’ NOTE
Pastor Ki Dong Kim has written over 250 books to date. Translating these books has been a true blessing for us. We know that this book will bless you too! The following are a couple of things to note as you read this book. This book is a transcript of a training seminar that Pastor Ki Dong Kim has done in the past with the theme, What are Deceiving Spirits? Thus, we have tried to preserve even the way the pastor speaks. The book also repeats many concepts for emphasis. They all have been preserved because Pastor Kim has spoken them by the anointing of the Holy Spirit. This book has been written for ministers and even for laypersons who want to know how to live and serve powerfully according to God’s will. Please take a good time off from your schedule to focus as you read through this book. We pray that you will be touched and transformed! Amen. January 2014 From The Semuon Translation Mission Center
Table of Contents
11_
The Illegal Traitor that Became the Legal Ruler 11
13_
The Freedom of Those Who Know the Truth 41
12_ 14_ 15_ 16_ 17_ 18_ 19_ 10_ 11_
The Compensation for the Suffering Man 29
The Will that Overcomes Deceiving Spirits 63 The Identity of Demons 83
The Operations of Demons 97
The Authority to Resist the Devil 123 The Devil and Conditional Faith 139
Three Conditions to Subdue Demons 151
Casting Out Demons by the Holy Spirit 167 The Life that Testifies of His Grace 189
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The Final Strategy of the Devil 203
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Avoid Idol Worship 251
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A New Teaching with Authority 233
Chapter 1
The Illegal Traitor that Became the Legal Ruler 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’?” 2And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3but 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.’” 4Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5For 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.” 1
(Genesis 3:1-5)
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We are Spiritual Beings
The Bible introduces three spiritual beings: God, angels, and man. Before we understand anything about the three spiritual beings, we first have to realize that we are spiritual beings. Most believers admit that their spirit is more important than the body. But in practice, they treat the spirit as something abstract. Though they admit that God’s word is spiritual, they do not make any effort to receive it into their spirit. For example, if a person with no pockets claims that he has them and tries to put items into his non-existent pockets, then what would happen? People claim that they are receiving God’s word into their spirit, but in reality, it is only a philosophical process to them. They have not experienced the word of God in their spirit. Before we can actually store God’s word in our spirit, we must first be conscious of our spirit in the same way we are conscious of our bodies. Without spiritual awareness, we would lose all the spiritual opportunities that God endows upon us. Food that is eaten definitely enters the stomach. Likewise, if we claim that we are consuming the word of God, then it must enter our spirit. People hear the word of God but do not receive it into their spirit because to them the spirit is just an abstract idea. Our spirit is real and alive! People do not realize that their spirit needs God’s word. So they hear the word of God as nothing but sounds. Most people unconsciously think of their body when they refer to themselves. They do not think of their invisible soul as their true self. This is why no matter how much they listen to the word of God, the word acts like a basketball swishing through a basket; it goes straight through without having any effect on the person. For example, a person shouts “Hallelujah!” with excitement when she experiences God’s grace in the church. Yet when she returns home, she happens to let out her anger and later complains
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that she has completely lost that grace. After awhile, she is back to crying out “Hallelujah” during a revival. But as soon as she hears that her husband has wasted much money, she loses that passion again. Thus, an emotional Christian is like a bottomless vessel that cannot retain God’s provisions. The word of God never disappears through digestion like food. It is supposed to remain in the spirit. Excretion is necessary for the body, but not for the spirit. Some people receive the word of God but cannot retain it for a single day. They might get healed at a revival but get sick again after a few days. Why? Healing comes because of God’s power that operates in the spirit. Yet, the power must continue to dwell in the spirit. But when the believer loses sight of his spiritual life and does not value his spirit, the power of God can no longer remain in him. In other words, if the believer loses awareness of his spirit and becomes uncertain about his spiritual experiences, then he cannot continue to walk in the word of God. People ask me at times, “Pastor Kim, how can I maintain God’s power in me as you do?” I boldly tell them, “You must store the word of God in your spirit.” God’s word must be preserved in the spirit. I do not have a great memory. I cannot even remember phone numbers. But if you give me a verse in the Bible, then I can find its reference immediately. God’s word resides in my spirit. If I try to store the word of God in my head, then I probably will not remember it for long. But since I store it in my spirit, I remember it even after many years. People often say, “The word of God is my spiritual food.” But many of them are just thinking about applying God’s word to prosper their business. They do not fully understand the meaning of receiving the word of God. We must welcome the word of God into our spirit. The wisdom of the world was designed for our
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mind, but the word of God was intended for our spirit. Our spirit must possess His word because no other faculty can receive, maintain, and apply them. The unbelievers in the world do not recognize the existence of their spirit. Even if they do, they are not fully aware of it or its condition. This is part of the reason they do not believe in Jesus. The sad reality is that even some believers are oblivious of their spiritual conditions. They do not know how to nurture their spirit. Even though hundreds of people sit in the same sanctuary, they are all in different spiritual conditions. Their spirit is like a bottomless basket, a broken basket, or not at all like a basket. If believers understand that their spirit is like a vessel, then they will receive and hold onto God’s word so that they can experience the eternal power that comes from the Word. Even if something were to happen to me so that I can’t read the Bible, I can still maintain my spiritual life since the word of God resides in me. The word of God dwells in my spirit, not in my head. Just as I know exactly what is in my pocket, I am sure that God’s word, His plan, and His blueprints are in my spirit. When I give a sermon, I try to use the words that have been stored inside my spirit. In the past, I travelled the country for over 10 years hosting tent revivals. During those times, I did not even have any notes but just my Bible. My sermons have not diminished ever since I started my ministry. The word of God continues to flow out of my spirit just as a silkworm spins endless threads.
Spiritual Realities
To be spiritually successful, one must first realize that he is a spiritual being, and then decide to live in the spirit. The Bible records many events. Their main purpose is to reveal spiritual realities. Without fully understanding them, believers can return to the world at any time.
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When an unbeliever steps into the church, he must be taught what he did not and could not know when he was in the world. But the sad reality is that people cannot find or learn anything in their church that is beyond what they already know from the world. So they feel that there is no difference between the church and the world. So many of them go back into the world. If unbelievers come into the church and clearly see the spiritual world, then they will realize that the church is different. When they discover their true identities, they will pursue spiritual realities in the church while living out in the world. But many churches today do not reveal the spiritual realities to their congregation. People who are unaware of their spirit do not have the strength to maintain their spiritual lives. Only from the spirit can faith be maintained. The word of God and His power can only reside and operate in the spirit. Although a believer is blessed with abundant grace, if that grace is not stored in his spirit, then it is as same as pouring water into a bottomless pitcher. For me, when I read the Bible, I make sure it remains in me. No matter how many times you read the Bible, the important thing is that the Word abides in you. God’s word should not be wasted by pouring it through a bottomless vessel. I’ve heard of many revivalists who manifested much fervency, power, and anointing during their youth. But as they aged, they claim that their faith has matured and their power has diminished away. I disagree with this statement. The more a believer knows the word of God, the more power and anointing should manifest through him. The same power that operated through me decades ago still manifests through me now when I pray for the sick. I can exercise even greater power more effectively now than ever. All this is because I have stored and maintained the power that God has deposited in my spirit. Everyday we see ourselves in the mirror. The physical image that we see is not our real self. The flesh is like the clothing that the
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real self is wearing. The real self cannot be seen in a mirror; it is invisible yet eternal. Although it cannot be seen, we must always be aware of the invisible, eternal self. The real self is the living soul enclosed in the body. Being aware of the living soul prepares the believer to receive whatever God – the true spiritual being – can give. God desires to care for man’s spirit, but man denies his spiritual self and thus, cannot welcome God. Communion with God starts when man realizes that he is a spiritual being. When we truly know that we are spiritual beings and lay the foundation of God’s word in our spirit one by one, His grace and power will never disappear but continue to operate in our lives.
Do Not Worship Angels
Of the three spiritual beings, God is the only true God who exists by Himself. God alone is the self-existent being. No one created Him, for He alone is the Creator of all things, including the other two spiritual beings. To say God is the only true God means that God alone is the self-existing being. Angels are God’s created, spiritual beings. Before He made man, God created the angels to serve Him. The word angel means a messenger in Greek. We call them chunsa in Korean, which means heaven’s servants. Angels are God’s servants by status. When someone claims to have seen angels, people envy him. They even seek the person, find him, and ask the person to pray for them. Seeing an angel is not something so worthy of boasting or envy. Why should a child of God boast that he just saw a servant? The Bible strongly warns us against worshipping or adoring angels (Col. 2:18). Though the angels were created before man, their position is to serve the children of God. So it is very improper for the children of God to worship angels. Man in general has an innate religiousness. This is because he
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was created with an innate desire to seek God. Even though man lost his relationship with God by falling away, the instinctive religiousness to seek God still remained in him. This religiousness led the fallen man to seek idols instead of the only true God. Man’s desire to physically see God caused him to make idols. His corrupt desire to hear something audible led him to listen to the voice of mediums. This innate religiousness is the reason people desire angels and worship them. This is far from the Christian faith because believers do not worship angels. Christians are God’s children and angels serve them. They are children of authority who will judge the angels when Jesus returns.
The Angel that Fell
The Bible mentions the different ways that angels serve God. They are divided into three main groups according to their roles and duties. The first is the group that glorifies God with songs and beauty, led by the archangel Luciel. The second group represents the power of God as an army, led by the archangel Michael. The third group is in charge of revealing God’s will and plan, led by the archangel Gabriel. Heaven was filled with the three groups of angels with the archangels in charge of them, but Luciel rebelled with his group of angels. Before he fell, Lucifer was called Luciel because he was an archangel of God. The suffix -el means God in Hebrew. Ezekiel 28:14-15 on the surface describes the fall of the king of Tyre while describing the fall of Satan who was working behind the king. You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. 15You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. 14
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(Ezek. 28:14-15)
Luciel was created perfectly as God’s servant. But later his heart changed. Some might wonder how God’s creation can become corrupt. Luciel was not a self-existing being. John 12:50 says that God’s commandment is eternal life. So angels are able to sustain their lives only by receiving the commandments from God. In order to receive a commandment, one must possess the will to respond to it. In other words, when a command is given, the option to accept and reject must be fully operational in a person. This is called free will. When the free will exists to respond to a command, the angel is perfect as a creation to serve God. However, a thought arose in the heart of the archangel to glorify himself with the glory in Heaven. The first of the Ten Commandments is, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Deut. 5:7). This became the first commandment because Luciel tried to make himself like God. He probably thought to himself, Why should I serve God with this glory? I can be God myself. He ultimately abandoned the position that God had given him. Luciel used the God-given free will to reject His command. As soon as he left his position, Luciel became Satan, one of his titles meaning a traitor. Satan betrayed God, and he rebelled against Him. You think only you can be God? I can also live by myself! He challenged God’s unique self-existence. Another label for the fallen angel is Lucifer, which implies that he is the king of evil. When Luciel rebelled against God, the angels under him also fell and together formed a formidable kingdom. The word Lucifer is used to indicate that even God recognizes this group of traitors as a kingdom. What are the characteristics of the angel’s fall? First, he denied the uniqueness of God. In a way, Satan said to God, “Are you the only true God? Are you the only one who self-exists? I will also be self-existent!” By doing so, Satan denied and challenged the
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uniqueness of God. Second, he tried to deify a creation like himself and tried to be equal with God. Third, he denied the works done in God’s name. In other words, he blasphemed the name of the only true God. Fourth, he disturbed God’s environment. In the Ten Commandments, the first four are warnings against what the fallen angel had committed. The first commandment warns against having any other gods before the only true God. Since Satan denied the uniqueness of God and tried to be like Him, believers should shun his deception. The second warns against serving any idols. Satan tried to deify himself though he was just a creation. The third commandment warns against taking the name of the Lord in vain. Satan disturbed and slandered the works done for the sake of God’s name, but believers are to flee from blaspheming the name of God. The fourth warns against desecrating the Sabbath day. Satan brought chaos to God’s environment, but believers should keep His environment holy. The first four commandments directly deal with the relationship between God and man. The commandments reduce down to one important warning, Do not be deceived by Satan! When Satan seduced Eve, he applied all the characteristics of his sin. 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’?” 2And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3but 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.’” 4Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be 1
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like God, knowing good and evil.” (Gen. 3:1-5)
The serpent deceived Eve when he told her that if she eats from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, then she would become like God. This sin denies the uniqueness of God and directly violates the first of the Ten Commandments. At the same time, the serpent was trying to deify creation, a violation of the second commandment. When the serpent told the woman, “You will not surely die,” he was challenging God’s commandment given by His name, a direct violation of the third commandment. Finally, the serpent disturbed the peace inside the Garden of Eden when he deceived Eve to disobey God. This directly went against the fourth commandment, which is to keep the Sabbath holy. The fall of Satan, the incident in the Garden of Eden, and the unrighteousness warned by the Ten Commandments are all related. The command not to eat the forbidden fruit and the Ten Commandments were both warnings against Satan’s deception.
The Imprisonment of Satan
Satan is the traitor that betrayed God in Heaven. God cast Satan out of Heaven and imprisoned him in the universe until the judgment day. The universe is a prison to confine Satan. And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day. (Jude 6)
The word everlasting refers to God’s attribute. The phrase “reserved in everlasting chains” means to be bound by the power of God. Simply put, Satan was bound inside the universe so that he could not escape. It is like a prison with high walls and armed
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guards to keep the prisoners from escaping.
The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. (Gen. 1:2)
The verse highlights the same meaning of Jude 6. Before the light and the firmament were created, the universe was already filled with water. Light was created here on the first day. Then, a firmament was created in the midst of the waters on the second day, dividing the waters to be located under and over the firmament. So “the spirit of God” moving over the surface of the waters refers to the power of God that bound Satan inside the universe. It means the same as the “everlasting chains under darkness.” Satan, who rebelled against God, was detained in everlasting chains in the universe until the day of his judgment. God has created all things in the universe, which is also Satan’s prison. The Bible records that God created everything during the six days. He said that “it was good” everyday except on the second day (Gen. 1:8). Why? The firmament that would imprison Satan was created on the second day. This firmament would be Satan’s platform for his evil acts. Would the Prime Minister proudly say, “We have built the biggest and most efficient prison in the world! All of us need to be proud that we are Koreans”? God created the firmament so that Satan and his angels would have a limited space to carry out their works and thus, it was not pleasing in His sight. The universe is not a resting place for our souls. Jesus frequently explained about the Father’s house when He was on the earth. When He taught the disciples how to pray, the first sentence of the prayer was, “Our Father in heaven” (Matt. 6:9). This ‘heaven’ is neither the sky nor the universe, but Heaven where the throne of God is located. Our Lord is preparing a place for us up
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in Heaven now. Our eternal resting place is not a corner in this universe because the universe does not concern us in any way. This universe is nothing but a prison for Satan. Before God created the earth and mankind, He had already incarcerated Satan in the universe. If God had not imprisoned Satan, then he would have caused endless turmoil in Heaven. So God had taken all those who had disturbed His peace and confined them in the universe to wait for their judgment. The words judgment and condemnation have similar meanings. When was Satan condemned? He was condemned through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Some people mistakenly think that Satan was already condemned in Heaven before he was thrown into the universe. This is very different from what actually happened. Satan was condemned through Jesus’ death on the cross and His resurrection three days later. The words “was condemned” mean his sins were confirmed, and that he has been judged. There is a difference between judgment and punishment. Satan has been judged by the death and resurrection of Jesus, but not yet punished. Jude 6 explains that Satan was locked up in the universe until the judgment day, meaning until Jesus Christ came in the flesh. Since Jesus has come into this world, died and resurrected, it can be said that the universe has already served its most important purpose.
When Satan Became the Devil
God created the earth inside the universe where He imprisoned Satan, and on that earth He created man. But why did He create man in the same place as Satan’s imprisonment? God does not accept challenges by anyone nor does He challenge anybody. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted
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by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. (James 1:13) Even though Satan wanted to challenge God, God did not accept his challenges nor did He challenge Satan in return. God’s plan was to destroy Satan by due process. To accomplish this plan, God created man in His image. Why did God create man in His image? It was so that Satan, who opposed God, would be induced to attack man. In other words, God created this environment called universe and redirected Satan’s opposition against God towards man. Since then, Satan was called the Devil. The name Satan is used to describe the illegal one who rebelled against God, but Devil is the name of the one who has the legal right to attack man. God has allowed man to be tempted, attacked, and cursed by Satan. By creating man in God’s own image and placing him in the universe where Satan was imprisoned, He allowed Satan to become the Devil. When he rebelled against God, the fallen angel was called Satan. When man was created to be used as the vessel to judge the fallen angel by due process, Satan was called Devil. The word Satan means, “the one that rebelled against God”, and there is no verse in the Bible that commands believers to resist Satan. But the word Devil points to the one who divided the relationship between God and man, leading him to destruction. God placed man, who was made in His image, before Satan so that his (Satan’s) opposition would be diverted to man. This is when Satan became the Devil. God legally recognizes the identity of the Devil. Satan has an illegal status as a traitor, but the Devil has a legal status as a ruler. In other words, God allowed the illegal one called Satan to be legalized as the Devil. From Matthew 4:1-10, it is clear that Jesus acknowledged the Devil as the tempter by receiving his temptations. God allowed Satan to become the Devil. Satan is the illegal status that the fallen angel has taken for himself, but the
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Devil is the legal identity that God approved for him. Simply put, allowing Satan to become the Devil means the same as legalizing the activities of the illegal one. Since the Devil’s identity is legal, he has the lawful right to harass mankind. People are unaware of this, so when hardships and troubles come, they say, “Where is God? Where is He now when I’m suffering? If God exists, then how could these things happen to me?” But we have to know that it is the legal right given to the Devil to tempt, deceive, and harass people. This is similar to the parable of the Prodigal Son. The second son kept telling the father that he would leave. Yet, he could not until the father allowed him by packing his bags for him. It is the Devil’s legal right to tempt and harass mankind. So he mobilizes all the knowledge, power, and resources in the universe to operate in his legal right. It is obvious that people are under the dominion of the Devil. The Lord Jesus called the Devil, ‘the ruler of this world.’ A ruler has the official right to govern over his nation as he wills. The Devil likewise has the right to arbitrarily rule over all creation on earth. And you shall eat dust all the days of your life. (Gen. 3:14c)
For dust you (Adam) are, and to dust you shall return. (Gen. 3:19)
Since man is from dust, he is to return to dust, and the serpent has the right to consume that dust. This means that just as the serpent eats dust, the Devil has the right to govern, to disease, to maim, to mutilate, and to enslave man in any way he desires (John 10:10). The Devil has the legal right to tempt people, to afflict them with sickness, and to even cause death. So in order to destroy the
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works of the Devil and to rescue the people under his influence, he must be judged by due process. The Son of God came into this world in the flesh to legally destroy the works of the Devil. The Son of God came to the world and was judged according to the legal system of the world ruled by the Devil. Jesus was crucified on the cross, but God raised Him up from the dead and proved His innocence. At the same time, God judged the Devil for condemning and killing His Son. Thus, the Devil’s judgment was by due process. This permitted those who desire to be in Christ Jesus to receive salvation. But whoever does not desire to be in Christ would still be legally ruled by the Devil.
When One Accepts Defeat
The only way that we can be free from the authority of the Devil is to rely on the works of Jesus, who has legally judged the Devil. Many saints confess the ministry and works of Jesus Christ, but they still justify their sicknesses and curses as a normal part of life. I was born weak. My family has this condition. This is my fate. They justify their hardships with these words. This kind of justification ultimately leads to despair. Mental illness and despair or self-abandonment is closely related to each other. Psychosis does not develop just because of a demon. The Bible mentions many accounts of demon expulsion, but there are very few stories about demons being cast out of people with a mental illness. A specific demon does not cause mental illness. When the demon enters the body, he attacks with small sicknesses such as athlete’s foot, ulcers, or even neuralgia. But if the person cannot handle the pain and gives up his will to endure, then the demon takes over his will and the person becomes mentally ill. Sicknesses, accidents, violence, and destruction are all legal works of the Devil that he uses to oppress man. The Devil has the
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authority to do whatever he wants with people. This is possible because the illegal Satan became the legal Devil. The Devil should not be taken lightly. Without Jesus Christ, there is no way that we can escape from the Devil. Even Jesus acknowledged the authority possessed by the Devil. When Jesus was tempted by the Devil, He never said, “How dare you to tempt Me?” The Devil’s identity as a tempter is a legal status. The Devil took away Job’s possessions, health, and family because of the legal right that was given to him. We realize that wars, famines, floods, poverty, curses, deaths, trials, and desperations are all caused by the legal actions of the Devil and his cohorts. It is also apparent how complete, detailed, resilient, and bold their actions are. All the authorities in this universe are in their hands. This is why the Bible refers to the Devil as the ‘prince of the power of the air.’ Since he possesses all the authority, power and knowledge within the universe, he is a powerful being indeed. The Devil will do whatever it takes within his jurisdiction to recapture the people whom he had lost to Jesus. The Devil will obviously use all temptations and deceptions to accomplish this resolute task. When Satan became the Devil, man became his possession to be torn, oppressed, and plagued. No authority or power exists in the universe that man can use to escape from the oppression of the Devil. For this reason, eternal death awaits those who live according to the flesh. The only way to escape the clutches of the Devil is to be empowered with heavenly authority. Jesus Christ is the only one who can truly set us free. The name Jesus means God will save His people from this world. Jesus came in the flesh to save us from this world, to rescue us from the oppression of the Devil. When Jesus returns, He will take us away from this world and bring us into His dwelling place. Failure in business, failure in school, broken families, oppression, temptations, and curses are all works of the Devil. Just
1. The Illegal Traitor that Became the Legal Ruler
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as how the Devil used the serpent to deceive Eve in the Garden of Eden, he can use all the creations in this world for his purpose. Whatever they may be, the Devil can use animals, religions, societies, cultures, knowledge, dignitaries, and any other resources to attack the people on earth. The Devil even tried to tempt the Son of God by using the things of the world! So if anyone entrusts his soul to the world, then he will not be able to escape the clutches of the Devil.
Man’s Spirit, A Vessel for Eternal Love
Man cannot escape the agony that the Devil inflicts. However, God did not create man only to be subjected to pain and suffering. Man’s body might suffer much pain and suffering from the Devil’s attack, but his spirit was created to receive the infinite love of God through Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us that nothing can separate us from the love of God that is poured into our spirit in Jesus Christ. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 8:38-39)
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We have to fully acknowledge that we are spiritual beings able to receive the eternal love of God. The body might suffer in the Devil’s hand, but the spirit is a vessel that can receive God’s love. Without affirming yourself as a spiritual being, you cannot receive the love of God. If you do not receive God’s love, then you will receive eternal condemnation with the Devil at the end. We have learned that the illegal actions of the Devil have been
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What ARE Deceiving Spirits?
legalized. We have also learned that since he is the ruler of this world, he is able to officially utilize any creation in this world to oppress and tempt mankind. However, no one should ever give up. God has sent His Son to this world so that the Son can judge the Devil according to his deeds. In subsequent chapters, we will study in depth about what God has done to set us free from the rule and oppression of the Devil.