Let's talk Satan, demons, it's powers

Jesus is the one who opens the seals that give Satan and the beast power for a time on earth over the saints and all nations and peoples

its all part of his plan tbat Satan has power on earth for a time then …..and then again at the end

We disagree on what that time is referring to.

But only believers receive the power of the resurrected Christ. like you say until the second coming of the Lord Jesus in all His glory.

A lot of Christian’s use Satan as an excuse also for the failings in their own personal lives. Sometimes our free will decisions have consequences.

Example, I had friends come over for the football game and we made a mess and I had a ton of dishes and I left the kitchen a mess. My wife came home and yelled at me and scolded me very sternly and I was really upset..

No, this is not the result of Satan’s work. It’s because I was lazy and lacked a little bit of common sense.

The answer is,everything that occurs due to Satan.

God let Satan kill Job's family. Wife,daughters. He let him destroy Job any way he wanted but yet he was not permitted to kill Job.
All as a test of Job's faith.

Satan isn't impotent.

Do NOT under estimate Satan. He tricked 1/3 of the angels in Heaven who had been face to face with God’s perfect Glory. Think about that… it blows my mind.

He's impotent in halting Jesus from building His kingdom...I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Satan is playing defense now. Notice Christ allusion...the gates of hell. Satan is trying to protect his gains. But Jesus is reaching over the gates and plucking out the brands.
In Revelation 1, Jesus shows up with 2 keys on his keychain...death and hell. So while Satan still possesses a degree of power, he no longer possesses any authority. And in this regard, he is impotent to hinder the growth of the church. What started as a mustard seed will become the greatest kingdom...the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our God and of His Christ.

For anyone interested in an academic treatment of this topic, I highly recommend Dr. Michael Heiser’s “The Unseen Realm”.

Dr. Michael Heiser’s book, “The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible”, is an influential work in biblical theology that explores the supernatural elements of Scripture, particularly those related to divine beings, spiritual warfare, and the ancient worldview of the Bible’s authors. Heiser’s primary argument is that modern readers often overlook or misunderstand the Bible’s supernatural elements due to cultural distance and theological assumptions.

Key Themes and Concepts in “The Unseen Realm”:

1. The Divine Council:
• One of Heiser’s central ideas is the concept of a divine council, a group of spiritual beings who serve as God’s heavenly court. This idea is based on passages like Psalm 82 and Deuteronomy 32:8-9, where God is depicted as presiding over other divine beings.
• Heiser argues that the Bible assumes the existence of other elohim (a term often translated as “gods” but referring to spiritual beings), though only Yahweh is the one true God. These other beings are subordinate to Yahweh and play various roles in the administration of the cosmos.
2. Sons of God and the Nephilim:
• Heiser revisits the story of the sons of God and the Nephilim in Genesis 6:1-4. He takes the view that the “sons of God” were supernatural beings (rather than humans or descendants of Seth), who rebelled against God by intermingling with humans, producing the Nephilim, a race of giants.
• This event is seen as part of the broader spiritual rebellion that introduces chaos into the world and is linked to the worldview of Second Temple Judaism, which influenced New Testament thought.
3. Deuteronomy 32 and the Nations:
• Heiser presents an interpretation of Deuteronomy 32:8-9 that suggests, at the Tower of Babel, when humanity was scattered and divided into different nations, God assigned these nations to the authority of lesser divine beings (referred to as “sons of God” in some translations). These beings later became corrupt, leading to widespread idolatry and spiritual rebellion among the nations.
• God chose Israel as His special possession, through whom He would reclaim all the nations (a theme that culminates in the New Testament).
4. The Role of Jesus:
• Heiser emphasizes that Jesus’ mission is not only to save individuals from sin but also to reclaim the nations and defeat the rebellious spiritual forces (such as demons and fallen angels) that had led humanity astray. The New Testament portrays Jesus as the one who disarms and conquers the powers and principalities (e.g., Colossians 2:15).
• Jesus’ victory over these spiritual beings is particularly highlighted in events like His crucifixion, resurrection, and eventual second coming, where He will establish His kingdom.
5. Spiritual Warfare:
• The book also explores the reality of spiritual warfare, a theme often seen throughout both the Old and New Testaments. Heiser argues that Christians today need to recover a supernatural worldview that recognizes the activity of both good and evil spiritual forces in the world.
• Understanding the unseen realm helps believers recognize the larger spiritual battle in which they are engaged and the importance of their role as participants in God’s plan to redeem the world.
6. Reclaiming the Supernatural Worldview:
• Heiser urges modern readers to reclaim the biblical worldview, which is inherently supernatural. He believes that the Bible is meant to be understood in the context of the ancient Near Eastern cultures in which it was written, where belief in a spiritual realm and the presence of divine beings was common.
• By doing so, Heiser contends, readers will have a deeper appreciation for the Bible’s full message and will be better equipped to understand difficult or confusing passages that involve supernatural beings.

Reception and Influence:

• “The Unseen Realm” has been widely praised for its scholarly depth and accessible style, as it bridges academic biblical studies with popular-level Christian teaching.
• Heiser’s work has been especially impactful in helping Christians rethink passages that deal with angels, demons, and other spiritual beings, as well as encouraging them to see the Bible in its ancient context.
• Some readers, however, find his interpretations controversial, particularly his views on the divine council and the Nephilim, as they challenge traditional interpretations held by some Christian denominations.

Conclusion:

Dr. Michael Heiser’s “The Unseen Realm” offers a provocative and in-depth exploration of the Bible’s supernatural worldview. It challenges readers to look beyond their modern, often secularized assumptions and to rediscover the ancient context of Scripture, where the spiritual and material worlds were deeply intertwined. By doing so, Heiser believes Christians can better understand the full scope of God’s redemptive plan and the spiritual realities that underlie the biblical narrative.

I should mention there is no profit in this.

I mean, you can investigate it all you want, but there is nothing to be gained by it.

Conversation between two friends in the past:

"Hey you should read this book. It's about the devil's alphabet."

"I don't need to read that book. I don't plan on speaking his language. When I talk to the devil the only thing I need to know is, in the name of Jesus Christ."

No downside in studying the adversary…

And still, God controls Satan.

Jesus is God.