Text Box: SATAN QUESTION: "HOW MUCH POWER DOES SATAN HAVE?" ANSWER: Satan was an angel created by God who turned against God’s authority (Isaiah 14:13) and became the head of a kingdom of evil spirits called demons, his “angels” (Matthew 25:41). His power both in the heavenly realm and on earth is great and should not be underestimated. However, while Satan and his forces are formidable enemies, Jesus Christ crushed Satan’s power, fulfilling the prophecy of Genesis 3:15. The cross of Christ won the victory (John 12:31). “The prince of this world now stands condemned” (John 16:11), and Jesus will one day destroy Satan’s power completely and purify creation (2 Peter 3:10). Satan’s power in the heavenly realm / spirit world: Satan’s power has repute in the spiritual realm (Jude 9), where he has access to the presence of God (Job 1:6). The book of Job provides insight into the relationship between God and Satan. In Job 1:6-12, Satan stands before God and reports that he has been “walking up and down” on the earth (v. 7). God asks Satan if he has considered godly Job, and Satan immediately accuses Job of insincerity - he only loves God for the blessings God gives. “Stretch out your hand,” Satan says, “and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face” (v. 11). God grants Satan permission to affect Job’s possessions and family, but not his person, and Satan leaves. (The rest of the book is from Job’s perspective, providing an example of how to deal with suffering.) This is an important passage because it shows Satan’s place in the spiritual realm. He is able to accuse God’s people in His very presence, and Jude 9 shows that even Michael the archangel needs the Lord’s help in overcoming him. However, Satan is obviously restrained from enacting his full fury; he is still a created being under God, and his power is limited. Satan’s power on the earth: Job 1 also reveals that Satan does enact evil and cause direct harm on the earth. The most well-known and important of his actions on earth occurred in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 3 tells of Satan’s temptation of Eve, the “mother of all the living” (v. 20), and her subsequent first sin. It was this act, and that of Eve’s husband Adam, that brought sin into the world, and it is the reason all humankind must be redeemed from sin in order to be with God. One day, Jesus met a woman who had been “crippled by a spirit for eighteen years” (Luke 13:11). Jesus attributes the infirmity to Satan, who had kept her “bound” (v. 16). Satan’s power was real, but it was easily overcome by our Lord: “he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God” (v. 13). Jesus’ miracle was a clear demonstration of His authority over Satan. Since his instigation of evil on earth, Satan has been named as the “prince,” “god” or “ruler” of this world (John 14:30; cf. John 12:31; 16:11; 1 Corinthians 2:6, 8; 2 Corinthians 4:3-4; Ephesians 2:2; Colossians 1:13). He is the enemy of God and truth (Matthew 13:24-30; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12), and he does everything he can to tempt individuals (Genesis 3; Luke 22:31; Matthew 2:3; 1 Timothy 3:7). and larger groups of people (1 Thessalonians 3:5; Revelation 2:10). He “leads the whole world astray” (Revelation 12:9). Satan accomplishes this by various means, including appealing to man’s pride (1 Timothy 3:6; 1 Corinthians 4:6), interfering with the transmission of truth (Matthew 13:18-22, 38-39) and placing false believers within the church (1 Timothy 4:1-2; 2 Timothy 3:1-9; Revelation 2:9; 3:9). In John 8:44, Jesus says that Satan “is a liar and the father of it.” God still grants Satan some authority in this world, which means that his power is not yet completely broken - except in one area: his power of death. Hebrews 2:14-15 says that Jesus came as a man to die in order to “destroy him who holds the power of death – that is, the devil,” a power Satan had held “from the beginning” (John 8:44). The salvation Jesus provides has released us from Satan’s stranglehold. Death has lost its sting (1 Corinthians 15:55). Satan’s power – the conclusion: The Bible says that “the whole world is under the control of the evil one” (1 John 5:19), and we must “be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Yet Christians have a great hope, for Jesus Christ (John 16:33) and our faith in Him (1 John 5:4) have overcome Satan’s evil. “The one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/Satan-power.html#ixzz2tQqqwqa4 We read in 2 Corinthians 4:4, "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God." Satan is the evil god who is worshipped by the unsaved world. The Word of God reveals that Satan BLINDS unsaved people, i.e., those who believe not. This is accomplished through secular wisdom, false religion, evolution, and man made traditions. Mankind is born into darkness, i.e., void of the truth. Satan works relentlessly to ensure that people remain in darkness, “Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved." (Luke 8:12). How does Satan REMOVE the Word of God from people's hearts? Many ways! Satan corrupts the Word of God. Satan tries to discredit Christianity. Satan introduces fake manuscripts as God's Word. Satan changes the truth into a lie. In all of this, Satan has succeeded in confusing the masses.  Just as Satan caused Eve to QUESTION God's Word in Genesis 3:1-6, Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. so does Satan shake people's faith in the Bible today. Satan uses secular wisdom, false religion, evolution, and man made traditions to deceive people. Satan would have NO power if it were not for the sinfulness of mankind. Satan's power is rooted in man's lust, greed, willful ignorance, covetousness, and rebellion. Tragically, most people go to Hell (Matthew 7:14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.). Mathew 7:15 tells us why... "Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves." Although some people wholeheartedly follow Satan (such as Marilyn Manson), most people sincerely believe they are pleasing God by following Satan (i.e., And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:14). Proverb 16:25 warns, "There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death." Satan is a master deceiver, and his servants are deceivers as well (2 Corinthians 11:13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.). God will cast even the sincerest of Christ-rejecting lost sinners into Hell... Matthew 7:22 "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?'" You see, sincerity is NO excuse for following men instead of God (Psalm 118:8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in humans.). Jesus warned in Mark 7:7-9... "They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.’ You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions.” And he continued, “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!" Many people today have a nonchalant attitude towards the Word of God. They believe that God will honor their sincerity, regardless of all else. This is devilish thinking. 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9 clearly WARNS, "He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might." You had better obey the Gospel. Man’s sin nature gives Satan great power. It is man's greed and selfishness that enables Satan to entice him with money, fame, and power. There would be no pornography if it were not for the love of money (1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.). There would be no lying televangelists if it were not for the love of money. There would be no crooked corporations if it were not for the love of money. There would be no corrupt Bibles if it were not for the love of money. The love of money is synonymous with the love of pleasure. As the god of this world, Satan controls the wicked through money and worldly prosperity. It is common knowledge in the entertainment and corporate world that allegiance to Satan guarantees success. It is no secret that you must sell your soul to the Devil to make it big in Hollywood or the music industry. Many women today have turned aside after Satan... "So I counsel younger widows to marry, to have children, to manage their homes and to give the enemy no opportunity for slander." Feminism gives Satan power to destroy marriages and families. To no surprise, America has the highest divorce rate in the world. Divorce is a horrible perpetuating sin. We see the power of Satan at work in corrupt Bibles. Fewer people are getting saved today because the Word of God is being eradicated from society. 1 Peter 1:23 states, "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God." You cannot be born-again without the Seed of God's Word. As the Bible is being corrupted, the power of the Word is diminished (Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.).  Satan's power is seen working in our top government leaders... "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12). We see the power of Satan in the lying news media. We see the power of Satan in the crazy things he inspires people to do. We even see the power of Satan working in the church. Satan's power is seen in Walt Disney movies. Satan's power is seen in Contemporary Christian Music. Satan's power is described in Ephesians 2:2, "in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient." Satan's power is seen in the occultism of our nation's top leaders. We see Satan's power in rock music, and what power it is! America has been destroyed because of the evil influence of Devilish music. Do you know why 48,000,000 U.S. infants have been brutally murdered by abortion? It's because of fornication, which is the god of rock music. Rock-n-Roll preaches a gospel of sex sins, substance abuse, suicide, and Satanism.  And by the way, there is NO such thing as "Christian Rock." ALL rock music is of the Devil, and corrupts society. Proof is that fornication, abortion, feminism, homosexuality, divorce, and other forms of apostasy have all rode in on the garbage truck of Rock-n-Roll. We are following after the god of self. Although Satan's power is leading billions of people into Hellfire, we can praise God as Christians, “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world." (1 John 4:4). If you receive Jesus Christ as your Savior, the truth shall make you free (John 14:6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.)... "to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'" (Acts 26:18). What a wonderful Savior!