Bella Vista Church of Christ

08/25/2019 P.M.

Unmasking Satan – His Objective Methods & Destiny

Revelation Chapters 16 – 17 & 18 James 5.1-5

As we read Revelation Chapters… 16… 17… 18… We see the wrath of God poured out on the Satanic world… Upon Satan… Demons… And HUMANKIND who fall under His power…

• God’s accumulated wrath since the beginning of time…

• God’s wrath for every sin ever committed… Not covered… Forgiven… By the blood of Jesus.

God’s wrath poured out on both people and governments… Kings and kingdoms.

Read with me chapter 18… Verse one beginning… I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. With a mighty voice he shouted: “Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit, a haunt for every unclean and detestable bird. For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.

Before we get into the lesson for tonight… I feel compelled to say something that these chapters have to say to us… Note the end of the verses we just read… All nations have become drunk on the wine of her adulteries… From her excessive luxuries.

Read these three chapters again and see how many times the word luxury or luxuries appears… It seems that the real problem with Babylon and the Harlot is luxury.

Here it is church… There’s nothing wrong with living in God’s blessing of luxury… What brings the wrath of God is being drunk on luxury.

• The problem is not the wine… The problem is becoming drunk on the wine.

• The problem is not the luxury… The problem is being drunk on luxury.

The problem occurs when we turn materialism into idolatry… It brings God’s wrath… And tonight we can hear Jesus say to us… Come out of her… Leave the sin of materialism.

Church… This is the sin of our culture… It’s the sin of our world today… Everybody seems to be drunk with accumulating more and more and more.

Paul plainly tells us that we should work on being content with what we have… Enjoy the blessings of luxury… But don’t become drunk on them.

Listen to James chapter five… You rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days… You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.

Ok… Set these thoughts aside for a few moments as we consider

the one who is responsible for causing God’s wrath…

The one who has and is causing every sin…

Satan and his angels… Demons.

We know little about the unseen spirit world… What we do know is that Scripture confirms the Spirit World’s existence of … Beast & Dragons…

• Angels…

• Seraphim…

• spiritual creatures…

• Along with Satan and demons.

At times these beings even come to earth.

In chapter four… We learn these beings are… On the earth… In the earth… On the seas and in the seas… And in the air…

In fact… These unseen… Spirit Beings… Are probably involved on earth far more than we think.

Tonight our focus is on… Satan and His world of Evil Beings…

This is an appropriate study…

It was Paul who tells us in Second Corinthians 2.11

that we need to be aware of His strategies and schemes.

Our first point is that Satan is… a person… A Spirit Being.

He’s not just a symbol of sin… Or only an influence for evil.

We know God is a person…. Because of the pronouns used in reference to Him… HE…. HIM… HIS… Satan is a person… Scripture constantly employs the masculine personal pronouns… he… him… And his.

• Teaching us to pray… Jesus said… Lead us not into temptation… But deliver us from the evil one… Jesus believed Satan was a person.

• When Jesus depicted the judgment… It was… Depart from Me… You cursed… Into everlasting fire prepared for the devil and HIS angels.

• Paul writes… Satan himself masquerades as an Angel of light.

• James says… Submit yourselves to God. Resist the Devil… And he will flee from you.

Another proof of personality is that Satan has…

• Intellect… Paul indicates that he can and does scheme inventing ways to entrap us.

• He has Desires…

• Emotions…

• Will…

• And… The ability to communicate.

Today’s Political Correctness demands that Satan be thought of only as an influence to do evil… This is NOT true !!... Satan is a real spirit being.

Next... We consider… His origin...

The Bible gives us a rather symbolic insight to the origin of... Satan… Demons… and Sin.

We are not told specifically where they came from.

What we do know is that God created the unseen spirit world...

• God created everything... John 1.3 tells us... He created all things and without Him nothing was made that was made.

• Colossians 1.16 says… By Him all things were created… Things in heaven and on earth.

• We know what God created was good... Genesis 1.31 reads... He saw everything that He had made… And behold it was very good.

Yet when the Serpent appeared in the Garden... In Genesis chapter three... He was an evil Being... Bringing the possibility of sin into the lives of humankind.

Therefore... Sometime prior to the events of Genesis three there must have been a rebellion in the… Angelic… Spirit… World with many spirit beings turning against God and becoming evil.

Several Scriptures can be found affirming or at least alluding to this concept...

Revelation 12.7-9…There was war in heaven. Michael & 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, was hurled to the earth… And his angels with him.

2 Peter 2.4... For if God did not spare angels when they sinned… But sent them to hell… Putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment...

Jude 1.6 says… And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home... These he has kept in darkness… Bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.

Revelation chapter twenty tells us of a day when Satan and his angels will be thrown in to the lake of fire… Along with all whose name does not appear in the Book of Life.

Next… We consider Satan’s personality and nature…

Satan is powerful…

Ephesians 6.12 reads… 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 Cosmic forces of evil.

• He is said to be the God of this world…

• Prince of this world…

• Prince of the power of the air…

• Ruler of demons… Ruler of darkness…

• Paul indicates that he can perform signs and false wonders.

In spite of his awesome powers… Satan can be resisted.

Scripture tells us God will protect us… Not allowing us to be... Tempted… Tried…Beyond what we are able to contend with… Deal with.

We are told that if we resist him… He will flee from us.

Church…It’s when…

• We entertain him in our thoughts…

• Let him control our emotions…

• And participate in our dreams and fantasies…

That he becomes powerful…. In a way… We give Satan His power.

Not only is he powerful… He’s cunning.

We see... his cunningness… His trickery…In the Garden Temptation of Adam & Eve.

James says… He uses some of the same tricks today… Appealing to our lust… Our fleshly desires… That are not wrong within themselves…But can certainly be twisted to become evil desires… As previously noted… We can become intoxicated on good things to the point that they become idolatrous to us.

Point number four… Satan’s Objective.

It was Jesus who said… Satan… The thief comes only to… steal… kill… And destroy… But I have come that you may have life, and have it to the fullest.

Satan’s objective is to… Steal… Kill… And Destroy… To do everything he can to draw us away from god and the eternal salvation He offers.

Paul summed it up best when he told King Agrippa that... God had sent him to open the eyes of the Gentiles so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God... WHY?... In order that they may receive forgiveness of sins... And an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith.

Now that we know Satan’s objectives…

Let’s consider some of His tactics…

First… Satan gets to us through temptation.

Perhaps the best way for us to understand this area is to read the narrative of the temptation of Jesus… From Matthew chapter four… Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting for forty days and forty nights… He was hungry. The tempter came to him and said… If you are the Son of God… Tell these stones to become bread… Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. If you are the Son of God… Throw yourself down. For it is written… He will command his angels concerning you… And they will lift you up in their hands… So that you will not strike your foot against a stone… The devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. All this I will give you… He said… If you will bow down and worship me.

Three ways Satan temps… First the Lust of the flesh.

It was right for Jesus to be hungry and want bread… To want to turn these stones into bread for His own personal use.

But motive is everything… And such a motive was Outside God’s purposes…

Jesus’ power to do miracles was for three purposes…

• To confirm His identity…

• To confirm His teaching…

• His Word…

• And to help others…

Not to sustain His own human needs or pleasures.

The lust of the eyes is an easy way Satan gets to us…

Like Eve… We see fruit that is not only good… But also is a delight to us… So we partake.

Jesus could have thrown Himself down… Been caught by the Angels…And avoided the cross… Sounded good!!… Looked good!!… But it all lay outside God’s will!

And the pride of life… The boasting of what we’ve done and what we have.

Nothing wrong with doing good… Nothing wrong with having things…

But doing good for the purpose of boasting… To be superior in the eyes of others... is wrong.

Again… motive is everything!

Not only does he use temptation… Satan uses Deception.

Satan is... a deceiver… A liar.

John 8.44 has Jesus saying… 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.

• Has Satan ever lied toyou?... Promised something that never happened?

• Do you believe Satan lies to us religiously?.... One religion is as good as another… Islam and Mohamed are as good as Christianity and Jesus.

• He says…There is no need for... Faith… Repentance… Confession… and Baptism… Sunday communion… Worship attendance… Prayer and Bible study… Just live a good moral life.

• Sex… Drunkenness… Drugs…Gossip… Abortion… Infanticide… These are personal decisions and as long as they don’t harm others… What difference does it make?

Familiar contemporary lies from Satan that we’ve all heard… And will hear again and again.

Satan also uses Imitation to get to us.

Second Corinthians 11.13-15 says… For such men are false apostles… Deceitful workmen… Masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder… For Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising… Then… If his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.

Question… How is Satan disguised to you?…

• As an adult internet site?…

• As a blue-eyed blond?…

• As a lucrative business deal… Dependent upon cheating or hurting others?…

• As an opportunity to elevate self by attacking a brother’s reputation and character?

Sometimes Satan uses accusations…

Revelation 12.10… Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say… Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God… And the authority of His Christ. For the accuser of our brothers… Who accuses them before our God day and night… Has been hurled down.

Satan accuses us before God… He did that to Job.

In effect… He told God that Job was a fair-weather servant… Touch his belongings… His body… And he will curse You.

Here it is church… We don’t need an accuser… We need an Advocate… An Intercessor… And we have one… And we have one… Jesus our Lord.

Then Satan uses destruction…

Again… I want to make the point here that... all… A-l-l…One hundred percent…

• Of the bad…

• Ugly…

• Harmful…

• Hurtful…

• Painful…

Things that happen to us in this life are a result of sin… Mine… Yours… somebody ELSE’S…Going all the way back to Adam and Eve.

We live in a fallen world… And that fall was instigated by... And is sustained by Satan.

Paul even says his thorn in the flesh was a messenger of Satan sent to torment him.

Well…We must stop… But one more… Thoughts on Satan’s Destiny…

What’s gonna happen to him…

• This fallen Angel…

• This evil spirit…

Who is a roaring... Unseen being… Seeking to devour… destroy…Not only God’s people… But if we read Scripture closely… He seeks to destroy God’s entire creation!

It’s interesting that in Matthew chapter eight… Jesus and His Apostles landed a boat in the area of the Gadarenes… And met some demons in the cemetery... They acknowledged Jesus for who He was… Remember what they asked Jesus?...

• Did you come to torture us…

• Did you come to bring about our damnation…

• Our eternal destruction…

WHAT?... Before our time?

Revelation 20.10 says that time is at the Judgment.

Indeed… The end of Satan and his angels…

• Is eternal torment…

• Eternal destruction…

• Eternal damnation..

In the fires of Hell.

Satan’s fate… His destiny… Is sealed… It’s gonna happen!!

Here it is… We must not allow Satan to take us with him into eternal torment.

Why would we want to follow someone who is destined to lose?…Destined to suffer in Hell?

It was said of Napoleon… That he painted a red dot on a map of England saying… If it weren’t for that red spot… I could conquer the world.

Here it is church if it weren’t for the red dot of Jesus’ blood… We would know no victory over sin.

But it was Paul who asked in rhetoric…

Where O Death is your victory?

Where O Death is your sting?

The sting of death is sin… The power of sin is the Law… But thanks be to God!... He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Indeed… God so loves us that He sent His Son into the world to save us by… Faith… Repentance… And the New Birth of Water Baptism.

Perhaps as a child of God… We have allowed Satan to control some portion of our life.

Scripture tells us… If we will acknowledge our sins… Confess our faults… He is just and ready to forgive.

So church… We can leave tonight knowing we are...

• Right with God…

• Forgiven…

• Saved…

• Heaven bound…

As we stand and sing together.