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[A]. THE FACE OF SATAN
Have you seen the face of Satan? No, I don’t expect you have, nor will you, but Jesus has. He knew the anointed cherub because He created him. He knew him when he was perfect in all his ways. Some don’t acknowledge the Ezekiel passage as relating to Lucifer/Satan, but I believe it does relate. It speaks to the ruler of Tyre, but it talks way beyond him. Here is one statement – Ezekiel 28:15 “You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you.” The Ezekiel verse can’t refer to the ruler of Tyre because he was not blameless at any time in any of his ways. That refers to Satan when in heaven before sin entered into him.
Jesus also was face to face with Satan in the threefold temptations. Also, today, Satan has access to heaven as the accuser – Revelation 12:10 “I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, ‘Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for THE ACCUSER OF OUR BRETHREN has been thrown down, who accuses them before our God day and night.”
God prepared a special habitation for this anointed cherub – Ezekiel 28:13 “You were in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the lapis lazuli, the turquoise, and the emerald, and the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets was in you. On the day that you were created they were prepared” (NASB).
This was not the Eden of Genesis. In the Middle East, it was “paradeisos,” a special lovely garden. The description in that verse portrays the absolute beauty and glory of God’s most wonderfully beautiful creation –> the anointed cherub who became Satan. (Michael the archangel is the most powerful of God’s creation.)
In that verse (28:13), I see Eden as the perfection of God in creation. In Genesis, the earthly Eden (a homophonous root meaning “delight,” or from Sumerian “edin,” meaning a plain or steppe, or from the Akkadian “edinu”) was the perfection of creation for man. Eden is translated “paradeisos” by the LXX (Septuagint), which comes from the Old Persian “pairidaeza” (park, pleasure ground), which in time became “paradise” in English. This Eden of Ezekiel created for Lucifer is not at all related to the Genesis Eden but is the special created setting God made for Lucifer, both he and Eden being of the most exquisite beauty.
[B]. WHAT WAS THE FIRST SIN EVER?
Satan committed the first sin, which was pride – Ezekiel 28:17 “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty. You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendour. I cast you to the ground. I put you before kings that they may see you.”
When we look into Isaiah, we see this verse about the “Morning star.” Isaiah 14:12-15 “How you have fallen from heaven, O STAR OF THE MORNING, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations! But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven, I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will make myself like the Most High.’ ‘Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit.”
Yes, it was vaulting pride that caused Satan to think he would rise up and overthrow God. The cause of that pride was his beauty. Be warned! Be very careful, O Christian, that what God has given you does not become a source of pride. That may relate to your abilities, your position, especially your church position, your wealth, your achievements (Nebuchadnezzar), and so much more.
Isaiah 14:12. This word “O star of the morning” is from the Latin “light bearer.” The word is the translation of the Hebrew “helel” (“heosphoros” in the LXX – Septuagint) meaning “shining one.” The Arabic uses for “bright, shining one” the word “zuhratun,” the name for the planet Venus, which is what the word “Lucifer” is in Latin. Jerome, when translating the Vulgate (Hebrew/Greek into Latin between A.D. 383 and 404), had difficulty in rendering the Hebrew “helel” into Latin, and because it was associated with “light” (luc/lucens – Latin), he decided on Lucifer, and the name has remained. It has become the name for Satan.
I asked at the beginning, have you seen Satan? Just supposing for a moment that you could see Satan; what would you see? Would you behold an angel of light in the beauty wherein God created him? Would you see a horrible, grotesque form before you? Would you see the face of an innocent lamb, or a roaring lion, or a wolf, or a vicious, twisted serpent? One thing is certain; Satan is all things to all men, an ever-changing façade for every occasion.
Let us be sure of one thing, Satan is a perfect strategist and has a powerful band of demons under his control (possibly billions). There is one thing we must be VERY careful not to do. We must not attribute to Satan divine attributes; in other words, he is NOT omnipresent. Satan is not in every place all the time but is able (I believe) to move at incredible speed in his connections. Angels and demons seem to have communication through space, but that is complex and not for now.
[C]. SATAN MADE ME DO IT
You hear the expression, “Satan made me do it,” and that is just a load of nonsense. Satan has so many major pollutants going on that he is not interested in you. Maybe a demon had a hand in it, but most of the time, it was your OWN sin that brought you down. The lust of the eyes and of the flesh and the pride of life that is within you, even as a Christian with the old nature – that is what brings you down. Take responsibility for your own sin, even as a Christian!
WHAT IS INFLUENCING OUR NATIONS TODAY?
National leaders and dictators think they are doing it all in their own efforts, but they are deluded. So much evil is now in the world that Satan’s power (through the demonic horde) is always increasing, and in the past 3 years, it has expanded enormously.
Consider this verse carefully:
Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (NASB). The AV uses “principalities,” which can be translated as “evil princes” – that is, evil demonic rulers, most powerful, and I do not think it speaks of world leaders but of demonic princes.
Note these verses to connect with the one just listed from Ephesians – Daniel 10:12-13 “Then he said to me, ‘Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. But the PRINCE of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia.”
Daniel 10:20-21 “Then he said, Do you understand why I came to you? But I shall now return to fight against the PRINCE of Persia; so I am going forth, and behold, the PRINCE of Greece is about to come. However, I will tell you what is inscribed in the writing of truth. Yet there is no one who stands firmly with me against these forces except Michael your prince.”
There was a very powerful demonic prince over Persia in the spirit world resisting an angel, and Michael (the archangel) had to come to his aid.
I will stick my neck out to say the evil demonic prince over Australia is so powerful that the whole nation is fast becoming terribly polluted under its influence. Australia is becoming satanic so fast. More on that later on. All the nations of Europe, and the Americas, and the communist nations have active, wicked demonic princes over them. I cannot believe how quickly our nations are turning into the dark paths of Satan. Why, even today, I saw in media outlets where the pope came out and said we all must accept gay rights. That is true – it was on the news media. The Cardinals of the Vatican may be homosexual (that is so), but we don’t want it thrust onto us by a pope.
When the world leader is revealed (Antichrist, if you wish), he and the False Prophet will be possessed by Satan so decisively that they will be the full embodiment of Satan. No one as evil as those two has ever walked on the earth as human beings. These will be times like none other. I call it “saturated evil.” That evil does not spring up out of nothing but is steadily growing up into maturity, maybe slow at first some decades ago, but now so rapidly. Every day, we are hearing more and more new grotesque things and a complete defiance of logic in the world. People do not know the left hand from the right, good from bad, but are being swept up in a worldwide net of socialism (to become communism) through the agency of the WEF and the UN (especially the WHO).
[D]. BUT WHAT IS SATAN’S FORM?
Do you recall the angelic appearances in the Old Testament? Some were theophanies when Jesus was among men, such as the fourth man in the Furnace and the man who wrestled with Jacob. Angels in the form of men were in Sodom. The demonic world can also alter appearances. 2Corinthians 11:14 “and no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”
Does it seem appropriate to say that Satan’s form suits his purposes? I will list some of the names of Satan – Lucifer – Angel of Light; Devil; Liar; Beelzeboul (bub); Great Serpent; Great Red Dragon; A Roaring Lion; The Deceiver; Father of Lies; Apollyon/Abaddon; Angel of the Abyss; The Evil One; The Enemy; The God of this World; Prince and Power of the Air; The Tempter; Satan; Prince of Evil; The Adversary; The Accuser of the Brethren.
The devil can assume any form he wants, and so can the demons. The angel of light can be grotesque if that suits the purpose. The great deceiver deceives and deludes men all the time, though remember what I said – Satan is not omnipresent and can only be in one place at any one time. The Old Testament speaks of “deceiving spirits,” so the demons do nearly all the deceiving. I think Satan spends a lot of personal time at the WEF meetings, at the UN, at the Vatican, and at Climate Conferences.
[E]. PRESENT HAPPENINGS
What is influencing our nations? Why are they turning to evil so quickly? It is because demonic activity is now at fever pitch, and the human race has OPENED ALL THE DOORS for the demons to enter. Open the doors to demons, and they will immediately enter. What are these doors? Satan loves helping hands, and all these are playing into his hands:
[1]. GAMING AND THE OCCULT. The gaming industry is huge today and very attractively addictive to young people and even ones a bit older. Many of the games are occult-based and role-playing with demonic themes and the casting of spells. I knew a Christian man who walked away from the Lord in the 1970/80s through getting involved in Dungeons and Dragons.
[2]. THE NEW AGE AND THE OCCULT. So much eastern religion is entering the western world, and all the various practices are dangerous. If you want a full explanation of this, I would recommend “The ABC of the Occult” by Kurt Koch and any of his other books. I won’t detail the multitudes of occult practices here.
[3]. THE ADOPTION OF DELUSION. Delusion is demonic, very subtle, and evil. This world is now in the throes of delusion more than at any time in its history. Any honest reviewer and researcher can prove climate change is a hoax, but it is a hoax with a purpose. What is that purpose? It is to make all nations conform to the standards set down by the World Economic Forum to bring all the world under a socialist/communist Government.
Another great delusion is that of homosexual rights and all the others distortions of gender and sexuality. We are being conned into accepting that it is all good and the proper fulfillment of the human person. It is a satanic lie, and people are swept along with it. With the sexual destruction of children and the denial of their gender and proper well-being, God will not tolerate it for very much longer, and that is why the Rapture is very soon to be followed by the wrath of God in the Tribulation.
[4]. ABORTION. You cannot murder the human race without increasing Satan’s power base. God said to multiply, but abortionists say, “Kill the unborn.” Upwards of 73 million abortions are performed yearly in the world. Satan is a murderer from the beginning, so it is little wonder he murders unborn children. He murdered all males under 18 months through Herod in the time of Jesus.
[5]. ROCK MUSIC IS SATANISM. When Rock and Roll came in in the 1950s, it entered rebelliously but was not the perverse evil genre it is today. Most of the lyrics are just plain Satanism and homosexuality. The performers are drug addicts and practice all sorts of sexual and deviant evil. The minds of the young people are destroyed through this vehicle of Satan.
[6]. DRUGS. Are drugs possibly the greatest means today where Satan is destroying the human race? When one “takes a trip” or is under the influence of drugs, his mind is opened up for whatever will fill it, and the demons readily flock in to take the person over. Demonic possession does not mean acting like Legion did in Luke 8. It has a lot more subtle influence on a person’s personality and destroys him spiritually from God.
[7]. ANTI-GOD POLITICIANS. So many of our politicians have DELIBERATELY dismissed God, and when you do that, you automatically turn to “the dark side.” I am talking to Christians – when you have an evil politician sprouting some horrible policy, does not your soul and spirit feel uneasy and heavy? That is God’s reaction in you to the black evil of Satan.
[F]. MORE OF SATAN’S INFLUENCE
(a) My next point will be controversial to those of the left wing of politics. Later on this year, Australia is going to waste hundreds of millions of dollars to have a constitutional referendum, pushed by Australia’s Marxist Prime Minister, Albanese. He refuses to say what powers are going to be given to a handful of aborigines so they can be given “The Voice” over all the rest of Australia. It has something to do with the culture of the aborigines being imposed on us. It is sheer racism.
The aboriginal culture was disgusting, as so many missionaries reported on in the 1800s. They practiced cannibalism, put their old people out to die, and exposed their infants to die. Their whole way of life was centered on their religion, which is total, darkest spiritism and dominated by the Medicine Man. They worship Satan, who is the Rainbow Serpent. The Medicine Man (kurdaitcha man) could point a bone at someone, and that person would die, such was/is the strength of Satanism. Aboriginal culture is being introduced in this nation. Parliaments are opened with a “smoking ceremony,” which is the invoking of demonic spirits, and by Corroborees, which are spiritist dances. This is what is being forced onto us. The aborigines lived in absolute fear of the spirits (demonic evil spirits).
Years ago, I would never have believed that Australia would be propelled into spiritism. So bad is it that in my own State, school children are now going to be “educated” in the acceptance of the YES vote for “the Voice” in the referendum. That is politicizing children in spiritism. Things are really bad.
(b) Satan owns the media. Intelligent Christians know this, but most people just don’t care. In Australia, all the media except one Channel (Sky) is fully left-wing, and it promotes evil things. But the worst channel, the fully tax-funded ABC, is filthy. It is anti-Christian and anti-Jewish in the extreme. This is all of Satan, who is the prince and power of the air. In the USA, the Christians know the evil of your media as well. Just start with CNN and NY Times . . .
Make no mistake; this world is fast becoming anti-God, anti-Christian, and anti-Semitic. Why? It is because Satan has made such inroads into world thinking and politics. That is why!
[G]. ONE LAST THOUGHT TO CLOSE WITH
There is so much I can add to the above, and it would become very large. I will close with one point.
The demon world is all around us. Satan’s realm is in the atmosphere, and if our eyes could be opened to “see spiritually,” we would see this world’s atmosphere teeming with demons. Of course, I think it is also likely the good angels are doing battle there. One thing we must have absolute certainty about is that Satan is 100% defeated at the cross, and he can have no power over us. We have the Holy Spirit living in us, and I also believe the angels keep us too. Remember always – Christians cannot be harmed. Satan cannot touch you. You may be oppressed but never possessed.
[H]. THE RAPTURE
When Jesus comes for His Church, He will descend into the air, into Satan’s realm. That is Satan’s territory, but the Lord takes command over it to raise maybe billions of His people from Adam to the present. We read this – 1Thessalonians 4:16 “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a SHOUT, with the VOICE of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first.”
The Lord comes with a shout. That, of course, will be the call from Revelation 4:1 – “COME UP HERE!” Satan can’t stop it! Then we read that the Archangel has a voice. When the Rapture comes, I think it is most likely that Michael, the most powerful angel, will speak Satan’s hordes into impotence in the Rapture. Nothing will prevent it.
Please come, Lord Jesus!
The post Satan’s Origin, Influence, and Activity Today :: By Ron Ferguson appeared first on Rapture Ready.
