Have you ever felt a chill creep up your spine, a whisper of something beyond the veil of our physical world? My own beliefs in the supernatural were irrevocably altered after a chilling incident during my medical residency, an encounter I'll never forget and am sharing with you today. Step with me into the often-misunderstood spiritual realm of angels, demons, and Satan. Drawing from scripture and personal experiences, including a particularly harrowing story from my early days in medicine, this episode is not just a conversation but a journey through the reality of dark forces and the power of Christ that stands resilient against them. Charles C. Ryrie's "A Survey of Bible Doctrine" serves as a guidepost as we traverse biblical references and uncover the pervasive influence these entities hold over our world.
But fear not, for we are not defenseless. This episode is a call to arms, to equip ourselves with the full armor of God as prescribed in Ephesians 6. We tackle the devil's cunning schemes and reflect on the purpose behind the spiritual battles that rage unseen around us. I remind you that the Holy Spirit within us is a force mightier than any adversary, a truth poignantly echoed in 1 John 4:4. Emphasizing the need for vigilance, we discuss respectful recognition of Satan's power while steadfastly relying on Jesus' intercession. And as we prepare to delve further into the spiritual encounters of biblical figures like Daniel, remember that prayer is our most potent shield and guide through the trials and temptations we face in our faith walk. Join us for this profound exploration of the unseen battles that shape our lives and faith.
Have you ever felt a chill creep up your spine, a whisper of something beyond the veil of our physical world? My own beliefs in the supernatural were irrevocably altered after a chilling incident during my medical residency, an encounter I'll never forget and am sharing with you today. Step with me into the often-misunderstood spiritual realm of angels, demons, and Satan. Drawing from scripture and personal experiences, including a particularly harrowing story from my early days in medicine, this episode is not just a conversation but a journey through the reality of dark forces and the power of Christ that stands resilient against them. Charles C. Ryrie's "A Survey of Bible Doctrine" serves as a guidepost as we traverse biblical references and uncover the pervasive influence these entities hold over our world.
But fear not, for we are not defenseless. This episode is a call to arms, to equip ourselves with the full armor of God as prescribed in Ephesians 6. We tackle the devil's cunning schemes and reflect on the purpose behind the spiritual battles that rage unseen around us. I remind you that the Holy Spirit within us is a force mightier than any adversary, a truth poignantly echoed in 1 John 4:4. Emphasizing the need for vigilance, we discuss respectful recognition of Satan's power while steadfastly relying on Jesus' intercession. And as we prepare to delve further into the spiritual encounters of biblical figures like Daniel, remember that prayer is our most potent shield and guide through the trials and temptations we face in our faith walk. Join us for this profound exploration of the unseen battles that shape our lives and faith.
Welcome to More Than Medicine, where Jesus is more than enough for the ills that plague our culture and our country. Hosted by author and physician, dr Robert Jackson Papa can you tell me a story?
Speaker 2:
Do you really want me to tell you a story? Well, you go, get your brother and your sisters and I will tell you a story. Well, you go, get your brother and your sisters and I will tell you a story. Welcome to Devotions with Dr Papa. Gather around, grab your Bibles and let's look into the written word, which reveals to us the living word, which is our Lord Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2:
Well, we're taking a short break from the book of Daniel, because what I want to do for the next two weeks is to look at this whole idea of angels, demons and the person of Satan. If you remember, in Daniel, chapter 9, daniel had an issue with his prayer life and he was praying and his prayer life was hampered or interfered with by the prince of Persia and we're going to get into that a little more when we return to the book of Daniel. But it was very obvious that there was satanic interference with Daniel's prayer life. And so I want us to talk about this whole issue of angels because, number one, there was a great deal of angelic activity in the life of Daniel. There were angels who showed up to interpret his dreams and there were angels who showed up to do spiritual battle with the demons who were in charge of some of the nations around him. So we'll talk more about that at a later date as well. So today I want to talk about Satan. Last week we talked about angels, and if you missed that, you need to go back to Devotions with Dr Papa one week and listen to the teaching on angels.
Speaker 2:
First of all, I want to say that I'm very indebted to Charles C Ryrie and a book that he wrote on Bible doctrine. The title of the book was A Survey of Bible Doctrine, and this is particularly chapter 5. And I've used this book in teaching my small discipleship groups for probably 25 years. In fact, I could probably quote most of the chapters because I've used them over and over in my discipleship groups. So I'm very indebted to Dr Ryrie for his book A Survey of Bible Doctrine, and the lesson that we're reviewing today on Satan comes from chapter 5 in that book, a Survey of Bible Doctrine. Now, before I begin that, I want to ask you a question Do you really believe that Satan is real, that demons are real, that demon possession is real? Well, let me give you a story from my personal life that will help you to make up your own mind.
Speaker 2:
When I was first in medical practice really when I was a resident before I went into medical practice a gentleman was brought into the emergency room at our local hospital. A gentleman was brought into the emergency room at our local hospital and it was obvious something was very different about this patient. He had a wild look in his eyes and it took three of the security guards in the emergency room to restrain this gentleman. At first it was thought that he was intoxicated or that he was drug addicted. Blood was drawn, the blood was tested. He was not alcohol intoxicated, he was not on any kind of drugs that we could detect. But he was so wild that all three of these officers could not control him. He had handcuffs on him. He broke the handcuffs, he was put into a straitjacket and in short order he extricated himself from the straitjacket and the security guards told me personally that they had never had a patient to extricate themselves from a straitjacket. Well, his behavior was so bizarre and his Houdini act was so unbelievable that they put him in the psychiatric lock-up room, which was a padded room with double locks on the door, put him back in a straitjacket and put him into this psychiatric lock-up room. Well, after an overnight stay in which he literally tore all the padding off the walls in this psychiatric lock-up room, he then extricated himself from the straitjacket and he broke the door down and escaped from the psychiatric lock-up room.
Speaker 2:
Well, he was captured again and it was decided that it was time to send him to the psychiatric facility in Columbia, south Carolina, our state capital. He was put into two straitjackets, his feet were shackled and he was put into a padded wagon that was used for severely psychotic patients. And he was sent to Columbia, south Carolina. There were two guards in the front of the wagon. There was a little window to look at him through into the back of the wagon. Somewhere between Spartanburg and Columbia, south Carolina, he extricated himself from two straitjackets, broke the shackles off of his feet, broke the door off the back of this padded wagon, jumped out of the vehicle while it was traveling 70 miles an hour down the interstate and escaped.
Speaker 2:
Now, is that the behavior of someone who's just intoxicated? No, because our intoxicated patients. They might be wild in their behavior, but usually they're sedated and they're unable to do things like that. They cannot, they don't have the wherewithal to do these kind of things. Everyone in the emergency room who took care of this man was of one accord. They were unanimous in saying that this man was demon possessed. He had the facial features, he had the appearance of someone who was possessed by one or more demons. And there were people in the emergency room who were not of a spiritual sort, but they were all unanimous in their agreement that this man was demon possessed.
Speaker 2:
Well, let's talk about Satan. Satan is mentioned in seven Old Testament books and in every New Testament book Jesus mentions him multiple times. And in fact, when he was tempted, in Matthew 4 and in Luke, chapter 4, he says to Satan depart from me or literally go Satan. And then, when he tells the disciples that he's going up to Jerusalem to be abused by the religious leaders and then crucified, peter rebukes him. And when Peter is in the process of rebuking him, he says to Peter Satan, get behind me. He's not addressing Peter, but he's addressing Satan. And then he tells the parable of the sower and you all know that parable where an enemy comes and sows tares amongst the good wheat. And when he explains the parable to his disciples, he says very plainly the enemy who sows the tares is the devil. So Jesus unabashedly talks about the enemy of our soul, who is the devil. So Jesus unabashedly talks about the enemy of our soul, who is the devil. So let me ask you another question what is Satan like? Last week we talked about what the angels were like.
Speaker 2:
Well, what is Satan like, who is obviously a fallen angel? Well, just like the angels, satan has personality, he has intelligence, he has emotions, he has will and he's a morally responsible person. He's not a thing, he's a person. And in Matthew, chapter 25 and verse 41, the Bible talks about the end times and it talks about when the good and the evil are separated and those who are evil are made to stand on the left hand of God. And, speaking to those who are evil, god says depart from me, accursed ones into the eternal fire. Prepared for who? The devil and his angels. You see, the devil is a morally responsible person, not a thing. And the eternal fire is prepared for the devil and his angels because they are morally responsible. Also, we understand that the devil is a creature and he is not the creator. He does not have an equal status with God, the creator. Ezekiel, chapter 28 and verse 41 says Ezekiel 28 and verse 41 says you were the anointed cherub who covers, and I placed you there. Who is I? It's God. God placed Satan as an anointed cherub.
Speaker 2:
Satan does not possess the attributes that only God possesses, such as omnipotence, omnipresence and omniscience. In other words, satan has creaturely limitations. The true creator occasionally places additional limitations on Satan. For example, job, chapter 1, where Satan accuses God of placing a hedge of protection around Job and then God agrees to remove some of that hedge of protection and he says to Satan all that he has is yours, only do not put your hand on him. You see, satan cannot do all that he wishes. He has creaturely limitations placed upon him by the true creator.
Speaker 2:
We also acknowledge that Satan is a spirit being, just like the other angels that we talked about last week. He's a spirit being and he belongs to the order of angels called cherubim. In Ezekiel 28 and verse 14, we understand that Satan is one of the highest created angels. In Ezekiel 28, 12, the Bible says that you had the seal of perfection and he retains great power even in his fallen state. For example, the Bible calls him the God of this age and the prince of the power of the air. So, even though he has fallen and he's been rejected from heaven or judged, he still has significant power and status.
Speaker 2:
We also understand from the Bible that Satan is an antagonist of God and an antagonist of God's people. Satan's name means adversary. In 1 Peter, 5, 8, the Bible tells us that Satan is a roaring lion roaming about seeking whom he may devour. The name devil means slanderer. He's also called the evil one, the tempter, the murderer, liar, confirmed sinner, to promote his opposition to God and God's people. He can appear as a wily serpent, a ferocious dragon or even, appealing, as an angel of light.
Speaker 2:
Well, let's ask another question what was Satan's sin? Well, before we address that, we have to understand that Satan sinned from a privileged position which included the book of Ezekiel tells us a full measure of wisdom and perfection in beauty and a dazzling appearance. All of these are statements that are in Ezekiel, that describe Satan in his original lofty position. Ezekiel also tells us that he had a place of special prominence as the anointed cherub that covered God's throne, the origin of Satan's sin. The only thing the Bible tells us is this one statement till unrighteousness was found in you. No other explanation.
Speaker 2:
We understand clearly that Satan was not created an evil being. He was perfect when created. Nevertheless, he chose to rebel against God and he sinned, with full knowledge of what his sin meant and its consequences. And, as you know, satan's sin was pride. In Isaiah 14, the Bible tells us that Satan, in his heart, said I will be like the Most High. He lifted up his eyes and, with arrogance in his heart, he said I will be like the Most High.
Speaker 2:
Now what were the consequences? What were the judgments for Satan's sin? Well, the Bible tells us that there were actually multiple judgments, multiple different consequences for Satan's sin. First of all, he was barred from his original privileged position in heaven. He was cast down from heaven and when that happened, he took a third of the angels with him. Another consequence is that a judgment was pronounced on him in the Garden of Eden after the temptation of Adam and Eve.
Speaker 2:
In the Garden of Eden, after the temptation of Adam and Eve. In fact, the Bible tells us that he was condemned to crawl on his belly and eat dirt. More than that, enmity would be between him and the woman and between him, his seed and her seed, and he should bruise you on the head, talking about Jesus bruising Satan on the head, which would be a fatal wound, and that Satan would bruise Jesus on the heel, which would be a temporary wound. The third judgment, the central judgment of all, would occur on the cross, when Jesus overcame Satan and made a public display of him. The fourth judgment he was barred from all access to heaven during the tribulation time. And we find that in Revelation, during the tribulation time, and we find that in Revelation Number five, he will ultimately be confined to the abyss for a thousand years during the millennial reign of Christ. And then, number six, the final judgment Satan will be cast into the lake of fire for all eternity.
Speaker 2:
Now, lastly, well, in regards to Satan, what does Satan do? Well, satan tries to thwart the plan of God. He promotes his own counterfeit world system. So let me ask you a question what is the world system? What is Satan's world system? You see, the world is that ordered system headed by Satan that intentionally leaves God out. And in that world system, in that world system, satan tried to tempt Christ in Matthew 4 and Luke 4. He tried to tempt Christ to accept the reward of redemption without the suffering of the cross.
Speaker 2:
Also, satan deceives the nations of the world, and that becomes very plain there in the book of Daniel, as we go further, and in the book of Revelation. More than that, he blinds the minds of unbelievers so they will not accept the gospel. And he tempts believers to lie, like Ananias and Sapphira in Acts, chapter 5, when they lied to Peter about the money that they held back. And he tempts believers. Well, he accuses and slanders believers, and he tempts them to immorality. He also sows terrors amongst the weak, amongst the believers, in order to deceive, and he sometimes incites persecution against believers. All of these are things that Satan is actively doing in his attempt to thwart the plan of God, in his attempt to thwart the plan of God and his attempt to undermine the activity of the church, which is the body of Christ.
Speaker 2:
Well then, the last thing I want to talk about is this is what's a Christian to do? So, what's a Christian to do? First of all, I want to say this Remember that greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. First John 4,. I want to say this Remember that greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. 1 John 4, 4. Brother and sister, always remember that greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world. Who is in you. Holy Spirit is in. Satan is a fallen angel. Always remember that the God who lives in you is always greater than the tempter who is outside of you. And number two twice in the New Testament remember that we are told that the Lord Jesus ever lives in heaven to make intercession for his people. This includes asking his heavenly father to keep his children from the evil one John 17, for example. Jesus is always praying for you and me, always praying to his heavenly father to keep his children from the evil one. He ever lives to make intercession for you and me, and that should comfort us.
Speaker 2:
Number three it's necessary to have a proper attitude toward Satan. To have a proper attitude toward Satan, we have the power of God on our lives, but victory is not guaranteed. We have to learn not to speak contemptuously of Satan's power, but rather to depend on the Lord for victory. Remember, in the book of Job, the Bible tells us that when Michael the archangel contested with Satan for the body of Moses, that he did not rail against Satan, but that he said the Lord rebuke you. Brothers and sisters, you and I should not address Satan directly. Michael was a great archangel and he didn't address Satan directly. He didn't rail against Satan directly. We should not be contemptuous of Satan's power and I believe that we should always speak to God directly and we should ask God to be the one who rebukes Satan. We should always ask God to be the one who defends us against the enemy of our soul. Number four be informed and alert to Satan's tactics and his attacks against you and me.
Speaker 2:
Also, put on the full armor of God daily. Always be putting on the full armor of God, as in Ephesians, chapter 6, where it tells us that we should put on the breastplate of righteousness and the belt of truth, having our feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace and the helmet of salvation you know well all of these and the sword of truth. You wouldn't go into spiritual battle without your weapons. Why would you not put on the full armor of God every day? And I think it's also important that we every day do what Jesus told us to do to pray that we would not be led into temptation, that we would be delivered from evil. And I do pray that every day. I pray every day that God would not lead me into temptation and that he would deliver me from evil.
Speaker 2:
And these are the things that you and I, as Christian folks, should do on a daily basis, because we have a spiritual battle and we have a great enemy, but, again, greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world Now. Brothers and sisters, I hope that encourages you. We do have a great enemy, a spiritual enemy, and he does work every day to thwart the plan of God in our lives. But, again, greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world Now. I hope that is instructional for you. I hope that is encouraging to you.
Speaker 2:
You're listening to Devotions with Dr Papa. We'll be back next week. Next week we're going to be talking about what the Bible teaches us, not about Satan, but about demons and about the horde of demons that are arrayed against us, and then the week after that, we'll be back again talking about the spiritual battle that Daniel faced for three weeks as he was praying for an answer and an explanation for the vision. Thank you for listening. If you like it, I pray that you would follow, like or share and tell your friends about devotions with Dr Papa.
Speaker 1:
Thank you for listening to this edition of More Than Medicine. For more information about the Jackson Family Ministry, dr Jackson's books, or to schedule a speaking engagement, go to their Facebook page, instagram or their webpage at jacksonfamilyministrycom. This podcast is produced by Bob Sloan Audio Production at bobsloancom.