Satan’s Work Today

By Jack Cottrell

Exactly what is the work of Satan and his demons? In general, their overall goal is to defeat God’s plan and purpose by all possible means. In the beginning (Genesis 3:1ff.) Satan tried to do this by corrupting mankind at its fountainhead; but foreknowing this, God had already prepared his plan of redemption through Christ. Then when Christ came, Satan tried to achieve his goal by attacking the Redeemer himself. Working through Herod, he tried but failed to kill him in his infancy (Matthew 2:1-15; Revelation 12:1-5). He then tried and failed to tempt Jesus to abandon his mission (Matthew 4:1-11). Finally, working through Judas, he sought Jesus’ death (John 13:2; 1 Corinthians 2:8), not knowing this would be the means of his own defeat (Hebrews 2:14).  

Satan’s Strategy 

Having failed to prevent God from carrying out his plan of salvation, Satan now focuses on specific individuals, seeking to cut them off from God’s saving grace (1 Peter 5:8). As a finite creature he cannot do this alone (he is not omnipresent) but must enlist the help of the lesser evil spirits, the demons, who are his “angels” or representatives. Working together they assault individuals in three ways: on the levels of the mind, the will, and the body.  

Satan’s main strategy is to attack our minds through false teaching. Above all else he is a liar and a deceiver (John 8:44; Revelations 12:9; 20:3,7-10). Since the beginning he has been lying about God and attacking his Word (Genesis 3:4-5; Luke 8:12). He disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:13-15) and blinds the minds of the unbelieving (2 Corinthians 4:4). His strategy depends upon deceitful schemes and snares (2 Corinthians 2:11; Ephesians 6:11; 2 Timothy 2:26). We are constantly bombarded by “deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons” (1 Timothy 4:1, New American Standard Bible 1995), as they work through false prophets (1 John 4:1-3). Demons inhabit the false religions of the world and are the reality behind all idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:14-22; Deuteronomy 32:17; Psalm 106:36-38). Satan can even empower people to work miracles to give pseudo support to his lies (Matthew 7:21-23; 2 Thessalonians 2:9; Revelation 16:14).  

The second strategy is to attack our wills through temptation. Satan is evil, and he wants to make us like himself. He wants us to share his sin so we will share his condemnation (Matthew 25:41). By putting pressure on our wills he leads us to act in sinful ways. The mechanics of temptation are not clearly explained to us, but we can discern some of them. Often the acceptance of a lie in itself creates a path that the will gladly follows. Demons may manipulate our subconscious through subliminal suggestions (e.g., John 13:2). They may influence our thoughts by bringing certain ideas and images into our consciousness. They stoke the fires of our sinful desires and exploit our spiritual weaknesses. They work indirectly upon our wills through other people.  

Satan’s third strategy is to attack our bodies through demonic presence and control. This is commonly called demon possession, but a better term is demonization. The Bible shows us that Satan and his demons can manipulate aspects of the physical world (Job 1:12, 16, 19; 2 Thessalonians 2:9). They can cause some physical illnesses (Job 2:7), often by their very presence within the body (Matthew 9:32-33; 12:22; Mark 9:17-27; Luke 13:11,16; Acts 10:38). When they control the body, they control the nervous system. Thus if a demon has entered a person’s body, it can bypass that person’s own mind and will and can directly produce thoughts, words, and actions through the commandeered brain and body. 

Satan’s Continued Work 

Are Satan and his demons still working today? Yes, on all three levels. Few Christians doubt that he still employs the first two strategies; thus they are on guard against temptation and false doctrine. The controversial issue is whether demons are able to invade the bodies of individuals in our time. Again, the answer is yes. Westernized, secularized skeptics need only to hear the testimony of anyone who has done mission work in an animistic culture to know this is the case. 

Some believe that demonization was a phenomenon in the first century but ceased to exist after the apostolic era. A common argument is that God would not permit demonization and then leave us with no means of deliverance; but deliverance requires miraculous power, and miraculous gifts ceased after the apostolic age; thus God does not permit demonization today. The flaw in this argument, though, is the idea that deliverance requires miraculous power. In New Testament times some deliverance, like some healing, was definitely miraculous. But just as God can and does heal through his special providence in answer to prayer, so he can and does deliver people from demons through providential intervention in answer to prayer. This is truly a supernatural event, but supernatural events are not necessarily miraculous.  

Another common argument against demonization today is based on the view that Satan was bound by Jesus at his first coming through his death and resurrection (Matthew 12:22-29; Revelation 20:1-3), which precludes any further demonization. This argument is also flawed. We agree that Satan has been bound since Christ’s first coming, but we reject the notion that this rules out subsequent demonic activity. Obviously the binding of Satan has not curtailed his other two strategies; why should it end all demonization? This is an arbitrary inference from the fact of his binding. In fact, Revelation 20:3 actually specifies the purpose and result of this binding, i.e., “so that he would not deceive the nations any longer.” This places certain limitations on his work but does not produce the absolute cessation of any of it.  

We judge that these and other arguments against demonization in our day are not valid. The devil is still a roaring lion, looking for victims (1 Peter 5:8).  

Christians and Spiritual Warfare 

A question to be asked at this point is whether Christians are susceptible to Satan’s attacks. The answer is yes, and this is seen in the fact that the New Testament frequently directs Christians to be on guard against the devil and his wiles. Satan is “your adversary,” says 1 Peter 5:8; therefore “be on the alert.” James 4:7 warns us to “resist the devil.” “Do not give the devil an opportunity,” says Ephesians 4:27. We are in a struggle with these spiritual forces, says Paul, and thus must be sure we are clothed with the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17). Those who are not on guard against deceitful spirits may fall away, says 1 Timothy 4:1 (see 2 Corinthians 11:3). 

Though Satan and his demons are doing their best to take control of our minds, wills, and bodies, we must remember that they are created beings and do not have infinite powers; they are under God’s control. Also, we must remember that Jesus Christ has already met them in battle and decisively defeated them, and we are on his side and share his victory over them. One of the reasons Jesus came was to meet and defeat the devil (1 John 3:8). Through his death and resurrection he has rendered Satan powerless (Hebrews 2:14) and disarmed the demons (Colossians 2:15). He has defeated and bound the devil, limiting his power (Revelation 12:7-9; 20:1-3). The Holy Spirit within us is greater than evil spirits (1 John 4:4). 

Nevertheless we will share in this victory and power only if we heed the warnings noted above. We are under attack, but we have been given sufficient resources to repel these attacks—if we avail ourselves of these resources. How can we do this?  

First, we can prevent Satan from taking control of our minds by knowing the truth. The first item in the armor of God is truth: “having girded your loins with truth” (Ephesians 6:14). This is our most basic form of defense against the devil; knowing the truth set forth in God’s Word is crucial to freedom from deception (John 8:32). Just knowing what the Bible teaches is not enough, however; we must also believe the truth and love the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:10-12). We must take it into our hearts and delight in it and wield it boldly and proudly in our personal lives and in our church activities.  

Second, we can resist Satan’s temptations by submitting our wills to the sanctifying power of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Ephesians 6:14-18). Through his power we can put sin to death in our lives (Romans 8:13). He gives us an inner strength to walk in paths of righteousness, a strength that is greater than Satan’s alluring temptations (Romans 8:14; 1 John 4:4). The more we actually walk in and practice righteousness, the stronger we will be. Righteousness is, in fact, the second item of the armor of God: “having put on the breastplate of righteousness” (Ephesians 6:14).  

Third, we can prevent demons from entering into our bodies by avoiding activities that give them an opportunity to enter (Ephesians 4:27) and by consciously trusting in the protecting name and blood of Jesus Christ (“the shield of faith,” Ephesians 6:16). Activities that open one up to demonic intrusion include idol worship, gross immorality, occult practices, seeking supernatural knowledge or powers, and mysticism or mystical trance states. When one walks in paths of righteousness and wears the armor of God, he need not fear being invaded by evil spirits.  

A common idea is that demons cannot inhabit the bodies of Christians at all; thus we need not be concerned about this. The main argument is that a demonic spirit and the Holy Spirit cannot be present in a person’s body at the same time. Such a view is never taught in Scripture, however; it is an inference based on false assumptions. It assumes that the Holy Spirit and evil spirits are present in a person’s body in the same way, as if somehow they would be competing for space. This is not true. The Holy Spirit and evil spirits are two completely different kinds of spirits, existing on two vastly different metaphysical levels. The Holy Spirit is divine, infinite, uncreated Spirit; demons are finite, created spirits. They may both indwell the same body because they do not do so in the same sense. Those involved in deliverance ministries are practically unanimous in affirming that Christians may be demonized. 

Nonmiraculous deliverance from evil spirits (“casting out demons”) is sometimes necessary and always possible today for oppressed persons who are nonetheless surrendered to the Lordship of Christ. “Release to the captives” is part of the gospel (Luke 4:18). In general the works of Neil Anderson may be used for this purpose, especially the steps he outlines in The Bondage Breaker. See also the works by Dr. Ed Murphy (The Handbook for Spiritual Warfare), Grayson H. Ensign (Counseling and Demonization: The Missing Link) and Grayson H. Ensign and Edward Howe (Bothered? Bewildered? Bewitched?). 

In short, Satan and his demons are real, active, powerful, and dangerous; but they are no match for our divine and almighty Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Jesus has already crushed the serpent’s head (Genesis 3:15) in his victorious death and resurrection, and he will soon crush Satan under our feet (Romans 16:20). 

This article has been excerpted from Section III, “The Work of Evil Spirits,” and Section IV, “Christians and Spiritual Warfare,” of Chapter 8, “Angelic Sin: Satan and His Demons,” in The Faith Once for All by Jack Cottrell. Used with permission, College Press Publishing Company, Joplin, Missouri. www.collegepress.com