It does seem that when it comes to demons and their activities, the average American believer is unbalanced. The minority see demons everywhere and the cause for most everything from arthritic pain in my finger to a traffic accident. The majority might intellectually believe in demons, but, aside from a few extreme cases, demons are simply not involved in much of anything going on in life. We know, however, that God’s plans for His creation have always been resisted by Satan and his forces. This is true today (Eph. 6:10-20) and it will be true as the prophetic end times events unfold. Being balanced in our view of the Devil is important because it then enables us to interpret prophetic truths with greater accuracy, and it gives helpful insights into what is presently going on in this world.
SATAN AS THE ‘GOD OF THIS WORLD’. Some are surprised that Jesus referred to Satan as the “ruler (god) of this world”. But He did (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11). The Apostle Paul also saw Satan as the “god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4) and that he is the “prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2). He is both powerful and organized (Eph. 6:10-20). The Apostle John taught that the entire world lies in the grip of Satan (1 John 5:19) and yet we have the power of the Holy Spirit to win against him (1 John 4:4). These scriptures teach that Satan and his minions are active in the culture and in the lives of individuals in the present and will be in the end times. SATAN, DEMONS AND THE FINAL DAYS. We would expect that Satan’s activities would not diminish as the end of the end times comes, and we would be correct in that. The Scriptures show that God is going to employ the holy angels in His judicial activities in the last days, but that Satan also will use his forces in an attempt to thwart God’s plans.
Revelation 13:4-8. We know from the temptations of Jesus (Luke 4:1-13) that Satan has the power (as “god of this world”) to give to anyone ruling authority on this earth. The coming Antichrist will get such authority from Satan and be used by him. He will aggressively speak against the true God; successfully wage war which includes the persecution of the Lord’s people; and along with Satan himself be the object of worldwide worship.
Revelation 12:7-12. At the midway point of the 7-year Tribulation, Satan will be involved in an angelic war in heaven. The holy angels will defeat him and his demons. Satan will then be removed from heaven and confined to the earth where for 3½ years his great wrath will be experienced by those who live on the earth. The deceiver of the world (12:9) knows that time is running out for him, but he does not change his behavior or strategies.
Matthew 24:5, 7, 23-24; 2 Thessalonians 2:8-10. The Tribulation is a time when there is an intense battle for the souls of men. Religious deception will be heightened during these days, as Satan and his followers will perform incredibly powerful and deceptive miracles in order to validate their religious claims. The Evil One has always wanted to be worshipped, and these days are as close as he gets to having his perverted dream fulfilled. Satan and even his demons will be worshipped by unbelieving people (Rev. 9:20; 13:4).
Revelation 9:1-11. A holy angel appeared to John part way through the visions of judgment and informed John that things are only going to get worse (8:13). And it was going to get worse because of an increase in demonic activity. The 5th Trumpet judgment showed that some very evil demonic beings will be released temporarily from their imprisonment (see Jude 6) and will torment mankind for 5 months. These are the worst or the worst. They will kill no one, but people will have a deep desire to die. This is likely a universal demonic possession of unbelieving people. The demons make their lives miserable. It will be horrible!
Revelation 9:13-21. When the 6th Trumpet judgment sounds, an order is issued to release four demonic beings who are presently confined. (Note that holy angels are never seen confined or incarcerated). These four demons will be released near the end of the Tribulation period and will be responsible for the destruction of 1/3 of mankind that are still alive on earth. The demons will use human armies to accomplish their purpose but are actively involved in destroying people.
Revelation 20:1-3, 7-10. At the end of the Tribulation period, Jesus will employ a powerful, holy angel to bind Satan and take him to the abyss (a place for demonic beings to be kept (Luke 8:31) where he will stay for 1,000 years. When the 1,000 years is completed, Satan will be released from his “prison” (20:7). He has learned nothing and has not changed at all during the 1,000 years. He will immediately go about deceiving the nations of the earth and will foment a rebellion against Christ. The rebellion is quickly terminated. Why does God allow this? The rebellion shows that man’s problem has always been his heart and not his environment. The Messianic age is characterized by righteousness, prosperity and joy and is without evil, poverty, injustice, and many other things that people use to excuse their sinning. Even in that near perfect environment, when man has the opportunity to rebel against God, he takes it. This last, great illustration shows that man’s heart is the problem and not his environment. After this final futile attempt to derail God’s purposes, Satan will be placed in the Lake of Fire and will forever reside there.
SATAN, DEMONS IN THE PRESENT CULTURE. The prophetic scriptures show that Satan is not going out of business until he is permanently placed into the Lake of Fire. But we must not think that until then, Satan is not interested in what is going on in the world. Since he is the “god of this world” he is active today. His philosophies are everywhere and take many forms. They all leave out the true God and His righteous ways. In America, we are seeing the rise of demonic doctrines (1 Tim. 4:1) as we are entering another election cycle. Many people are shocked by the pronouncements of the Democratic Socialists, who really are advocating communistic principles and ideas. Karl Marx’s teachings are demonic in nature. They go against the principles and standards of the Creator God as revealed in the Scriptures. Under the guise of equality and justice, these advocate globalism, the destruction of the family, lawlessness, the ending of private ownership, opposition to the sanctity of life and many other things that God put in place for the benefit of mankind. Most Americans are amazed by the ideas advocated by these Democratic Socialist. However, when a nation (or people) turns from God’s truth they will always end up embracing the doctrines of demons. Carefully read again Paul’s profound analysis of what happens to people when they suppress and oppose God’s truth (Rom. 1:18-32). With God and His truth being pushed to the margins of life, the doctrines of demons will gain strength and move into cultural life. We see these individuals promoting false ideas but need to remember that they are not the originators of them, but rather that these ideas come from demonic beings. This will climax in the Tribulation.
STANDING FIRM AGAIN DEMONIC ACTIVITY. We are in a spiritual war and need the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:10-20). So, we must check our armor carefully. Also, we need to vote for candidates on every level who align themselves with God’s rules for the welfare of mankind. And we need to be sure that we are actually praying for our country and for those who are in leadership. We need to talk to others about the principles (not the personalities) that are present in these contests. The doctrines of the demons are becoming more and more visible, but the “sword of the Spirit” remains more potent than demonic ideas. We need to use it boldly but carefully as we discuss current events and future prophesies.
