“. . . and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under. . . – Matthew 2:16
Have you noticed the heightened tensions in our country, in the world? Have you noticed “genocide” and “Christian” are words more frequently seen together in world news? Have you noticed how reporting of such atrocities is conspicuous by its absence in American mainstream media? Have you noticed a radical segment of society has been for some time now redefining words? For them, “Truth” is not objectively attained but is individually felt. And while “your truth,” may not be “my truth,” if “your truth” contradicts “my truth,” and you’re not willing to adopt “my truth,” then “your truth” is hateful and bigoted? Opponents are using labels like “Nazis,” and “Hitler,” and other epithets with greater frequency. There is little to no discussion of issues, only fighting and division. Historical patriotic sayings like “No Kings,” are being slung around in protests with little thought to their actual historical contextual uses or whether they actually apply. Political figures on the losing end of issues are getting increasingly hysterical and using more and more venomous rhetoric. Have you noticed how media is more frequently being fact checked and found faulty in their reporting? Have you noticed that education has been reduced to indoctrination? Have you noticed that the press rarely reports “just the facts” but instead provides slanted views and propaganda? There’s a lot of deception, a lot of hysteria and violence swirling in society. It’s a dark, dangerous, demonic atmosphere, and the devil has a hand in it.
I recently taught through chapter two of the Gospel of Matthew. It’s an interesting chapter. It’s relevant to our present state of affairs. In this chapter we see one of the most heinous crimes perpetuated against humanity in the annals of human history, the Slaughter of the Innocents. It says of King Herod, “. . . and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under. . .” (Matthew 2:16). Herod was four foot four inches in height. He was always trying to compensate for his shortcomings with great building projects. He was very paranoid and suspicious. He brought his two sons up on charges of treason and sentenced them to death by strangulation. It was said of Herod, “It is better to be Herod’s pig than his son.” It wouldn’t be a surprise if Herod was actually demonically possessed.
In the Slaughter of the Innocents we see the devil at work. He is the enemy of our soul. The devil uses human instruments to accomplish his evil plans. He lies and tempts us like he did with Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11). What’s interesting in this chapter, is that, though the devil is not mentioned overtly in Matthew 2, we can be assured he is behind the scenes conniving and working insidiously in an attempt to thwart God’s plans. He is a murderer and a liar and worse.
We need to say from the start that while we should be aware of the devil, the Christian does not and should not dwell on the devil. Too often Christians attribute every sin and problem they have to the devil when really they ought to look to themselves. There is a beast within that needs to be tamed in us, it is called “the flesh” or carnal selfish sinful nature.[1] The devil and his demons are not the cause of all ills in life. We need to be mindful of and beware of his devices, but we do not and should not give him more credit than he deserves. We need to focus on Jesus and as we focus on Jesus the power of the Holy Spirit will be so great in our lives that the devil and his demons will have to beware of the disciple of Jesus instead of the other way around.
The devil is not “God.” In the 1970s a popular phrase taken from comedian Flip Wilson’s comedy show was, “The devil made me do it!” This little comedic phrase became the half-joking comment habitually used in daily conversation. It made a joke of a being who is no joke according to the word of God. The devil is out to destroy and defeat God and anything and everything associated with Him. The devil is a devious enemy of the disciple. However, it would be wrong to elevate him to equality with God. The devil is a limited created being who must bow to the authority of God.[2] The devil is a fallen angel.[3] He is closer to Michael the archangel in authority and power than He is God. The devil may have deluded himself into thinking he is equal to God. But God is infinitely superior to the devil. The devil is a fallen angel, created by God, given great beauty and privilege, and instead of being thankful, rebelled and sought to usurp the throne of His Creator. God squashed the rebel angel and cast him down. God allows this devil to exist but his destiny is the Lake of Fire, and his incarceration is coming soon. On the other hand, God is eternal, exalted, all powerful, all knowing, ever present, Holy. There is none like God. He is eternal having no beginning or ending. And, if we have trusted Jesus as Savior, according to God’s gospel plan, this God is our God. We need to remember that.
Having said all that, the devil is a formidable foe for us. The devil is the one who tempts and twists the Scripture (Matthew 4:1,5,8,11). He is the one who sows false-brethren-tares amongst the true-Christian-wheat (Matthew 13:39). It is Satan who tries to divide and disrupt disciples in their following Jesus (Matthew 16:23). It was Satan who entered Judas and led him to betray Jesus (Luke 22:3). But the destiny of the devil and those who cooperate with Him is eternal fire (Matthew 25:41).
The limits of the devil. While the devil can sway and influence the unsaved, he cannot force people to act against their will. People in the world who have yet to receive Christ as their personal Savior are susceptible to the influence and use of the devil because they are not spiritually minded and are more easily deceived and manipulated. In Christ, the disciple has the means of victory over anything the devil would bring their way. Outside of Christ a person is at the mercy of the devil who desires to deceive, divide, destroy and devour people.
The devil is not creative. He plays a one string guitar. The venues he plays in may change, but his songs are the same. Because of this we can look at the word of God and determine signs the devil is at work. If we know when the devil is at work, we can plan and respond more effectively.
Eight Signs the Devil is at Work
Let’s consider eight signs that tip us off that the devil is likely at work either overtly or behind the scenes. The general context in which we will work is Matthew 2. Whenever the devil is at work you will find:
- Deception –
The devil is a liar. He shames people and gets them to think they are something they are not so that they present themselves as something they are not.
John 8:44 (NKJV) – You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.
1 John 5:19 (NKJV) – We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.
Deception and falsehoods are the key tactic of the devil. There is literally “no truth in him.” Nothing he says has truth in it. Without the Holy Spirit within, a person is vulnerable to his constant lies. The proliferation of lies in society today is evidence we are closer to the End than ever before.
When the wise men came to Herod, the king asked them to let him know where Jesus was so “that I may come and worship Him also” (Matthew 2:8). Herod had no intention of worshipping Jesus. Instead he wanted to murder Jesus. Herod was threatened by the prospect of a “King of the Jews.” So he used deception to try and destroy Jesus. No doubt the devil was working in Herod behind the scenes here.
- Doubt and De-Goding –
A favorite tactic of the devil is to deceive with the objective of de-Goding. He will use the age-old question “Has God indeed said” to cause doubt and prevent people from trusting God. He does this with those introduced to the Gospel by initially by using this question to deter and detour their path to belief in God. And he will use this tactical question to establish a wedge of doubt between believers and God (cf. Genesis 3). Examples of this are getting people to lower their biblical standards to be less than truthful, getting them to resist forgiveness, getting them to rely on shortcuts like stealing rather than laboring honestly, getting people to participate in corrupt conversations, inciting anger and unkindness – all these things give the devil a foothold and grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:25-32).
We see this in the following verses:
Genesis 3:1 (NKJV) – 1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
Ephesians 4:25-32 (NKJV) – Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil. 28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
Go over this passage in Ephesians 4 carefully because the sins Paul exhorts us to avoid are sins that give the devil a foothold.
Herod sought but didn’t really want to worship Jesus. Herod was acting deceptively. He didn’t want the Jews to be contacted by their long-awaited King. Herod began his strategy by secretly calling the wise men for a private counsel. He sought to turn the wise men against Messiah Jesus and use them to destroy Him. The devil tries to separate us from Jesus and from each other. The devil tries to turn us against each other and against Jesus. Don’t let him do it!
- Doing the Do-Nots and Not Doing the Dos –
The Devil will try to get you to do what God tells you not to do and keep you from doing what God tells you to do. This is disobedience. Disobedience is going against God’s will. It is another tactic of the Devil to distance a person from God. Since sin separates us from God, the Devil will tempt you and lure you into sin. (Matthew 5:33-37; 6:34; 22:37; Romans 13:9-10; Galatians 5:14; 1 John 3:7-8.)
Jesus said we shouldn’t use oaths (Matthew 5:33-37). We should be people of such high character that a simple “Yes,” should suffice. We shouldn’t be so unreliable that people need us to take and oath to trust our word. Jesus told us not to worry (Matthew 6:34). The devil wants us to worry. Jesus exhorts us to love God supremely and our neighbor sacrificially (Matthew 22:37-44). The devil wants us to hate.
The Apostle John was quite adamant and clear, those who sin are of the devil. When we choose to sin, we cross the line into the devil’s territory and are influenced by him. Jesus came to destroy the sinful works of the devil (1 John 3:7-8).
The wise men were on a mission to reach Messiah and worship Him. They had been directed by a “star in the East” and had followed the star to locate Jesus and worship Him. Herod, prompted no doubt by the devil, sought to sidetrack the wise men from their mission. The devil will try to do the same thing with us. Beware that little voice in your head that minimizes the importance of obeying God and His word.
- Delay –
In the Book of Daniel chapter ten Daniel receives a message from an angelic messenger. It was in the third year of the reign of Cyrus king of Persia that Daniel received “a message revealed” for which “the appointed time was long” (Daniel 10:1). Daniel had been “mourning three full weeks” (Daniel 10:2). During this time he restricted his eating and didn’t “anoint myself” (Daniel 10:3). When Daniel finally did receive an answer in a vision from the LORD’s messenger, the messenger commented, “O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you. . . Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words” (Daniel 104-12). Then the messenger states, “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the king of Persia.” (Daniel 10:13).
Daniel prayed. God immediately heard. An answer was sent. But the delivery of the answer from God to Daniel’s prayer was delayed in some way. We need to remember that when we pray we enter the unseen spiritual realm. This realm is very real and there is a spiritual battle that sometimes leads to delays in getting God’s answers to our prayers. How this plays out in relation to God’s sovereign authority and omnipotence is a mystery to us. But no matter the delay, God’s answers to come. If you’ve been praying for something, even fasting, and waiting for God to respond, and nothing seems to be coming from the LORD, it may very well be due to spiritual warfare. Don’t stop praying.
The devil uses delay to discourage; to get us to give up. We need to be tenacious and patient in our prayers like Daniel was. Sometimes the silence of God is a “no” response from Him. If we are praying for something contrary to God’s word we should expect a “No” from Him. But sometimes spiritual warfare is involved in the delays to our prayers answered. Like with Daniel, an answer will eventually come. Don’t be discouraged. Be encouraged, because the devil and his demons wouldn’t be delaying and opposing an answer unless they were concerned about the answer. Daniel was given a vision of future prophetic fulfillments. Keep praying. God’s answers will eventually arrive.
Herod sought to sidetrack and delay the wise men from their mission. “Bring back word to me” Herod told the wise men. Herod didn’t only want to delay broadcasting the arrival of Messiah Jesus to Israel, he wanted to stop it altogether. More evidence of the devil’s handiwork.
- Discord –
The Devil loves to divide and conquer. He loves to cause division. He does this by sowing tares among the wheat, i.e., through fake or false Christian’s (Matthew 13:37-43). (Not all division is from the devil. Some divisions are simply the result of people acting selfishly in their flesh – cf. 1 Corinthians 1-3). But where you see division, there’s a good chance the devil has some part in it.
By inviting the wise men to a private audience with Herod, he was appealing to their ego. Not everyone was offered such private time with this King. He was trying to influence them in an effort to undermine their loyalty to God and their worship of Jesus. The devil often provides alternatives and distractions, “opportunities,” that tempt us to alter our path from the path God has us on. Beware!
- Destruction –
God is a God of order (1 Corinthians 14:33 and 44). Because of this the devil likes to bring calamity through destruction. Wars and conflict, fights and rioting are devilish tactics and favorite promotions. The devil works through chaos whether in individuals or in groups or nations (cf. Revelation 9:1-12).
We see this in the following verse:
Revelation 9:11 (NKJV) – And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.
“Abaddon” and “Apollyon” both mean Destroyer. Where you see destruction and chaos, you can be sure the devil is working.
Herod ultimately destroyed, murdered, used genocide to the children of the land in an attempt to eliminate King Jesus. Wherever you see such murderous action you can be sure the devil is working.
- Death –
The devil hates God and because man is beloved by God and created in His image, he seeks to harm God by destroying what He loves by destroying that which has His image, humanity. The devil is a murderer (John 8:44). The devil wants to murder you. He wants to murder people because he knows if they die without trusting Jesus as Savior, then they will spend eternity with him (Revelation 20:10-15).
Herod was simply looking to eliminate any potential challenger from his reign. The devil on the other hand wanted to thwart God’s incarnational redemptive plan of the gospel of Jesus the Christ. The devil loves death. He revels in death and darkness. Ultimately the devil wants to take as many souls with him to hell and the Lake of Fire as possible.
- Damnation –
The devil’s destiny is hell and he knows it. There’s nothing he can do about it. Therefore, he wants to take as many to hell with him and inflict as much pain and sorrow on God as possible by doing so.
We see this in the following verses:
Matthew 25:41 (NKJV) – 41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:
2 Corinthians 4:3-4 (NKJV) – 3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
Christians needn’t grieve in death or approach death like those who have no hope. We have the hope of Jesus and eternal life that anchors us and keeps us from being carried away by the efforts of the devil (1 Thessalonians 4:13; Hebrews 6:19). Jesus has conquered death and removed its sting (1 Corinthians 15:56-58).
Ultimately, the devil will be defeated. He is no match for God Almighty. But he still causes a great deal of trouble, confusion, heartache, pain, and suffering. The devil is a formidable adversary. If we are unaware of his devices, we allow him to cause a great deal of problems. How can we handle the devil?
Handling the Devil.
Remember always, GOD IS ON OUR SIDE – GOD IS FOR US. “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely gives us all things?” (Romans 8:32). With God on our side we should beware of the devil but not fear him.
First, our priority action in handling the devil is being a disciple of Jesus. The first thing we need to do in dealing with devilish spiritual warfare is be a disciple of Jesus. A “disciple” is a learner. We need to live actively in our relationship with Jesus. We need to study and know the word of God (cf. 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16-17). We need to cultivate a spirit and life of prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17). We need to grow in knowing Jesus (John 17:3-4). A disciple actively engaged with God in Christ is then able to implement the safeguards we list here.
Second, understand this is a spiritual battle. The Apostle Paul made this abundantly clear when he was inspired to write, “We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12 – cf. context of Ephesians 6:10-18). The disciple is a mark for the devil and needs to beware of the devil’s devices. The disciple needs to put their spiritual armor on and be ready for battle.
Third, understand we do not defeat the devil, God defeats the devil. In Romans Paul is inspired to write:
Romans 16:20 – “And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”
Disciples don’t pick fights with the devil. Rather, as someone has wisely said, when Satan comes a knockin’ on your door, ask Jesus to answer it! Keep Jesus in between you and the devil.
Fourth, understand the devil is a defeated foe. Paul again writes about this in his letter to the Colossians where he is inspired to write:
Colossians 2:13-15 – “And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.”
While the devil thought he was destroying Jesus on the cross, God used the cross to make a way for sins to be forgiven and the devil to be ultimately defeated.
Satan will at times try to defeat and discourage the disciple by bringing up past sins. When the devil brings up your past, you just bring up his future! This is resisting the devil or responding to his attacks with the word of God in the Spirit’s strength. The apostles James and John were inspired to write:
James 4:7 – “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
Fifth, rely on the presence of Jesus in you to show you the way to defeat the devil’s attacks. The presence of Jesus in us strengthens us against the attacks of the devil. God gives us faith in Him to help us weather the storms the devil might bring. The apostle John spoke of this when he was inspired to write:
1 John 4:4 – “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.”
1 John 5:4 – “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.”
Lastly, don’t rely on your own strength, rely on the strength of Jesus. The night before Jesus went to the cross He shared the Passover meal with the disciples as well as some solemn words. He spoke of His betrayal, crucifixion, and resurrection. The disciples, especially Peter were pretty outspoken that they would never forsake Jesus. But Jesus gave them a word that as we look back on it gives all disciples great insight and assurance. Jesus said:
Luke 22:31-32 – “And the Lord said, “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.32 “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”
Jesus told Peter that Satan was out to get him, but Jesus offered a comforting word in that He said, “But I have prayed for you.” The same is true for us today. Jesus is praying for us, as the writer of Hebrews was inspired to write:
Hebrews 7:25 – “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”
The devil is a formidable and sometimes scary foe. But he is defeated. He is like a lion who prowls around roaring in an effort to strike fear and dread in us (1 Peter 5:8-9). But the greater truth is that Jesus has knocked his teeth out! Jesus is praying for us. He is aware of the danger and will guide the disciple in the Spirit by His Word. In and of ourselves we are no match for the devil, but in Christ we are more than conquerors who strengthens us and is always praying for us (Romans 8). The disciple needs to remember that.
Join me in praying, “Father we come to You in Jesus’ name. Please forgive sins and those things which give the devil a foothold. Please point them out to us. Please make us aware of the spiritual warfare around us and protect us. We rely on You. Jesus, please keep interceding on our behalf and intervene to help and protect us. Your rod and your staff, they comfort us. Holy Spirit, empower us, please give us the spiritual gifting needed to fight in this spiritual war. LORD help us to put on and keep on, our spiritual armor and weaponry. LORD, in Jesus’ name, please make us what we need to be, to do what You call us to do, for Your glory, until Jesus returns. In Jesus’ name. Amen!”
[1] E.g., Romans 7, Ephesians 4:17-24; Colossians 3:1-11.
[2] See Job 1 and 2 for an example of this.
[3] See Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28.