“But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk.21 And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.” – Revelation 9:20-21
I heard something very chilling today. I was traveling home from a Bible College class I teach and had my car radio on. The host of the station I was listening to played an excerpt from a recording of someone who had been caught removing conservative political signs from their neighbor’s lawn. They had been caught red handed on video. The host was playing the audio of the piece and describing to the listeners what was happening. I later watched the video. It was scary. The thief had been confronted about trespassing and removing the signs. At first, he tried to walk away while ripping up the signs he had stolen and removed. But the homeowner whose property the thief had taken the signs from was persistent. Finally, the thief stopped, turned around and looked into the camera, and in what I can only describe as a demonic growl said he hated the conservative candidate whose sign he had removed. It really was diabolical. [1]
What is happening to our nation? Witches now outnumber Presbyterians in our nation. [2] In another story, presiding Bishop Harry R. Jackson Jr. of the International Communion of Evangelical Churches said that demonic forces were at work to block the Confirmation of Bret Kavanagh to the Supreme Court. [3] He called the Church to be aware of the spiritual conflict going on. Thankfully Judge Kavanagh was installed. But it was recently reported that in response to Justice Kavanagh’s confirmation to the Supreme Court, an occult bookshop in Brooklyn, New York is hosting a gathering of witches to put a hex on recently confirmed Supreme Court Justice Bret Kavanagh. [4] Did you know that shortly after President Trump was inaugurated witches began gathering monthly to cast spells on him? [5] And finally, an article in a Christian periodical entitled Our Country is Embracing Satanism at an Alarming Rater; Here’s Proof states that “all over America Satanic groups are experiencing tremendous growth.” [6] It seems like the door to our country has been flung open and the devil has been invited in.
The conflicted and contentious political climate we are in, is serving to expose powers of darkness. One side is becoming more and more extreme in their embrace of anarchy and intimidation tactics. They appear to be driven to a great extent by fears that the right to abortion will be lost if conservative influences continue to gain ground. They have even started a campaign called Shout Your Abortion which promotes abortion as “normal.” It is a pro-abortion movement supported by such celebrities as Opry Winfrey. [7] How can shouting approval of abortion in any way not be demonically inspired? How can the taking of innocent life in its most vulnerable and helpless condition be anything but devilish? Jesus said Satan is a “murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44). It’s not hard to see his underlying destructive influence in the abortion industry. The door of the mother’s womb has been opened to the devil.
There are instances where the life of a mother is attached to the life of the child within her womb. I pray for wisdom in such cases. I pray such a situation never touches any of us. But the less than one percent of cases where abortions are performed to save the life of the mother should not be used to justify abortions which candidly are performed more as a form of birth control. It would be better for people to “control” their sexual proclivities before their sensual passions lead to pregnancy. Please pray for this national shame and holocaust to be stopped. Please pray for God to revive us out of such terribly dark places.
The LORD promises in His word that, “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him” (Isaiah 59:19). With all the darkness around us its important for us to keep our head on a swivel. It’s important for us to know what’s going on around us. It’s important for us to take a stand on God’s truth like our Savior did and does (e.g. John 18:37). We need to heed the inspired words of Paul who wrote, “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15). Just before these words Paul had said, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them” (Ephesians 5:11). That’s what I intend to do in this teaching article. I intend to expose The Devil’s Doorways. I intend to show what behaviors and practices open the door to devilish influences in life. And then, I pray, with that knowledge we can, in the name of Jesus, in the power of the Spirit, SLAM THE DOOR IN THE DEVIL’S FACE!
Nearly fifty years ago the sanctity of human life was dealt a blow with the legalization of abortion. Since then over 60 million unborn children have been killed in the womb. The violence toward children has crept out of the womb as we see a rise in sex trafficking of children, rumors of removing age of consent laws, and a proliferation of pedophilia. It’s estimated that 8 million children go missing each year.[8] There have been 320 million missing children in the last four decades.[9] No doubt a high proportion of these missing children have experienced various abuses. Many have been murdered and will never be found. There is great pain being perpetrated physically and psychologically on the children of the world. When the devil comes in, he’s goes after the children.
More recently we have seen a movement in society to legitimize LGBT gender choices. The “L” here stands for Lesbian, the “G” for Gay, the “B” for Bisexual, and the “T” for Transsexual. As gender designations have expanded to LGBTQIA we find ourselves having a difficult time keeping up. The relatively new “Q” stands for “questioning” or “Queer.” The “I” stands for “intersex” or “someone whose anatomy is not exclusively male or female.” And “A” represents someone who is an “Ally” or friend of the cause or an “asexual” who has no sexual attraction.[10] These designations and the movement it represents have been birthed out of a public educational system that has long been coopted by those who have rejected the idea of there being absolute truths for all people. Instead they promote the idea that “truth” or “reality” can be different for individuals. One and one no longer equals two, if you personally don’t want it to. The door to our mind has been opened to the devil, and he’s come in with confusion and chaos.
All of this gender confusion is the source of great pain. Those who experience such core confusion about who they are suffer pain. The efforts of a clueless culture that seeks to ameliorate the personal plight of these people by trying to legitimize such confusion only exacerbate the pain and prevent healing. There are absolute truths and realities in life. People who choose to deny reality and live in a fantasy existence will continue to suffer like a psychotic banging their head against a brick wall. To move forward and deal with our issues there must be a confrontation of reality and truth. Refusing to do so and resisting with demonstrations that are more like tantrums will only prolong the agony and create more pain.
Today politics is on center stage. There is a clash between socialist globalists fighting to diminish national sovereignty versus freedom loving patriots. A generation of public-school propaganda trained “justice warriors” are rising up to fight for leftist causes like socialism and even communism. These are systems which only succeed in ivory idealistic towers, not in reality. (See Venezuela.) Such systems of government only lead to fewer rights, less freedom, poverty, more extreme class divisions, worse injustice, and self-inflicting wounds. When you invite the devil in, you’re bound to be bound by him.
There’s a whole lot of arguing and accusing going on. Anyone with an opposing view is labelled in the most derogatory mean way as “haters,” “bigots,” or some other evil epithet. And because the mainstream media is grossly slanted in favor of leftist and liberals, the “news” is slanted in favor of that persuasion. When you open the door to the devil, you can be sure he’ll bring deception with him.
I grew up in the 60s and 70s with anti-war demonstrations galore. It was a time when cultural mores were tested and often discarded. Much of what we see today is the bad fruit birthed by those who embraced that time of social anarchy and amorality. But the disorder, antisocial evil, and deception we see today has been turned up a notch. Police are being openly barbarously executed. The media assassinates character on a regular basis. You are guilty until proven innocent. Objectivity and “reporting the truth” has been thrown out the window and replaced with partisan propaganda. Criminals and perpetrators are given sympathy while victims are ignored. The world is going wild and the structures that once held society together are being scorned, ripped up and torn down. When you invite the devil into the conversation, you can be sure he will twist good to look like evil and evil to look real good (cf. Isaiah 5:20).
Keep in mind that wherever half-truths and falsehoods are promoted or used as an instrument to influence, wherever “lies” are present, you can be sure the devil is in those details. Jesus said the devil, “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” (John 8:44). Where there is deception, the devil is at work.
Such is the despair and angst in the world today that we see a rise in the suicide rate.[11] People are taking their own lives more and more. Suicide can be a final act of defiance and cry for attention. Suicide is the tenth leading cause of death in the United States. There are 123 suicides per day and about 45,000 suicides per year in the United States. For every suicide there are 25 attempted suicides. More and more people are choosing suicide to stop their pain. That is a sad truth. But a sadder truth is that suicide is not the solution and may indeed be a pathway to even worse pain. [12] Satan is the one “who had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14). The devil has a way of making death look attractive.
Yes, there’s a lot of evidence of Satan’s involvement in the world today. We see his fingerprints everywhere. Wherever you see lies and murderous tendencies, acts that destroy life and deny truth, you can rest assured the devil and or his minions are at work. Wherever you see lawlessness you know it is in line with “the working of Satan” (2 Thessalonians 2:9). We’ve not only opened the door to the devil, we’ve given him run of the house!
As bad as all of this cloudy stormy pain producing morass is, the Bible says it will only get worse. In the last few years we see Christians and conservative masses finally waking up. There is a movement to thwart the globalist agenda. There is a stand for righteousness and rightness being made more and more in the public square. We are fighting back and it does seem that we have somewhat stemmed the tide of sinful storm. But the Bible says eventually things are going to get a lot worse before they get better.
A time is coming when the restraining force of the Holy Spirit working through the Church will be removed from this world. When I say “Church” I don’t mean a denomination of some kind, I mean all those who have been spiritually regenerated by the Holy Spirit by grace through faith in Jesus Christ (Titus 3:4-7). The “Church” is composed of those who have been “born again” (John 3). “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way” (2 Thessalonians 2:7). The Church will depart, will be raptured out of this world, then all hell will really break loose on this earth.
When the Church has been raptured from this earth, God will pour out His righteous wrath on a Christ-rejecting world (Revelation 6:16; 11:18). And when that happens the people of the earth will be shaken. They will be forced to admit, “For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” (Revelation 6:17). But God’s outpoured wrath is not merely punitive. No, God’s outpoured wrath is a final attempt to shake up and wake up the spiritually negligent. God loves the people of this world. He sent His only Son Jesus to redeem them and die an atoning death for them so they might be forgiven their sins (e.g. John 3:16). Having rejected His Son, having wasted God’s monumental longsuffering and merciful waiting for people to repent, God will then use one final method to win the lost. God will resort to tough love. God will make every effort to shake even one last sinner from the tree of lost humanity. Don’t wait until the shaking. Open the door to Jesus now.
This time of God’s outpoured wrath and righteous judgment is referred to in the Bible as the Tribulation (e.g. Daniel 9:24-27; Matthew 24:9, 15, 21, 29). It is a time when God will use extreme measures to wake up and reach the lost. During this time God will once again work in this world through the nation of Israel. He will anoint 144,000 apostle Paul like evangelists to minister throughout the earth (Revelation 7). He will use two resurrected prophetic witnesses that all the world will see (Revelation 11). He will even use an angel proclaiming the everlasting Gospel throughout the earth (Revelation 14:6). “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). God loves you so much. He’s pulling out al the stops to reach you. Why don’t you open the door to Jesus right now?
The “Hound of Heaven”[13] is relentless in His pursuit of lost souls. He will run us up a tree or follow us done a hole to find and rescue us. He will chase us to the cross. He will do whatever it takes to gives us every chance to forsake our sin and choose Him. No one in hell will be able to ever say they weren’t given countless gracious opportunities to be saved from their condemning sins. No one on Judgment Day will be able to defend their delinquency and damning guilt in light of God’s extreme measures to save them. “There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). Every mouth that might think of defending itself will be shut (Romans 3:19). On that day God will be the “just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus” (Romans 3:26). Those who have refused to put their faith in Jesus will get what they righteously and justly deserve, eternal torment in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20). And everyone will know in that day that such judgement is deserved, just and true. It’d be better to open the door to Jesus right now.
There is an additional means God uses to wake up the sinner. It’s not a means we might normally think of. We see this means in the Fifth Seal of God’s righteous judgment in Revelation. When this seal is opened, God will unleash Satan and his devilish hoards on this earth. By examining these devilish instruments of the future, we not only learn about the future, we gain insight about dark forces at work in our day in seed form. Revelation depicts hell let loose on earth in the future, but it also gives us insight to wage victorious battle against the enemy now.
The first verse of Revelation 9 states, “Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit” (Revelation 9:1). This “star” is a particular star, “a star.” It is a star that has “fallen,” not falling. This star has already fallen in the past. And that this star is more than a celestial object is revealed by its being referred to with the personal pronoun “him.” This star is none other than Satan.
The prophet Isaiah stated, “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations!13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north;14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High’” (Isaiah 14:12-14). The name “Lucifer” is a translation of the Hebrew word heylel which literally means morning star or shinning one. Satan may have been created a shining star, but he became a fallen star! He is the “star” of Revelation 9:1. Pride and a lust for God’s throne brought him down. And it is often pride and lust that he uses to lure people into webs of sin and destruction.
Notice it states of Satan the star that, “To him was given the key to the bottomless pit.” Satan did not take this key, it was given to him. Whatever authority Satan has is given to him. He is not equal with God but is subservient to Him. Satan is under God’s authority. Satan can do nothing without the permission of God Almighty. Jesus has authority over Satan and demons. In Revelation 9:1-2 the key has to be given to the “star” who is Satan to open the pit. In Revelation 1:18 it is Jesus who has the keys to Hades. Satan could not take it upon himself to open this pit. Satan had to be given the means to do so. Satan, even now, is operating under the authority of God.
Having been given the key to the bottomless pit Satan uses it to open it. “And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit” (Revelation 9:2-3). Suffice it to say that this pit is a hellish place where the lowest of the low fallen angels are kept. These are demons that John can only describe in frightening locust imagery.
Revelation 9:3 it continues, “Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.” The creatures described by John provide a pretty scary sight. As fierce and powerful as these demon locusts were, they are still under the control of God. John continues, “They were commanded not to harm the grass of the earth, or any green thing, or any tree, but only those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads” (Revelation 9:4). These demon locusts had been controlled and confined in this bottomless pit. And even once they are let loose on the earth, they “were commanded.” “Commanded” (from the Greek ereo) conveys the idea that they were not just haphazardly let loose on the earth, but there were limits put on them. God is still in control.
The demon locusts of Revelation 9 were commanded to harm only “those men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.” What Paul writes to Timothy is a source of great relief in view of such horror: “Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: “The Lord knows those who are His,” and, “Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” (2 Timothy 2:19). Satan is not given power over those who are sealed with God’s seal, but only those who have rejected Christ and refused the seal of God.
Rejecting the salvation God has offered in His Son exposes a person to the attacks of Satan. If you haven’t received Jesus as your Savior, whether you realize it or not, you are one who lives, “according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, . . . [and who are] by nature children of wrath” (Ephesians 2:1-3). There is no hope without Jesus. Without Jesus as your personal Savior, God in His word declares you are, “of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will” (2 Timothy 2:26). Without Jesus you are one of the, “children of the devil” (1 John 3:8-10).
John continues, “And they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months. Their torment was like the torment of a scorpion when it strikes a man.” (Revelation 9:5). Notice again the sovereignty of God that God in His mercy LIMITED the demonic influence. Notice also that even when these locust-like demons are unleashed upon the earth that God is in control. He is the One who oversees the power they receive. He is the One who limits their effect in that, “they were not given authority to kill them, but to torment them for five months.” God is in control, even when this demonic hoard is let loose on the earth. IN the darkest hour, God is still in control. God is always in control.
Further on John concludes, “But the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, silver, brass, stone, and wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk.21 And they did not repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.” (Revelation 9:20-21). Remarkably, despite the abusso demon’s stings THERE IS STILL NO REPENTANCE!
The Bible tells us the lost are those, “whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them” (2 Corinthians 4:4). The unsaved who refuse to put their faith in Christ are blinded. But that does not remove their culpability. The sinner is responsible for their sin. They are blinded because they refuse to believe in Jesus. How about you, do you still persist in not believing in Jesus as Savior? Are you under the influence of God or Satan? You need to repent and come to God in Christ.
Seven doorways to demonic influence. There are ways Satan and his demons can gain a foothold in a person’s life. We see this in the sins mentioned at the end of Revelation 9. The sin they refused to repent of is similar in many ways to the sins of our time. These sins represent seven doorways to demonic influence.
First, unrepentance. The most common way to allow satanic and demonic influence in your life is through unrepentance. When you allow sin in your life it cuts off the communication channels to God (e.g. Psalm 66:18). When you love your sin more than God, when you defy or reject or turn away from God and His discipline, it opens the doorway to the demonic. The devil fell in pride. “I” is at the center of “pride” and “sin.” The devil knows all about pride. He tells the sinner, “your too proud to repent.” He says things like, “What will people think if you go up for that altar call?” He says, “You’re not that bad. God will understand. You’re too young to repent. You’ve got too much fun and life before you to repent.” When a person is proud it opens the door to the devil. The heart of the proud is unrepentant. Unrepentance opens the door to the devil.
Second, they worshipped demons. It says they “worship demons.” In these times and in the latter days generally the occult and demon worship will flourish. (See 1 Timothy 4:1f.). Satan will have so deluded the world that they will offer worship to him and his demons (See Revelation 12:9). We see such in TV programs and elsewhere when the devil is depicted sympathetically as not such a bad guy. This is one of the most common ways to invite satanic and demonic trouble into your life. As we mentioned earlier in this teaching, satanism is on the rise. We need to slam the door on worshipping things that are demonically influenced.
Third, idolatry. It mentions, “worship . . . idols.” These unrepentant sinners were still focused on possessions (See Psalm 115:4-7). Idolatry is connected with the demonic early in scripture. In Leviticus it states, “They shall no more offer their sacrifices to demons, after whom they have played the harlot. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations” (Leviticus 17:7). When you worship someone or something other than the One True God, there is likely some demonic influence involved. Your “God” is your master passion. You worship what you think most about and spend most of your time and resources on. Is that God for you, or something or someone else? The devil wants to come into your life and distract you with all kinds of alternatives to Jesus. When the devil tempts you to turn from Jesus, slam that door in his face.
Fourth, murder. In this list is “murders.” This is the taking of innocent life. We see this in varying circumstances in our day such as in partial birth abortions; abortion; euthanasia; cloning; cheapening of life. (See Matthew 5:21-22; John. 8:44). Whenever the sanctity of life is lessened and murder is involved you can be sure there is a demonic influence in play. To take another person’s life intentionally or even negligently blows the doors off the hinges and let’s the devil flood in.
Fifth, sorcery. Next is “sorceries.” The word “sorceries” is translated from the Greek term pharmakeia. Sorcerers, witches, and pagan worshippers often used hallucinogenic drugs to alter consciousness in order to open oneself to the spiritual dimension. “Sorceries” is classified as one of the works of the flesh of which Paul commented “those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God” (cf. also Galatians 5:20-21). When you use drugs for something other than medicinal purposes, no matter how harmless you think it is, you are opening a doorway to the demonic. Those who walk “according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2), when they use hallucinogenic or mind-altering drugs, no matter how harmless or “legal” they are, they are opening themselves to demonic influences. Using drugs in this way is like purposefully impairing your senses with a psychopathic murderer nearby. It’s insane! When you do drugs, the devil is in the room with you. And as soon as your senses are impaired, the devil will push you to do things you never thought you’d ever do.
Sixth, sexual immorality. Next on this list is “sexual immoralities.” This phrase is translated from the Greek term porneia. Porneia refers to illicit sexual intercourse or sexual activity outside of God’s holy prescribed plan of marriage (between one man and one woman). We get the modern-day term “pornography” from this word. Jesus said to think lustfully after someone was sinful. Lust and sexual sin are one of the common ways to invite demonic influences in your life (Proverbs 6:32; Matthew 5:28; 1 Corinthians 6:15-20). Think of that next time you’re tempted to click on porn. When you turn on the porn, the devil is right there with you. (Hope that ruins it for you.)
Seventh, theft. Last, but no less important on this list is “thefts.” The word translated “thefts” here is kleema and refers to a stolen thing. This is taking something that does not belong to you. When a person steals it is a statement that they don’t recognize what God has provided for them, that they don’t appreciate what God has provided for them, and that they don’t depend on God for providing things for them. Stealing is an act of disregarding God’s boundaries. Stealing and theft opens the door to demonic influence (Matthew 6:20; 1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
THESE ARE THE THINGS USED BY DEMONS TO GET A FOOTHOLD IN THE LIVES OF PEOPLE. When we do these things, it’s like opening the door and inviting the devil into our lives.
While Christians cannot be possessed by demons (James 4:7; 1 John 4:4; Revelation 12:10-11), they can be oppressed by demons. Demon oppression occurs when a believer allows a demonic foothold to exist in their lives. Oppression is an external attack, but an attack nonetheless. CHRISTIANS CAN BE OPPRESSED! WE CAN ALLOW DEMONS A FOOTHOLD WHEN WE INDULGE IN SIN! Those involved in such sinful things need to repent. If we repent God will restore us. God will allow whatever it takes in a person’s life to bring them to repentance in order to restore them. When we turn to God, we shut the door on the devil.
What’s the solution? Revelation 9 reveals the chaos created by demonic influence. We see very similar chaos in our world today. It’s only going to get worse. We may only be in the eye of the storm. That time of respite will eventually pass. The chaos will continue. But the Bible tells us, “For God is not the Author of confusion but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33a). The Bible exhorts, “Let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40). We see God’s order in His Creation, in His plans for the Tabernacle and Temple, in His redemptive plan and His prophetic revelations that are aimed at preparing people for their fulfillment. Order leads to peace. Chaos leads to anxiety and a host of other disruptions in life. Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives do I give you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). Are you living under the influence of the devil and demons? Are you ready to repent? Are you ready to turn from your sins to God through faith in Jesus?
The ultimate sting of Satan is death and his scorpion whip is sin. But God in Jesus has provided a way to defeat death and remove its sting. “The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15:56-58). Don’t give up, trust in Jesus. By faith in the power of the Spirit be steadfast and immovable and abound in your efforts and work for the Lord. By faith slam the door in Satan’s face!
Look to Jesus! “Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage” (Hebrews 2:14-15). Don’t fear death. Patiently wait for it and embrace it when it comes. Death, in God’s time, in God’s way, brings us to Jesus.
Jesus said, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and open the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20). Open up to Jesus. Invite Him into your life. Have Him join you for dinner. Talk with Him. Pour out your heart to Him. He will listen to you. He will save you. He will heal you. He will protect you from the devil.
How can we shut the door on the devil? We shut the door on the devil when we open the door of our heart to Jesus. How do we do that? Jesus said, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3). The word “know,” is translated from the Greek term ginosko. The idea of this word “know,” is to become aware, perceive (as in “seeing is believing”), to understand, to be conscious of, to see something or someone as it/they truly are (not merely opinion or speculation).
When this word is used in the sense of knowing someone it means:
- To know someone personally
- To be personally acquainted with someone
- To trust someone
- To have a friendship with someone
- To have an intimate personal relationship with someone
It is possible to know personally the only true God and His Son Jesus Christ. In light of this the question arises, do you know Jesus?
The Good News is that we can have a personal relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ. Entering into such a relationship is as simple as ABC: Admit/Ask, Believe/Receive, and Confess/Call. Faith comes by way of God’s word (Romans 10:17). Get a Bible out and read the following looking up the verses in parenthesis. If you do, it’s very possible faith will grow in you.
First Admit your sin and ask God’s forgiveness for them. Our sins separate us from God (Isaiah 59:1-2). We all have sinned and fall short of what it takes to enter heaven (Romans 3). We need to admit this truth before God. Once we admit our sin before God we need to ask God’s forgiveness for our sins. This implies turning from our sins to God (i.e. repentance). This is humbling but necessary. We come to Him on His terms not our terms. We come humbly before God who is Awesome and Holy.
Second, believe in Jesus and His atoning work. Jesus and Jesus atoning work on the cross alone, not our efforts or works, is the basis for God’s forgiveness of our sins. The wages or consequences of our sin is death. Jesus died on the cross in our place, paying our punishment for sin. God offers us salvation from our sins freely as a gift of His grace through Jesus’ death on the cross (Romans 6:23). We are saved from our sins because of His work not our work. To believe, trust, or put our faith in Jesus as Savior is not a “work,” it is God’s grace working in us (Ephesians 2:8-9). Once we believe in Jesus and His atoning work, we should believe and receive forgiveness for our sins based on Jesus and His work. When we do this God has a just basis to forgive our sins because of Jesus justifying work on the cross on our behalf. Jesus paid our death penalty on the cross for us. He’s the only One qualified to do that. Jesus took our sins on Himself on the cross and when we trust in Him and His work, He offers us His righteousness to be put to our account (cf. Isaiah 53; 2 Corinthians 5:21). God did this for us in Christ because He loves us. God is Love with a capitol “L” (e.g. John 3:16; Romans 5:8; 1 John 4:8 and 16).
Lastly, Confess and call. We confess our sins to God and receive His forgiveness (1 John 1:9). But we also confess or share Jesus to those around us. We tell others about Jesus. We call others to follow Jesus too. These are not works that lead to salvation. This is a fruit or evidence that salvation has genuinely taken place in us. The Bible states, “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:9-10).
The devil is on the prowl in this world. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. To Him be glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 5:8-10). For the Christian, Satan has been declawed. Be aware and alert because the devil is looking for an opening in your life. Resist him steadfastly by faith. Rely on God’s grace. The victory is ours in Jesus.
Wherever you see death and destruction, lies and deception, pride and self-centeredness, the devil is at work. We need to expose his dark schemes. We need to destroy the deceptions of the devil with the truth of God. We need to help the lost of this world come to Jesus and slam the door in the devil’s face. When you open the door to Jesus, you won’t ever have to answer Satan’s knock again. Jesus will answer for you.
[1] https://video.foxnews.com/v/5850431219001/?#sp=show-clips
[2] https://www.christianpost.com/news/witches-outnumber-presbyterians-in-the-us-wicca-paganism-growing-astronomically-227857/
[3] https://www.cnsnews.com/blog/michael-w-chapman/bp-jackson-demonic-forces-congress-are-trying-block-kavanaugh
[4] https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/michael-w-chapman/witches-hex-justice-kavanaugh-occult-ritual-nyc
[5] https://www.vox.com/2017/6/20/15830312/magicresistance-restance-witches-magic-spell-to-bind-donald-trump-mememagic
[6] https://www.charismanews.com/opinion/73059-our-country-is-embracing-satanism-at-an-alarming-rate-here-s-proof
[7] https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/oprah-promotes-shout-your-abortion-campaign-in-latest-magazine
[8] https://prepareforchange.net/2017/11/14/8-million-children-go-missing-each-year-across-the-world-theres-something-more-to-child-trafficking-than-most-think/
[9] http://humansarefree.com/2017/11/8-million-children-go-missing-each-year.html
[10] https://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/10/fashion/generation-lgbtqia.html
[11] https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/03/20/suicide-rates-on-the-rise-in-us-especially-in-rural-areas-cdc/21903238/
[12] Suicide is a complex issue beyond the scope of this present study. There are psychological and extenuating circumstances. It is a painful issue for those who self-destruct as well as for their family and loved ones. I would encourage all to look at the issue with grace as well as truth. Suicide is not the answer.