SATAN
& HIS AGENTS:
From
Such Turn Away
By
Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
What
are Satan’s Agents? Who are his emissaries? Do they really appear
like angels of light? What is their business? How powerful are they?
How much confusion do they cause? Are they the agents of disruption,
discord, animosity and hate?
Do
they cause fear, anxiety, disease and death? Are they the architects
of turmoil, conflict and war? Are Satan’s angels responsible for
broken homes, violence, pornography, rape, murder and sexual
perversion? Is he the world’s most hated terrorist? Are Satan’s
days numbered? Will he spend eternity in the Lake of Fire?
Is
there still a way to stop the carnage, bring back decency, honesty
and common sense to a sordid, depraved and fallen society? Does God
still care for us in this age of godlessness and degeneration? Does
He still search for the backslider?
Will
He still welcome us all back into His Fold? Is He still the caring
Father whose eyes run and fro over the earth, strong in behalf of His
fallen creation? Are His ears still open to our cry for help?
Is
there still cleansing and life-giving power in His shed blood? Is
there still healing and deliverance to be had through the bloody
stripes He bore for us in Pilate’s Judgment Hall? Does Jesus
Christ’s vicarious death for us all on the Calvary’s Cross and
glorious resurrection three days later still make the sinner whole?
Does
He still love us? Does He care about our individual needs? Can we
still receive God’s peace through the death of His cross? May all
come to that fountain filled blood today and be forgiven and received
into the Family of God? Does He still pour out the Holy Spirit on
those who hunger and thirst after righteousness?
Is
the name of Jesus Christ still the most powerful and the greatest
name in Heaven and earth? Will every knee bow one day and every
tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the
Father?
Will
our precious Lord Jesus Christ return for His Church in the parusia
(return),
harpazo
(rapture,
catching
away, jerking up),
apokalupsis
(revelation,
uncovering),
epiphaneia
(appearing,
disclosure). Will
we spend eternity with our Saviour, our loved ones and the redeemed
of all ages as He has promised?
THE
ANSWER IS YES! YES! YES!
SATAN
is
eternally defeated!
Jesus Christ has stripped him of all his power over every individual
who believes in our Saviour and trusts in His precious blood for the
forgiveness of sins! The Bible says: “He
came unto His own and His own received Him not but to as many as
received to them gave He the power to become the sons of God.”
(John
1: 11,12)
“He that
committed sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the
beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested that He
might DESTROY
the works of the devil.” (1 John 3: 8)
JESUS
CHRIST invites us all: “Come
unto Me all ye who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you
rest.”
(Matt. 11: 28); “He
that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and he that
believeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth
on him.”
(John 3:36)
“All
that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me; and Him that cometh unto
Me I will in no wise cast out.”
(John 6: 37)
THE
BIBLE says: “In
the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried,
saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink. He that
believeth on Me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall
flow rivers of living water.
But
this He spoke of the Spirit which they that believe on Him should
receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given, because Jesus was not
yet glorified.”
(John 7: 37-39)
WHAT
IS FALSE DOCTRINE? Anything or anyone who takes precedent over Jesus
Christ and the Holy Spirit is a false teacher and in opposition to
the Gospel of Christ. Jesus said: "I am the Way, the Truth and
the Life and no man cometh unto the Father but by Me." (John
14:6)
Our
Lord stated: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth
NOT by the DOOR into the sheepfold, but he that climbeth up some
other way, the same is a THIEF and a ROBBER…
Verily,
verily, I AM THE DOOR OF THE SHEEP, All that ever came before Me are
THIEVES and ROBBERS, but the sheep did not hear them. I AM THE DOOR:
by ME if any man enter in, he shall be SAVED..." (John 10:1-18)
The Bible answers that question very well. St. John states: "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
"Hereby ye know the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God:
"And this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come: and even now already is it in the world." (1 John 4: 1-3)
Our Lord warned: "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him all the plagues that are written in this book.
"And if any man shall take away from the words of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the Holy City, and from the things written in this book." (Rev. 22: 18, 19)
St. Paul states: "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from Him that called you to another gospel: Which is not
another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
The Bible answers that question very well. St. John states: "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
"Hereby ye know the Spirit of God. Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God:
"And this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come: and even now already is it in the world." (1 John 4: 1-3)
Our Lord warned: "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him all the plagues that are written in this book.
"And if any man shall take away from the words of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the Holy City, and from the things written in this book." (Rev. 22: 18, 19)
St. Paul states: "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from Him that called you to another gospel: Which is not
another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
"But though we or an angel from Heaven, PREACH ANY OTHER GOSPEL unto you than, let him be accursed, as we said before, so say I now again: If any man preach any other gospel unto you than what I have preached, LET HIM BE ACCURSED." (Gal.1: 8,9)
If a person strays from the truth of God's Word and
rejects the Gospel, that person is LOST. Instead of God's blessing upon his life, the Spirit of God will lift from him and he will be accursed and lost forever.
The seriousness of backsliding and turning away from Christ and His Word is so tragic that the Holy Scriptures knit the judgment of God upon sinners with the return of Christ: "If any man love NOT the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema, Maranatha." (1 Cor.16: 22)
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
The words Anathema, Maranatha is an exclamation of the Approaching Divine Judgment. Here is a question that theologians and historians are asking: "Why did St. Paul insert, without translation, an Aramaic formula in a Greek letter to Corinth, where Aramaic was not current?
No doubt, it was because Maranatha was a fixed and widely circulated formula. It was almost certainly a key expression in the liturgy of the primitive church in Palestine.
And that from there it passed into Greek Christendom without translation, in fashion similar to 'Amen' and 'Hosana'. Maranatha is 'Aramaic' as an imperative: maranath meaning, "Our Lord come." Or as an indicative: maran-atha meaning, Our Lord come." anon.
The word Anathama means suspended and Maranatha means 'The Lord returneth' or 'Our Lord come'. This warning means that the CURSE as well as the BLESSING has its operation in Christ's Kingdom and will rise to its highest power at Christ's Coming. Without doubt, He will come to bless as well as to curse. It was used as the Church censure or final excommunication.
On Canada's West Coast, the Native Indians used to sing a powerful song in or crusades during Altar Services. It was called, 'When our Lord shall come again'. The lyrics went like this: 'There will be sorrow, there will be pain; There will be shouting and there will be rejoicing when our Lord shall come again!"
St. Paul wrote to
Timothy, his son in the faith: “As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia,
that thou mightiest charge them that they preach NO OTHER DOCTRINE…
Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of
a good conscience and of faith unfeigned.” (1
Tim.1: 3, 5)
His
instruction to Timothy was: Preach
what I preached and taught you. Major on the Word of God: It will
solve everything. Stay away from contentious, far-out ideologies.
Rather, teach godly doctrines that edify the church and glorify Jesus
Christ. Look for results:
Charity
(agape love) out of a pure heart; A
good conscience
– through repentance and godly living; Faith
unfeigned –
without hypocrisy. Amen.
