Who is the Enemy?

The enemy are created beings. A fallen angel and his fellow fallen angels. The most powerful fallen angel is Lucifer who is described in the Bible as a glorious being who wants to be like The Most High. That is what caused his fall from heaven. It is commonly accepted that he swept a third of the angels with him when he fell. They are all created beings who cannot match the power that God has given us as believers, never mind God himself!

Why do we need to know the enemy?

Because the enemy is walking around as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. If we do not know what or who to look out for then we will get trapped in something we should not be in! If we get to know the tricks that the enemy uses then we can be on the lookout for what it is that the enemy is trying to deceive us about or with. If we are clueless about the tactics of the enemy then we are doomed to be trapped by him. Jesus is the only one who can keep us permanently out of the traps that the enemy sets for us.

The enemy is powerful. The enemy is smart. The enemy is very experienced in getting humans to fall for whatever he is scheeming. The enemy has had many thousands of years to train themselves about human nature. The enemy was created before the fall in the Garden of Eden. The enemy was able to sway men to be so wicked that God destroyed the earth and all that was in it, save the eight people on the ark, the animals that were with them, and some of the sea life.

When we are confronted with the enemy, we must understand that we as believers are seated with Christ in the heavenlies. We are at the elbow of God, we have the Holy Spirit within us, we are children of God. So with all of this in mind, who is greater? The enemy who is in the world? Or the Holy Spirit who is within us?

Are we at war with the enemy?

YES, we are definitely at war with the enemy. The enemy is prowling around as a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. The enemy are in the spiritual realm where we cannot seen them, but they can see us. They can talk to us by putting thoughts in our head. They actually can tell what we are thinking if they have been given access. How could anyone carry on a conversation with their invisible friend, in their head, without the enemy being able to know their thoughts? How do we give them access? There are a multitude of ways. Ways that we do not even know about. When we are born with a sin nature, we are prone to be interested in the evil things around us. When we play with a ouija board, taro cards, dream catchers, mediums, witches of any kind, or even just seeking power from anywhere that is not of God. When we seek power, healing, protection or any form of information from anywhere other than God, we are dealing with the enemy and opening up an invation to the enemy. When we open an invitation, the enemy is sure to follow up, even though we will never know when they actually do. They will slip into our lives without fanfare so that they can gaslight us. They can influence our lives slowly and without tripping our defense instincts. When they get us used to their influence they will start to lead us astray. Most of the information that they give us will be right, then they will slip in a slight untruth, not enough for us to notice but untruth just the same. When we accept the lie then they will keep moving towards the wrong, getting stronger and stronger. They will lie more and more until they destroy our reputations and our relationships. Then they destroy us. What started out as a good thing, changed to a neutral thing, keeps changing to a bad thing.

Can the enemy do miracles?

Yes, the enemy can do some things that will look like miracles to us. The enemy can produce strong storm winds that are strong enough to blow a stone house down. He is capable of inciting large groups of people to commit murder and steal large amounts of wealth. He is capable of bringing “fire of God” from the sky to kill both men and animals. He is able to affect us with disease and death. All of these are recorded in the book of Job. If all of these were used by the enemy for destruction, then it is probable that the enemy could stop these from happening to counterfeit the power of God as well (Jesus calming the sea). Jesus did many miracles where He cast out demons. If the demons were there to create havoc for God’s children then at the request of their leader they could also leave the people affected which would give the impression that the Antichrist was as powerful as Jesus the Christ. The good news here is that the enemy had to be granted permission by God before doing anything to Job himself or his possessions. As soon as Jesus Christ commanded the enemy to leave their victims, they had to obey. They knew Jesus was the Son of God.

What miracles can the enemy do?

We should expect the Antichrist to be able to command the disasters recorded in Job and many more to deceive the nations. “Miracles” like walking on water, levitating, projecting physical power at long ranges (think Darth Vador/telekinesis), driving animals to do what they would not normally do (think Cujo), bending light to change what is seen (werewolves?), sounds that do not have an origin, producing and clearing smells, and dropping the temperature quickly. Four of our senses can be directly affected by the enemy. These imitation miracles are seen by exorcists when dealing with the enemy today. When you have committed your life to Jesus Christ, you are sealed and have the Holy Spirit living within you, and you are seated with Christ in the heavenlies. This means that with the Holy Spirit that is within you, you are more powerful than any enemy you may encounter, just call on Him. None of the power of the enemy is a true miracle, only the manipulation of what is already there to make it look like he has power. True power is what God has, the ability to speak things into existence (one of which was the enemy).

Promises of the enemy.

The enemy gives us something that we want. Something that we cannot get anywhere else. Information is one of the biggest draws for people. The slave girl in Acts 16:16-18 had a demon that gave her information that brought vast profits to her owners. She did this by proclaiming information that no one else could have known at that time or by revealing information that someone did not want shared publicly. She received this information from the demonic realm that can share information throughout the world almost instantly. She followed Paul and his companions for many days crying out, “These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” How would she know this? Because the demonic realm is everywhere and God’s followers are known there. They know who we are. They know what we have said and done. They know collectively what everyone has done. Their background information is extensive. They can predict what probably will happen in the future, but they are not perfect like the Bible and the God who wrote it. The promises are real and will be powerful for you, until it comes time to pay the bill. Someone who makes a deal with the devil, must always pay him his due. The enemy will use you to destroy others and then destroy you.