In Isaiah 14:12,13 we find God’s most magnificent angel–Lucifer (“son of the morning”) being warned about what would one day take place on earth when his time of control over man would be brought to an end. The entire chapter consists of God’s prophecy about Lucifer (renamed Satan–the enemy) who would rule over the whole of mankind for thousands of years. With one exception. One group of people has remained free of his control–a tiny remnant, the Lord’s “little flock” of true believers described by the Apostle Peter as a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people who manifest the light of the Lord who called them out of Satan’s darkness. These few (Mat. 7:13:14; 22:14) in every generation has answered the Lord’s call to walk in the same holiness and righteousness as did their Lord and Savior–Jesus of Nazareth. Read “Lord” or “Savior”: It is a Matter of Time. Key word–Matter.

Lucifer (henceforth–Satan) had been cast down to earth for having led a rebellion against God in his quest for control of the universe (Isa. 14:12-14). One-third of God’s angels had joined him in his war for universal dominance. Having lost the war, Satan was confined to earth and his fallen angels had all been relocated to the air space above it where they, now known as devils (Gk. dimonia–demons) affect mankind through such things as temptations, thoughts, desires, sicknesses and diseases. The Apostle Paul refers to these powerful spirit beings as “principalities and powers in high places” who are “the rulers of the darkness and wickedness of this world.” They rule man because man does not believe that they exist. Almost all of those who do believe in them prefer darkness over light–prefer church light over God’s light.

For these reasons the deliverance ministry is vitally important in the work of God’s chosen servants. Read Matthew 10:7,8. God has not changed. Neither has the ministry He appointed His servants to fulfill. Regardless of the situation or circumstance, if it is against God’s Word and contrary to His will for man, demonic activity is at the root of it, though not the cause of it. We must understand that neither Satan nor his demons can force (cause) anyone to do anything. All they can do is tempt man to do their bidding. In Revelation 3:21 Jesus said that those who would join Him on His throne must “… overcome (temptation) even as I overcame (temptation) and, in do doing, earned the right to sit at God’s right hand. He did so using the power of the Holy Spirit. Man, using only his own spirit, stands no chance of overcoming a demon. For this reason church people are at the mercy of Satan and his helpers. Man must decide whom he will obey: God or Satan. And because the vast majority of human beings are unaware of those powers of the air, Satan rules them while allowing them to believe that they are directing their own lives and walking with the Lord on their way to heaven.

The Word came to earth as a man to set the example of how to resist the temptations and effects of Satan and his fallen angels. Christ’s death accomplished three major objectives. His death made it possible for man to 1) receive justification (forgiveness of all PAST sins), thereby rendering him righteous (sinless). 2) His death enabled man to receive the Holy Spirit which empowers him to resist the temptations presented by Satan’s fallen angels. 3) Christ’s death enabled man to be converted–to affect a total reversal of his Satan-serving “walk”–sinful deeds, words and thoughts, and to “walk” in the opposite direction–righteous deeds, words and thoughts. Read the Process of Salvation and The Message of the Cross. Key words–Process and Cross respectively.

Satan, having failed to take over the universe and having been cast down to earth, resorted to plan B in which he would gain rulership over God’s most cherished creation–MAN–whom He had created in His image and likeness and to whom He had given dominance over the earth and everything on, in and above it (Gen. 1:26-28). Satan (the serpent) would begin his conquest of man with God’s first two human creations–Adam and Eve. If he could convince them to defy their Creator, they would automatically come under his (Satan’s) control. As the one who had so empowered them to reject their Creator, he (Satan) would become their source of all things–their God. Satan knew that all who would come from them would follow in their footsteps. He believed that when man was given the choice whether to (supposedly) rule himself or to be ruled by God, man would choose self-rule–or so he would believe. What Satan would hide from them was the truth of their situation–that they would be secretly ruled by the one who had given them their “self-rulership”–SATAN HIMSELF. The ruse worked to perfection and is still working. Church people believe that they are operating in God’s will, not realizing that they are Satan’s puppets. Being ignorant of God’s Word and supposedly “saved” and “born again,” they believe that whatever they deem Bible truth to be, that is God’s truth. Isn’t it strange that there are hundreds of versions of God’s Truth? And not one of them matches the Book they claim confirms their particular version. And Satan smiles. Read Bait and Switch. Key word–Bait.

When tempting Eve with THE ULTIMATE CHOICE, Satan did not cast doubt on her Creator’s Godship. He cast doubt on what her Creator SAID–HIS MESSAGE TO HER, ADAM AND THEIR FUTURE DESCENDANTS. God had told them what they could and could not do (His Edenic Law) and what would be the results of obeying Him (eternal life in paradise) and disobeying Him (spiritual death followed by physical death). Satan simply twisted God’s message by inserting one word–“NOT.” He said concerning the eating of the forbidden fruit (sin), “You shall NOT surely die, for God knows that WHEN you eat of that tree “YOU WILL BECOME AS GODS, ABLE TO DETERMINE GOOD AND EVIL (Gen. 3:1-5). God is Self-ruled. Becoming “as gods” THEY WOULD GAIN THE POWER OF SELF-GOVERNANCE–THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO LIVE BY THEIR OWN RULES. Being “as gods,” they could determine their life’s “walk.”

Adam and Eve believed Satan. NOTHING HAS CHANGED. RELIGIOUS MAN IS STILL BEING LURED INTO SATAN’S SELF-RULING TRAP. If you are part of “the church,” the so-called “plan of salvation” which you are “walking” will not take you to heaven. I know all about that path and the lies with which it is paved. I not only walked that path, I preached it before my conversion to God’s pure Word. During that time I healed the sick, cast out demons, raised a dead person, knew things I had no way of knowing, etc. The problem was that I was operating on power from the Holy Spirit coming from OUTSIDE OF ME. When God’s Truth came, I was justified, converted and received Holy Spirit power to do those same works. Now I have the Spirit of God living within me.

Having wooed Adam and Eve into his religious web, Satan went to work on their descendants–every person who has ever been born. He and his angels (demons) set out to deceive the entire world as human beings were born and began to create the world system. Then God raised up a man named Noah, “a preacher of righteousness” who declared to the people the ways of the Lord. However, his message was totally rejected. Under Satan and his angels’ influence, the people became so sinful that God had to kill every one of them. Only Noah and his family were left alive. God does not change. Read Malachi 3:6, James 1:17 and Hebrews 13:8.

A fact needs to be inserted at this point. Even though the Lord’s disciples were preaching, healing the sick, casting out demons, etc. before Christ’s death, they were neither justified nor converted. The Holy Spirit empowered them from OUTSIDE of them. Following His death they were justified and converted, thereby enabling the Spirit to reside within them. This is noted in Luke 22:32 where Jesus, nearing the end of His life, said to Peter, “… when you BECOME converted, help your brethren” (to become converted). Following His death, Jesus had told the disciples to go to Jerusalem and wait for “the promise” (Acts 1:1-5,8). A time would come when they would be “baptized with the Holy Spirit,” which means to receive the Spirit internally. This took place soon thereafter on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2) when God delivered on His “promise.” We have the same promise.

Salvation-seeking man’s history involves him following Satan into his various religions where the people’s gods became whatever they wanted them to be. Satan accomplishes this by giving man what man wants. Jesus speaks to this truth in Mark 8:33. Beneath all of the religious zeal demonstrated every sun god day, the fact remains that, thanks to Satan’s deception, man is his own god while believing that he is serving the true God. As such he determines right and wrong, good and evil. Not surprisingly, good is always what man approves of and evil is what he does not approve of.

For this reason modern churchman is spiritually dead, just as were Adam and Eve following their fall. For a description of today’s church system, read Christ’s letter to the end-time church recorded in Revelation 3:14-20. Here He perfectly describes the Catholic/Protestant Religious (Laodicean) System known as modern day “Christianity.” LUCIFER’S PLAN B HAS COME TO PASS. If you are part of that religious beast, read and obey Second Corinthians 6:14-7:2. L.J.