The Apostle Paul, who received his Gospel directly from Jesus Christ by revelation (Gal. 1:12), stated that true disciples of Christ are at war. He tells us in Ephesians 6:12: “We wrestle (war), not against flesh and blood (men), but against PRINCIPALITIES, against POWERS, against the RULERS of the darkness of this world, against SPIRITUAL WICKEDNESS in HIGH PLACES” (earth’s heaven–everything above sea level where “birds make their nests” (Eze. 31:6). Earth’s heaven extends upward to around 10,000 feet in which there is oxygen necessary for physical life. Therefore, man is technically “in heaven” as long as he is above ground. It is this area that the Apostle Paul writes about in his epistle to the church at Ephesus whose members evidently did not fully understand the ways of Satan and his helpers–their true enemy.

Incredibly, studies reveal that a large percentage of modern church members do not believe in either Satan or his assistants (Gk.–diamonia–“demons”) which are his fellow angels who were cast back down to earth from the heavens after being defeated by God and His angles. Lucifer (Satan) and one-third of God’s angels tried to overthrow the Godhead (Elohim–Gods–Gen. 1:1) and take over the universe. Having been defeated, Satan and his angels were cast back down to earth’s atmosphere (heaven) where they remain until this day. Knowing their fate (to burn forever following Christ’s return to earth), they express their hatred for God by tempting mankind to sin, therefore separating them from their Creator.

Using his own power, man, even God’s holy messengers, have no chance against Satan and his demons. For this reason God gives His Holy Spirit to true converts by which they can overcome the powers of Satan and his angels/demons by resisting their temptations to sin. Read Sin is a Choice. Key word–Choice. Their spiritual powers, which are mighty, can be resisted and overcome ONLY through the greater power possessed by God’s Holy Spirit with which God equips His Very Elect saints. False converts, who have no intention of living holy lives after being supposedly “saved,” have concocted a theology in which sin is unavoidable (natural). Therefore Jesus supposedly died so that they can sin and get away with it. Jesus said that only a few true believers would reject this Satanic lie. As usual, He was right.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of church people do not have the Holy Spirit for two basic reasons. One, many do not believe that there exists such a thing as the Holy Spirit. And two, sin following their supposed “salvation” prevents them from receiving the Holy Spirit. Therefore, sin is presented as a normal part of their lives. In order for that “truth” to remain true, they hire preachers who will assure them that what they want to be true is indeed true. As Isaiah 59:2 tells us, sin separates us from God. God and Christ are IN the true saint in the form of Their Holy Spirit–their power. The Holy Spirit will not abide where sin abides. Sin takes place when a person chooses to yield to the “voice” (temptation) of a demonic spirit. Without the Holy Spirit living within, the salvation-seeker is no match for the powers of Satan’s demonic spirits.

However, having God’s Spirit makes the true believer more powerful than Satan and his demons combined. God makes this clear in Luke 10:19 where He tells His true saints: “Behold, I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions (demons) and (power) over ALL the power of the enemy (Satan).” It is only by the power of God’s Holy Spirit that His people can resist the call of Satan and his helper. Which brings us to the subject of this posting–the spirit of Antichrist.

Satan controls most of mankind through His spirit which is used by his angels to direct the activities of human beings. Recall that at one time there were only eight people on earth who were not controlled by those spirits. As a result of the earth’s human population being under the control of Satan and friends, God killed everyone on earth except Noah and his family (Gen. 6,7).

The history of Satan, his angels and their power and influence on mankind is graphically presented in the Holy Bible. The problem is that this information is found in the Old Testament, which most churchites believe was “nailed to the cross.” As a result, millions of church people either do not believe they exist, or if they do exist, they have no effect on their (the people’s) lives. Wrong on both counts. Though I have written extensively on this subject, I feel compelled to summarize what I have written in this series.

The word “antichrist” means “against Christ.” This word denotes that Satan and His fallen angels are not merely different from Christ, but are AGAINST HIM, HIS ANGELS, HIS SPIRIT, HIS SAINTS AND ALL OTHER HUMAN BEINGS ON EARTH. Just as God and Christ are in only one location at any given time, Satan can be in only one place at a time. Just as Father and Son use Their Holy Spirit to lead and empower Their true saints, Satan uses his spirits (demons) to direct the lives of his people–the other 99.99% of the world’s population. Just as Father and Son are everywhere in the universe in the form of Their Holy Spirit, Satan and his demons are also everywhere in the form of their antichrist spirit. Read Psalms 139:7-12 to see how God and Christ use Their Holy Spirit to do Their work in the lives of their saints in all places at all times. Just as the Holy Spirit is in all places at all times for good, the antichrist spirit is in all places at all times for evil.

As free moral agents, we have the power of choice. Just as Adam and Eve were allowed to follow either God or Satan, we have the power to choose whom we will follow in this life. That power of choice is always present. As was the case with Jesus of Nazareth, we who claim to be God’s people must be vigilant and always on guard against the wiles of the devil for he, “like a roaring lion, goes about seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). We must not be like Adam and Eve who let down their guard and allowed Satan to deceive them. He did so using only one word–“not,” as in “You will NOT surely die” if they ate of the forbidden fruit which, as Genesis 3:6 describes it, was “good for food and pleasant to the eyes and a tree to be desired because it made one wise.” Sin is always visually appealing and always makes one feel wise–able to justify partaking of it. How many ministers have failed to look beyond appearance and into the heart of the temptation Satan has set before them? Notice how many famous ministers are being publicly exposed for their past sins today. As the Lord warns, all that is hidden will be found out.

God’s true saints are constantly on guard, knowing that the “roaring lion” is always on the prowl. Unlike Satan who tries to force himself into the heart (mind) of the salvation-seeker, the Lord’s Spirit must be invited in and, through obedience to God’s Law, allowed to remain within the true saint. As stated by the prophet, sin forces the Spirit out. And guess who fills the void that is left? L.J.