Before we deal with any other subjects, we should first examine the anatomy of the kingdom of darkness. This is not because the demonic is the most important aspect of the spiritual mapping or identifying strongholds. In fact, we would say that the issue of destiny or redemptive purpose is the most important. But we must deal with an overview of the demonic realm to make sure that every one in class is on an equal footing theologically before we proceed.

1. SATAN WAS APPARENTLY A HIGH RANKING HEAVENLY BEING BEFORE HE REBELLED AGAINST GOD AND WAS THROWN TO EARTH.

"I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven."

Luke 10:18

"How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven: I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit."

Isaiah 14:12

"You were the model of perfection full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold on the day you were created they were prepared. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor...

Ezekiel 28:12-17

"The great dragon was hurled down-that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth and his angels with him. His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth." Revelation 12:9,4

3. NOW, SATAN RULES A KINGDOM

"Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?" Matthew 12:25-26

4. THIS KINGDOM HAS RANKS AND LEVELS IN IT, MODELED AFTER THE ARRANGEMENT SATAN SAW IN THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms."

Ephesians 6:12

5. SOME EVIDENCE EVEN INDICATES THAT THERE ARE DEMONIC FORCES ASSIGNED TO NATIONS, EVEN AS ANGELS ARE ASSIGNED TO NATIONS. IN DANIEL 10, MICHAEL IS MENTIONED AS THE ANGEL OF ISRAEL AND THERE IS CLEAR MENTION OF A DEMONIC "PRINCE" OF PERSIA AND A "PRINCE" OF GREECE. ALSO, SOME TRANSLATIONS OF DEUTERONOMY 32:8-THE SEPTUAGINT FOR EXAMPLE-INDICATE THAT GOD HAS SET UP THE NATIONS ACCORDING TO THE NUMBER OF THE ANGELS. BIBLICAL SCHOLAR F.F.BRUCE SAYS THAT THE SEPTUAGINT TEXT IS CLOSEST TO THE ORIGINAL AND HE WRITES:

"This reading implies that the administration of the various nations has been parceled out among a corresponding number of angelic powers...In a number of places some at least of the angelic governors are portrayed as hostile principalities and powers-the ‘world rulers’ of this darkness of Ephesians 6:12."

6. THE AIM OF THE KINGDOM OF DARKNESS IS THE COUNTERFEITING OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND THE DESTRUCTION AND CONTROL OF MAN AND HIS INSTITUTIONS.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." John 10:10

"...how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him."

Acts 10:38

7. IN ACCOMPLISHING THE GOALS OF DESTRUCTION AND DECEPTION, THE ENEMY WORKS ACCORDING TO A DEFINED PLAN OF EVIL.

He has a strategy-2 Corinthians 2:11 ("schemes" or "wiles" = noema)

He has a method-Ephesians 6:11 ("schemes" or "wiles" = methodeia)

8. THE GOAL OF HIS STRATEGY AND METHOD IS TO GAIN STRATEGIC TERRITORY, OR WHAT MOST TRANSLATIONS CALL A "FOOTHOLD." THIS APPLIES TO BOTH INDIVIDUALS AND NATIONS.

"In your anger do not sin; Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold (topos)." Ephesians 4:27

9. THE PURPOSE OF THIS ‘FOOTHOLD" OR GRASP FOR STRATEGIC TERRITORY IS TO CONTROL THE INDIVIDUAL OR NATION FOR HIS PURPOSES. EXAMPLE:

"And the Lord’s servant must not quarrel; instead, he must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will."

2 Timothy 2:26

NOTE: There is confusion in the body of Christ because we are so used to the word "demon-possessed." This word does not appear in Scripture in Greek. The word in Greek is daimonizomai and means "having or possessing a demon." There is no word for demon-possessed in the Bible, but because we think in these terms we often fail to recognize the activity of the devil in influencing without "possessing." A good example of this dynamic in the life of an individual is that of Peter in Matthew 16. Notice that in verse 17 Peter is received revelation from God but six verses later, in verse 23, Jesus rebuked Satan who influenced Peter’s thoughts and words.

10. HOW DO THE DEMONIC SPIRITS GAIN TOPOS OR STRATEGIC TERRITORY IN REGIONS OR CITIES?

Examples:

* Sin of any Kind-Leviticus 18

*Idolatry -Psalm 106, 1 Corinthians 10:20, Revelation 9:20, Jeremiah 16:18

* Bloodshed-Numbers 35:33

* Unrighteous Covenants

* Generational Sins-2 Samuel 21

* Curses

Part II: God’s Redemptive Purposes

Beyond seeking strategic military territory with which to control people and nations, Satan also seeks to station his strongholds against what he knows to be God’s "redemptive purposes" for individual, institutions, and the nations.

1. GOD HAS A PURPOSE, A DESTINY, FOR INDIVIDUALS WHICH HE ESTABLISHED BEFORE THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE WORLD.

"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."

Jeremiah 1:5

"All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."

Psalm 139

"For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Ephesians 2:10

"...I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me."

Philippians 3:12

2. GOD NOT ONLY HAS A DESTINY FOR INDIVIDUALS, BUT FOR NATIONS AS WELL.

"By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; He puts the deep into storehouses."

"Let all the earth fear the Lord: he commanded, and it stood firm. The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purpose of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations."

"Blessed is the nations whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance. From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind, from his dwelling place he watches all who live on the earth - he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do."

Psalm 33:6-15

3. REMEMBER THAT NATIONS IN THE BIBLE DOES NOT MEAN ONLY POLITICAL NATIONS.

The Greek word is ethnoi.

Ethnoi means a "multitude bound by the same manners, customs and other distinctive features," "a multitude...associated or living together," "a multitude of individuals of the same nature or genus." It also means any people identified by a common characteristic. I might better be translated "tribe."

4. CONSIDER THE EXAMPLE OF THE CITY OF NASHVILLE, ITS REDEMPTIVE GIFTS, AND HOW THE ENEMY HAS STATIONED DEMONIC FORCES AGAINST THOSE GIFTS AND PURPOSES.

The calling of God on Nashville identified by the fathers, prophets, and intercessors.

-That Music City USA becomes a Worship City to the World

-That the Athens of the South becomes a Jerusalem to the Nations

To oppose these purposes of God, the enemy has stationed spirits of racism, perversion in the arts, selfish ambition, and religiosity. All of these are exhibited through the city’s history.

5. THIS IS WHY IT IS SO CRITICALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE SPEAK OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE AS "RELEASING DESTINY."

The Bible often describes life as a battleground. God is raising up His holy people and releasing them into their destinies, but there is always opposition to His work. The Bible identifies three primary enemies of Christians that must be overcome to live a victorious Christian life. The Bible study that follows briefly exposes these three primary foes and how they seek to operate in believer’s lives:

The Three Enemies

I. The Flesh

A. Romans 8:3-4 and Galatians 5:16-19 speak of man’s flesh as being evil. The word in these cases refers to the part of man that has an unholy bent towards sin and is in rebellion to God. It is also called "our old man" (Romans 6:6, Ephesians 4:22). Paul in Romans 7 refers to it as the "sin which indwells me" (vs. 17), "sin which dwells in me" (vs. 20), "the evil present with me" (vs. 21), and "a different law (other than God’s law) in my members" (vs. 23). This sinful nature of man is sometimes referred to as man’s condition of "depravity". It means that all people are affected by sin (Romans 6:1-10-18, 23) and are therefore "by nature children of wrath." (Ephesians 2:3) When a person comes to Christ the power of the flesh to control behavior is broken (Romans 6:1-10; 8:9). Christians must realize, however, that the authority of Christ must be exercised over the flesh through the power of the Holy Spirit on a continual basis to walk in victory (Galatians 5:16-18). Paul says that "by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body" (Romans 8:13).

II. Devil and Demons

A. Satan (also know as Lucifer or the devil, Revelation 12:9), was a high-ranking angel who rebelled against God’s authority and was cast out of heaven, taking a third of the angels him (Ezekiel 28:12-19; Isaiah 14:12-14; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6; Revelation 12:4.9).

B. Demons are probably fallen angels (compare Matthew 25:41 and Revelation 12:7 with Matthew 12:24,26). (Also note that angels and demons have similar essence. Angels are called "spirits" (Psalms 104:4; Hebrews 1:14), and so are demons (Matthew 8:16, Luke 10:17, 20).

C. These "angels" of Satan are either bound, confined to the pit (abyss-Revelation 9:1-11; Luke 8:31), or are abiding in the "heavenlies" and attacking mankind (Ephesians 3:10; Ephesians 6:12). Their goal is to oppose God’s work and steal from, kill, and destroy mankind (John 10:10).

III. The World System

A. Satan is called "the god of this age" and "the prince of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4; John 12:31; 16:11). He rules an organization of demonic beings and fallen man, which establishes a counter-culture of sin opposed to God’s righteous order. The enemy has so entrenched the world’s value systems, that the Bible speaks of earthly, natural wisdom as demonic (James 3:14-15). The rulers of this world, following the wisdom of this world, crucified the Lord of glory (1 Corinthians 2:4-8). John also discusses the evil present in the world in I John 2:16-17. He speaks of certain aspects of our "human culture" as being "not from the Father, but from the world."

B. Demonic entities not only seek to torment individuals (Ephesians 2:1,2) but also seek to control political governments, (Daniel 10:13,20) world perspectives, and events (John 12:31; Ephesians 6:11-12; 2 Thessalonians 2:8-10).

C. Christians are encouraged by these words of Jesus: "In this world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33). John also exhorts us in a later book, "...for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is victory that has overcome the world, even our faith" (1 John 5:4).

IV. Demonic Partnerships

1. Demons and the Flesh

Demons attack the flesh. They find weak spots (of wounding and sin) and take advantage. A good question would then be: "Are normal sins "flesh" problems or demonic problems? The answer is often, both. Ephesians 2:1-3 gives us an anatomy of sin. The flesh, with its desires, becomes a target for evil spirits. They then attack the weak places in our flesh. That is why we are all at war with evil spirits (Ephesians 6:11-12). When we are dealing with sin areas, we must "resist the devil and he will flee: (James 4:7) as well as put to death the weak places in our flesh by the power of God’s Spirit (Romans 8:13). If a person chooses to chase away demons, but not gain control of his flesh by the power of the Spirit, then the demons will just come back and torment that individual again (Luke 11:24-26). In some situations where demons are involved, they are more of an effect of the problem than the root cause. Dealing therefore with the flesh, problem within the heart of the person becomes the key to real victory.

2. How do demons get control?

Demons look for access in these areas: A) areas of wounding B) places of sin C) curses and generational sin D) occult involvement or drug abuse.

A) Beelzebub (the ruler of demons in Matthew 12:27) means, "lord of the flies." Flies flock around wounds, and so do demons. They try to use bitterness and unforgiveness to poison internal wounds much like a physical infection can poison outward wounds on a persons body (see Matthew 18:21-35). Sometimes demons will use areas of wounding as a breeding ground for fear. Fear often draws the believer’s focus off of the grace and power of God and onto the enemy (Matthew 14:22-31). Deception can then usher someone into a place of bondage where truth must be spoken and received for real freedom to be experienced (John 8:32; 2 Corinthians 10:5).

B) In regard to areas of sin, the following verses provide a sketch of the enemy’s strategy:

a) People follow their wicked ways (Eph 2:1,2)

b) Sin patterns give demons a foothold (Ephesians 4:27).

c) The mind begins to be corrupted and footholds lead to strongholds (2 Cor. 10:4).

d) Once a solid stronghold of the enemy exists in a person’s mind and actions, the evil spirit can move in a make the person his "house" (Matthew 12:43, 44a).

C) Generational sins and curses can come upon people through sins of their ancestors (Exodus 34:7; Numbers 14:18; Deuteronomy 5:6-10), through their own disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:15-68), by satanic attack (sometimes channeled through others) (Numbers 22:4-6; Job; Galatians 3:1; 1 Corinthians 4:12), or by words carelessly or maliciously spoken (Proverbs 18:21; Genesis 27:11-13). Curses can be broken through repentance and prayer (Examples of such: Nehemiah 1:6,7; Daniel 9:20), and by applying the blood of Jesus. Scripture says, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us..." (Galatians 3:13). (See also Revelation 12:11; Matthew 16:16-18, 18:18-19)

D) Occult involvement can also open the door for demonic control (Deuteronomy 18:10; Galatians 5:20; 1 Corinthians 10:20-21). Even ouija boards and horoscopes (as innocent as they may seem to some), can open the door for demonic bondage. (Drug abuse will sometimes open the same evil supernatural windows that are opened through overt occult involvement - the Greek word for sorcery is pharmekia; note the connection?).

3. Demons and the World System

Demons devise and inhabit many of the world’s systems. Many of the social structures in our society are simply the visible entities which demonic forces use for their own unholy purposes. We find these specific examples in scripture:

A) Demonically inspires doctrines (1 Timothy 4:1)

B) The traditions of men (Mark 7:6-13; Matthew 15:1-20)

C) Demonically inspired wisdom (James 3:14-15)

D) Demonically inspires "regulations" (Galatians 4:3; Colossians 2:8, 20-23)

E) Demonically controlled government (Ezekiel 28 - King of Tyre was a physical pawn for a demonic principality)

Examine Yourself (1 Corinthians 11:28):

1) We must take inventory. Have and "demonic," "earthly" structures become part of your thinking or behavior?

2) Are there "access points" in your inner man where the enemy is allowed to "latch on" and bring defeat into you life?

3) Are there any places of wounding that have not been properly healed? Do you still need to release and forgive any who have hurt you mistreated you?

At Harvest Christian Fellowship, we will wage warfare on each of these three major enemies of the body of Christ as the Lord directs: the flesh, demonic forces, and the world system. The scriptures teach us that we should deal with the flesh and demonic forces alike. Many modern churches specialize in just one of these areas, ignoring the others. Our approach in helping people find victory in Jesus will take into account both the flesh and the devil. Many struggles in peoples’ lives involve internal struggles with the flesh as well as external battles with demonic forces. In many such cases the root problem is a problem with sin or inner pain which leads to demonic bondage as a result, or an effect of the cause.

"Demon possession" is probably not the best way to translate the Greek participle "daimonizomenas." It should be translated "demonized" which suggests demonic activity within a person, but does not infer that demons own the person afflicted. Christians, like God, are made up of three parts. The Bible says we have a spirit, soul and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23). The Bible teaches that before we knew Christ we were "dead in trespasses and sins" (Ephesians 2:11). This is certainly referring not to our bodies or souls (the mind, will, and emotions), but to our spirits. At salvation, the Holy Spirit comes in and quickens (makes alive) our human spirit (Romans 8:10; 1 John 5:1,11). From that time on, the Holy Spirit lives connected to our human spirit. Demons cannot "possess" the spirit of a Christian. They can however, afflict the mind, will, emotions (soul) and body of a believer if they have been given a point of access. Careful study of the following New Testament passages illustrates this truth:

Luke 13:10-17; Acts 5:3; 1 Corinthians 5:5; 1 Corinthians 10:20; 2 Corinthians 11:3,4; 1 Timothy 4:1; Galatians 3:1; Peter 2:1-22.

2) Do you practice deliverance ministry?

Absolutely! Deliverance ministry occurs when mature believers gather around one who is struggling with demonic forces, and join together in prayer with that individual, asking God for breakthrough. The prayer warriors then resist specific evil spirits who have tormented the one receiving prayer. (Matthew 16:17-18; 18:18-20) Deliverance is not an end in itself, but a means to an end. (Luke 11:24-26) The goal of deliverance is to remove obstruction so that the individual can seek God in an unhindered atmosphere and receive into his/her mind and heart God’s truth.

3) Do you believe in Christian counseling?