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CHAPTER 1
The Spiritual War

A\ue001ter nearly \ue001orty years o\ue001 ministry, I am still surprised that people know so little about Satan. When he brought evil into the world, it changed the course o\ue001 human history. Arguably, next to God, Satan is the most important being to learn about.

During the past \ue000ew years, though, when people have asked me
questions about Satan and I wanted to recommend a book that dealt

with the subject comprehensively, I could think o\ue001 none that \ue000t the bill. For instance, The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis is excellent, but it is \ue000ction and leaves much biblical teaching uncovered. Warren Wiersbe\u2019s book The Strategy of Satan is also good but relatively limited in what it covers. Many key questions are not addressed.

A number o\ue001 recent books dealing with Satan refect an extreme per-
spective that is not biblically based. Authors who attribute too much to
demonic activity do a poor service to believers by assuming matters that are
not revealed in the Bible. Hermeneutic restraint\u2014sticking to what is actu-
ally written\u2014is in short supply when it comes to books on Satan. Believers
need accurate, balanced, biblical in\ue001ormation on Satan, not exaggeration.
Exaggerated or distorted versions o\ue000 spiritual war\ue000are have created suspicion
on the whole subject in the minds o\ue001 many Christian leaders.

At the other extreme, there is dea\ue001ening silence on this subject \ue001rom many evangelical leaders today. Pursuing my interest in matters o\ue001 min- istry, I have visited many churches in the United States, including most o\ue001 the well-known mega-churches. Yet \ue001or as many services and con\ue001er-

ences I have attended, I don\u2019t recall ever hearing a teaching on Satan
12
SATAN AND HIS kINGDOM
or spiritual war\ue000are\u2014one o\ue000 the major themes in the New Testament.
Personal discussions with leaders \ue000rom these churches reveal that they
do believe in Satan. But \ue000or some reason it doesn\u2019t seem to get much
\u201cairtime\u201d in modern mainstream evangelical churches.
Most liberal and emergent village churches reject the reality o\ue000 a
personal Satan. So too do the majority o\ue001 Americans who say they believe
in God. According to a 2008 Barna Group survey, the majority o\ue001 both
Catholics and Protestants in America reject the reality o\ue000 a personal Satan.1
Verbal Kint, the narrator in the 1995 \ue000lmUsual Suspects, says, \u201cThe greatest
trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn\u2019t exist.\u201d
While most Bible-believing Christians do believe in Satan, con\ue000usion
o\ue001ten reigns. Our question today should be, \u201cWhat are the \ue001acts?\u201d
Warfare Is real
A spiritual war is raging. The apostle Paul says, \u201cFor we are not
\ue000ghting against fesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and
authorities o\ue001 the unseen world\u201d (Ephesians 6:12nlt).2 You are in the
middle o\ue001 that war. Whether your heart is peace-loving or warlike makes
no di\ue000\ue000erence. You can\u2019t get out o\ue000 it. You can only choose whether to
\ue000ght or to be mowed down as a civilian casualty.
I\ue000 you are a pastor, a Christian who actively shares your \ue000aith, or
you lead Bible studies or disciple younger believers, you need to learn
about Satan \ue001or the sake o\ue001 your ministry. You need to be able to answer
important questions that come up and to anticipate his moves in the

lives o\ue001 your people. This book is \ue001or both Christians who need to learn about Satan \ue001or their own survival and \ue001or workers who need the ability to explain his ways and \ue001ace him in battle.

Where We stanD
When the allies invaded France on D day, allied leaders knew it was
all over \ue001or Hitler. With the Russian juggernaut hammering in \ue001rom the
of 00

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