Three strategies of Satan to take the word away

[Lambano]

The devil is an ancillary character. It’s a simple point that enrages him and his followers. Pride is his / their undoing.

I have a friend who comes from a branch of Evangelicalism that does treat The Devil as one of the main characters. Anytime something goes wrong, she says it's Satan's fault. (And of course it has nothing to do with her bad life choices.)

I had another friend (I mentioned him in another thread) who is not a Christadelphian, but who does not believe in the devil because he thinks it would have been irresponsible of God to allow an evil spiritual being to roam to and fro unchecked.

I'd like something between those two extremes, please.

 

[Matthias]

I have a friend who comes from a branch of Evangelicalism that does treat The Devil as one of the main characters. Anytime something goes wrong, she says it's Satan's fault. (And of course it has nothing to do with her bad life choices.)

I had another friend (I mentioned him in another thread) who is not a Christadelphian, but who does not believe in the devil because he thinks it would have been irresponsible of God to allow an evil spiritual being to roam to and fro unchecked.

I'd like something between those two extremes, please.

Yep. Out of balance.

”Stay out of the ditches.”

 

[Matthias]

The three strategies Dr. Piper is discussing in his article aren’t a man’s strategies to take the word away from man.

 

[Matthias]

We can count on Satan resuming his work through his agents. In the meantime, let‘s look at Piper’s summary.

“In summary, Satan has three strategies to take away the Word of God.

1. First, he often acts immediately as soon as the Word is heard to make people inattentive, or cause them to feel ill-will, or to simply be so ignorant of spiritual reality they can’t grasp what is being said.

2. Second, he comes in after the Word has been received with joy and attacks it with hard times. He convinces some that holding fast to the Word is not worth the trouble.

3. Third, he comes in where the Word has begun to take root and strangles it with the lie that too many good things are being sacrificed.”

(John Piper, “Satan Takes the Word Away”)

Speaking of sacrifice, guess what else besides his existence the devil doesn’t want you to believe? Substitutionary atonement. Let Satan’s agents start a thread on that topic in his / their relentless spiritual war on Judeo-Christianity.

 

[Hiddenthings]

We can count on Satan resuming his work through his agents. In the meantime, let‘s look at Piper’s summary.

“In summary, Satan has three strategies to take away the Word of God.

1. First, he often acts immediately as soon as the Word is heard to make people inattentive, or cause them to feel ill-will, or to simply be so ignorant of spiritual reality they can’t grasp what is being said.

2. Second, he comes in after the Word has been received with joy and attacks it with hard times. He convinces some that holding fast to the Word is not worth the trouble.

3. Third, he comes in where the Word has begun to take root and strangles it with the lie that too many good things are being sacrificed.”

(John Piper, “Satan Takes the Word Away”)

Speaking of sacrifice, guess what else besides his existence the devil doesn’t want you to believe? Substitutionary atonement. Let Satan’s agents start a thread on that topic in his / their relentless spiritual war on Judeo-Christianity.

Not a single Bible verse

 

[Lambano]

Speaking of sacrifice, guess what else besides his existence the devil doesn’t want you to believe? Substitutionary atonement. Let Satan’s agents start a thread on that topic in his / their relentless spiritual war on Judeo-Christianity.

They probably won't go for the Ransom theory either.

 

[Lambano]

Speaking of sacrifice, guess what else besides his existence the devil doesn’t want you to believe? Substitutionary atonement. Let Satan’s agents start a thread on that topic in his / their relentless spiritual war on Judeo-Christianity.

Since I've publicly taken issue with some of the baggage Penal Substitutionary Atonement drags to the table, I'm probably within the scope of that statement. But I can't unsee what I've seen, so I can't change. So be it. That's a different thread.

 

[Matthias]

“The person who goes on sinning is from the devil, because the devil is a sinner from the very start. The son of God was revealed for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.”

(1 John 3:8, NTFE)

It isn’t the human person who persistently continues in sin who is the devil. That human person is from the devil; a child of the devil, not a child of God.

 

[Matthias]

The devil - who earnestly desires to take away the word from human beings - isn’t sin and isn’t internal. The devil, who is the Satan, is a malevolent external spiritual being. Real, strategic, and active.

 

[Matthias]

“The point is that we shouldn’t be outsmarted by the satan. We know what he‘s up to!”

(2 Corinthians 2:11, NTFE)

Those who don’t believe he is real have been outsmarted by him and don’t know what he is up to.

 

[Hiddenthings]

“The point is that we shouldn’t be outsmarted by the satan. We know what he‘s up to!”

(2 Corinthians 2:11, NTFE)

Those who don’t believe he is real have been outsmarted by him and don’t know what he is up to.

Satan as Paul elaborates later in 2 Corinthians 11:3,14, is not only personal adversaries (human) but also symbolized through false teachers within the church. In verse 3, Paul expresses concern that "just as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your minds may be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ." And in verse 14, he warns that "Satan (High Priest (& Pharisees) disguises himself as an angel of light."

These false teachers appear righteous and persuasive, but their real aim is to corrupt the gospel and lead believers away from the truth. This aligns with Paul's warning in 2:11 — that these men (satan) work through deception, especially within the community, and believers must not be unaware of their schemes.

 

[Matthias]

 

[Hiddenthings]

View attachment 67947

The irony is the previous post is full of the Word and unanswered mind you

 

[Matthias]

Which brings us right back to the OP and the parable of the sower.

 

[Hiddenthings]

View attachment 68065

Which brings us right back to the OP and the parable of the sower.

The Lords identifies the adversary different for each ground. Can you see?

 

[Jay Ross]

Hello, my two cents worth is that there is a connection between the parable of the Sower and the prophecy in Ezekiel 47:1-12 which sets out the time period of 4,000 years from the time that God's presences filled Solomon's Temple up and until the final judgement when the River of Life flows over the edge of the escarpment to bring healing to the wastelands below.

The parable of the Sower gives a description of the conditions/responses during each 1,000-year period of the response of the people to God's Salvation message in Ezekiel's prophecy. We should note that on the journey back towards the Temple that the prophet in Ezekiel observed that there were The Trees of Life growing along the bank of the stream that flowed out from under the Temple's Altar for the people that made up the flowing stream.

Jesus also told us what Satan's strategy was going to be when he was imprisoned in the Bottomless pit for the first 1,000 years of the seventh age. Please note that the seventh age is made up of a season, i.e. a 1,000-year period and the Little While Period after Satan and the Judged Heavenly hosts (i.e. the beasts and the Little Horn) and kings of the earth who were all judged at the same time around the change over time of the end of the sixth age to the start of the seventh age.

Satan was actively involved in the first three stages of the Sower's journey to reach the prepared field where the seed was meant to be scattered, and Satan provided the means for his Good and Faithful servants to cause problems in the form of planting tares among the wheat in the fertile field to disrupt the free-flowing establishment of God's Everlasting Kingdom during the time when Satan was imprisoned in the Bottomless Pit.

Satan's going away into the Bottomless pit with the other judged entities marks the starting point of God's gathering of the Israelites to Himself wherever they lived scattered throughout the earth to once again become His people and a blessing to all of the people who chose to inhabit God's fertile soil in His field.

At the moment we are seeing the beginning of the gathering of the Kings of the earth at the place called Armageddon to be judged, after where which all of "Israel" will be saved in a great revival and the saving of many souls unto the Lord.

There is a time coming when Israel will be a blessing to all of the people of the earth who chose to be planted within God's fertile soil of His field.

Shalom

 

[Hiddenthings]

Jesus also told us what Satan's strategy was going to be when he was imprisoned in the Bottomless pit for the first 1,000 years of the seventh age. Please note that the seventh age is made up of a season, i.e. a 1,000-year period and the Little While Period after Satan and the Judged Heavenly hosts (i.e. the beasts and the Little Horn) and kings of the earth who were all judged at the same time around the change over time of the end of the sixth age to the start of the seventh age.

Satan was actively involved in the first three stages of the Sower's journey to reach the prepared field where the seed was meant to be scattered, and Satan provided the means for his Good and Faithful servants to cause problems in the form of planting tares among the wheat in the fertile field to disrupt the free-flowing establishment of God's Everlasting Kingdom during the time when Satan was imprisoned in the Bottomless Pit.

Satan's going away into the Bottomless pit with the other judged entities marks the starting point of God's gathering of the Israelites to Himself wherever they lived scattered throughout the earth to once again become His people and a blessing to all of the people who chose to inhabit God's fertile soil in His field.

At the moment we are seeing the beginning of the gathering of the Kings of the earth at the place called Armageddon to be judged, after where which all of "Israel" will be saved in a great revival and the saving of many souls unto the Lord.

There is a time coming when Israel will be a blessing to all of the people of the earth who chose to be planted within God's fertile soil of His field.

Shalom

Jay, this is a poor exposition, there’s not a single verse offered to support these ideas. Are we meant to just accept this without Scriptural backing?

 

[Jay Ross]

Jay, this is a poor exposition, there’s not a single verse offered to support these ideas. Are we meant to just accept this without Scriptural backing?

Here is the post from above with a few more but not all Biblical References for you to disagree with.

Hello, my two cents worth is that there is a connection between the parable of the Sower {Matt 13:3-9, 18-23, Mark 4:3-9, 13-20, Luke 8:4-8, 11-15}and the prophecy in Ezekiel 47:1-12 which sets out the time period of 4,000 years from the time that God's presence filled Solomon's Temple up and until the final judgement when the River of Life flows over the edge of the escarpment to bring healing to the wastelands below.

The parable of the Sower gives a description of the conditions/responses during each 1,000-year period of the response of the people to God's Salvation message in Ezekiel's prophecy. We should note that on the journey back towards the Temple that the prophet in Ezekiel observed that there were “The Trees of Life” growing along the bank of the stream that flowed out from under the Temple's Altar for the people that made up the flowing stream.

Jesus also told us what Satan's strategy was going to be when he was imprisoned in the Bottomless pit (Matt 25:14-30, Luke 19:11-27} for the first 1,000 years of the seventh age. Please note that the seventh age is made up of a season, i.e. a 1,000-year period and the Little While Period after Satan and the Judged Heavenly hosts (i.e. the beasts and the Little Horn) and kings of the earth who were all judged at the same time around the change over time of the end of the sixth age to the start of the seventh age.{Isaiah 24:21-22}

Satan was actively involved in the first three stages of the Sower's journey to reach the prepared field where the seed was meant to be scattered, and Satan provided the means for his Good and Faithful servants to cause problems in the form of planting tares among the wheat in the fertile field {Matthew 13:24-30} to disrupt the free-flowing establishment of God's Everlasting Kingdom {Daniel 2:44-45} during the time when Satan was imprisoned in the Bottomless Pit.

Satan's going away into the Bottomless pit with the other judged entities, i.e. the Beasts of the Field {Ezekiel 34:25-30} marks the starting point of God's gathering of the Israelites to Himself {Ezekiel 34, Romans 11:25b-26} wherever they will be living scattered throughout the earth to once again become His people and a blessing to all of the people {Genesis 12:3} who chose to inhabit God's fertile soil in His field.

At the moment we are seeing the beginning of the gathering of the Kings of the earth at the place called Armageddon to be judged, {Revelation 16:12-16} after which all of "Israel" will be saved in a great revival and the saving of many souls unto the Lord.

There is a time coming when Israel will be a blessing to all of the people of the earth who chose to be planted within God's fertile soil of His field.

 

[Hiddenthings]

Jesus also told us what Satan's strategy was going to be when he was imprisoned in the Bottomless pit (Matt 25:14-30, Luke 19:11-27}

Maybe you can share this strategy Jay - the fallen angel is nowhere mentioned.

Matthew 25:14–30 (ESV) 14 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.
15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.
16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more.
17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more.
18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money.
19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’
21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’
23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed.’
25 So I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’
26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed?
27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming, I should have received what was my own with interest.
28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents.
29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

 

[Jay Ross]

Maybe you can share this strategy Jay - the fallen angel is nowhere mentioned.

Matthew 25:14–30 (ESV) 14 “For it will be like a man, i.e. Satan, going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.
15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.
16 He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more.
17 So also he who had the two talents made two talents more.
18 But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money.
19 Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.
20 And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’
21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
22 And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’
23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’
24 He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed.’
25 So I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’
26 But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed?
27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming, I should have received what was my own with interest.
28 So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents.
29 For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
30 And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”