Pastor Dmitriy Leo reveals the laws, characteristics, and spheres of influence of three parallel kingdoms—the Kingdom of God, the kingdom of darkness, and the kingdom of the world. You will learn exactly how each kingdom wages war and what powers it uses for this purpose. The school was held at Father’s Blessing Church.
1. Satan’s Place and Fate
After Jesus was crucified and resurrected, Satan was judged.
John 16:11 “...the ruler of this world has been judged.”
The Apostle Paul writes that Satan’s final defeat is still to come.
Romans 16:20 “And the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.”
In the future, the devil will be seized, thrown into the abyss, and bound with chains for 1,000 years.
Revelation 20:2–3 “He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.”
The devil’s final place of punishment is the lake of fire.
Rev. 20:10 “and the devil who deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
2. Limitation of the devil’s actions
A) Satan has no authority over the Church. He cannot do whatever he wants; he must ask God for permission. His actions are controlled and limited by God.
Job 1:12 “And the Lord said to Satan, ‘Behold, all that he has is in your hand; only do not stretch out your hand against him.’ So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.”
Luke 22:31–32 “And the Lord said, ‘Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.’”
B) Church leaders have the authority to allow or forbid Satan to touch a sinner.
1 Tim. 1:20 “Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have delivered to Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.”
1 Cor. 5:2–5 “And you are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he who has done this deed might be taken away from among you. For I indeed, as absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged, as though I were present, him who has so done this deed. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
3. What the devil may be permitted to do
A) The devil may be permitted to create obstacles through other people or various circumstances.
Rev. 2:10 “Do not fear any of the things you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that you may be tested; and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.”
1 Thess. 2:18 “Therefore we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan hindered us.”
B) The devil is permitted to tempt and deceive Christians through their thoughts, eyes, and feelings.
Acts 5:3 “But Peter said: Ananias! Why have you allowed Satan to fill your heart with the thought of lying to the Holy Spirit and keeping back part of the price of the land?”
Mark 8:33 “But He turned and looked at His disciples, rebuked Peter, and said: Get behind Me, Satan, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
1 Cor. 7:5 “Do not deprive one another, except by mutual consent for a time, to devote yourselves to fasting and prayer; then come together again, so that Satan does not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.”
1 Tim. 5:14–15 “Therefore, I want younger widows to marry, bear children, manage their households, and give the adversary no opportunity for slander; for some have already turned aside to follow Satan.”
John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and did not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
C) The devil can control and use people.
2 Cor. 11:13–15 “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness; their end will be according to their works.”
Eph. 2:2 “in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience (unbelief, disobedience, rebellion)”
1 John 3:8 “Whoever commits sin is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.”
There is a difference between a person sinning unintentionally (out of immaturity, by mistake, accidentally) and deliberately committing (carrying out, planning) sin.
D) The devil can possess people. However, there is a certain progression before the devil enters a person.
1. Judas wanted to betray Jesus—he conceived the sin.
John 12:4–6: “Then one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who was about to betray Him, said, ‘Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?’ This he said, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief; he had the money box and used to take what was put into it.”
2. Judas had already decided to betray Jesus—he decided to commit the sin.
John 13:2: “And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him”
3. Jesus revealed this plan before everyone—Jesus exposes sin. Jesus could not fail to give Judas a chance. Judas heard this, and it was the truth about him, but he did not repent of it. The Lord always gives a person an opportunity to repent, and if there is no repentance, punishment for sin comes justly. This is the truth of God’s judgments.
John 13:21: “When Jesus had said these things, He was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, one of you will betray Me.’”
4. Satan entered Judas—possession of a person.
John 13:25–27: “Then, leaning back on Jesus’ breast, he (John) said to Him, ‘Lord, who is it?’ Jesus answered, ‘It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it.’ And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son. Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, ‘What you do, do quickly.’”
D) Satan can appear as an angel of the Lord.
2 Corinthians 11:14: “And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.”
4. The devil’s helpers
The devil is not omnipresent like God. He cannot be in different places at the same time, so he is assisted by some fallen angels, demons, and enslaved people.
Fallen angels deal with more global matters and operate in the heavenly realms. Demons operate only on earth. The objects of demonic attack are people.
- Demons have names (Mark 5:9)… “My name is Legion, because we are many…”
- Demons can speak through a person (Acts 19:15)… “But the evil spirit answered…”
- Demons differ according to their activity (Acts 16:16)… “with a spirit of divination…”
- Demons have superhuman strength (Mark 5:4)… “he tore the chains apart and broke the shackles…”
- Demons know about some future events (Matthew 8:29)… “Have You come here to torment us before the appointed time?”
- Demons try to settle in people's bodies (Matthew 12:44)… “I will return to my house…”
- Demons are subject to the authority of Christians (Matthew 10:1)… “He gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out and to heal every disease and every sickness…”
Since it is difficult to distinguish between the work of the devil, fallen angels, and demons, it is appropriate to consider their actions under the general term “works of darkness.”
5. What Christians Should Do Against the Works of Darkness
1. Christians must believe in the power of the blood of Jesus and testify.
Revelation 12:11: “They overcame him (the devil) by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
2. Christians must pray that God will deliver them from all evil.
Matthew 6:13 “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
3. Christians must be cautious and vigilant, because the devil looks for an opportunity to attack. The devil must be resisted with firm faith.
1 Peter 5:8–9 “Be sober (be vigilant), be watchful (be on guard), because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brothers throughout the world.”
4. Christians must forgive people who have sinned and later repented, so that Satan will not harm them.
2 Corinthians 2:5–11 “But if anyone has caused sorrow, he has not grieved me, but to some extent—not to say too much—all of you. This punishment by the majority is sufficient for such a person, so that you should rather forgive and comfort him, lest he be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. For this is why I wrote, to test you and see whether you are obedient in everything. Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven for your sake in the presence of Christ, so that Satan might not outwit us (us—not in the original) and take advantage of us*, for we are not unaware of his schemes.”
take advantage of us* [pleonektefomen] – to profit from something, deceive, use someone through deception, cause harm.
This refers to harm done to the person who had previously sinned and was handed over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh.
5. Christians must use ALL the weapons of defense and warfare that God has given.
Ephesians 6:11–17 “Put on the full armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the schemes (a cunning plan, deception) of the devil, because our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, against the powers of this dark age, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm, then, with the belt of truth fastened around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the Gospel of peace. Above all, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.”
6. Christians must resist the devil by ending their friendship with the world.
James 4:4–7 “You adulterous people! Don’t you know that friendship (love—phileo) with the world (literally, loving, befriending, or flirting with the world) is hostility toward God? (Whoever loves the world is hostile toward God.)”
7. Christians must not sin.
Ephesians 4:26–32: “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give those in need. Let no corrupt word proceed from your mouth, but only what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”
Conclusions
1. The devil does not have the authority to do whatever he wants, and his actions are controlled by God.
2. Church leaders have the authority to allowor forbid Satan from touching the sinner.
3. The devil is allowed to tempt and deceive people through their thoughts, eyes, and feelings.
4. A person living in sin becomes open to attack by the devil (demons).
5. Satan is not omnipresent, so he is assisted by deceived people, fallen angels, and demons.
6. Christians must be watchful and resist the devil:
End of the fourth lesson.
Source: Father’s Blessing Church
Author: Dmitriy Leo
