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TAKING THE ENEMY CAPTIVE

A kindly, old man named Joe, lived in a small rural town, Canine Corners. The town was besieged with wild dogs that would come around at all hours, barking, biting, killing chickens, and in general causing total confusion. The townspeople got the brilliant idea to get a dog-catcher, and as popularity would have it, they elected Joe to be Canine Corner's first Dogcatcher!

Why did they choose Joe? Because he was gentle, kind, and wouldn't hurt a flea. Everybody in town loved and trusted Joe. He was the natural choice, or was he? Because Joe wanted to please everyone, he took the job and did his best to catch all the strays he could during the day. But, under the cover of night, Joe would drive to the edge of town and release the wild dogs. Of course he would tell them to not come back into town again, but you know wild dogs and how hard it is for them to obey orders!

The people all agreed that Joe was doing his best to eliminate the wild dog problem at Canine Corners, but things didn't seem to be getting any better!

Many believers are trying to "clean up" their lives in much the same way as old Joe. What Christian doesn't believe in demons? Yes, they can and do harass us. They need to be run out of town. Yes, amen! But, what, pray tell, is going to keep them out of town? What Joe needed was a nearby dog pound, a jail for wild dogs! If he could but lock them up, the town would soon enjoy relief from all the commotion.

So, too, with believers. If we had a place where we could lock up the evil spirits that harass us, maybe we could get some breathing room! Well, God has just the place--the abyss--the demon's equivalent to a dog pound! For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment. 2 Peter 2:4

The Greek word translated "hell" in the verse above is TARTAROO, and is used only in this one verse in the Bible. It literally means, "the deepest part of the abyss." God has prepared a special place of imprisonment for spirits that go too far. What I will try to prove in this and the next chapter, is that we are to use this "holding tank" when we fight against the critters that throw illegal thoughts into our head in an attempt to get us into trouble.

Jesus talked about a demon leaving a person and wandering about for a while in desert places (Luke 11:24-26). The evil spirit then moseyed back to the home he left. The place was nice and empty so he took along seven bigger, meaner demons and had a "homecoming." What was Jesus' point in the story? Don't cast out demons? I don't think so, because He had just commissioned His disciples to go out and heal people and cast out demons! Was it to teach us to guard our newly-cleansed house? Yes, but more, for sure.

I imagine this re-possessed person was as confused as the townspeople in Canine Corners. It looked like Joe was doing his job, but the wild dog problem persisted! The hope for the people of Canine Corners battling wild dogs, and we humans who battle harassing spirits, is having a place to incarcerate the troublemakers! But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own homestead, his possessions are undisturbed; but when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied, and distributes his plunder. He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters. When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, "I will return to my house from which I came." And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order. Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. Luke 11:20-26

In these verses, Jesus was responding to the allegation of the crowd that He was casting out demons by the power of Beelzebub. According to the first sentence of this passage, how was Jesus casting out demons? By the "Finger of God" (Compare Matthew 12:28--Jesus said He cast out demons by the Spirit of God!).

Notice the context and flow of this story in Luke 11 . . .

Verse 18 - You can't be divided and stand.

Verse 19 - How do your sons cast out demons?

Verse 20 - I cast out demons with God's power.

Verse 21 - A strong man can guard his own home (possessions).

Verse 22 - A stronger person can take away the first person's possessions [the demons were possessing the victims].

Verse 23 - I gather, others scatter (obviously, in this context [verse 19], their sons were scattering the demons).

Verse 24 - When scattered spirits leave a person, they wander about.

Verse 25 - The scattered spirits will return.

Verse 26 - Those who merely scatter demons rather than gather them, produce greater problems in the long run!

Notice how this statement is made on the heels of overpowering demons: He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters. Luke 11:23

I think Jesus was telling the would-be exorcists (verse 19), that He didn't scatter the spirits when He cast them out, like others were doing. He and His crew bound (gathered) them and sent them to the abyss, as we'll see in Luke 8:31. When others cast out demons, they left them to wander about in desert places, resulting in a worse condition for the victim! I can't see Jesus leaving someone He ministered to worse off!

A MADMAN ON THE LOOSE

Most believers are living as though there were a madman, a mass murderer, constantly shooting at them. They know they are being shot at. They know the enemy is real. They are convinced the battle is tough. But it never dawns on them to storm the enemy's fortress and take the madman captive! It's as though most believers are living before the days of S.W.A.T. teams! When they read that we are to "destroy fortresses" (2 Corinthians 10:3-5), they think this means hide in their closet and pretend the enemy's bullets don't hurt! Or, sing louder in church next Sunday to drown out the inner crying!

As an example, let's say we're a soldier marching through the jungles of Viet Nam, and we hear the crack of a rifle and feel the searing pain of a bullet in our left arm. We fall to the ground, take our emergency first aid pack and dress our wound. We get up to move on, and, whammo! We take another round, this time in our right leg. The process continues until we run out of medical goods. This is the way most Christians "fight" the devil! When we're too wounded to do anything else, we reach out for help.

Wouldn't it be better, right after being hit the first time, to take the sniper out? We can spend our life patching wounds and dodging the enemy's bullets, or we can take him out! Here's the rub. We have "smart" weapons that know exactly where he's hiding, and they always hit their target! Why don't we use them more often? Is it because no one has told us that we have them?

Let's replay the scenario the way it should be. We're walking the same jungle path, talking with our surveillance unit (the Holy Spirit) via our walkie-talkie (prayer). We're warned, "Take cover, inbound missile." We duck and hear something go buzzing over our head. We lift our rifle in the direction of the sound of the shot and pull the trigger. "Thud." We hear something fall to the ground! Yes!

When we release our "heat-seeking" anti-missile missiles, they hone in on the very source of harassment! All we have to do is release our faith by a command of authority...

"I bind the spirit that threw that thought at me, in the name of Jesus!"

The angels take our faith command, as a warrant, and arrest the spirit that shot at us! Hallelujah! We can't kill the evil spirits, but we can bind them and lock them up in the jail God uses! We can't lock up evil spirits indiscriminately any more than we can have "suspicious-looking" people arrested. But, when we catch spirits prompting and pushing us into illegal behavior, we have just cause for a warrant!

JUGGLING, ANYONE?

Suppose the enemy throws one thought at us. We play with it for a while, and before we get rid of it he throws another thought. Now we have two thoughts to deal with. Instead of destroying the thoughts, we ponder them both, first one, then the other. As we're deep in thought over the two temptations, here comes another inbound missile. Now we have three temptation thoughts buzzing around in our head. Let's say the process continues. Soon we're a mess! We may even think God has allowed us to be tempted above what we can bear (1 Corinthians 10:13). What is the problem and what is the solution? "One at a time, please!" For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

What do you suppose will happen to the demons (see verses above) when we destroy the fortress? Don't you suppose they'll be put out of commission? Even if we chase off each temptation, we have not obeyed the Word until we have destroyed the source of the temptation thoughts--the fortress!

Wouldn't it be better to take the sniper captive and not just his fiery missiles? We might get a little peace and quiet if there were fewer bunkers lobbing bombs at us! God didn't call us to juggle the enemy's temptation thoughts! We've been given the authority to bind and loose--we'd better use it!

Take special notice of Matthew 16:19 . . . I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

When we bind something on earth, it's bound in heaven. This is the invisible, yet very real world where Satan and his minions do their dirty work. The main Bible version used in this study is the New American Standard Bible. Notice how the NASB renders Ephesians 6:12 ... For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12

If you use the King James Version, you will notice that the last line is different: For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in highplaces. Ephesians 6:12 KJV

The Greek word translated high by the KJV, is EPOURANIOS. This is the only verse where the KJV translates this word high; elsewhere the KJV renders it: heavenly--16 times; heaven--1 time; celestial--2 times. Obviously, our wrestling match is with evil powers in the heavenlies! The word "high" might throw some off, as though the foe posed little problem down here on earth--wrong! When we, on earth, bind him, he's bound in heaven, the place where he's active!

There are a few special insights we can gather from the use of this Greek word, EPOURANIOS. Notice what Ephesians 1:3 (KJV) says: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly (EPOURANIOS) places in Christ.

The source of our spiritual blessings is in the very realm the wrestling match is taking place! Maybe this is why we do not see as many of God's promises working for us as we wish. Perhaps the enemy is stealing our blessings before we appropriate them! And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly (EPOURANIOS) places in Christ Jesus. Eph 2:6 KJV

Christians are seated with Christ in the spirit world called "heavenly places." This news changes the odds in our favor. "Seated with Christ" is a position of rulership. And over whom are we to be ruling? The characters listed in Ephesians 6:12--our enemy! We may not be able to see the enemy, but we have all the power of God at our disposal to fight with! To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly (EPOURANIOS) places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God. Ephesians 3:10 KJV

This verse makes the inner war quite exciting. It is literally saying that Father God designed things so that His church gets to inform the devil and his demons that we have authority over them! The negative side of this is that if we don't use our authority over Satan, the job won't get done--it's our duty to bind and loose!

You might be tempted to think that our task will be difficult because we can't see our adversary. After all, what if the wild dogs Joe was trying to catch were invisible? Oh, but hang on for a minute. Didn't Matthew 16:19 say that whatever we bind on earth shall be bound in heaven? Apparently, our faith commands work like a heat-seeking missile. They can zero in on the enemy, seen or unseen, and bind him! We only have to aim in the general direction of the temptation thought and fire. It's up to the angels to take our faith commands straight to their intended target! Glory to God!

Try this with the next negative thought that pops into your head:

"Spirit that gave me that negative thought of _________, I bind you in Jesus' name and send you to the abyss."

If a thought of lust pops into my head, and I'm born again, and I don't want the filth, then a spirit threw it! We'll look at this more in future chapters. You will see from the Scriptures that you're not the nasty old person the enemy wants you to believe you are!

We make the inner war much harder than it really is supposed to be when we are ignorant of how the battle is to be fought! Most believers turn their tongue-gun on themselves . . .

"I'm my own worst enemy; I guess I'll never get my act together."

They flail on themselves while the enemy keeps lobbing bombs at them! Man, that doesn't make good sense: it's two against one, and they are actually working for their enemy!

Do you know anyone who's caught in this trap of beating on the wrong enemy? It's not too easy to explain to others what they're doing, without them thinking you're crazy. If we mention the devil too much, they might call for the guys in the white jackets! I get frustrated because I see what's going on, but few people will stop thumping on themselves or others and join in the task of cleaning up the area around us from unwanted, unseen aliens!

Some Christians are smart enough to know that the negative junk that's bombarding them is from the enemy, but they only scatter the snipers. Like the sons in the Luke 11 story, they chase away the demons, but scattering demons only sets the stage for massive re-attack and re-entry!

The story Jesus told also lets us know that demons like to hang around in groups. I think these rascals run in pairs or herds. One throws a gross thought at us, then another one says, "Shame on you, you naughty boy . And you call yourself a Christian." When they work us in teams, we'll lose every time unless we know what's going on! If they don't get us to take the filth, they usually can get us to beat ourselves bloody with guilt. Talk about using our will against us.

Have you caught the enemy "double-teaming" you, such as putting a gross thought in your head, and then trying to make you feel guilty for having it? Determine not to let him get away with it any more!

CUFFING SPIRITS

We don't bind thoughts, we bind personalities--demons! Thoughts just disappear if not taken. Can you recall all the thoughts you had last week? Of course not. You only remember the significant ones, the ones you pondered and the ones you acted upon. If a thought is received, then the process of faith goes into effect. We can take thoughts captive, but if we don't obey the first part of the 2 Corinthians 10 passage and destroy the fortress, we're going to be busy taking a lot of thoughts captive!

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This verse tells us that in the last days demons will trick people into falling away from the faith. If a person can be tricked by a demon into leaving the faith, then they can also be led into some serious demon control! This truth should sober us up! What I hope you can see is that demons can pose serious problems for ignorant believers. They are the enemy, and they work nonstop to poison our thinking by offering what James calls demonic wisdom: This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. James 3:15

Because Jesus told His church to cast out demons (Mark 16:17), we'd better do just that, whenever and wherever we encounter them. If a spirit is the driving force behind your inability to stop a habit, then cast it out! Please don't allow theology inspired by Satan to poison your thinking. Who do you think cooked up the idea that Christians can't have problems with demons? Remember, he's a liar and will twist the truth to his advantage.

"Demons? There are no demons; that's old dark-ages theology. This is the modern twentieth century! Don't be silly!"

In 2 Timothy 3:5, we are warned to avoid people who have a form of godliness but deny its power. Typically, the same people who tell us that there are no such things as demons, tell us that we don't need God's power today; after all, we have science! They are the same ones that will be quick to send you off to a secular counselor but will mock you if you mention evil spirits. Secular counseling can help if it points the counselee toward the responsible behavior mentioned in the Bible, but, without the knowledge of what's going on behind the scenes, you can't win the war! People who ignore the reality of Satan and his demons are marching into battle with empty rifles! They will end up in a pile and then probably get mad at God because He didn't make them resist the devil.

I'm sure all Bible-believing Christians would agree that we're to fight the fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12). Who, pray tell, is the enemy we're supposed to fight? Surely not other believers and other denominations! Atheists and cult members are not our enemy--we are fighting against spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places; not flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12).

Some people blame God because He allows all the suffering in the world. What are they overlooking? The small thing called the free will of mankind, and the big thing called Satan and his fallen angels! I believe that anyone who will honestly read the Bible cover to cover will have to agree that there are harassing, unseen spirits that we must resist in the name of Jesus if we are to successfully complete our occupation of planet earth! There is suffering because there are evil spirits and it's not God's job to do something about it--He gave the job to us! See Appendix B in the back of this book for more Scriptures on the reality of our enemy and the risk he poses to ignorant believers.

THE GOD OF POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE

Some of the disturbing thoughts that enter our mind are from the Lord. Occasionally He needs to bring us back from our wanderings and convict us of being selfish or ornery. When thoughts of conviction come from the Holy Spirit, they usually start with negative feelings (conviction or guilt), but then He points us toward the fountain filled with the blood of Jesus. Behind Spirit-given negative thoughts is the call to get back on the narrow road that leads to the Kingdom of God. His call reminds us of the good times, the sweet fellowship and the deep inner peace that we once had as we walked with Jesus. If the negative thoughts that bounce into your head have no hope, only condemnation, then they are not from the Holy Spirit but are from the Accuser (Revelation 12:10). His advice is, "You're never going to make it, so why not just quit."

Some of the crazy thoughts that bounce through our head are from our data banks, our brain's storage facility! Our mind is full of years of trivia as well as useful information. We paid good money and spent valuable time storing this information. Our brains many times seem to be full of trivia and clichés, passed on to us by our families and society. Some of this information is funny, much is worthless, and all of it can be used and abused by harassing spirits who can turn old nonsense into a continuous loop of obsessive thoughts! My point is that not all of the negative stuff running around in our head is from the enemy; however, I suspect that if there's smoke, a messenger from hell is nearby!

"What if I bind a spirit and there isn't a spirit present?" If I bind a spirit and "there's no one there," what have I lost? If, however, I'm attacked and the lying spirit tells me that it's just me being a creep as usual, and I buy it, I'll end up beating on myself or others.

Our authority only works against evil spirits, principalities and powers of darkness, not the good angels or people. Someone may fear getting into trouble with the Holy Spirit if they bind His conviction thoughts by mistake. I'm sure He won't mind, especially when He's commanded us to "test the spirits" (1 John 4:1). So, when in doubt, cast it out!

WHERE JESUS SENT THE DEMONS

One day a crazy man loaded with evil spirits came running to Jesus. The spirits called themselves Legion. In the Roman army, a legion of troops was from 4,000 to 6,000 in number. No doubt Legion was exaggerating a bit, as is the demonic custom![Let me interject that this story shows that even thousands of demons can't keep someone from coming to Jesus if they "will" to come! Satan can't overpower our will, only deceive us into surrendering it!] Then Luke tells us the demons did something bizarre: And they were entreating Him not to command them to depart into the abyss. Luke 8:31

Why did the demons ask Jesus to not send them to the abyss? Could it simply be that they didn't want to go there? Can you imagine evil spirits asking Jesus to not send them into the abyss if He had never thrown any there before? Even a simpleton would know you don't give someone an idea that you don't want them to carry out! In verse 28, the spirits were begging Jesus to not torment them. In Mark 5:10, they ask Jesus to not send them out of the country. These evil spirits knew very well what Jesus was doing to their wicked comrades!

Jesus was in the regular habit of destroying the works of the devil (see 1 John 3:8 and Acts 10:38). Jesus healed people who had spirits of infirmity and deaf spirits. He was thereby destroying the works of the devil! Fortresses were taken! I believe Luke 8:31 gives us clear insight into what Jesus usually did with the spirits--He locked them up in the abyss! These demons thought Jesus would send them there so they appealed to His tremendous mercy, just like the heathen king in the Old Testament (1 Kings 20:31-34). It worked for them! The abyss must be a bad place if demons don't like it!

In Matthew 8:16,17, we see Jesus healing people by casting out the demons that caused the sickness. Verse 17 is a quote from Isaiah 53:4, and it says "He carried away" our diseases! Where did He carry them? You can believe what you want, but I think that Jesus healed sick people by carrying away the demons that were causing the diseases, and locked them up in the abyss, the place God made and used for incarcerating fallen angels (2 Peter 2:4). He surely didn't leave the sickness around to jeopardize the safety of others. Jesus gathered, He didn't scatter!

REASONS FOR LOCKING UP THE ENEMY

1. WE ARE TO DO THE WORKS OF JESUS! Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father. John 14:12

Discipleship normally requires imitating the one doing the teaching and training. Paul said, Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; Ephesians 5:1

This is exactly what Jesus did. Compare these two verses: Jesus therefore answered and was saying to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner."John 5:19 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment... 2 Peter 2:4

If Father God locked up the angels that fell, and if Jesus locked up harassing demons, and we are to imitate them, then we must do the same thing!

In 1 John 3:8 we are told that Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. To destroy is much more than just chasing away bad thoughts like our friend Joe tried to do with the wild dogs. It's putting the source of the thoughts out of commission!

There is a parable in Matthew chapter 22 that is a picture of the Kingdom of God. At the end of the story, the father (God) of the groom (Jesus), responds to someone who entered the marriage hall in such a way as to be offensive to the bride (us, the church). Notice what He does with this character: Then the king said to the servants, "Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (verse 13).

Because we are to imitate Father God as His sons, we too must incarcerate harassing, side-tracking, irritating, distracting spirits that have no business polluting the holy place of our mind! We are to guard the sanctuary of our inner being to keep trespassing spirits out!

What has been your response to harassing spirits? Lock them up? Chase them off (like old Joe)? Ignore them? The only response expected from a soldier is to "take them captive"--lock 'em up!

2. WE HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO LOCK UP EVIL SPIRITS!

According to Romans 5:17b, we are to rule in life: ...much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

Do rulers have the right to take prisoners? Even small towns, if they're big enough to have a police force, are authorized to take criminals "captive." Part of ruling in life is the authority to apprehend outlaws; not just say "shoo, be gone" but to actually lock them up!

Our badge of authority is Matthew 18:18: Truly I say to you, whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Some people will try to tell you that this verse is not for you. Only the disciples could bind and loose, they say. But, if you look in the verse just before this one, Jesus is talking to the church--not the Old Testament Jews! The church has been given the authority and responsibility to bind and loose.

3. OUR JOB IS TO SET CAPTIVES FREE:

In Luke 4:18, Jesus said... He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives...to set free...

We, His church, were commissioned to carry out and complete what He began: ...God...gave us the ministry of reconciliation. 2 Corinthians 5:18b Is this not the fast which I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and break every yoke? Isaiah 58:6

The enemy is into binding people:

And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years... Luke 13:16a

And they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will. 2 Timothy 2:26

Because people are bound by the enemy, we must set them free before they can understand the gospel. Jesus said that truth will set captives free (John 8:32), so, every time the gospel is preached and the truth is received, captives are set free! Perhaps the reason so few receive the truth is because they are blinded by Satan (2 Corinthians 4:3,4), and the person witnessing to them is unaware that they must bind the enslaving spirits.

4. WE MUST MAKE THE LORD'S ENEMIES HIS FOOTSTOOL:

The Lord Jesus is presently seated at the Father's right hand in heaven. According to 1 Corinthians 15:23-25, this world will not end until His enemies are made His footstool. If Jesus is seated, and the Father is seated, whose job do you suppose it is to make the Lord's enemies (demons) His footstool? Who is told to "fight the fight of faith" (1 Timothy 6:12)? That's right, we are!

Being a "footstool" is another way of saying His enemies are captured, tied up, rendered helpless. In war days of old, the defeated kings would be bound, thrown down at the feet of the conquering king, whereupon he would cram his foot on the neck of the defeated foe! Hallelujah, this is our job! And it came about when they brought these kings out to Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to the chiefs of the men of war who had gone with him, "Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings." So they came near and put their feet on their necks. Joshua 10:24 And the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. Romans 16:20 [The sooner the better!]

We're fighting the same enemy the Lord's Disciples fought and we have the same job description they had. The Apostles were commanded to teach us (today) to do everything Jesus taught them to do (Matthew 28:20). Therefore, we have the same authority that was given to them in Luke 10:19... Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall injure you.

If the church doesn't take the Lord's enemies captive, they won't be taken captive. Because we've been commissioned for the "fight of faith," it's not a question of should we, but will we bind harassing spirits?

OLD TESTAMENT ABYSS INSIGHT

In some of the prophecies of Isaiah and Ezekiel, rulers of the physical realm were addressed as though they were in fact demonic powers. Most Bible scholars agree that these are references to the principalities and powers of darkness working behind the scenes in earthly kingdoms. The New International Version rendition of the above verse has God commanding Ezekiel to "consign" the hordes of Egypt to the pit. The Hebrew words for "depths" and "pit" are also rendered "dungeon" in numerous Scriptures. As with many of their prophecies, Old Testament men of God were often ignorant of the full meaning of their revelations. But, as we compare these verses with the New Testament "full" revelation, it becomes clearer that we are instructed to send the demonic powers that are working behind the scenes, to jail--out of commission! [For further study on satanic or demonic powers being referred to in human terms, see: Isaiah 14; Ezekiel 28 & 32; and, Daniel 10:13.]

In Revelation 9:1-3, after the rapture of the church, we see hordes of demons being loosed from the abyss. How do you suppose they all got there? These are not the angels God locked up, because we are told in Jude 6 that those critters were bound up "for the judgement of the great day." They won't get out until Revelation 20. I believe the bunch coming out of the abyss in Revelation 9 are the ones Jesus and His church locked up. If the angels could lock up the demons without the church's direction, they would have completed the job a long time ago. After all, they outnumber the evil angels two to one (Revelation 12:4).

Someone is apt to say, "Hey, where are you getting this? I've never been told in church that we are supposed to lock up demons in the abyss? And I've been a deacon for fifty years!"

I know this sounds too good to be true, and I'll be the first to tell you that this isn't a well-known doctrine, but it is old, old truth, and, it's something Jesus did! And the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." And He said to them, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall injure you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven." At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, "I praise Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou didst hide these things from the wise and intelligent and didst reveal them to babes. Yes, Father, for thus it was well-pleasing in Thy sight." Luke 10:17-21

Jesus is saying in this passage (the context of which is deliverance) that these matters have been hidden from the wise and intelligent! Maybe that's why we haven't heard much about locking up spirits. But, if this information is hidden, how can one gain this knowledge? As a baby! We draw this sincere milk of the Word from Abba (1 Peter 2:2)!

The disciples came back to Jesus (v.17) saying that demons were literally "biting the dust!" Jesus as much as says, "Yes, men, remember, I said I gave you power over the enemy." When He calls them "serpents and scorpions" He's referring to the demons (like John does in Revelation 9:5). Demons are the power of the enemy. In verse 20 (same context), He calls them "spirits." And He said to them, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning."Luke 10:18

What was Jesus seeing in the spirit realm? A display, much as a lightning storm! Every time a demon was locked up, it was sent to the abyss, not set free to wander about in the desert! These bright lights (once stars of God, Rev 12:4) were falling out of the heavenlies (Ephesians 6:12) and hitting the earth on their way to the abyss!

In verse 18, the Greek verb translated "watching," (ETHEOROUN) is in the active voice, indicating continuous action. This was a lightning storm, not a single bolt of lightning. If only Satan fell, Jesus would have said "I saw Satan fall." But, this was quite a show--many demons were being knocked out of the second heaven, and were on their way to the abyss!

Jesus thanked the Father that this was classified truth! Only childlike faith could see this! Some truth is hidden for those who are righteous (Proverbs 2:7), some for those who seek (Matthew 7:7); and some is classified until the last days (Daniel 12:9,10). I feel that the truth concerning locking up evil spirits in the abyss was hidden until this time in history, so the great end-time revival could take place (Mark 13:10). Our evangelism efforts will become progressively more effective as greater numbers of Christians get involved in spiritual warfare! After the church is raptured (2 Thessalonians 2:1,7), the abyss will be opened (Revelations 9:1-3) and the demons that have been incarcerated will again harass the inhabitants of earth in full strength--and somewhat mad!

WHAT IF YOU DON'T AGREE?

There are many "nonessential" areas of doctrine where believers don't agree with each other. Please hear me. I am not setting myself up as the final authority. If you don't agree with me on this matter of locking up spirits in the abyss, let what I say on this subject go by. Spit out what you see as bones, but eat the chicken! I will be pleased with any improvement you experience in winning the inner war; and, you don't have to agree with me on every point for that to happen. My ministry is to be like a road sign, maybe a caution sign. It's up to you to drive your car safely. You must decide how you will interpret the Word for your own personal growth. You will have to give an account of what you believe and why you believe it. To him who is given much, much is required.

CHECK LIST FOR TAKING THE ENEMY CAPTIVE

1. At the first sign of negative thinking, quickly draw near to God (James 4:7,8). Pray something like this...

"Father God, I submit to you in Jesus' name!"

By negative thinking, I mean:

Critical, judgmental thoughts

Self-righteous, proud thoughts

Fearful, worrisome, anxious thoughts

Self-hate, put-downs, failure thoughts

Wicked, lustful, jealous thoughts

Anger, hatred, unforgiveness, vengeance

Old, hurtful memories

2. Bind the spirit who threw the temptation thought:

"Foul spirit that just put that thought in my mind, I bind you in Jesus' name!"

3. Command the spirit to go to the abyss and stay there until Jesus raptures His church (that is, until the prophecy in Revelation 9:1,2 comes to pass).

4. Immediately turn your focus back onto the Lord. See Jesus, high and lifted up. Worship Him! Thank Him for saving you. Thank Him for providing the victory over the enemy (Colossians 2:15). Pray in the Spirit; praise Him freely.

[Jesus asked us not to rejoice that we had authority over the evil spirits, but to rejoice that our name was written in heaven (Luke 10:20). This keeps us humble. Our temptation is to get too big for our britches. Whatever you do, don't get demon-minded! Give 'em a lick and get your eyes back on Jesus, A.S.A.P.!]

5. Yield to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to fill you afresh; to control your heart and mind. A simple, yet powerful prayer is, "Lord Jesus, please fill me and use me for Your glory. Not my will, but Yours be done in my life."

6. Say by faith, "I hate this thought of_______________ (whatever the thought was), in Jesus' name!" Proverbs 8:13 says that if we fear God, we'll hate evil! We say this from our reborn spirit, by faith, not according to how we feel!

7. If you fell for the temptation, confess this as sin and ask Jesus to cleanse you (1 John 1:9). If there's something you need to do by way of restitution, do it!

A MUCH NEEDED WARNING

Warfare is dirty business. If you're not careful, you can spend too much time considering the negative battles that are clamoring for your attention. We need to quickly destroy incoming missiles from the enemy, bind and lock up the perpetrators, and, as soon as possible, get our focus back on positive, praiseworthy things. This process needs to become as automatic as breathing: quickly exhale the bad air, and enjoy inhaling the new, fresh air of the Spirit of God! If you bog down with exhaling, you'll soon perish! But likewise, if you fail to expel the deadly presence, you will also perish.

Obey the life-giving part of Romans 8:6... "...the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace!"

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