Rebellion: Satan’s Open Door
Part One
“In the bright light of truth and in the sight of the all-seeing Creator, rebellion is viewed and judged as the sin of witchcraft, because it is filled with demonic darkness!””
Almighty God proclaimed, “A horrible and shocking thing has happened … My people have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols” (Jeremiah 5:30, 2:11). Due to Satan’s cunning deception, Adam and Eve exchanged their Heavenly Father’s abiding presence and glory for what they wanted, which became the sin of prideful rebellion and idolatry. When we seek to fulfill our selfish desires and ambitions, Satan succeeds in taking our focus and obedience away from our Father. Consequently, this leads to rebellion and idolatry in the sight of a holy “jealous God” (Exodus 34:14). It is written, “If you have ... selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is … demonic” (James 3:14-15). In this single act of presumptuous rebellion, in asserting their free will, Adam and Eve were actually doing the will of Satan who tempted and deceived them to covet and reach out to partake of the “forbidden fruit” (Genesis 3:6). “Cursed is the man who ... makes flesh his strength, and whose heart turns away from God.” “Blessed is the man [or woman] who trusts in the Lord” and “delights to do His will” (Jeremiah 17:5, Psalm 40:8).
The sin of pride, presumption, and rebellion led Adam and Eve on an utmost destructive path. Let us take heed to the Holy One’s words of warning, it is written, “For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness [presumption] is as iniquity and idolatry” (1 Samuel 15:23). Simply put, idolatry is an inevitable occurrence when we do things our own way, replacing obedience to Almighty God by exalting our self as the god of our lives; this leads to rebellion against the Holy Spirit. In the bright light of truth and in the sight of the all-seeing Creator, rebellion is viewed and judged as the sin of witchcraft, because it is filled with demonic darkness! Our casual and flippant sin nature leads to rebellion, which always opens the door for Satan and his demons to enter as a thief to “steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). This is what happened in the Garden when Adam and Eve rebelled, the door was opened for Satan to perpetuate sin like a spiritual wildfire destroying generation after generation.
“Yahveh’s words are uncompromisingly true; they are to be wholeheartedly sought and humbly obeyed. They are not to be doubted, debated, or distorted.”
It is written, “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind” (Numbers 23:19). Yahveh’s words are uncompromisingly true; they are to be wholeheartedly sought and humbly obeyed. They are not to be doubted, debated, or distorted. Satan is the devil and our Savior called him “the father of lies” (John 8:44). The Enemy has not changed his mind or his strategies, his tactics have worked successfully since the Garden of Eden speaking these infamous words, “Did God really say?” (Genesis 3:1) This is one of his cunning strategies that undermines unwavering faith in the Holy God and Savior’s existence and obedience to His Biblically recorded words. Satan knows “his time is short and he is raging” more than ever; he and his demonic agents have an insatiable appetite for souls (Revelation 12:12). The Word says, he “eats my people like bread” and at the top of the list he goes after the Almighty’s children as in the Garden of Eden (Psalm 14:4). The arch-enemy of our souls tempts, deceives, and leads multitudes of humanity, including a growing percentage of Christians, into rebellion; opening the doorway for his diabolical victory over the masses who fall prey to his demonic strategies.
Through Satan’s rebellion in heaven and Adam and Eve’s rebellion in the Garden, all of us are born with the inherited disobedient, rebellious sin nature. Apart from the all wise leadership of the Holy Spirit, the unrepentant inherited self nature continually and casually does what is natural. In turn, self-nature carelessly gives no thought to its actions and the motivating desires of the heart. The obedient remnant who have “saving faith” in the redeeming blood of our Savior, becomes supernatural because they are “born again” “new creations” (Ephesians 2:8-9, John 3:3, 2 Corinthians 5:17). Yahshua (Jesus) said, “whom the Son sets free is free indeed” (John 8:36). He set us free by “destroying the works of the Enemy” over our lives, giving us the grace and power through the Holy Spirit to “fight the good fight of faith”, against the natural sin nature, the god of self and Satan “the ruler and god of this world” (1 Timothy 6:12, John 12:31, 2 Corinthians 4:4).
“Satan vengefully seeks “to deceive and destroy, if possible, even the elect” children of God” ”
When we intentionally or unintentionally rebel against our God and Savior’s commandments - although it may seem harmless to us - it is disobedience leading to rebellion. As a result, this rebellion gives Satan and his demons a wide open door to enter into our lives to do as much destruction as possible. So many people are in utter dismay wondering, “What’s happening to my life, to my loved ones, to the people all around me, and to humanity? What has gone wrong, where are the blessings, why all this chaos, and why is everything falling apart?” The answer is REBELLION! It is as witchcraft allowing demonic spirits to have freedom to rob us of the promised blessings and to replace them with the decreed curses and judgments upon all sin and rebellion. Yahveh the holy God made it unmistakably clear that blessings and curses are dependent on our obedience to His commandments. In Deuteronomy 28 there are sixty-eight verses in total amplifying the Almighty’s sovereignty to reward obedience and to judge disobedience and rebellion. There are fourteen versus with multiple glorious promised blessings to “the called chosen and faithful” redeemed (Deuteronomy 28:1-14, Revelation 17:14). Yahveh proclaims His righteous indignation through fifty-four verses with numerous unimaginable dreadful curses (Deuteronomy 28:15-68). “Our God is a consuming fire” who hates sin, and consumes His rebellious enemies. It is written for our caution and merciful warning, “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment … It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:26-27,31).
“Our Savior gives His redeemed remnant a sober warning to keep a vigilant watch over their blood purchased lives because Satan is a furious loser and does not easily surrender to the Savior’s victory over our souls” ”
Our Savior gives His redeemed remnant a sober warning to keep a vigilant watch over their blood purchased lives because Satan is a furious loser and does not easily surrender to the Savior’s victory over our souls. He vengefully seeks “to deceive [and destroy] if possible, even the elect”, children of God (Matthew 24:24). Yahshua (Jesus) gives us this important teaching, “When an impure [unholy] spirit comes out of a person it goes … seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order [through the blood purifying us from our repentant sins] …” When we are freed through the Messiah’s sacrificial blood cleansing our repentant hearts, the demonic strongholds are destroyed and cast out of our lives. However, if we do not fill our minds, hearts, and lives with righteous obedience to our God and Savior’s holy Word and will, then our “houses” are left vacant. Yahshua (Jesus) warned, that Satan and his demons will bring “seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there and the final condition of that person is worse than the first” (Luke 11:24-26). Apostle Peter gives further emphasis to this reality, “For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world by the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Yahshua Messiah [Jesus Christ], they are again entangled in them [sin] and are overcome, the last state has become worse for them than the first” (2 Peter 2:20). These biblical warnings should activate the “fear of Yahveh God” in us, leading to wisdom, which compels us to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling” (Proverbs 9:10, Philippians 2:12). “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do [according to His Word] and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17). We have been delivered out of this world so that we can “walk in a [righteous] manner worthy of the Lord”. It is eternally vital that we are focused on “fighting the good fight of faith” over our sin nature, Satan “the ruler of this world”, and his unceasing enticement of the “love of the world” which “makes us an enemy to Yahveh God” (Colossians 1:10, 1 Timothy 6:12, John 14:30, 1 John 2:15, James 4:4).
Rebellion: Satan’s Open Door
Part two
“Demonic powers and principalities can only gain access through Satan’s deception, temptation, and sin. This opens the doorway called rebellion through which these demonic powers have freedom to ravage our lives.”
It is important to reemphasize and magnify the source and root of all rebellion, which began the war in heaven when Lucifer pridefully rose up in revolt against the rulership of the Almighty God and Creator. The devil lost the battle and was cast down to earth with other rebellious angels who became demonic entities (Revelation 12:7-9). Satan craftily worked through the serpent, to deceive Adam and Eve by tempting them to rebel against Almighty God in order to cunningly steal their sovereignly decreed rulership over the earth (Genesis 3:1, Genesis 1:26). Rebellion is the same as witchcraft because it comes from one source and that is Satan and his many demonic cohorts. Apostle Paul makes it clear in Ephesians 6 that we are in a continual battlefront where Satan and his demons are trying to find an open door into our redeemed blood washed lives. “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). These demonic powers and principalities can only gain access through Satan’s deception, temptation, and sin; opening the doorway called rebellion through which they have freedom to ravage our lives. It is written, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).
“May we not be ignorant of the Word of God and Satan’s deception so that we are not unknowingly lead into rebellion against our holy God and Savior””
Yahshua (Jesus) cautions us, “if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into” (Luke 12:39). May we not be ignorant of the Word of God and Satan’s deception so that we are not unknowingly lead into rebellion against our holy God and Savior. Our Messiah’s words before His crucifixion are important for all of us to hear and heed, "Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Mark 14:38). As we work out our salvation, the Holy Spirit who is helping us to become more spiritual and less carnal, will continue to convict us of our iniquities one by one. When we humbly repent and are forgiven and covered in the blood, we become more pure and holy because that confessed sin is forgiven. Yahshua (Jesus) says to us regarding that transaction in the Spirit, “go and sin no more” and do not “give the devil a foothold” in your life (John 8:11, Ephesians 4:27).
Do not take lightly such a great salvation by going back to sin that has been mercifully forgiven and covered with our Savior’s blood. If we do return to habitually sinning, this is rebellion, an open door for Satan and seven worse demonic spirits to return and reestablish a stronghold over, in, and through our lives (Hebrews 2:3, Matthew 12:45). A cheap confession of faith and the hypocritical lip service of being a Christian is not sufficient as a lock and bolt to keep the door closed to Satan. Only obedience in turning from our confessed sin to righteousness will keep the wicked thief from reentering. The good news is Yahshua (Jesus) is the blessed thief who is coming for His purchased “treasured possession”, the righteous remnant who are “redeeming the time” and are diligently “working out their salvation” (1 Peter 2:9, Exodus 19:5, Ephesians 5:16, Philippians 2:12). This precious obedient remnant is living a righteous life, “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Messiah Yahshua [Christ Jesus], who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession” a holy people, “zealous for good deeds” (Revelation 3:3, 1 Thessalonians 5:3, 1 Peter 2:9, Exodus 19:5, Titus 2:13-14).
Accompanying Teaching and Prayer
