Answers Page for Basic Training for Spiritual Warfare; This page is part of the Spiritual Warfare Bible Study
A. Purpose
Now that we have reviewed the origin of the spiritual conflict between good and evil, we can begin the “Basic Training” of our preparation for spiritual warfare. In the previous section we learned how our enemy, Satan, opposes and attacks us in a variety of ways. As God’s adopted children through faith in Jesus Christ, we receive a commission in God’s army to continue the work of Christ in bringing every enemy under Christ’s authority. With that in mind, we are given several instructions concerning readiness for battle.
1. What instructions concerning battle readiness do each of the following verses give us?
Matthew 10:16: Be wise as serpents and harmless as doves
Ephesians 6:10,11,13: Be strong in the Lord, put on the full armor of God, stand firm against the devil’s schemes, resist evil
James 4:7: Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee
1 Peter 5:8: Be of sober spirit & be on alert, because the enemy prowls around like a lion seeking who he may devour
We can assume that our enemy is well skilled in warring against mankind, and has about 6000 years of experience! Training is an essential activity for the warriors who hope to succeed in resisting the enemy and advancing God’s kingdom. In this section, we’ll explore some fundamental areas that we should be familiar with for warfare, including the forces, their capabilities and the enemy’s typical tactics.
B. Kingdoms in Conflict
In conventional warfare, military intelligence is often a key ingredient to victory. As spiritual warriors, it is important for us to understand the two kingdoms in conflict and the relative capabilities of each.
1) God’s Kingdom
a. Characteristics
Jesus used many parables to describe the characteristics of God’s kingdom.
2. For each of the scripture passages, please write the aspect of God’s kingdom that is described:
Matthew 13:31-33: Expanding; may have small or insignificant beginning, but will grow to be large (mustard seed parable); spreads like yeast through dough
Matthew 18:3-4, James 4:6: Based on humility; pride has no part in it; Childlike humility determines entry and greatness in the kingdom
Mark 16:17, Philippians 2:9-11: Superior to Satan’s kingdom
Hebrews 1:8: Everlasting
Hebrews 12:28: Unshakeable
Jesus’ many parables illustrated a kingdom that was radically different from earthly kingdoms. This difference is especially evident in the concept of greatness in the kingdom. In earthly kingdoms, military might, wealth and political power are typical measures of greatness. In God’s kingdom, such things are foolishness, as God has unlimited power and resources. So how is greatness measured in his kingdom?
3. Please read the below verses and write how greatness is measured in God’s kingdom:
Matthew 5:19: Obedience to God
Matthew 18:3-4, James 4:6: Humility
Matthew 20:25-28, Matthew 23:11: Servanthood
b. The Commander-in-Chief
Read Ephesians 1:20-23 and Revelation 19:11-16.
4. Who is in command of God’s army? Jesus
5. What are some of the names he is known by?
Faithful and True
The Word of God
King of Kings and Lord of Lords
6. Describe the commander’s current position and authority:
Jesus is now seated in heaven at the right hand of the Father, far above all evil principality, power, might, dominion and every name
c. Angels
Holy Angels are created spiritual beings that do God’s bidding. God can give angels great power and authority to carry out missions (ex. Revelation 18:1). I’ve listed below some of the typical missions angels are sent to do, along with an example from scripture.
7. For each verse, please briefly summarize what happened.
Execute God’s judgment on the earth
1 Chronicles 21:15-27: God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem with a plague
Other examples: Genesis 19:13, Numbers 22:22,31-32
Serve in God’s army, which may intervene in human conflicts
2 Samuel 5:23-25: God’s army assists David in defeating the Philistines
Other examples: 2 Kings 19:35, Joshua 5:13-6:5
Fight against Satan and his angels
Daniel 10:11-13,20: Gabriel and Michael fight the “princes” of Persia and Greece (i.e. evil angels).
Other example: Revelation 12:7-9
Help God’s people
Helping God’s people is an angelic role particularly relevant to spiritual warfare. God’s angels are “flames of fire” that minister to Christians (Hebrews 1:7,14).
8. For each of the below verses, summarize how the angels assisted people:
Give instructions:
Daniel 8:15-27: Angel explains Daniel’s vision of the end times
Acts 1:10-11: Two angels explain to the disciples that Jesus will return to earth
Other examples: Acts 10:22, Revelation 1:1
Protect:
2 Kings 6:17: God’s angelic army surrounded Elisha as “horses and chariots full of fire.”
Other examples: Psalm 34:7, Psalm 91:11-12
Respond to prayer:
Daniel 10:12: The angel Gabriel responded to Daniel’s prayer
Acts 12:5-11: Angel frees Peter from prison in response to Christians’ prayers
Other example: Matthew 26:53
Strengthen people:
Daniel 10:18-19: the angel touched Daniel and strengthened him
Matthew 4:11: the angels ministered to Jesus after the Devil finished tempting him
Other example: Luke 22:43
We should remember that God directs the holy angels (Psalm 91:11), not us. We are to pray to God, not to the angels. Many non-Christian religions involve praying to deities who in fact are not gods but demons or “fallen angels.” (ex. Deuteronomy 32:17).
d. People
People who believe and obey Jesus Christ are among the most effective troops in God’s army.
9. What is our identity in Christ?
Galatians 4:7: A son of God and heir to his kingdom
Philippians 3:20-21: We are citizens of heaven, awaiting transformation of our earthly bodies into heavenly ones
10. Read 2 Timothy 2:1-4. What is our role in God’s army?
We are soldiers of Jesus Christ
11. Read 1 John 4:4. What do we have in us that is greater than Satan?
The Holy Spirit
12. What are we commissioned to do?
Mark 16:15: “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (NKJV)
Acts 1:8: Be Holy Spirit-empowered witnesses for Christ in the world
2) Satan’s kingdom
a. Characteristics
Satan’s kingdom is basically opposed to God’s kingdom in every way.
13. For each of the below verses, write the characteristic of Satan’s kingdom that is illustrated:
Daniel 10:13, 20: Satan’s kingdom is in rebellion against God
Revelation 20:10,14: Temporary: God is preparing Satan’s kingdom for final destruction
Matthew 12:24-30: Inferior to God’s Kingdom – Jesus demonstrated this by casting demons out
14. What are five objectives of Satan’s kingdom?
1. John 10:10: Steal, kill and destroy
2. Luke 4:6-8: Persuade people to worship other things instead of God
3. Ephesians 2:2: Promote rebellion against God (sin)
4. Revelation 20:7-8: To deceive the nations
5. Revelation 12:17: To war against people
b. The Commander
As we studied previously, Satan was formerly the angel, Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12), who was the covering cherub for God’s throne (Ezekiel 28:12-16). Created perfect in beauty, Lucifer was full of wisdom. Lucifer became Satan, meaning the adversary, when he sinned by pride (Isaiah 14:13-14, Ezekiel 28:17). He was cast out of heaven to earth and now fights against God’s followers. He is the current ruler of the earth (Luke 4:5-6, John 12:31) and is referred to as the “prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience” (Ephesians 2:2 NKJV).
In addition to his typical work of stealing, killing and destroying, Satan accuses Christians before God day and night (Revelation 12:10). He is the “Father of Lies” and has been a murderer since the beginning of creation (John 8:44). He has authority, power and a throne (Revelation 13:2), and may give his authority over the earth to whomever he wishes (Luke 4:5-7). He will ultimately give his throne, his power and authority to the beast (Revelation 13:2).
Even though Satan is a fallen angel, he still has power that we should be cognizant of.
15. What Satanic powers are mentioned in the following verses?
Job 1:12,16,19: Can use wind and lightning to kill and destroy
Job 2:7: Can strike people with sickness (ex. boils)
Luke 4:5, John 13:2: Can project temptation into people’s minds
2 Corinthians 4:4, Revelation 20:2-3,8: Can deceive individuals and nations
2 Corinthians 11:14: Can disguise himself as an angel of light
1 Thessalonians 2:18: Can physically stop or hinder people in their ministry work
2 Thessalonians 2:7-10: Can enable people to perform signs and false wonders
Satan’s power, though considerable, has notable limitations.
16. Please note how Satan’s power is limited according to the below verses:
Luke 4:13: Satan is not omnipresent
Hebrews 2:14-15, 1 Corinthians 15:24-26: Satan’s power of death is temporary
James 4:7: Satan is not all powerful; he must flee when we submit ourselves to God and resist him
Revelation 20:7-10: Satan’s rule is temporary; he will ultimately be thrown into the Lake of Fire
c. Forces
Satan has a well organized group of forces to carry out his schemes on the earth. With the exception of people who serve his purposes, Satan’s forces are spiritual entities.
17. Read Ephesians 6:12. What are the various groups of evil forces under Satan’s control?
Satan’s forces include principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this age, spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places
18. Who are these forces “wrestling” with?
Us! (Christians)
i. Evil Angels
Satan’s angels are involved in cosmic and human events, just as God’s angels are. Scripture suggests the number of Satan’s angels is one third of God’s original population of angels in (Revelation 12:3-9). Since there are “myriads and myriads” of God’s angels, it follows that there is a large number of evil angels as well (Hebrews 12:22, Revelation 5:11).
19. Please briefly summarize the conflicts that evil angels were involved in for each of these references:
Daniel 10:13,20: Fought with God’s angels over matters involving human events
Revelation 12:9: Fought God’s angels; ultimately cast out of heaven along with Satan
Some rebelling angels were imprisoned just before Noah’s flood and now await final judgment (2 Peter 2:4, Jude 6).
20. Read Genesis 6:1-6. What did these angels do to deserve incarceration?
They rebelled by taking human wives and produced offspring; they helped draw the human race into continual evil.
21. Read 1 Peter 3:18-20. Who came and proclaimed his finished work to these angels while they were in prison?
Jesus Christ proclaimed his victory over all evil to these imprisoned spirits during His resurrection, sealing their destruction
22. Read Matthew 25:41. What will ultimately happen to evil angels?
They will ultimately be tormented in everlasting fire along with the devil
ii. Demons/Evil Spirits
While demons and evil spirits could be the same beings as evil angels, there are enough references to them in the New Testament to warrant further study.
a. Examples
By studying some particular incidents we can learn much about demons and evil spirits.
23. Read Luke 8:26-35. How were the demons able to communicate with Jesus? What was their demeanor as they confronted Jesus?
They spoke through the man they inhabited
The demons were bold – they used a loud voice in confronting Jesus
24. How had the demons apparently affected the man they inhabited?
He was naked and had been driven into the desert by them
He had incredible strength (ex. broke chains & shackles)
25.What was the corporate name that the demons went by? Why was this used?
“Legion,” because their were many of them
26. Did the demons obey Jesus immediately? If not, what did they do in response to his command?
The demons apparently resisted Jesus’ first command to come out; they were trying to bargain with him
27. What was the one place the demons definitely did not want to go?
the “Abyss”
28. From the demons’ bargaining attempts, what can we conclude about the “home” they preferred to inhabit?
They preferred a body to inhabit, whether human or animal
29. What does the final condition of the man tell us about how the demons had affected him?
The demons had caused him to be in an altered state of mind
Mark’s account of the Gerasene demoniac gives us further details. Read Mark 5:1-13.
30. What additional details do we find concerning the demonized man’s strength?
He had often broke chains and shackles – no one was strong enough to subdue him
31. What did the man do constantly, night and day? What did he do that was self-destructive?
Screamed
He gashed himself with stones
32. How many demons were in the man?
About 2000 demons
Jesus took a few moments to teach about evil spirits, while replying to the Pharisees’ request for a sign. Read Matthew 12:43-45.
33. When an evil spirit leaves a person, where does it go and what does it look for?
It goes through dry places, seeking rest
34. What are two reasons it returned to the person it left?
It didn’t find rest
It needed moisture
35. How did the evil spirit regard the body of the person it left?
The spirit regarded it as his house
36. What reason does Jesus suggest or imply for the spirit being able to re-enter the house?
The house was “unoccupied” – the person had not invited Christ to fill all the voids in his or her life left by the departing spirit.
37. Who does the evil spirit recruit to come with it when it re-enters its host? How is the host person affected?
Seven other spirits more wicked than itself
The end state of the man is worse than before
38. In summary, what does Jesus’ explanation tell us concerning the characteristics and capabilities of evil spirits?
They have intellect and will; they vary in level of wickedness; they are communal; they have limited power (require rest); they can travel; they can enter and live in bodies; they communicate with other evil spirits; they can recognize or discern the spiritual state of a person
b. Purposes of demons and evil spirits
From the examples we just studied, we can get a feel for the purposes of demons and evil spirits. From the story of the Gerasene demoniac and Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 12 we know that one purpose of demons is to torment their victims, even to the point of causing death. This may not be their main objective, however, as torment could simply be a means by which to achieve a “higher” purpose. We find a hint of such a purpose in Paul’s first letter to Timothy.
Read 2 Timothy 2:24-26.
39. What had happened to the people in opposition to Paul?
They had fallen into the devil’s snare and been taken captive to do his will
40. Considering that Satan’s forces serve him, what can we surmise concerning a purpose of demons based on the above scripture?
Demons help take people captive to do Satan’s will
41. Read Ephesians 2:1-3. What Satanic work in mankind is revealed in this passage?
Satan is working in to encourage people toward disobedience; inspiring them to sin by living in the lusts of the flesh and indulging in the desires of the flesh and mind
42. Again, assuming that Satan’s forces assist him in this work, what purpose might demons have when inhabiting or influencing people?
To encourage them to sin
As we have seen in the examples we’ve studied, demons tend to be communal and defensive of their territory. With the Gerasene demoniac, the group of demons named “Legion” resisted being cast out. The Matthew 12 demon recruited seven additional demons to come and live with it in the host. We also know from Mark 16:9 that Jesus cast seven demons out of Mary Magdalene.
43. From a military perspective, what might be the purpose for multiple demons inhabiting a location / host?
To occupy and reinforce a position
44. Read 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. What are our spiritual weapons intended to “pull down”?
Spiritual “strong holds” or “fortresses” (NASB) of the enemy
A stronghold can exist where a person has allowed sin to rule his or her life or simply has tolerated its existence. By repeatedly sinning in a given area, a person builds a stronghold, which then in turn may allow demons to enter.
45. Based on the examples we’ve studied, what are some ways that demons might reinforce strongholds in people?
Tempting the person to sin
Inviting other evil spirits into a person
Torment the person
Resist expulsion
46. One final purpose that demons and evil spirits fulfill is illustrated in Acts 16:16-18. What purpose did the evil spirit apparently have?
To annoy, harass and mock God’s servant, Paul
c. Responses to spiritual warfare
As we’ve seen in previous examples, demons resist being expelled in a variety of ways. One of the reasons for this is that they apparently vary in power level. Let’s examine another example which illustrates this.
47. Read Mark 9:17-29. What did the spirit do when it saw Jesus? Why do you think it did this?
It immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth
Cause distraction (?), scare Jesus (?)
48. How did Jesus deal with the spirit? How did the spirit respond?
He addressed it by name (deaf & dumb spirit), commanded it to leave the boy and forbade it from returning
The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out
Matthew’s account of this story reveals some additional information.
49. Read Matthew 17:19-21. What were two reasons Jesus gave for the disciples being unable to cast out the demon?
Their lack of faith (i.e. unbelief)
Some demons are only routed through prayer and fasting
From Jesus’ reply we can conclude that some demons are “stronger” than others.
A final point concerning demons and evil spirits concerns their “recognition” abilities.
50. Read Mark 1:23-24. Who did the demons recognize?
Jesus as the Son of God
51. Read Acts 19:13-16. By whose authority did the Jewish exorcists attempt to expel the spirit?
Jesus’ authority
52. Who did the evil spirit claim to know or recognize? Who did they not recognize?
Jesus and Paul
The Jewish exorcists
53. What was the implied reason that the spirit was able to beat up the exorcists and chase them away?
They weren’t legitimately using the authority of Christ – they didn’t believe in Jesus – they were simply trying to use his name like a magical phrase
54. What can we conclude about evil spirits’ recognition abilities?
They can recognize those who are truly operating in Christ’s authority and those who are not
iii. People: People can knowingly or unknowingly further the plans of Satan by doing evil.
55. Read Matthew 13:24-30,36-43. What two groups of people does Jesus describe in this parable?
Sons of God (the good seed) and sons of the wicked one
56. What were the implied missions of the sons of the wicked one?
To infiltrate God’s followers, “offend” and practice lawlessness
Perhaps the most dangerous sons of the Devil are those who pose as church people. By infiltrating God’s people, they may gain positions of trust and respect, from which they can do great damage to the body of Christ.
57. Read 2 Corinthians 11:13-15. What types of positions do Satan’s servants seek in ministry?
Apostles and workers; servants of righteousness
We find a detailed description of false prophetesses in Ezekiel 13. Working somewhat “under cover,” these women were practicing magic against God’s people. God instructed Ezekiel to prophesy against these false prophetesses.
58. Read Ezekiel 13:17-23. What were some of the notable things that these women were doing?
Using magic charms and head veils to hunt souls of people
They were killing innocent people and sustaining people who were supposed to die
Lying – prophesying out of their own hearts
Made the hearts of the righteous people sad and strengthened the wicked people
Jesus called a group of Pharisees and Scribes sons of the Devil in John 8.
59. Read John 8:38-47. What were the Pharisees and Scribes doing that indicated they were sons of the Devil?
They could not understand God’s word
They would not listen to God’s word
They were trying to kill Jesus
They carry out the Devil’s desires
They didn’t believe the truth that Jesus spoke
The Devil’s sons are not all trying to masquerade as followers of Christ. Paul encountered such a person in his ministry on the island of Cyprus.
60. Read Acts 13:8-10. What two things did Elymas the Magician do?
Opposed Paul
He sought to turn the proconsul away from the Christian faith
61. Speaking through Paul, what did the Holy Spirit say about Elymas?
That he was full of all deceit and fraud,
That he was a son of the devil and an enemy of all righteousness
62. What were Elymas’s ongoing evil efforts aimed at doing?
“Making crooked the straight ways of the Lord” – corrupting God’s work
Satan is perhaps a master opportunist. Though he has many dedicated servants, he apparently uses unwitting people often to carry out his will. We find examples of this in scripture.
63. For each example below, please summarize how the people served evil purposes:
Matthew 16:22-23: Peter, by Satan’s prompting, tried to persuade Jesus to avoid the cross.
John 13:27: Judas, by Satan’s prompting, betrayed Jesus
Acts 5:3: Ananias kept back part of an offering for the growing church
We should also take a moment to consider the spiritual powers that the Devil’s servants can potentially wield.
64. Read Exodus 7:8-24 & Exodus 8:5-6. What 3 feats were Pharaoh’s magicians able to accomplish?
Turn wooden staffs into snakes
Turn the Nile’s water into blood
Cause frogs to come up on the land
There is one final “force” that can work to further the Devil’s purposes in every person. In fact, the devil crafts his temptations to appeal to this force in hopes of persuading us to sin. This enemy has the greatest potential to ruin our walk with God and destroy our lives.
65. Read James 1:14-15 & 1 Peter 2:11-12. What or who is this enemy?
Our own desires for sin
66. Read Matthew 15:19-20. What is a source of our inherent evil desires?
Our hearts!
C. How the enemy attacks us
The devil uses many tactics to accomplish his mission. By studying examples of the devil’s tactics from scripture, we can better recognize them when we face them in spiritual warfare.
1) Tempt through lust of eyes, lust of flesh and pride of life
Tempting through lust and pride are perhaps the more obvious ways that Satan and his forces attack us.
67. For each verse below, write down a short description of the temptations used:
Genesis 3:1-6: Satan appealed to Eve’s desire for god-like knowledge (i.e. pride of life), knowing that the fruit appealed to her lust of the eyes & flesh
Proverbs 6:23-28: Use flattering speech to seduce into sexual sin (appeals to pride of life); use physical appearance to captivate via lust of eyes and flesh
Acts 5:3, 1 Timothy 6:9-10: Tempt through the love of money, drowning the person by lust in destruction and sin
Acts 20:30,2 Timothy 3:6-7: Creep up, capture through deceit, lead away through lusts, blind to truth
Colossians 2:8: Deceive by philosophy or religious tradition, according to worldly principles and not according to Christ (appeals to pride of life)
2) Steal, Kill and Destroy
In teaching about the Good Shepherd, Jesus contrasted himself with false shepherds who were thieves. Jesus said, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10 NKJV). As the ultimate thief, Satan comes to steal, kill and destroy God’s people, just as the thief did to the sheep in Jesus’ metaphor. Let’s consider some examples from scripture of Satan’s work in these areas.
68. Read the below examples and briefly describe what was stolen, killed or destroyed:
Job 1:9-12, Job 2:1-7: Destroyed people’s faith and devotion to God through calamity, sickness and suffering
Matthew 13:19: Stole the Word out of the heart, preventing people from believing and being saved
Matthew 13:24-30,37-42: Infiltrated and corrupted the body of Christ (parable of wheat & tares)
Luke 22:2-4: Incited a person to betray his friend (to his destruction)
John 8:37-44: Inspired people to kill those who spoke the truth
Titus 1:10-11: Destroyed families through idle talk and false teaching
3) Oppose the Gospel of Christ
Another way the enemy attacks is by opposing the Gospel of Christ. Satan opposes the Gospel in order to stop it from strengthening and expanding God’s kingdom. The Gospel is the truth that sets people free from the bondage of sin and enables them to become the sons of God they were created to be. This greatly threatens Satan’s kingdom. Let’s examine some examples of his opposition to the Gospel.
69. Read the below examples and briefly describe the tactic used to oppose the Gospel:
Acts 14:2: To poison peoples’ minds against those who preach the Gospel
Acts 14:3-6: To try to harm those who preach the Gospel
2 Corinthians 11:12-15: To deceive Christians by masquerading as a minister of righteousness
Colossians 2:8, 2 Timothy 2:17-18: Use false doctrine to ensnare in religious methodology; propagate false doctrine to overthrow faith
1 Thessalonians 2:18: Hinder Christians’ efforts to meet together
4) Veil the mind from truth
One tactic that is particularly effective in warfare is to veil or blind the mind from truth. Satan has notable power to deceive people, i.e. to influence what people see and believe. Let’s look at some examples of this “mind control” in the scriptures.
70. For each scripture, please describe how people’s minds were influenced:
2 Corinthians 4:3-4: The god of this age cast a blinding veil on unbelievers’ minds from the light of the gospel
1 John 2:11: Darkness blinded the eyes with darkness – numbed the conscience
2 Thessalonians 2:9-10: The Devil’s servant deceived through power, signs, and lying wonders
1 Timothy 4:1-2: Deceiving spirits and demons led people astray with false doctrines and lies
2 Timothy 2:24-26: False teachers blinded the peoples’ senses and conscience, then took people captive to do the Devil’s will
5) Weaken faith in God
Our faith is potentially a very powerful weapon against the enemy. When we believe God and his word, all things are possible to us. It makes sense therefore that one of Satan’s strategies is to weaken our faith in God. He does this in a variety of ways.
71. Please read the below passages and describe how the enemy (and his forces) tried to weaken people’s faith:
Genesis 3:1-6: Used questions to plant doubt of God’s goodness and sufficiency of his provision
Job 2:1-7: Struck Job with painful boils in attempt to get him to turn away from God
Ezekiel 13:17-23: Used witchcraft and lies to dishearten the righteous
Luke 4:3,9-12: Tempted Jesus to prove his divinity and test God
Luke 8:13, 1 Thessalonians 3:4-5: Used temptation to weaken faith and cause people to fall away from God
Revelation 2:10: Used persecution to tempt people to abandon the faith