doctrines of demons: "Did God really say...?"

The Word for today:
1 Timothy 3.14-4.5

mark this: 1 Timothy 4:1
Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.

Wouldn’t it be remarkable to see a replay of the Garden of Eden—especially the scene where the snake is standing on his feet, enticing Eve with the fruit of the tree…

Well, if you go to the window and look outside, there it is!

Eden is replayed every day. It’s been played out in your life and mine.  We succumbed / flunked / fell.

It was played out in Jesus’ life. He passed, slicing the devil’s seductive suggestions to pieces with the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God (1).

All those replays were personal, one-on-one encounters. But there is coming a day (I know it’s coming, because it’s already here) when the world, collectively, will face an onslaught of what the Bible calls the doctrines of demons:

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. (1 Timothy 4:1)

Every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world. (1Jn 4:3)

The battle line runs between your fingers (if you are holding a Bible). The assault, as in Eden, will be on the veracity and trustworthiness of the Word of God. It will sound exactly like this:

Did God really say…?  (Genesis 3:1)

The devil has a religion, and its text is the Bible. Starting with the very text you hold in your hands, he then twists, contorts, distorts, adds, and subtracts from it for his purposes.

He has his ministers just as surely as your church has a pastor. Their powerful “pulpits” are bombarding us with mis-information and dis-regard for the Word of God.

The only defense against the devil’s doctrines and his minions is the Word of God, aptly spoken (2). But even if we’ve memorized every verse, we are no match for an angel of light (3) quoting scripture! Our advantage as believers is that it’s the Spirit’s Sword, so He knows how best to deploy it—as seen when Jesus (in the power of the Spirit) cut the devil down to size.

It’s Eden-all-over-again out there. Every day the (S)Word of God is demeaned and discredited; or – worse yet – left to gather rust and dust on a shelf.

But in the hands of a believer whose Sword shines with constant use, and who depends on the Spirit to wield it, no weapon forged against it will prosper:

“No weapon forged against you will prevail,
and you will refute every tongue that accuses you.
This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD,
and this is their vindication from me,"
declares the LORD.  (Isaiah 54:17)

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(1) see Genesis 3:1-6; Matthew 4:5-1 and Luke 4:1-13; Hebrews 4:12 and Ephesians 6:17; (2) see Proverbs 25:11; (3) 2 Corinthians 11:14