Taking a Look at the Spiritual Warfare

Speaking to people gathered for a Mass at the Domus Sanctae Marthae, Pope Francis said there are no Christians “who do not fight.” He said Christianity entails a daily battle against Satan as Jesus calls His followers to be transformed through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Catholic Herald relayed.

Silencing the enemy is a very fitting title for this book. It is fitting because the author, Robert Gay, explains how God suppresses the devices of the adversary through the praise and worship of His people. Although the term “spiritual warfare” is not found in scripture, Paul expounds on the concept throughout the New Testament. He encourages the saints to “Put on the whole armor of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil”. This scripture informs us that we are in a battle, a battle that has been raging since the beginning of time. It is not a battle that one can see with the naked eye. Nor is it a battle that is fought with natural weapons. It is a battle that is fought in the spirit world. Our methods of

Lucifer was given a remarkable power in heaven, but he rebelled against God with the attempt to over-throw the Mighty Throne. Other powerful angels fought against Lucifer and he was chased from heaven to the earth. And his name changed from Lucifer to Satan, the evil one.

Evidence 1: “ The reason the Christians would not fight was that they were nice and the Christianity states that fighting is not allowed” said the people that created www.history.com.

Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”

The Antichrist, Satan, Lucifer… he has many names, and even more roles in our everyday lives. The devil is a way for us as humans to recognize our own flaws, sins, temptations, and our hidden dark side. He is a scapegoat for the carnal nature of humans, and makes our God appear to be a less wicked creator by contrast. An extremely important figure in everything from literature and movies, the devil is necessary for helping humans differentiate from good and evil, whether or not you believe in him as a real, physical being, or as a metaphor. Humans naturally feel compelled to project our own evil onto a seperate, outside entity, as it was deemed unnatural, and the devil is the perfect candidate.

SMU Perkin’s School of Theology church history professor James Lee observed that religious leaders who endorse war are very rare. He said Christians usually see war as an unjust move and something that must be

In the book The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis, one of the major themes is war. War is not just a conflict between one country and another; it is what people make out of it, and how people respond to it. In the book, The Screwtape Letters, it’s not talking about war against another country, the theme war is between heaven and hell. The book gives the reader a spiritual side of reality. C.S. Lewis gives us understandings into how the powers of evil work to trap and destroy humans who want to follow Christ. For Lewis, it is not an “obligation that we must be delivered from demons that possess and control us”; it is that we are constantly influenced and manipulated by them. The demons are finding new ways to corrupt and pollute, trying to make

‘…the necessity of the Devil may become evident as a weapon, a weapon designed and used time and time again in every age to whip men to surrender to a particular church or church-state’

The modern world has many misconstrued ideas about Satan and his demons that are not in line with Jesus' teachings in Scripture. Today the world sees Satan in an almost comical way, if they believe in him at all. There is such a lack of belief in anything spiritually supernatural that the idea of demons is less acceptable to today's society than the idea of ghosts. In Jesus' time, this was not the case; people were well aware of Satan and his activities. Jesus often had to deal with things of this nature, and addressed the matter several times in Scripture. The difference between what Jesus had to say on the matter and what the world says today is monumental.

1. According to Cotton Mather, the plan of the devil was “To Destroy the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, in these parts of the World…” In addition, the devil would ‘Torment’ his victims by being “Terribly scratched and bitten.” Therefore, the marks would be visible, however, there were invisible ‘furies’ that would “Stick pins into the Bodies of the Afflicted.” Matter emphasis that tempted are the victims of these Furies. While in the end, are so tempted to sign the “Devils Laws.”

Evil, chaos, and mass destruction are words that surface the mind when Satan is mentioned. An expression of pure evil, Satan is often looked at as one to steer afar from. Yet, there is a time and place of everything and even the character of Satan serves a purpose. For there is no good without its opposing force evil.

"In the forefront of the battle, where we expect him, is Milton's Satan, the great rebel of Paradise Lost" (Hamilton 7). Hamilton also introduces the idea of an underdog, describing Satan as a person fighting against an inferior power, with extreme odds against a victory for his side (14). In the scenes around the battle in heaven, Milton shows how Satan is viewed as a leader by the other fallen angels.

Following the standards of classic tragic heroes, Satan is a determined leader with an extreme amount of hubris. He knows that God is the most powerful being and yet he still

Contending, and so doubtful what might fall. “ (Milton 35). This speech is quite positive and uplifting; Satan's followers are even more encouraged by their leader. Satan is also a great military leader, yet not quite powerful enough to defeat God. Overall, Satan is portrayed in this poem as “a character so real and so human one cant help but be drawn to him” (Wallace). Whether the reader takes the