Demons, evils spirits and of course Satan are all part of the unseen supernatural. They oppose the Lord and deceive many, but Jesus knew them all and exercised power over their evil.
We introduced this series, Because the Days are Evil, with a quote from a letter written to the first century church at Ephesus. Now we’ll take a brief look at the relationship between Jesus and the spirit world and the seen and unseen we question in this day.
The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”
And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
Luke 10:17-18 ESV
Before Adam
Genesis answers some of our questions about the supernatural and creation of the physical universe, yet seems to lack an explanation of the origin of spirits, angels, Satan and the supernatural.
Consider an explanation of creation from Genesis 1 and Adam, Eve, original sin and the serpent all come to mind. But follow this timeline from Genesis and you may wonder about the creation of the serpent in the garden.
Moses relates God’s covenant with the forefathers of the Hebrews and includes some explanation of the beginnings of things. We clearly see supernatural occurrences orchestrated by the Lord.
In the garden, a perfect setting God created for man, we observe supernatural events and a supernatural explanation of the influence of evil by Satan, a talking serpent, a snake with poisonous words against God tempting man (adam) to death.
Jesus claims the supernatural more than once, offering insight into the eternal not understood in the chronology of mankind. He says, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”
Have you ever wondered where that fit into the timeline of creation?
Natural vs Supernatural time
How do the created measure time of the Creator?
The supernatural is sometimes observable, but not naturally measurable.
Science provides reliable natural explanations of the observable, but fails in unproven theories of the supernatural. We just don’t get it – we want to understand everything as if we are above a creation not of our making.
We want to be gods of the unseen and the immeasurable. Yet we cannot be and should not try to be God!
Therefore a human measure of the infinite with billions and billions of stars and trillions and trillions of atoms in this visible place is just as unfathomable as time and its supernatural beginning.
A world introduced to the risen Christ Jesus once measured time in terms of the Son of Man, King above all kings who proved, “I and the Father are One.”
This year is A.D. 2019, that is, anno Domini (from the Julian calendar) or ‘in the year of our Lord‘ twenty-nineteen.
Theories of time immemorial and explanations of the unobservable supernatural have come and gone. Even faithful men of God and followers of Christ have come up short in our proofs of the unprovable.
Yet by faith all men must start with faith that One exists in the unseen realm of the supernatural who was and is and will always be – One who reigns over a vast and glorious creation.
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky displays what his hands have made.
One day tells a story to the next.
One night shares knowledge with the next
without talking,
without words,
without their voices being heard.
Yet, their sound has gone out into the entire world,
their message to the ends of the earth.
Psalm 19: 1-4 GW
Christ, Lord over the supernatural
After this, the Lord appointed 70 other disciples to go ahead of him to every city and place that he intended to go. They were to travel in pairs.
He told them, “The harvest is large, but the workers are few. So ask the Lord who gives this harvest to send workers to harvest his crops. Go! I’m sending you out like lambs among wolves…
Jesus, Son of Man, sends followers to proclaim the Gospel to an unbelieving world.
“But whenever you go into a city and people don’t welcome you, leave… If the miracles worked in your cities had been worked in Tyre and Sidon, they would have changed the way they thought and acted… Judgment day will be better for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to heaven? No, you will go to hell!
So Jesus warns of hell and speaks of judgment day. Many refuse to believe it because they can’t quantify it.
Woe to those deceived by the great deceiver Satan, the serpent of sin who enters the natural creation with slithering supernatural power over those who turn against God!
Do you believe only your eyes?
Jesus continues instruction to faithful followers:
16 “The person who hears you hears me, and the person who rejects you rejects me. The person who rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”
He had commissioned the eleven Disciples again after after He rose from the grave:
“Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
Mark 16L15b
Some men and women will not believe you, He previously had told seventy-two disciples. Yet, ‘Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves, Jesus had commissioned them. [Luke 10:3]
17 The 70 disciples came back very happy. They said, “Lord, even demons obey us when we use the power and authority of your name!”
Jesus has power over demons you also do not believe exist — if you are deceived.
18 Jesus said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like lightning.
Jesus told an unbelieving religious establishment, “Before Abraham was, I am!” Here the Lord witnesses to disciples, “I watched Satan fall from heaven…” Yet unless some see Satan or demons or unseen supernatural powers they will dismiss all as myth.
Seventy men came back to Jesus, the Gospel records, and witnessed:
“Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.” [KJV]
Yet many do not believe because they cannot see these supernatural beings of spirit.
a Supernatural Serpent
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, —
Genesis 3:1a KJV
STOP! Two things here in Moses’ narrative of creation.
- A serpent (who we later learn is Satan) is talking. Not only is that crafty, but seems to an unbelieving world an impossibility.
- The supernatural serpent asks an evil question of the woman, “Did God actually say … (you know the questions object about the tree of the knowledge of good and evil). Satan is asking Eve to question the word of God!
Then the serpent tells the woman a lie.
3:4 וַיֹּאמֶר הַנָּחָשׁ אֶל־הָֽאִשָּׁה לֹֽא־מֹות תְּמֻתֽוּן׃
The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die!
Genesis 3:4 Hebrew & NASB
Go ask her then, “Eve, do you believe the evil one who told you, ‘You will not die?”
Of course not even followers of Moses could do that, because Moses also records that both Adam and Eve died. After their original sin of disobeying the Lord God, their flesh and bones returned to the dust.
Therefore, consider the supernatural influence of spirits, demons, fallen angels, men possessed by evil and especially Satan could have on your life and death, your merciless judgment or eternal life by grace.
Jesus IS the Lord, One with God the Father of all creation and the Holy Spirit. God loves you and asks for your eternal love of good.
Yet Satan would sway the uncertain toward the gravity of Hell and battle of evil against good.
Choose this day who you will follow. Christ Jesus our loving Savior? Or Satan the angel of darkness asking you to prove, “Did God really say…?”
To be continued...
