Ephesians 6:10
Ephesians 6:11
Ephesians 6:12
Ephesians 6:13
Ephesians 6:14
Ephesians 6:15
Ephesians 6:16
Ephesians 6:17
Ephesians 6:18

James 1:13
James 1:14
James 1:15

Exposition of 1Peter 5:8
Exposition of 1Peter 5:9

Cyberhymnal Hymns on Topic of Spiritual Warfare (scroll down)

2 Chronicles 20:1-25 Ambushing Satan with Song - John Piper

THE METAPHOR OF THE CHRISTIAN SOLDIER

Soldier Illustrations

Exposition of 2 Timothy 2:3-4
Three Kinds of Soldiers - Ten Principles of Warfare
Roman Soldier by Edward Gibbon (Decline & Fall of Roman Empire)
The Roman Soldier - Description from Jewish Historian Josephus
A Few Soldier Stories and Sermons

THE AMALEKITES: A PICTURE OF PERSISTENT SPIRITUAL WARFARE
 

Jehovah Nissi: Exposition of Exodus 17:8-16

PUT ON THE FULL ARMOR OF GOD: endusasthe (2PAMM) ten panoplian tou theou:  (Eph 4:24; Romans 13:14; Colossians 3:10) (Eph 6:13; Romans 13:12; 2 Corinthians 6:7; 10:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:8)

Paul gives further explanation of what has to be done in order to be strong enough to meet spiritual enemies, especially the devil. It's not your armor that you are to put on but the armor God supplies. Another necessity in victorious warfare is to know the enemy. Don't try to fight your spiritual struggles based on human ingenuity or inherent personal strength. You don't stand a chance against the schemes of the invisible, powerful, crafty foe the devil. Spiritual warfare demands spiritual armor which can only be the "armor of God", the accoutrement He provides and which is even modeled on what He Himself wears as described by the prophet  Isaiah....

Also righteousness will be the belt about His loins, and faithfulness the belt about His waist. (Isaiah 11:5 ) (Comment: compare this OT description to the picture of the Resurrected Lord Jesus Christ in Rev 1:13 where John saw "one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His breast with a golden girdle.")

And He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head; and He put on garments of vengeance for clothing, And wrapped Himself with zeal as a mantle. (Isaiah 59:17)

Put on (also in Eph 6:14) (1746) (enduo) from en = in + dúo = to sink, go in or under, to put on) means literally to clothe or dress someone and to put on as a garment, to cause to get into a garment (eg, Lk 15:22 where the father says "quickly bring out the best robe and put it on him...").

The aorist imperative is a command to do put on the armor now. Don't delay. There is a sense of urgency in the aorist imperative. Just do it like the Nike commercial says. The middle voice conveys the idea that it is your choice to do it. You put on yourself this armor. You make the choice to initiate the putting on of God's armor and then you participate in the benefits of having it on. Not one is going to put it on you. God is not going to force you to put it on. His command and His good and acceptable and perfect will is for you to put it on, but it still comes down to a choice you must make. It has to do with surrendering your will to His will. Saying no to self (self sufficiency, self confidence, etc) and saying yes to God, obeying Him out of love, as a son or daughter would their Abba, their Daddy.

Note also that this garment is unusual because it has to be put on from the inside! Ultimately this "new self" is Christ Himself (Ro 13:14) Legalism is putting them on the outside. You may look good in the pew or the pulpit but you won't be able to stand firm in the moment of temptation! Knowing the truth is not enough. You have to eat it, digest it, be renewed in your mind by it so that your futile thinking is taught, reproved, corrected and trained in the direction of righteousness then you are transformed from inside out by the Spirit.

The basic necessity for the believer is to depend on the Lord and put on the armor—and leave it on. We are gullible and vulnerable if we think that merely knowing the facts in Ephesians 6:10-18 will protect us. The armor is an absolute requirement for daily victorious living. And even the battles seem to wane, we cannot become apathetic or forget that we are in spiritual warfare everyday for the rest of our life until the day we die!

Luke 24:49 "And behold, I am sending forth the Promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power (dunamis) from on high." (Comment: The Power, the Promise is His Spirit, Who God had promised in the description of the New Covenant in the Old Testament, [Ezekiel 36:27 "I will put My Spirit within you"], promised again in Acts 1:8 and realized in Acts 2:4 at Pentecost and then in every believer thereafter as described in Romans 8:9, Ephesians 1:13; 1:14])

THE ARMOR OF LIGHT

Romans 13:12 The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside (middle voice = you yourself initiate this action and participate in the effect) the deeds of darkness and put on (clothe yourself = middle voice = you yourself initiate this action and participate in the effect) the armor of light. (See notes)

CHRIST HIMSELF AS OUR GARMENT

Galatians 3:27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. (Comment: This putting on refers to salvation, at which time the Spirit replaced our filthy rags of sin with the righteousness of Christ - this is now and forever our new position before God. He sees us in Christ's righteousness - the theologians refer to this as positional truth = past tense salvation = justification).

Romans 13:14 But put on (our practice = present tense salvation = progressive sanctification - put Him on each morning and every moment of the day - aorist imperative [middle voice = you initiate the action and participate in the result = put Him yourself]) the Lord Jesus Christ, and make (present imperative = with the negative means to stop an action already in progress! You know what I am talking about!) no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. (See notes) (Comment: As you study the pieces of armor, you can see that ultimately putting each of them on is equivalent to clothing one's self with Christ - truth, righteousness, peace, faith

THE NEW SELF

Ephesians 4:24 and put on (not a command - aorist tense) the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. (Comment: As discussed in the notes there is debate between excellent commentators, some favoring this putting on as indicative of positional truth and others favoring it as calling for this to be our practice - progressive sanctification or present tense salvation).

Colossians 3:10 and have put on (past tense salvation = positional sanctification = our position now and forever in Christ - see our practice in Col 3:12) the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One Who created him (See notes)

Colossians 3:12  And so, as those who have been chosen of God (cf notes Eph 1:5), holy and beloved, put on (present tense salvation  = progressive sanctification = our practice - a command be clothed [middle voice = clothe yourself] now = aorist imperative) a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience (See notes)

THE BREASTPLATE OF FAITH AND LOVE

1 Thessalonians 5:8 But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on (at the time of our new birth = justification = our position = past tense salvation) the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.

IMPERISHABLE, IMMORTAL GARMENTS

1 Corinthians 15:53 For this perishable must put on (glorification = future tense salvation) the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory.

What a "wardrobe" God has made available for believers! We're the "best dressed" folks in the world and most of us don't even know it!

And the best is yet to come for John describes our new...

GARMENTS OF FINE LINEN, WHITE AND CLEAN...

Revelation 19:14 And the armies (this is us, those redeemed by the blood of the Lamb) which are in heaven, clothed (enduo) in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him (the Lamb = Faithful and True = the Word of God) on white horses. (Comment: This incredible historical event will occur at the end of the 7 year period, Daniel's Seventieth Week, and marks the defeat of the antichrist and his armies and the inception of Messiah's Millennial Reign)

Full armor of God - genitive of source or origin indicating that God provides the armor. So we need not only Divine armor but that equipment in its completeness and with no part missing or in disrepair.

Paul frequently pictures the Christian as a soldier in his writings - see Ro 6:13, 23, Ro 13:12, 2Cor 10:4, 1Thes 5:8, 1Ti 1:18, 1Ti 6:12, 2Ti 2:3-4, 4:7). It is not surprising that Paul would draw the analogy of the Christian life with that of a soldier, for it was to a soldier that he was chained while in prison.

Wiersbe writes that...

Paul emphasizes the fact that the full armor is necessary if we are to defeat Satan. The area in our life that we leave unguarded is sure to be the very place that Satan attacks. On October 17, 1586, Sir Philip Sidney was killed at the Battle of Zutphen, because he was not wearing his full armor. He saw that Sir William Pelham was not wearing leg armor, so Sidney removed his. He was struck in the leg and died from the wound. I cannot stress enough the importance of complete protection. (Wiersbe, W: Strategy of Satan: How to Detect and Defeat Him)

Full armor (3833) (panoplia from pás = all, every + hoplon = weapon, originally any tool or implement for preparing a thing, became used in the plural for weapons of warfare) is literally wholly armed and refers to the complete set of instruments used in offensive and defensive war. The literal meaning referred to the full preparation of a foot soldier for offense and defense - the complete suit of armor. Certainly Paul could claim knowledge of the Roman soldier’s armor, being chained to one for some three years.

This armor is of God both is the sense that it is from Him, and in the sense that it is His actual armor Isaiah recording that the Messiah also wears this armor (Isaiah 59:17). It is His armor that Messiah now shares with every person who places their faith in Him. Truths such as these explain why Paul can exclaim...

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer (we continually -present tense- super-conquer) through Him who loved us. (We win the supreme victory through Him Who loved us. See note Romans 8:37) (Comment: Stedman writes "If we barely manage to win our way to heaven by the skin of our teeth, we could be said to be a conqueror, but a "more than conqueror" is someone who takes the worst that life can throw at him and uses that to become victorious. "More than conqueror" is one who, by the grace and the gift of God, and in the strength of God within him, actually takes the very things that are designed to destroy him, and they become stepping stones instead of stumbling blocks. That is being "more than conquerors." William Newell adds that "loved us" is past tense and "It is this past tense gospel the devil hates . . . Let a preacher be continually saying, ‘God loves you, Christ loves you,’ and he and his congregation will by and by be losing sight of both their sinnerhood and of the substitutionary atonement of the cross, where the love of God and of Christ was once for all and supremely set forth.")

God has supplied the complete armor, but He expects the Christian to put it on. We need the divine equipment in its completeness, without the lack of any single part. God has not sent us out into battle without everything we need at our disposal. However, there is no armor for the back -- we are expected to face our foe!

This Greek word gives us our English word, panoply, which refers to a full suit of armor; ceremonial attire; something forming a protective covering; a magnificent or impressive array; display of all appropriate appurtenances.

Expositor's writes that...

The soldier must be protected from head to foot and the panoplia is made up of all the various hopla (hoplon = singular) or pieces of armor, both defensive and offensive. Polybius has left a detailed description of the heavily armed Roman infantryman or hoplite. Paul may have drawn his picture "live" from the soldier he was chained to in his house arrest, though it is not altogether certain that such a custodian would have been in full battle dress. (Gaebelein, F, Editor: Expositor's Bible Commentary 6-Volume New Testament. Zondervan Publishing)

TDNT writes that...

The soldier's equipment remains much the same for centuries but with minor variations, e.g., in the size of shields or the weight of armor. The Roman legionary carries a lance or spear, a shield, javelins, helmet, and breastplate of coat of mail. In the OT we read of shields, helmets, armor, shoes, spears, bows and arrows, and slings...  The word is used only figuratively in the NT. (Kittel, G., Friedrich, G., & Bromiley, G. W.  Theological Dictionary of the New Testament. Eerdmans)

Other than the use here and in Ephesians 6:13, there is only one other NT use...

Luke 11:22 but when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied, and distributes his plunder.

How does the believer put on the full armor of God? One of the most important ways is to hide God's Word in our heart (Ps 119:9-11) as if our very life depended upon it because our spiritual vitality does. Toward the close of World War II, Allied forces were mopping up against remaining Nazi resistance. One particular unit was assigned a crucial mission in Berlin. Each soldier had to memorize a map detailing all of Berlin's important military sites -- and they had to do it in a single night! In just a few hours, each soldier in the unit had committed the map to memory. The mission was a success. Several years later, the Army conducted an experiment to see if that original feat could be duplicated. They offered a similar unit an extra week's furlough--an attractive incentive--if they could carry out a comparable mission without a hitch. But the second unit could not match the success of the first. What made the difference? The lives of the men were not at stake. Surviving in battle was a greater motivation than a week's vacation. Christians are engaged in spiritual warfare. Our road map, our plan of strategy against Satan's military strongholds, is the Bible. The more we read it, the more of it we memorize, and the more thoroughly we know it, the more effective we will be for God. We must approach God's Word as if our lives depended on it--because they do. That's real motivation!

Thy Word is like an armory,
Where soldiers may repair,
And find, for life's long battle-day,
All needful weapons there. --Hodder

If your life depended on knowing the Bible, how long would you last?

How important is the full armor? Here's an illustration...

Bull Moose - Recently National Geographic ran an article about the Alaskan bull moose. The males of the species battle for dominance during the fall breeding season, literally going head-to-head with antlers crunching together as they collide. Often the antlers, their only weapon are broken. That ensures defeat. The heftiest moose, with the largest and strongest antlers, triumphs. Therefore, the battle fought in the fall is really won during the summer, when the moose eat continually. The one that consumes the best diet for growing antlers and gaining weight will be the heavyweight in the fight. Those that eat inadequately sport weaker antlers and less bulk. There is a lesson here for us. Spiritual battles await. Satan will choose a season to attack. Will we be victorious, or will we fall? Much depends on what we do now—before the wars begin. The bull-moose principle: Enduring faith, strength, and wisdom for trials are best developed before they’re needed. (Craig Brian Larson - Bible.org)

SO THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO STAND FIRM AGAINST: pros to dunasthai (PPN) humas stenai (AAN) pros:  (Ep 6:13; Luke 14:29, 30, 31; 1Corinthians 10:13; Hebrews 7:25; Jude 1:24)

So that (4314) (pros) introduces a purpose clause. Expositor's Greek NT adds that

"the general sense of direction (is) conveyed by the flexible preposition pros... In this short sentence it expresses mental direction, aim or object, and local direction, against."

Will be able (1410) (dunamai - see study of related word dunamis) means to have power by virtue of inherent ability and resources. 

Paul uses the present tense and thus is saying that we are to continually be provided with this Divine enablement. No power outages or shorted circuits (because of willful sin for example) are allowed if we are to win each battle. Dunamis is God's omnipotent, omnipresent, inherent ability to perform what He calls us to do -- in this case to stand firm when the battle is raging all around us!

Note the passive voice indicates that this enabling is an internal enablement provided by an outside source, the Spirit of God (see notes on "surpassing greatness of His power" - Ephesians 1:19; "strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man" - Ephesians 3:16; "Him Who is able to do...according to the power that works within us" - Ephesians 3:20 ; "be filled filled [controlled] with the Spirit" - Ephesians 5:16). What does that mean practically? It simply means that we have to be willing to let God enable us. We have to be willing to let Him have His way rather than us having our way. We have to be willing to allow His Spirit to strengthen and control us at every moment during the battle. And thus strengthened in our inner man, we can make the choice to take a stand, to hold firmly to our position, to resist the temptation to doubt, to fear, to gratify, etc, etc. We are more than conquerors through Christ Who loved us on Calvary and will love us eternally. With such assurance and empowerment we can stand firm against every assault to the praise of the glory of His grace which He so richly lavishes upon us.

Notice that Paul uses dunamai three times in this short treatise on spiritual warfare and each time it is in the passive voice indicating an external source of enablement to which the believer must be willing to yield and receive from the Holy Spirit!  (See notes Ephesians 6:11, 6:13; 6:16) In other words, attitudes such as self confidence, self sufficiency and self assurance, etc, have to be cast off like filthy garments of unrighteousness if we are to receive the necessary divine empowerment God graciously makes available.

To stand firm against - to hold a watch post, to stand and hold out in a critical position on a battlefield.  This phrase belongs to the soldier's language and conveys the idea of standing one's ground, as opposed to taking flight. Note that stand is a key word in warfare (see notes Ephesians 6:11; 6:13; 6:14 - in verse 14 note that resist is a derivative of the Greek word for stand)

John Stott quotes Simpson writing that...

The tactics of intimidation and insinuation alternate in Satan’s plan of campaign. He plays both the bully and the beguiler. Force and fraud form his chief offensive against the camp of the saints.

Wayne Barber writes that...

Stand firm (2476) (histemi) means to stand. In context it conveys the idea of digging in (the Roman sandals had spikes for this purpose). It was a military term for holding one's position. Hold your ground. Don't give an inch of territory to the enemy. That is the picture.

From a practical standpoint one stands firm by living the obedient, Scripture–dominated, Spirit–empowered life - the Spirit in such a state is not quenched or grieved and strengthens the obedient believer to stand firm.

The greatest weapon we have in warfare is not what we say to the devil but how we live the ''Christ life''. Obey, surrender, submit for this is your greatest weapon. It's not binding but it's bowing, saying ''yes'' to Jesus and committing to do His Word...at the moment He says it...then at that moment you become a fortress against the devil.

We must live in light of the fact that just as much as "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life," so it is true that "Satan hates you and has a terrible plan for your life" - we do have an enemy who wishes us nothing but evil

Using the metaphor of a battle, in the military sense to stand firm meant to hold a watch post or to stand and hold a critical position on a battlefield while under attack! The intent of Paul's exhortation is not unlike that of our Lord to the embattled church at Thyatira, whom He commanded, “hold fast until I come” (Rev 2:25). The believer needs to be strengthened in the inner man, letting our mind be affected by the truth, and letting the Spirit of Christ motivate us (Ezekiel 36:27, see note Philippians 2:12) and live His life through you. Stand firm by being in His word, obeying His word, repenting quickly and returning to your first Love. If you are disobedient you are deceived and a deceived person doesn't even know it! Furthermore when you are deceived you are primed for defeat! That is how good the Deceiver is. Remember his territory is the darkness, this present world system, and even though believers have been transferred out of darkness and into God's marvelous light, we can still choose to place ourselves under his domain by willing disobedience.

THE SCHEMES OF THE DEVIL:  tas methodeias tou diabolou:  (Eph 4:14; Mark 13:22; 2Corinthians 2:11; 4:4; 11:3,13, 14, 15; 2Th 2:9, 10, 11; 1Pe 5:8; 2Pe 2:1, 2, 3; Rev 2:24; 12:9; 13:11, 12, 13, 14, 15; 19:20; 20:2,3,7,8)

Schemes of the devil - Here we encounter the commander in chief of the invisible army arrayed against us. He is our sworn, mortal enemy. This is not a video game or a fairy tale but a very real war with a very real, deceptive foe.

Earlier Paul had warned about the devil's schemes to disrupt the unity of the body writing that...

As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming (Ep 4:14-note)

Against (4314) (pros) expresses direction - toward, on the side of, in the direction of. It can serve as a marker of closeness of relation or proximity. Pros is most commonly translated...against (21), before (10), toward (9). The picture is that of the believer facing these schemes.

The schemes of the devil - Note Paul's use of the definite article in Greek ("the") which defines these as specific schemes, not just general schemes. It suggests that the devil and his minions have specific schemes, "tailor made" for each person, for he is aware of the sin that so easily entangles each of us! Note that these schemes involve shrewdly devious and intriguing  methods that entail following an orderly, technical procedure in the handling of a subject. Schemes is used to describe a wild animal cunningly stalking and unexpectedly pouncing on prey (cp 1Pe 5:8-note). Satan’s schemes to destroy us and do us harm are built around stealth and deception but as Paul writes to the Corinthians

"we are not ignorant of his schemes." (2Corinthians 2:11)

Comment: Here schemes is not methodeia but noema [from nous = mind] and refers to the content of thinking and reasoning.

Samuel Rutherford  reminds us that...

Satan is only God’s master fencer to teach us to use our weapons.

Schemes  (3180) (methodeia from methodeuo = to work by method in turn from meta = with, after + hodos = a way) refers to an orderly, logical, effective arrangement, usually in steps followed to achieve an end. It describes deliberate planning or a systematic approach and can have a positive or negative connotation. The negative meaning of methodeia implies the use of clever methods or strategies to attain the desired end. The Scripture always uses methodeia with a negative connotation.

Methodeia has  reference to planned, subtle, systematized error.  Error organizes. It has its systems and its logic. Be alert! Be mature!  Satan’s scheming, crafty actions and artful designs  have ‘method’ and purpose, for his aim is to mislead the immature who are not grounded on apostolic doctrine. Behind the evil men and women who seek to expound false teaching, there is also a supernatural evil power who seeks to deceive unwary saints with his "devilish" cunning.

are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness (methodeia) in deceitful scheming (See notes Ephesians 4:14)

Seldom does Satan ever attack openly with an overt frontal assault (and by the way most of us will probably never be attacked by Satan himself as he is a finite not omnipresent being. But he does command a host of fallen angels who share his evil design for mankind). In contrast, Satan's Schemes are nearly always unseen, shrewd, and perfectly tailored to ensnare his victim like a fowler camouflaging his net to trap a bird ("methodical"). "Schemes, wiles and methods" speak of the trickery and subterfuge by which evil and temptation present themselves in our lives. Evil rarely looks evil until it accomplishes its goal. It gains entrance by appearing attractive, desirable, and perfectly legitimate. But to reiterate it is a baited and camouflaged trap. As Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 11:14, Satan masquerades as an angel of light.

A SUMMARY OF THE "METHODEIA"
OF SATAN,
OUR ADVERSARY, THE DEVIL

Job 1:6-11 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them. 7 And the LORD said to Satan, "From where do you come?" Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it." 8 And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil." 9 Then Satan answered the LORD, "Does Job fear God for nothing? 10 "Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.11 "But put forth Thy hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse Thee to Thy face."

Job 2:1-7 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD. 2 And the LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "From roaming about on the earth, and walking around on it." 3 And the LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to ruin him without cause." 4 And Satan answered the LORD and said, "Skin for skin! Yes, all that a man has he will give for his life. 5 "However, put forth Thy hand, now, and touch his bone and his flesh; he will curse Thee to Thy face." 6 So the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life." 7 Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.
 

Zechariah 3:1-2 Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse (Hebrew = satan!) him. 2 And the LORD said to Satan, "The LORD rebuke you, Satan! Indeed, the LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is this not a brand plucked from the fire?"
 

Revelation 12:10-11 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, "Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser (kategoros - one who speaks openly against, to condemn or accuse mainly in a legal sense) of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them before our God day and night. 11 "And they overcame (nikao = get the victory, conquer, prevail, "Nike missile") him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death. (See notes Revelation 12:10; Revelation 12:11)

Job 1:12-19 Then the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him." So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD. 13 Now it happened on the day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, 14 that a messenger came to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, 15 and the Sabeans attacked and took them. They also slew the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you." 16 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you." 17 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "The Chaldeans formed three bands and made a raid on the camels and took them and slew the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you." 18 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, "Your sons and your daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house, 19 and behold, a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people and they died; and I alone have escaped to tell you."
 

Job 2:6-7 So the LORD said to Satan, "Behold, he is in your power, only spare his life."7 Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head.
 

Luke 13:16 "And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?"

Revelation 2:10 'Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life. (See notes Revelation 2:10)
 

Acts 10:38 "You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good, and healing all who were oppressed (katadunasteuo = to tyrannize, rule over as a potentate, oppress harshly, exercise dominion against) by the devil; for God was with Him.
 

Ephesians 6:16; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one.

2Timothy 2:25-26 (The Lord's bondservant) with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, 26 and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will. (Comment: Note what sets the captive free - The Truth. The struggle is not a power struggle but a truth struggle!) (See notes 2 Timothy 2:25; 2:26)

(4) DECEIVES

Genesis 3:1-6,13 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" 2 And the woman said to the serpent, "From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, lest you die.'" 4 And the serpent said to the woman, "You surely shall not die! 5 "For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." 6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate...13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent deceived (beguiled, led astray, deluded, seduced) me, and I ate." (cf 1Ti 2:14 And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being quite deceived (seduced into error, enticed into sin), fell into transgression.)

John 8:44 "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning (see Genesis 3:1-6,13), and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature; for he is a liar, and the father of lies. (Comment: Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote, “Sin has many tools, but a lie is the handle which fits them all.”)

Acts 13:10 (Saul known as Paul filled with the Holy Spirit spoke to Elymas the magician who was opposing the apostles) and said, "You who are full of all deceit (dolos = deliberate attempt to mislead other people by telling lies, duplicity, deliberate dishonesty, deceitful cunning) and fraud (recklessness, malignity, mischief, intrigue, unscrupulousness), you son of the devil, (in Acts 13:6 he is called "Bar-Jesus" = son of Jesus or son of Joshua! cf 2Cor 11:13-15 below) you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord?
 

2Cor 4:3-4 And even if our gospel is veiled (kalupto = covered over and hence not visible), it is veiled to those who are perishing (apollumi = pertains to destruction but not annihilation, to that which is ruined and is no longer usable for its intended purpose), 4 in whose case the god of this world (aion) (cf 1John 5:19) has blinded (tuphloo - cf use in 1John 2:11) the minds of the unbelieving (note that this speaks of their rejection of the light of the gospel which leaves only one alternative, the darkness of unbelief!), that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, Who is the image of God.
 

2Cor 11:13-15 For such men (those who were boasting that their work was like Paul's and the real apostles) are false apostles (pseudapostolos), deceitful (dolios - guile filled, from dolos = one who deliberately attempt to mislead by telling lies with desire to gain advantage or preserve position) workers, disguising (metaschematizo from metá = change of place or condition + schematízo = change outward form without a change in the internal character as in metamorphoo = transfigure, transform, the outward here being truly representative of the inward nature)  themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their deeds.
 

2Thess 2:8-10  And then that lawless one (Anti-Christ, man of lawlessness, son of destruction in 2Thess 2:3-4, the "little horn" of Da 7) will be revealed (apokalupto - he will be caused to be fully known, this "revelation" corresponding to the midpoint [3.5 years, time, times, half a time, 42 months, 1260 days] of Daniel's Seventieth Week) whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth (cf Rev 19:15, 20) and bring to an end by the appearance (epiphaneia - literally His "shining forth" or upon with the idea of sudden and unexpected!) of His coming (parousia - the Second Coming of Christ); 9 that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity (energeia - operative power) of Satan, with all power and signs and false (pseudos = lying) wonders, 10 and with all the deception (apate = that which gives a false impression, whether by appearance, statement or influence; causes one to have misleading or erroneous views concerning the Truth) of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. 11 And for this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence (this is a Divine judicial decree, a reaping of their sowing, a consequence of their refusal to readily and deliberately make the choice to accept the Truth by which they could have been delivered and born again)  so that they might believe what is false.

Revelation 2:9 'I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. (See notes Revelation 2:9)
 

Revelation 3:9 'Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews, and are not, but lie-- behold, I will make them to come and bow down at your feet, and to know that I have loved you. (See notes Revelation 3:9)
 

1Thessalonians 2:18 For we wanted to come to you-- I, Paul, more than once-- and yet Satan thwarted (egkopto from en = in + kopto = cut down, strike. To hinder, impede, detain. In classic Greek a military metaphor = to cut in on, throw obstacles in the way of or cut up the road so that normal movement is impossible!) us.
 

(6) MURDERS

(7) PERVERTS

(8) PROMPTS

1Chr 21:1 Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel. (Note: Actually God permitted Satan to prompt David to take a census of the people, and David insisted on doing it, contrary to Joab's advice. 2 Sa 24:1 "Now again the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and it incited David against them to say, "Go, number Israel and Judah." The point is that Satan can only do what God allows! God here is said to have caused the action in the sense of permitting Satan to put David to the test. Be careful when you commit sins, for you are entering into Satan's domain of darkness!)

John 13:2,26-27, 30 And during supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him... 26 Jesus therefore answered, "That is the one for whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him." So when He had dipped the morsel, He took and gave it to Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. 27 And after the morsel, Satan then entered into him. Jesus therefore said to him, "What you do, do quickly."...30 And so after receiving the morsel he went out immediately; and it was night (an appropriate time for Judas who was now fully controlled by darkness, cf Luke 22:53 "While I was with you daily in the temple, you did not lay hands on Me; but this hour and the power [exousia]  of darkness are yours.").
 

(9) SCHEMES

2Cor 2:11 (repent of an unforgiving spirit) in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes. (Comment: When we sin and fail to repent we give the devil an opportunity. In this verse the sin is unforgiveness and it allows Satan to take advantage, to exploit, to cheat or to defraud. We need to get out of the darkness and walk in the light, where Satan cannot gain an advantage. If the church family—or any person in the family—carries an unforgiving spirit, then Satan will use that attitude as a beachhead for new assaults against the church.

As someone has well said an unforgiving spirit is the devil’s playground, and before long it becomes the Christian’s battleground. If somebody hurts us, either deliberately or unintentionally, and we do not forgive them, then the potential is for us to develop bitterness, which hardens the heart. We should be tenderhearted and kind, but instead we are hardhearted and bitter. Actually, we are not hurting the person who hurt us but are only hurting ourselves. Bitterness in the heart makes us treat others the way Satan treats them, when we should treat others the way God has treated us. In His gracious kindness, God has forgiven us, and we should forgive others. God Himself is infinitely kind, tender–hearted, and forgiving, and we show those virtues by imitating their Source. We do not forgive for our sake or even for their sake, but for Jesus’ sake. Learning how to forgive is one of the secrets of a happy Christian life and allows one to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
 

1Timothy 3:7 And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he may not fall into reproach and the snare (pagis - a trap which is fixed or fastened by a noose or notch and which can fall unexpectedly or suddenly so that wild animals and birds are caught by surprise) of the devil.
 

(10) STALKS

1Peter 5:8-5:9 Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9 But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. (See notes 1 Peter 5:8; 1 Peter 5:9)
 

(11) STEALS

Mt 13:19 "When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is the one on whom seed was sown beside the road.

Luke 8:12 "And those beside the road are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart, so that they may not believe and be saved.
 

(12) TEMPTS

Mark 1:12-13 And immediately the Spirit impelled Him to go out into the wilderness. 13 And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted (peirazo) by Satan; and He was with the wild beasts, and the angels were ministering to Him.

Luke 4:1-13 And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led about by the Spirit in the wilderness 2 for forty days, being tempted (peirazo) by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days; and when they had ended, He became hungry. 3 And the devil said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread."4 And Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE.'" 5 And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, "I will give You all this domain (exousia) and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish (Jesus did not correct Satan - the world system indeed had been given to him as John wrote "We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies [asleep like a baby in a cradle!] in the power of the evil one" 1John 5:19). 7 "Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours." 8 And Jesus answered and said to him, "It is written, 'YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY.'" 9 And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, "If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here; 10 for it is written, 'HE WILL GIVE HIS ANGELS CHARGE CONCERNING YOU TO GUARD YOU,' 11 and, 'ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, LEST YOU STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.'" (Here the devil misquotes Scripture to his advantage - this promise applies only to those whose ways are in God's will and Satan left that critical detail out of the verse when he quoted Ps 92:11-12) 12 And Jesus answered and said to him, "It is said, 'YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.'" 13 And when the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time (see study of kairos).

1Thess 3:5 For this reason (knowing they were going to suffer affliction which might have made them vulnerable to the schemes of the devil), when I could endure it no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter  (peirazo) might have tempted you, and our labor should be in vain (empty, fruitless, without success).
 

(13) THREATENS

Heb 2:14-15 Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15 and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. (Comment: The wages of sin are death, spiritually and eternally. Christ died as a satisfactory sacrifice [see Heb 2:16-17] and paid the price for our sins, the wages of which were death [see note Romans 6:23] so that the devil no longer holds the power of death over believers and we no longer are held in bondage to that fear). (See notes Hebrews 2:14; 2:15; 2:16; 2:17)

"Repent (aorist imperative = urgent. Do it now!) therefore and return (aorist imperative = urgent. Don't procrastinate!), that your sins may be wiped away (blotted out, erased, obliterated), in order that times of refreshing (literally recovery of breath and so revival) may come from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19) (Comment: This verse in context was Peter's call to the Jewish audience to be saved, but is still applicable in principle to believer's who have chosen momentarily to walk in darkness instead of the light.)

Men don’t believe in a devil now
As their fathers used to do,
They reject one creed because it is old
For another because it is new.

But who dogs the steps of the toiling saint?
Who spreads the net for his feet?
Who sows the tares in the world’s broad fields,
Where the Savior sows His wheat?

They may say the devil has never lived,
They may say the devil has gone,
But simple people would like to know
Who carries the business on?
Gem Cyclopedia

In the second century A.D. the church interpreted these (schemes or methodeia) as torture inflicted on the martyrs. But in the context of Ephesians they are more likely to have been deliberate attempts to destroy the unity of Christ's body (Eph 3:14-22; 4:1-16, 27) through the invasion of false doctrine and the fomenting of dissension (Eph 4:2, 21, 31, 32; 5:6). (Gaebelein, F, Editor: Expositor's Bible Commentary 6-Volume New Testament. Zondervan Publishing)

"For more than a week I was close to the gates of death and hell."

It is therefore no surprise that Luther's great hymn A Mighty Fortress Is Our God has such great stanzas on "spiritual warfare.
 

The devil (1228)(diabolos from diá = through, between + ballo = to cast, throw) means a false accuser, slanderer (one who utters false charges or misrepresentations which defame and damage another’s reputation), backbiting (malicious comment about one not present), one given to malicious gossip or a calumniator (one who utters maliciously false statements, charges, or imputations about, this term imputes malice to the speaker and falsity to the assertions). See the discussion on the background on spiritual warfare (Click Ephesians 6:12)

The New York Times, in reporting on a survey by the Barna Group, noted that two-thirds of Americans do not believe in the devil as a living entity. The Times called it “a result of fundamental, long-term shifts in the nation’s religious culture.”

Ray Stedman writes that...
 

The devil is real, he is active, he is working day and night, trying to subvert and undo and defeat God's plan in human history. The devil is our enemy. And this is war. There is a spiritual war going on behind the scenes of history, and that spiritual war in the unseen world is driving events in our own visible world. There is no peace in the material world because there is a war now raging in the spiritual world. There is nothing more meaningful, more relevant, more real that we could be involved in than the cause of God in this vast spiritual war. The biblical teaching of spiritual warfare shines a spotlight of truth on the basic problem of human existence and human history. (Stedman, Ray. Spiritual Warfare)

Wuest has an interesting comment that the literal meaning of "to throw through" means “to riddle one with accusations.” (Golden Nuggets from the Greek New Testament: p.104. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans)

The works of the devil are defined as "schemes" (Ephesians 6:11), "devices" (KJV) (2Cor 2:11), "snares" (2Ti 2:26-note). Our adversary beguiles, seduces, opposes, resists, deceives, sows tares, hinders, buffets, tempts, persecutes, blasphemes. Our adversary is personal, aggressive, intelligent, cunning and destructive, and is to be reckoned with seriously, vigilantly and intelligently.

Be careful to avoid one of two extremes in regard to the devil. First, do not think that Satan causes everything and is everywhere. Satan is a created being and a controlled being (cf. see especially Job 1-2; Zech. 3:1, 2, 3, 4, 5) and is neither omnipresent nor omniscient. The other extreme is justly as dangerous and that is to think that there is no such being as the devil, but that he is imaginary or myth. He is very real and very wily believers need to be very wary (not frightened). As stated elsewhere in the notes the spiritual struggle believers face with the devil and his demonic henchmen is not a power struggle as much as it is a truth struggle and the primary battlefield is therefore our minds.

In Ephesians 2:1, 2:2 (see notes) we are introduced to him.

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience" (Ep 2:1, 2-notes)

"Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned--  (Ro 5:12-note)

Before the cross and the substitutionary death of Jesus on the cross, man lived in fear of the devil and death. But Jesus conquered them both. In Ephesians 1:20 it says that He, Jesus, was seated far above all principality and powers. As a matter of fact, look at verse 20:

which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. (See notes Ephesians 1:20; 1:21)

He didn’t say He seated Him above, he said He seated Him "far above". Let me explain to you what that means. If you could take the power of Satan and put it on a scale next to the power of God, his doesn’t even show up. God’s is far above all principalities and powers. I want you to know that warfare is not a struggle against power. It is a struggle to maintain truth. We will see that as we walk through this. Satan is no equal to God. He is a creation. God is the Creator!

Well, the believer needs to be aware that Satan is around. We are told that by Peter in his epistle. We need to be aware of the demonic. We need to be aware of darkness. We need to be aware that it has infected a world system and is in our face daily. We need to be aware of that, however, our focus is not to be on that. Our focus is to be on the resurrected, ascended, glorified Lord Jesus Christ and on His resurrection power in each individual life.

Our FOCUS is to be on the resurrected, ascended, glorified Lord Jesus Christ and on His resurrection power in each individual life. That is our focus. We do not focus on darkness. We focus on light. The Prince and the power of light is the Lord Jesus Himself.

and do not give (stop giving = present imperative with a negative) the devil an opportunity. (Ep 4:27-note) (See Dwight Pentecost's comment)

The KJV Commentary warns that...

Men dream of a devil that is a hideous, horned, and hoofed monster who haunts the vice dens of the world; but God says he fashions himself into an angel of light and fashions his ministers as ministers of righteousness (2Cor 11:14,15). He is the champion of liberalism, ritualism, rationalism, and every other “ism” that seeks to displace Christ. His aim is to substitute something else and something different for the grace and truth of Christ. Never underestimate the enemy. (Dobson, E G, Charles Feinberg, E Hindson, Woodrow Kroll, H L. Wilmington: KJV Bible Commentary: Nelson)

John Eadie writes that...

The great enemy of man, a veteran fierce and malignant, has a method of warfare peculiar to himself, for it consists of “wiles.” His battles are the rush of a sudden ambuscade. He fights not on a pitched field, but by sudden assault and secret and cunning onslaught. Vigilance, self-possession, and promptitude are therefore indispensable to meet him: and as his aim is to throw his opponents off their guard and then to surprise them, so there is need to be ever clothed in this complete armour of God. His “wiles” are seen in unsettling the mind of Eve by representing God as jealous of the first man and woman; in stirring up the warlike aspirations of David to take a military census and force a conscription as the basis of a standing army; in inflaming the avaricious and sordid spirit of Judas; and in his assaults on our Lord by an appeal to appetite, piety, and ambition. (John Eadie, D., LL.D. The Epistle of St Paul to the Ephesians)

Diabolos is the noun form of the verb diaballo which describes not only those who bring a false charge against one, but also those who disseminate the truth concerning a man, and do so maliciously, insidiously and with hostility.

William Evans wrote that it is popular in some circles to day to spell the word devil with the letter "d" left off thus reducing the idea of an actual person called the devil to a mere influence called evil. The devil may be out of fashion, but he's not out of business and as Evans adds...