Somebody Loves You

Raul Ries: We must understand that there is a warfare going on even in this service this morning. Satan and his demons are fighting for people's souls. Satan hates it when someone comes to the truth and finds Christ. Satan likes to keep people in blindness, oppressed, depressed, possessed.

Guest (Male): Welcome to Somebody Loves You Radio, the Bible teaching ministry of Raul Ries in Diamond Bar, California. It’s great to have you with us for our study of the spiritual realm and the life beyond what our eyes can see.

Raul will urge us to trust the Bible’s teaching on angels and demons, understanding that as believers, we’re constantly at war for our faith. Our enemy is waging a daily all-out conflict against Jesus’ followers, but God’s power has already won the final victory. Today’s lesson is titled "Are Demons Real?" Here’s Raul Ries.

Raul Ries: Well, this morning my sermon is in the Book of Revelation chapter 20, as we’ve been studying for the past two weeks, chapter 20 verses 1 to 3. But it’s going to be a special message directed to teach you about demonology: demons. Even though we’re here this morning and we cannot see the spiritual side of Satan and his demons, and even the spiritual side of God and His angels, there is a warfare going on every single day and hour. And they’re fighting for people’s souls.

I’ve seen it in China, I’ve seen it in Central and South America, and it’s always the same thing. It’s always when people are demon-possessed, they’ve either been dealing with the occult, they’ve been dealing with palm reading, Ouija boards, or they’ve been reading cards, tea leaves, or their family is into calling out demons. It’s interesting because among the Catholic Church—being bred up as a Roman Catholic for so many years—there are people in Central and South America, in Mexico, and also in Europe that practice what they call white witchcraft or black witchcraft.

There is no such thing, but they try to mix Catholicism with magic and all these things. Yet the Bible explains to us, because there was a doctrine back in the 1970s out of Florida that Christians could be demon-possessed. When we study the Word of God, the Bible doesn’t say anything about any instance in the Bible where a Christian was demon-possessed. Why? Because the light is greater than the darkness. "Greater is He that is in me than he that is of the world." 1 John tells us that.

As Christians, we’re not going around looking for demons. I’d rather spend my time with Christ and talking about Christ and His Word. It’s important that we understand this morning that in the Book of Revelation, it tells us that Satan and his demons one day will be bound and cast into the lake of fire. But during this time that we’re living upon this earth, we must understand that there is a warfare going on in the midst even in this service this morning, believe it or not.

Satan and his demons are fighting for people’s souls. Satan hates it when someone comes to the truth and finds Christ. Satan likes to keep people in blindness, oppressed, depressed, possessed. It’s really important that as we study and we read the Scriptures, Paul the Apostle is the first one that warns us in the Book of Ephesians talking to the Christians in Ephesus.

As he’s dealing with chapters 1, 2, and 3 of Ephesians, he’s dealing with the position of the believer: that we are in Christ Jesus. My position is in Christ 42 times. But then in chapters 4 through 6, he begins now to say, "Now that you know who you are, this is now what you’re supposed to be doing for the one that you love and the one that you serve." So in chapter 6, verses 10 through 18 of Ephesians, Paul the Apostle begins by talking that the child of God needs to understand and to know that we need to put on the armor of God, the whole armor of God.

Of course, Paul was living in a time where Rome was ruling, and the Roman soldiers wore armor. So he had a beautiful picture of that when he writes to us: the helmet, the sword, the breast protector, then you have your sandals, your sash, and the part that goes over your body to protect you from any injuries. The way when a soldier would literally fight hand-to-hand combat in that time, the Roman soldier would have a little dagger on his sandal where he’d pull it out. When they were fighting because of all the armor, he would look for the weakest position to stab the enemy, and usually he would go through the armpit to get to the heart. That was the part where they would be killed.

The enemy Satan is always looking to the child of God, as he comes not to possess but as he comes to harass us for the weakest areas in your life to bring you down. That’s why Paul says, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might and put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes or the wiles of the devil." Notice what he says: he doesn’t say anything about sitting or lying down, but standing. Why? Because standing is always a position of readiness, a position of balance.

He says, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers and the rulers of darkness of this age and against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on or take on the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand the evil day, having done all to stand." The word "stand" is constantly being brought up.

"Stand therefore, having geared your waists with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, above all taking the shield of faith, in which you will be able to quench all of the fiery darts of the wicked one, and take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is the Word of God, and praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints."

It’s really important that we understand what Paul is talking about. He talks about all of the front, but nothing about the back. There is no protection in your back because a soldier was always to go forward and never to turn and run. We don’t run from the enemy. We stand our ground in Jesus Christ. We don’t lose ground; we gain ground as believers. This is important.

Yet many times we don’t understand what he says also: that the enemy cannot be seen; he’s invisible. He’s here today. But God has given you, God has given me the power that in the name of Jesus Christ, I can say to Satan, "Get thee behind me, Satan." The power. But it’s not just the power of words; your life has to back up your words to make sure that it’s righteously done. If you’re out messing around and not really walking with God and you call upon the name of Jesus Christ, you have no protection. You’re weak. It’s like going into the battle half-dressed or half-drunk and try to think you’re going to take on the enemy. Let me tell you, you’re a dead man sooner or later.

You’ve got to be sober-minded. You’ve got to be all there. You’ve got to concentrate. You’ve got to choose your enemy. You have to know how to strategize against your enemy and eventually how to destroy your enemy. Otherwise, you’re not going to gain ground. In the Bible, he talks about in the Old Testament and the New Testament how Jesus and the disciples defeated their enemy. It wasn’t through weirdness. It wasn’t through screaming and yelling at Satan like we see so many people misrepresent God.

Having the power of God in my life is because I am walking with God. I’m not being a hypocrite. What I say, I mean. That’s why we read, that’s why we pray, that’s why we do devotions, that’s why we come to church. Because we want to be part of the body of Christ. We’re part of a big family. And this huge family has a lot of needs, a lot of problems, a lot of situations. And that’s why we had our prayer meeting on Friday night so that we can pray for the individual needs and we can lay hands on people that are weak or sick or whatever they’re going through, because God calls us to do that as the family of God.

God wants us to be united, not divided. The enemy, I must say, loves division. He loves it when there’s division in a family, when there’s division in a marriage, when there’s division among the children. He loves it because he just found a place where he can work and where he can oppress and where he can depress.

Guest (Male): You’re listening to Somebody Loves You Radio with Raul Ries. We’d like to take just a moment and remind you that our goal is to help ground your heart and life in God’s mighty Word. Visit somebodylovesyou.com to browse our full range of resources, and you can also download our Somebody Loves You app for live-streamed Bible teaching and digital Bible studies. Here’s more now with Raul Ries.

Raul Ries: We need to know our enemy and strategize how we can defeat our enemy. And it’s always through the name of Jesus and through the teaching of the Word of God by doing what God says in His Word. Obeying His Word. We are a light on a hill shining forth. And that’s why in the Old Testament, when Moses was writing the law of God back in the Book of Leviticus in chapter 17, verse 7, he said this: "They shall no more offer their sacrifices to demons after whom they have played the whore. This shall be a statue forever for them throughout their generations."

The people of God began to copy the people in the world as they were worshipping other gods. God says that in every statue there is a demon or a god behind it. You see, in a statue, they’re not worshipping the statue, they’re not worshipping the gold or the silver or the brass or the whatever it may be made out of. It is the demon behind that worship that is there. Demons. In the Old Testament, God forbade it. He said, "Don't do it."

In Deuteronomy 32:17, he says they sacrificed to demons, not to God, to gods they did not know, to new gods, new arrivals that your fathers did not fear. In 2 Chronicles 11:15, then he appointed for himself priests for a high place, for the demons and the calf idols which he had made. The people of God as the northern kingdom of Israel moved up into Tel Dan, the northern place of Israel, they began to worship golden calves instead of the real God. Demons they were worshipping. They moved away from God and His worship.

And then 1 Timothy chapter 4, verse 1 warns us. He says now the spirit expressly says that in the last days, some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, doctrines of devils. In the last days, are we here? I believe we’re here. Again, in Zechariah 13:2, he says, "It shall be in that day," says the Lord of hosts, "that I will cut off the name of the idols from the land and they shall no longer be remembered. I will also cause the prophet and the unclean spirit to depart from the land."

God tells us in His Word that there are demons that are ruling in government among kings, among nations that are governed by demons. It’s pretty interesting when you think about that today all over the world. In the Old Testament, there is a story about a king by the name of Saul. If you read the story, you know that he was the first king of Israel. It was not God’s choice; it was by men’s choice that he became the king. God was rejected, and God gave them a man that would bring them into bondage.

David was supposed to be the king of Israel. And so as Saul began to develop as the king of Israel, he ran into many problems because he constantly disobeyed God. And when he constantly disobeyed God, there came a point in time in the life of Saul where God said, "Enough is enough, Saul." In chapter 16, verse 14, let me read to you what it says: "But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul and a distressing spirit, a demon from the Lord, troubled him."

And it says this: "And Saul’s servant said to him, 'Surely a distressing spirit from God is troubling you. Let our master now command your servants, who are before you, to seek out a man who is a skillful player with a harp. And it shall be that he will play it with his hand and when the distressing spirit from God is upon you, you shall be well when he plays the harp.'" So Saul said to his servant, "Provide me now a man who can play well and bring him to me."

Then one of the servants answered and said, "Look, I have seen the son of Jesse, a Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person, and the Lord is with him." Therefore, Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, "Send me your son David who is with the sheep." And as Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread and skin and wine, a young goat, and sent them by his son David to Saul.

So David came to Saul and stood before him and he loved him greatly because he became his armorbearer. And then Saul went to Jesse and said, "Please let David stand before me, for he has found favor in my sight." And so it was whenever this demon, the spirit from God, came upon Saul, that David would take the harp and play it with his hand, and then Saul would become refreshed as well, and the distressing spirit would depart from him.

Interesting. He would go crazy. He would try to kill David twice with his spear. Listen, chapter 18, verse 10: "And it came to pass on the next day that the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house and David played music with his hand, as at other times. But there was a spear in Saul’s hand, and Saul cast the spear, for he said, 'I will pin David to the wall.' But David escaped his presence twice." Something would come over this distressing spirit over Saul’s life and he would become mean and he would try to kill David every time it would happen.

Distressing spirit that haunted Saul all of his life. It goes further. It came to the point in time where God no longer was speaking to Saul. God departed, and this demon came to live in the life of Saul. And right at the end of the life of Saul, you have to read the story in 2 Samuel 28, he went to get counsel because God was no longer speaking to him about the battle with the Philistines. You know who he went to? He went to a witch, the witch of Endor.

When he showed up, he was all disguised and the witch didn’t know who it was because it was the king, and the king had made a command to put all witches out of the country and to kill them. He had made the rule, and yet he was breaking the rule by going to the witch. And as they were sitting there in a séance, doing their thing, all of a sudden, the spirit came out of hell. And all of a sudden, she was shocked. She says, "I see a man coming up and it looks like Samuel."

Samuel came back up after he had died and said, "Saul, what you’re doing is not right. And tomorrow you’re going to die in the battle and tomorrow you’ll end up in hell." Read the story. And the witch found out that it was King Saul and she was shocked. She couldn’t believe it. Going to a séance because God is no longer speaking, but he wants to hear from demons. Sad and tragic what people will do once God’s departed from them.

There’s other encounters with demons. The mute man, the man that could not speak. Now, it doesn’t mean that every person that is mute has a demon; that’s not true. There are cases. This is the case. In Matthew chapter 9, 32-33: "And they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man mute and demon-possessed. And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke and the multitudes marveled saying, 'It was never seen like this in Israel before.'" Jesus came to set the captives free, you see.

And then one was brought to Him which was demon-possessed, blind and mute. And He healed him so that the blind and the mute both spoke and saw when Jesus cast him out. Notice what it says. And then the daughter of the Syrophoenician that was there. It says, "Behold, a woman of Canaan came from the region and cried out to Jesus and said, 'Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David. My daughter is severely demon-possessed. My daughter is demon-possessed. Can you do anything about it?'"

Woman, go home. Your daughter is well. The demon came out without Jesus even going there. He just spoke the word and the demon came out. But you know what’s so cool is that we don’t have to fear Satan. Jesus, He’s the one that gives us the power. And when I pray here or I pray overseas—and I’ve done many exorcisms, not weird, just pray for people—but I have seen the power of Satan. Demons are real. Nothing to be playing with.

You sit at home and you watch *The Exorcist*, you watch things that have to do with demonology, listen, you’re opening the door as a Christian for oppression. For oppression to be harassed. Hearing things at night and not being able to sleep. Listen, turn on the light and keep the light on. Don’t bring darkness into your houses. Don’t bring darkness into your life. The light exposes out the darkness all the time if you submit your life to Jesus Christ completely.

Guest (Male): As followers of Jesus, it’s good to be reminded that we’re engaged in a spiritual war, but the Lord has already equipped us with the sword of His Holy Spirit and a full suit of armor. You’re listening to Somebody Loves You Radio with Raul Ries. Today’s lesson was titled "Are Demons Real?" If you’d like to get an unedited version, we’ll be happy to send one to you for a donation of five dollars or more. To get that, just call us at 800-634-9165.

For additional reassurance of God’s careful provision both now and into eternity, we’d like to offer you Raul’s four-part study titled "Heaven or Hell?" It’s available on CD and USB. Contemplating life after death, this series establishes that these two destinations do in fact exist and underscores the freedom we have to set our course for the future. You’ll see that God’s desire is for all of us to live forever in heaven in communion with Him.

Visit somebodylovesyou.com or call 800-634-9165 to order Raul’s four-lesson "Heaven or Hell?" series. We’ll send you the CD set for 18 dollars or the flash drive for just 10. That’s 800-634-9165. Or write to Somebody Loves You Radio, PO Box 4440, Diamond Bar, California 91765. Thanks so much for your partnership. Every tax-deductible gift enables us to keep sharing the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ. Be sure and tune in next time as we continue this series with a call to live wholeheartedly for God, not allowing sinful worldly influences to pull us from the path of obedience. Like Noah living in an age of widespread rebellion, we can stand firm in righteousness.

This program is sponsored by Somebody Loves You Radio in Diamond Bar, California.