SATAN IS BOUND FOR 1000 YEARS

KINGDOM BUILDERS

“BUILDING THE KINGDOM THROUGH THE WORD OF GOD”

PIERCING THE VEIL

Satan Bound for One Thousand Years

(Revelation 20:2-3) And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,  And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

The first thing I am cognizant of in this passage of scripture is the names attributed to the devil.  He is called the Serpent, the Devil, and Satan.  Of course, these words are not the only words attributed to the great deceiver, as there are others as well such as wicked one, Abaddon, Appolyon,  Beelzebub,  prince of the power of the air, thief, murderer, son of perdition, tempter, ruler of darkness, prince of darkness, lord of the flies, god of this world, prince of the power of the air, Lucifer, man of sin, power of death, and, roaring lion  just to name of a few of some odd 33 in number.

In the beginning of scripture, the serpent came to deceive Eve. 

So, how do you see this serpent?  Is he a real snake who hissed and slithered his way into the presence of Eve or was he a more beautiful gallant looking young man?  Images appear in our minds when we hear the word “serpent” for who has not been startled by one of these little creatures gliding seamlessly without legs along the ground?  Even the most useful and least dangerous of them put fear in our hearts on the sudden appearance of one.  Can this be that from a babe, we have been taught to fear them?  And so, when we conjure up the picture of Eve in the garden, there he is… wrapped around a tree with his tongue darting in and out with his egotistical and sublime attitude of impressing the mind with a sense of grandeur or power and inspiring awe, and veneration;  or was she more apt to fall to his seductive lies if he looked like her husband, Adam only more beautiful, greatly more sculpted, appearing as an angel of enlightenment… one who seemed to know it all, especially the mind of God his creator.  No one knows for sure, but some think this serpent was the same anointed cherub that coverth the throne, and led the worship in heaven.  He was perfect and most likely very beautiful in all his ways until iniquity was found in him.  And I can’t help but think that the angels being called the sons of God were also made in his image just as man was.  There were no wings as great religious artists have depicted throughout the ages.  No!  These angels looked like men.  (2 Corinthians 11:14) "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light."  Only this angel, Lucifer, the son of the morning, was more dashing than all the angels in heaven.  Whenever he opened his mouth, it was just hard not to believe such a charming creature.  His words rang with music, his looks were indescribable, his wisdom surpassed all the other angels, he had power like none other, and his mouth spoke seductive words covered with honey.  He charms, he enchants, he allures, and casts his spell greater than a voodoo priestess, and brings those who are taken thereby into his web of deceit.  Even while they are being taken down to the throes of hell and being devoured, they can find no wrong in him.  He is the chief of liars, the master of deceit, the magical spellbinder, and the genius of duplicity.  He knows how to say one thing and make you believe he is saying something else altogether.  Sounds kind of like the one whom leaders and politicians from around the world have been taking lessons from, doesn’t it?  So, away with the idea that Eve was talking to a snake.  Snakes don’t talk.  They hiss.  Lucifer or Satan or the Serpent was a deceiver.  He could hide under the foliage of carnality and blend in with the surroundings of god-like humanity making himself like one of us.  He could carry on a conversation that left one agog at his knowledge on your level, but at the last he would strike.  His words left you paralyzed.  He knew exactly what to say.  And once bit, you could not retrieve yourself from his grasp.  His words could coil around you squeezing every last drop of life out of you all the while taking you down to his abode.  You are snared.  His words did it.  You were told the truth by God, but when you heard it come from the evil one, you believed it rather than the truth.  (Matthew 13:19)  When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. (Mark 4:23-25) If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.  And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given. For he that hath, to him shall be given: and he that hath not, from him shall be taken even that which he hath.  If only Eve had heard and understood from the beginning what God said, the world would be a better place or so you say.  But, I say, if anyone of us had been in Eve’s place, we would also have fallen to the serpent’s wicked and evil lie.  Oh, maybe that is why she fell.  The lie didn’t seem so evil and wicked.  Why, all he said was, “Hath God said?”  All he had to do was plant a seedbed of doubt in Eve’s heart and it got her to thinking.  Why would a good God keep me from being like him knowing good and evil?  It just didn’t seem right.  Where is the good fruit of that tree?  I want to see for myself.  And so it was, Eve ate of the fruit.  Enter sin, evil, death, destruction, and travesties of all kinds without mercy upon all of mankind because of one little lie and one little bite of a good tasting fruit.  It doesn’t seem right, but so it is. 

With the ancients, the serpent was an emblem of cunning and wisdom, and was regarded by the Jews as the devil. Some later, Peter writes of our adversary the devil as a roaring lion who comes to devour the unsuspecting soul who is not wise concerning his devices. 

This lion is as a spectre coming straight from the pits of hell.  As people have become more and more civilized and lost touch with nature, it has become common to call him the king of beasts,  but many call him the king of the jungle. This is a bit of a misnomer, since the majority of lions live on the open plains or savannahs of  deepest Africa.  Nevertheless, he instills fear in all who hear him roar including humans and animals.  He has no known predator and he fears nothing.  No wonder the devil has clothed himself in a shroud of “FEAR”.  If he can make you expose yourself and lose your cover, he will pounce.  Few of his prey ever get out of his grasp.  (Colossians 3:1-3)  If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.  Set your affection on things above for you are HID with Christ in God.  The word “hid” means to be concealed or escape notice or to be kept secret.  Job could have only wished his adversary, Satan could not have found him.  Perhaps he would not have lost all of which he was possessed including his health.  There you go saying, “I’m a Christian, but I go through trials and testings just like Job.”  Then I might reply, “How long do you stay concealed in the glory of God, how long do you abide in heavenly places, how long do you stay hid in the cleft of the Rock?”   The carnal Christian thinks he’s got a deal with God and that no matter what he does, he gets a pass.  Well, thank God for his hyper grace which abounds more when our sin abounds,  but I will tell you that sooner or later you will find yourself out of the beautiful green pasture and the hounds of hell sent by Satan himself will find you, and they will have no mercy.  Let us continually abide in the vine and he in us,  and enjoy the fruits of sonship.  Remember, SATAN AS A ROARING LION is seeking someone to devour.  His quest never stops. 

In Revelation 12, he is known as the great red dragon.  Who has not  Heard of stories of knights in shining armor going to fight a fire breathing dragon who has captured a damsel and put a whole village in fear of his all consuming ways.  We seem so miniscule in all the fairy tales compared to the pictures we have seen of this monster.  The Great Red Dragon Painting is from a series of watercolor paintings by the English poet and painter William Blake who painted between 1805 and 1810. It was during this period that Blake was commissioned to create over a hundred paintings intended to illustrate books of the Bible. This painting depicts The Great Red Dragon in a scene from the Book of Revelation as he seeks to devour the manchild coming forth from the woman clothed with the sun. It is grotesque to say the least, but artists have vivid imaginations and great creativity, and can depict nearly any scene they desire in their mind first before it is ever put on canvas.  This picture is no exception, but along with that, their creativity has become our perception of this vile creature.  Once these images get imbeded in our minds, it is hard to remove them.  But, the bible is clear, we are to (2 Corinthians 10:5) Cast down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of Christ. 

In Revelation chapter 20, he is known as Satan. So we see from Genesis to Peter to Revelation, he gets a little bigger every time.  First, he is a little serpent, but cunning, then Peter depicts him as a roaring lion and as one that puts fear in ones heart, then John casts him as a great red dragon who is known as some mythical monster with a long tail who breathes fire from his nostrils.  Finally, then he is grown into the full blown personification of the great Satan, who rules the world of darkness.  Would we have ever believed from his small beginnings in the garden of Eden that he would become such a powerful force and influence on mankind?  You see the Devil or diabolos is prone to slander, and he is a false accuser.  His major weapon is deception, lies and innuendos.  If he can get someone to doubt the truth of the word of God, he can get them to do his bidding such as Eve when he said to her, “Hath God said?”  You see, he doesn’t need to say much, just put the seedbed of  deceit and doubt in one’s heart. We must learn to be good students of the word of God rightly dividing the word of truth so that when he comes to us that we may parry with the word of God such as Jesus did in the wilderness when he came to him.  The biggest battle we have in our fight against the devil is in our own minds.  One can fill his mind with horror movies which cast fear in the soul of the believer or with beautiful stories of  love and faithfulness which spawn power in the hearts of those that see and hear.  Or we can read horror stories of vampires, draculas, frankensteins, were-wolfs, witches and dragons and build up an imagery of the dread in our own minds as if it were real in the world around us.  Or we could read stories of faith and inspiration and love that creates a whole new world of peace and joy.  If we sow fear, then we will be filled with fear, and if we sow love we will be filled with love.  (1 John 4:18)(KJV) There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment.  He that feareth is not made perfect in love. The Greek word for fear is “phobos” which is the root of the word we have for phobia.  Generally, if someone has a phobia about something, it is a crippling fear that keeps them from confronting that again.  For instance, I fell from the top of a 50’ pine tree when I was 12 years of age.  Fortunately, there were a lot of limbs all the way down to break my free fall.  But, it forever made me sick of heights.  I’ve been stung by wasps, bees, scorpions, & hornets, and ants, and bitten by spiders and snakes.  But, all they did was tick me off.  I can still catch a red wasp and crush him with my hands, and I can pick up snakes without fear.  One person’s phobia may not be another person’s phobia.  When I got saved and filled with the spirit, I immediately started casting out devils, and have never been afraid of them.  But, when I would invite others into the lion’s den to do the same, they would balk because they were taught to be afraid of demons all their life.  When love is perfected within us, fear is decimated by the power of God.  To read this in another translation will add clarity to this verse.   (1 John 4:18) (Message Bible) “There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life - fear of death, fear of judgment - is one not yet fully formed in love.”  It doesn’t get any simpler than that.  Would you rather watch a vampire movie depicting the kingdom of darkness or a movie of inspiration that strengthens your resolve?  Amazingly, as one’s brains absorb the pictures of the dark world, the seeds are already being formed that would open us up to fear and the deception of the devil, for in our minds we see him as being some great monster to contend with.  With all this, I’m not saying that the devil is a figment of your imagination, oh no, for I do believe he is a very real adversary.  I have cast out many devils from people who were deceived by his cunning wiles.  Paul wrote in Romans 16:19b, I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil.  In other words, learn good things, and don’t delve so much into the depths of evil.  It was said of Christ in Isaiah 7:15, Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. 

Finally, here is the truth of the matter.  John wrote in 1 John 3:8, He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.  The word “manifested” is Phaneroo and it means to make manifest or visible or known what has been hidden or unknown, and  to make known by teaching.  So, here is instruction into what has been unknown.  Jesus was made manifest to us, revealed in us, understood in us, and his anointing was in us.  By this, He destroyed the works of the devil.  It’s the anointing that destroys, obliterates, totally renders useless the yoke that binds us.  When He destroyed the works of the devil, it means he bound him up with chains like a prisoner, he annuls his power, and does away with it, and more particularly deprives him of his authority, and demolishes, and destroys, and He metaphorically overthrows, and does away with Satan‘s power.  Now we see in Revelation 20 that the Angel who had the key of the bottomless pit and the chain in his hand was Christ himself who destroyed the works of the devil and has bound him for 1000 years.  So, when is the devil bound and how long is he to be bound?  Revelation 20:1-3And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,  And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up , and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled : and after that he must be loosed a little season.  Now the word “Thousand” doesn’t mean a literal thousand years, but rather signifies much and countless, and speaking of the Lord, it is what is infinite.  Peter says in chapter 3:8 But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. For instance, when talking about the nation of Israel, the Lord said he would make them a thousand times more than they are (Deuteronomy 1:10).   The chariots of God are two myriads, thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them, Sinai in holiness (Psalms 68:17);where myriads and thousands denote things innumerable.  A thousand years in Thine eyes are as yesterday when it is past (Psalms 90:4);  a thousand years denotes what is without time, and therefore eternity, which is infinity of time. From the beginning of time, Satan has been able to deceive the nations, afflict the innocent, bind the unsuspecting, steal from those asleep, and kill those without armor.  He met his match when Jesus went to the cross.  The devil bruised Christ’s heel, but Christ put his foot on his neck fulfilling the Genesis prophecy.  The devil is defeated.  Christ has won the victory.  The enemy is vanquished.  The fulness of time has come.  Jesus is our fulness, John 1:16 And of his fulness have all we received , and grace for grace.  Galatians 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.  Ephesians 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him.  Colossians 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. The devil has been bound from the time of the cross for the fulness of time was fulfilled in Christ.  How long is he to be bound?  Why, he is to be bound a thousand years or innumerable years.  Why, he is loose now.  But, it is only for a season.  He attacks those who are fearful and unbelieving without mercy.  But, those Sons of God who understand the times cannot be deceived by the wicked one for they know the chronos time that “It is finished”.  A story about a famous evangelist in the late 1900’s gives a good picture of our power in Christ.  One night, Smith Wigglesworth was sleeping in bed when he woke up and heard this slow creaking. He turned over and, who should be sitting in his rocking chair but the devil himself. Smith yawned, rubbed his eyes, said “Oh. It’s only you,” and rolled back over and went back to sleep.  Young Leeland Mooring after being told of that story by his Mom wrote this poem: 

Preach, Preacher, Preach by Leeland Dayton Mooring

It was late one night and the old preacher was sleeping, a candle lit by his bedside.The moon was shining through the curtains. The only sound was the rush of the ocean’s tide.It was Saturday night, so the sermon would be the next morning.All the notes were outlined; the lesson would be more of a warning:To stay away from Satan’s tricks and resist temptation; that would be the wisest route.But do not be afraid of the Devil, either, for the Lord shall protect us from that lout.So the preacher had prayed for wisdom and guidance for what he had to say.Little did he know that he would be put through a test before the very next day.The candle flickered out and just for a moment, the sea was deadly calm.It was the calm before the storm, the eerie silence that is not, after all, a soothing balm.For the rocking chair by the fireplace began creaking as if someone sat there.The old preacher froze in his bed, awakened by the creaking. There was a sudden shift in the air.Preacher turned over and looked over at the chair, not at all surprised by what he should see.For there the devil sat, rocking slowly and grinning like a cat. His face was a very fright!Preacher yawned, said, “Oh it’s just you,” and turned over. He knew that he would be all right.Nothing to be afraid of for the Lord’s angels were there also, swords and shield in arm.They were there to protect and keep him, make sure that old preacher was safe from harm.He had a sermon to preach the next morning and he knew just what he would say:“The Devil sat in my rocking chair this very morn, so don’t be afraid. God held me safe in his arms; here I am today.”

 It doesn’t take a rocket scientist now to see clearly that the devil no longer has power over his church.  Aha!  But, you say, he clearly is still powerful  in the earth today.  Yes, he is!  And I said, we are in the Millennial Kingdom experiencing the fullness of times with no fear of the devil.  One believer said to me, “We can’t be in the Millennial Kingdom for the devil is not bound.  My answer to him, “OH, HE IS TO ME.”   Only those who do not follow the truth, who allow their minds to be influenced by darkness, those who believe the devil is a serpent, a roaring lion, the great red dragon or Satan himself, and those who do not know that Jesus has destroyed the works of the devil are deceived and devoured by him.  If I may use another analogy, we see that the Law is still active in the World, but we are under Grace, so the Law has no power over us, for we are not under the Law. 

But, who is this angel who came down from heaven with a key and a chain?  Jesus himself reveals who that is.  It is He himself.  Revelation 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.  Christ himself is the deliverer of our souls and it is only right that he holds the keys of hell and death that he might deliver us from bondage.  No one else is worthy for no one else paid the price for our redemption.  It is a spiritual key activated by the Words of our mouth.  Upon receiving the revelation that Jesus was the Christ, Peter was told by Jesus that he would give him the keys of the kingdom of heaven;  and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;  and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.  Of course, there are many kinds of keys with different uses.  There is Isaiah 22:22  the key of the house of David  will I lay upon his shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open;  Matthew 16:19  And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven;  Luke 11:52 Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge;   Revelation 1:18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death;  and again the key of David, Revelation 3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth;  and finally, Revelation 9:1 & 20:1 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.  The master key is, of course, the one that Jesus gave to Peter which is the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.  It will open everything and close everything under heaven.  But, this key was not given to Peter only, but to all those who get the revelation that Jesus is the Christ.  We, the Sons of God, hold all power and authority under heaven just like Jesus for it was his and his only to give.  This key is not a physical material key.  No!   Since the holder of the key is a keeper of the keys, he has the power to open and to shut which metaphorically denotes power and authority of various kinds.  It is spiritual and activated by your words.  We know this because Jesus said, “whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;  and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.  Jesus used this key as an example to the disciples of the power we wield with our words when he cursed a fig tree and it withered away.  Mark 11:22-23 Have faith in God.  For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.  What powerful words!  Your words then are the Keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.  The mystery of the Kingdom is marvelous to behold. 

How about that chain?  Well, if the Key was spiritual, then the chain must be, also.  I can’t imagine binding a spiritual being with a chain made of iron, or bronze or copper, or steel, or any other natural or man made metal.  Revelation 20:1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.  We don’t have to strain to figure out what this chain is.  Psalms 73:6 Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment.  Man’s own sins bind him up.  Sins such as pride, lust, and every kind of carnal appetite man has because of the sin nature can cause him to be be bound up.  By definition to be bound is to be tied, fastened, bowed over as with chains, to be put under obligation of the law or some other religious duty.  I can never forget the day I got saved.  The moment I confessed Christ in my heart, it felt as if it was a huge heavy chain fell off of me.  In fact, I felt as if I were floating.  I never knew how heavy sin was and what bondage I had because of the chains of sin until that very moment.  Praise be to God who has the keys to the chains of sin and death and hell which bind us up so.  Satan himself was bound up by his own pride and iniquity.  Ezekiel 28:14-15 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.  And also in Isaiah 14:12-16 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!  For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:  I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.  Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.  They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms?  So many have believed it was here that Lucifer fell from being a beautiful archangel to the devil himself. It was God, however who creates good and creates evil.  The evil one was created from the beginning.  Many men have taken up his wicked ways of lying, stealing, murdering, deceiving, and slandering.  The king’s ways were compared to the devil. The truth is, this passage is talking about the fall of the King of Babylon.   Here, we see where the pride of the king (Lucifer) had bound him up in hell and the sides of the pit.  The Hebrew rendition of pit in the Old Testament is pit, well, and cistern as is the Greek definition in the New Testament a well, the pit of the abyss (because the nether world is thought to increase in size the further it extends from the surface of the earth and so resemble a cistern.  We can see that they represent the same thing, which in Revelation 9:1 is the bottomless pit or abyss.  The devil was taken by his own pride, his own iniquity, his own sin.  Proverbs 5:22  His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins. The cords or bonds or chains are manifested in the universal principles of righteousness versus unrighteousness and is what we all, including the devil, are bound with or walk in freedom from depending on how we choose to walk before God.  And not only that, but we have been given the power of “binding and loosing”.  Jesus said, whosover sins you remit shall be remitted and whosoever sins you retain shall be retained.  We can set people free or bind them up.  We can bind the devil and demons just like Jesus.  He would command them to not speak, to come out, to loose those that were bound, to go into pigs, and to set them free.  All of this Kingdom power was released with words.  For whatsoever we bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever we loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.  Glory!

How can God put a rock or seal over a spiritual pit?  Easily, we can see the foolishness of such an idea.  If you see heaven or hell as a place to visit that can be mapped on an atlas, you are still carnal.  We often think we are going to heaven on the first train out or go to hell in a hand basket as many have said.  These trips are not natural.  The kingdom of God is not natural.  The realm of darkness of the underworld of the devil is not natural.  None of this can be seen or plotted on a map by the natural eye.  You cannot fly to heaven in a rocket or travel to the center of the earth to visit hell in some type of subterranean spaceship.  How can we go there by natural means?  I am trying to appeal to your sense of spiritual understanding.  God is a spirit.  The devil is a spirit.  We are spiritual veiled with flesh.  So, we must think of this “seal” in a different way.  By definition, a seal means to set a seal upon, or mark with a seal or to seal for security, to seal things up and conceal or hide them, to set a mark upon by the impress of a seal or a stamp, and to authenticate as a written document.  It is much like a notary seal that we use on official documents today to show that they are original and are drafted by the originator.  Or, it can be like a stamp on the back of one’s hand  that is used to identify someone who has gone into a theater so that they can go back and forth without further payment or identification.  After the Olympic Games (in which the Nazis did not allow German Jewish athletes to participate), the Nazis stepped up the persecution of German Jews. In 1937 and 1938, the government set out to impoverish Jews by requiring them to register their property and then by "Aryanizing" Jewish businesses. This meant that Jewish workers and managers were dismissed, and the ownership of most Jewish businesses was taken over by non-Jewish Germans who bought them at bargain prices fixed by Nazis. Jewish doctors were forbidden to treat non-Jews, and Jewish lawyers were not permitted to practice law.

Like everyone in Germany, Jews were required to carry identity cards, but the government added special identifying marks to theirs: a red "J" stamped on them and new middle names for all those Jews who did not possess recognizably "Jewish" first names -- "Israel" for males, "Sara" for females. Such cards allowed the police to identify Jews easily. And so it is with the seal of God.  He puts a seal on the sons of God, SoG or the sons of Satan, SoS to make a demarcation between those who are righteous and those who are unrighteous.  Of course, there is not a literal SoG or SoS on one’s hand or forehead.  God knows those who are his.  The children of Israel used lamb’s blood on their doorpost and lintel in the form of a cross to identify themselves from the Egyptians so that when the death angel came by, he bypassed the blood on the Hebrew children’s  homes and went to destroy the first born son’s of Egypt who had no blood on their doors.  Even as it is today, when God sees the blood applied to your heart, he bypasses you in the day of reckoning, but causes those who have no blood applied to their heart to experience the second death.  Even now, Satan has a seal set upon him Revelation 20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up , and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more.  Now when the devil comes as an angel of light, we see a seal on him identifying him as the evil one.  This is discerned spiritually as he has given us the spirit of discernment according to 1 Corinthians 12:10 To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits.  It is here in the spirit where we see whether one is of God or one is of the devil for each have a discernible seal.  Glory to His Name!

Now, who is the dragon?  The scriptures reveal his true identity for they give all his aliases.  Revelation 20:1 …And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.  Why he is that old serpent, the Devil, and Satan.  He is the same one that tempted Eve, remember?  Genesis 3:13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done ? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.  The imagery we get here is that of a snake when in actuality it is the devil who has been created as the little god of this world and the prince of the power of the air coming likely as an attractive man who tempted Eve in the garden.  For he comes as an angel of light to deceive even the very elect.  I can’t really picture Eve being tempted by a snake, can you?  For most women are scared of snakes.  Later, Satan is found in the book of Job destroying his live stock, his home, his servants, his family, and finally his health.  He does have power.  His name Satan means adversary, one who withstands or a superhuman adversary which he is.  Then, later Jesus is tempted by Satan, Mark 1:13 And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him. His name here is expanded a little.  It is Satanas in the Greek and it means adversary (one who opposes another in purpose or act), the name given to the prince of evil spirits, the inveterate adversary of God and Christ and who incites apostasy from God and to sin circumventing men by his wiles.  The worshippers of idols are said to be under his control and by his demons he is able to take possession of men and inflict them with diseases.  Now, he not only has power to deceive and afflict, but to also destroy and control men’s lives.   In Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out , that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him, we find he takes on many names.  Dragon or Drakon which means a dragon, a great serpent, a name for Satan;  the serpent or Ophis, which means snake, serpent with the ancients, the serpent was an emblem of cunning and wisdom. The serpent who deceived Eve was regarded by the Jews as the devil;  the Devil or Diabolos, which means prone to slander, slanderous, accusing falsely, a calumniator, false accuser, slanderer, and metaphorically applied to a man who, by opposing the cause of God, may be said to act the part of the devil or to side with him;  and finally he is Satan or Satanas, the adversary (one who opposes another in purpose or act), the name given to the prince of evil spirits, the inveterate adversary of God and Christ, he incites apostasy from God and to sin circumventing men by his wiles.  Throughout the last 6,000 years, we saw the deceiver grow from a little serpent deceiving Eve in the garden to a devil  wreaking havoc on Job and his house until the time of Christ and even today to become the great Devil, the great Red Dragon who puts the whole world into fear, chaos, death, and destruction.  And, finally he is the great Satan himself, the Lord of all evil.  And how has this little deceiver accomplished this?  2 Corinthians 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.  We see that by our own corrupt imaginations the devil has defeated us.  And how shall we conquer him?  2 Corinthians 10:4-6  (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)  Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.  It is time for the saints and the Sons of God to take control of their minds.  They have enlarged the deceiver from a little serpent to become a great red dragon over the last 6,000 years.  Jesus has vanquished our enemy.  The devil may have bruised his heel, but Christ has bruised his head.  1 John 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.  Christ has done away with the devil’s authority, he has made it null and void, he has rendered him powerless, he has destroyed his ability to deceive.  This is one of the reasons Christ was manifest.  It is time to lay hold on this great truth.  To the inspired and enlightened Sons of God, the great Red Dragon has been rendered ineffective.  He can’t tempt, deceive, hurt, afflict, damage or destroy his apprehended and enChristed sons of God any longer.  He has been sealed and revealed.  Glory to the Name of Jesus!

Kingdom Builders is dedicated to ministering the Word of God freely to anyone upon request.  It is my desire to build up the body of Christ to become powerful, functional, mature Sons of God to make a difference in the World and the affairs of men.  All donations are gratefully appreciated 

Rev. Phillip S. Smith III

1705 Arkansas Road

West Monroe, LA 71291