Satan and His Kingdom

Dennis McCallum

Description

This highly readable--and useful--examination of Satan and spiritual warfare was written out of necessity. In recent years, pastor and teacher Dennis McCallum found himself fielding more and more questions about Satan. He wanted to recommend a book on the subject, but those he found either reflected extreme beliefs, contained little biblical instruction, used fear tactics, or were poorly written. In Satan and His Kingdom, McCallum clarifies what is true and what is false about Satan, demons, and demonic control--both historically and today. He shows readers how to effectively battle the enemy individually and corporately, all the while keeping their focus on Christ, not Satan. A reliable resource for pastors, lay leaders, and any Christian wanting to know more about evil in the world.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Christian theology

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 01 juin 2009
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781441204202
• Langue: English

Extrait

Dennis McCallum in a clear and concise way provides us with a sure guide through the biblical and experiential evidence about Satan and his role not only in human history but also in church history and in the lives of individual Christians. Not since C.S. Lewis s The Screwtape Letters have we had as convincing a presentation that Satan s favorite method of relating to modern people is to convince them he is not real, thereby giving him freedom to operate amongst the unsuspecting. Highly recommended.
-Dr. Ben Witherington, III, Asbury Theological Seminary and St. Mary s College, St. Andrews University, Scotland
Have you ever wondered why the disciples had so much trouble figuring Jesus out? After all, they had all the Old Testament prophecies. Jesus was right there with them. Dennis McCallum s thesis-that all the data is in the Bible but it wasn t until after the resurrection that Jesus connected the dots-is most intriguing. It also explains why the devil so miscalculated the outcome of his plot to kill Jesus. Read with your Bible open and you ll learn how to gain victory in our contemporary war with darkness.
-Gerry Breshears, PhD, Western Seminary
We have long needed a lucid, biblically sound presentation of spiritual warfare and the satanic kingdom. This is it, and it is both readable and deep. Everyone should read it.
-Grant R. Osborne, PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Dennis McCallum has written a balanced and thoughtful work on an often overlooked but essential topic: the reality of Satan and his practices as he misrepresents God s goodness and misleads humanity into believing in its own goodness. McCallum writes in a biblical and realistic way, using thorough research to answer vital questions effectively. The chapters on Satan and Your Ministry are especially helpful and ring true to reality. Here is a well-done book full of vital truth.
-Dr. Bill Lawrence, Dallas Theological Seminary and Leader Formation International
Stop reading these endorsements! Start reading this book! Dennis is a ministry veteran, a gifted leadership practitioner, and a diligent student of God s Word. His understanding of the power of the Cross and spiritual warfare is accurate and effective.
-Dr. Dave Earley, Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary
Dennis McCallum has written a profoundly helpful and insightful book that will enable believers to understand the nature and reality of our spiritual battle, and thereby be more effective in fulfilling Jesus mission. Drawing upon solid biblical support, careful reasoning, and extensive experience, he has developed an important tool from which all Christians can greatly benefit.
-R. Scott Smith, PhD, Biola University
Dennis McCallum writes about Satan and demons in a biblical, sensible way. I ve read books about the spiritual realm that were sensational, opinionated, and extra-biblical. This book is different.
McCallum stays close to the biblical text while writing an easy to read book. You will not only go away with a comprehensive knowledge of Satan and his kingdom, but you ll discover practical steps to overcome them.
-Joel Comiskey, PhD, Joel Comiskey Group
S ATAN
AND HIS
K INGDOM
WHAT the BIBLE SAYS and HOW IT MATTERS TO YOU
DENNIS M C CALLUM
Satan and His Kingdom Copyright 2009 Dennis McCallum
Cover design by Koechel Peterson Associates, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota
Unless otherwise identified, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations identified NASB are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by International Bible Society. Used by permission. www.lockman.org
Scripture quotations identified NIV are from the Holy Bible, New International Version . NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Scripture quotations identified NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations identified RSV are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible. Copyright 1946, 1952, 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means-electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise-without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Published by Bethany House Publishers 11400 Hampshire Avenue South Bloomington, Minnesota 55438 www.bethanyhouse.com
Bethany House Publishers is a division of Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan.
E-book edition created 2011
ISBN 978-1-4412-0420-2
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Special thanks to Nick Hetrick, Melony Harvey, and my wife, Holly, for their edits. Thanks also to my church community for standing with me in spiritual warfare for all these years.
Dennis McCallum is founder and lead pastor of Xenos Christian Fellowship in Columbus, Ohio, a nontraditional church composed of several hundred house churches. He also leads Xenos s college ministry at The Ohio State University. Dennis holds a BA in history from The Ohio State University and an MA from Ashland Theological Seminary. He is the author of several books, including Organic Disciplemaking: Mentoring Others Into Spiritual Maturity and Leadership and The Death of Truth.
Dennis married his wife, Holly, in 1973. Their children, Jessica, Joe, and Bret, all lead house churches at Xenos.
C ONTENTS
S ECTION 1: T HE B ATTLE T HEN A ND N OW
1. The Spiritual War
2. Who Is Satan?
3. The Rebellion Spreads to Humanity
4. God s Plan
5. Satan s Odd Behavior
6. Spiritual Warfare Today
7. Our Strategy
8. How the Sides Match Up
9. Battling Satan Inside the Church
S ECTION 2: S ATAN A ND Y OU
10. Your Personal Battle With Satan
11. Satan s Trump Card
12. Countering Satan s Moves
13. The Arrows of Satan: Temptation
14. The Arrows of Satan: Accusation
15. Satan and Your Ministry: Diversion
16. Satan and Your Ministry: Opposition
17. Satan s Power Moves
18. Going Forward
S ECTION 3: F OR F URTHER S TUDY
19. Satan in the Old Testament
20. Satan in the New Testament
21. Jesus and Satan: Confrontation
Appendix 1: How Do We Know If Satan Is Real?
Appendix 2: Difficulties in Old Testament Predictions of the Suffering Servant
Appendix 3: Jesus Teaching on His Own Mission
Appendix 4: Assessing God s Secrecy
Endnotes
Section 1 THE BATTLE THEN and NOW
CHAPTER 1. THE SPIRITUAL WAR
Warfare Is Real
Where We Stand
Wartime vs. Peacetime Mentality
Is This Exaggeration?
The Imperatives of War
What We Need
CHAPTER 2. WHO IS SATAN?
Passages Claimed to Be About Satan s Fall
Isaiah 14
Ezekiel 28
Revelation 12
CHAPTER 3. THE RE BELLION SPREA DS TO HUMANITY
A Strange Beginning Point
Eve s Weak Defense
Closing the Deal
A New Perspective
CHAPTER 4. GOD S PLAN
Early Hints
Israel s Mission
God s Dilemma
King Messiah
The Suffering Servant
Surprising Confusion
CHAPTER 5. SATAN S ODD BEHA VIOR
Possible Reasons
Did Satan Know?
The Cosmic Outcome
Opening Eyes
The Mystery
The Demonstration
The Big Picture
CHAPTER 6. SPIRITUAL WAR FARE TODAY
What Is Satan Thinking?
Measures Directed Against Non-Christians
Measures Directed Against Christians
CHAPTER 7. OUR STRATEGY
Taking the Offensive
The Price of a Defensive View
Subversion
Why Strategy Matters
CHAPTER 8. HOW THE SIDES MATCH UP
Satan s Advantages
Problems With Our Group
Our Advantages
CHAPTER 9. BATTLING SATAN INSIDE THE CHURCH
Individuals vs. Communities
Corporate Deception
Division
Persecution
Infiltration
Conclusion
CHAPTER 1 T HE S PIRITUAL W AR
After nearly forty years of ministry, I am still surprised that people know so little about Satan. When he brought evil into the world, it changed the course of human history. Arguably, next to God, Satan is the most important being to learn about.
During the past few years, though, when people have asked me questions about Satan and I wanted to recommend a book that dealt with the subject comprehensively, I could think of none that fit the bill. For instance, The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis is excellent, but it is fiction and leaves much biblical teaching uncovered. Warren Wiersbe s book The Strategy of Satan is also good but relatively limited in what it covers. Many key questions are not addressed.
A number of recent books dealing with Satan reflect an extreme perspective that is not biblically based. Authors who attribute too much to demonic activity do a poor service to believers by assuming matters that are not revealed in the Bible. Hermeneutic restraint-sticking to what is actually written-is in short supply when it comes to books on Satan. Believers need accurate, balanced, biblical information on Satan, not exaggeration. Exaggerated or distorted versions of spiritual warfare have created suspicion on the whole subject in the minds of many Christian leaders.
At the other extreme, there is deafening silence on this subject from many evangelical leaders today. Pursuing my interest in matters of ministry, I have visited many churches in the United States, including most of the well-known mega-churches. Yet for as many services and conferences I have attended, I don t recall ever hearing a teaching on Satan or spiritual warfare-one of the major themes