I’ve been speaking about some of the mysteries of the faith that were taught by the apostles. Spiritual warfare is another important mystery and I will speak about it from another perspective.

The question is, “How do we  rebuke the devil and his angels?” Here are some keys:

1. BIND THEM

Jesus taught us that “whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Mt 16: 19).

Can this be done? Yes, binding fastens something in chains, according to the Greek translation. It cripples the activity of demons even as they crippled the woman who was  bound for 18 years (Lk 13: 16). Here is what Rev 20: 1-3 teaches for our example:

Rev 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.

Rev 20:2  And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

Rev 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, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

2. CAST THEM OUT

Jesus did so in His ministry on earth. Demons would cry out in fear at His appearance, saying that He would  torment them. Here is the account of Luke 8:

Luk 8:27  And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs.

Luk 8:28  When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not.

Luk 8:29  (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.)

Luk 8:30  And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him.

Luk 8:31  And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep

The deep is not the sea, but ä’-büs-sos – the bottomless pit or  the abode of demons, also described in Rev 20: 3. When casting a devil out, don’t let it wander up and down to enter into other people, but bind it in chains and cast it back to the bottomless pit. Jude says that they are “reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day” (Jude 1: 6).

3. PULL DOWN THEIR STRONGHOLDS

Demons inhabit strongholds or places from which they launch attacks.  Paul taught the believers that they must use spiritual weapons to pull down demonic strongholds. These include:

* the blood of the lamb and the word of His testimony (Rev 12: 11). The word of Jesus’ testimony is the prophetic word. When we plead the blood and use the prophetic word – the scriptures or any personal prophecy, we oppose and stop demonic activity (1 Tim 1: 18; Rev 19: 10)

* Praise and worship as in Paul and Silas’ testimony in Acts 16 and David’s in Psalm 149 in which he said that our high praises will bind kings and execute judgement on the heathen.

* Jesus made an open show of the devil in His death (Col 2: 15).  Remind the devil about Jesus’ victory at Calvary. That embarrasses him. This is the strategy that lawyers use when they cite previous cases in which judgement was made on legal matters.

4. REBUKE THEM IN THE NAME OF THE LORD

When a rebuke is uttered in the name of the Lord, it ceases the activity of the thing or person being rebuked. For example, the winds and waves ceased when Jesus rebuked them and satan had to release Moses’ body to Prince Michael. This is confirmed in the scriptures:

Isa 45:23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.

Rom 14:11 For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.

Blessings!

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