VICTORY IN CHRISTIAN WARFARE
(Second Edition)
CHAPTER 5 Enemy Tactics
God says, “Your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” Isaiah 59:2. The relationship between God and mankind was broken on the part of all humanity for they have “wickedly departed from…God” (2 Samuel 22:22) by choosing Satan’s ways. Notwithstanding this, God says, “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” Jeremiah 31:3.
In His love for humanity, God has contended with Satan in an attempt to win the love and affections of all mankind. Of paramount importance to God, is that He unmasks Satan by revealing Satan’s stratagem which He employs in opposing God in the universe.
This chapter then will first look at an overview of “the wiles [trickery] of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11), Satan, followed by a detailed look at some aspects of Satan’s tactics. The whole word of God, the Bible, is filled with revelations of Satan’s policy in the great controversy between himself and God.
This book, in its few pages, will not give an exhaustive treatment of this subject. Instead, this book in its remaining chapters will focus on how Christ won a victory over Satan, and how every human being, as a soldier in God’s army, may successfully fight against Satan.
Overview of Satan’s Tactics
One of Satan’s tactics in his warfare against God and humanity is to seduce them into sin. Here he employs the three great leading temptations that assail mankind. These three temptations are appetite, presumption, and love of the world.
In seeking to overcome humanity, Satan’s first resort is to tempt them to indulge appetite. When this object is gained, Satan can come with his two other leading temptations, presumption and love of the world, and find ready access to mankind. His numerous temptations grow out of these three great leading points.1
Satan’s policy in his many temptations that grow out of the three leading temptations, fall under the general headings of affections, persuasion, bribery, and compulsion. As a last resort when all else fails in overcoming persons, Satan employs the tactic of compulsion.
This then is an overview of Satan’s tactics in his warfare against God. But God has given humanity a battle plan, the Bible, which will result in every individual having victory over sin and Satan, if the plan is followed.
A Detailed Look at Satan’s Tactics
The Bible is full of “instruction” (Job 33:16) and in it, God reveals the tactics of the enemy, Satan, for God says “I will forewarn you.” Luke 12:5. We will now take a detailed look at Satan’s manoeuvres.
Satan seeks by his cunning and deceit to cause all humanity to fail to follow God’s battle plan, the Bible. In pursuing his wicked purpose, Satan bases his tactics on his experience that he can gain a foothold in the life of every human being because of their sinful nature.
Therefore, Satan appeals to “the deceitful lusts” (Ephesians 4:22) of humanity’s sinful nature, so that they “fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition [eternal ruin].” 1 Timothy 6:9.
God calls humanity’s lusts, deceitful, because “all the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes” (Proverbs 16:2), “every way of a man is right in his own eyes.” Proverbs 21:2. Every human being truly believes that their ways are right even though they are sinners in God’s sight. In this they are deceived.
In his warfare against God, Satan has found that he has an ally in the great mass of mankind who are unwilling to exchange error for truth. For the vast majority of mankind are satisfied with their present condition, and have no desire to be converted to God’s ways.
Satan’s manoeuvres fall under the general heading of causing mankind to substitute errors for the truths of “the word of God.” 1 Samuel 9:27. Through these errors prepared by Satan for humanity, they “are taken captive by him at his will.” 2 Timothy 2:26. God counts Satan’s captives as loyal members of Satan’s army, which fights against God, for “they willingly are ignorant” (2 Peter 3:5) of the great controversy and the part they play in it.
Indulgence of Appetite2
Consider humanity’s original diet as prescribed by God. “And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat [food].” Genesis 1:29. This diet was designed by God to keep humanity’s physical, mental, and moral powers in optimal condition.
But Satan’s policy is to take the things given by God as food, such as the fruit of the vine and wheat, and convert them into poisons. He knows that this would ruin mankind’s physical, mental, and moral powers, and so overcome the senses that Satan would have full control of the person. Under the influence of liquor (alcohol), humanity would be led to commit crimes of all kinds. Through perverted appetite the world would be made corrupt.
The blessings that God has provided mankind Satan has turned into a deadly curse. Satan has filled humanity with a craving for liquor (alcohol) and tobacco, and this unnatural appetite has destroyed its millions. Satan’s strongest hold on mankind is through the appetite, and this he seeks to stimulate in every possible way.
By this means Satan has overcome his millions. Through the gratification of the taste, the nervous system becomes excited and the brain power enfeebled, making it impossible to think calmly or rationally. The mind is unbalanced. Its higher, nobler faculties are perverted to serve animal lust, and the sacred, eternal interests are not regarded.
Satan knows that he cannot overcome any human being unless he can control the will. Here Satan succeeds by deceiving humanity so that they cooperate with him in transgressing the laws of nature in eating and drinking. In so doing, mankind transgresses the law of God for these “fleshly lusts…war against the soul.” 1 Peter 2:11.
Satan is taking the world captive through the use of liquor (alcohol), tobacco, tea, and coffee. For by the use of tea and coffee an appetite is formed for tobacco, and the use of tobacco encourages the appetite for alcohol. Thus, the God-given mind, which should be kept clear, is perverted by the use of these items. The brain is no longer able to distinguish correctly. Satan, the enemy, has control. Humanity have sold their reason for that which makes them mad. They have no sense of what is right.
Now intemperance and profanity and licentiousness are sisters. These sins are commonplace among humanity. So, God says, “Of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.” 2 Peter 2:19. “Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?” Romans 6:16.
If we yield ourselves to Satan to obey sin, we shall reap eternal death, but if we yield ourselves to God to obey righteousness we shall reap eternal life. The choice is ours to make.
Presumption and the Love of the World
Having gained a foothold through indulgence of the appetite, Satan then tempts mankind to commit “presumptuous sins” (Psalm 19:13) and to “love…the world… [and] the things that are in the world.” 1 John 2:15. One commits a presumptuous sin when one takes liberties with God by doing acts without God giving one any authority or permission to do so.
But God says, “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.” 1 John 2:15-17.
“The lust of the flesh” (1 John 2:16) refers to the twin sins of indulgence of appetite and licentiousness, where the latter is the lack of moral restraint, particularly in sexual conduct. “The lust of the eyes” (1 John 2:16) refers to “covetousness, which is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5) and self-love, “envy” (James 4:5), and “the love of money.” 1 Timothy 6:10.
“The pride of life” (1 John 2:16) refers to the pride of display, power, and fame. These are “the deceitful lusts” (Ephesians 4:22) to which Satan first appeals in his attempt to overcome mankind.
Other Temptations
Satan tempts humanity in many, varied ways such as causing them to have “inordinate affection” (Colossians 3:5) which is evil passion. Also, by persuading them to “call evil good, and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20), and to be they that “taketh reward” (Deuteronomy 10:17), take bribes, to pervert justice. All these temptations grow out of the three leading temptations.
Compulsion
God never forces the will or the conscience; but Satan’s constant resort—to gain control of those whom he cannot otherwise seduce to sin—is compulsion by cruelty. Through fear or force he endeavours to rule the conscience and to secure homage to himself. To accomplish this, he works through both religious and secular authorities, moving them to the enforcement of human laws in defiance of the law of God.3
Just before the return of Christ to the earth, Satan will “cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.” Revelation 13:15. “And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark…of the beast.” Revelation 13:17. To “worship the image of the beast” (Revelation 13:15) or to have “the mark…of the beast.” (Revelation 13:17) is, in effect, to worship Satan. So, through fear of death or want of food and other necessary things, Satan will seek to force the will and conscience of those who do not give him homage.
I will not in this book attempt to define what is “the image of the beast” (Revelation 13:15) and “the mark…of the beast.” Revelation 13:17. This will be done in a subsequent book in this series of books which will be released in the future. For now, it is sufficient to understand that compulsion by cruelty is Satan’s last resort in order to gain the worship of those he cannot otherwise seduce to sin.
Therefore, God says, “The adversary and enemy is this wicked” (Esther 7 :6), Satan. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil [Satan], as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5:8. Nevertheless, there will come a time when “shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume.” 2 Thessalonians 2:8. Then Satan will stand before the universe revealed as he really is, “a deceiver” (Genesis 27:12) and “a murderer from the beginning.” John 8:44.
- Ellen G. White, (egwwritings.org), Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 4, page 44, paragraph 2. ↩︎
- Ellen G. White (egwwritings.org), Temperance ↩︎
- Ellen G. White, (egwwritings.org), The Great Controversy, page 591, paragraph 2. ↩︎