"Discerning the Times in the Light of the Word"

This excerpt is from chapter four of the book Disarming the Powers of Darkness by Eric Barger and David Benoit.

There's Power in the Blood!

As we’ve pointed out, there are several different views in the church today on the topic and definition of Spiritual Warfare. We want to make it clear that while we do not agree with the affinity some show in blaming every shortcoming known to man on a direct intervention by demons, we certainly do not want to downplay the importance of recognizing and exposing the work of evil. Nor do we want to discount the validity and severity of the demonic, or in any way trivialize the need to help people who are afflicted by Satan’s works. These authors have both dealt with demon-possessed people in our public ministries and have seen God triumph over Satan with regularity. And while we don’t intend to demean any of those in so-called "deliverance ministries," we’d like to see them all put out of business and we actually think they would agree! Here’s why. We question the prevailing attitude in the church today which seems to abdicate its basic responsibility to "set the captives free" as Scripture directs. We think it is the responsibility of every Christian to first be spiritually prepared and then be willing to act against the forces of evil when necessary. These authors don’t go looking for a demonic fight, but if one comes our way, we’ll accommodate accordingly! If the saints were prepared, educated about such things, and prayerful, doesn’t it stand to reason that exposing and expelling evil forces would be the normal course of action? No matter which camp you might be from, we believe that we can all agree that personal victory is a mandatory and most basic step to take. So now, before we can assist others on the road to freedom, how do we go about defeating the Devil and his forces in our lives?

The Power of the Blood

There is no more important element in our personal victory than a clear, biblical understanding of the blood of Jesus Christ. Knowing what the blood has done, is doing, and will do for us is essential if we are to comprehend Christ’s magnificence and overwhelming ability to save, heal, and deliver. Scripture tells us that Jesus going to the cross and shedding His blood for us accomplished many different things. Hebrews 9:14 assures us that the blood has the power to cleanse us. Ephesians 1:7 says that the blood brings forgiveness. In Romans 5:9, we read how Christ’s blood sacrifice justifies us; and in Colossians 1:14 and Hebrews 9:12, God’s Word declares that we are redeemed by the power of His precious blood. We are brought lasting peace by the blood (Colossians 1:20) and purified through it (1 John 1:7). Christ’s blood frees us (Revelation 1:5) and with it God has purchased us back unto Himself (Revelation 5:9). The attributes of His blood go on and on.

The blood represents a lasting testimony that eternal God loved mankind so much that He sent His only Son to pay the price for their sins and to redeem them from the curse of death, hell, and the grave! Alleluia! We are allowed redemption because of faith in Christ and His sacrifice through the shedding of His blood. Nothing more and nothing less can save us. Though the blood of Jesus Christ represents many wonderful things, it is His shed blood, which signifies the once-for-all defeat of Satan and eternal freedom for all who will believe. We can also rest in the knowledge that if the blood of Jesus sealed Satan’s doom, it was certainly enough to seal us in God! Theologians call that "efficacious." We call it wonderful! Furthermore, Christ’s blood is not gone, dead, or dried up on the sands of Golgotha. The power hasn’t disintegrated since that dark afternoon two thousand years ago when He hung on a cross for all mankind. It’s alive, powerful, and available for every saint of God today—not just as doctrine but as a weapon of warfare!

The Recipe for Victory!

And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

—Revelation 12:11

Beloved, listen carefully. We are going to refer to the above passage several times in the coming pages. This is paramount to your ultimate victory over the powers of darkness. You could read all the books, listen to all the tapes, and learn all that has ever been taught on Spiritual Warfare and yet never win. Unless you apply what you know by turning your learning into action, you have accomplished nothing. We can say with all certainty that the Devil will do just about anything to deter you from first examining and then acting on what this potent passage in Revelation 12 tells us.

It’s exciting to see that God has laid out a surefire battle plan for His children to follow. The simple formula is understandable and the victory attainable IF we’ll just do it. As important as the many other passages that we’ve quoted are in our review of Spiritual Warfare, this one is a definite key. In this futuristic passage, the path to success is given to us. Read it. Learn it. Quote it. Believe it!

Here in Revelation 12:11 "they" refers to the saints of God —us. The "him" here is the Devil. They overcame him: but how? By the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony! Granted, this verse is from the Book of Revelation, which is perhaps the most controversial and misunderstood of the sixty-six different "books" or letters, which comprise the Bible. It is speaking of a future struggle, and though some may argue that the depiction here is only a onetime historical event predicted in Scripture, the relevancy of this passage to us today is crucial. Though the interpretations of the book of Revelation and this chapter in particular may vary, it seems that this passage stands out as a universal battle cry for the saints of God. It is interesting that verse ten depicts Satan being cast out of heaven and verse four portrays the rebellious angels (one-third of the total) which followed Satan and were banished from God’s presence and cast down to earth. These events chronologically precede Adam and Eve, let alone our day. We see in Luke 10:18 Christ recounting that He saw Satan fall from heaven as lightning. He is speaking as if it was already done (indeed, it was before time as we know it). So it is safe to analogize that our key verse (v. 11) is itself a universal truth and not just a onetime historical event.

Biblical chronology aside, we can rest in the fact that the blood of Jesus Christ is without question the most potent element in the Christian’s fight against evil. Without it we are doomed, still lost in our sins, heading for hell. Christ’s blood is the one primary ingredient that makes or breaks Christianity, for Christianity minus the blood of Jesus becomes but another worthless religion with no eternal significance on the landscape of planet Earth.

Read the rest of this chapter here

All rights reserved. Copyright 2002, Eric Barger and David Benoit

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