For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. (Ephesian 6:12)
Satan cannot make you do anything against your will. If he could, why did he have to talk Eve into disobeying the Lord God in the Garden of Eden? (Genesis 3:1-7) If Satan could make her do something she did not want to do, he would have. Satan would have grabbed her by the hair of the head and threw her down to the ground, took the forbidden fruit and forced it into her mouth and said, “Open up, shut up and eat!” He didn’t do that because he could not make her do anything that she didn’t want to do.
The truth is that Satan does exist but Jesus Christ defeated him, and gave every believer power and authority over him. (Luke 10: 17-20)
Satanic Oppression And Attacks Today
In the fall of 2007 there was a great increase of satanic activity against Christians in the United States of America. It continued into 2008 and now has increased more beginning in January 2009. Many have encountered satanic attacks that are unprecedented in their Christian life and ministry. An overpowering desire to cater to fleshly wants (Galatians 5:19-21) is coming from Satan to the believer today. These fleshly desires are called temptation. Yes, Satan still tempts us to go wild, live loosely, flaunt it if you’ve got it and advertise it, and disobey the Bible. Temptation to show crevices and cracks and wear things too tight are upon the Christian. We do not have to yield to these temptations. Greater is the Holy Spirit within us, than the spirit of the devil that is in the world!
Jesus Appeared To Kenneth E. Hagin
In December 1952, in Broken Bow, OK Jesus appeared to Papa Hagin. Jesus said to him, “I have come to teach you concerning the devil, demons and demon possession. I will show you how these spirits get hold of people and dominate them – even Christians, if they allow them to.”
At this time in Kenneth Hagin’s life, he did not have the revelation that he had authority over Satan and demons. Up until this point, he had prayed for Jesus or God the Father to do something about the devil for him.
How Evil Spirits Get Hold Of People
In the vision with Jesus, Kenneth E. Hagin suddenly saw a woman. He recognized her as being the former wife of a pastor. He had been introduced to her and her husband on one occasion. Other than that, he had no communication with them but had since learned that she had left her husband.
The Lord Jesus said to Papa Hagin, “This woman was a child of mine, she was in the ministry with her husband. She was filled with the Spirit, and the gifts of the Spirit were operating in her life. One day an evil spirit came to her and whispered in her ear, you are a beautiful woman. You could have had fame, popularity, and wealth, but you have been cheated in life by following the Christian walk. The woman realized that this was an evil spirit and she said, “Get thee behind me, Satan.” The spirit left her for a period.
By and by the same spirit returned. He sat on her shoulder and whispered in her ear, you are a beautiful woman, but you have been robbed by taking this lowly walk of Christianity and living a separated life. Again she recognized this as Satan. She said, “Satan, I resist you in the Name of Jesus” and he left her for a while.
But he came back again and sat on her shoulder, whispering the same things in her ear. This time she began to entertain these thoughts, for she liked to think that she was beautiful. As she began to think along the lines the devil suggested to her, she became obsessed with that thinking.”
Satan’s Oppression, Obsession, Possession
In the vision, Kenneth Hagin saw the woman turn as transparent as glass and he saw a black dot in her mind. Jesus told him that the black dot represented how she was obsessed in her thinking with that spirit. Jesus told him at first she was oppressed on the outside but she allowed the devil’s suggestions to take hold of her.
Her mind became obsessed with that spirit. She wanted to think that she was beautiful and could have had fame, wealth and popularity and that she had been robbed in life by becoming a Christian.
Jesus told Papa Hagin that she could have resisted and refused to think those thoughts and the evil spirit would have fled. But she chose to yield to the evil spirit. Finally the woman left her husband and went out into the world seeking the fame and wealth the devil offered her. She took up with one man after another. She told the Lord Jesus Christ to leave her alone and that she did not want Him anymore. After a time, that evil spirit moved from her head to her spirit and she became possessed with that evil spirit. Kenneth E. Hagin saw the black dot move from her head to her spirit.
Command The Harassment To Stop
In the vision, Papa Hagin asked the Lord, “Why have you shown me this vision. Do you want me to cast the evil spirit out of her?” Jesus said, “No, you couldn’t cast it out of her because she wants that spirit and as long as she wants it, she can have it and you can’t make it leave.” Jesus told him he wanted him to take authority over this evil spirit because it was operating through her, harassing and intimidating the ministry of her former husband. Jesus taught him there was no distance in the realm of the spirit and Papa Hagin commanded the spirit to stop harassing this minister through this woman, in the Name of Jesus. It stopped and the minister was never harassed by this evil spirit again.
Spend Eternity In The Regions Of The Damned
Kenneth E. Hagin asked the Lord what would happen to this woman. Jesus said, “She will spend eternity in the regions of the damned, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.” In the vision he saw her go down into the pit of hell and heard her awful screams. Papa Hagin said to the Lord, “This woman was your child and filled with the Spirit and had part in the ministry. Yet You said for me not to pray for her. I cannot understand this!”
The Sin Unto Death
The Lord reminded Dad Hagin of the following scripture: “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.” (1 John 5:16) He said to the Lord, “I have always believed that the sin referred to in this Scripture is physical death, and that the person is saved although he has sinned.” The Lord pointed out to him that the Scripture didn’t say physical death and that Papa Hagin was adding something to it.
Jesus continued, “If you will read the entire fifth chapter of First John, you will see that it is talking about life and death – spiritual life and spiritual death. This refers to a believer who can sin a sin unto death, and therefore I say that you shall not pray for it. I told you not to pray for this woman because she sinned a sin unto death.” Papa Hagin told the Lord that this disrupted his theology and would He explain it some more?
Jesus Teaches About The Sin Unto Death
Jesus reminded Kenneth Hagin about the scriptures found in Hebrews 6:4-6. Dad Hagin told the Lord that his denomination taught that those “once enlightened” in that verse did not refer to Christians but it was talking about lost people who get under conviction.
The Lord said, “Remember I told you this woman was my child. She was filled with the Holy Spirit and she had part in the ministry. You will notice that the scripture says, ‘It is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift…’ I am the heavenly gift. A man under conviction is enlightened, but he has not tasted of me. Jesus reminded him of John 3:16 and Romans 6:23. Jesus said, “No one has tasted the heavenly gift until he has accepted Me as Lord and Savior.”
Hebrews 6:4-5, said, ‘made partakers of the Holy Ghost.’ Jesus told him that this lady had been baptized in the Holy Ghost and had tasted the good Word of God. Jesus told him that baby Christians cannot commit the sin unto death.
Steps To The Sin Unto Death
The first step to the sin unto death is for one to see their lost state and know that Jesus is the only way of salvation. The second step is to receive Jesus or be born again. The third step is to be filled with the Holy Ghost. The fourth step is to have grown out of the babyhood stage of Christianity and tasted the good Word of God. The fifth step is to have the gifts of the Spirit operating in their life. Jesus pointed out to Dad Hagin the following scriptures, Hebrews 6:6; 10:26-29.
Jesus explained the last step in the following words. Jesus said, “It is sad that this woman left her husband for another man, but adultery is not the unpardonable sin. If she would have turned back to Me in repentance, even though she might have had a hundred men, I would have forgiven her. Whatever she might have done, if she had asked Me to forgive her, I would have.
“Even if she had been a baby Christian when she said, I don’t want Jesus anymore; leave me alone,’ and didn’t actually realize what she was doing, I would have forgiven her. If she had done that because she was tempted and pressed beyond measure, I would forgive her.
But she knew exactly what she was doing, and she acted willfully when she said, ‘I don’t want the Lord Jesus anymore.’ I merely showed you this so you might see how the devil can get hold of Christians if they will permit him too.”
We Must Command Evil Spirits To Go
In the vision a little demon ran between Kenneth Hagin and Jesus. The demon put out a smoke screen and Dad Hagin could not see Jesus. Then the demon started yelling so that Dad Hagin could not hear Jesus. He thought, Doesn’t the Lord know I am missing what He is saying? I need to get that – it is important – but I am missing it. He waited for Jesus to do something about the demon, but He didn’t do anything. Finally, in desperation Dad Hagin commanded the demon to be quiet, in the Name of Jesus Christ! The demon stopped and fell to the floor and the smoke screen disappeared. The demon lay there whimpering and Dad Hagin commanded the demon to leave and it got up and ran away.
Kenneth Hagin’s Theology Was Changed By Jesus
In the vision Dad Hagin was still wondering why Jesus had not stopped the evil spirit from interfering.
Jesus knew what Kenneth Hagin was thinking. He said, “If you hadn’t done something about that, I couldn’t have.” Dad Hagin responded and said, “Lord I know I misunderstood you! You said you couldn’t do anything about it, but you really meant to say that you wouldn’t.” Jesus said, “No, if you hadn’t done something about that spirit I couldn’t have.” Dad Hagin said, “But Lord, You can do anything. To say You couldn’t is different than anything I have ever preached or heard preached. That really upends my theology.” The Lord said, “Sometimes your theology needs upending.”
The Believer Must Rebuke The Devil
Jesus taught him that no where in the New Testament is the believer told to pray for God to do something about the devil for them. The believer is always told to take authority over the devil. Jesus proved it to Dad Hagin with these scriptures: Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:17, James 4:7, 1 Peter 5:8-9, Ephesians 4:27.
You need to take authority over the devil in your life, church, ministry, community and the government. Victory is surely yours as you use the authority that Jesus gave to you over Satan, in the Name of Jesus!
