Answering your question – I have just copied a further section from my notes – but as I sais the study extends to some 70 pages so this site is not seem to be the place to publish it all.

This brings to mind the two roads spoken of by Jesus one leading to life the other to destruction Matt. 7:13-14 and also that the highway of the Lord is the ‘highway of holiness’ Isaiah 35:8-9.

It is informative that the broad road that leads to destruction has many traveling on it. There’s a certain herd instinct and a corporate identity that holds them together in a solidarity against the will and purposes of God. In nations and cities we see this displayed differently in each particular culture. We have to break with all this while truly being friends of sinners. This solidarity against the Lord is demonic in origin Ephesians 2:1-3 and is the reason for John’s instruction that we should not love the world (it’s ways, values etc.) 1 John 2:15-17. These solidarities contribute toward the spiritual climate of a region, territory or nation and are probably associated with the ruling ‘territorial spirit’, see part 3 of this study.

Those who practice or approve evil behaviour, are under God’s wrath, which means they are given up by Him to the consequences of their ‘ungodly covenants’ as they have not truly acknowledged God as God. They put themselves on Satan’s territory and God gives them up to it as he can do no other as they have chosen the ground they occupy Rom. 1:18, 24, 26, 28. The believer must take measures of confession and repentance based on an appeal to God’s mercy which was demonstrated through the cross (the blood). The word of their testimony Revelation 12:11 is just not words it the words of their testimony the evidence and statement of their life committed to God which they hold to, to the death.

Our struggle against the ‘evil powers’ is not just by ‘warfare prayer and preaching’, but requires resisting evil and being personally sanctified. Being separate from sinners, in the way Jesus was Heb 7:26. Not separate in proximity, Jesus mixed with sinners and was their true friend, not separate in that we have no love or have compassion. But separate in attitude, heart, spirit and from their opinions, attitudes and behaviour.

Note: From this point my notes continue to describe numerous gateways through which the enemy may gain an advantage over us and to teach how to minister to those afflicted by Him.

The stuff you have already read in my previous post id preceded in my notes with the section below. It explains the basis of Satan’s accusations against believers as the covenants they have (perhaps in ignorance) made with him.

b) Ungodly Covenants Provide Demonic Entry Points 2 Corinthians 6 v 14 – 18:

The Lord’s relationship with us is on the basis of ‘covenant’ or willing agreement between us and Him. This covenant is entered into by agreement and participation in faith and demonstrated by works of faith. Covenants may be contracted by actions or simply by a few words. Just consider that when you get married (legally joined by covenant) to your spouse your whole legal, social and financial situation is changed by a covenant made with just two words ‘I will’.

An ‘ungodly covenant’ takes place when we join in any aspect, in agreement in attitude, mentality, behaviourally, emotionally, socially or verbally, sexually or physically, religiously or spiritually, voluntarily or even involuntary, knowingly or even unknowingly or through heredity; with or in any person, thing, project, event or idea that is ungodly or dishonouring to God as our Father. When we enter into ‘ungodly covenants’ we place ourselves on the enemies territory. We may personally, or our homes, or businesses, or even possessions may become affected by demons.

2 Corinthians 6:14-17 is extremely instructive in considering ‘ungodly covenants’:
“Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God. … be separate … and I will be a Father to you” 2 Corinthians 6:14-18.

Her Paul uses six different Greek terms to impress upon us the absolute essential truth that we must be separate from all forms of evil in order to avoid being joined to Belial (Satan). Each term has a different nuance giving the sense of the mental and emotional attitudes or ties. The emotional senses and feelings produced by ‘ungodly covenants’ with demons are expressed and brought out in these terms. See below:-

Bound (:14) – Greek heterozugeo : yoked i.e. joined together unequally.
Partnership (:14) – Greek metoche: a partner, fellow, partaker sharer.
Fellowship (:14) – Greek koininia: a having in common, communion, share in experientially .
Harmony (:15) – Greek sumphoneo: concord, to sound together as in music, to be in accord.
Common (:15) – Part – to have a part or share in.
Agreement (:16) – Greek sunkatathesis: to be well minded, well disposed towards, to agree with is similar to “Giving hearty approval” to evil in Rom. 1:32.

We are warned not to be joined to unbelievers in the sense of – partaking, sharing, having in common, being in concord, having a part with, being well minded towards or agreeing with them in anything that is evil or ungodly. Ignoring this warning is equated to being well disposed towards idols, touching what is ‘unclean’ and sharing with demons in 1 Corinthians 10.

Was that the end? I am interested in the rest if there is more. Thanks.

I tend to agree that the concept of God ‘allowing’ evil needs a lot more unpacking. It is not a simple issue. If I were to allow evil that I had the power and moral right to prevent and I refused to do so, I think you would consider that I was implicated in the evil itself. God never gives the explanation to Job that he allowed what took place. He just gave examples of things that were beyond Job’s experience, knowledge or understanding. If we are unlike the apostle Paul and are indeed ignorant of Satan’s devices I think it best to leave it at that. However if we wish to search the scriptures we may learn a little more.

Other’s have tried to find a reason for why all this was able (rather than allowed by God) to happened to Job and have suggested that there was some gap as it were in Job’s spiritual defences against Satan. Again to a degree this is speculation as we are not specifically told this was the case in Job’s particular situation. However we are in a better place than Job in attempting to understand what was going on. The Biblical revelation is progressive and this is particularly so in relation to Satan, the devil and demons. They get very little mention in the Old Testament but come out of the woodwork when Jesus appears on the earth enforcing the Kingdom of God and confronting the ‘prince of this world’ on the territory he lays claim to.
So we can consider the suggestion that the reason for Job’s calamity was partly due to his own spiritual state in the light of the rest of scripture and our fuller New Testament revelation. It has been suggested that Job’s fear was a breach in his defences. I will make an attempt to construct a case that this may have been so by reference to scripture as follows:-
1) Eph. 6:11-12 requires us to take action in our defense and aggression against the Devil – so our security or vulnerability to his attacks are not entirely up to the Lord irrespective of the believers thoughts, attitudes, faith / doubt / unbelief or actions. This putting on of the ‘armour of God’ is not some magic formula or prayer ritual as some practice. It is a whole of life issue. The whole context of Ephesians should be considered in relation to interpreting these verses.
2) Job 1:8 God declares Job 1) Blameless 2) Upright 3) A man who fears God 4) A man who shuns evil. However none of this is equivalent to saying Job was either sinless or did not have some spiritual weaknesses. We can demonstrate this particularly in relation to Job by reference to a few texts:-
2a) Romans 4:5-8 enlightens us on this. Sin may exist but not be imputed or reckoned to an individual while righteousness is reckoned to that individual on the basis of their faith or trust in the Lord. Righteousness was imputed to Job but he was not sinless or without spiritual weakness or blind spots. Jesus in debate with the Pharisees seems to teach that sin is not imputed to a person who is ignorant of their sin. John 9:41 “Jesus said to them, If you were blind, you would have no sin: but now you say, We see; therefore your sin remains.”
2b) Job 3:25 A particular problem of Job is stated for us “For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me.” Now being in fear is not a position of faith it may be considered the exact opposite.
2c) Rom 14:23 “But he who doubts is condemned (if he eats,) because (his eating is not from faith; and) whatever is not from faith is sin.” We can appreciate the full implications of this text in relation to Job by reading it without the words I have placed in brackets and this is justified by Paul’s use of the word ‘whatsoever’. It is clear that Job was not occupying a position of faith in relation to his wealth, God’s blessing or protection of him and his family.
So you may agree we have identified a sin problem for Job albeit one not imputed. Job seems to have particularly feared that he might suffer such calamity and loss due to one of his children’s sin. There is greater awareness of corporate responsibility for sin in the scriptures than today.
2d) “he who doubts is condemned”. We would do well to ask two questions in relation to Job a) Did he doubt, it seems clear he doubted God’s continual protection and blessing even though from God’s point of view he was reckoned righteous. b) Who was it that condemned Job and who is it that condemns us if or when we doubt? It is clear God did not condemn Job and in the believers case “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ” Rom. 8:1. The scripture mentions the believers own heart may condemn him but assures us God is greater than our hearts 1 Jn. 3:20. In Job’s case it was Satan that condemned him or accused him to God. This is in line with Satan’s character as ‘the accuser of the brethren’ Rev. 3:20 and the meaning of ‘Satan’ being adversary.

“And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” Rev 12:10 A virtual description of what was going on around Job.

Notice how Job’s three friends joined in with Satan’s accusation of Job – this is a practice we must as believers avoid like a plague.

3) Now with New Testament revelation of the working and activity of Satan we may go further. Lets us examine Eph 6:11 “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.” and 2 Cor. 2:10-11 “But one whom you forgive anything, I forgive also … so that no advantage would be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.” Paul’s equipment or more accurately spiritual gifting in this area included “The distinguishing of spirits” 1 Cor. 12:10.

That Satan had a scheme against Job is evident from the account and also that Job was totally ignorant of the scheme. Nowhere does Job attribute his calamity to Satan but seeks to debate the issue with God. But in the NT we see that Satan devises schemes however the believer can defend himself against these and take measures to prevent him gaining an advantage over him. Paul and those with him declare that unlike Job they were not ignorant of Satan’s schemes and in their case the issue turned on forgiveness. Notice Paul’s instruction says nothing about God allowing these schemes to come upon a believer but instructs the believer on the stance he must take against Satan. Paul warns “do not give the devil an opportunity” Ephesians 4:27 It seems possible to me that Job did provided such an opportunity through his fear.

4) Let us investigate a little further in Light of the New Testament. In Luke 13:16 we read of a woman whom Satan had kept bound for 18 years but more particularly Jesus teaches us in Luke 13:11 it was actually a particular type of spirit or demon ‘a spirit of infirmity’ that was binding her. We are also told “God has not given us a spirit of fear …” 2 Tim 1:7 (Job’s particular problem). So the direct cause of Job’s trouble may not have been Satan either but merely one of his emissaries.

The activity of Satan and his demons is very real and Paul’s teaching is much more detailed and enlightening than the little we learn in Job, it is also more practical, active and Kingdom of God centred than speculating philosophically on what God allows (although we must consider such issues also in a comprehensive theology). With regard to this I would suggest you read ‘Satan & The Problem of Evil – Constructing a Trinitarian Warfare Theodicy’ and ‘God at War – The Bible and Spiritual Conflict’ both by Gregory A. Boyd

My wife and I have encountered these direct attacks of demons on the mission field. One instance involved was a highly qualified Christian doctor the personal physician to an African head of state. A demon appeared visibly in the bedroom of this man and His wife each night. This spirit took the form of a former partner of the doctor’s wife. They stayed with us for a weekend while we researched and discerned the cause of this and the ground in their lives that the demon laid claim to.

This is frequently what is going on in the spiritual realm. The enemy is accusing believers (Job) to God and there is often (perhaps always) some grounds for this accusation – otherwise Satan would not be so dumb as to make the accusation to God about them in the first place. So the task is to determine what is the ground that has been given to the enemy that he is using for his accusation. Bring the counselee to repentance over the issue, then to a place of faith in their standing before the Lord and finally to a place of authority in commanding in the name of Jesus that whatever interference is going on to stop. We did this over the weekend with the doctor and his wife and all appearances of the demon ceased.

On another occasion at a young mans baptism his mother, brother and sister were converted. They all had the same deformity crippled legs, bent and misshapen. After I led them to the Lord I thought to myself if the Lord was here He would not just forgive them but also heal them. My next thought was “I haven’t even got the courage to pray for that.” The next thought was “you could at least ask them what the problem is”. At the time I believed this was just my thoughts but subsequent to what took place I now believe this was the Holy Spirit directing me. Any way I said “What’s the problem with all your legs its obviously hereditary as you all have the same problem”. The mother replied “No we have been for genetic counselling and examination and they told us it not genetic just a coincidence.” As soon as I herd this I thought of the woman with the ‘spirit of infirmity’ in Luke 13 and was certain just on the basis of logic that the problem in this family was far more likely to be a spirit of infirmity than a coincidence. So I began to pray for the three as I did all the crooked legs began to shake violently and the brother began to see light out of his blind eye. When as soon as I stopped praying they were all left just as they had been and at that time I did not know how to proceed. (I believe I have learnt since that time). Three days later while with the mother was at home with the son we had baptised she felt a jolt in her legs. She had been crippled from birth over 50 years but that day her legs were healed and became perfectly normal.

We all have a lot to learn about the enemies devises if we like Paul are to dispense of our ignorance and not give the enemy an opportunity on our lives or the lives of those we minister to.

I have read dozens of books and made a study of every scripture dealing with Satan and demons which extends to 70 pages and have included a small section below on the subjects of the Devils ‘Schemes’. Consider it in relation to Job.
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The Schemes of the Devil.

2 Corinthians 6:14 is cross referenced to Ephesians 5:7 & 11, (partakers and fellowship). These verses come in the middle of a section Ephesians 4:17 to 6:12 dealing with a wide range of behaviour that we are warned must not be partakers of or participate in.

“do not give the devil an opportunity” Ephesians 4:27 “Put on the full armour of God, so that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil” Ephesians 6:11. “For we are not ignorant of his schemes” 2 Corinthians 2:11. (because) our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 6:12,

We learn that demonic powers are behind all the forms of evil behaviour outlined in Ephesians and that they are working to a plan or a scheme to gain advantage over us. This word schemes that is used of the devils plans in Greek is Metaodous. The word has two parts ‘meta’ means ‘WITH’ and from this word we get our word ‘MEET’ and the second part ‘odous’ from where we get our word ‘ROAD’ . So put together the Devils scheme is the ‘With Road of the Devil’ or the ‘Meet Road’. The road on which we meet with the devil’ What does this mean? There are three things we can learn from this about

i. Satan’s Purpose

In Britain we have a saying ‘He is leading you down the garden path’. We mean somebody is leading you astray, conning you, tricking you, cheating you. Leading you in a given direction for the purpose of gaining advantage over you. The devils scheme relates to a purpose and a direction i.e. a ‘ROAD’, he is crowding us into for our destruction.
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ii. Satan’s Authority

Simply it is his road it is the ‘with-road’ or Scheme of the Devil. He meets up with us on the road of life and attempts to get us onto his ground. On his ground he claims authority and accuses us to God. Unless we take scriptural measures to meet that accusation God’s justice acknowledged Satan’s claim. Fortunately we do have an ‘advocate’ with the Father in the face of our accuser. However Jesus advocacy on our behalf only becomes effective if we confess the particular sin/s that is the ground of Satan’s accusation/s.

“This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.” 1 John 1:5-10 … “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” 1 Jn. 2:1.

iii. Satan’s Companionship

Again the force of this word scheme implies a joining of ourselves with evil we ‘MEET WITH’ the devil on his ground, in or for some particular purpose (road), opposed to the purpose of God. When we place ourselves on his ground through sin we are ‘WITH’ him on his ‘ROAD’.

This brings to mind the two roads spoken of by Jesus in Matt. 7:13-14.

As has been stated Job is an epic poem and we should not read too much into the Lord needing to give permission to satan to deal with Job. Job was righteous before the Lord and considered so by the Lord Himself. But that does not mean Job was perfect or sinless. It has been suggested that there was a flaw in Job’s relationship with the Lord that allowed satan access to him. Consider a few facts scripture gives us: a) God had put a hedge arround Job which protected him from Satan b)Jesus said satan was comming against Him but had ‘nothing in Him. c)This was not completly true of Job as he said “the thing i have feared has come upon me. While scripture links the fearfull with the unbeliving and tells us that those who fear are not perfected in love. Therefore it is suggested that there was a gap in Job’s spiritual defences that allowed satan access to aflict him.
The leasson of the book of Job seems to be to teach us that things are more involved and than our theology might consider. There was a lot of stuff happening behind the sceans on the part of the Lord and satan and much that might baffle Job. He new he was basically righteous before the Lord but wrongly assumed this should guarantee his well being on earth (bit of a prosperity gospel). He resisted his friends condemnation and was sure of the final outcome in the ressurection. That Job had not sinned with his words does not mean that he was not mistaken at times. It means that in the midst of his mystery why all this was happening to him, he did not blame the Lord or curse him as his wife encouraged. He tried ti reason and argue it out with God as a man to a man. When he was confronted by the Lord he realised that things were more complex than he had immagined. He was caught up in a cosmic spiritual war and had actually become as it part of the battle ground.

The book of Job begins by saying that Satan and his angels presented themselves before the Lord. I would guess that the rest of the time when they are not presenting themselves before the Lord that Satan goes behind Gods back to do evil.

the bridge collapse is not part of God’s will and that is all that Boyd is saying. Compatibalism is flawed in so many ways that this is certainly not the place to point out all the reasons. i think we need to keep a more open mind about the entirety of Scripture rather than focusing on Pauline theology.

See here: http://www.dennyburk.com/?p=864.

Thanks,
Denny