A LEADING QUESTION

A KEY SCRIPTURE

Job 1:6 "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them."

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ARRIVING AT AN ANSWER

The all-presence of God is unwelcome to Satan. The word "Satan" means adversary, the one who attacks, accuses, resists, an opponent, archenemy of good. The adversary Satan, is a person, he has a name, and is occupied with personal plans to oppose God in the earth (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-8 ). Those who oppose good and God's purposes and God's people, are actively joined to Satan in the doing of his work.

	Satan is not omnipresent - he cannot be in all places at once. He moves "to and fro" throughout the earth (Job 1:7 ), no doubt with great rapidity.
	Nor is Satan omnific (all-creating) - he himself was created by God (Ezekiel 28:13 ).
	Nor is Satan omniscient (all-knowing).
	Nor is Satan omnipotent (all-powerful). For example, he could not prevent the demon-possessed man from worshipping Christ the Lord. (Luke 8:36 )

To make up for his limitations in power, knowledge, presence, he has a vast army of demons who, with incredible speed, get information to him. But for all that, believers can overcome him in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony (Mark 16:17; Revelation 12:11 ).

In Job we are given instances when Satan had to present himself before God along with the other angel beings. In spite of his being the adversary of God there would be in him reluctance to so present himself. He could not take the initiative, he had to wait for God to give him an opportunity to speak and permission to act (Job 1:1-6 ). Satan knows God is omnipresent. It is a most unwelcome knowledge, and torturous to him that he is always under the eye of God.

On the occasion when God confronts the devil in a special face to face encounter, it is never welcome or pleasing to the devil. It is one thing to know God is always here, another to be forced into face to face contact.

Dr G C Morgan's books are a great source of valuable teaching for all members of the church universal. He wrote:

"Satan's presentation of himself among the angels of God was not that of an unwarranted or unexpected intrusion, but that rather of the compelling authority of the Most High, from which he could not escape." Dr G C Morgan

It is important to mark the fact that it was Christ who was led by the Spirit to the devil (Matthew 4:1 ). The devil did not willingly approach Christ. Satan hates to face God, and when he is left to himself he much prefers to approach behind someone else, certainly not openly, as he did in the cases of Peter and Judas (Matthew 16:23; John 13:2 ).

A LEADING QUESTION

A KEY SCRIPTURE

Mark 5:7,8 "And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me." 8 For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!""

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ARRIVING AT AN ANSWER

The possessed man who lived in the tombs (Mark 5:3 ) came running (Mark 5:6 ) driven by the demons. Hardly had Jesus stepped out of the boat, He was addressed by the demons (Mark 5:7 ) by shouting at the top of the voice of the man they possessed. They knew He was Jesus "Son of the Most High God." Notice what they feared:

	They feared the divine special presence of Christ. God's omnipresence reminded them constantly that torment awaited them, the tormentors.
	They feared the final banishment (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10 ).
	They feared being sent out of the place of their activity (Mark 5:10; Luke 8:31 ).
	They feared being dispossessed of a body, man or beast (Mark 5:11-12 ).

What they feared came upon them - their entering the pigs resulted in the destruction of the pigs, and their banishment (Mark 5:13 ).

	Did the destruction of the pigs expose the destructive force of demons?
	Did the delivered man have evidence of his complete deliverance?
	Did the man now realise that the demons were the emissaries of Satan, the destroyer?
	Did the man now understand what was the ultimate intent of the demons for him?

	They were frightened by the miraculous deliverance of the one delivered (Mark 5:15 ).
	They were not willing to submit to the all-powerful Son of God.
	They were not concerned about the man's former condition, they were consumed with their material loss.
	They were desperate to carry on without Jesus (Mark 5:17 ).

They could not escape the all-presence of God nor the lasting effective witness of the delivered man to them, and against them, should they not repent (Mark 5:18-20 ).

They tremble (James 2:19 ). Their works are destroyed (1 John 3:8 ). Like Satan whom they serve they know their time is short (Revelation 12:12 ). Their punishment is certain and will be the same as Satan's (Revelation 20:10; Matthew 25:41 ).