Empire Baptist Temple

Satan's Blinding Power

Dr. Ronald L. Tottingham

This could be an area we'd like to avoid but it's one we should closely examine.

In II Corinthians 4:4 we read, "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believeth not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." Now if Satan (and his demons/devils) are the powers who blind souls, one would think that the farther one got from the truth, the lesser devil activity would be required to keep folks blinded. On the contrary, the closer one should come toward the truth or light, they should find the strongest mental opposition to understanding, knowing and believing the Gospel.

Since Historic unaffiliated Baptist churches are the genuine pillars and grounds of the truth (II Tim. 3:15), one ought not be surprised if Satan's most powerful spirits (devils) were to be found working their evil deceitful brand of mental delusion, illusion and confusion inside them. To think that it could be possible in churches preaching the purest truth and practicing the fullest obedience that Satan could be also exercising his mightiest powers of spiritual deception and Christian illusion.

And since we are told that Satan "savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.", (Matt. 16:23) we know that with his mighty blinding of the minds attempt in Historic unaffiliated Baptist churches, he'll be laboring to attract to humanizing the glorious light of the Gospel. Such humanizing could come in the subtle shift from falling upon the mercy and grace of God for salvation to a "Romans Road" formula, or a ritualistic repeated prayer. A "Romans Road" summary is one thing to the soul, but as a saving formula it is quite another.

Like in testimonies where one testifies to his seeing of spiritual need, his questioning, his agreement to being a sinner, and his coming to the Lord to take Him as Saviour. As opposed in another testimony where one testifies to God's working upon their heart, bringing them low to their own eyes, "Yea, what loathing" of themselves, whereas they were wholly broken in shame of sin before the Lord, and cast themselves upon His mercy and grace, and received Christ of humility and thanksgiving. One almost boasts of what he did in his salvation, while the other has only praise for the Lord and what He did in salvation.

Satan is powerful and is where the greatest concentration of truth is, is working his hardest.

What is the "tightest demon bondage about the soul?" In II Timothy 2:26 we read "And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will."

Another verse that sheds light on this is II Cor. 4:4, "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." It could be that the tightest spiritual bondage is gripping the souls of those lost, but members (if lost persons may be a member) in genuine sound churches. If and when the bondage is a personal habit, lust, evil, etc., it is obvious and "treatable."

However, if or when it is a "profession" of having salvation without possessing salvation, this is invisible bondage, invisible to both the one lost but holding to the profession (deceived - held in blindness), and those saved whom they profess to be.

It is not true that a most powerful spirit would be necessary to keep such "invisible" blindness in place, if it was in a "well lighted church?" The truth is God's light or, if they were or, if the victim being held in spiritual blindness by the god of this world was in a very sound doctrinally and sound practicing and sound preaching church, it would seem that a "mighty" spirit (god) would have to the one holding them. II Cor. 4:4 being true.

It would seem that very powerful "gods" would be necessary to stand as thick insulators between the heart and the true light if one were in a church where such light was keen and penetrating. Less light, low penetration - less "blinding needed by a god of this world." Brighter light, more penetrating, more focused brilliancy - more spirit (god) thickness necessary to keep light from piercing through into the heart.

The conclusion is this: it would be inside true churches that the powerful demons (gods) would be working this work of spiritual bondage into this kind of captivity. Inside true churches we would find those professing salvation based on blind reasoning (blind minds) and not on true biblical repentance and faith in Christ.

Another verse that could go along with this is Matthew 17:21, "Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." Here we are being taught of demon possession, or at least demon oppression. Could it be that if it were that powerful demons are at work in true New Testament Baptist churches blinding and keeping blind that more spirit (god) discerning is needed? And a more intense and sober diligence, coupled with biblical fasting (such concern as to wholly affect the appetite over a period of time) and prayer (petition, intercessory petitioning) may be necessary to work with the Lord in freeing those in bondage.

The Lord does give us the formula for the victory of spiritual bondage - could it be this? Could this be an issue worthy of consideration for today's New Testament Baptist churches?