1 Thessalonians 2:19-3:5

[Hidden In Him]

The Strategy Of The Tempter: Bribe The Servants Of God

     Along with raising up persecution against the saints (2 Thessalonians 2:12-13, 3:4), Paul was aware that Satan was not merely a Persecutor but a Tempter of the brethren as well. As he now stated, in his time away from them, Paul was afraid that the Tempter may have come to the Thessalonians and offered them a way out of their sufferings.

     For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting? Are not even you before [the Presence of] our Lord Jesus at His coming? For you are our glory and our joy.
     Therefore, no longer enduring, we thought it good to be left in Athens alone, and send Timothy our brother and a servant of God, our fellow worker in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and exhort you over your faith, so that none of you should be moved by these afflictions. For you yourselves know that we are appointed unto this, for even when we were with you we were telling you beforehand that we were about to suffer affliction, even as it came to pass, as you know. And because of this, I also, no longer enduring, sent to know of your faith, lest perhaps the Tempter did tempt you, and our labor should be in vain. (1 Thessalonians 2:19-3:5)

     In what way was the apostle Paul envisioning the Devil possibly having tempted the Thessalonians? Was he talking here about indirect temptations brought by demons (such as opportunities to make a fortune), or was he talking about Satan directly approaching them just as he did Jesus in the wilderness? I believe Paul may have been worried here about the latter occurring. As we shall see, Paul may have feared this happening to them because he himself had been propositioned by the Devil not many years earlier, and by the same angel whom Satan had assigned to raise up persecution against him.
     Some would argue that only Jesus received a direct offer from Satan. I will eventually prove this false from modern testimonies, but let us first examine the New Testament scriptures themselves. A careful look at relevant passages reveals that the Lord Jesus Christ may have endured this temptation in the wilderness specifically to set an example for the saints, knowing full well that such experiences would not be exclusive to Him alone. Other saints of God who posed a serious threat to Satan's kingdom would likewise be approached, and if they were not prepared to deal with it they might fall by the wayside and be lost to the enemy instead of remaining faithful to God.     


Christ's Temptation: An Example To Believers?

     As close look at the Gospels reveals that virtually everything Christ was doing in the beginning of His ministry was intended to serve as a pattern for believers to follow after:

     Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The Tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
     Then the Devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’” Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
     Again, the Devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’” Then the Devil left him, and angels came and attended to him. (Matthew 4:1-11 NIV)

     Was this a one time event which happened only to Christ Himself, or was it recorded as a pattern for us to follow in the event we ourselves were ever approached by the Devil with similar offers of power, fame and glory? Certain events that take place during the Baptism narrative suggest Christ was deliberately setting a pattern for believers to follow in everything He did.
     For starters, Jesus insisted on being baptized in water, despite knowing full well that John's was a baptism of repentance. The conversation between the two that followed reveals that even John the Baptist knew Jesus did not need to partake of a baptism unto repentance:

     Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and You come to me?” But having answered, Jesus said, “Suffer it to be so now. It is proper for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John suffered Him to do so. (Matthew 3:13-14)

     The day after His baptism, John saw Jesus walking up and told his disciples, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world": 

     The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the One I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’ I myself did not know Him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”
     Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from Heaven as a dove and remain upon Him. And I myself did not know Him, but the One who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man upon whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the One who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.” (John 1:29-34)

    Just as John would testify, Christ was in fact the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. So what then was He doing receiving the baptism unto repentance? Despite John's objection, Jesus responded that it was proper for them to fulfill all righteousness. By this Jesus meant that He would allow John to baptize Him, but not because He needed to repent. Rather, the only logical explanation is that He was setting a pattern for future believers to follow. As the "Firstborn from the dead," Jesus was taking the first step that all who believed in Him would have to walk in.
     This pattern went as follows: 

1. Be baptized in water to signify death to the flesh.
2. Receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit to be "born from above," which would thereby signify being born into a new spiritual life.
3. Engage in an extended period of intense fasting, so as to make "mortification" of the flesh a practical reality in one's life, in advance of the coming temptations of Satan.
4. Withstand the temptations Satan would offer.
5. Go on to preach the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, confirming it through signs and wonders following, being weak in the flesh yet strong in the Spirit. As explained in the last study, this is what Paul came to understand in telling the Corinthians, "Whenever I may be weak, then I am powerful." (2 Corinthians 12:10)

     Believers were to be baptized in water to symbolize death to the old man, and then baptized in the Holy Spirit to signify the resurrection into newness of life in Spirit. But from there they were to be empowered to fast the flesh down in preparation for the temptations Satan would bring their way before starting ministry.
     Is it far fetched to claim that believers must likewise be prepared to face offers presented to them by the Devil? History and practice suggest it is not, particularly when a believer has been given great revelations from God that the Devil does not want being revealed to mankind, as was the case with the apostle Paul. Several modern ministers have testified to having been propositioned by the Devil and/or an angel of Satan, including Smith Wigglesworth, who is believed to have raised the dead some thirteen times, even by conservative estimates.
     Among these modern testimonies, the most detailed in print is that of Win Worley, a Baptist minister from Chicago who, in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, led the way in restoring deliverance ministry to the body of Christ.     


Win Worley: The Testimony Of A Modern Exorcist

     The following is an excerpt taken from Worley's first book, in which he gave an account where an angel of Satan appearing to him to tempt him away from pursuing deliverance ministry: 

     It was 3:00 a.m. Sunday when I finally dropped into bed. Suddenly the house went still with an unreal quiet I would later learn signaled the approach of some demonic visitor. At the foot of my bed I saw, dimly outlined, a tall figure, man-like, but much larger. I was startled to feel currents of cold air moving around me (as if I had opened a refrigerator door). This was a messenger from Satan who began to speak; his soft, calm voice describing what he wanted to do for me. My knowledge of the supernatural and demonic would be expanded and broadened as I became a warlock extraordinary. I would be given money, sex, fame, popularity and authority. I would not have to stop preaching but would "cease wasting my efforts in this insignificant place." Worthy of greater things, I would be given large churches with huge congregations. Absolutely anything my heart desired would be mine for the asking.
     I listened in amazement to the Satanic visitor's sales pitch. My wife slept soundly and nothing disturbed the house, though I was certainly wide awake! He went on, painting beautiful pictures of the success I would achieve with his help.
     I broke in and said flatly that I was not interested in anything he had to offer. This did not deter the visitor, who merely chuckled and purred on, upping the offers as he described the marvelous future that lay ahead of me.
     Hardly appreciative of his feeling that I would fall for his line, I broke in again, asking crossly, "And what must I do to obtain all these things?"
     "O, it is quite simple," he replied eagerly, "all you have to do is stop what you are doing now."
     I knew at once that he referred to the casting out of demons, begun some weeks before.
     I answered with finality, "No way! Just forget it and go on your way. I want nothing from you and desire no dealings with you at all. I will continue to follow the Lord Jesus Christ and Him alone will I honor and serve."
     Angered, the visitor dropped his honeyed tones of persuasiveness. His voice grew cold and harsh and he snarled, "You are a fool, Win Worley. I would have given you everything." Angry myself, I snapped back, "I told you I want nothing you are selling. I am not interested in any of your propositions. I want you to leave me now in the Name of the Lord Jesus. I'm tired and I have two services to preach today. I belong to the Lord Jesus and I always will. Now you leave me alone in the Name of Jesus Christ."
     He became ugly and threatened, "You'll be sorry, you stupid fool. You're so crazy about that little church of yours. I'll show you, I'll rip it to shreds, and then where will you be with your noble ideas? You are a stupid fool." 
     "Look," I said wearily, "I've told you it's no deal, now get out of here and leave me alone. As for the church, if she can't stand on the Word of God, let her rip!" 
     He left in a storm of obscenities as I turned over and went to sleep.
     Within about four weeks, seventeen of our thirty-five regulars left the church without warning. Since my family made five and another family eight of the remaining eighteen regulars, it did look serious. I just kept preaching, feeling that if the church (which had been organized in 1937) had to close, so be it. I knew that I would not bow to Satan and his hosts, no matter what happened. (Battling The Hosts Of Hell, P.31-32)

     As he would write in a later work, this would not be the only time he was approached with an offer. High-ranking demons would continue to make offers to him through those he was casting demons out of, until they eventually became convinced he would never succumb to temptation.
    Writing two years later, he testified:

      In the Diary section of Battling The Hosts Of Hell, I told of the first attempt Satan made to buy me off and stop the deliverance ministry (P.31). However, there were at least fifteen other times when I was also propositioned by the enemy in an attempt to stop the ministry. These incidents would occur when I was dealing with a demon in a person and the demon making the offer would always be at least a Prince in rank...
     Each time the pitch was pretty much the same. Although I was "making waves" and causing considerable trouble, I would eventually be defeated and shot down by the demonic hordes because of their control of great numbers of preachers and Christians everywhere. These people they promised to goad into bitter opposition to me and the ministry, denouncing and attacking me on every front. The harassment they promised would be so severe that it would keep the work from ever being accepted widely. Also, they would remind me that I had a price on my head and that Satan had, in the beginning of the ministry, assigned twenty-five of his most vicious Princes to trail me and to kill me at the first opportunity.
     According to them, it was quite useless to resist ... the only "logical" thing to do was to come to terms with Satan who was "reasonable" and willing to buy me off. "You are causing a great deal of trouble now and will cause more if you keep on, and when that damned book comes out, all hell is going to break loose." (They always shuddered when speaking of the book and the damage it would do). They promised to attack everyone who picked up the book to read it, telling them that I was crazy, that it was all lies, etc...
     Repeatedly they pointed out what a fool I was for not coming to terms with Satan. Many others had done so, they assured me. Once I was offered Anton LeVey's position as the High Priest of Satan. When I told the demon that I was insulted to think that he imagined that I would be tempted by such a degrading offer, he became very conciliatory and cajoling, "Okay, okay, Worley, don't get all bent out of shape. I just thought you might be interested. We'll talk about something else"...
     The last of the offers I received came a few months before the first book was printed. It was definitely the most insidious and frightening offer I ever got from the enemy. Always I had been assured that I did not have to stop preaching, but that I would preach to wealthy churches and rallies involving stadiums filled with people. I would no longer preach to "handfuls" and would be handsomely compensated for my services. They promised world-wide fame and that I would be on radio, TV and all the news media. They would permit no opposition to hinder me and guaranteed great success.
     Again this last time I was quickly assured that I would not have to stop preaching and then the usual promises of unlimited funds, sex, power, fame and world-wide travel. Next the Prince smilingly dropped his bombshell, "Why, Worley, you won't even have to stop doing deliverance. You will only have to let us tell you which ones. It will look and sound the same as before. No one will know the difference. Also you will have to stop fooling around with that Holy Spirit! The demons will come out just as before. You will become quite famous for you will only have to speak and they will obey. Think of it, Worley, you can be rich, popular and famous."
     I decided to play along with him to see how far he would go with this bargaining. I pretended hesitancy and uncertainty and told him that I was not too sure that this would be the thing to do. When he asked why, I reminded him that hundreds of fierce and vicious spirits had left people vowing to pounce upon me at the first opportunity. "If you ever get out from under that cover of protection you have, Worley, we'll get you and tear you to shreds." I had heard this so many times I had it memorized... Excitedly and eagerly he urged me, with a straight face, that all would be well if I just cooperated with them. They would then have no reason to hurt me in any way.
     I shivered inside as I realized the implications of his offer. How many other men who had started down the road to the deliverance ministry had ended up tormented, stymied by the enemy? ... Sadly, I realized that many, blocked, harassed and attacked constantly, had tried to take the easy way out. No wonder so many preachers hit the skids!...
     I dropped my air of interest, grinned, looked straight at him and said frmly, "Well ... I guess not ... Come out of him now in Jesus' Name!" The demon was flabbergasted and stunned by my sudden thrust. As he realized that he had been fooled, he went white with rage and began to storm and rant, "You _____ bastard, you were putting me on all the time, you were never really interested at all. No wonder everyone hates you so!" He sobbed in fury and frustration. I answered with a smile, "That's right, you've found one preacher you cannot buy." He cursed me, calling me everything in his considerable vocabulary of obscenities.
     More recently I was dealing with another Prince in a person and asked him if he did not wish to make me some sort of offer. He snarled and snapped peevishly, "No, Worley! Satan has given orders not to give you any more offers because you won't accept them anyway. You just use them to ridicule us from the pulpit and make us look foolish. The orders now are to harass you as much as possible, and kill you at the first opportunity." (Conquering The Hosts Of Hell, P.8-10)
 
     The clear intent of these demons was to offer Winn Worley a way out of the harassment and persecution they promised he would suffer if he did not relent. But our passage for this study plainly states that believers are appointed unto this, and as Paul stated elsewhere, "all who wish to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." (2 Timothy 3:12) And again, it is always because of revelations from God that the enemy comes against the faithful. As Worley reported, the demons told him it was "that damn book" they were especially concerned about, and "promised to attack everyone who picked up the book to read it." It is no coincidence that, "the last of the offers I received came a few months before the first book was printed." It was likewise precisely because of the excellency of the revelations God had given him that the apostle Paul was assigned an angel by Satan who would raise up persecution against him. 


How Many Have Succumbed To Satan's Offers?

     It is indeed a bit frightening and disturbing to contemplate. How many true servants of God in the past, instead of rejecting Satan's propositions, have accepted the offer and turned their ministries over to the Devil? As Worley testified, "I shivered inside as I realized the implications... How many other men who had started down the road to the deliverance ministry had ended up tormented, stymied by the enemy?"
     In a vision given to Rick Joyner, the Lord revealed that the Devil does indeed still present propositions to the servants of God, but that judgment is coming upon all who accept them:   

     My people will prosper in earthly riches in the times ahead, even in times of trouble, but the riches will be from Me and not the prince of this present evil age... [but] know that the prince of darkness also gives prosperity. He continues to make the same offer to My people that he made to Me. He will give the kingdoms of this world to those who will bow down and worship him and serve him by living according to his ways. (The Call, P.55)

     How many others did the Devil manifest himself to with a proposition during New Testament times? The likelihood is that the apostle Paul may have been one of them, for how else would he know with such certainty about the existence of this "angel of Satan" sent to persecute him? That he prayed to God three times to deliver him from it suggests he knew exactly where all his troubles were coming from.
    It would also explain the language Paul used in sharing with the Thessalonians his fears that the Tempter might have tempted them to offer them a way out of their sufferings. Clearly he was concerned about it being a possibility, so concerned in fact that sent Timothy to find out if it had indeed happened: 
 
     ... even when we were with you we were telling you beforehand that we were about to suffer affliction, even as it came to pass, as you know. And because of this, no longer enduring, I also sent to know of your faith, lest perhaps the Tempter did tempt you, and our labor should be in vain. (1 Thessalonians 3:4-5)


Some Saints Were Seduced In New Testament Times

     Are there any suggestions that what happened to Winn Worley may have also happened to some of the saints during New Testament times? Early Church writers attest that there were indeed some saints who apparently got seduced away from the faith into serving the Devil. According to Irenaeus, the deacon Nicolas, who is mentioned in the Book of Acts as a proselyte of Antioch (Acts 6:5), was supposedly seduced into becoming the leader of a Gnostic sect called the Nicolatians:

     The Nicolatians are the followers of that Nicolas who was one of the seven first ordained to the daiconate by the apostles. They lead lives of unrestrained indulgence. The character of these men is very plainly pointed out in the Apocalypse of John, [where they are represented] as teaching it is a matter of indifference to practice adultery, and to eat things sacrificed to idols. Thus, the Word has also spoken regarding them: "But this you have [correctly], that you hate the works of the Nicolatians, which I also hate" (Revelation 2:6). (Ante-Nicene Fathers, V.1, P.352)

     It is conjectured that what happened with Nicolas accounts for why Paul gave the command to Timothy to "lay hands suddenly on no man." (1 Timothy 5:22). That this Nicolas accepted one of Satan's offers seems plausible, given that Simon's heresy offered the rewards of sex, money and power. Many of the Gnostics were in the habit of especially targeting rich women as their victims. As Paul also told Timothy:

     These [heretics] are those who worm their way into homes and gain control over little women, those who are loaded down with sins and swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning yet never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. (2 Timothy 3:6-8)

     The phrase "little women" was used of rich society women, who liked to invite magicians into their homes to have them perform for them and their friends. Gnostics teachers, who practiced sorcery like the Egyptain magicians Jannes and Jambres did, were quick to accept such offers, since when successfully seduced, such women offered up not only their fortunes but their bodies as well. As Irenaeus also stated regarding one Gnostic teacher named Marcus:

     It appears probable that this man possesses a demon as his familiar spirit, by means of whom he seems able to prophesy and also enables as many as he counts worthy to partake of his grace themselves to prophesy. He devotes himself especially to women, and those such as are well-bred, and elegantly attired, and of great wealth, whom he frequently seeks to draw after him... [After convincing a victim she can herself prophesy], she then makes the effort to reward him, not only by the gift of her possessions (in which way he has collected a very large fortune), but also by yielding up to him her person, desiring in every way to be united with him, that she might become altogether one with him... Some of his disciples, too, addicting themselves to the same practices, have deceived many silly (i.e. little women in the Greek), and defiled them. (Ante-Nicene Fathers, V.1, P.334-335)   

     Just as with Win Worley, such men continued to preach yet preached an entirely different version of "Christianity," one that allowed them to pursue the lusts of the flesh while still "serving Christ." Sadly, Satan no longer needs to resort to offering some leadership in a Christian cult. Much of modern Christianity now lends itself so well to a fleshly lifestyle that he need not change a thing.
   

The Fate Awaiting Those Who Accept Satan's Offers

     If the testimony given by demons is to be believed, some have indeed accepted Satan's offers, for as Winn Worley stated in his account, "Repeatedly they pointed out what a fool I was for not coming to terms with Satan. Many others had done so, they assured me." But despite these demons accusing Worley of being a "stupid fool" for not taking Satan up on his offer, the Lord is now revealing through visions that the real fools are those who do, and who sell their soul in exchange for a few years of pleasure now, only to inherit the worst torments imaginable in eternity.
     In the following account, Jesus was here walking with Kathryn Baxter through a part of Hell, and He specifically brought her witness a man who once preached the gospel of Jesus Christ but then turned back into sin. That He picked out this soul in particular was no accident. The Lord's intent was to warn the end-time Church through this account that the greatest torments await those who get seduced into betraying the True and Living God.   

     We walked up to within fifteen feet of this activity.  I saw small dark-clothed figures marching around a boxlike object.  Upon closer examination, I saw that the box was a coffin and the figures marching around it were demons.  It was a real coffin, and there were twelve demons marching around it.  As they marched, they were chanting and laughing.  Each one had a sharp spear in his hand, which he kept thrusting into the coffin through small openings that lined the outside.
     There was a feeling of great fear in the air, and I trembled at the sight before me.
     Jesus knew my thoughts, for He said, "Child, there are many souls in torment here, and there are many different types of torment for these souls.  There is greater punishment for those who once preached the gospel and went back into sin, or for those who would not obey the call of God for their lives.  "
     I heard a cry so desperate that it filled my heart with despair.  "No hope, no hope!" he called.  The hopeless cry came from the coffin.  It was an endless wail of regret.
     "God, how awful!" I said.
     "Come," said Jesus, "let's go closer." With that, He walked up to the coffin and looked inside.  I followed and also looked in.  It appeared that the evil spirits could not see us.
     A dirty-gray mist filled the inside of the coffin.  It was the soul of a man.  As I watched, the demons pushed their spears into the soul of the man in the coffin.
     I will never forget the suffering of this soul.  I cried to Jesus, "Let him out, Lord; let him out." The torment of his soul was such a terrible sight.  If only he could get free.  I pulled at Jesus' hand and begged Him to let the man out of the coffin.
     Jesus said, "My child, peace, be still."
     As Jesus spoke, the man saw us.  He said, "Lord, Lord, let me out.  Have mercy." I looked down and saw a bloody mess.  Before my eyes was a soul.  Inside the soul was a human heart, and blood spurted from it.  The thrusting of the spears were literally piercing his heart.
     "I will serve You now, Lord." He begged, "Please let me out." I knew that this man felt every spear that pierced his heart.
     "Day and night, he is tormented," the Lord said.  "He was put here by Satan, and it is Satan who torments him."
     The man cried, "Lord, I will now preach the true gospel.  I will tell about sin and hell.  But please help me out of here."
     Jesus said, "This man was a preacher of the Word of God.  There was a time when he served Me with all his heart and led many people to salvation.  Some of his converts are still serving Me today, many years later.  The lust of the flesh and the deceitfulness of riches led him astray.  He let Satan gain the rule over him.  He had a big church, a fine car, a large income.  He began to steal from the church offerings.  He began to teach lies.  He spoke mostly half-lies and half-truths.  He would not let Me correct him.  I sent My messengers to him to tell him to repent and preach the truth, but he loved the pleasures of this life more than the life of God.  He knew not to teach or preach any other doctrine except the truth as revealed in the Bible.  But before he died, he said the Holy Ghost baptism was a lie and that those who claimed to have the Holy Ghost were hypocrites.  He said you could be a drunkard and get to heaven, even without repentance.
     "He said God would not send anyone to hell -that God was too good to do that.  He caused many good people to fall from the grace of the Lord.  He even said that he did not need Me, for he was like a god.  He went so far as to hold seminars to teach this false doctrine.  He trampled My Holy Word under his feet.  Yet, I continued to love him.
     "My child, it is better to have never known Me than to know Me and turn back from serving Me," said the Lord.
     "If only he had listened to You, Lord!" I cried.  "If only he had cared about his soul and the souls of others.  "
     "He did not listen to Me.  When I called he would not hear Me.  He loved the easy life.  I called and called him to repentance, but he would not come back to Me.  One day he was killed and came immediately here.  Now Satan torments him for having once preached My Word and saved souls for My kingdom.  This is his torment."
     I watched the demons as they continued to march around and around the coffin.  The man's heart beat and real blood ran from it.  I will never forget his cries of pain and sorrow.
     Jesus looked at the man in the coffin with great compassion and said, "The blood of many lost souls are upon this man's hands.  Many of them are in torment here right now." With sorrowful hearts, Jesus and I walked on.
     As we left, I saw another group of demons coming up to the coffin.  They were about three feet high, dressed in black clothes, with black hoods over their faces.  They were taking shifts tormenting this soul.

     As the Devil himself warned Rebecca Brown when he manifested himself to her (see previous Study), those who do harm to the kingdom of darkness must count the cost. Soldiers in God's end-time Army will especially be viewed by Satan as a threat. Thus, along with preparing to face the persecution, those who wage war against Satan's kingdom must also be prepared to reject temptation, for a day may come when either he or one of his angels may appear with an offer they would be "foolish" to refuse.