The Devil’s Army Is Not Cute and Cuddly but Dangerous and Deadly
Given their depiction in animated movies, many people view minions as adorable little yellow creatures who bungle through life. Their antics—with varying degrees of incompetence—come across as humorous, even endearing.
But this is not true in the spiritual realm when it comes to Satan and his minions.
Among other things, a minion is a servant, a submissive follower devoted to doing the bidding of its master. It slavishly obeys its leader. A synonym for minion is henchman.
Satan has an army of minions (Matthew 25:41 and Revelation 12:7-9). These are fallen angels (Jude 1:6) or demons.
They are not cute and cuddly creatures for us to hug or celebrate. They are not laughable misfits to entertain us. And they are not made-up threats. Satan’s minions certainly are not pretend spiritual forces that we can safely dismiss.
They are real. They are dangerous. And they can inflict deadly consequences. If we ignore them, it is to our peril.
Satan and His Minions Can:
- Possess and control people, inflicting them physically or spiritually (Matthew 12:22 and Mark 5:1-20)
- Cause us to do evil (Luke 22:3-4)
- Keep unbelievers from seeing God’s truth (2 Corinthians 4:4)
- Pose as “angels of light” and “servants of righteousness” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15)
- Torment believers (2 Corinthians 12:7)
- Teach and deceive people to abandon their faith (1 Timothy 4:1)
- Perform signs to gather kings to battle against God (Revelation 16:14)
We Are on the Winning Side
Yet given all their power and the threat they pose to our life and our future, we need not be afraid of them. We need not cower in fear over them and what they can do.
If we follow Jesus, we are on the winning side. Through God, we have overcome them. Not that we can overcome, but that we have overcome. We know this because John writes that greater is the one who is in us than the one who is in the world (1 John 4:4).
This means that God and his army of angels is greater than Satan and his minions. If we follow Jesus, we can count on it.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.
Bogged Down Reading the Bible?
Get the Bible Reading Tip Sheet: “10 Tips to Turn Bible Reading from Drudgery to Delight.”
Enter your info and receive the free Bible Reading Tip Sheet and be added to Peter’s email list.
