How Satan Attacks the Church | The 3 D’s of Satan

How Satan Attacks the Church | The 3 D’s of Satan examines the methods Satan uses to undermine and ultimately destroy God’s church.

Why is the Christian church so divided? Why are there so many denominations teaching different doctrines? And what is really behind these divisions?

I recently completed a series of articles on The Mark of the Beast and The Woman That Rides the Beast, which together represent a global false church allied with civil powers. According to Revelation 12:7-9 NKJV, this alliance is empowered by the red dragon, identified as Satan.

Spiritual Warfare: The Great Controversy

This topic addresses spiritual warfare, also known as the Great Controversy, which is the ongoing conflict between God and Satan.

12. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Scripture states, “we do not wrestle.” To wrestle is to struggle or fight. This spiritual battle manifests in the natural world; the conflicts we see on earth originate in the spiritual realm.

Satan’s Desire for Worship

In summary, Satan seeks worship and will do whatever he can to achieve this goal.

He even attempted to persuade God Himself to worship him, as shown in Matthew 4:8-9 NKJV.

⁸ Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.

9. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”

This passage demonstrates that Satan claims authority over the kingdoms and desires worship. He even tempted Jesus Christ, the Son of God, to worship him. Had Jesus yielded, it would have marked Satan’s ultimate victory.

Satan’s War Against God’s Church

Satan was unsuccessful in defeating Christ during His time on earth. As a result, he now targets what Christ left behind: the church, consisting of His followers and disciples.

Revelation 12:1-6 NKJV

1. Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars.
2. Then being with child, she cried out in labor and in pain to give birth.
3. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads.
4. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born.
5. She bore a male Child who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her Child was caught up to God and His throne.
6. Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

For context, Revelation 12 is considered a foundational chapter in the Book of Revelation. It describes the conflict between Christ and Satan, beginning in heaven and continuing on earth. The chapter introduces the main figures in this struggle, including God’s church in both the Old and New Testaments, Christ’s opposition, and the church in the wilderness facing attack.

The first six verses are significant enough for a separate discussion, but here is a brief summary. In prophecy, a woman represents a church. The woman in Revelation 17 symbolizes a false church, which is and will continue to be responsible for much evil in the world.

The woman in Revelation 12 represents Christ’s church—the pure church. In verse 4, the woman is “ready to give birth,” while the dragon waits to devour the child.

Verse 5 identifies the child as a “male child” who was “caught up to God and His throne,” referring to Jesus Christ.

Verse 6 shows God’s provision to preserve the church during perilous times.

Just to be clear on who the red dragon is, let’s look at verses 7-9 [Revelation 12:7-9 NKJV]

^{7 .}And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,

8. but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.

⁹ So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

This confirms there was war in heaven between the angels and the dragon—Satan—who was cast to earth. The conflict in heaven has now shifted to earth.

Now, this war continues on earth, with Satan attacking both humanity and the church.

The Three D’s of Satan

With this background, the remainder of this presentation examines how Satan attacks the church, categorized into three areas:

Deceive

Divide

Destroy

These are the Three D’s of Satan, each addressed in Scripture with warnings.

1. Deceive: Satan’s Strategy of Deception

The first is deceive.

According to Strong’s Concordance, the Greek word translated as deceived is planao (plan-ah’-o), meaning to cause someone to roam from safety, truth, or virtue.

KJV – go astray, deceive, err, seduce, wander, be out of the way.

Jesus issued strong warnings against deception, as seen in Matthew 24:4-5 NKJV.

4. And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
5. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Jesus warned that many will be deceived by those influenced by the spirit of Satan.

The word deceive appears in Scripture 27 times in the New King James version. Here are additional examples:

Eph 5:6-7 KJV

6. Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
7. Be not ye therefore partakers with them.

This is another strong warning about deception.

Rev 20:7-8 NKJV

This passage addresses Satan’s deception directly:

7. Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison
8. and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.

This prophecy is yet to be fulfilled.

Deception remains a persistent tool in Satan’s arsenal and a threat to the church.

2. Divide: How Satan Divides the Church

The next D is divide. Division is central to Satan’s strategy.

Satan is his name, and divide is his game!

When deception is introduced among a group, it inevitably leads to division. Some will be deceived, while others will not, resulting in discord.

The Christian church today is highly divided.

According to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity, there are approximately 45,000 Christian denominations worldwide, each with differing doctrines and claims of correctness.

Scripture addresses division directly. Let’s start with one Jesus said in Mark 3:24-25 NKJV

24. If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand.
25. And if a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

Jesus said a house divided cannot stand. Given the current division in the church, significant challenges are inevitable.

Next, we’re going to look at a direct rebuke against division. 1Corinthians 3:1-7 NKJV

1.  And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ.
2. I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able;
3. for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men?
4. For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal?
5. Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one?
6. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.
7. So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.

Here, Paul addresses and rebukes the division within the church at Corinth. Members were aligning themselves with different leaders, and Scripture describes them as “carnal and behaving like mere men,” indicating a lack of spiritual growth.

To call a Christian carnal is a serious rebuke. To be carnal is to be worldly and out of favor with God (Romans 8:7). Carnality is spiritually damaging, and a future presentation will address this topic in detail.

They were carnal, following men instead of God. Verse 7 emphasizes that neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything; God gives the increase.

Today, while we do not have Paul or Apollos, division persists among denominations such as Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Seventh-day Adventist, to name a few. The question remains: which doctrine is correct?

Next, we look at a passage that expresses the ultimate goal.

Ephesian 4:11-16 NKJV

This passage discusses the distribution and purpose of spiritual gifts.

11. And He (Christ) Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
12.  for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
13.  till we all come to the UNITY of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
14.  that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of DOCTRINE, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
15.  but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—
16. from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

The goal is unity of faith, so believers are not swayed by every new doctrine.

This unity is Christ’s desire for the church.

However, Satan’s plan opposes Christ’s, seeking to undermine the church. Jesus said in Luke 18:8, “… Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” This sobering question highlights that few will remain faithful when Christ returns.

Satan continually works to divide the church, ultimately seeking its destruction. This brings us to the final D—destroy.

3. Destroy: Satan’s Ultimate Objective

Satan’s ultimate goal is to destroy God’s church.

To achieve this, he has established a false religious system—spiritual Babylon—represented by the woman in Revelation 17.

But let’s look at what happens to this church. Revelation 18:1-2, 8 NKJV

1. After these things I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was illuminated with his glory.
2. And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, “Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!
3. Therefore her plagues will come in one day—death and mourning and famine. And she will be utterly burned with fire, for strong is the Lord God who judges her.

This false church, present today, will become increasingly corrupt and will ultimately be destroyed by God. Those who persist in following its false doctrines and ignore God’s call to leave will share its fate. Satan seeks to claim as many souls as possible, which is why there is an urgent call to come out.

Let’s look at verses 4-5 NKJV:

4. And I heard another voice from heaven saying, “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.
5. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities.

In summary, these divisions result from the influence of the false church. The question remains: which doctrine is correct?

Testing Doctrines Against the Word of God

We must be cautious of denomination-specific doctrines and remain vigilant, as Scripture encourages.

1 John 4:1 NKJV

4. Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

Scripture instructs us to “test the spirits.”

We test the spirits by the Word of God, as Scripture is the final authority. Caution is necessary, as truth is often mixed with error.

If a doctrine does not align with the Word of God, it is false.

Christians should always ask: What would Jesus do, and what does the Bible say? Honest answers to these questions will provide proper guidance.

Some claim the Bible is open to many interpretations. While this is true, only one interpretation is correct.

Only the Holy Spirit can guide us to the correct interpretation.

Let’s look at what Jesus said in John 16:13 NKJV

13. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into ALL TRUTH; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

Guiding believers into truth is one of the Holy Spirit’s functions.

Conclusion: Following God’s Word

In summary, the Three D’s of Satan are deceive, divide, and destroy.

On a personal note, you may wonder about my denomination.

I identify simply as a Christian. I am non-denominational and strive to follow Christ and the Word of God as closely as possible.

In closing, it is important to attend churches that teach the truth according to the Bible, rather than denominational doctrines not supported by Scripture or personal opinions.

As for me and my house—I will follow the Word of God.

AMEN!

If you found this article helpful, I encourage you to explore related biblical teachings on The Christian Advocate and view the companion video on our YouTube channel. You may also subscribe for updates on future articles and presentations.

The next series of articles will address false doctrines that have infiltrated the church and examine them in light of the Word of God.

The next article will address the question: Is Hell Eternal? What Does the Bible Really Say? I invite you to join me in this exploration.

The Christian Advocate

Questions, comments, and concerns may be left below.

Blessings!

A full video presentation is available for this topic

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