Satan's patrol (Job. 2: 2), and his antagonism to the restoration of Israel. Even when we

do read in the Scriptures of the rebuking of Satan there is nothing comparable to the tone

and language adopted by many to-day.  The language and attitude of Michael the

archangel (Jude 9) is meekness itself, and would probably be condemned as weak and

powerless by many who are vehemently urging us to resist the Devil.

After Enoch was "translated" he was not found (Heb. 11: 5), and though Satan should

seek to find and devour a member of the one body, the search would be in vain, for he,

too, is "translated", and further, his "life is hid with Christ in God", where Satan can

never come.

There are several rallying cries sounding in the church to-day which superficially

seem true and splendid, and the cries, "Back to Christ" and "Back to Pentecost", have

caught many in their toils. To quote I Pet. 5: 8, 9 to a member of the one body may

appear to proceed from a strong faith, but in reality it is a denial of the essential condition

of security and position of the church, for it ignores the limited authority of the Devil

revealed in Eph. 2: 2, and treats with Satan as though he were still an undefeated for,

and as though Christ had not led captivity captive, nor spoiled principality and power.

The basic truth is that in the dispensation of the mystery we have for the first time a

concrete example and foreshadowing of that new creation where God shall be all in all,

for the words are used of Christ and the church in Col. 3: 11.

Can anyone imagine that Paul (not to speak of the Holy Spirit Who inspired him)

would omit from the great word of warning given in Col. 2: 4-23 the admonition to

resist the Devil, if such were to be the crying need of to-day? Can a mountain of the most

extraordinary experience outweigh an ounce of inspired truth. Shall we confess that God

omitted to warn the church of the one body, in the epistles written to that church, of its

most deadly peril. The references in the prison epistles to Satan, the Devil, and the

Wicked One can be counted on the fingers of one hand, and even this limited number of

references includes those that speak of his defeat as well as of his opposition. When we

read books that contain pages and pages of the most minute analysis of the ways of the

Devil, when we hear prayers in which the Devil is spoken of as many times as the Lord

(in spite of the fact that there is not a prayer recorded for our example that even mentions

the Devil), we can only conclude that such writers and pleaders have missed their way,

that they are acting as if they were in that dispensation in which it was scriptural to pray

"Deliver us from evil", and where forgiveness of sins was withheld from those who

did not forgive others (Matt. 6:). Such will be ashamed of their work in that day, for

they will have overthrown the faith of some, not realizing the sure foundation of God

(II Tim. 2: 15-19).

Returning to Eph. 1: 19-23 and its parallel, Col. 1: 13, we assert that the whole

battery of Satan can be met without moving a finger, and that with all reverence we may

emulate Him Who sitteth in the heavens: "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh."

We have no need to conquer a beaten foe. All the passages that are quoted to

support the teaching that the Devil still has authority over the mind and body of the saint,