Reading: Video Transcript: Knowing Your Enemy, Part 1

🎓 Session Seven: Knowing Your Enemy

Welcome back to this Session Seven of Knowing Your Enemy. Just a couple of things before we begin looking at this subject.

First of all, you'll notice I have a rash. Several people have commented about it. Just so you know, this is a reaction to a cream I was given by a dermatologist. It'll be fine—but yes, through these six sessions, you'll notice it on me.

Secondly, I want to begin with just a little bit of reflection on where we've been.

🧭 A Recap of Our Journey

We started by looking at the fact that there are two realities:

1. There's what's going on in this material, physical world,

2. And then there's what's going on beyond what's going on.

We looked at those two realities, and we especially saw that in the story of Elisha and Dothan, and his servant—how suddenly the servant could see what he hadn’t been aware of before. It was as if the curtain was pulled back, and he could see that other reality for a few moments.

We also looked at the fact that, in the Western world—the world in which I live, and maybe many of you live—we tend to downplay that second reality. And that's due to people who lived a long time ago—people like Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton.

We saw how Isaac Newton, with his mathematical principles, demonstrated that so many things happen because of the principles of mathematics, and therefore many people concluded there’s no supernatural need for God.

Now, Newton himself never got to that conclusion, but others did. In their minds, the sun rises and sets not because God causes it, but because that’s just the way it always works—it’s governed by mathematical realities. It’s not, "God did it"; it’s "that’s how the system works."

🛡️ The War in Heaven and the Fall on Earth

So we looked at that for a while. And then we moved to the war in heaven—how Satan was defeated, and how he tried to raise himself up to the place of the Almighty God Himself.

Then we looked at how that war came to earth, in those first chapters of Genesis, when we read about the fall of Adam and Eve—the man and woman.

🧠 The Frequency Illusion in Scripture

Then we saw something I’ve referred to as the “frequency illusion.”

That is, when you begin to look at Scripture with spiritual warfare in mind, you start to see it everywhere. There are demons in this world, evil spirits in this world—and yes, there’s a war going on.

🎖️ Now: Knowing Your Enemy

So with all of that as background, I want to take a turn now in this session. We’re going to begin looking at knowing your enemy.

It’s a very important principle to follow.

Let me give you a picture—not just a story, but a picture from a movie that came out back in the 1970s. It was called Patton.

George Patton was a very significant general during World War II on the American side. He was one of the first Americans to defeat one of the best generals on the German side, Erwin Rommel.

Rommel commanded a tank corps, much like Patton did.

Now, this is from the movie, of course, but in one of the early scenes, Patton takes over a tank group in Europe, and he ends up engaged in a tank battle with Erwin Rommel.

Patton is watching the battle through his binoculars, observing what’s happening. And at one point, he gets excited and shouts:

"Rommel, you magnificent [blank]!"
(I won’t say the word he used in the movie.)
"I read your book!"

In other words, Patton was able to anticipate what his enemy was going to do because he had studied him. He knew what Rommel was likely to do in any given situation. He knew what Rommel had said, what his patterns were—and because of that knowledge, he was able to defeat him. To defeat Rommel for the first time—well, there’s a principle there that is very important, and that is:

Know your enemy.

Know all you can about your enemy if you're going to defeat them. You’ve got to know their strong points. You've got to know their weak points. You have to know what they’re likely to do. You have to understand their strategies.

And so, that’s what we’re going to turn to in these next sessions, as we continue this story of war.

And remember—it’s not just a war in heaven, as we’ve seen—this is also a war here on Earth.

🛎️ The Principle of the Watchman

Now, the principle I want to highlight here is something called the “watchman” in Scripture.

This is a rather significant little piece of Scripture. Let me take you to Ezekiel:

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.

When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.

But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, **though you yourself will be saved.”

— Ezekiel 3:17–19 (paraphrased)

This concept of a watchman goes back to how they built cities in ancient times. Of course, cities were built with walls—because there were enemies who might try to attack.

And so, on those walls, they would place a watchman—and yes, it was watchman back then, not watchperson. The watchman would keep a lookout. He would say, “Where do I see enemy activity? Is there going to be a surprise attack?”

🛰️ Watchmen and Modern Intelligence

Who are the watchmen today?

Well, today we might use a different term—maybe we’d call it intelligence.

For example, at the time I’m recording this, there’s a war that’s started again between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. And they’re calling it a huge intelligence failure on the part of Israel—because they didn’t see what was coming. They didn’t watch well.

The watchman’s job—his or her role—is to look ahead, to see where the enemy might be coming from.

So when God says to Ezekiel, “I’ve made you a watchman,” He’s saying:

Look. Watch. Stay alert.
See what’s coming.
See what’s possible.

🔍 The Supernatural Watchman Principle

And that’s not just true in the natural sense. It’s also true in the supernatural sense—in the context of the two realities.

There is a watchman responsibility for those of us who are in tune with what’s going on in the spiritual realm.

🙏 Personal Practice: The Watchman in Prayer

Recently, in my own personal prayer time, I’ve gone back to a pattern of prayer that I learned many years ago.

It came from Dick Eastman, who produced a book called:

📘 The Hour That Changes the World

At the time, I realized: I didn’t really know how to pray. So I started studying this and began teaching it to people in my church.

He took different facets of prayer and shaped them into a kind of clock-like system—one that provided discipline for prayer.

I started using that system years ago. Then, for many years, I stopped. But recently, I’ve gone back to it.

It begins with praise—just as the Lord’s Prayer begins:

“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…”

There’s a praise factor in prayer.

Then, he suggests waiting on the Lord—from Psalm 46:10:

“Be still, and know that I am God.”

Then comes confession of sin—he calls that step cleansing the temple.

And so, we take care of whatever is between us and God—that’s part of the process. Then comes praying Scripture, and then step five in that prayer model is:

Watching.

Watching—where is the enemy at work?

Now, as I said, I’ve been using this prayer model, and it continues with steps like intercession, thanksgiving, song, contemplation, listening, and ends again with praise.

Now, I don’t always do every one of those steps, and I don’t always do them in the same order, but it’s a very helpful way of thinking about that concept of watching.

👀 Watch and Pray – Jesus’ Example

When Jesus was nearing the end of His earthly life, He went to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane. We’ve looked at that before—where Satan shows up, and Jesus is sweating drops like blood in anguish.

But before that moment, He says something crucial to His disciples:

“Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.
The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” — Matthew 26:41 (WEB)

Watch. Watch.

Now, what were they watching for?

They could have been watching for the physical enemy—that is, the soldiers coming to arrest Jesus and take Him to the house of Caiaphas for questioning and judgment. That would be one level of watching.

But perhaps Jesus also meant: watch for the approach of the real enemy.

They had experience with that idea. Remember what Jesus said to Peter?

“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat.
But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail.
And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” — Luke 22:31–32

Now, that’s a powerful image—sifting like wheat.

When wheat is sifted, it goes through a shaking process. The outer shell or chaff is loosened and then tossed into the air, so that the wind can blow the shell away, leaving only the solid kernel behind.

So what does Jesus mean?

Satan has asked to put you through a rough time.

And we know the story—Peter faced temptation, and he denied Jesus three times. So when Jesus said, “Watch,” He could have been referring not just to soldiers but to the real enemy—Satan himself.

🛡️ What Are You Watching For?

So that raises the question: What are you watching for?

If you are a watchman—and now, as you take this course, and you’re growing in awareness of the enemy—you need to start noticing what he’s like, how he works.

And we will be talking about:

• the tactics of the enemy,

• how to protect yourself defensively,

• and how to go on offense spiritually.

But here’s a key way to begin:

🧩 Understanding the Enemy Through His Names

One of the clearest ways to understand your enemy is to look at the names.

The names the enemy is given—whether assigned by others, taken on himself, or used in Scripture—give us insightinto:

• Who he is

• What his strategy is

• How he operates in your life, and in the world

As you get more practice with this, you’ll begin to see patterns. You’ll watch the news, and you’ll say: “There he is.That’s him at work.”

🔥 The First Name: Satan

The first and most common name for the enemy is:

Satan

The Hebrew name "Satan" means “adversary” or “accuser.”

Now, Satan is the most frequently used name for the enemy.

• It’s used 18 times in the Old Testament

• And 36 times in the New Testament

Another commonly used name is:

Devil

But we’ll dig more into that in the next session.

Now, in the Old Testament, 14 of the times the word "Satan" is used are in reference to that well-known encounter between God and Job in the first couple of chapters of the book of Job. That’s the scene where Satan shows up in the assembly in heaven, and God asks him:

“Where have you been?”

Satan replies:

“I’ve been going to and fro throughout the earth.”

And then God says:

“Have you considered my servant Job?”

And in that moment, Satan is given freedom to test Job, to challenge his faith. Again—14 of those references are in that Old Testament context, so the term “Satan” becomes far more prominent in the New Testament.

So, Satan is an adversary—he sets himself up against. But whose adversary is he?

• Is he God’s adversary?

• Is he Job’s adversary?

• Or maybe... both?

In the Old Testament, there are two more significant passages that speak to this. These help us answer: Who is Satan opposing?

Let’s look at this first one:

📖 Zechariah 3 – Satan Opposing God’s People

From Zechariah chapter 3, we read:

“Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him.”

Now, this is part of a series of visions given to the prophet Zechariah. Commentators suggest that Joshua here may represent:

• All of Israel, symbolizing their relationship with God, or

• Simply the high priest, representing a fallen religious order

In this vision:

• Joshua stands, and

• Satan is at his right hand, ready to accuse.

“The Lord said to Satan, ‘The Lord rebuke you, Satan! The Lord who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?’”

In other words—he was about to go out, but he’s been rescued.

Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes, symbolizing sin. Then the angel says:

“Take off his filthy clothes… See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put fine garments on you.”

They put a clean turban on his head, and they clothed him.

Now, that phrase “angel of the Lord” in the Old Testament? It often refers to a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ.

The angel gives this charge:

“If you will walk in obedience to me and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here.”

So in this passage, Satan is the adversary of Israel, but again, he’s opposing God by accusing God’s people.

📖 1 Chronicles 21 – Satan Opposing the Nation

Here’s the next example:

“Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel.”

So David commands Joab and the military leaders:

“Go and count the Israelites from Beersheba to Dan. Report back to me.”

Now, here's the principle: David, as religious and civil leader, was not supposed to put his trust in numbers—especially not in the number of soldiers.

Joab actually warns him: Don’t do this. This is wrong. God said not to do this.

But David insists—and Satan is the one who incited this act. He’s the adversary of Israel, and by extension, the enemy of God’s work.

📖 New Testament – Satan Opposing Jesus

Now we turn to the New Testament. Here's Mark’s version, though it appears in all the Gospels except John:

“At once the Spirit sent Jesus out into the wilderness, and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.”

You remember this—right after Jesus’ baptism, He’s led into the wilderness.

• He fasts for 40 days and 40 nights.

• He is physically weak.

• And Satan comes to tempt Him.

Three core temptations:

1. Turn stones into bread—meet your needs miraculously, for yourself.

2. Jump from the temple—show off your divine status.

3. Bow down and worship Satan—skip the cross and take the kingdoms now.

Now, all of Jesus’ miracles had a purpose—to point to God’s power. But here, Satan is tempting Jesus to use His power selfishly.

And when he says, “I will give you all the kingdoms of the world,” we’ll explore that more when we talk about another name of Satan—“the prince of this world.”

🧠 Other Adversarial Acts of Satan

Jesus also confronts accusations. For example, when He casts out a demon on the Sabbath, some say:

“He does this by the power of Beelzebub.”

Beelzebub is another name for Satan, which we’ll study later. But Jesus responds:

“If Satan drives out Satan, how can his kingdom stand?”

In other words, Satan is not divided. He’s opposing Jesus, not helping Him.

💔 Satan as Adversary of the Afflicted

Jesus also heals a woman who had suffered for 12 years, and He says:

“Should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for 18 long years, be set free on the Sabbath?”

Here, Satan is the adversary of this woman—a regular person. Her affliction kept her from serving, from thriving, and from participating in God’s work.

🌍 Satan Opposing the Mission to the Gentiles

In the book of Acts, Paul describes his mission like this:

“To open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.” (Acts 26:18)

So Satan is also the adversary of the unbelieving world, keeping people in darkness, and opposing any mission that aims to bring them to Christ.

Read through Acts, and you’ll see that Satan:

• Shows up with Ananias and Sapphira

• Blocks Paul’s travel plans

• Opposes the movement of the Gospel

🔚 Summary: Satan is the Adversary

So the first and primary name to understand is:

Satan — the adversary

• He is the adversary of people like you, especially believers.

• He is the adversary of Jesus and God’s purposes.

• He is at work wherever God is at work.

You can expect it.

🙏 Let’s Close in Prayer

“Lord, open our eyes to the work of the enemy as we watch.
Help us see where Satan has set himself up against You,
That we may take our stand and go to battle in Your name.
We ask it in the name of Jesus—Amen.”