What Does it Mean to Rebuke the Enemy?
When Jesus dealt with demons or with Satan himself:
What He did NOT do:
- Rile them (annoy or irritate them)
- Revile them (criticize in an angry, insulting, abusive manner)
- Call them names (you are nothing but a punk, you’re a loser, you’re stupid, you’re nothing)
- Carry on lengthy conversations with them (He was short and to the point if He ever spoke with them)
- Lord His authority over them in an arrogant manner (Jesus did not have to affirm who He was to them)
- Ignore them
- Tell them about their demise (they know it)
- Wrestle with them physically (we may have to do this though because of people’s flesh)
- Address principalities in the heavens or over nations and regions
- Show fear of them
- Let them try to irritate Him, accuse Him, stir up His emotions, or intimidate Him (they knew better, but they may test us)
- Let them draw attention with a big show of manifestation and fighting
- Sent them to the abyss
- Let them speak about how He was the Messiah the Son of God (it was not time)
- He did not engage the enemy when He was prodded unless the Father told Him to (the enemy constantly moved through people to try to offend Him, trick Him, draw Him into a fight, make Him king)
What He DID do:
- He addressed them as a personality, a person (He referred to them as ‘he.’ He addressed Satan by name. He asked the name of the ruling spirit in the man at the tombs who was oppressed. He spoke to the type of spirit—infirmity, deaf and dumb, mute spirit)
- He kept a certain level of respect but did not cater to them
- He was stern and firm
- He REBUKED them (rebuke means to harshly correct)
- He told them to be quiet and come out
- Loved on and healed the person who was oppressed by them, and kept His focus on the person
- He spoke the specific Word of God when Satan tempted him to counter that temptation
- Told them to enter no more
- Spent a lot of time teaching people how to not live in agreement with them
- Gave His authority over them in the earth to His believers
He Rebuked Them…
The Greek words in the New Testament for rebuke are elegcho, and epitimao.
Elegcho—to call someone to account, to reprimand and convict by exposing a wrong, sometimes, publicly, to show them their fault, to demand an explanation for actions, to chasten or punish, a proof, or something used to test or prove something, conviction, firm reproof, reprove, sharp criticism, correction with a more disapproving sense convince.
Luke 3:19 But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done…
John 8:9 Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
Matthew 18:15 “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.”
II Tim 3:16 … All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness… (an altered intellectual position, a conviction of having been wrong)
II Timothy 4:2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Jude 1:9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
Mark 9:25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, He rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “Deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him and enter him no more!”
Luke 4:39 So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them.
Luke 9:55 But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.”
Luke 4:41 And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, “You are the Christ, the Son of God!” And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to speak, for they knew that He was the Christ.
Matthew 8:26 But He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then He arose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
Gal. 2:11 Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed…
Matthew 17:18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.
Rev. 3:19 “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent.”
I Cor. 14:3 But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.
Luke 17:3 “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.”
Luke 19:39 And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”
Luke 23:40 But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?”
Epitimao—to tax with fault
- to chide
- to reprove
- to censure severely, to merit penalty
- to admonish or charge sharply
- to lay value upon or raise a price. Valuing something more highly. In the sense of legal
- punishment it was seen establishing the value of the crime committed, placing
- negative value or disapproval on someone’s actions
- an exposure of wrong
- conviction of wrong
Matthew 12:16 Yet He warned them not to make Him known,
Mark 4:39 Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
Mark 8:30 Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.
Matthew 16:22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”
Matthew 19:13 Then little children were brought to Him that He might put His hands on them and pray, but the disciples rebuked them.
Mark 1:23-27 Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, 24 saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!”25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” 26 And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him. 27 Then they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, “What is this? What new doctrine is this? For with authority He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” (This happened in the middle of church!)
Mark 3:11-12 And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, “You are the Son of God.” But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known.
Mark 10:48 Then many warned him to be quiet; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
Luke 9:20-21 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.” 21 And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one…
Luke 9:42 And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father.
Luke 9:55 But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of.”
Looking at all this, when we rebuke a demon, we are sternly correcting them under the authority of Jesus Christ, for attacking and oppressing a person who is in covenant with God, and serving the judgment on them by casting them out and dethroning their activity. Think about deliverance, when we have people repent, forgive, and renounce what open doors let the enemy in, we are in a legal proceeding. We are then rebuking the spirits to say they have no legal right to stay on grounds of the Word of God, the forgiveness through the covenant with Christ through His Blood, and the authority of the name above all names. Casting them out is enforcing the Kingdom of God, which drives out darkness, sin, and the devil’s domain.
So, when you say, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” what are you rebuking them about? What are you sternly correcting? What are you charging them with? Addressing the open door and having the child of God repent and renounce it, we can then enforce the Kingdom and correct the spirit to leave. We speak whatever Word is appropriate for the issue to counter their right, and with full authority of the name of Jesus bring the rebuke. We are the Lord’s enforcers of His will against the darkness in the earth. With this comes the correction of the wicked spirits. So, we don’t say “I rebuke you,” we speak whatever the correction is for the matter, and that is the rebuke. The correction is the Word, the Name, pointing out the repentance to break the right, and the driving out.
Now as far as rebuking Satan, I believe we do have this authority if he is directly attacking or tempting us, but always in the name of Jesus and with the Word of God. Michael the archangel could only say, “the Lord rebuke you Satan!” we read in Jude because he had not been given the authority Jesus had. But we have. The Word tells us to resist the devil and he will flee, James 4:7. The Greek word for resist is anthistemi, which means to stand against and oppose something. When Jesus resisted Satan’s temptations, He used the Word of God, and He directly addressed him calling out the correction. He rebuked him. When Satan influenced Peter’s thinking, Jesus called out the one behind those thoughts and brought the rebuke. What was the rebuke? “Get behind Me Satan, for you are an offense to me. You are not mindful of the things of God, but of men.” Jesus clearly saw the motive behind those words was Satanic. He then turned and taught His disciples, the way to victory is via the cross. We must suffer and serve before glory. For salvation, there was not quick and painless way to God’s glory that averted self-sacrifice. Humility comes before honor. That was the correction.
Matthew 16:20-24 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. 22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” 23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” 24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.
I Peter 5:7-10 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10 But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
James 4:3-8 You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. 4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. 5 Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, “The Spirit who dwells in us yearns jealously”? 6 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 7 Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
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