Satan cast out

There was a time when the term demonology was only heard in missionary meetings and theological seminars. But since the latter part of the 20th century, Satan and the occult have become matters of almost general interest. This interest has awakened new dangers. While before Satan's influence was commonly rejected, now his power is often exaggerated, and demonic phenomena - real or supposed - are interpreted without considering Christ's testimony that the devil "is a deceiver."

It is, therefore, the author's conviction that something much more important than mere commentary on the demonic in the contemporary landscape is needed. The basic need is an affirmation of clear scriptural principles and fundamentally those that demonstrate Satan's true position of powerlessness before God and the Lord Jesus Christ. The Christian overcomes Satan by knowing and believing the Truth.

The subject of Satan and demons has always fascinated both believers and non-believers, and our 'postmodern' times are no exception; films, television and radio programs, books (religious and secular, more serious and less serious), magazines, etc., bear witness to the great interest that continues to exist in this area.

From a Christian (biblical) perspective, it is easy to point out the two great dangers that exist with respect to this subject, at both extremes: (1) Not taking seriously the existence and activity of both Satan himself and his "spiritual forces of evil" (Eph. 6:12); and (2) Taking it all too seriously, in the sense of "seeing demons where there are none," or losing sight of the comforting apostolic saying: "Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world" (1 John 4:4).

Precisely because of the interest in the subject, and how easy it is not only to state these two dangers but also to fall into them, we welcome the Spanish version of a classic on the subject. This is not a new book - it was first published in 1975, and one might think that, with all that has happened since then regarding demonology, a work that is almost thirty years old would inevitably be outdated. But this is not the case, and for a very simple reason: what the author, Professor Leahy, intended (and achieved) was nothing less than to present the biblical teaching on the subject in question, and that teaching has not changed, nor has it become outdated - it has only become even more necessary and more urgent! In fact, the subtitle of the book is: "A Study of Biblical Demonology" - hence our classification of the work as "Biblical Study," and never has it been more appropriate! It was high time that, as the author says in his introduction, this whole subject was examined in the light of Scripture alone, at a time when what many believe about Satan and demons is anything but biblical!

The original context of the work's content is also interesting: it was the result of the need for biblical guidelines for missionaries who were living very close to cases of demonic possession and other related manifestations.

What aspects of the subject does the author discuss? There are chapters on the following topics: angels in general; Satan "bound," yet very active; Satan's wiles; the devil as our adversary; the teaching of both Testaments of the Bible on the subject; the Lord Jesus Christ and demons; demonic activity since New Testament times; demonic possession according to the Scriptures; the occult in general; and the challenge of all this for the Christian church.

With all the opinions, trends, and experiences on this topic, it would be too much to expect everyone to agree with Professor Leahy on everything, but any reader seeking a biblical, serious, and balanced theology on such an important and yet controversial topic will not be disappointed.

Andrés Birch