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50 Things You Need to Know About Satan and Demons
Bible Professor Mark Muska gives short, clear answers to the most-asked questions about Satan and demons, revealing exactly what God's Word does and doesn't say.
144 pages, Paperback
First published October 28, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 5, 2016
For the season of Lent, I give up secular reading material and secular music, so I can focus on God, my relationship to Him, etc. The theme for this Lent, without my planning, seems to be "Satan and demons". I don't know much about them, other than they exist, that they want to tear me and everyone away from God and that God has ultimate power and authority over them.
This book has gone a long way to helping me to understand more about the topic. At times hopeful and others terrifying, it was always informative. It is a good starter for someone wanting to know more about Satan and demons.
Not a lot of end notes, but the author quotes extensively from the Bible, so I guess not many notes are needed in the back when the text has the information in it. I never felt a lack of notation.
The only slight negative I had was at the end of some of the answers the author really pushes the whole "Join now and save your life through Jesus!" I think most people reading this book already have chosen God, so the "c'mon and join us" was a bit much.
This is a book that I think I will be re-reading and keeping to refer back to whenever a question pops up or I just need some refreshing in the information in it. A good reference tool and one I would recommend for all to read. The best thing Satan ever did for himself was to convince people that he doesn't exist. Why fear and try to protect yourself against something that doesn't exist? Learn. Become educated in the spiritual warfare going on around, and possibly even in, you.
Five stars. I can't recommend it enough.
My thanks to NetGalley and Bethany House for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
This book has gone a long way to helping me to understand more about the topic. At times hopeful and others terrifying, it was always informative. It is a good starter for someone wanting to know more about Satan and demons.
Not a lot of end notes, but the author quotes extensively from the Bible, so I guess not many notes are needed in the back when the text has the information in it. I never felt a lack of notation.
The only slight negative I had was at the end of some of the answers the author really pushes the whole "Join now and save your life through Jesus!" I think most people reading this book already have chosen God, so the "c'mon and join us" was a bit much.
This is a book that I think I will be re-reading and keeping to refer back to whenever a question pops up or I just need some refreshing in the information in it. A good reference tool and one I would recommend for all to read. The best thing Satan ever did for himself was to convince people that he doesn't exist. Why fear and try to protect yourself against something that doesn't exist? Learn. Become educated in the spiritual warfare going on around, and possibly even in, you.
Five stars. I can't recommend it enough.
My thanks to NetGalley and Bethany House for an eARC copy of this book to read and review.
May 17, 2017
This is a compact little book which scratches the surface of a very complex subject. As an introduction to the subject matter it does reasonably well with, not surprisingly, some overlapping between the 50 raised questions and their biblical responses. It is by no means a definitive guide or manual but it does offer some interesting pointers. For me personally the best advice it offers on the subject matter is avoid getting involved if at all possible. As the old adage says, "A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing."
April 12, 2022
It brought up questions I never thought of but it didn’t tell me anything I didn’t know. It clarified my curiosity in topic. Basically said devil and demons plot to torment us and make lives miserable.
December 28, 2020
I found this book to be more of a primer containing just the basics than a detailed exposition. It can be useful especially to those who are beginning to learn about the subject. I liked it.
November 5, 2014
In our day and age, images of the demonic and Satan are commonplace. They find their way into our entertainment, onto our yards as Halloween decorations and into various facets of our lives. Growing up, I had little concept of demons. Satan was the bad guy that tempted Eve to eat a piece of fruit in the garden and I knew he was red with black horns because Halloween costumes don’t lie. Seriously though, I had a mixed bag of impressions of what these dark forces looked like and how they affect our lives. As a teen, I remember reading some of Frank Peretti’s books and having my interest piqued. But, I didn’t have any kind of framework for understanding these bad guys. Several years ago, our family had a series of life changing events that brought spiritual warfare to the forefront of our lives. It became a daily conversation as we worked to understand this little known concept.
I believe that demons are real. With the Bible as my handbook, there are simply too many references to ignore. In Ephesians 6:12, we read “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”(NIV) As I started to learn about this subject, initially it was very confusing. It was hard to know where to start putting the puzzle together. When I meet people who are encountering the subject for the first time the way I did, they often get overwhelmed the way I did. However, I was recently given a book that I feel is a great one for jumping into the topic. I received a copy of 50 Things You Need to Know About Satan and Demons, by Mark Muska. It takes 50 different questions we encounter in our culture and in our churches and takes a logical approach to answering them.
Questions covered in this book run the gamut. They include things like:
Who is Satan?
What is demon possession?
Why should I believe what the Bible says about Satan?
Can Satan read my thoughts?
Is it possible to actually see demons?
If I ignore Satan, will he go away or just leave me alone?
What is spiritual warfare?
…and many many more questions.
As I read through the questions, I appreciated a few things about this author’s approach. First, he states clearly upfront that he is using the Bible as the source of authority on this topic. If you don’t accept that as a source of authority, you will struggle with this book, but at least he is up front about that. Secondly, he incorporates culture all through it. Most of the way we “see” the demonic is in our culture but it is often done with artistic license with no regard to its accuracy. He does an excellent job of addressing those various areas and then comparing them to what the Bible has to say. Sometimes there is a clear answer and sometimes there is not. Either way, the information is presented in a factual way. I would highly recommend this book especially for those who are new to the subject of spiritual warfare. For those who are very familiar with the topic, it provide a good summary and helpful talking points for interacting with others.
(I was given a copy of this book by Bethany House publishers for review purposes in exchange for an honest opinion. No monetary compensation was received.)
I believe that demons are real. With the Bible as my handbook, there are simply too many references to ignore. In Ephesians 6:12, we read “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”(NIV) As I started to learn about this subject, initially it was very confusing. It was hard to know where to start putting the puzzle together. When I meet people who are encountering the subject for the first time the way I did, they often get overwhelmed the way I did. However, I was recently given a book that I feel is a great one for jumping into the topic. I received a copy of 50 Things You Need to Know About Satan and Demons, by Mark Muska. It takes 50 different questions we encounter in our culture and in our churches and takes a logical approach to answering them.
Questions covered in this book run the gamut. They include things like:
Who is Satan?
What is demon possession?
Why should I believe what the Bible says about Satan?
Can Satan read my thoughts?
Is it possible to actually see demons?
If I ignore Satan, will he go away or just leave me alone?
What is spiritual warfare?
…and many many more questions.
As I read through the questions, I appreciated a few things about this author’s approach. First, he states clearly upfront that he is using the Bible as the source of authority on this topic. If you don’t accept that as a source of authority, you will struggle with this book, but at least he is up front about that. Secondly, he incorporates culture all through it. Most of the way we “see” the demonic is in our culture but it is often done with artistic license with no regard to its accuracy. He does an excellent job of addressing those various areas and then comparing them to what the Bible has to say. Sometimes there is a clear answer and sometimes there is not. Either way, the information is presented in a factual way. I would highly recommend this book especially for those who are new to the subject of spiritual warfare. For those who are very familiar with the topic, it provide a good summary and helpful talking points for interacting with others.
(I was given a copy of this book by Bethany House publishers for review purposes in exchange for an honest opinion. No monetary compensation was received.)
November 1, 2014
“A lot has been said about Satan and demons in music and movies, on the Internet and TV, but it can be difficult to figure out what's true and what's folklore. Professor Mark Muska uses the Bible to answer the most-asked questions about Satan and demons, including: Who is Satan? Does Satan really have horns, hoofs, and a tail? Can Satan read our thoughts? What is demon possession? Can anything protect us from demonic attacks?
You'll discover exactly what God's Word says--as well as what it doesn't say--about these mysterious beings.”
50 Thing You Need to Know about Satan and Demons by Mark Muska is a short (135 page) book that takes on one topic at a time, clearly and plainly in a question and answer format.
I wondered when I started this book what was going to be the defining authority for these answers. Would it be the cultural norm, would it be general consensus among the faiths, would it be folklore or would it be biblically based? I was not disappointed. In the Introduction the author makes it quite clear that the answers to the following 50 questions would be based on the Bible. “This study is based on the conviction that the Bible is our one reliable source of truth about the devil” – page 9.
With that question being answered, I read the book. I have to say that I was quite impressed at the amount of questions that were covered and was, at times, surprised by the answers. The topics discussed range from Satan, demons, spiritual warfare and the occult… and as stated, answers to the questions posed here were answered with cited Biblical references, or not (as the Bible does not always address out questions with the clear cut detail that we would like). This is an interesting book that can help a new, or seasoned, Christian answer questioned that are posed.
About the author: Mark H. Muska is Associate Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at the University of Northwestern St. Paul. Dr. Muska received his EdD from St. Mary's University and his ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary. He is a regular guest on "Ask the Professor," fielding live calls from listeners on the KTIS AM Connecting Faith program. He lives with his family near St. Paul, Minnesota
Read an excerpt from the book: http://assets.bakerpublishinggroup.co...
*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through the Bethany House Blogger Review Program, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own, and no monetary compensation was received for this review.
*Reviews of this book were posted at the following locations:
Amazon, Christian Book, Deeper Shopping, Goodreads, and to be featured on my blog at http://titus3.wordpress.com
You'll discover exactly what God's Word says--as well as what it doesn't say--about these mysterious beings.”
50 Thing You Need to Know about Satan and Demons by Mark Muska is a short (135 page) book that takes on one topic at a time, clearly and plainly in a question and answer format.
I wondered when I started this book what was going to be the defining authority for these answers. Would it be the cultural norm, would it be general consensus among the faiths, would it be folklore or would it be biblically based? I was not disappointed. In the Introduction the author makes it quite clear that the answers to the following 50 questions would be based on the Bible. “This study is based on the conviction that the Bible is our one reliable source of truth about the devil” – page 9.
With that question being answered, I read the book. I have to say that I was quite impressed at the amount of questions that were covered and was, at times, surprised by the answers. The topics discussed range from Satan, demons, spiritual warfare and the occult… and as stated, answers to the questions posed here were answered with cited Biblical references, or not (as the Bible does not always address out questions with the clear cut detail that we would like). This is an interesting book that can help a new, or seasoned, Christian answer questioned that are posed.
About the author: Mark H. Muska is Associate Professor of Biblical and Theological Studies at the University of Northwestern St. Paul. Dr. Muska received his EdD from St. Mary's University and his ThM from Dallas Theological Seminary. He is a regular guest on "Ask the Professor," fielding live calls from listeners on the KTIS AM Connecting Faith program. He lives with his family near St. Paul, Minnesota
Read an excerpt from the book: http://assets.bakerpublishinggroup.co...
*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book through the Bethany House Blogger Review Program, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own, and no monetary compensation was received for this review.
*Reviews of this book were posted at the following locations:
Amazon, Christian Book, Deeper Shopping, Goodreads, and to be featured on my blog at http://titus3.wordpress.com
October 31, 2014
Source: Free copy from Bethany House in exchange for a review. All reviews expressed are from my own opinion.
Summary:
50 Things You Need To Know About Satan and Demons is a starting point for the subjects of Satan, demons, and spiritual warfare. The book addresses the important focus for Christians, pertaining to myth and folklore versus what the Bible states.
Mark Muska clarifies all of his points with Bible verses.
Examples of chapters:
Who is Satan?
How does Satan act against humans?
What is exorcism?
Why does Satan want to destroy us?
Do demons inhabit specific places?
Why did Jesus forbid demons from speaking when He cast them out?
What is hell? Is it a real place? Where is it?
What is spiritual warfare?
Are witches real?
My Thoughts:
Books on the subjects of Satan and demons are rare in the Christian market. I have read the book Spiritual Warfare: The Battle For God's Glory by Jerry Rankin (link given to read the review). The Kindle price at this time is .99 cents. It could be most Christians avoid these subjects. Avoiding the subjects does not make the reality of them go away.
What I loved about 50 Things You Need to Know About Satan and Demons is the debunking of myths and folklore. So much of what we know is from media, especially in regards to Hollywood movies. The most notable are the movies The Exorcist and The Omen. It is important for Christians to understand we are saved by God's grace. Although we live in the world and can be oppressed by Satan and demons, this will only happen if God allows it to happen for the purpose of developing our character and growth in Christ Jesus. We can trust God because He has already won the war. Our focus should not be on Satan and demons, but on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Mark H. Muska reminds often to "take heed" and "any experience that we claim to have that goes beyond what the Bible teaches must be approached with great caution."
Today is Halloween. Christian parents approach the day often not knowing what to do. Some parents ignore the day all together, and others allow their children to wear innocent looking costumes and celebrate the day. Muska's advice is to "take a strong stand against occult or evil."
Summary:
50 Things You Need To Know About Satan and Demons is a starting point for the subjects of Satan, demons, and spiritual warfare. The book addresses the important focus for Christians, pertaining to myth and folklore versus what the Bible states.
Mark Muska clarifies all of his points with Bible verses.
Examples of chapters:
Who is Satan?
How does Satan act against humans?
What is exorcism?
Why does Satan want to destroy us?
Do demons inhabit specific places?
Why did Jesus forbid demons from speaking when He cast them out?
What is hell? Is it a real place? Where is it?
What is spiritual warfare?
Are witches real?
My Thoughts:
Books on the subjects of Satan and demons are rare in the Christian market. I have read the book Spiritual Warfare: The Battle For God's Glory by Jerry Rankin (link given to read the review). The Kindle price at this time is .99 cents. It could be most Christians avoid these subjects. Avoiding the subjects does not make the reality of them go away.
What I loved about 50 Things You Need to Know About Satan and Demons is the debunking of myths and folklore. So much of what we know is from media, especially in regards to Hollywood movies. The most notable are the movies The Exorcist and The Omen. It is important for Christians to understand we are saved by God's grace. Although we live in the world and can be oppressed by Satan and demons, this will only happen if God allows it to happen for the purpose of developing our character and growth in Christ Jesus. We can trust God because He has already won the war. Our focus should not be on Satan and demons, but on our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Mark H. Muska reminds often to "take heed" and "any experience that we claim to have that goes beyond what the Bible teaches must be approached with great caution."
Today is Halloween. Christian parents approach the day often not knowing what to do. Some parents ignore the day all together, and others allow their children to wear innocent looking costumes and celebrate the day. Muska's advice is to "take a strong stand against occult or evil."
December 9, 2014
For some reason, I have an interest in learning about the dark side, but I believe it is just so I may become aware of what I am up against. Thus, my choice in choosing this particular book to read.
The book is very straight-forward in a question and answer format. Mark Muska uses the Bible to answer the questions most often asked about Satan and demons.
The book goes from the very light questions, such as who is Satan to what are demons. It goes from the who to the what. Such as if Satan is behind Halloween or if witches are real.
There is one section that had me intrigued, enough to do a little research of my own and that is about nephilim’s. Still curious about that realm, but otherwise, I think the book is good for a basic understanding of your most commonly asked questions. If you are looking for a brief basic answer to a question, then this is the book, which would also explain the thinness of the book. Honestly, for me, I wished for a deeper delving into each of the questions, but then, it wouldn’t have been for those early into their journey. If anything, it gives you the means to research to understand the subject further.
I received this book from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.
The book is very straight-forward in a question and answer format. Mark Muska uses the Bible to answer the questions most often asked about Satan and demons.
The book goes from the very light questions, such as who is Satan to what are demons. It goes from the who to the what. Such as if Satan is behind Halloween or if witches are real.
There is one section that had me intrigued, enough to do a little research of my own and that is about nephilim’s. Still curious about that realm, but otherwise, I think the book is good for a basic understanding of your most commonly asked questions. If you are looking for a brief basic answer to a question, then this is the book, which would also explain the thinness of the book. Honestly, for me, I wished for a deeper delving into each of the questions, but then, it wouldn’t have been for those early into their journey. If anything, it gives you the means to research to understand the subject further.
I received this book from Bethany House in exchange for an honest review.
October 23, 2015
I got a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Since I've been re-introduced to God by my husband, I've been drawn to books about Christianity. Namely, books on spiritual warfare so I can win any battles that might lead me away from God again. I'm always super picky about the credibility of the books I read, especially on this subject. Mark didn't disappoint, with scriptures that were cited, not paraphrased, and a simple language that welcomed me instead of seeming overwhelming. As I read this book, keeping in mind how I had strayed from God in the first place, I found myself highlighting parts and going "yeah, that sounds right. That's about what happened."
Any new Christian, or new-again Christian, or even aged Christians who haven't done any independent studying on the faith should start with this book.
Since I've been re-introduced to God by my husband, I've been drawn to books about Christianity. Namely, books on spiritual warfare so I can win any battles that might lead me away from God again. I'm always super picky about the credibility of the books I read, especially on this subject. Mark didn't disappoint, with scriptures that were cited, not paraphrased, and a simple language that welcomed me instead of seeming overwhelming. As I read this book, keeping in mind how I had strayed from God in the first place, I found myself highlighting parts and going "yeah, that sounds right. That's about what happened."
Any new Christian, or new-again Christian, or even aged Christians who haven't done any independent studying on the faith should start with this book.
November 11, 2014
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Bethany House.
The book has an aura of full on spiritual contact. I am not sure exactly how accurate the author is with the theories and knowledge inserted in the pages, but it is a good read for getting a basic first hand look at some of the ways others see Satan and Demons.
The book has an aura of full on spiritual contact. I am not sure exactly how accurate the author is with the theories and knowledge inserted in the pages, but it is a good read for getting a basic first hand look at some of the ways others see Satan and Demons.
June 12, 2019
A pretty good cursory overview of Satan and demons in the bible. Very basic, so it could be useful if you're very new to this stuff or you have a younger teen who's been asking questions about Satan and demons. But if you're a bit more well-versed in theology and looking for a deep exegetical exploration of the concepts of Satan, demons, and evil in the bible, you won't find it here.
September 13, 2016
I really hesitated to give this book three stars. I would like to give it a 2 1/2. There are a few good points, but many of them felt repetitive. I think this book would have been better titled 15-20 Things You Need, etc. The author did use the scriptures well in his examples.
November 7, 2016
This was definitely not what I expected. It was written on a very low level of reading. The author used the same two or three Bible verses throughout the book to prove his point. I don't feel like he did much research and it wasn't explanatory.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews