The nature of our enemy, part 2

Tonight we will look at 3 accounts of the same event, from 3 different perspectives.

Matthew 8;28-29

28 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way.29 And behold, they cried out, What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?
Mark 5;6-10
6 And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him.7 And crying out with a loud voice, he said, What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.8 For he was saying to him, Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!9 And Jesus asked him, What is your name? He replied, My name is Legion, for we are many.10 And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country.
Luke 8;30-31
30 Jesus then asked him, What is your name? And he said, Legion, for many demons had entered him.31 And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss.
There are 3 distinct things in these 3 passages I that we need to take note of.  

1. We see in Mathew 8;29, that the demons were surprised that Jesus was there, hence the statement "before the time".  The demons were only expecting to see Jesus on the day of judgement, because they know that they will be cast into the abyss at that time.  
2. In Mark 5;10, the demons beg not to send them out of the country, indicating that there is some tie to the geography and them.
3. In Luke 8;31 the alternative to the demons "leaving the country" as referenced in Mark 5;10, is for them to be cast into the Abyss.  

Throughout scripture, Satan is called "prince of the earth", "prince of the power of the air", "god of this age".  We saw in Job how Satan roams the earth.   We see it again in 1 Peter 5;8 "8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."  This is a well orchestrated attack, one conducted with military precision (don't worry, have hope, in the days to come we will look at the other side of the coin, God and His army of angels).  The things I found most interesting is these 3 accounts is that the demons were terrified and unsuspecting that Jesus was even going to be around at the time he was, they only expected him at the end of the age.  I found it interesting that it would appear that if Satan is the prince of the earth, he seems to have divided his demons into certain geographic areas or God has limited them to roam in certain places and if they were cast out of that area, they were cast into the abyss.  How cool is it that Satan doesn't know God's plans, he only knows that his future is eternal damnation and "torment".  Even his minions know of the "torment" they will face. 

Tomorrow, we move on to talk about putting on the whole armor of God and how God uses his Angels in this constant struggle.