Shared Bible Path

Veiled Enemy

By Angel Olivera

8 passages · 57 verses

About this path

Throughout Scripture, a conversation may appear to be taking place only between two people, while the text reveals that an unseen spiritual power is speaking, influencing, deceiving, or working behind one of them.

This path explores moments when God, Jesus, a prophet, or an apostle looks beyond the visible person and confronts the spiritual enemy operating beneath the surface.

The person and the power behind them

Scripture does not teach that every sinful statement or human conflict is caused directly by a demon. People remain responsible for their own choices, words, and actions. However, certain passages deliberately pull back the veil and reveal an additional spiritual influence.

The clearest example occurs when Peter attempts to discourage Jesus from going to the cross. Jesus turns toward Peter but says, “Get behind me, Satan.” Peter is the person standing before Him, yet Jesus recognizes that Peter’s words reflect the temptation and opposition of Satan.

In other passages, the distinction is even more explicit. Jesus speaks directly to unclean spirits inhabiting or oppressing people, commanding the spirits to be silent and come out. Paul similarly speaks to the spirit of divination operating through a slave girl rather than treating the girl herself as the true enemy.

The ancient pattern

This conflict begins in Eden. Genesis introduces the serpent as the creature through which deception enters the world. Revelation later identifies “that ancient serpent” as the devil and Satan, connecting the final enemy described in Revelation with the deceiver who appeared near the beginning of Scripture.

The pattern continues through individuals, rulers, kingdoms, false teaching, temptation, betrayal, and spiritual oppression. What appears on the surface to be merely human may sometimes be part of a deeper conflict.

Discernment without condemnation

The purpose of these passages is not to encourage believers to accuse people of being demons or to treat every disagreement as demonic. Scripture distinguishes between the person and the spiritual enemy.

Jesus delivered the afflicted rather than treating them as the enemy. Paul declared that the Christian struggle is ultimately not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual powers. The person may need truth, mercy, correction, healing, or deliverance, while the spiritual influence must be resisted.

This distinction is essential: people are not the enemy, even when the enemy attempts to work through human fear, pride, deception, temptation, or opposition.

Why these moments matter

These passages teach believers to look beyond appearances without abandoning wisdom or personal responsibility. They reveal that spiritual warfare is often hidden within ordinary conversations, decisions, temptations, and conflicts.

The visible person may be speaking, but another influence may be attempting to direct the message.

The Veiled Enemy follows the moments when Scripture pulls back that veil, exposes the unseen conflict, and shows the authority of God over the power operating behind it.

Genesis 3:1-15

1Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

2The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”

4“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5“For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

8Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

10He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

11And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

12The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

13Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

14So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,

“Cursed are you above all livestock

and all wild animals!

You will crawl on your belly

and you will eat dust

all the days of your life.

15And I will put enmity

between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and hers;

he will crush your head,

and you will strike his heel.”

The serpent behind the fall of man, this is the first moment we see demonic forces influencing man tempting them to sin. It wasn’t just a serpent tempting Adam and Eve but later in Revelation we learn that Satan was serpent of old.

— Angel Olivera

Ezekiel 28:1-19

1The word of the Lord came to me: 2“Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“ ‘In the pride of your heart

you say, “I am a god;

I sit on the throne of a god

in the heart of the seas.”

But you are a mere mortal and not a god,

though you think you are as wise as a god.

3Are you wiser than Daniel?

Is no secret hidden from you?

4By your wisdom and understanding

you have gained wealth for yourself

and amassed gold and silver

in your treasuries.

5By your great skill in trading

you have increased your wealth,

and because of your wealth

your heart has grown proud.

6“ ‘Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“ ‘Because you think you are wise,

as wise as a god,

7I am going to bring foreigners against you,

the most ruthless of nations;

they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom

and pierce your shining splendor.

8They will bring you down to the pit,

and you will die a violent death

in the heart of the seas.

9Will you then say, “I am a god,”

in the presence of those who kill you?

You will be but a mortal, not a god,

in the hands of those who slay you.

10You will die the death of the uncircumcised

at the hands of foreigners.

I have spoken, declares the Sovereign Lord.’ ”

11The word of the Lord came to me: 12“Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“ ‘You were the seal of perfection,

full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

13You were in Eden,

the garden of God;

every precious stone adorned you:

carnelian, chrysolite and emerald,

topaz, onyx and jasper,

lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl.

Your settings and mountings were made of gold;

on the day you were created they were prepared.

14You were anointed as a guardian cherub,

for so I ordained you.

You were on the holy mount of God;

you walked among the fiery stones.

15You were blameless in your ways

from the day you were created

till wickedness was found in you.

16Through your widespread trade

you were filled with violence,

and you sinned.

So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God,

and I expelled you, guardian cherub,

from among the fiery stones.

17Your heart became proud

on account of your beauty,

and you corrupted your wisdom

because of your splendor.

So I threw you to the earth;

I made a spectacle of you before kings.

18By your many sins and dishonest trade

you have desecrated your sanctuaries.

So I made a fire come out from you,

and it consumed you,

and I reduced you to ashes on the ground

in the sight of all who were watching.

19All the nations who knew you

are appalled at you;

you have come to a horrible end

and will be no more.’ ”

In this passage Ezekiel is talking to the King of Tyre but soon transitions to what the spirit influencing him in this case Satan himself. We know this because of the words used Cherun, in the garden of Eden, and other imagery the King himself would not of been part of.

— Angel Olivera

Matthew 8:28-34

28When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. 29“What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”

30Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. 31The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”

32He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. 33Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.

More demonic possession hidden in this man was many “Legion”

— Angel Olivera

Matthew 16:21-23

21From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.

22Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”

23Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

This did not mean Peter was Satan it was Jesus speaking to what was influencing him.

— Angel Olivera

Mark 1:21-28

21They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue and began to teach. 22The people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law. 23Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an impure spirit cried out, 24“What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”

25 “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” 26The impure spirit shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek.

27The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, “What is this? A new teaching—and with authority! He even gives orders to impure spirits and they obey him.” 28News about him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee.

Demonic possession, not only can demons be an influence by oppression but by possession. If there is a vacancy we could be inviting demons in.

— Angel Olivera

Acts 16:16-18

16Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” 18She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.

Revelation 12:9

9The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

Tiring back to Genesis 3

— Angel Olivera

Revelation 20:2

2He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.

One again Satan referenced as the ancient serpent. The serpent from long ago.

— Angel Olivera

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