A major source of the beliefs, values, and practices we absorb from our native cultures originates from satan, who has deceived the whole world. As the ruler of this world, he has communicated enslaving traits to all of mankind, often through our five senses—sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch—which leave lasting impressions on our hearts, minds, and character. Beyond this, communication from evil influences also occurs directly from demonic spirits, who share our environment and regard us as enemies. This dangerous form of communication can be transferred straight into our minds without any involvement of our senses, leaving us unaware as it shapes our thoughts and attitudes. The world, under satan's dominion, has shaped our pre-conversion heart, affecting our relationship with God, and it is imperative to recognize this evil influence that holds us in bondage and hinders our spiritual growth.

Revelation 18:4 delivers a grave warning from heaven, urging, 'Come out of her, My people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues.' This command is pressing as the world nears its anti-God climax, with Babylon's influence now extending globally through powerful mass communication networks that spread its ways into the minds of men, turning them against their Creator and His people. The influence of Babylon is imposed through communication, experienced in countless examples of misguided conduct by those unknowingly enslaved by its evil sway. The apostles Paul and John address this pervasive burden. In II Corinthians 4:3-4, Paul notes that the minds of the perishing are blinded by the god of this age, preventing the light of the gospel from shining on them. Additional subtle influence occurs when one absorbs Babylon's ways and words without monitoring the attitudes picked up and lived. Above all, men face the inaudible yet powerful spiritual communication from Babylon's invisible ruler, the prince of the power of the air, and his demonic hordes. Resisting this communication is daunting, even for the aware, requiring constant vigilance, yet it is the key to blunting Babylon's call. Revelation 12:9 confirms there is no escape from this influence, as the great dragon, that serpent of old called the devil and satan, deceives the whole world. Born into a deceived world, we absorb its ways until God reveals an alternative. Modern Babylon's communication is unprecedented in intensity and reach, utilizing radio, music, movies, television, and the Internet to exert visible and audible influence globally. There is no place to run; the battle to resist is almost entirely internal, fought where we live and conduct life. Revelation 18:2 describes Babylon as a habitation of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird, linking demons to predatory and revolting characteristics. These demonic counterparts inhabit the ocean of air alongside us, communicating their thoughts and attitudes to our minds through the very air that supports life, often without our awareness. Most people do not realize they are deceived or how it happens, as this corrupting communication permeates the culture we are born into. Despite being freed by God's revelation, the urgent admonition is to remain active in resisting, as this communication can be reabsorbed, enslaving us once again.

The pervasive communication from evil influences has profoundly shaped human nature since the beginning. Adam and Eve, initially created with a pure heart, were exposed to Satan, a malevolent spirit with beliefs and character contrary to God's. Without interference from God, they chose to submit to this evil influence, initiating the corruption of man's heart. This single interaction with Satan effected a profound change in their attitudes and perspectives, marking the start of personal corruption and the present evil world. This corruption did not end with Adam and Eve; it spread to all humanity, as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin. From birth, we enter a world permeated with the spirit of Satan and his demons, as well as the evil cultures they have generated through a deceived mankind. Unbeknownst to us, we face a dual challenge to our innocence from both demonic influences and the corrupt world around us. Human history demonstrates how quickly we absorb the course of this world, losing our innocence and becoming self-centered and deceived. A sobering reality is that a spirit being like Satan can communicate with humans by transferring thoughts, and the individual might never realize it, assuming these thoughts are their own. The vast majority remain unaware of their bondage to Satan, often scoffing at the notion if told. This veil of blindness, formed by a deceived mind shaped in Satan-manipulated cultures, is antagonistic to God and His Word, resisting His approach to heal. Even after the removal of this blindness by God, the effects of the self-centered way of life absorbed from the world linger in our attitudes and characters, presenting a continuous challenge to overcome.

The influence of evil is affected by means of communication, and strong communication takes place by means of seeing overwhelming numbers of examples of misguided conduct by those already enslaved. There is a far more subtle influence that comes by hearing words and failing to truly monitor the attitudes in which they are given. Above all, this subtle influence is the inaudible but nonetheless attractive and powerful spiritual communication of the invisible leader the prince of the power of the air and the hordes of equally evil demons that he commands. Deflecting the influence of these communications can be a daunting task that calls for one to be aware of its reality and to be on guard, because identifying and resisting the communication is the key to blunting the siren call. The major difference between what is now faced in the end-time rising of Babylon as compared to previous ones lies in the intensification, availability, and receptivity of its communication. Never before has mankind been confronted with these twisted demonic persuasive powers which are using the visible and audible influence of radio, music, movies, television, and the Internet, in addition to the already-in-transition of thought and standards of conduct in religion, education, politics, and the military, all of these at one time available to communicate worldwide. The battle to resist is almost entirely internal and is fought right where life is conducted. Satan is described as a spirit being who is the prince of the power of the air, the chief of the jurisdiction of the air, the spirit now operating in the sons of stubbornness. Jurisdiction means the limits or territory within which authority may be exercised. That authority has something to do with air. The word aion is correctly translated as course and represents any distinct age or period of human history as marked out from another by particular characteristics. It is the subtle informing spirit of the cosmos or world of men living alienated and apart from God. The cosmos gives the overall picture of mankind alienated from God during all history. Course is the force that moves along the road of carnality and drives human nature. The term spirit is that word used to indicate the invisible immaterial influence whose characteristics are absorbed and then manifested in the attitudes and conduct of the general population of a given people. Air is that substance, that realm through which most communication travels. Sound is possible because of the vibration of air. The communication involving electronic media travels through air. There are forms of communication that require no sound but nonetheless involve the ability of air to be the media for communication. Every cell in the body is vibrating. The major reason it is possible to see in addition to hearing is also because of the vibration of the media in which all move and breathe. The crystallization of even pure water becomes distorted in the presence of a human being in a bad attitude. Somehow the negative vibrations of self-centered, angry, and envious thoughts are communicated with the water, and it reacts. Demons do not need to speak overtly. They can send forth their thoughts right through the air, and the mind is able to pick them up. Because human thoughts can be communicated through the air, demonic thoughts can be communicated to another human being without overtly revealing themselves.