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The
Devil
Though
originally an angel of God, the devil appears as a fallen being in Genesis,
where he usurped Adam’s rulership of earth by tempting him to sin. He then
opposes God and man as the god of this world throughout the rest of the Bible,
not suffering final defeat until nearly the end of the book of Revelation. His
significance as a character in Scripture is thus great enough to require an
entire chapter of this book for discussion.
Lucifer
Before He Became Satan
Lucifer
was created by Christ along with other principalities and powers in heaven and
earth (Col.
1:15-18; Job
38:4-7; Ezek.
28:11-17). In Ezekiel
28:14-16 we read:
Thou
art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon
the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the
stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast
created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise
they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned:
therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will
destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
Thus
he was not always the devil or an adversary of God. He was created perfect and
sinless and became the enemy of God and man through the sin of trying to exalt
himself above God.
In
Ezekiel
28:14-16 we read that Lucifer was at one time in the mountain of God. This
was not when an earthly king of Tyre ruled, so the reference is to the eternal
past when the cherub himself had a literal throne on earth on the mountain of
God. Here we have an insight into the position of Lucifer before his fall, and a
revelation regarding the cause of his fall (vv.
13-17).
Ezekiel 28:13
tells us that Lucifer was also in a pre-Adamite garden of Eden:
Thou
hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the
sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the
sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy
tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast
created.
No
earthly king of Tyre was ever in Eden, as was this angel, nor does this Eden
refer to Adam’s Eden, although Lucifer was in it also (Gen. 3; 2 Cor. 11:3). The
Eden here was a garden in the earth when he ruled in perfection and sinlessness
before he fell.
Lucifer
Was the First Ruler of Earth
Lucifer
was one of the archangels who ruled over beings in the original creations of Genesis 1:1.
According to Isaiah
14:12-14; Jeremiah
4:23-26; Ezekiel
28:11-17; Luke
10:18; 2 Peter
3:4-8 and other passages, Lucifer had a kingdom on earth long before the six
days of Genesis 1:3 -
2:25 and the creation of Adam. These passages reveal that he fell, led an
invasion into heaven and was defeated.
At
that time the earth was cursed and all life destroyed by the first flood (Gen. 1:2). Satan
regained rulership over the earth in Adam’s day, usurping man’s dominion by
causing his fall. His relationship to man has always been that of a usurper; as
long as man tolerates his dictatorship, he will remain subject to Satan. Each
man can now, by the power of the gospel, defeat Satan and rid himself of every
demonic relationship. This is what God demands, and He has provided means
whereby it can be attained (Mk. 16:17-18;
Lk. 10:19; 24:49; Acts 1:8; Eph. 6:10-18;
Jas. 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:8-9).
Satan’s present position as ruler of this world’s system will be ended forever
when Christ comes (Rev. 19-20), and
man will again inherit the earth and live in it forever.
He
Was Cast Out of Heaven
Isaiah 14:12
says, "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!" Jesus
told the disciples in Luke 10:18, "I
beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven." If he fell from heaven, he must
have been cast out (the Hebrew for "fallen" in Isa. 14:12 also
has the sense of "cast out"). He was thrown out bodily by superior forces.
He
Was Cut Down to the Ground
The
second phrase in Isaiah 14:12
says, "how art thou cut down to the ground." This was the reason he did not
remain in heaven. The Hebrew for "cut down" means to fell a tree; destroy
anything; cut down; cut off; cut asunder. He was forcibly intercepted in his
invasion of heaven, and was defeated and cast down as a tree being felled by a
woodsman (Isa.
9:10; 15:2;
22:25; 45:2). He was cut
down to the ground and so found himself back on the earth he ascended from.
He
Had Weakened the Nations
The
last part of Isaiah 14:12
describes Lucifer as the one "which didst weaken the nations." Before his
rebellious invasion of heaven Lucifer had weakened the earthly nations over
which he had ruled since the first creation of the earth and its inhabitants.
This was before Adam’s time. The following are six proofs that Lucifer ruled
men:
- They are called nations in Isaiah 14:12. The
Hebrew word goy is translated Gentiles, nations, people, and heathen
hundreds of times, but never angels. It follows then that the nations Lucifer
ruled over must have been made up of men.
- God told Adam to replenish the earth (Gen. 1:28). He told
Noah to do the same thing 1,656 years later (Gen. 9:1). It is as
reasonable to believe the earth was plenished before Adam’s time as it is to
accept that it was plenished before Noah’s. Furthermore, the command to
replenish indicates the kind of inhabitants the earth had in the first place,
for Adam and his race could only reproduce their own kind (Gen. 1:11; 6:20).
- Jeremiah’s description of the chaotic earth confirms the fact that men, not
angels, inhabited the earth before Adam:
I
beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and
they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the
hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of
the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness,
and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by
his fierce anger. (Jer.
4:23-26)
Before
the time of Adam, men lived in cities and fruitful places on earth, so they must
have eaten food and been mortal as we are today. (For proof that this text
refers to the pre-Adamite world, see the many notes on that subject in the
Dake Annotated Reference Bible and God’s Plan for Man, both by
this author.)
- Ezekiel also confirms the fact that the inhabitants of the pre-Adamite world
were people who were ruled by kings. As his fall is described by Ezekiel,
Lucifer is told, "I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings,
that they may behold thee . . . . All they that know thee among the people shall
be astonished at thee" (Ezek. 28:17b, 19a).
- Peter indicates that the pre-Adamites were mortals, for they drowned. In 2 Peter 3:5 we read
"that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of
the water and in the water," proving that the earth was not created all wet as
described in Genesis
1:2 when "the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters." Rather, it
was created dry and was then flooded and later restored to dry ground as
recorded in Genesis 1:9-10.
Verse 6 of 2 Peter 3 describes
this flood, saying that "the world that then was, being overflowed with water,
perished." The Greek word for world here is kosmos which means
social order. Thus "the world that then was" refers to the social order before
Adam’s day. It is contrasted with the heavens and earth "which are now" (v. 7)—since the six
days’ work of Genesis 1:3 -
2:25.
- No scripture states that angels or spirit beings of any kind lived on the
earth. Satan’s angels are spoken of as stars of heaven, indicating that they
were originally created to be God’s subjects in heaven, not Lucifer’s on earth
(Rev.
12:1-12).
The
only statement in Scripture that causes some to stumble over the idea of
pre-Adamites being men is 1 Corinthians
15:45 which speaks of the first man Adam. This verse can be understood by
realizing that Adam was created the first of this present race of men. It should
never be taken to mean that he was the first man who ever lived on the earth,
for nations of men—mortal beings capable of being drowned in a flood—operated in
a social system before Adam and the flood of Lucifer’s time.
I
Will Ascend into Heaven
Isaiah 14:13
reveals some things Lucifer said in his heart, the first being "I will ascend
into heaven." This was part of Lucifer’s plan to overthrow God. According to Colossians 1:16,
thrones, dominions, principalities, and powers—visible and invisible—were
created in heaven and in earth. This shows the establishment of kingdoms in many
places in the heavens—on other planets besides the earth. Lucifer was given
dominion of the earth and worked deceitfully to get other angelic rulers to
follow him in his war against God. Not only did Lucifer’s earthly subjects
rebel, but a third of God’s angels did too, for that many will be cast down with
Satan in the future tribulation (Rev. 12:7-12).
The place of mobilization was the earth. How long they rebelled before the
actual break with God is not known.
I
Will Exalt My Throne Above the Stars of God
Isaiah 14:13 not
only reveals Lucifer’s plan to invade heaven, dethrone God, and become the
supreme ruler of all creation, but it shows that he already was a ruler. If he
had a throne, he must have been a king.
I
Will Sit Upon the Mount of the Congregation
The
final statement in verse 13 proves
Lucifer was not content with his own throne, but wanted to sit on God’s throne
to be worshipped as the sovereign of all creation. His intent to sit on "the
mount of the congregation" reveals that there is a congregation of saints or
holy beings who gather to worship God. The phrase "in the sides of the north"
gives the location or direction of heaven—north of the earth. Psalm 75:6-7
speaks of promotion coming, not from the east, west, or south, but from the
Lord; so according to this also, the Lord and heaven are in the north.
I
Will Ascend Above the Heights of the Clouds
This
statement in Isaiah 14:14
reveals the location of Lucifer’s kingdom before Adam’s time. It had to be under
the planet heaven, or Lucifer could not have determined in his heart to ascend
into heaven (v.
13). It had to be under the stars of God or he could not have determined to
exalt his throne above them (v. 13). It had to
be under the clouds that surround the earth or he could not have determined to
ascend above them (v. 14). Though a
kingdom could be located many places under heaven and under the stars, it could
not be under the clouds of earth without being on earth. This should convince us
that Lucifer had an earthly kingdom with earthly subjects. Furthermore, since
angels are not constituted like beings created to live on earth, we must
conclude they were not the subjects of Lucifer’s earthly kingdom. The fact that
Satan’s angels are now confined to the heavenlies surrounding the earth is proof
they are no longer fit to reside in heaven; and the fact that they will be
confined eternally in a hell beneath the earth (Mt. 25:41) proves
that they sinned in connection with Lucifer’s program of invading heaven from
the earth.
I
Will Be Like the Most High
This
part of Isaiah
14:14 was the central idea for all the rebellious activities of Lucifer. It
is a noble trait to desire to be like God or imitate Him in His consecration to
the highest good of all; but to transgress the laws of God and the central aim
of such consecration, to become selfish and devoted to self-gratification at the
expense of the highest good, is the greatest of all crimes. Lucifer wanted to be
like God at the expense of all who opposed him; this was extreme sinfulness
against God and nature. It was by this appeal to be like God that Eve was
deceived (Gen.
3:5). Christ came to imitate God among men, and to set an example of true
God-likeness: being like God in consecration to the good of all—not for
self-gratification. Thus He repeatedly declared the true nature of consecration
and godliness.
You
Shall Be Brought Down to Hell
Isaiah 14:15 thus
declares the final doom for Satan and all who follow him (Mt. 25:21; Rev. 20:10).
The
Fall Of Lucifer
We
have several scriptures describing this. He fell through pride over his own
beauty (Ezek.
28:11-17; 1 Tim.
3:6), and trying to exalt himself above God (Isa.
14:12-14).
The
Time of Lucifer’s Fall
Lucifer
fell when he rebelled against God to exalt his throne and kingdom from earth to
heaven, as seen in the above discussion of Isaiah
14:12-14. The time of his corruption and sin was surely before the days of
Adam, for Lucifer was already a fallen creature at the time he came to Adam’s
Eden (Gen. 2; 2 Cor. 11:4).
Lucifer
Cast Out of Heaven
He
was cast from heaven back to the ground at the time of his invasion (Ezek. 28:17; Isa. 14:12-14;
Lk. 10:18), and
he will be cast down to the ground again in the middle of Daniel’s seventieth
week (Rev.
12:7-12). Then he will be put into the bottomless pit for one thousand
years, to be loosed a short season again at the end of that time. After that he
will be cast into the lake of fire to be tormented forever (Rev.
20:1-10).
Lucifer
Humbled
According
to Ezekiel
28:17 he has already been humbled before kings, for he was cast down to the
ground before the nations over whom he ruled prior to Adam’s time (Isa.
14:12-14). He will again be brought down in defeat and humiliation before
the kings he will lead with Antichrist in the battle of Armageddon (Rev. 12:7-12;
16:13-16;
19:11-21;
20:1-3).
Finally, at the end of the Millennium he will be brought down to hell before all
kings and others who will spend eternity with him in the lake of fire (Mt. 25:41; Rev. 20:10).
THE
TRUTH ABOUT SATAN
Satan
is not an evil principle, an error of the mortal mind, a germ, an abstract
power, or a being with hoofs, horns, tail, and a pitchfork, presiding over the
lake of fire and the realm of the dead. He is a real person. Jesus dealt with
him as such (Mt.
4:1-11; 1 Jn.
3:8; Acts
10:38; Lk.
13:16). Likewise, the apostles waged war with him, telling saints to resist
him and take a stand against his wiles (Eph. 4:27; 6:10-18; 1 Th. 2:18; Jas. 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:8-9).
Satan is the present usurper of man’s dominion—the "prince" and "god" of this
world’s system (Jn.
8:44; 12:31; 14:30; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:1-3; 1 Jn. 5:19). The
Greek word archon, meaning ruler, is thus applied to Satan (Jn. 12:31; 14:30; 16:11), ruler of
demons (Mt.
12:24; Mk.
3:22), and ruler of the air (Eph. 2:2).
What
Satan Is Called
The
following list contains only a few of his 175 names and titles:
General
Facts About Satan
As
seen in the list below, the book of Job contains many facts about Satan:
Satan
Is Real
He
is a real angel with a body, soul, and spirit. He is described as a beautiful
creature who fell through pride (Ezek.
28:11-17; 1 Tim.
3:6). He has been seen with a body (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7; Ps. 109:6; Zech. 3:1-2; Mt. 4:1-11), and
He will be bound bodily with a chain and cast into a prison (Rev.
20:1-3).
Many
scriptures indicate Satan is a person. Personal pronouns (Mt. 4:1-11; 12:26), statements
(Zech. 3:1-2;
Job 1:6-12;
2:1-7),
conversations (Mt.
4:3-10; Jude
9), descriptions (Ezek.
28:11-17; Isa.
14:12-14), and names, acts, and attributes are all ascribed to him:
He
is a great celestial and terrestrial ruler, ruling most of man’s business,
social, political, and religious activities (Eph. 2:2; 6:10-18; 2 Cor. 4:4; Jn. 12:31). His
heavenly realm is organized into principalities and powers (Eph. 6:10-12;
Dan. 10:12 -
11:1; Mt.
12:24-30). His subjects are fallen angels, fallen men, and demons of various
kinds (Mt.
25:41; Rev.
12:7-12; Jn.
8:44; 1 Jn.
3:8-10; Jas.
2:19). He is the head of man’s religion and a leader in religious affairs
(Rev. 2:9; 3:9; 2 Cor.
11:14).
The
Character of Satan
He
has never been known to be merciful, good, loving, kind, gentle, pitiful,
patient, or to have any of the graces of God since his fall. Rather, he is:
Satan
Is Compared To:
Satan
Is Good At:
The
Work Of Satan
In
general, Satan’s work is to oppose God whenever possible. For this reason his
work varies in some respects with the purposes of God in different ages and
dispensations. In Old Testament times Satan’s great work was to cause the fall
of man, usurp his dominion, and try to prevent the coming of the Messiah into
the world in order to avert his own defeat. In the New Testament he tries to
nullify the work of Christ in the lives of men. In general Satan now works
to:
Christ
died to destroy and cancel all these works of the devil for believers in this
age, and to give complete mastery over them (Col. 2:14-17;
1 Pet. 2:24; Lk. 10:19; Jn. 14:12; Mk. 16:17-18).
The only works listed above that will not be put down in this age are: sin and
rebellion among men; Satan’s rule of the nations; the reign of death; and
Satan’s opposition to saints. These will be done away in the Millennium (Eph. 1:10; 1 Cor.
15:24-28; Rev. 21:1-8; 22:3).
Proofs
That Sickness Is Satan’s Work
The
Son of God was manifested that He might destroy the works of the devil (1 Jn. 3:8). The
works of Satan come about by devils causing many physical infirmities and
sicknesses, as seen below:
- Satan smote Job with sore boils (Job 2:7)
- A dumb man was possessed with a devil (Mt. 9:32-33)
- A blind and dumb man was possessed with a devil (Mt. 12:22)
- Jesus said, "If Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself . . . I
cast out devils by the Spirit of God" (Mt. 12:26-28)
- A woman’s daughter was "grievously vexed with a devil" (Mt. 15:22)
- Jesus rebuked the devil (Mt. 17:18)
- A man had a spirit of an unclean devil (Lk. 4:33)
- The devil had thrown him in the midst (Lk. 4:35)
- The devil threw a child down and tore him (Lk. 9:42)
- Jesus cast a devil out of a dumb man (Lk. 11:14)
- Satan bound a woman (Lk. 13:16)
- Satan comes to steal, kill, and destroy (Jn. 10:10)
- Jesus went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the
devil, for God was with Him (Acts 10:38)
- To deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh (1 Cor. 5:5)
- They cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and
healed them (Mk.
6:7-13)
- Jesus commanded the disciples to heal the sick, and they returned with the
report that the devils were subject to them in His name (Lk. 10:9, 17)
SATAN
AND WORLD GOVERNMENTS
In
Daniel
10:12-13 we read:
Fear
not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to
understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I
am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one
and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me;
and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
This
is the satanic prince ruling the kingdom of Persia for Satan who is recognized
in Scripture as being the god of this world, having usurped man’s dominion (Mt. 4:8-9; 12:24-30; Jn. 8:44; 12:31; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:2; 6:10-18; 1 Jn. 3:8; Rev. 12:7-12;
16:13-16;
20:1-10).
Satan
has trusted angels over all the governments of this world. They are responsible
to him for carrying out his will in those governments. He seeks to hinder God’s
plan in the fulfillment of prophecy regarding world kingdoms. God also has
trusted angels who carry out His will concerning what He has predicted to take
place in the kingdoms of this world (Dan. 10:11-21;
11:1; 12:1). Hence, there
are wars between these two groups of angels in the heavenlies (Dan. 10:13,20-21; 11:1; 12:1; Jude 9; Rev. 12:7-12).
All wars lost or won on earth are results of wars lost or won by these heavenly
armies.
Similar
to this conflict over governments, there are good and evil spirit beings seeking
carry out the will of their masters in the lives of individuals as well (Mt. 18:10; 2 Cor. 10:4-6;
Eph. 2:2; 6:10-18; Heb. 1:14; Jude 9). Satan
himself is active in seeking to defeat God’s purpose in the lives of His
children (1 Chr.
21:1; Job
1:6; 2:1; Zech. 3:1; Mt. 4:1-11; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:2; 6:10-18; 1 Jn. 3:8; Rev. 12:12).
In
Daniel 10:20
Gabriel told of the satanic prince over the Grecian Empire that caused Alexander
the Great to be so successful as to destroy the Medo-Persian Empire completely
in thirteen years. This prince of Grecia is the spirit now confined to the abyss
who will come out in the last days and cause the human Antichrist to revive the
old Grecian Empire, so they can all oppose Jesus Christ at Armageddon.
In
Revelation 17:8
the beast out of the abyss is a satanic angel—not the human spirit of a dead
man. He does not incarnate himself in the human Antichrist or beast out of the
sea, but merely uses him as a tool to revive the fifth or Grecian kingdom as the
eighth and last kingdom in the times of the Gentiles. This spirit ruled the old
Grecian Empire, the fifth of the five kingdoms that fell before John’s day (17:10). When his
kingdom fell he was confined to the abyss where he remained during the sixth
kingdom (the Roman Empire, which was the one in existence in John’s day) and
ever since. He will be confined to the abyss until the ten kingdoms are formed
inside the Roman Empire to make the seventh kingdom of 17:10. He will
then be loosed and use the Antichrist to revive the old Grecian Empire as the
eighth kingdom of 17:11. This is
what the angel meant when he said the beast was (had existed on earth
before John’s day), and is not (on the earth in John’s day), and shall
ascend out of the abyss and go to perdition (17:8).
Kingdoms
of this world have always been controlled by godly or satanic angels and wars on
earth are lost or won as a result of battles in the heavenlies between the good
and bad angels. God plans the rise and fall of certain kingdoms and Satan seeks
to keep the prophetic Word from coming to pass (Isa. 24:21-23;
25:7; Dan. 10:13-21;
11:1; 12:1; Eph. 6:12; Rev. 12:7-12;
16:13-16).
SATAN’S
WAR ON THE SAINTS
The
most important work of Satan among men now is to counterfeit the doctrines and
experiences of God as revealed in Scripture, in order to deceive saints (2 Cor.
11:14-15; Eph. 6:10-18;
1 Tim. 4:1-7;
Rev.
12:9-12). Men are commanded to prove and test all doctrines and experiences
in the supernatural realm to see if they are of God or Satan (1 Cor. 2:12-16;
Phil. 1:9-10;
1 Th.
5:21-22; 1 Jn.
4:1-6).
It
is certain that not every religion, doctrine, and experience among men is of
God. We must, therefore, judge them by the plain written Word of God. The
knowledge of truth is the first essential in warfare against demons and error.
Great is the danger when believers accept anything and everything in the realm
of the supernatural as being from the Lord. The fact that the believer is a
child of God does not stop the devil from trying in every conceivable way to
imitate God to him. Believers are the ones Satan concentrates on and wars
against.
There
are definite ways outlined in Scripture whereby one can detect what kind of
spirit is seeking to control him. But if one neglects to study the Word he may
fall prey to one of Satan’s demons through ignorance. Ignorance is one of the
chief means by which Satan and his forces try to control men. It accounts for
their widespread success in getting men to accept their suggestions, doctrines,
ideas, leadings, and guidance. Among the guiding principles useful in detecting
good and evil spirits, and their operations and doctrines, the outstanding ones
are these:
- Any doctrine that denies or causes doubt and unbelief concerning anything
taught in Scripture is from Satan and his demons (1 Tim. 4:1-8).
Any religion denying the inspiration of the Bible; the reality of God as a
person; the virgin birth and divinity of Christ; His miraculous power and
supernatural ministry; the death, burial, bodily resurrection, and bodily
manifestation of Christ after His resurrection; the bodily ascension to heaven
and coming again of Jesus Christ to set up a kingdom in the world forever; the
necessity of the new birth, cleansing from sin and living free from sin; and the
numerous other experiences of the Bible—any religion denying these fundamental
truths is yielding to "the spirit of error" and not "the spirit of truth" (1 Jn. 4:1-6).
- Any power, influence, or doctrine that causes one to become passive,
inactive, submissive, and unresisting to the workings of supernatural spirits
seeking to control his life contrary to the teachings of Scripture, is not of
God. The Bible says, "resist the devil" (Jas. 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:8-9).
Any inclination to approve of sin or ignore the necessity of repentance and holy
living is promoted by Satan. The same is true for any tendency to lessen the
penalty for sin, or doubt that hell is literal and eternal. Just as God requires
truth in the mind for the working of the Holy Spirit in a life, so the devil
requires the believing of lies to hold men in bondage. See 1 Cor. 6:9-11;
10:12-13;
2 Cor.
11:3-15; Gal. 5:19-21;
6:7-8; Eph. 6:10-18;
1 Tim. 4:1-9;
Jas. 1:22; 2:10.
- The Holy Spirit can be recognized by His fruit: love, joy, peace,
long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance (Gal.
5:22-23).
Methods
of Satan
Satan
uses every conceivable means to hold men in subjection to himself and keep them
from turning to God. If he fails in this, he tries to kill the believer’s
testimony and ruin his influence for God.
Lukewarmness
Satan
tries to get others in a lukewarm condition and, if he succeeds, urges them to
stay in that condition so that God will cut them off in the end.
Unholy
Passions
He
stirs up unholy passions, causing people to throw away all restraint and live a
life of revelry.
Suicide
If
a saint falls, Satan tries to make him stay fallen or commit suicide. He tempts
men to end their lives by insisting it is the best way out; but he hides the
fact that this will only be the beginning of real torment in eternal hell.
Deception
About Sin
Satan
tries to make people think they are missing everything in life if they do not
engage in all kinds of sins which, in the end, will damn their souls. He also
emphasizes sin and sinful pleasures as innocent enjoyment.
Deception
About Serving God
Satan
tries to make people think there is no joy in serving the Lord. This is one of
his greatest errors. Serving Christ and winning souls who will be thankful
forever pays the greatest dividends and affords the greatest pleasures
known.
Deception
About Wealth
The
devil preaches to the diligent businessman that he needs to spend all his time
getting rich before serving the Lord. The truth is, if one will truly serve the
Lord, he can be abundantly prosperous with God’s help.
Compromise
in Church Leadership
Satan
urges churches and their leaders to make religion a paying proposition by
appealing to the rich through lowering the standards of holy living, making
salvation easy for all, and compromising essentials of the faith; and by feeding
the sheep messages on current events and book reviews instead of the infallible
Word of God.
God’s
Purpose in Allowing Satan to Continue
Duty
of Saints Regarding Satan
When
one is born again he enters the realm of the supernatural and spiritual. He must
study the Bible to learn how he should walk and conduct himself in spiritual
warfare with Satan and demons. Saints are to:
Evidences
of Being Influenced by Satan
The
Doom Of Satan
Revelation
12:7-12 reveals the defeat of Satan and his angels in the middle of Daniel’s
seventieth week, but his doom was predicted much earlier than this. Right after
Adam and Eve sinned, when God pronounced upon them the curse of their fall, He
also predicted Satan’s doom, saying, "And I will put enmity between thee and the
woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou
shalt bruise his heel" (Gen. 3:15). Isaiah
also prophesied of the defeat of Satan, fallen angels and demons at the battle
of Armageddon:
And
it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the
high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. And they
shall be gathered together, as prisoners are gathered in the pit, and shall be
shut up in the prison, and after many days shall they be visited. Then the moon
shall be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the LORD of hosts shall reign in
mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients gloriously. (Isa.
24:21-23)
Speaking
of the blessings of the Millennium, Isaiah also prophesied that God would
destroy "the face of the covering cast over all people, and the veil that is
spread over all nations" (25:7). The idea
here is the removal of all satanic darkness now covering the nations. The prince
of the power of the air that works in all sons of sin will be removed from all
hearts and minds. Then men will, for the first time since Adam’s influence, be
free from all satanic influences. Satan is the ruler of the darkness of this
world, and he and all his agents will be confined to the abyss during the
thousand years of Revelation
20:1-6.
Genesis 3:15 was
fulfilled on the cross when Jesus uttered the words, "It is finished" (Jn. 19:30). It was
at the cross that Jesus "spoiled principalities and powers" (Col. 2:15). When
Paul says that Christ "made a shew of them openly" (Col. 2:15), he
uses the Greek verb deigmatizo which means to expose to public infamy and
shame. The allusion is to the custom of conquerors making a public demonstration
of conquered enemies. Satan and his human agents publicly shamed Christ by
crucifying Him, but the cross turned out to be their public defeat and shame.
The final expression of Satan’s doom will be his thousand-year confinement to
the abyss (Rev.
20:1-6), followed by his defeat at the battle of Gog and Magog, after which
he will be cast into the lake of fire which was "prepared for the devil and his
angels" (vv.
7-10; Mt.
25:41).
In
Mark
13:24-26 we read, "But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall
be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars of heaven
shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall
they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory." The
words "powers that are in heaven" refer to the satanic hosts that now rule the
air (Eph.
2:1-3; 6:12). They are
now above us, but will not be at the coming of Christ, for they will be cast
down to earth three and a half years before then (Rev. 12:7-12).
Isaiah spoke of them being defeated at the end of this age (Isa. 24:21-22;
34:4). Both
Isaiah and Jesus made predictions of them while they were powers in the
heavenlies. At Christ’s coming they will not only be completely defeated, but
will be cast into prison for one thousand years (Isa. 24:21-22;
Rev.
20:1-10).
The
word "host" means a mass of persons, an army, a great company, and is so used
about 466 times of men and angels. The planets and the hosts of heaven are
distinguished in 2 Kings 23:4-5.
The hosts of heaven are intelligent beings that have been worshipped by men in
past ages (2 Ki.
17:16; 21:3, 5; 2 Chr. 33:3-5;
Jer. 8:2; 19:13; Zeph. 1:5; Acts 7:42). That
they could not refer to the material heavens is clear from Hebrews 12:26
where God says He will shake heaven only once more. This will be when the
heavens and earth are renovated by fire, one thousand years after "the host" and
"powers of heaven are shaken" as in the above prophecies (2 Pet.
3:5-13).
The
purpose of the thousand-year reign of Christ after the second advent will be to
suppress all rebellion (1 Cor.
15:24-28). The final defeat of Satan and his hosts at the end of that period
(the Millennium) must be accomplished before the earth is entirely rid of
rebels. They must be confined to the lake of fire forever before rebellion is
eternally overcome. The earth will be purified by fire and made perfect the
third time. The kingdom of God will then be universal, as it was before
rebellion was started by Satan and Adam in their respective kingdoms.
Thus
we have numerous scriptures predicting with certainty the eternal doom of Satan
and all his followers. Every child of God should thus be encouraged to resist
the devil "stedfast in the faith" (1 Pet. 5:9),
knowing that Christ will be victorious in the end.
—Heavenly Hosts
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