[Truth 4 of 14; 2 minute read]
Satan, also called the Devil, is the enemy (adversary) of God, who through unrighteousness in the form of self-generated pride as a high-ranking, holy angel named Lucifer (which means Morning Star), rebelled against God and was banished from Heaven along with his army of rebel angels (now known as “demons) who assisted in the plot. They were thrown down to Earth and ultimately condemned to Hell. (adapted from the writings of E.W. Kenyon)
Satan wants to be God and he wants to do anything to keep you from God. He represents evil and everything that is un-Godly in this world which was caused by sin and that sin has made God’s perfect creation temporarily imperfect. One day it will be perfect again for eternity with a new heaven and a new earth where Jesus will reign as King of Kings and Lord of Lords and only those who accept His grace will live there.
Satan was allowed by God to serve as His enemy. Where else would he have gotten his power if not from God, the creator of all things? God left him free to commit many crimes and pile on more condemnation for himself while he tries to harm others. The devil’s goal is to destroy man or make man destroy himself. He has influence over every living human, but he can’t “make” you do anything. He can on lie, deceive and tempt you to make the wrong choices. If there is evil anywhere in the world, Satan and his demons are right in the middle of it all. His purpose is to give man two clear choices of whom they will serve.
Because of his pride Satan took on a task that he had no chance to win, but his chaos and destruction continues all around us on the Earth, but ultimately God’s justice will be served and Satan, his demons and all of God’s enemies (the Anti-Christ, the False Prophet and all those who reject Christ) will be thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10) where they “will be tormented, without ceasing, forever and ever.”
Satan is the god of this world, the Prince of the Power of the Air, the father of lies, and many other names, who is now at work in the lives of those who are dead in their sin and separated from God. He is the source of unbelief and every moral and spiritual evil. You see his influence all around us. Satan hates God because God is God and he, the devil, is not and he wants you to hate God, too. He and his minions, including Godless human beings in every walk of life, use lies to make bad things look good and good things look bad, to make right look wrong and wrong look right. Satan is the author of confusion who makes it difficult for you the discern the “Truth.” He will never tell you the Truth because he is evil and absolutely incapable of telling the Truth.
“I am terribly concerned as I hear more and more about how people flirt with immorality and how people dance with materialism and how they consider themselves invulnerable to Satan. We are not invulnerable to Satan- he is wise, he is crafty… and just as God wishes you to spend forever with him in heaven, Satan wishes you to spend eternity separated from God. Guard your heart!” Do not let him in there. (Max Lucado; emphasis added).
His strategy is simple… “make sin less offensive, heaven less appealing, hell less horrific and the Gospel less urgent.“ He even wants you to believe that he doesn’t really exist. Do not be deceived! We all are either being transformed into the image of Jesus Christ or into the image of this world, each with different outcomes. It’s either Jesus or the world and it can’t be both at the same time, nor should it be. But if you are a born again believer, you are “temporarily in” this sinful world, but you are not “of” it, until that “great” day when Jesus returns.
“There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devil. One is to disbelieve in his existence. The other is to believe in his existence and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in him.” (C.S. Lewis; emphasis added).
The devil really does exist and his power and influence over all non-believers is through lies, deceptions and confusion and he will stop at nothing to get you to compromise your convictions, corrupt your character and forfeit your soul for eternity. And if you are not a “born again believer” you too, just like Satan, are the enemy of God.
But because of His love for you, God has a plan for your redemption and salvation, but only through genuine repentance and saving faith in Jesus Christ through His death and resurrection.
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