Greetings Christians,
I felt lead by the Spirit to post this as I am sure it will help us to resist the enemy if we know a little bit more about him and why he does what he does. So I hope you enjoy this and let me know what you get out of it.
In the drama of redemption the devil has been the persistent foe of God from the beginning. One must know the teaching of the Bible concerning this arch-enemy of the soul if he is to understand the distressing condition around him and if he is to meet the adversary's attacks victoriously.
Three errors which the Devil uses to his own advantage must be studiously avoided. The first error is the popular belief that there is no personal devil. The second is that, if the devil does exist, he is nothing but a fantastic, long-eared, impish, mischievous Miltonic creation. The third error is that the devil's sole residence is hell. To hold any of these views is anti-scriptural. To ignore or to minimize the devil's power is to reduce one's resistance to his wiles.
A. The Biblical Designations Of The Devil.
The enemy of God is characterized in the Bible in many ways. "He is a liar, and the father of it" (Jon 8:44), "the prince of this world" (John 14:30); "the god of this world" (2Cor 4:4); "the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Eph 2:2); "your adversary the devil" (1 Pet 5:8); "the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan" (Rev 20:2)
B. The Origin Of The Devil
At least two passages of Scripture suggest the original nature of Satan and depict his fall from Heaven.
1. Ezekiel 28:12-19. These words refer to the king of Tyre, first as a historical personage, and second, as a type of the devil prior to the latter's expulsion from the presence of God. Note the phrases: "The anointed cherub" (verse 14), "full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty" (verse 12), "thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day thou was created" (verse 15). But "iniquity was found in thee" (verse 15); "thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty" (verse 17); therefore "I will cast thee to the ground" (verse 17).
The devil was originally a created being of wisdom, beauty and perfection. Because of pride he was debased from his pristine position. As the prince and god of this age he is extremely busy opposing the purposes of God.
2. Isaiah 14:12-15. The fall of Lucifer ("light-bearer") is here described. Observe the five-fold occurrence of the words "I will" in verses 13 and 14. The cherub lifted up his heart in self-will against God and was punished for his rebellion. "How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!" is not this fact reiterated in our Lord's statement "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from Heaven (Luke 10:18)?" (Compare Rev 12:7-9.)
C. The Character Of The Devil.
1. Satan is the mighty enemy of the Lord. Our wrestling is "not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness" (Eph. 6:12) The devil has unseen assistants. As Beelzebub he is "chief of the devils" (Luke 11:15), whose number is "legion" (Luke 8:30). He and his cohorts constitute a powerful host.
2. The devil is remarkably shrewd and cunning. He is the one who "deceiveth the whole world" (Rev 12:9). Paul appreciated his treachery. "But I fear. lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ" (2 Cor 11:3). Satan is a master at disguise, a "fifth columnist" of the first rank, a fabricator of counterfeits. (Study 2 Cor 11:13-15)
3. He is extremely wicked. "He that commiteth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning" (1 John 3:8)
D. The Works Of The Devil.
God allows the devil for a time to do many terrible things. Satan is bruising the heel of the woman's seed. (Gen 3:15). He and his allies stand in direct opposition to anything that savors of truth, beauty, or goodness.
1. The devil despises the Word of God and is determined that it will find not permanent abode in the hearts of men. When the seed is sown by the wayside "Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts" (Mark 4:15)
2. He blinds men's eyes, that they might not see Christ as their Saviour. (this happened to the Pharisees and Sadducees at the time of Jesus, as well as the Romans) "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them" (2 Cor 4: 3,4)
3. Paul dubs him "the tempter" (1 Thess 3:5). Nothing seems to please the devil more than to seduce the servants of Christ. As he tempted the Saviour, so he levels his attack at believers. He has his area of temptation (see 1 Cor 7:5) and his ingenious "devices" (2 Cor 2:11). The children of God must not be ignorant of these.
4. Satan molests and harasses the fololowers of Christ in countless ways. He induces them to become discouraged. He resists them in their Christian work. Paul, for example, wrote to the Thessalonian church: "Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us" (1 Thess 2:18). The devil is always on the alert. He loves to stir up trouble. As a roaring lion he "walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Pet 5:8)
5. In carrying out his wicked purposes Satan often enters into men and uses them as his tools. Judas' betrayal of Christ was the result of the devil's indwelling power. "After the sop," it is written, "Satan entered into him" (John 13:27). The exorcisms described in the Gospels were neccesitated because demons had taken up their residence in human hearts. (see Matt. 12:27,28,43-45)
6. The devil accuses men before God. The apostle John calls him "the accuser of our brethren . . . which accused them before our God day and night" (Rev 12:10). Whenever a believer sins, it is as thought Satan appeared before the court of Heaven with the finger of accusation. In the face of this effrontery the Lord Jesus, our "Advocate with the Father" (1 John 2:1), pleads the merits of His wounds on our behalf; the indwelling Holy Spirit convicts the sinner; repentance, confession, and forgiveness follow (1 John 1:9) and one is restored to fellowship with the Father. (Memorize 1 John 1:9)
7. In general, Satan's supreme effort is directed toward disrupting the purposes of God. This effort will continue with unabated force until he is overthrown. Some day, thank God, our omnipotent Saviour will "destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil" (Heb 2:14)
E. The Sphere Of The Devil's Activities.
The partial record of Satan's works listed above indicates that our adversary's area of operations is by no means limited to hell. He does not hesitate to invade the hearts of men or the courts of Heaven. Assisted as he is by his cohorts of evil, the devils is potentially ubiquitous. Whenver an oppurtunity presents itself to incite to sin or to oppse the good, he is not slow to avail himself of it. As the god and the prince of this age, he exerts a constant, iniquitous, universal pressure upon the children of men.
F. The Destiny Of The Devil.
One purpose of Christ's incarnation was the destruction of the devil. This destruction will be in fulfillment of the prophecy of Genesis 3:15, in which God warned Satan that some day the seed of the woman, Christ (study Gal. 3:16), "shall bruise thy head". No matter how foul the devil's intentions or how ruthlessly diabolical his machinations, believers may strengthen their hearts in the knowledge that some day he will be permanently eliminated from the scene. Satan is very active indeed today. But his doom is sure, and he knows it.
On Calvary the serpent received, as it were, his deathblow (see John 12:31,32). But he continues to writhe, determined to involve as many souls as possible in his ultimate catastrophe. The climax will be reached when the arch-deceiver is "cast into the lake of fire and brimstone" to be "tormented day and night for ever and ever" (Rev 20:10)
G. The Secret of Victory Over The Devil.
1. Do not succumb to the illusion that the devil is a mythological character. Appreciate the dact that he is a person of great power and malice, that he is intent on deceiving you and causing you to fall, and he knows the weakest link in your character. That link may be pride, or lust, or covetousness, or lovelessness. Whatever it may be, he is on the alert to break it and to bring you down to defeat.
2. Remember that victory is possible, but that in your own strength you are totally unable to conquer and adversary who is stronger than you.
3. Believer that God has made provision for your victory over the devil. He has given you the example of Christ for your encouragement and guidance. (see Matt. 4:1-11) Jesus triumphed over the tempter in the wilderness of Judea. Through Him you too may prevail. Further, God has supplied you with all the spiritual armor you need. (see Eph 6:11-17) He has taught you to watch and pray for strength. (see Matt 26:41) He has beaten out for you on the anvil of His purposes your one offensive weapon, the Word of God. Learn to wield it effectively, even as your Saviour did. Above all, God has given you a divine Ally, the Holy Spirit, who will never let you down.
Therefore, "resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). Successful resistance is possible. Notice carefully the command which introduces this text: "submit yourselves therefore to God." Only the yielded soul may expect to be victorious, not the one who tried in his own strength to overcome. He will triumph who remains steadfast in the attitude of submission, and permits and expects the Holy Spirit to work out the victory in and through him.
Grace and Peace to you all,
In Christ's name.
Matt
I felt lead by the Spirit to post this as I am sure it will help us to resist the enemy if we know a little bit more about him and why he does what he does. So I hope you enjoy this and let me know what you get out of it.
In the drama of redemption the devil has been the persistent foe of God from the beginning. One must know the teaching of the Bible concerning this arch-enemy of the soul if he is to understand the distressing condition around him and if he is to meet the adversary's attacks victoriously.
Three errors which the Devil uses to his own advantage must be studiously avoided. The first error is the popular belief that there is no personal devil. The second is that, if the devil does exist, he is nothing but a fantastic, long-eared, impish, mischievous Miltonic creation. The third error is that the devil's sole residence is hell. To hold any of these views is anti-scriptural. To ignore or to minimize the devil's power is to reduce one's resistance to his wiles.
A. The Biblical Designations Of The Devil.
The enemy of God is characterized in the Bible in many ways. "He is a liar, and the father of it" (Jon 8:44), "the prince of this world" (John 14:30); "the god of this world" (2Cor 4:4); "the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Eph 2:2); "your adversary the devil" (1 Pet 5:8); "the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan" (Rev 20:2)
B. The Origin Of The Devil
At least two passages of Scripture suggest the original nature of Satan and depict his fall from Heaven.
1. Ezekiel 28:12-19. These words refer to the king of Tyre, first as a historical personage, and second, as a type of the devil prior to the latter's expulsion from the presence of God. Note the phrases: "The anointed cherub" (verse 14), "full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty" (verse 12), "thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day thou was created" (verse 15). But "iniquity was found in thee" (verse 15); "thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty" (verse 17); therefore "I will cast thee to the ground" (verse 17).
The devil was originally a created being of wisdom, beauty and perfection. Because of pride he was debased from his pristine position. As the prince and god of this age he is extremely busy opposing the purposes of God.
2. Isaiah 14:12-15. The fall of Lucifer ("light-bearer") is here described. Observe the five-fold occurrence of the words "I will" in verses 13 and 14. The cherub lifted up his heart in self-will against God and was punished for his rebellion. "How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!" is not this fact reiterated in our Lord's statement "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from Heaven (Luke 10:18)?" (Compare Rev 12:7-9.)
C. The Character Of The Devil.
1. Satan is the mighty enemy of the Lord. Our wrestling is "not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world-rulers of this darkness" (Eph. 6:12) The devil has unseen assistants. As Beelzebub he is "chief of the devils" (Luke 11:15), whose number is "legion" (Luke 8:30). He and his cohorts constitute a powerful host.
2. The devil is remarkably shrewd and cunning. He is the one who "deceiveth the whole world" (Rev 12:9). Paul appreciated his treachery. "But I fear. lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ" (2 Cor 11:3). Satan is a master at disguise, a "fifth columnist" of the first rank, a fabricator of counterfeits. (Study 2 Cor 11:13-15)
3. He is extremely wicked. "He that commiteth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning" (1 John 3:8)
D. The Works Of The Devil.
God allows the devil for a time to do many terrible things. Satan is bruising the heel of the woman's seed. (Gen 3:15). He and his allies stand in direct opposition to anything that savors of truth, beauty, or goodness.
1. The devil despises the Word of God and is determined that it will find not permanent abode in the hearts of men. When the seed is sown by the wayside "Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts" (Mark 4:15)
2. He blinds men's eyes, that they might not see Christ as their Saviour. (this happened to the Pharisees and Sadducees at the time of Jesus, as well as the Romans) "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them" (2 Cor 4: 3,4)
3. Paul dubs him "the tempter" (1 Thess 3:5). Nothing seems to please the devil more than to seduce the servants of Christ. As he tempted the Saviour, so he levels his attack at believers. He has his area of temptation (see 1 Cor 7:5) and his ingenious "devices" (2 Cor 2:11). The children of God must not be ignorant of these.
4. Satan molests and harasses the fololowers of Christ in countless ways. He induces them to become discouraged. He resists them in their Christian work. Paul, for example, wrote to the Thessalonian church: "Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us" (1 Thess 2:18). The devil is always on the alert. He loves to stir up trouble. As a roaring lion he "walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Pet 5:8)
5. In carrying out his wicked purposes Satan often enters into men and uses them as his tools. Judas' betrayal of Christ was the result of the devil's indwelling power. "After the sop," it is written, "Satan entered into him" (John 13:27). The exorcisms described in the Gospels were neccesitated because demons had taken up their residence in human hearts. (see Matt. 12:27,28,43-45)
6. The devil accuses men before God. The apostle John calls him "the accuser of our brethren . . . which accused them before our God day and night" (Rev 12:10). Whenever a believer sins, it is as thought Satan appeared before the court of Heaven with the finger of accusation. In the face of this effrontery the Lord Jesus, our "Advocate with the Father" (1 John 2:1), pleads the merits of His wounds on our behalf; the indwelling Holy Spirit convicts the sinner; repentance, confession, and forgiveness follow (1 John 1:9) and one is restored to fellowship with the Father. (Memorize 1 John 1:9)
7. In general, Satan's supreme effort is directed toward disrupting the purposes of God. This effort will continue with unabated force until he is overthrown. Some day, thank God, our omnipotent Saviour will "destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil" (Heb 2:14)
E. The Sphere Of The Devil's Activities.
The partial record of Satan's works listed above indicates that our adversary's area of operations is by no means limited to hell. He does not hesitate to invade the hearts of men or the courts of Heaven. Assisted as he is by his cohorts of evil, the devils is potentially ubiquitous. Whenver an oppurtunity presents itself to incite to sin or to oppse the good, he is not slow to avail himself of it. As the god and the prince of this age, he exerts a constant, iniquitous, universal pressure upon the children of men.
F. The Destiny Of The Devil.
One purpose of Christ's incarnation was the destruction of the devil. This destruction will be in fulfillment of the prophecy of Genesis 3:15, in which God warned Satan that some day the seed of the woman, Christ (study Gal. 3:16), "shall bruise thy head". No matter how foul the devil's intentions or how ruthlessly diabolical his machinations, believers may strengthen their hearts in the knowledge that some day he will be permanently eliminated from the scene. Satan is very active indeed today. But his doom is sure, and he knows it.
On Calvary the serpent received, as it were, his deathblow (see John 12:31,32). But he continues to writhe, determined to involve as many souls as possible in his ultimate catastrophe. The climax will be reached when the arch-deceiver is "cast into the lake of fire and brimstone" to be "tormented day and night for ever and ever" (Rev 20:10)
G. The Secret of Victory Over The Devil.
1. Do not succumb to the illusion that the devil is a mythological character. Appreciate the dact that he is a person of great power and malice, that he is intent on deceiving you and causing you to fall, and he knows the weakest link in your character. That link may be pride, or lust, or covetousness, or lovelessness. Whatever it may be, he is on the alert to break it and to bring you down to defeat.
2. Remember that victory is possible, but that in your own strength you are totally unable to conquer and adversary who is stronger than you.
3. Believer that God has made provision for your victory over the devil. He has given you the example of Christ for your encouragement and guidance. (see Matt. 4:1-11) Jesus triumphed over the tempter in the wilderness of Judea. Through Him you too may prevail. Further, God has supplied you with all the spiritual armor you need. (see Eph 6:11-17) He has taught you to watch and pray for strength. (see Matt 26:41) He has beaten out for you on the anvil of His purposes your one offensive weapon, the Word of God. Learn to wield it effectively, even as your Saviour did. Above all, God has given you a divine Ally, the Holy Spirit, who will never let you down.
Therefore, "resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). Successful resistance is possible. Notice carefully the command which introduces this text: "submit yourselves therefore to God." Only the yielded soul may expect to be victorious, not the one who tried in his own strength to overcome. He will triumph who remains steadfast in the attitude of submission, and permits and expects the Holy Spirit to work out the victory in and through him.
Grace and Peace to you all,
In Christ's name.
Matt
