Still Voices

"Be sober, be vigilant. Your opponent the devil,
as a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom to devour"
(1st Peter 5:8)

SATAN

The word satan is a transliterated Greek word which means adversary. Jesus once called Peter "satan" because he discouraged Jesus from submitting to his crucifixion (Matthew 16:23). Every other use of that word in the Bible, however, concerns the great adversary of God referred to as "the ancient serpent, called the Devil and Satan" (Revelation 12:9). Satan is the serpent who tempted Eve in the garden of Eden. He was said to be ancient, but how ancient is not stated, although I suspect that he is older than the world. When the Bible first mentions the serpent, it says this about him: "Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which Jehovah God had made" (Genesis 3:1). Whatever that means, it tells us that Satan is a very cunning adversary.

That he has not always been Satan, an adversary of God, is obvious. God created everything, and he does not create adversaries against himself. And so we must conclude that it was at some time after he was created that Satan chose to become an adversary to God. And he rebelled from the beginning, for the apostle John said, "He who is doing sin is of the devil, because the devil sinned from the beginning" (1st John 3:8). And many men on earth, born into the world pure and innocent souls, at some time in their lives make the same decision to turn against God, and commit sin.

Descriptions of him

There is a description of the king of Tyre in Ezekiel that some men claim is really about Satan. And although that description in some ways seems as if it could apply to him, the Bible does not say that it is about Satan, but rather about the ruler of Tyre. Here is how the description begins: "Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, Thus says lord Jehovah: Because thy heart is lifted up, and thou have said, I am a god. I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas. Yet thou are man, and not God, though thou did set thy heart as the heart of God" (Ezekiel 28:2). Notice, the Bible says about him, "thou are a man." That statement, plus the fact that he is never referred to as Satan, rules out the idea that the description is specifically about him.

The most direct description of Satan is given in the book of Revelation where he is described as a monstrous dragon at war with God:

And a great sign was seen in heaven. A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars upon her head. And having in her womb, she cried out, suffering birth pains, and suffering to give birth. And another sign was seen in heaven. And behold, a great fiery dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads. And his tail drags the third part of the stars of the sky, and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was going to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child. And she gave birth to a son, a male who was going to tend all the nations with an iron rod. And her child was taken up to God and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness where she has a place there prepared by God, so that they may nourish her there a thousand two hundred sixty days.

And war developed in heaven: Michael and his agents to fight with the dragon. And the dragon and his agents fought. And he did not prevail, nor was a place found for him any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, the ancient serpent, called the Devil and Satan, he who leads the whole world astray. He was cast out to the earth, and his agents were cast out with him. And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying, Now it came to pass, the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. Because the accuser of our brothers was cast out, who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony. And they loved not their life to the point of death. Rejoice because of this, O heavens, and ye who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has little time.

And when the dragon saw that he was cast to the earth, he persecuted the woman who gave birth to the male. And two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she might fly into the wilderness to her place. So that she might be nourished there for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, so that he might make her carried away by the flood. And the earth helped the woman. And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was angry toward the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, those keeping the commandments of God, and having the testimony of Jesus (Revelation 12:1-17).

The book of Revelation is filled with figurative language, which makes much of it difficult to interpret. Nevertheless, we can see from that passage that Satan is a powerful enemy who has fought with God's servants in heaven, and who now fights with his servants upon the earth. As a matter of speculation, perhaps the seven heads (the number seven in the Bible symbolizes completeness) means he has a divided mentality, as contrasted with the unity of God and his righteousness. Perhaps the ten horns means he has more power than sense. Regarding the origin of that fiery dragon, it could not have been God who created him as such. It could only have been Satan who transformed himself into a fiery dragon, just as some men transform themselves into vicious monsters, although in spirit, not in flesh.

There is also a graphic description in the book of Job that I believe refers to Satan, although probably in figurative language. The book begins by telling how Satan challenged God about Job. This was before Satan was cast out of heaven. God asked Satan if he had seen the great righteousness of Job. Satan claimed Job was only righteous because God protected him. He said that if God allowed him to suffer, Job would curse him "to his face." So God allowed Satan to subject Job to severe suffering. Job, of course, was unaware of Satan's challenge to God, and so his suffering was amplified because he wondered why God had done those things to him. His friends said he deserved to suffer, but Job could not believe it. Provoked by their condemnation of him, Job cried out to God, insisting that he explain why. When God finally did answer Job, he asked him a series of many questions, all to show how weak and limited Job (and every other man) was. His last set of questions dealt with leviathan, which God described as a monstrous fire-breathing creature. What exactly that creature was, is not definitely known. But whatever it was, real or figurative, it is my belief that leviathan symbolizes the great dragon, Satan, who was the one responsible for Job's suffering. And God alone has the power to defeat such a monster. Here are God's words about him:

Can thou draw out leviathan with a fishhook, or press down his tongue with a cord? Can thou put a rope into his nose, or pierce his jaw through with a hook? Will he make many supplications to thee? Or will he speak soft words to thee? Will he make a covenant with thee, that thou should take him for a servant forever? Will thou play with him as with a bird? Or will thou bind him for thy maidens? Will the bands make traffic of him? Will they part him among the merchants? Can thou fill his skin with barbed irons, or his head with fish-spears? Lay thy hand upon him. Remember the battle, and do so no more. Behold, the hope of him is in vain. Will not [a man] be cast down even at the sight of him? None is so fierce that he dare stir him up.

Who then is he who can stand before me? Who has first given to me, that I should repay him? Under the whole heaven is mine. I will not keep silence concerning his limbs, nor his mighty strength, nor his goodly frame. Who can strip off his outer garment? Who shall come within his jaws? Who can open the doors of his face? Round about his teeth is terror. [His] strong scales are [his] pride, shut up together [like] a close seal. One is so near to another that no air can come between them. They are joined one to another. They stick together, so that they cannot be parted. His sneezings flash forth light, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. Out of his mouth go burning torches, and sparks of fire leap forth. Out of his nostrils a smoke goes, as of a boiling pot and [burning] rushes. His breath kindles coals, and a flame goes forth from his mouth. In his neck abides strength, and terror dances before him. The flakes of his flesh are joined together. They are firm upon him. They cannot be moved.

His heart is as firm as a stone, Yea, firm as the nether millstone. When he raises himself up the mighty are afraid. Because of consternation they are beside themselves. If a man lays at him with the sword it cannot avail, nor the spear, the dart, nor the pointed shaft. He counts iron as straw, [and] brass as rotten wood. The arrow cannot make him flee. Sling-stones are turned into stubble with him. Clubs are counted as stubble. He laughs at the rushing of the javelin. His underparts are [like] sharp potsherds. He spreads out [as] a threshing-wagon upon the mire. He makes the deep to boil like a pot. He makes the sea like a pot of ointment. He makes a path to shine after him. [A man] would think the deep to be hoary.

Upon earth there is not his like who is made without fear. He beholds everything that is high. He is king over all the sons of pride (Job 41:1-34).

Many times during his long dialog with his unsympathetic friends Job accused God of being unjust toward him. I think in that last statement, "He is king over all the sons of pride," God revealed to Job who was really responsible for his terrible suffering. It was the great dragon, "the ancient serpent, called the Devil and Satan" (Revelation 12:9), his archenemy, the "king over all the sons of pride." For pride seems to be one of the defining traits of the devil, as Paul implied when he was listing the qualifications of an overseer of a congregation: "…not a new convert, lest having been puffed up he may fall into the condemnation of the devil" (1st Timothy 3:6). There is also a place in the book of Isaiah where Satan may be referred to as leviathan. There are various times when Isaiah seems to be talking about the end of the world, and in one such instance he said this: "In that day Jehovah with his hard and great and strong sword will punish leviathan the swift serpent, and leviathan the crooked serpent, and he will kill the monster that is in the sea" (Isaiah 27:1). That reference seems to refer to the dragon and the beast described in Revelation 12 and 13.

His kingdom

That Satan has a kingdom was revealed by our Lord when he countered the accusation that he was casting out demons by the ruler of demons. He said, "And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?" (Matthew 12:26). And Satan's throne was mentioned by our Lord in his judgment of the congregation at Pergamos, when he said, "I know thy works, and where thou dwell, where Satan's throne is. And thou hold firm my name, and did not deny my faith in the days in which Antipas was my faithful witness, who was killed among you where Satan dwells" (Revelation 2:13). He said they dwelt where Satan dwells, where his throne was. Now I doubt very much that our Lord meant Satan's throne was at Pergamos. Satan's throne is the earth, where he now dwells. For remember, he was cast out of heaven to the earth.

There are other scriptures that mention Satan's authority. For example, Jesus called him, "the ruler of this world" (John 12:31). And Paul said he was, "the ruler of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2), and, "the god of this age" (2nd Corinthians 4:4). And when Satan was tempting Jesus, he claimed to have authority over all the kingdoms of the world: "And having brought him onto a high mountain, the devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to him, I will give to thee all this authority, and the glory of them, because it has been delivered to me, and to whomever I want I give it. If therefore thou will worship before me, it will all be thine" (Luke 4:5-6). And Jesus did not dispute his claim. But who gave Satan that authority? The Bible nowhere says that God gave it to him, for God gave man authority in the world. I think it is more likely that Satan's authority over the kingdoms of the world has come from men themselves, who have surrendered to him.

Regarding bondage to the devil, the Bible does teach that most men are in "the snare of the devil, having been captured by him for his will" (2nd Timothy 2:26). It teaches that Satan is a predatory beast seeking prey: "Be sober, be vigilant. Your opponent the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom to devour" (1st Peter 5:8). When a man is caught in the snare of the devil, coming under the power of Satan, he loses his ability to see, having entered into the bondage of darkness. When Jesus appeared to Paul in a vision he said that he was appointing him to be an assistant and a witness, to send him to the people, "…to open their eyes to turn about from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God…" (Acts 26:18). And when Jesus was seized by the Jews in the darkness of night, he said to them, "When I was with you daily in the temple, ye did not stretch forth hands against me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness" (Luke 22:53).

Every sinner has fallen prey to the devil, becoming dead in trespasses, and fodder in service to him. He has been "devoured" by the devil, going from life to death, spiritual death. In the Ephesian letter, Paul encouraged the brothers telling them that Christ is head of the Church, which is his body. And he said the body of Christ on earth is now "Even you, who were dead in trespasses and sins in which ye once walked according to the era of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:1-2). In the book of Revelation, when Jesus was describing his judgment of Smyrna, he said there were men who claimed to be Jews, but actually belonged to Satan: "I know thy works and tribulation and poverty (but thou are rich), and the blasphemy of those who say themselves to be Jews, and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan" (Revelation 2:9). Those men may have been Jews in the flesh, but real Jews are those who are of the spirit of Abraham, and not his flesh. For Paul said, "He is not a Jew in what is visible" (Romans 2:28).

What does it mean to be captured by the devil for his will? When Eve believed the serpent instead of God, she was captured by him. And when she ate of the forbidden fruit she did his will. And so it is with every man, for John said that every sinner is of the devil: "He who is doing sin is of the devil, because the devil sinned from the beginning. The Son of God was made known for this, so that he might destroy the works of the devil" (1st John 3:8). And since Satan is "the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience," then sinners are manipulated by him. During the last supper with his apostles Jesus told Peter how the devil wanted to capture him for manipulation: "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you to sift you as wheat, but I prayed for thee, so that thy faith may not fail. And thou, when thou have returned, strengthen thy brothers" (Luke 22:31-32). Peter was proud, and could not believe that he was vulnerable, and so he disputed with Jesus. But he soon learned, and it humbled him (see Luke 22:61-62).

One of Jesus' parables about seed told about the effect of different kinds of soil on seed (Mark 4:3-9). When he was explaining that parable, he said, "And these are those by the path where the word is sown. And whenever they may hear, straightaway Satan comes, and takes away the word that has been sown in their hearts" (Mark 4:15). Whether it is directly into their minds that Satan comes, or whether it is by sending his servants to take it out of their hearts, or by some other means, Jesus did not say. Perhaps he uses many methods to that end. For he is certainly not limited to one method. Educated men are aware of many he uses. Paul said this when he was teaching the Corinthian brothers about forgiving repentant sinners. He said they should remain united "so that we may not be exploited by Satan. For we are not ignorant of his methods" (2nd Corinthians 2:11). Nevertheless, however Satan may take the word from men's hearts, it is by manipulation and exploitation.

I happened to have watched a TV show recently that was a clear case of Satan attempting to defeat trust in the Holy Bible. I did not see all of it, having tuned in well after it started, but I saw enough. It was supposedly a historical documentary about Christianity as presented by several scholars. Among many false statements they made was one about Judas Iscariot, the man who betrayed Jesus. They repeated more than once the assertion that the reports of his death in the two Bible accounts were "very different" from each other. And they said that was characteristic of the Bible. Pious men who have studied the Bible know better, but their target audience seems to have been those with little or no knowledge about it. And such words would have discourage the naïve of having any trust in the reliability of what it says.

Regarding the two accounts of Judas' death, in the book of Matthew it says "And having cast down the silver pieces in the temple, he departed, and after going away, he hanged himself" (Matthew 27:5), while in Acts it says, "Indeed therefore this man obtained a field from the reward of his unrighteousness, and having become headlong, he burst open in the middle and all his bowels gushed out" (Acts 1:18). A simple explanation of the difference is that Judas hanged himself (perhaps on a precipice), and then the rope broke and he fell on something that ripped him open. The matter of obtaining a field was done for him by the chief priests: "And after taking the silver pieces, the chief priests said, It is not permitted to put them into the treasury, since it is a price of blood. And having held consultation, they bought the potter's field with them for burial for foreigners" (Matthew 27:6-7). But those "scholars" of that TV program did not bother to explain the difference, they just said in effect that it was one of many contradictions in the Bible.

This is just one of many cases when Satan uses his allies to manipulate the minds of men against God and his Holy Word. Train your eyes to see these things, and then use every opportunity to expose them to others, especially to children, to train their eyes as well. For Satan is our mortal enemy, and his poisonous deceit is often intermingled with things factual or appealing. These are the kinds of tactics that Satan uses to blind the hearts of men to keep them captive to him. Paul wrote about this when he said, "But even if our good-news is concealed, it is concealed in those who are perishing, in whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, in order for the light of the good-news of the glory of the Christ (who is a likeness of God) not to shine forth to them" (2nd Corinthians 4:3-4).

The Bible teaches that Satan is "the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience." But there are only a few scriptures that reveal his involvement in a particular sin. One concerns Judas. The Bible says that the devil entered into him, and put in his heart to betray Jesus (Luke 22:3 & John 13:2). Jesus knew that Judas was going to betray him, because he had said to his apostles, "Did I not choose you the twelve, and one of you is a devil?" (John 6:70). Another example is when Ananias lied about his gift to the Church. Peter said to him, "Ananias, why did Satan fill thy heart for thee to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back from the price of the land?" (Acts 5:3). God struck Ananias dead because of that sin, but with some sinners there is hope. And so Paul urged us to be patient with those who oppose us, for we know not who may repent. He said, "Perhaps God may grant them repentance for recognition of the truth, and they may sober up out of the snare of the devil, having been captured by him for his will" (2nd Timothy 2:25-26).

Of course, the degree to which men serve the will of the devil varies widely with individuals. When Paul was instructing the Ephesian brothers, admonishing them to do acts of righteousness not unrighteousness, he said to them, "neither give place to the devil" (Ephesians 4:27). I take that to mean that when a Christian does any unrighteousness, he gives place to the devil, which thing Christians ought not do, for we have escaped the snare of the devil. Later, in that same letter, Paul told them how to defend themselves against Satan. He said,

Finally my brothers, be strong in Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the full armor of God to enable you to stand against the wiles of the devil. Because our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principal offices, against the positions of authority, against the world-rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual things of wickedness in the heavenly things. Because of this take ye up the full armor of God, so that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand ye therefore having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet in preparation of the good-news of peace. Above all having taken up the shield of faith, by which ye will be able to quench all the fiery darts of evil. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:10-17).

Nevertheless, unrepentant sinners remain under his spell, allowing his spirit to work in them, since they have chosen to be "sons of disobedience." For as with becoming a child of God, becoming a child of the devil is a personal choice. Paul even mentioned how some Christian widows had "already turned aside after Satan" (1st Timothy 5:15). When Jesus was disputing with the Pharisees who opposed him, he said, "Ye are from the father, the devil, and ye want to do the desires of your father" (John 8:44). And sons generally resemble their fathers. There is another story in the Bible about a confrontation with a son of the devil. When Paul and Barnabus were teaching a proconsul on the island of Salamis, they were opposed by a local sorcerer. Here is what happened:

But Saul (the man is also Paul) having been filled with Holy Spirit, and having gazed on him, said, O man full of all deceit and all recklessness, thou son of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, will thou not cease distorting the straight ways of Lord? And now, behold, a hand of Lord is upon thee, and thou will be blind, not seeing the sun until a time. And immediately there fell on him gloom and darkness, and going around he sought hand-guides (Acts 13:9-11).

There are not many such places in the Bible that attribute the unrighteousness of a man directly to the devil. Nevertheless, there are several scriptures teaching that he is the spirit behind sin, deceiving men, tempting them, planting evil thoughts in their hearts. Remember, for example, this one: "Even you, who were dead in trespasses and sins in which ye once walked according to the era of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:1-2).

Our Spiritual Warfare

In the book of Revelation, after John described seeing Satan as "…a great fiery dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads" (Revelation 12:3), he saw another similar apparition:

And I stood upon the sand of the sea. And I saw a beast rising up out of the sea having ten horns, and seven heads, and ten diadems upon its horns, and upon its heads names of blasphemy. And the beast that I saw was similar to a leopard. And its feet were like a bear, and its mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave to it his power, and his throne, and great authority. And one of its heads was as in death, having been killed. And its deadly wound was healed. And the whole earth marveled behind the beast. And they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast. And they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like the beast, and who is able to war against it? And a mouth was given to it speaking great things and blasphemy. And authority was given it to make war forty-two months. And it opened its mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name and his tabernacle, those who dwell in heaven. And it was given it to make war with the sanctified, and to overcome them. And authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to it. And all who dwell upon the earth will worship it, whose name has not been written in the book of life of the Lamb who was killed from the foundation of the world. If any man has an ear, let him hear (Revelation 13:1-9).

As with W. Hendriksen, author of More Than Conquerers, An Interpretation of the Book of Revelation, I do not believe such descriptions refer to specific things at specific times, but rather to general principles and forces that are characteristic of the world. How then, do I interpret the above scripture? First, the sea out of which the beast arose probably represents mankind, because a later reference in Revelation to waters applies it that way: "And he says to me, The waters that thou saw, where the whore sits, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues" (Revelation 17:15). Hence, we see a living force that resembles Satan, rising up out of the population of mankind, and becoming Satan's chief representative. It is a force that is powerful, fierce, and aggressive. And it inspires awe among the masses, provoking them to follow it, and worship it as being unconquerable. Moreover, it has authority and power, with a variety of leadership. It is also, like Satan himself, an adversary of God, and it has power to make war with the sanctified, and to overcome them.

There are other scriptures that mention how Christians are fighting a special warfare in the world. It is not a warfare against the bodies of men, but rather against their anti-Christian thoughts and ideas.

For though walking in flesh, we do not war according to flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for the demolition of strongholds, casting down imaginations, and every high thing exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought captive into the obedience of the Christ, and having in readiness to avenge every disobedience, whenever your obedience is fulfilled (2nd Corinthians 10:3-6).

It also involves a struggle against offices of authority that are hostile to God, for Paul said:

Put on the full armor of God to enable you to stand against the wiles of the devil. Because our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principal offices, against the positions of authority, against the world-rulers of the darkness of this age, against the spiritual things of wickedness in the heavenly things (Ephesians 6:11-12).

Those principle offices and positions of authority, the world-rulers of the darkness of this age, can only refer to those that are hostile to God. For Paul commanded us to be subject to offices of authority that are over us. Nevertheless, he qualified that by saying that any office of authority that is not sanctioned by God is not legitimate. Here is how he expressed it: "Let every soul be subject to offices of authority that rank higher, for there is no office of authority if not by God, and the offices of authority that are by God, are those that have been instituted" (Romans 13:1). Now, Paul is not talking about individuals, he is talking about offices. And so, even though a particular ruler may abuse his office, that does not make the office illegitimate. Nevertheless, when particular rulers in offices that are sanctioned by God issue commands or ordinances against God, Christians have the duty to disobey, as the early Christians did in such situations. For the Bible says that all such authoritative positions were created for Christ, and not against him:

Because in him all things were created, things in the heavens and things upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or lordships or principal offices or positions of authority, all things have been created through him, and for him. And he is before all, and in him all things hold together (Colossians 1:16-17).

It is interesting to note that the Bible teaches that such positions exist both on earth and in heaven:

And when they bring you to the synagogues, and the principle offices, and the positions of authority, be not anxious how or what ye should answer in defense, or what ye should say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say (Luke 12:11-12).

So that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the principal offices and the positions of authority in the heavenly things, through the church, according to the purpose of the ages, which he made in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access in confidence through his faith (Ephesians 3:10-12).

And so the principal offices and positions of authority that Christians "wrestle" with are 1) bastard positions of authority whose very purpose includes opposition to God, and 2) individuals who use the authority of legitimate offices against God. Identifying when either of those cases exist is a matter of judgment that every Christian must make. However, it should be noted that when Paul wrote about those whom we wrestle against, he went on to say that the weapon we use is the sword of the Spirit, the word of God. A Christian can be a soldier who fights for his country with weapons that shed blood, but the Church of Jesus Christ fights not with those things, but rather with words of truth and righteousness.

Because of this take ye up the full armor of God, so that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand ye therefore having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet in preparation of the good-news of peace. Above all having taken up the shield of faith, by which ye will be able to quench all the fiery darts of evil. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God… (Ephesians 6:13-17).

Thus, ours is not a carnal warfare, it is a spiritual one. It is not against flesh and blood, it is against "imaginations" and "every high thing exalted against the knowledge of God," against "principle offices" and "positions of authority" and "the world-rulers of the darkness of this age." Ours is a warfare of ideas, to cast down things in the mind, and everything proud, things "exalted against the knowledge of God," to bring "every thought captive into the obedience of the Christ." Ours is a spiritual war to win hearts and minds. We fight to win the souls of men.

His Tactics

Deception

One of the most prominent characteristics of the Bible is that it champions truth. Indeed, Paul referred to its teachings as "the word of truth" (Ephesians 1:13). Moreover, truth was one of the things Jesus identified himself as personifying: "Jesus says to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father, except by me" (John 14:6). Jesus also called the Holy Spirit, "the Spirit of truth" (John 14:17). And Peter referred to Christianity as "the way of the truth" (2nd Peter 2:2). It is not surprising, therefore, that Satan, the great adversary of God, has nothing to do with truth. When Jesus was disputing with some of his adversaries in the Temple, he said, "Ye are from the father, the devil, and ye want to do the desires of your father. He was a man-killer from the beginning, and he has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own, because he is a liar, and the father of it" (John 8:44). And when Paul rebuked Elymas the sorcerer he said he was "full of all deceit and all recklessness," calling him, "thou son of the devil" (Acts 13:10).

Jesus said that the devil is a liar and the father of it. Apparently, when he decided to become an adversary of God he invented deceit. Of course, deceit is worthless against God, for he cannot be deceived because he is omniscient. But it is probable that many, if not all of his creatures can be deceived. Certainly men can, and I suspect that heavenly agents also could be. Therefore, since God's creatures are vulnerable to deception, deceit may be Satan's most powerful device against God, for with it he can manipulate God's creatures against him. Indeed, the Bible says he has been able to lead the whole world astray from God: "And the great dragon was cast out, the ancient serpent, called the Devil and Satan, he who leads the whole world astray. He was cast out to the earth, and his agents were cast out with him" (Revelation 12:9). And using deception is how he does it. For example, when Paul was telling the Thessalonian brothers about "the mystery of lawlessness" he said it would be, "…according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and marvels of deceit" (2nd Thessalonians 2:9). I understand that to mean, not all power, as in God's omnipotence, but in using all the power of deceit, with deceitful signs and wonders.

When Paul was warning the Corinthian brothers about false apostles, who pretend to be serving God, he said that Satan even disguises himself to appear good and righteous: "For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves into apostles of Christ. And no marvel, for even Satan disguises himself into an agent of light. Therefore, it is no great thing if his helpers also disguise themselves as helpers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works" (2nd Corinthians 11:13-15).

Jesus told a parable about a man who sowed good seed in his field, but during the night an enemy came and sowed tares among them. Then Jesus said, "And when the blade sprouted and produced fruit, then the tares also appeared" (Matthew 13:26). The workmen asked the house-ruler if they should go and gather up the tares. He said, "No, lest while gathering up the tares, ye uproot the wheat together with them" (Matthew 13:29). He told them to let both grow together until harvest time, then they would be separated. When Jesus' disciples asked him to explain the parable, he said,

He who sows the good seed is the Son of man, and the field is the world, and the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of evil. And the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are heavenly agents. As therefore the tares are gathered up and burned in fire, so it will be at the end of this age (Matthew 13:37-40).

One of the deceitful tactics of the Devil, therefore, is to intermingle his allies among righteous men while they are unaware, consequently adding a corrupt element within their groups. Nevertheless, with that parable Jesus warned about being too hasty to separate out the bad from the good, lest some good also be cast out with the bad. Perhaps that is one reason why the Bible teaches that men are not to be judged guilty on the basis of a single witness, lest some innocent men be punished. However, there are times when we must separate out the bad from the good, lest the good become corrupted. For example, when Paul commanded the Corinthian brothers to withdraw from the man who had taken his father's wife, he said, "Your boasting is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Purge out the old leaven, so that ye may be a new lump, since ye are unleavened. For also Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us" (1st Corinthians 5:6-7).

There are several passages in the book of Revelation that mention how the devil and his allies use deceit in their war against God. For example, in the last part of its description of the destruction of the great whore it mentions how she led all the nations astray by her enchantments:

And the light of a lamp will, no, not shine in thee any more. And a voice of a bridegroom and of a bride will, no, not be heard in thee any more. Because thy merchants were the chief men of the earth, because all the nations were led astray by thy enchantments. And in her was found blood of prophets, and of the sanctified, and of all who have been killed upon the earth (Revelation 18:23-24).

And it mentions how the false prophet, another mighty ally of the dragon, used signs to lead men astray: "And the beast was taken, and the false prophet with it who did the signs in its sight by which he led astray those who received the mark of the beast and those who worship its image. The two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with brimstone" (Revelation 19:20). It goes on the say that the devil will also suffer the same fate (Revelation 20:10).

False Accusations

The Bible teaches that before the triumphant earthly life of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Satan was in heaven, constantly making accusations to God about righteous men.

And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying, Now it came to pass, the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. Because the accuser of our brothers was cast out, who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony. And they loved not their life to the point of death (Revelation 12:10-11).

But Jesus redeemed the sanctified of God from all their debts to him, and now Satan has no case with God against us. Nevertheless, Satan still has great power on the earth, and through his disciples he still continues to accuse righteous men. And because even the most righteous man is not perfect, we are all vulnerable to accusation. Consequently, such accusations go on constantly in virtually every place of the world, but especially where the devil's influence is strong. At the same time, allies of the devil, who are far more guilty, are defended and excused. This kind of double standard can easily be seen among public officials and other kinds of men with a large following because they receive so much publicity. Men who promote sinful things are protected from accusation even if they make serious infractions, while men who promote righteousness are loudly condemned even if theirs are minor ones. It is unjust, but that is how the devil and his disciples work. Open your eyes, and you can see, from these things alone, how strong Satan's influence is in the world.

That common form of injustice may be the reason why Paul gave the following qualification for an overseer of a congregation: "And he must also have good testimony from those outside, lest he may fall into reproach and the snare of the devil" (1st Timothy 3:7). Not having good testimony from those outside implies that the man is more vulnerable to accusation. Even though a candidate may be a good man, and otherwise well qualified, if he does not have a good reputation in the community, slight infractions can more easily be overblown in the eyes of outsiders to bring unjust reproach upon him, for that is how the devil operates. The following passage from the Old Testament may be an example of such prejudicial accusations:

And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the agent of Jehovah, and Satan standing at his right hand to be his adversary. And Jehovah said to Satan, Jehovah rebuke thee, O Satan. Yea, Jehovah who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee. Is this not a brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the [heavenly] agent. And he answered and spoke to those who stood before him, saying, Take the filthy garments from off him. And to him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with rich apparel (Zechariah 3:1-4).

One of the most righteous men of the Bible was king David. God's judgment of David can be seen in this scripture:

Now in the eighteenth year of king Jeroboam the son of Nebat, Abijah began to reign over Judah. He reigned three years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Maacah the daughter of Abishalom [Absalom]. And he walked in all the sins of his father, which he had done before him. And his heart was not perfect with Jehovah his God as the heart of David his father. Nevertheless for David's sake Jehovah his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him, and to establish Jerusalem, because David did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite (1st Kings 15:1-5).

Yes, the sin against Uriah the Hittite was very grievous (see 2nd Samuel 11), but David suffered a bitter curse from the Lord for the rest of his life because of it. Aside from that terrible sin, the Bible says "David did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life." And the name of David is one of honor even in the New Testament, for Jesus is referred to as "the son of David" sixteen times in its pages. Nevertheless, in the eyes of the world, David is one of the most hated and reviled men of the Bible. The world honors all manner of wretched sinners, but not David, because the Bible says he was a man after God's own heart (1st Samuel 13:14), and Satan hates God. And he, remember, is "the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience."

Satan has even deceived many believers into condemning David unjustly for something he did. For virtually all Bible scholars call David a sinner because he numbered Israel, which brought the wrath of God against the people. But God never criticized him for that. Here is how the story begins in Second Samuel: "And again the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel, and he moved David against them, saying, Go, number Israel and Judah" (2nd Samuel 24:1). And here is how it begins in First Chronicles: "And Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel" (1st Chronicles 21:1). Those two scriptures refer to the same event, yet how should they be interpreted? First, you need to know about God's commandment to the Israelites concerning taking a census:

And Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, When thou take the sum of the sons of Israel, according to those who are numbered of them, then they shall give every man a ransom for his soul to Jehovah when thou number them, that there be no plague among them when thou number them. This they shall give, everyone who passes over to those who are numbered: half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary, (the shekel is twenty gerahs,) half a shekel for an offering to Jehovah. Everyone who passes over to those who are numbered, from twenty years old and upward, shall give the offering of Jehovah (Exodus 30:11-14).

Now remember, the scriptures said "the anger of Jehovah was kindled against Israel," and, "Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel." What likely happened was that Satan was accusing Israel before God because they were guilty of sin, and their guilt angered Jehovah. Therefore, he allowed Satan to move David to number Israel, knowing that in their backslidden condition they would not pay the required shekel, and would, therefore, bring the plague among them that Jehovah warned about through Moses. Provoked by the devil's accusations, it was God's way of punishing them for their guilty condition.

What is misleading is that David, being unaware of Jehovah's anger against Israel, and Satan's involvement in the matter, blamed himself, saying to Jehovah, "Is it not I who commanded the people to be numbered? Even I it is who have sinned and done very badly. But these sheep, what have they done? Let thy hand, I pray thee, O Jehovah my God, be against me, and against my father's house, but not against thy people, that they should be plagued" (1st Chronicles 21:17). Yet God did not rebuke David, nor was David punished for numbering Israel. David was a humble, righteous man who judged himself unjustly in the matter. But no man should call David a sinner for numbering Israel, because God never accused David of guilt about it. Remember, the Bible says, "David did that which was right in the eyes of Jehovah, and did not turn aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, except only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite" (1st Kings 15:5). Like the situation with Job, I suspect that it was the accusations of Satan against Israel that provoked God to seek an occasion to bring suffering to the people.

As earlier stated, the word "Satan" is a transliterated Greek word which means, adversary. However, the word "devil" comes from the Greek word diabolos (transliterated). That word means slanderer or false accuser. The great fiery dragon is called "Satan" because he is the great adversary of God and his children. And I suspect he is called "the devil," because making false accusations is a major device that he and his disciples use in their war against God and his children. It is a powerful weapon that I have seen used many times against righteousness. Consider, for example, this proverb: "The hypocrite destroys his neighbor with his mouth…" (Proverbs 11:9). How can a hypocrite destroy his neighbor with his mouth? A common way is with false accusations, especially when done with stealth, behind his back, with gossip and rumor.

These insidious stealthy accusations are very difficult to combat, because in most cases the victim is not informed about them, and does not even know they are circulating, although he may become suspicious. And if he does learn of them, it is usually after it is too late to avoid the damage done to his reputation. Moreover, after the accusations spread in the dark world of gossip, it is very difficult to trace the source of them. You can see why such a tactic would be popular with the devil and his disciples when opposing an enemy. It is fear of just such kinds of accusations that often keep even generally righteous men from openly combating sin and error. The less you oppose Satan and his disciples the safer you will be from these kinds of tactics. But also the less you oppose Satan and his disciples, the more you risk joining them in hell, for the Bible says that is the fate of cowards (Revelation 21:8). The most effective way to combat stealthy accusations is for righteous men who hear of such things to swiftly bring everything out in the open, and work objectively for justice and reconciliation. As cockroaches proliferate in a dark and unclean environment, so do stealthy accusations in the dark and unclean world of gossip. And those who participate in it make themselves children of the devil.

Jesus and his disciples were often falsely accused. For example, both Jesus and his disciples were accused of violating the Sabbath. On one occasion, when he and his disciples were traveling through a field, his disciples began to pluck grain and eat, which provoked this false accusation: "But the Pharisees, when they saw it, said to him, Behold, thy disciples do what is not permitted to do upon the Sabbath" (Matthew 12:2). This was Jesus' reply:

Have ye not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those with him, how he entered into the house of God, and ate the loaves of the presentation, which was not permitted for him to eat, nor for those with him, except only for the priests? Or have ye not read in the law, that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are guiltless? But I say to you, that a greater than the temple is here. But if ye had known what this means, I desire mercy and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the innocent (Matthew 12:3-7).

On another occasion Jesus healed "a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years. And she was bent over, and not being able to straighten up completely" (Luke 13:11). That act of compassion resulted in this false accusation: "And having responded, the synagogue-ruler, being indignant because Jesus healed on the Sabbath, answered and said to the multitude, There are six days in which he ought to work. Therefore coming in these, be healed, and not on the day of the Sabbath" (Luke 13:14). Those words of cruel indifference to suffering provoked Jesus to rebuke his enemies this way:

But the Lord therefore answered him and said, Ye hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his donkey from the stall, and after leading away, give to drink? And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham whom Satan has bound, lo, eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the day of the Sabbath? And as he said these things all those opposing him were shamed, and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him (Luke 13:15-17).

Another example of his enemies' cruel indifference to suffering concerned Jesus' power to cast out demons. They could not deny his power, but neither could they accept his righteousness. Therefore, they falsely accused him of using evil power to cast them out: "And the scholars who came down from Jerusalem said, He has Beelzebub, and, By the ruler of the demons he casts out the demons" (Mark 3:22). That vicious accusation not only condemned Jesus, it also condemned those who brought the demon-possessed to him to be healed. But then, what do the devil and his disciples care about the suffering of others? Jesus defeated their argument by reminding them that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. Therefore, Satan cannot cast out Satan, and still retain his kingdom. Jesus was so angered by their cruelty, that he said men who blaspheme that way have no forgiveness, but deserve eternal damnation: "Truly I say to you, that all the sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and the blasphemies, as many as they may blaspheme. But whoever may blaspheme against the Holy Spirit has no forgiveness, into the age, but is deserving of eternal damnation, because they said, He has an unclean spirit" (Mark 3:28-30).

From the beginning of their pseudo-trial of Jesus, the Jewish leaders sought to use false accusations to condemn him to death: "Now the chief priests and the elders and the whole council sought false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put him to death, and they did not find it. And although many false witnesses came, they did not find it" (Matthew 26:59-60). They had no case against him. Yet they still brought many false charges against him to Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea. But Pilate knew better, and so he would not condemn Jesus. However, the Jews would not give up. And so they stirred up a mob with their false accusations, and even threatened Pilate's own standing with Caesar by falsely accusing him of not being a friend of Caesar if he did not crucify Jesus. And it was the power of false testimony that prevailed.

Temptation

God's great adversary brought death into the world by successfully tempting Eve, who then successfully tempted Adam. Temptation is a powerful weapon in Satan's arsenal against God, especially when it is used with deceit. Satan is referred to as "he who tempts" in the story of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness: "Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And having fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward he was hungry. And after he who tempts came, he said to him, If thou are the Son of God, speak so that these stones may become bread" (Matthew 4:1-3). Another reference to "he who tempts" is found in Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians, where he says, "Because of this, I too, no longer covering over it, sent in order to know your faith, lest somehow he who tempts was tempting you, and our labor became in vain" (1st Thessalonians 3:5). (It should be noted that most translations, including the KJV, say "the tempter" instead of "he who tempts." But the Greek word is a verb participle not a noun).

Paul's reference to "he who tempts" probably refers to Satan, but not definitely. It may simply refer to anybody who tempts. Nevertheless, Satan is involved in much, if not all of temptation. Here are a couple of warnings from Paul about temptations from the devil:

Do not defraud each other except from agreement for a time, so that ye may have time for fasting and prayer. And come together again for the same thing, so that Satan not tempt you because of your lack of self-control (1st Corinthians 7:5).

But I fear lest somehow, as the serpent enticed Eve by his craftiness, so your thoughts might be corrupted from the simplicity in the Christ (2nd Corinthians 11:3).

Being tempted is a form of stress against our spirit. It is something every Christian should try to avoid. Indeed, part of what is called "the Lord's prayer" says, "And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" (Matthew 6:13). Paul warned those who were married that defrauding themselves of sexual intimacy makes them more vulnerable to temptation. He said, "Do not defraud each other except from agreement for a time, so that ye may have time for fasting and prayer. And come together again for the same thing, so that Satan not tempt you because of your lack of self-control" (1st Corinthians 7:5).

And temptation can be tormenting. In the book of Hebrews when the author was giving examples of the strength of faith held by righteous souls of the past, among the torments they had to endure, he said, was being tempted: "They were stoned, they were sawed apart, they were tempted, they died in murder by sword. They wandered about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, restricted, tormented" (Hebrews 11:37).

One of the things that makes it more difficult to resist temptation is the nature of our flesh, which, Jesus said, was weak. Hence, he warned his disciples, saying, "Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation. Truly, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:41). James wrote about our vulnerability to sin because of the lusts of our flesh. He said, "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God, for God is without temptation of evils, and he himself tempts no man. But each man is tempted by his own lust, being drawn away and enticed" (James 1:13-14).

Yet, God is with us, and he helps us in our temptations. For Paul said, "No temptation has taken you except is common to man. But God is faithful who will not allow you to be tempted above what ye are able, but with the temptation will also make the way to escape, to enable you to endure" (1st Corinthians 10:13). And Peter also said the same thing: "…the Lord knows how to rescue the pious out of temptation, and to hold in reserve unrighteous men being cut off for a day of judgment" (2nd Peter 2:9). The author of the book of Hebrews also pointed out that because Jesus had been tempted he was able to help in a special way those being tempted:

For in that he himself has suffered, having been tempted, he is able to help those being tempted (Hebrews 2:18).

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but who was tempted in all things in the same way, without sin (Hebrews 4:15).

And we are not continually subjected to temptation, for after Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, the scripture says, "And when the devil ended every temptation, he withdrew from him until a time" (Luke 4:13). Moreover, James said that our resistance discourages the devil: "God is opposed to the arrogant, but gives grace to the lowly. Be subordinate therefore to God, but resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:6-7).

James also said there is a special blessing from the Lord for the man who endures temptation: "Blessed is a man who endures temptation, because, having become approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord promised to those who love him" (James 1:12).

His power

When Peter wrote his fellow Christians he warned them to beware of their opponent, the devil. He said, "Be sober, be vigilant. Your opponent the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom to devour" (1st Peter 5:8). But the devil is not an opponent to every man. Remember, Jesus accused the Pharisees of being children of the devil, and allies of him: "Ye are from the father, the devil, and ye want to do the desires of your father" (John 8:44). And the apostle John told how to distinguish between children of God and children of the devil: "By this the children of God are visible, and the children of the devil. Every man not doing righteousness is not of God, and he who is not loving his brother" (1st John 3:10). Thus, John said that every man who lives unrighteously, and does not love his brother is a child of the devil. That scripture by John reinforces the one Paul wrote when he told the Ephesian brothers how they were before becoming disciples of Christ. Remember, he said, "[ye] were dead in trespasses and sins in which ye once walked according to the era of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:1-2). Like all sinners, they were formerly in league with the devil, being part of his kingdom, whether they knew it or not. For Jesus said, "He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters" (Matthew 12:30). And Satan does not oppose Satan; he is not an adversary to himself.

When God gave Satan permission to afflict Job, he used violent men and violent weather against his children and his possessions, and he used a grievous disease to afflict his body. But what about the power of Satan in general? As we have seen the scriptures are clear that the devil has power over most men, to use them in whatever way he chooses, at least as far as God allows him in this evil world. For before Job was afflicted, Satan complained to God that he had "made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he has, on every side" (Job 1:10). In other words, Satan and his henchmen were blocked from harming Job. Now remember, when God finally answered Job, he asked him many questions. I wonder if this one refers to Satan and his allies? "Or [who] shut up the sea with doors when it broke forth, [like] it had issued out of the womb, when I made clouds the garment of it, and thick darkness a swaddling-band for it, and marked out for it my bound, and set bars and doors, and said, This far thou shall come, but no further, and here thy proud waves shall be stayed?" (Job 38:8-11). There are other scriptures besides the one in Revelation that use waters to symbolize men. Here is one from Isaiah:

Inasmuch as this people have refused the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah's son, now therefore, behold, Jehovah brings up upon them the waters of the River, strong and many, [even] the king of Assyria and all his glory. And it shall come up over all its channels, and go over all its banks, and it shall sweep onward into Judah. It shall overflow and pass through; it shall reach even to the neck. And the stretching out of its wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel (Isaiah 8:6-8).

If the passage from Job about the sea refers to Satan and his servants, then it teaches us that God has set strong limits--bars and doors--upon what the devil and his followers can do. Jehovah said, This far thou shall come, but no further, and here thy proud waves shall be stayed." And that is very comforting to all of us who serve Jehovah.

Nevertheless, although limited, Satan and his disciples still have power to afflict. Jesus endured much persecution, and as you know, he was finally subjected to a cruel death. And the Church that he established (the genuine one) has been persecuted in varying degrees ever since it began, as he said it would be. Indeed, when Jesus appeared to John in his vision, in his message to the congregation at Smyrna, Jesus encouraged them not to fear what the devil was going to do to them. He said, "Fear none of the things that thou are going to suffer. Behold, the devil is indeed going to cast some of you into prison, so that ye may be tried, and ye will have tribulation ten days. Become thou faithful until death, and I will give thee the crown of life" (Revelation 2:10)

Is temptation Satan's power of death? The Bible teaches that Satan does have the power of death, but through Jesus Christ, that power has become impotent: "Since therefore the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise shared the same things, so that through death he might make him who has the power of death impotent, that is, the devil" (Hebrews 2:14). How does the devil have the power of death? Speaking of the devil, Jesus said, "He was a man-killer from the beginning" (John 8:44). And how did Satan kill Adam and Eve? By tempting them to sin. Perhaps temptation is his power of death, because we all sin, and are condemned to death because of it. But Jesus took away Satan's power to have the souls of God's children condemned to death, because his sacrificial death redeemed us. Nevertheless, Christians are not immune from the effects of temptation, for if we sin we will suffer for it. For the Bible says, "Behold, a righteous man shall be recompensed in the earth, how much more the wicked man and the sinner" (Proverbs 11:31), and "My son, do not disparage the chastening of Lord, nor become disheartened when punished by him? For whom Lord loves he chastens. And he whips every son whom he receives" (Hebrews 12:5-6). Moreover, Christians can still be lost if they persist in sin, as the book of Hebrew says: "For when we sin willfully after taking the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and of fire, a fervor that is going to devour the opposition" (Hebrews 10:26-27).

But what about Satan's power over other things, like the weather and disease? There are a few passages in the New Testament that attribute different kinds of body affliction to the devil. For example, there was the woman who was "bent over, and not being able to straighten up completely." Remember, Jesus said this about her when he was criticized for healing her on the Sabbath: "And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham whom Satan has bound, lo, eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the day of the Sabbath?" (Luke 13:16). And when Peter preached to Cornelius about the Christ, among his words were these: "Jesus of Nazareth--how God anointed him with Holy Spirit and with power, who passed through doing good, and healing all those who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with him" (Acts 10:38).

Paul also stated that his own body was afflicted by Satan with "a thorn in the flesh." He said God allowed Satan to do it in order to keep him from becoming puffed up: "And so that I might not be over exalted by the extraordinariness of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, an agent of Satan so that he would buffet me, so that I would not be over exalted" (2nd Corinthians 12:7). And Paul was persecuted in other ways by Satan. For he said the following to his faithful disciple Timothy: "Therefore we wanted to come to you, indeed I, Paul, even once and again, and Satan hindered us" (1st Thessalonians 2:18). How Satan hindered Paul and his companions was not stated. It could have been by human persecution only, but perhaps it also included other obstacles such as from weather and/or disease.

Apparently God also uses Satan as an instrument of discipline for his disciples when they sin. For example, God, through Paul, gave the following command to the Corinthian brothers about the man among them who had taken his father's wife: "In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such a man to Satan for destruction of the flesh, so that the spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus" (1st Corinthians 5:4-5). Exactly what that means is not clear. It probably meant that they were to withdraw from him, and leave him to the outside world, where, without God's protection, he would suffer physical affliction by the devil and his servants. I am sure that it does not mean the literal destruction of his body in death. For later when he repented, Paul urged the brothers to forgive and encourage him (2nd Corinthians 2:6-8). The following scripture is another example by Paul of the use of Satan to punish:

This command I set before thee, child Timothy, according to the prophecies leading the way for thee, so that by them thou might war the good warfare. Holding faith and a good conscience, which some, having put away, made shipwreck about the faith, of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan, so that they may be disciplined not to blaspheme (1st Timothy 1:18-20).

His Final Defeat

Satan has experienced many victories and many defeats in his opposition to God. Every act of righteousness is a defeat for Satan, and every act of sin is a victory for him. The Bible does not mention the devil in most of these skirmishes that are recorded in the Bible. One, recall, is described in the book of Job, where Job's enduring faithfulness to God was a defeat for Satan. One victory for the Devil was when David committed his great sin against Uriah. God sent the prophet Nathan to confront David about it. Among his words to him, he said, "…by this deed thou have given great occasion to the enemies of Jehovah to blaspheme" (2nd Samuel 12:14).

The Bible mentions an occasion when Jesus gave special power to seventy of his disciples, and he sent them out to preach and to heal. After they returned they said to him, "Lord, even the demons are made subject to us in thy name" (Luke 10:17). Jesus replied, saying, "I beheld Satan fallen as lightning from the sky" (Luke 10:17-18). Since Satan was not cast out of heaven until after Jesus' ascension, Jesus comment probably did not refer to Satan being exiled to the earth. Perhaps Jesus used those words to symbolize how effective the good-news of Christ is to combat the power of the devil.

The greatest victory over Satan was the life of Jesus Christ. For when he ascended into heaven, after having endured every temptation, yet without sin, Satan was cast out. Satan was cast out of heaven because he had been judged, as Jesus said to his apostles that he would be (John 16:11). It was the obedient life of Jesus Christ that condemned the devil. (You can read more about that in my essay, Jesus, Our Redeemer). And it is by our faithful obedience to Christ, that we overcome the devil. When Jesus returned to heaven, the Bible says he was "taken up to God and to his throne" (Revelation 12:5). It was apparently then that Satan was judged. But remember, the devil did not go willingly, for the Bible says he fought to remain:

Yes, Satan suffered defeat in heaven, but to our woe, God is allowing him to live freely on earth to continue his war against God and his children, as described in the following scripture. The woman in that passage most likely symbolizes God's righteousness on earth. The male was Jesus Christ, who was earlier said to have been "taken up to God and to his throne" (Revelation 12:5). Most of what that passage says is highly figurative. But the point I am making here, is that even though Satan has been condemned, and cast out of heaven, he is still making war against us.

Why God is allowing Satan's continued war against him can be explained from a passage in Revelation. It tells of souls in heaven who had been killed "because of the word of God, and because of the testimony of the Lamb [Christ] that they held" (Revelation 6:9) crying out for vengeance, saying, "Master, Holy and True, how long do thou not judge and avenge our blood from those who dwell on the earth?" (Revelation 6:10). But this is how they were answered: "And a white robe was given to them each, and it was said to them that they should still rest a time, until also their fellow bondmen, and their brothers, and those going to be killed as they too, would be fulfilled" (Revelation 6:11).

You see, God is still harvesting souls from the earth. For, Jesus said that is a purpose of the kingdom of the heavens. He sometimes used parables to teach that lesson. In the following scripture, the illustration is of harvesting fish from the sea:

Again, the kingdom of the heavens is like a net that was cast into the sea, and gathered from every kind, which, when it was full, after dragging to the shore, having sat down, they gathered the good into vessels, but they cast out the useless. So it will be at the end of the age. The heavenly agents will come forth, and separate the bad from among the righteous, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:47-50).

The book of Revelation also tells about a mysterious 1000 years when Satan will be imprisoned by a powerful agent sent from God. There are many things in the book of Revelation that are figurative. Whether the 1000 year imprisonment of Satan is real or figurative, I know not, nor does any other man, regardless of what he may claim. Yet, it would be wonderful if those were real years to come, when the world would no longer be led astray by the devil. But real or not, the final end of Satan is not figurative. It will come one day. Here is what Revelation says about his temporary imprisonment: "And he cast him into the abyss, and locked and sealed over him, so that he would no longer lead the nations astray until the thousand years were ended. After these things he must be loosed for a little time" (Revelation 20:3). And here is what it says about his final defeat:

And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be loosed out of his prison. And he will come forth to lead astray the nations in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the battle, of whom the number of them is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and surrounded the encampment of the sanctified and the beloved city. And fire came down out of heaven from God, and devoured them. And the devil who leads them astray was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where also were the beast and the false prophet. And they will be tormented day and night into the ages of the ages (Revelation 20:7-10).

As that scripture teaches, Satan will eventually be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, to be tormented "day and night into the ages of the ages." Near the end of his letter to the Roman brothers, Paul encouraged them, saying, "I want you to be indeed wise in the good and pure in the evil. And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ is with you" (Romans 16:19-20). What he meant by Satan being crushed under their feet shortly was not specifically stated. However, in the time frame of God, "shortly" could refer to thousands of years, for Peter said, "…one day with Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day" (2nd Peter 3:8). What I think Paul was referring to was the time when Satan will eventually be crushed under the feet of all of the sons of God at that last great day of final victory over him.

Now to the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, alone wise, to God is honor and glory into the ages of the ages. Truly (1st Timothy 1:17).