During Halloween festivities we often see the devil being represented as a person dressed in a red hooded costume with two short horns on his head, a long forked tail, and carrying a pitchfork with arrowhead-like tips on its prongs. The devil is nothing but a "fairy tale" to many in our world today; they deny his existence including many of the world's religious leaders.
The following is a quote by Dr. Harold L. Wilmington from the Baptist Bulletin, December 1971, pg. 13 ...
"If I were the devil I would deny my existence in the world and down-play it in the local church thus freeing me to go about my business unheeded, unhindered, and unchecked."
The truth is that Satan the devil is a real person, he does exist. Jesus Christ speaks directly to Satan the devil in the Holy Scriptures!
This is not an imaginary person that Jesus Christ is speaking to in these verses of Holy Scripture, rather it is a real Person, it is the devil Satan himself that Jesus is addressing!
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥…
Satan has a number of names, each of which are descriptive of his nature and work. He is called “Satan” (meaning the adversary, I Peter. 5: 8), the “Tempter” (meaning he tempts man, Matthew. 4: 3), and Beelzebub (found in Matthew 12: 24). He is also known as "The Wicked One" and “The Great Dragon" (found in Matthew 13: 19; Revelation 12: 9). The name “Devil” is translated from the Greek “diabolos”, which means “Accuser” (found in John 8: 44).
Satan is also called the following names in Holy Scripture…Abbadon, Angel of Light, Angel of Bottomless Pit, Anointed Covering Cherub, Appolyon, Belial, Deceiver, Evil One, Father of Lies, god of This Age, Lawless One, Lucifer, Murderer, Power of Darkness, Prince of the Power of the Air, Roaring Lion, Ruler of Demons, Ruler of this World, Serpent of Old, and Son of Perdition.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥 …
Where did Satan come from? God, created all of the angels before the creation of the earth, including the cherub angel referred to in the Holy Scripture as Satan the devil.
From the above verses of Holy Scripture we learn that “𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥" are the angels of Heaven. Please notice in Job 38:1-7 that “the sons of God" [angels of Heaven] were shouting for joy as God created the foundations of the earth! Therefore the angels (including the cherub devil angel Satan) had already been created by God before the earth was ever created.
According to Holy Scripture, God created the devil angel Satan as a beautiful cherub angel. God speaks concerning the beauty of Satan the devil as a cherub angel in Ezekiel 28.
Satan's created beauty as a cherub angel was his down-fall. His beauty corrupted his wisdom" and he became prideful, self-ambitious, and he sought to do evil.
In Isaiah 14:12-15 we learn more about Satan's pride, self-ambition and his down-fall…
In these verses of Holy Scripture we learn that Satan's name was originally "𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘦𝘳" which means "𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴". This name of course refers to the beauty of Lucifer the cherub angel [the devil Satan] before sin was found in him and he was cast out of heaven.
𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥’𝐬 𝐆𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 ...
Satan the devil does not live in Hell as some people suppose; Satan is constantly "𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩" (Job 2:2), and he always “𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘭𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘳" (I Peter 5:81). Satan is "𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 [𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩]" (2 Corinthian 4:4).
According to the Holy Scriptures Satan the devil has his own organized government of which he is the prime leader.
According to Ephesians 6:12, Satan's government is composed of Satan himself and the '𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴' [these are the demon angels that followed him in rebellion against God in Heaven].
After reading Jude 6 and 2 Peter 2:4, the question arises . . .
If the angels who were cast out of Heaven have been "cast . . . down to hell" and "reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day", 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐮𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐬?"
There are two basic explanations of this apparent contradiction:
First, it is possible that Peter is speaking of the official and ultimate destiny of fallen angels (demons), not their actual and present status. That is, even though they have already been sentenced by God to eternal damnation, they have not yet actually started serving their term. Nonetheless, they know their time is shortly coming (Matthew 8:29; Revelation 12:12).
Second, these passages may be speaking of two different classes of fallen angels, some may already be in chains (2 Peter 2:4) and the rest still let loose. Some believe Apostle Peter is referring to the “sons of God” (angels) of Genesis 6 who instigated intermarriage with women just before the Flood, since the very next verse refers to Noah (v. 5). If so, then this may account for why these particular angels are already in chains (so they cannot repeat their evil feat), as opposed to other demons who are loose on the earth.
No matter which explanation you choose to believe …we won’t know for sure until we get to Heaven.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥 …
Satan the devil's evil powers are fierce like a lion and they should not be taken lightly by either man nor by angels. The Holy Scriptures are very clear about this all important fact.
Please note that Michael's only defense against Satan was … "𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘣𝘶𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶!"
Only the Lord Jesus Christ [who is Himself God in human form] has the power to maintain control over the actions and behavior of the devil Satan. Satan can do only what God allows him to do because the devil Satan does not have the powers that God has for controlling the Universe.
We Christians should never underestimate Satan. He is a sly and skillful adversary with many years' experience in dealing with humanity. But even though he is a powerful foe, Satan can be overcome.
Let's Examine Some More Facts About Satan…
(1) Satan is nowhere near to being the equal of God.God is omnipotent: He is all-powerful. God is omniscient: He is all-knowing. God is omnipresent: He is present everywhere.
The devil, in sharp contrast, does not reflect these divine attributes. Satan is very powerful, more than any man, and more powerful than most angels. But he is not anywhere near to being the equal of God.
His knowledge is limited, and he can’t know all of our thoughts. And while God can be everywhere at the same time, Satan can be in only one place at one time. However, he does not work alone. He has his minions, his demon angel forces that do his dirty work (see Ephesians 6:10–12).
(2) Satan wants to accuse you before God..On more than one occasion, the Scriptures refer to Satan as an accuser. Revelation 12:10 calls him…
Satan wants you to believe that you are not worthy to approach God. But you are not approaching Him on the basis of your worthiness. You are approaching God on the basis of what Jesus did for you at the cross. Remember that, because the devil doesn't want you to know it. He wants to accuse you before God and keep you away from Him.
(3) Satan was defeated at Calvary by Christ’s ‘Perfect Blood Sacrifice’ to His Father for the sins of all of mankind on the Cross…
Colossians 2:15, speaking of what Jesus accomplished at the Cross, says…
At Calvary, the devil Satan lost his foothold and stranglehold on the life of the human race. This means that each of us can be set free by the power of Jesus Christ.
(4) Satan can do nothing in the life of a Christian without God's permission.
You can be oppressed to some degree, but if you are a Christian, neither the devil nor a demon can ever take control of your life. When you placed your faith in Jesus Christ, you came under His protection. He placed His ownership on you that says, "Property of Jesus Christ. Bought with the blood of Christ." Satan the devil knows that and must back off.
Having said that, it doesn't mean the devil can't try to lure you out of God's protection and draw you into his web of deception. That's why, as a child of God, your objective should be to stay as close to the Lord as you possibly can-and keep as much distance between yourself and the devil as possible.
(5) Satan can be defeated by the power of Jesus Christ dwelling in Christians.
Christians have authority over Satan, but it is not their own authority that overcomes Satan; 𝐢𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 that has the power to overcome Satan.
So, how exactly do believers have power over Satan? When we repent and come to believe in Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross as being a full pardon for all of our sins we become ‘spiritually born again’ and we are supernaturally indwelled with the Holy Spirit. This is how we have power over Satan …through the Holy Spirit of Christ dwelling within us true Christians.
The same God [Jesus Christ] who created the Universe (see John 1:1-18) lives within us. When we live in submission to God's Spirit, we have power over Satan, because the power of Christ works in and through us. Satan cannot overcome any believer in Christ who remains in fellowship with the Holy Spirit, because Satan cannot defeat the Spirit of God that dwells within them.
This does not mean Satan will not try to attack spirit-filled Christians. The Bible instructs us in 1 Peter 5:8 …
Satan will attack and deceive; he will be looking for and seeking after an inroad into our lives. -- As Christians, we may still struggle with evil and the temptation to sin, but we have the power to resist Satan and his temptations when we are living in submission to Christ. Satan will flee when we resist him in Jesus' name ...in James 4:7 we read…
We ourselves have no authority over Satan. This is why we see non-believers living under the power of Satan, unable to resist sin. However, when we Christian believers use the power of Jesus Christ that lives within us we are able to say "No" to sin and to live holy lives. When Jesus was tempted by Satan, He responded by quoting the Word of God (see Matthew 4:1–11).
Jesus Christ is our example for defeating the temptations of Satan…we too can defeat Satan the Devil by the power of the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17). When Jesus returns for His Church we will have total victory over sin because in Romans 16:20, we read…
The ONLY WAY that an unbeliever can no longer be a ‘𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘚𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘭’ is to become a ‘spiritually born again’ Christian. At the very instant that an unbeliever puts their complete faith in the 'Perfect Blood Sacrifice' that Jesus made on the Cross for the sins of all of mankind as being a full pardon for their sins, it is at that moment that God ADOPTS that unbeliever into His Family and that unbeliever then becomes a “𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘎𝘰𝘥”.
The Archangel Michael, who reigns as the leader of all God's angels, fights evil with the power of good. Michael has engaged in spiritual battles with the fallen angel known as Satan throughout history. The Bible says the struggle will reach a climax in the future, just before Jesus Christ returns to Earth at the time of the Battle of Armageddon.
In Revelation 12:7-10, the Bible tells how Michael and the angels he supervises will defeat Satan and the other rebellious angels during the world's end time. During the battle in the end times, Archangel Michael will defeat Satan completely, so that no fallen angels will ever again re-enter God's presence and be able to accuse faithful Christian people before God.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐥…
Satan knows his destiny from hearing; or reading; the Holy Scriptures that were given to mankind by the Holy Spirit of God Himself. The eternal destiny of the devil angel Satan and his demon angels is to be cast into an everlasting lake of fire.
One day the earth and the heavens will be rid of the evil presence of Satan the devil and his demon angels forever and ever. There will be a new world created by God and it will be a glorious place to live without Satan the devil's presence. In the meantime it is of utmost urgency that everyone who is not a Christian on planet earth make a willful decision to turn to Jesus Christ [God] for the rescuing of their souls if they do not want to experience the same condemnation as Satan the devil ... 𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐥𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐧𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐞!
