His Origin and Strategies (or Agenda)
"There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devil. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthly interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors, and hail a materialist or magician with the same delight" (Lewis, C.S. The Screwtape Letters. San Francisco: Harper Collins, 1941, p.3).
When it comes to the question of the existence of the Devil and his demons, it falls into the two camps Lewis mentioned in the quote above:
1.They dismiss him altogether, and even laugh at such a prospect as a personality known as the Devil.
2.They have an exalted view of him, ascribing far more power to him than he has, and attributing far more deeds to him than he has ever done.
A recent Gallup poll revealed that 70% of Americans believe in the Devil. Half of those surveyed believe that he is a personal force, while the other half believe that he is an impersonal force.
Is the Devil merely a force? Or is he an intelligent "spirit being" with a distinct personality?
Someone once asked the great evangelist Charles Finney, "Mr. Finney, do you believe in a literal devil?"
Finney replied, "You try opposing him for awhile and you'll see if he's literal or not.
There is one place where we can find a balanced view of who the Devil is. You will find it in the pages of God's Word, the Bible.
The Origin of the Devil
Where did the devil come from—or, as others have put it, "How could a God of love create someone as horrible as the Devil?" This question is based upon "flawed reasoning, since it assumes that we are in a position to "critique" God. Many who refuse to look into what the Bible says on the subject simply decide that God seriously errored in this area, so we should not put our trust in Him.
Yet, God did not create the devil as we know him.
When God created the world, we are told that God examined it and declared that it "wasgood" (Genesis 1:31). This means that even the angelic world did not have evil angels or demons in it at that time. But by the time of Genesis chapter three, we find that Satan, in the form of a serpent, was tempting Eve to sin. Therefore, sometime between the events of Genesis one and Genesis three, there must have been a rebellion in the angelic world, with many angels turning against God and becoming evil. This rebellion was led by Satan himself.
Lucifer's Fall from Heaven
Before his fall, the Bible gives us this information about the Devil:
* Named Lucifer, which means "Star of the morning"
* Held a high-ranking position in the angelic host
* Had exquisite beauty and great wisdom
* Given a position of great power and influence
* Called "the guardian cherub"
"You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God...You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O' guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings" (Ezekiel 28:12b-17).
In our study about angels, we learned that cherubim are depicted in Scripture as powerful and majestic angelic creatures who surround God's throne. And Lucifer had once been the "guardian cherub." Ironically, God sent cherubim to guard Eden after the expulsion of Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:24).
Since Satan had been "the model of perfection," what sort of sin led to his fall? His "heart became proud" because of his incredible beauty. Lucifer allowed his perfection to be the cause of his corruption.
God's Judgment on Lucifer
Lucifer was not satisfied with worshipping God; instead, he wanted to be worshipped. So Satan, once a beautiful, powerful angel of God, lost his former, exalted position in heaven.
"How you are fallen from heaven, O' Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit" (Isaiah 14:12-15).
Lucifer ("star of the morning") became Satan ("accuser") when he fell to the earth. Jesus, speaking of this event, said,
"I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven" (Luke 10:18).
Lucifer's Following
When Satan fell, he did not fall alone. Scripture tells us that he took one-third of the angels (see Revelation 12:4). Considering the Bible says that the angelic host numbers around 10,000 x 10,000, that is a sizable group. They account for the fallen angels, or demons, that now do his bidding. As a result, Satan is a fallen, but powerful spirit-being with a well-organized network of demon powers to help him accomplish his purposes. Those purposes, according to Jesus, are to "steal, kill, and destroy" (John 10:10).
That's the bad news. The good news is that two-thirds of the angels are on our side! As the prophet Elisha said to his servant, "Don't be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them" (2 Kings 6:16).
As Christians, we have an even greater asset than the majority of angels on our side: Jesus Christ, who conquered Satan at the cross of Calvary, is also on our side!
The Strategy of the Devil
1.Satan Starts with the Mind
When Satan wanted to lead the first man and woman into sin, he started by attacking the mind. Scripture says, "I am afraid, lest as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your
minds should be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ" (2 Corinthians 1 1:3).
Satan hits here first because he knows that the mind is "command central." It is the place where we reason, contemplate, and fantasize. That is why the Bible urges us to "bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5). If the Devil can just get us to "think" about carrying out a particular sin, then it will help him to accomplish his purposes. You can never truly say, "The Devil made me do it." The "Tempter" needs cooperation with the "tempted."
2.Satan's Allies
Satan works with two close allies: the world and the flesh.
* The World: Refers to the "world system," which is hostile to God. The "world system" encourages living for personal gratification and putting your will above all else.
"We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one" (1 John 5:19).
Satan is "the Prince of the power of the air..." (Ephesians 2:2).
* The Flesh: The sinful nature that lives to be gratified; unrestrained sensual appetites.
"For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father, but is of the world" (1 John 2:16).
When the Devil tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden, he used this "three-prong" strategy. Read Genesis 3:1-7.
The Lust (or Desire) of the Eyes
Eve saw that the tree "was pleasant to the eyes" (v. 7). Satan uses this trap to try to get people to entertain fantasies in their thought life. Unfortunately, those fantasies often turn into reality.
The Lust (or Desire) of the Flesh
Eve saw that the tree "was good for food " (v. 7). Having seen it, she tasted it. Likewise, Satan wants us to gratify our desires immediately, whatever they might be food, sleep, sex, pleasure, possessions, etc.
Satan's Line of Questioning
After Satan caught Eve's attention through these three aspects of her "flesh" (or human nature), he moved in for "the fall." He did this through a clever line of reasoning.
1. He Questioned God's Word (v. 1 )
He does not deny that God had spoken. He simply questions whether God had really said what Eve thought He had said.
2. He Questioned God's Love for Eve (v. 1 )
The way Satan asks this question implies that he was questioning God's love. "If God really loved you, He wouldn't keep something from you, would He?" Satan used this same tactic on Jesus in the wilderness: "
If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread" (Luke 4 :3). In other words, "Why are you hungry if you are God's Son?"
As the author Tennyson once said, "A lie that is all of a lie can be met with and fought outright. But a lie that is partly the truth is a harder matter to fight."
3. He Denied God's Word (v. 4)
Satan finally throws out God's warning altogether, telling Eve, "You will not surely die." It is but a short step from questioning God's Word to denying it. If Eve had not listened to Satan questioning God's Word, she would never have fallen into Satan's trap when he denied God's Word.
Eve was at the wrong place at the wrong time listening to the wrong person, which ultimately led to her doing the wrong thing.
4. He Substituted His Own Lie (v. 5)
Satan tells Eve that if she eats from the tree, she "will be like God, knowing good and evil." Interestingly, this was Satan's own sin, for he had attempted to take God's place.
Eve had a choice to make, she could believe in God's Word or Satan's word. Tragically, she chose to believe in the "Father of Lies" versus the One who is Truth.
How to Sabotage the Devil's Strategy
Adam and Eve failed to use the weapon God has given us during times of temptation: The Word of God (also called "the sword of the Spirit"). Jesus, during His time of temptation in the wilderness, chose to use this weapon to show us its power. While He could have used His "executive privilege" to ward off His enemy, He responded to Satan's distortions of Scripture with accurate recitations of God's Word.
Like Jesus, we need to "rightly divide the word of truth" when Satan comes to us with his lies and accusations
(2 Timothy 2:15).
Yes, there is a Devil. Just as surely as there is a God who loves you and has a plan for your life, there is a Devil who hates you and wants to destroy your life.
How can you avoid his traps and temptations? 2 Timothy 2:22 gives us the key:
"Turn your back on the turbulent desires of youth and give your positive attention to goodness, integrity, love and peace in company with all those who approach the Lord in sincerity" (Phillips translation).
Flee temptation and don't leave a
forwarding address!
Part II
