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“For Satan must
not be allowed to get the better of us; we know
his wiles all too well.” (2 Corinthians
2:11 NEB)
Art Linkletter’s
show, “People are Funny,” was a TV
success. Of all the creatures on earth, people
are the most fascinating. However, there is
something curious about Christians. No, not their
unshakable faith in an unseen Savior, but their
tenacious grasp on the Word of God. Christians
insist on the infallibility of the written Word.
Challenge its authority or inspiration and they
are ready to fight. Seemingly, they would die for
it.
Here’s what’s
curious. Most Christians deliberately ignore one
of the Bible’s most cardinal doctrines - the
doctrine of a personal devil. One hears much
about the need of a personal Savior, but the same
Bible sets forth a personal devil just as
clearly and definitely. Don’t you find it
curious that the truth of Christ can be widely
heralded; yet, the truth of Satan obviously
subdued? I find that fact startling, a phenomenon
– even supernatural.
Why curious? Listen to
the Apostle Paul:
“Lest Satan
should get an advantage of us: for we are not
ignorant of his devices” (2 Corinthians
2:11 KJV).
Oops!
Did you catch the
“we” in that verse? Can he be serious?
Was he referring to the Corinthian church? Satan
was shaking that bunch of believers like a rag
doll. Perhaps it was true of himself or some with
him at Ephesus. BUT what a fantastic
overstatement that is today! The average
Christian does not even know who Satan is, let
alone have knowledge of his devices.
What’s worse, they
smile at the mention of a living personal devil.
One Christian writer has observed:
“Wonderful is it
that he can prevail upon Christian people to
banish his name as they do and pastors make only
now and then an incidental reference to it in the
pulpit … while in every room of their
households, in every street of our cities, he is
incessantly manifesting his hateful presence;
perplexing, seducing, embroiling, uprooting, and
disorganizing until the whole framework of
society is loosened and ready to crumble upon the
first shock.”
You don’t hear much
about Satan today. The church has been willing to
relax its hold on the incident doctrine.
Preachers have little to say about him. In some
places, there is antagonism toward the idea of
such a person. Faith and a supernatural Satan has
all but collapsed.
Say to some Christians,
“I wanted to come and see you, but the devil
hindered me,” meant it, as did the Apostle
and watch eyebrows go up. Describe an
unsuccessfully treated ailment as ‘ a thorn
in the flesh, a messenger of Satan,” sent to
buffet you, and then interpret the looks you get.
Try telling your Christian employer that a
difficulty on the job is due to satanic attack.
At once, he’ll have his doubts about you.
Pious smiles may appear to accept what you say
about the devil’s influence, but behind
those smiles, your sanity is questioned.
It’s not easy to
live in a materialistic age where talk of a
personal devil is unpopular. Who is willing to
speak of him seriously, when such words bring sly
glances and looks of suspicion? Who will admit
involvement with someone regarded as a figure of
speech? It’s like believing in Santa Claus.
Make more than a joking reference to Satan and
people will think you are “a little
off.” No, it’s not easy to get serious
about Satan today.
Yet, who can read divine
prophecy concerning the close of this age and not
be obliged to verify every word in the signs
about us? Society is throwing off every
restraint. The public appetite for sex, violence
and a new morality is fed off a large screen in
the living room. Politics is a getting game.
Alcohol flows like a river. Drugs, teen-age
rebellion, riots and ascending crime rates
bespeak an energizing spirit backstage. Satan is
organizing the thought life and manipulating the
passions of men. Signs indicate a worldwide
upheaval calculated to burst forth into a volcano
of blasphemy!
Christians may soon be
confronted with ‘all power and signs and
lying wonders.” Even now, tempting
influences are closing in fast. God’s people
need everything they can get their hands on to
live Christ. Few are standing fast in His Name.
So many are caught in the “down draft”
of this world, there is no recognizable
difference between the child of God and the child
of the devil. Being alert to the truth of Satan
and equipped to resist him is a most urgent
matter.
Our children sing in
churches across the country, “Everybody
ought to know … Who Jesus is.” In view
of the swift approach of the evil hour, perhaps
we should be teaching them …
“Everybody
Ought To Know
Everybody Ought
To Know
Everybody Ought
To Know
Who Satan Is!
Satan Needs Darknes
When Herbert Philbrick
posed as a Communist for the FBI, his identity
had to remain secret. He worked under the cover
of aliases. He needed a cloak of personal
darkness to carry out his mission. The
success of his mission depended on it, so did his
life. When the truth was revealed years later,
the story was captioned, “I Led Three
Lives!”
The Satan story is
similar. One day he will be revealed as he is,
but right now his success depends on personal
darkness – absolute obscurity – and
he’s getting it. By means of
supernatural resources, he has been able to throw
a cover of ignorance over the body of Christ. The
way he rules mankind, practically unnoticed, is
a fascinating mystery.
If Satan’s success
depends on secrecy and darkness, then turning on
the light to expose him can hurt his operation.
Just as publicity would have ruined Herbert
Philbrick as an undercover agent, so can exposure
cancel much of Satan’s power. The first
thing Christians need to know about Satan is Who
He Is.
The Fund of Knowledge
When I discovered Satan
alive and tasted the thrill of having him flee, I
knew it was to be shared with God’s people.
Before writing this study, I checked to see what
was already available on the subject. There is no
point in reproducing truths already in print. I
began reading every book and article I could
find. There is a useful store of knowledge
scattered throughout books published in the last
75 years.
In more than 60 volumes,
I found a body of agreed truth. Enough to satisfy
me that the Holy Spirit already has a Fund of
Knowledge on deposit for the church. There is a
consensus among writers like Chafer, Unger,
Lewis, Koch, Morgan, Jennings and the Catholic
Church (amazingly on target), which provides a
springboard from which to launch an exposition. I
will list some facts below, which if we can
accept them, will give us a basis for moving on
to things not a part of any writings.
(1) Satan, A Created
Being
Most expositors agree
that the passages of Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28
look beyond the Kings of Tyre and Babylon and are
detailed descriptions of the person of Satan.
Ormiston and Jennings open these verses in lovely
detail.
- Satan
was created by the Lord Jesus (Colossians
1:16). Heaven’s skill and love went
into making him after the divine image.
He was vested with every grace and
anointment as the guardian of God’s
glory. Probably the Savior and Satan were
close, personal friends in those days. In
heaven, Satan was the delight of the Lord
and at home in the presence of God. He
wore righteousness comfortably. He was
holiness personified.
- Satan
seems to have been given the task of
producing a race of citizens for heaven.
He was to lead them in open praise and
adoration of the Most High. He was
absolutely perfect in every way, with his
glory second only to that of God. He was
the best God could create. None was
wiser, more beautiful, or more important.
And like His Creator, he was Free.
- It
is not certain Where Satan was producing
the race of citizens; whether in heaven
itself or on the earth. The chaos of
Genesis 1:2 may indicate a ruin of the
earth occurred prior to the (re)creation
account of Genesis 1:3. Some hold that
Satan’s kingdom was there. Others
hold that he merely destroyed the
universes in rage after his revolt was
thwarted. I believe Satan and his evil
forces were expelled from heaven after
the war in heaven between Michael/Jesus
and His forces and Lucifer/Satan and His
forces because God could no longer
tolerate his rebellion. In any event, it
is clear he wanted this world when
creation was completed and given to Adam.
(2) Satan’s Sin
- Made
like his Creator, completely free to
exercise his will, Satan could do or not
do the will of God as he saw fit. He had
the power to revolt if he wanted to. He
was not expected to covet his
Maker’s throne, for he seemingly
held every honor but that. Ezekiel
indicates he lived to praise God. But
alas, the day came when “Iniquity
Was Found” in him. The reason for
that remains locked with God, for the
time. If sin can be defined as rebellion
against the known will of God, sin began
that day.
- Satan’s
rebellion was occasioned by
self-deception. He was enamored with his
own beauty, impressed with his wisdom,
and exalted by the importance of his job.
Though a created being, he deluded
himself into thinking he could be
“like the Most High.” The
blinding power of self-affection is
manifested when the created being thinks
to replace his creator.
Satan’s
Freewill decision to exalt himself against God
was his sin. Pride was the energizing factor.
Lucifer/Satan, second in command to God Himself,
had great forces under him. Already accustomed to
his leadership, it wasn’t too hard to
involve many in the rebellion. They are the
“principalities and powers” referred by
Paul, for they retain their rank and dignity, as
does Satan. Those who participated are called,
“fallen angels” or demons.” Those
who refused are called the “angels of
God.”
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