THE COMMISSION

In order to stand strong and resist the great deceiver, we need to learn all we can about his origin, plans, personality, and purpose. What is he like, and what does he do?

Here are 20 facts you need to know about Satan:

1. The devil was created by God.

We must always remember that everything made by the Almighty was pure perfection, and that includes the devil. Before Lucifer was cast out of heaven, God said to him, “Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created” (Ezekiel 28:12).

Paul later wrote, “By him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him” (Colossians 1:16).

2. The devil was the first ruler of the earth.

Yes, Satan was banished from heaven, but long before that time, he ruled this planet. Earth was his kingdom. In Isaiah, the devil bragged, “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God” (Isaiah 14:13).

3. The devil has been seen with a physical body.

Most people have a mental image of the devil with horns and a tail and holding a pitchfork. I think we’ve seen too many Halloween costumes! It is recorded that when the devil appeared on the Mount of Temptation, he had a human-like physical body and walked and talked with Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11).

In John’s revelation, he saw an angel take hold of the devil and bind his body with chains (Revelation 20:1-3).

4. The devil has a heart.

We know from God’s Word that Satan has an “inner man” that feels emotion and makes decisions. In describing the devil’s determination to challenge the Almighty, we read,

“Thou hast said in thine heart...I will exalt my throne above the stars of God” (Isaiah 14:13). He wanted to be like the Almighty.

5. The devil is full of pride.

It’s been said that pride goes before a fall, and this was certainly true in the case of Lucifer. Scripture vividly tells of the devil’s self-admiration and conceit: “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness” (Ezekiel 28:17).

6. The devil has the ability to speak.

Just before Job’s faith was severely tested, Satan approached God who posed the question to him: “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?” (Job 1:8, NKJV).

Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? Have You not made a hedge around him, around his household, and around all that he has on every side?” (verses 9-10).

God, however, had the final word, and Satan had to flee from the presence of the Lord.

In the New Testament, the devil chided Jesus, “If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread” (Matthew 4:3).

7. The devil has power.

The might of the evil one will be evident in the Antichrist “whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders” (2 Thessalonians 2:9). We also know that in the final battle of the ages, John saw a beast rise up “and the dragon [Satan] gave him his power...and great authority” (Revelation 13:2).

8. The devil has desires.

The enemy of your soul hungers and craves after certain objectives. At the Last Supper, Jesus said to Peter, “Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat” (Luke 22:31).

Nothing has changed through the centuries. The evil one is still on the prowl!

9. The devil has a dwelling place.

God told the church at Pergamos, “I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is...where Satan dwells” (Revelation 2:13, NKJV).

Since the enemy’s prime priority is to find a home in your heart, take the offensive and build a strong, spiritual barrier.

10. The devil rules and controls on earth.

In Ephesians 2:2, Satan is called “the prince of the power of the air.” As such, he spreads his rebellion and evil into every corner of mankind, including family, business, social, political, and even religious life.

11. The devil has a kingdom.

At this very moment, Satan is still a king who rules over a kingdom.

During the early days of Jesus’ earthly ministry, the religious leaders accused Him of using the power of the devil to cast out demons. But Jesus answered them with a thought-provoking question, “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand” (Mark 23-24, NKJV).

12. The devil is a religious leader today.

It may come as a surprise, but Satan exerts spiritual leadership on earth. Scripture describes how he disguises himself and “is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness” (2 Corinthians 11:14–15).

There is a definite distinction between being religious and being a born again child of God.

13. The devil is a deceiver.

From the beginning, when Satan told Eve that if she ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil she would “not surely die” (Genesis 3:4), every word that has flowed out of his mouth has been false: “When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own:

for he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44).

We find this from Genesis to Revelation: “That old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world...was cast out into the earth” (Revelation 12:9).

14. The devil tempts us.

When the Lord Jesus taught us how to pray, He included these words: “Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13, NKJV).

He knows first-hand how talented Satan is in his attempts to trick us. He was led “into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil” (Matthew 4:1).

15. The devil provokes man to sin.

In Scripture we read how “Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number [or take a census of] Israel” (1 Chronicles 21:1). Substituting statistics for trust in the Almighty was totally against the Lord’s desire. This is why David confessed to God, “I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing” (verse 8).

16. The devil will enter into a union with men against God.

If Satan finds a man or woman who is in conflict with the Lord, he will join forces with that individual. Just before Jesus gave communion to His disciples, “Satan entered Judas”

(Luke 22:3, NKJV). That was the beginning of the great betrayal.

17. The devil sends messengers to fight and defeat the saints.

The apostle Paul wrote to the believers at Corinth, “Lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me” (2 Corinthians 12:7).

The purpose of Satan was to defeat this effective missionary evangelist, and he still assigns his evil agents to assault believers.

18. The devil opposes and hinders the Gospel.

To a man possessed by demons, Paul said, “Thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?” (Acts 13:10).

One of Satan’s additional objectives is to steal the Word from those who have heard the Gospel. Jesus explained, “When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not

understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart”

(Matthew 13:19, NKJV).

19. The devil sets traps for men.

Constantly, Satan is creating new ways to ensnare us. The Bible teaches that a Christian leader “must have a good testimony among those who are outside [the church], lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil” (1 Timothy 3:7). Satan’s objective is to steal, kill, and destroy, but Christ came to give us life “more abundantly” (John 10:10).

Halellujah!

20. The devil will finally be defeated.

While on earth we must deal with a persistent adversary who is out to make war on the saints, but please don’t be discouraged. I am happy to report that the day is coming when “the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone...and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).

That makes me want to shout!

CHAPTER 11