I.        INTRODUCTION

A.      People sometimes make a joking excuse for their bad behavior by saying, “The devil made me do it.”

B.      In truth, the devil is no joking matter.  Let us consider the Bible’s sobering message about Satan.

II.      WHO SATAN IS

A.      First of all, let us acknowledge that the Bible describes Satan as a real, spiritual being.

                                                             1.      Satan is not a symbol of evil or an abstract figure of wicked forces.  He is living spirit.

                                                             2.      His presence in the Bible story is evident from the book of Genesis to the book of Revelation.

                                                             3.      He is as real as God and Christ, for both of them have interacted with him (Job 1-2; Matt. 4:1-11).

B.      Despite a common belief, the Scriptures do not teach that Satan is a fallen angel.

                                                             1.      This belief stems from a misapplication of Isaiah 14:12-21.

a.       Some translations incorrectly render the Hebrew word heylel, which means “morning star,” as the proper name “Lucifer,” which is from the Latin translation.  The name “Lucifer,” meaning “light-bearer,” has been misapplied to Satan.

b.       The context of this passage does not describe Satan, but rather it describes a man, namely, the king of Babylon.  The “morning star” is a figure of this king.

c.        Some have incorrectly connected this passage with Christ’s words in Luke 10:18, where Jesus said, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.”

i.         The passage in Luke has nothing to do with the passage in Isaiah.  There is no contextual connection at all.

ii.        Jesus spoke of the casting out of demons and the overcoming of Satan’s power (compare to John 12:31; Rev. 12:7-12), whereas Isaiah wrote of God casting down the king of Babylon and his throne.

                                                             2.      There are passages that speak of fallen angels (2Pet. 2:4; Jude 6), but we must be careful of conjecture and speculation that suppose that Satan was one of them.  We simply do not know that.

C.      We may not fully understand Satan’s origin, but we do know Satan’s destiny for certain.

                                                             1.      Jesus said that there is an “eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41).

                                                             2.      Revelation describes the devil’s final destiny as “the lake of fire and brimstone” where he “will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev. 20:10).

D.      Satan’s many names and descriptions tell us who he is and what he does.

                                                             1.      The name “Satan” is from a Hebrew word meaning “adversary.”

a.       Satan stands in opposition to God and to His purposes for man.

b.       This is why Peter warned, “Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1Pet. 5:8).

                                                             2.      The name “devil” is from the Greek word diabolos, which means “accuser” or “slanderer.”

a.       In Revelation 12:10, Satan is described as “the accuser of our brethren…who accuses them before our God day and night.”

b.       This aspect of Satan is demonstrated in Job 1-2 as Satan accused Job of having superficial faith.  See also Zechariah 3:1.

c.        Thus, we understand that the devil is constantly speaking against men before God and accusing them of evil ostensibly to incur the wrath of God against them.

                                                             3.      In Matthew 4:3 and 1Thessalonians 3:5, Satan is called “the tempter.”

a.       The first account of Satan in the Bible is found in Genesis 3:1-5, where Satan appeared in the form of a serpent (“the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan” – Rev. 12:9) and successfully tempted Eve to sin.

b.       Satan’s work is to tempt men into sin and then to accuse them before God.  He creates opportunities for men to sin (trials, tests, temptations) and then reports their failures.

                                                             4.      Several other names and titles are used in the Scriptures to describe Satan.

a.       In many passages, he is described as “the evil one” or “the wicked one” (Matt. 13:19, 38; John 17:15; Eph. 6:16; 2Thess. 3:3; 1John 2:13-14; 3:12; 5:18-19).

b.       In Matthew 12:24-27, he is identified as “Beelzebul,” which means “lord of the house” or “lord of the fly” (from a Philistine deity worshipped at Ekron).  This passage shows how he is synonymous with demons.

c.        In 2Corinthians 6:15, he is called “Belial,” which means “worthless.”

d.       In Revelation 9:11, he is called “Abaddon” (Hebrew for “destruction”) and “Apollyon” (Greek for “destroyer”).

e.        He is also described as “the ruler of this world” (John 14:30), “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2), and “the god of this world” (2Cor. 4:4).  These indicate his power.

III.   THE POWER OF SATAN

A.      The power of Satan is death.

                                                             1.      Notice Hebrews 2:14-15, which pertains to Christ’s work of delivering us from Satan’s power – “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”

a.       Because Satan tempts us to sin, and the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23), Satan has the power of death over man because all have sinned (Rom. 3:23).

i.         Spiritual death is the separation that occurs between God and man because of sin (Isa. 59:2).  Sin sets man apart from God, and He is the source of all life.

ii.        Physical death is a worldly consequence of sin that was imparted to all people from the time that Adam and Eve first sinned (Rom. 5:12-21).

b.       Christ overcame Satan’s power when He was raised from the dead (1Cor. 15:55-57).

i.         No longer can spiritual death or physical death hold captive those who have faith in Christ Jesus.

ii.        No longer can Satan accuse Christians of sin, for they have been justified by faith in Christ Jesus (Rom. 5:1).

                                                             2.      Satan is now powerless over those who are obedient and faithful in Christ Jesus, but he still reigns over all who are still outside of Christ and in bondage to sin (Rom. 6:16).

B.      Satan’s primary weapon is deceit.

                                                             1.      Jesus said this of Satan – “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)

a.       When Satan deceived Eve, he led her to sin and death.  Thus, he is a murderer.

b.       Satan’s basic lie to all of mankind is the same lie he told to Eve: “You surely shall not die” (Gen. 3:4; 2Cor. 11:3).  He seeks to convince us that sin will not result in death, which is contrary to God’s word.  Thus, to embrace sin is to disbelieve God.

                                                             2.      Satan is exceedingly cunning and crafty, for he deceives by misleading words and false appearances.

a.       One might say that Satan’s lie to Eve was “legally accurate,” for she Eve did not instantly drop dead in the garden.  However, he did not disclose to her the greater consequences.

b.       Satan not only deceives, but he also blinds “the minds of the unbelieving, that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ” (2Cor. 4:4).  See also Mark 4:15.

i.         Paul wrote that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light and his servants disguise themselves as servants of righteousness (2Cor. 11:14-15).  Satan has a way of giving evil an appearance of righteousness (via false doctrines, popular opinion, worldly wisdom, etc.).

ii.        Satan can even misapply the Scriptures in order to deceive those who do not know the word of God and its context (consider his attempt in Matt. 4:1-11).

c.        Satan’s temptations are appealing to the flesh (lust of the eyes, lust of the flesh, pride of life – Gen. 3:6; 1John 2:16), but they carry no warning of the harm they bring to the soul.

d.       Satan’s persecutions are designed to convince men that it is better to turn away from God or that God is to blame (Job 1-2; Luke 22:31; 1Pet. 4:12; Rev. 2:10; 12:11).

                                                             3.      Through his schemes (2Cor. 2:11; Eph. 6:11), Satan “deceives the whole world” (Rev. 12:9).

IV.    CONCLUSION

A.      Satan is no joke.  He is our enemy, and knowing our enemy is essential to overcome him.

B.      God has given a simple formula for overcoming Satan: “Submit therefore to God.  Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (Jas. 4:7).

                                                             1.      God has given us every tool that we need to defeat Satan (Eph. 6:10-17).

                                                             2.      God also gives us the assurance that He will crush Satan under our feet (Rom. 16:20).