Sermon Illustrations

SATAN AS AMUSING

One of Satan's characteristic strategems is to give those who believe that he does exist an entirely wrong concept of what his true nature and character really are.

In the Middle Ages, when there were no radios, no magazines, no newspapers, no movies, no telephones, and none of our modern means of passing the time, the people were frequently amused by the miracle plays. These were a sort of religious pageant in which religious stories were acted out on the stage.

The audience learned to look for one character on the stage who was always dressed in red, wore horns on his head, and a tail dangling out behind him. His hoofs were cloven, and he had a pitchfork in his hand. The onlookers were quite thrilled when they saw this figure sneaking up on the hero or the heroine. The idea arose that Satan could be called the "old Nick," or "his satanic majesty," and that he was a slightly comic character.

— Donald Grey Barnhouse — (Encyclopedia of 15,000 Illustrations)

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