I don’t know how many times over the years I have been asked who I think Satan really is. Now, that may not surprise you, but what should surprise you is that almost all of these questions came from people who referred to themselves as born-again Christians.
That reminds me of an old Twilight Zone show. An American man is walking through the countryside of Europe. It becomes dark and he gets lost. A fierce storm begins to blow, and finally, he sees an old medieval castle, all by itself in the middle of the forest. A storm is raging all about the man who decides to take refuge in the castle.
He knocks on the door and pleads for shelter, and finally the monks agree to let him in. They seem hospitable, but not quiet what you would call friendly. But they feed him and let him roam around to see the castle.
The man happens upon a cell in the basement. Inside the cell was a very handsome and pleasant man. He begged the American to help him escape. He said the head monk was crazy and had kept him locked up there for nearly 20 years.
The American confronted the monk, who said the man in the cell was really Satan, and as long as he was locked in the cell, the world was safe. He figured the monk was crazy indeed, so he went back down and unlocked the cell door. The nice man in the cell slowly came out and stood before him.
And all of a sudden, that nice man who had just been freed turned into a hideous monster and sneered the sneer of evil, and then in a poof just disappeared. His evil laughing could be heard echoing away in the darkness as the reality of what he did came to the American.
He ran to the monk to apologize and ask forgiveness. He said he didn’t recognize the devil because he looked so pleasant.
How many of us today could not recognize the devil if he were to appear in front of us? George Barna had a poll that asked if people believed in the devil as a living being, or was it just a symbol of evil? Nearly 50% of American Christians said the devil was nothing more than a symbol of evil, but that no real devil existed.
Today, I would like to talk about that enemy of God, the great deceiver.
Satan was a created being in Heaven, and was called Lucifer. He was a sinless and righteous angel.
EZEKIEL 28:15 tells us,
‘You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till wickedness was found in you.’
At one time, Satan was one of God’s elect. He was beautiful beyond compare, and his personality and charm must have commanded the respect and love from all the rest of the angels. And his power was so great that he was the highest of angels. So, what caused this great Lucifer to become evil and fall from Heaven?
EZEKIEL 28:17 says,
‘Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.’
Over a period of time, Satan focused on himself. It all became about him, not about God. When we become overly concerned with what we want, or what we desire, it is called pride. Here are some of the things the Bible says about pride.
PSALM 10:4 – tells us how pride will numb us to spirituality.
‘In his pride, the wicked does not seek Him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God.’
In PROVERBS 8:13 it tells us that God hates pride. In GALATIANS 6:3 it tells us about the false estimation of self-greatness.
How many of us are prideful to some degree, too? How many of us focus on what we want, even though we know the Lord does not want that for us? It is because we, too, are filled with pride. And that is what changed Lucifer from the divine angel he was created to be, to the evil power-hungry demon he became. In short, he was corrupted by his own personal ambitions.
Lucifer wanted the power and position that God had. He no longer worshiped God; he now envied God. And envy always turns to hate if left unchallenged. The problem that presented to Lucifer is that according to REVELATION 3:21, God had reserved that high position for His Son, Jesus Christ. Lucifer got frustrated.
A young couple had not been married very long when the man found out he was laid off. At first, he busied himself with typing resumes and going out for interviews. But after a few months, he got more and more frustrated and began to accept the fact that he was going to remain unemployed.
One day, his wife came home from work to see him once again laying on the couch, eating chips and watching TV. She was frustrated, too, and months of this pent-up frustration burst forth.
She yelled at him and said, “If it weren’t for my money, that TV you’re looking at wouldn’t be here!” Then she added, “And if it weren’t for my money, that couch you always lie on wouldn’t be here!” And for good measure, she threw in, “And if it weren’t for my money, you wouldn’t have any chips to eat all day!”
To which, he replied, “If it weren’t for your money, I wouldn’t be here either.”
Frustration can lead us to do and say things we would normally not do. But why do we get frustrated? We get frustrated because of our inability to cope with things that do not go our way! And that comes from a pride-filled heart.
And because Lucifer was frustrated at not having what his pride wanted, he became rebellious. How could Lucifer think he would succeed in taking God’s place? We don’t understand that, but if you look at any common criminal today, you see the same mind-set; a belief they will get away with it.
Understand this very important fact: You and I live in a perpetual stage of spiritual warfare. We might not be aware of it, and most people might even deny it, but the truth is the truth – we are embroiled in a spiritual warfare of heavenly proportions.
EPHESIANS 6:12 tells us,
‘For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.’
This spiritual warfare Paul talks about is the same warfare that Lucifer waged against the Most High God. It is continuing today and will continue until the day that Jesus puts his foot down on the earth to retake it in entirety.
So, how do we defend ourselves against this brutal war? Whenever the Bible repeats itself in one passage, we can assume it is vital we understand what it is saying.
I just read verse 12, where Paul tells us about the warfare. In verse 11, and in verse 13, Paul tells us to put on the armor of God so we can stand against the onslaught of the evil one.
What does ‘put on the armor of God mean?’ It means to read the Bible until you understand what it says! It means to let the word of God become an integral part of your body, mind, and soul. If you don’t read the word daily, you are left defenseless against the enemy.
Because Satan let the pride and selfishness in his heart reign in him, he influenced a third of the angels in heaven to rebel with him against God. And what did God do? God threw Lucifer out of Heaven.
I have read many times that when God threw Satan to the earth; he landed near the Garden of Eden. Geographically, that would put him somewhere in the Middle East. I have read where that would actually put him in Iraq. Well, I wasn’t there at the time, and that, in itself, has no bearing on my salvation, so I will not stand and preach that. But I will preach that Satan has dominion over the earth.
In JOHN 12:31 and again in JOHN 14:30 Jesus called Satan the prince of this world.
And he wasted no time getting started. Right off the bat, he swayed Eve to entice Adam to rebel against the Lord God. He has been attacking God’s creation ever since, and he will continue to do so until that last day of this age.
My sister in Arizona lives in a retirement village. She and her husband are both devout Christians, and have been for many years. They have a neighbor that enjoys making ceramics. But the ceramics this woman creates makes my sister and her husband very uneasy. She makes a lot of figures that look like demons and she puts them around her yard like they are protecting it.
I would not be surprised if this is one of those people who let Satan rule over their lives as a god. I would also not be surprised to find that this lady is much the same as most other people who turn their backs on God – they don’t realize they are actually worshiping Satan.
Be aware that there will never be a day pass, that Satan does not try to entice you to sin. As I told you before, he can plant thoughts in your head all day long, but he cannot force you to sin. You cause yourself to sin when you take your full focus off Jesus.
Let’s talk about the three things Satan knows.
1. HE KNOWS JESUS ON A PERSONALLY!
MARK 5:6-8
’When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of Him. He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?”
Here we see a man that is possessed by demons. Now, you would think that the devil would have his demons ignore Jesus or to do all manner of wicked things in His presence. I mean, the Devil hates Jesus Christ! But that is not what happens here. This man, under the influence of these demons, ran to Jesus and fell at His feet! By the way, that tells us that not everybody who kneels to Christ is really a Christian. Just going to church and acting religious is not a sign that you are of God!
Why did the demons fall at the feet of Christ? I think there are two reasons shown to us in the passage:
They recognized Jesus. The demons yelled out at the top of the man’s voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?” The devil knows that every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of the Father.
The devil knows that Jesus is equal to God. The Devil knows that Jesus is as stated in ISAIAH 9:6.
’And He will be called, Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, and The Prince of Peace.’
The devil knows that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. The devil knows there is no other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved. The devil knows that Jesus is the door - and that if any man enters in through Christ, he will be saved. The devil knows ALL of that; and SO SHOULD WE!
The first reason this demon possessed man fell at Jesus’ feet was because the demons of hell recognized His Deity.
The second reason was because the demons recognized Jesus’ authority. They knew it was a power without limit and a power without end.
Let me tell you there isn’t a devil, or a demon that has enough gumption to shake his fist in the face of God! Only men are that foolish! These demons, upon seeing the Son of God ran to him and Begged Him for Mercy! They knew Jesus had full authority and power over them.
There are some demons that the Bible says are already chained up waiting to be judged. There are stories like this one and others, where all Jesus does is say the word, and the demons must flee. And the Bible says in REVELATION, that Jesus will condemn Satan himself to the bottomless pit, with no effort at all!
We are living in a time when people worship anything BUT Christ! They worship men from the Middle East, who drive Rolls Royce’s. They worship religions that claim Jesus and the devil were brothers. They worship science, and money, and materialism. But they will not worship Jesus, and many of them won’t even utter His wonderful name.
But I’ll tell you what they ought to do!
They ought to run as fast as they can to the Lord Jesus Christ and WORSHIP HIM, just like those demons did so many years ago! Only Jesus Christ can forgive our sins and save our souls from hell! The Devil knows who Jesus is, and so should we!
What else does the devil know?
2. HE KNOWS HIS DAYS ARE GETTING SHORTER
In REVELATION 12:12, it says,
"But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short."
This verse says the devil knows his time is short, and so he is full of fury. He is working as fast as he can to make sure everything on this earth denies God and honors him.
Human beings need to know their time is short too! The Bible says our life is but a vapor that appears for but a brief moment in time, and then vanishes away. The wise person lives with that in mind.
PSALM 90:12, tells us,
"Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."
Many of us spend too much of our lives pursuing things we find pleasurable. While there is nothing wrong in even Christians seeking some pleasure, not enough of us pursue the type of wisdom that God can give us.
2 PETER 3:18 tells us to grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ. Did you know that you cannot grow in anything unless you want to grow badly enough to pursue it? God promises us that if we will draw closer to Him, He will draw closer to us. We can only do that through His word, though.
PSALM 39:4-8 tells paints a picture showing us the difference in how important we think we are and how important we really are.
’Show me, O Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before You. Each man’s life is but a breath.’
’Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro; he bustles about, but only in vain; he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it.
’But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in You. Save me from all my transgressions.’
Too many people pursue the things of the world rather than being disciplined to pursue the things of God. They ignore the truth and focus on the lie; the lie that says all is fine and to just keep on enjoying yourself. The truth is; things are NOT fine and we should stop living our life with the main focus on our own enjoyment.
Knowing that our days on earth are limited and they are short, a wise person would make sure he was saved from His sins and ready to meet God! Like I said earlier, we ought to remind ourselves that our days are numbered, and the number is not as high as we would like.
We like to think of Jesus as a person who serves us. But do you ever think how you can serve Jesus? If you are like the vast majority of Christians, you don’t.
JAMES 4:13-14 says,
’Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow, we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes’
I said that the devil knows his time is short, and that he is working overtime trying to work that much harder to compensate for it. Jesus thinks Christians should do the same. Knowing that our time on earth is short, we should not forget about our service to the Lord.
We should never fall into the trap of saying that someday we will do this or we will do that for Him. We should not say, “Someday we will get serious about serving Him.” We should be saying, “I will get serious about serving Him today!’
There is something else the devil knows, too.
3. HE KNOWS WHERE HE WILL SPEND ETERNITY
The devil knows where he is going to spend eternity, and I believe that Christians should also know where they will spend their eternity.
REVELATION 20:10 tells us what the devil’s future will be.
’And the devil, who deceived them was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever.’
He knows where he is going to spend eternity. Do you know where you are going to spend your eternity? Do you think you should know?
Since we CAN know these things, I think we would WANT to know these things. Jesus said He was going to Heaven to prepare a place for us there, in His Father’s house.
We are told over and over again that those who believe in Jesus Christ, will be Heaven-bound, but we are also told that Jesus is the ONLY way to get to Heaven. There is no other way – period.
Satan was not created to go to hell and the Lake of Fire. God created him to be the highest and most beautiful of all the angels. But Satan was not content with that. Satan chose to rebel against God, and was cast out of Heaven and condemned to the Lake of Fire. Satan had a choice, and he chose to set himself against God.
God also places before each of us a choice, too. He places the choice of accepting His Son as our Savior and going to Heaven, or rejecting His Son and go to hell. Like I said last week; if you make wrong decisions, please don’t try to blame God for being bad to you when you end up paying for your wrong choices.
Christ did all the work for salvation. Christ did all the suffering of salvation. Christ did the dying of salvation. All we have to do is to make a decision; a decision to accept Him as our Savior and the leader of our entire life, or not to. It is very simple, but it has to be all one way, or the other. There are no “in betweens” on this one.
On that Day of Judgment, we shall hear only one of two things from the mouth of the Lord. He will tell us, "Well done, My good and faithful servant," as He lets us into Heaven, or He will us, "Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels."
All we need to do is make a decision ... which one to we want to hear?
But we cannot make that decision unless we trust in Him. If you want to go to Heaven, but you feel the slightest bit hesitant, you might want to get the assurance of salvation today. You do not know what will happen to you today or tomorrow.
INVITATION
