Foundations of Faith
SATAN (I)
We have devoted the last 22 issues of GROWING to a study of the nature, attributes, and works of God. The three Persons of the Trinity- Father, Son, and Holy Spirit- acted together to create the universe; they themselves have always existed and so are uncreated. We now begin a study of the highest created beings, namely angels and man.
The highest angel of all, and the chief enemy of God, is Satan. In this and coming issues we shall try to answer from the Scriptures a number of questions about Satan.
What pitcure comes into your mind when you read or hear the words “Satan” or “devil”? Is it a semi-human form with leering face, cunning grin, bright red suit, horns, hoofs, and forked tail? In this way Satan is often represented by artists. But actually, Satan, like all the angels, is a spiritual being without a body at all. Sometimes he may clothe himself with the body of a human or an animal (Gen, 3:1).
Michael is the only angel called an “archangel” (or chief angel). Yet, even he dared not bring a strong rebuke against Satan, but said, “The Lord rebuke you” (Jude 9). Michael recognized that Satan possessed a dignity higher even than his own. Thus, it would appear that Satan is the highest of all the angels.
A picture of Satan’s early position before God is given in Ezek. 28:14,15:”You are the anointed cherub that covers, and I have set you so; you were upon the holy mountain of God…. You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, till iniquity was found in you.” Those particular angels known as “cherubim” (this word is the plural form of “cherub”) served God in covering His Throne and keeping any evil from coming into the presence of God (see Gen. 3:24; Exod. 25:17-22; Isa.37:16; Ezek. 10). So Satan, as originally created by God, occupied a very high and important position in connection with the throne of God.
A description of Satan’s fall is found in Isa. 14:12-15:”How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!… For you have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God…. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High. Yet you shall be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” In a word, it was PRIDE that was Satan’s undoing (see 1 Tim. 3:6). He already occupied the highest position of any created being, but still was not content. He wanted more! (Do you know any Christians who are never content with what they have? See Heb. 13:5.) He wanted to be “like the Most High” -God Himself!
Many think of Satan only as the king of hell and “prince of the devils” (Matt. 12:24). But he is more. What are the titles given in the Scriptures to fallen Satan? He is “the god of this world [or age]” (2 Cor. 4:4; John 12:31); he has “the kingdoms of the world” at his disposal (Matt. 4:8); he is “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2).
Another common misconception is that Satan’s greatest activity takes place in taverns, theaters, and the like. But it seems from Scripture that he is most active in places where Christians and seekers of God may be found. Satan has trained a human army of false teachers. These pretend to be “apostles of Christ,” just as “Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:12-15). (See Assignment 6)
We shall study the attributes, methods, and present and future judgement of Satan in the next issues of GROWING.
Running the Race
IN WHAT WAYS DOES SATAN TEMPT AND HARASS US? (I)
Let us draw some lessons from the ways in which Satan tempted Eve in the garden and the Lord Jesus in the wilderness.
1. The primary reason for Satan’s fall was pride-the desire for a higher place than God had given him. Perhaps Satan’s most common way of tempting man to sin is by stirring up is pride. He tempted Eve by appealing to her pride: “You shall be as God, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:5). Just so, he tempts us today to exalt ourselves to a place of equality with God or independence of God. It is a place where I am sitting on the throne, I am in control of my own destiny. In place of depending upon God for all things, we are encouraged by Satan through our well-meaning earthly instructors to be self-confident and assertive, to elbow our way to the top, and to fight for our rights.
2. We read of three ways in which the Lord Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness. The first was to provide food for Himself (after fasting for 40 days) by turning the stones into bread (Matt. 4:3). Here, like his temptation of Eve, Satan tried to get Jesus to act independently of the will of His Father. And in like manner, Satan is always busy trying to distract the Christian from seeking to know and to do God’s will.
3. Satan tempted Jesus to jump off the roof of the temple to display to the people in the courtyard below how the angels would protect Him from harm (Matt. 4:6). In a similar way, Satan tempts us to engage in risky, unwise, dangerous or sinful behavior, with the idea that all we have to do is pray for God’s forgiveness and protection from harm. However, Satan carefully avoids reminding us of the scripture, “God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man sows, that shall he also reap” (Gal. 6:7).
4. In the third temptation, Satan offered Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world” if He would fall down and worship him (Matt. 4:8,9). Likewise, Satan tempts us with the glitter of material wealth and possessions and with the promise of fame, promotion, high position, athletic prowess, or earthly glory. Satan may not come right out and say that we have to bow down and worship him to gain these things. However, the end result often is not much different- an 80 hour work week, ruined health, and little or no time with the Lord, with the assembly, or with family.
Assignment 6: Write out verses in Job 1, Zechariah 3, and Ephesians 6 that tell of places where Satan is active.