So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Revelation 12:9)

The Great Deceiver

“Satan is a gentleman, Bacon told us. A charming fellow with immense power, subtlety, and thousands of years of experience. His chief aim, of course, is to injure the God against whom he once rebelled. To accomplish this, Satan misrepresents the Creator to his creatures, always attempting to frustrate his good purposes for them and, hopefully, in the process, break the heart of God. Satan promises us the world, but as Milton said, ‘All is false and hollow; though his tongue drops manna and makes the worse appear a better person.'” (David Roper; Seeing Through, Sisters, Ore., Questar, 1995, p. 22)

The apostle Peter is very clear about Satan. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). The devil is not some red-cloaked creature with a pitchfork and smoke coming out of his ears. He is a powerful and deceptive influence whose primary goal is to damn souls to Hell along with him. He has no regard for human life. He plans to disrupt anything God sets forth. The worse the world becomes in the decadence of immorality, the more pleased he becomes. Murder is his forte. Jesus said Satan is the father of all liars. The more death and destruction he can create, the more his plan succeeds.

There is no greater adversary or opponent of the human story than the devil. His greater tool is to convince men he does not exist. Everyone is a fan of God and Heaven, but the reality of the devil and Hell is mythological. As an adversary, the devil presents evil as good, good as evil, light as darkness, and darkness as the sun’s brightness. Everything the devil does is evil without exception. There is nothing good in him and can never be good in him. Jesus said that Hell is prepared for the devil and his angels. Satan knows that. He is not oblivious to where he is headed and does not care.

During the ministry of Jesus, the demons were cast out by the power of the Holy Spirit. Every demon Jesus encountered knew He was the Son of God and obeyed every word Jesus commanded them. The authority of Jesus over the devil was illustrated time and again as the Lord spoke and the demons fled. Through that same authority, the child of God can resist the wiles of the devil, not allowing the influence of evil to destroy the soul. Man has no power over Satan by himself, but through Jesus Christ, the roaring lion of Satan’s power is diminished to a whisper. Each individual has the power to resist the devil if he so desires. Sin comes about when the spirit is weak. The joy of grace is knowing that sins can be forgiven in the blood of Jesus. What this means is that Satan can be overcome.

Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. The Son of God overcame Satan in the victory of the resurrection, bruising the head of the devil as promised in the Garden of Eden. Satan has no power when we embrace God. As powerful as the devil is, we can run from him and subdue him. Victory in Christ is a death knell to Satan. Every child of God walking faithfully into eternal life is a testimony of the love of God overcoming the influence of Satan. Through Christ, we can overcome the power of Satan. God has made every provision to defeat the devil’s wiles and learn how to resist him. Do not underestimate the power of Satan. Remember that God is greater, and God’s grace can overcome and defeat Satan. Live for Heaven. Resist the devil. Rejoice in Christ.