Questions from Camp: The Devil

Is he real? 

There is a memorable line from the 1995 movie “The Usual Suspects” where one of the characters says "The Greatest Trick the Devil Ever Pulled Was Convincing the World He Didn’t Exist". For many of us it can be hard to believe that the Devil  is real. Especially when our only reference point is the red-horned, trident-raising cartoon villain we see in films.

 

However, the Bible is very clear that he is real and whether we call him the Devil, Satan or Lucifer, he is not just a cartoon character! The Devil appears throughout the Bible from the garden of Eden (Genesis 3) to trying to tempt the Lord Jesus is the wilderness (Matthew 4). 

So the next question might be...

Where did he come from?

The history of Satan is described in the Bible in Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:12-19. These two biblical passages show that it was Satan's pride and desire to be higher than God that resulted in him being thrown out of heaven. He fell because of his desire to be God instead of a servant of God.

Satan was the highest of all the angels, but he wasn’t happy. He desired to be God and rule the universe. God cast Satan out of heaven as a fallen angel.

What powers do Satan and his demons have? 

Demons possess the great power of angels (Rom. 8:38), greater than us humans but far less than our Creator; God.

The Bible records they have the power to carry out the following actions:

1. Indwell humans and animals (Mark 5:1–16)
2. Physically afflict people (Mark 9:17, 22)
3. Terrorise humans (1 Sam. 16:14–15 Acts 19:13–16;)
4. Begin false worship (1 Cor. 10:20–21)
5. Promote false doctrines (1 Tim. 4:1)
6. Perform false signs and wonders (2 Thess. 2:9; Rev. 16:13–14)
7. Deceive prophets (1 Kings 22:19–23)
8. Encourage idolatry (Deut. 32:17; Ps. 106:37)

So, should we worry about the Devil?

Ultimately no, because the Lord Jesus is far more powerful and has been victorious over all evil. However strong demons might be, they also have serious weaknesses and vulnerabilities:

1. Even demons unwittingly serve God’s purposes (Judg. 9:23).
2. They were terrified of the Lord Jesus and the gospel (Matt. 8:29; Mark 1:24; James 2:19).
3. They obeyed the Lord Jesus (Matt. 8:32).
4. They obeyed the Twelve disciples (Matt. 10:1–8) and the Seventy-Two disciples (Luke 10:17–20).
5. They cannot separate believers in Christ from the love of God (Rom. 8:38).
6. They can be restrained by the Holy Spirit (2 Thess. 2:6; 1 John 4:4).
7. They have been judged already by God (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6) and will be again in the future (Rev. 20:10).

As strong and powerful as Satan and his demons are, they have been defeated. 

The apostle John tells christians that we are God's children and that "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) The He in that verse is the Holy Spirit. As Christians we have God living inside us and where God is, Satan can not be!

As long as we realise the truth of Romans 8:38 "If God is for us, who can be against us?" We have no need to fear the Devil.