Everybody Ought To
Know
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“For Satan
must not be allowed to get the better
of us; we know his wiles all too
well.”
(2 Corinthians 2:11 NEB)
Art Linkletter’s
show, “People are Funny,”
was a TV success. Of all the
creatures on earth, people are the
most fascinating. However, there is
something curious about Christians.
No, not their unshakable faith in an
unseen Savior, but their tenacious
grasp on the Word of God. Christians
insist on the infallibility of the
written Word. Challenge its authority
or inspiration and they are ready to
fight. Seemingly, they would die for
it.
Here’s
what’s curious. Most Christians
deliberately ignore one of the
Bible’s most cardinal doctrines
- the doctrine of a personal
devil. One hears much about the
need of a personal Savior, but the
same Bible sets forth a personal devil
just as clearly and definitely.
Don’t you find it curious that
the truth of Christ can be widely
heralded; yet, the truth of Satan
obviously subdued? I find that fact
startling, a phenomenon – even
supernatural.
Why curious? Listen to
the Apostle Paul:
“Lest Satan
should get an advantage of us: for we
are not ignorant of his devices”
(2 Corinthians 2:11 KJV).
Oops!
Did you catch the
“we” in that verse? Can he
be serious? Was he referring to the
Corinthian church? Satan was shaking
that bunch of believers like a rag
doll. Perhaps it was true of himself
or some with him at Ephesus. BUT what
a fantastic overstatement that is
today! The average Christian does not
even know who Satan is, let alone have
knowledge of his devices.
What’s worse,
they smile at the mention of a living
personal devil. One Christian writer
has observed:
“Wonderful is it
that he can prevail upon Christian
people to banish his name as they do
and pastors make only now and then an
incidental reference to it in the
pulpit … while in every room of
their households, in every street of
our cities, he is incessantly
manifesting his hateful presence;
perplexing, seducing, embroiling,
uprooting, and disorganizing until
the whole framework of society is
loosened and ready to crumble upon
the first shock.”
You don’t hear
much about Satan today. The church
has been willing to relax its hold on
the incident doctrine. Preachers have
little to say about him. In some
places, there is antagonism toward
the idea of such a person. Faith and
a supernatural Satan has all but
collapsed.
Say to some
Christians, “I wanted to come
and see you, but the devil hindered
me,” meant it, as did the
Apostle and watch eyebrows go up.
Describe an unsuccessfully treated
ailment as ‘ a thorn in the
flesh, a messenger of Satan,”
sent to buffet you, and then
interpret the looks you get. Try
telling your Christian
employer that a difficulty on the job
is due to satanic attack. At once,
he’ll have his doubts about you.
Pious smiles may appear to accept
what you say about the devil’s
influence, but behind those smiles,
your sanity is questioned.
It’s not easy to
live in a materialistic age where
talk of a personal devil is
unpopular. Who is willing to speak of
him seriously, when such words bring
sly glances and looks of suspicion?
Who will admit involvement with
someone regarded as a figure of
speech? It’s like believing in
Santa Claus. Make more than a joking
reference to Satan and people will
think you are “a little
off.” No, it’s not easy to
get serious about Satan today.
Yet, who can read
divine prophecy concerning the close
of this age and not be obliged to
verify every word in the signs about
us? Society is throwing off every
restraint. The public appetite for
sex, violence and a new morality is
fed off a large screen in the living
room. Politics is a getting game.
Alcohol flows like a river. Drugs,
teen-age rebellion, riots and
ascending crime rates bespeak an
energizing spirit backstage. Satan is
organizing the thought life and
manipulating the passions of men.
Signs indicate a worldwide upheaval
calculated to burst forth into a
volcano of blasphemy!
Christians may soon be
confronted with ‘all power and
signs and lying wonders.” Even
now, tempting influences are closing
in fast. God’s people need
everything they can get their hands
on to live Christ. Few are standing
fast in His Name. So many are caught
in the “down draft” of this
world, there is no recognizable
difference between the child of God
and the child of the devil. Being
alert to the truth of Satan and
equipped to resist him is a most
urgent matter.
Our children sing in
churches across the country,
“Everybody ought to know …
Who Jesus is.” In view of the
swift approach of the evil hour,
perhaps we should be teaching them
…
“Everybody Ought
To Know
Everybody
Ought To Know
Everybody
Ought To Know
Who Satan
Is!
Satan Needs Darknes
When Herbert Philbrick
posed as a Communist for the FBI, his
identity had to remain secret. He
worked under the cover of aliases. He
needed a cloak of personal
darkness to carry out his
mission. The success of his mission
depended on it, so did his life. When
the truth was revealed years later,
the story was captioned, “I Led
Three Lives!”
The Satan story is
similar. One day he will be revealed
as he is, but right now his success
depends on personal darkness –
absolute obscurity – and
he’s getting it. By
means of supernatural resources, he
has been able to throw a cover of
ignorance over the body of Christ.
The way he rules mankind, practically
unnoticed, is a fascinating
mystery.
If Satan’s
success depends on secrecy and
darkness, then turning on the light
to expose him can hurt his operation.
Just as publicity would have ruined
Herbert Philbrick as an undercover
agent, so can exposure cancel much of
Satan’s power. The first thing
Christians need to know about Satan
is Who He Is.
The Fund of
Knowledge
When I discovered
Satan alive and tasted the thrill of
having him flee, I knew it was to be
shared with God’s people. Before
writing this study, I checked to see
what was already available on the
subject. There is no point in
reproducing truths already in print.
I began reading every book and
article I could find. There is a
useful store of knowledge scattered
throughout books published in the
last 75 years.
In more than 60
volumes, I found a body of agreed
truth. Enough to satisfy me that the
Holy Spirit already has a Fund of
Knowledge on deposit for the church.
There is a consensus among writers
like Chafer, Unger, Lewis, Koch,
Morgan, Jennings and the Catholic
Church (amazingly on target), which
provides a springboard from which to
launch an exposition. I will list
some facts below, which if we can
accept them, will give us a basis for
moving on to things not a part of any
writings.
(1) Satan, A
Created Being
Most expositors agree
that the passages of Isaiah 14 and
Ezekiel 28 look beyond the Kings of
Tyre and Babylon and are detailed
descriptions of the person of Satan.
Ormiston and Jennings open these
verses in lovely detail.
- Satan was
created by the Lord Jesus
(Colossians 1:16).
Heaven’s skill and love
went into making him after
the divine image. He was
vested with every grace and
anointment as the guardian of
God’s glory. Probably
the Savior and Satan were
close, personal friends in
those days. In heaven, Satan
was the delight of the Lord
and at home in the presence
of God. He wore righteousness
comfortably. He was holiness
personified.
- Satan seems to
have been given the task of
producing a race of citizens
for heaven. He was to lead
them in open praise and
adoration of the Most High.
He was absolutely perfect in
every way, with his glory
second only to that of God.
He was the best God could
create. None was wiser, more
beautiful, or more important.
And like His Creator, he was
Free.
- It is not
certain Where Satan was
producing the race of
citizens; whether in heaven
itself or on the earth. The
chaos of Genesis 1:2 may
indicate a ruin of the earth
occurred prior to the
(re)creation account of
Genesis 1:3. Some hold that
Satan’s kingdom was
there. Others hold that he
merely destroyed the
universes in rage after his
revolt was thwarted. I
believe Satan and his evil
forces were expelled from
heaven after the war in
heaven between Michael/Jesus
and His forces and
Lucifer/Satan and His forces
because God could no longer
tolerate his rebellion. In
any event, it is clear he
wanted this world when
creation was completed and
given to Adam.
(2) Satan’s
Sin
- Made like his
Creator, completely free to
exercise his will, Satan
could do or not do the will
of God as he saw fit. He had
the power to revolt if he
wanted to. He was not
expected to covet his
Maker’s throne, for he
seemingly held every honor
but that. Ezekiel indicates
he lived to praise God. But
alas, the day came when
“Iniquity Was
Found” in him. The
reason for that remains
locked with God, for the
time. If sin can be defined
as rebellion against the
known will of God, sin began
that day.
- Satan’s
rebellion was occasioned by
self-deception. He was
enamored with his own beauty,
impressed with his wisdom,
and exalted by the importance
of his job. Though a created
being, he deluded himself
into thinking he could be
“like the Most
High.” The blinding
power of self-affection is
manifested when the created
being thinks to replace his
creator.
Satan’s Freewill
decision to exalt himself against God
was his sin. Pride was the energizing
factor. Lucifer/Satan, second in
command to God Himself, had great
forces under him. Already accustomed
to his leadership, it wasn’t too
hard to involve many in the
rebellion. They are the
“principalities and powers”
referred by Paul, for they retain
their rank and dignity, as does
Satan. Those who participated are
called, “fallen angels” or
demons.” Those who refused are
called the “angels of God.”
