The Devil is a real spiritual entity with power, emotions, and intellect.
The word Devil means “accuser” or “slanderer”.
The Devil is called by various names:
Abaddon and Apollyon. “And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon” (Rev. 9:11).
Adversary. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the Devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” (1 Peter 5:8).
Beelzebub. “But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils” (Matt. 12:24).
Belial. “And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?” (2 Cor. 6:15).
Satan. “And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven” (Luke 10:18).
Old Serpent. “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him” (Rev. 12:9).
The Dragon. “And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil , and Satan, and bound him a thousand years” (Rev. 20:2).
The Devil was the original sinner. “He that committeth sin is of the Devil; for the Devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the Devil” (1 John 3:8).
The Devil was cast out of heaven. “And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven” (Luke 10:18). “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit” (Isaiah 14:12-15).
The Devil appeared as a serpent to Eve. “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:” (Gen. 3:4).
God cursed the instrument the Devil used to lead men into sin. “And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:” (Gen. 3:14).
The Devil still has access to heaven. “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them” (Job. 1:6).
The Devil desired to possess the apostle Peter. “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:” (Luke 22:31).
The Devil filled Ananias’ heart with sin. “But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?” (Acts 5:3).
The Devil perverts the truth. “And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone” (Matt. 4:6).
The Devil opposes the advancement of the gospel by circumventing events, and by snatching the gospel seed that has been sown in the heart. “Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us” (1 Thess. 2:18). “When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side” (Matt. 13:19).
The Devil is able to produce lying wonders. “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders” (2 Thess. 2:9).
The Devil can appear as an angel of light. “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14).
The Devil is to be resisted. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
Christ has judged the Devil. “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out” (John 12:31).
An eternal fire has been prepared for the Devil and his angels. “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and his angels:” (Matt. 25:41).
The Devil is doomed. “And the Devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Rev. 20:10).
The Devil can entice to do evil, while arguing persuasively for His position. “Then the Devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, 6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 8 Again, the Devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 11 Then the Devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him” (Matt. 4:5-11).
The Devil is so arrogant he dares to tempt the Father, and then the Son. From the testing of. Christ, it can be observed that there are prolonged periods of temptation, as well as momentary times “Being forty days tempted of the Devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. 3 And the Devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. 4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. 5 And the Devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the Devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. 7 If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. 8 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. 9 And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: 10 For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: 11 And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. 12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. 13 And when the Devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season” (Luke 4:2-13).
The Devil has the ability to take away the gospel seed from some souls, lest it should bear fruit. “Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the Devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved” (Luke 8:12).
The believer is instructed not to give the Devil a stronghold in the soul. “Neither give place to the Devil” (Eph. 4:27).
The Devil has many tactical ways to maneuver in spiritual warfare, which is why Ephesians 6:11 commands believers to “Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil.”
The chief weapon of the Devil is deception. This weapon is effectually wielded by twisting the truth, reflected in various world views, such as natural theology, evolution, self-esteem theology, moral and cultural relativism, universalism, and Nationalism. Notice eight ways the Devil can deceive the heart.
First Deception. According to the Bible we are deceived if we are hearers of the Word of God, but do not practice what we hear. “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22).
Second Deception. The Devil can deceive the soul into believing it does not sin. “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8).
Third Deception. One of the most effective methods of deception is pride. “For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself” (Gal. 6:3).
Fourth Deception. The wisdom of this world is effectively used by the Devil to deceive individuals. “Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise” (1 Cor. 3:18).
Fifth Deception. The inability to be gracious in speech reveals a deceived heart. “If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain” (James 1:26).
Sixth Deception. A belief that the Devil can be entertained in the cellar of the heart while Christ is entertained in the living room is a deceptive faith. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Gal. 6:7).
Seventh Deception. Those who believe they can engage in specific sins, and be converted or saved are deceived. “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Cor. 6:9-10).
Eight Deception. A belief that evil can be associated with and there be no affect on the soul, is a heart that is deceived. “Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. 34 Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame” (1 Cor. 15:33).
Ninth Deception. The fundamental deception of Satan is to convince people to doubt the Word of God. This is followed up by a denial of the Word. Then comes counterfeit truth. “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:1-5).
The Devil is said to be the spiritual father of all natural men. “Ye are of your father the Devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44). “In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the Devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother” (1 John 3:10).
Judas was numbered among the Twelve Apostles, and yet he was a Devil. “Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a Devil?” (John 6:70). “Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve” (Luke 22:3).
The Devil can put evil thoughts into the minds of men. “And supper being ended, the Devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray him” (John 13:2).
Individuals can emulate satanic pride, and so fall into a just judgment. “Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the Devil” (1 Timothy 3:6).
The Devil seeks to bring reproach and bondage to ministers in particular. “Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the Devil” (1 Timothy 3:7).
There is a way to escape from the snare of the Devil for those who have fallen into grievous sin. “And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the Devil , who are taken captive by him at his will” (2 Tim. 2:26).
The Devil once had power over death. “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the Devil” (Heb. 2:14).
Resistance is a key factor in spiritual victory over the Devil. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7).
The Devil is relentless in seeking to destroy a soul, for he is a real enemy of the soul. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the Devil , as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” (1 Peter 5:8).
Those who engage in willful sinning, apart from gospel evangelical repentance, shall share the ultimate fate of the Devil. “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and his angels:” (Matt. 25:41).
Christ came to destroy the works of the Devil. “He that committeth sin is of the Devil; for the Devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the Devil” (1 John 3:8).
When Moses died, the Devil tried to take possession of his body. “Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the Devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee” (Jude 9).
The Devil can cause persecution to come upon the Church from secular sources. “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the Devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life” (Rev. 2:10).
Sometimes the Devil personally invades a region. “Therefore rejoice ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! For the Devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time” (Rev. 12:12).
The ultimate destruction of the Devil is certain. “And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years” (Rev. 20:2). “And the Devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Rev. 20:10).
