The Devil The Devil
The devil is commonly known as Satan. He is also known as the great dragon, serpent of old, Belial, the wicked one, the tempter, Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons, the ruler of this world, the god of this world, the father of liars, the enemy, the prince of the power of the air, the spirit of error, and other such names.
The devil was originally a spiritual creature with wings. He was the archangel and the anointed cherub who covered the ark. He was perfect in his ways from the day he was created. He was full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. He was in the garden of God; every precious stone was his covering, and his position was honorable. Later, iniquity was found in him: He had defiled the holy land; his heart was lifted up because of his beauty; and he corrupted his wisdom for the sake of his splendor. He was formerly the Day Star (Lucifer), son of the morning. But because he was proud and tried to ascend above the heights of the clouds to be like the Most High, God cast him out of the holy mountain. (See Ezek. 28:12��19; Isa. 14:12��15.) From then on, he degenerated in appearance and nature, and became the prince of the power of the air�𤴆he evil spirit. The angels who rebelled with him became his servants and messengers; they are the wicked spirits, unclean spirits, and spirits of divination. In the beginning, all things created by God were perfect. But the devil did everything possible to destroy the work of God and lure men away from Him into sin. As a result, the whole earth was corrupted.
The devil is the adversary of God. His aim is to wreck God�䏭 plan and hinder God�䏭 will from being done. Having the power of death, he deceives, entices, attacks, bewilders, oppresses, harms, and kills men. He wants men to forsake, doubt, and rebel against God�𤴆o disbelieve the Bible and disobey the truth. He causes men to become so proud and arrogant that they despise God and reject His salvation. The devil also induces men to worship all kinds of deities and idols (both with and without form), people and objects, and to regard them as God. What he really wants is for men to worship him. He disguises himself as an angel of light in order to lure men into sinning with him. Therefore, men suffer disasters, sicknesses, injuries, and death. They will eventually fall together with the devil into eternal damnation in the lake of fire.
The Lord Jesus came into the world and was crucified. Through death, He destroyed the devil who had the power of death. Through His resurrection, death is abolished. All who receive Jesus as Savior will be freed from the power of the devil, and be brought into the kingdom of God. But the devil will not give up easily. He walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Therefore, Christians must trust in the power of the blood, the truth and the Holy Spirit to be strong. We must be watchful and submissive to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from us. When the Lord Jesus comes again, the devil will be bound and cast into the bottomless pit for a thousand years. After that, he will be released and will go out to deceive the nations on earth. Finally, he will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever (see Rev. 20:1��10).