The Devil

1. Who is the Devil?
   1. The devil was originally known as Lucifer, an angel of light.
   2. The first time we meet him in the bible, he is a serpent, and convinces Adam and Eve to sin. Genesis 3:1-6: Now the serpent was more subtil 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? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 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. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 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.6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
   3. Throughout scripture, we see the devil going about seeing what kind of trouble he can stir up, and how he can try and keep God’s people from serving Him. We see a good example of this in Job 1:8-12:  And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord. An important point to take away from this is that the devil can only do to us what God allows him to.

2. What was His Role in Heaven?
   1. Satan, known as Lucifer, the angel of light, was an archangel that lived in the very presence of God. He was a leader of worship in Heaven. He committed the first sin, that of pride. He thought he could overtake the throne of God. Isaiah 14:12-15: 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! 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: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.

3. Why is he called the Devil?
   1. This is one of the most popular names for Satan. It only appears in the New Testament. Matthew 4:1: Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
   2. The name literally means “slanderer.” He is called this because he slanders both God and humanity. He is known as the accuser of the brethren, as we see in Revelation 12:10: And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

4. What other Names does he have?
   1. Satan: He is referred to by this name 52 times in scripture.
   2. Day-Star or Son of the Morning: We see this title in Isaiah 14:12: 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! The term day-star is translated Lucifer.
   3. and many more.

5. What kind of Power was He Given?
   1. He only has as much or as little power as God allows him to have. Job 1:12: And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord.
   2. God sometimes allows Satan to attack us so we will stay humble, and depend on God. 2 Corinthians 12:7: And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

6. The bible says in Hebrews 9:27 – And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. What kind of judgment will this be?
   1. Those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will go to the Judgment Seat of Christ.This is where we will see what we should have done, missed opportunities etc. 2 Corinthians 5:10: For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.
   2. Those who have rejected Jesus Christ will experience the Great White Throne Judgment. Revelation 20:11: And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

7. Where will the Christians go, and where will the non-Christians go?
   1. For the Christian, a day is soon coming when we will be with the Lord forever. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18: For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
   2. For those who do not call upon the name of the Lord and receive salvation, they will not make heaven, but will be in hell forever. Matthew 25:41: 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:

8. Who is the god of this world?
   1. The devil is the god of this world. He is the one who blinds people’s eyes to keep them from accepting the gospel message and getting saved. 2nd Corinthians 4:4: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

9. It is said in the bible that there’ll be an all-out battle between God and the devil. What will the final outcome be, and where will he and his followers reside forever?
   1. The Devil, the beast and false prophet will be cast into the lake of fire as it says in Revelation 20:10: 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.
   2. The devil’s followers, those who rejected salvation through Jesus Christ, will also be cast into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:15: And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

10. Conclusion
    1. If you don’t know Christ as your savior, the only God that can save you for eternity, I want you to think carefully about all that we’ve said tonight. Is this the path you’d like to take as a follower of the devil, or would you like to have eternal life with a loving, caring, graceful God who will keep and save you throughout eternity.