by Patsy Norwood (c) 2022 All Rights Reserved. (See permission page for exceptions)
When we know the enemy, we realize how much we need to
know the Savior. Let that statement sink
in, it’s profound, isn’t it?
In spiritual matters, who exactly is our enemy? I hope by the time you’ve completed this study, that you know with certainty who our enemy is and how he operates.
When we want to know something, we go straight to the
authoritative source, don’t we? We go to
the one who we know has the answers and, in this instance, that authoritative
source is God. We can find His answers
in His Word, so that’s where we’re going.
The first question we’re going to address is where did
the devil/Satan come from? We’ll turn to
Genesis 1:31 and start there.
“And God saw everything that he had made,
and, behold, it was very good’ (Genesis 1:31 NASB)
This Scripture tells us that all things, as they were
originally created, were good. Does that
include the devil? Since Scripture tells
us that God created everything, it does indeed include the devil. The devil was created good, but then turned
evil. Our inquiring minds want to know
what happened!
I John 3:8 tells us that the devil sinned “the one
who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has been sinning from the
beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of
the devil.” This is our first record
of sin and it occurred in heaven by the devil.
Note that the devil’s sin began from the beginning.
What did the devil do? Here’s what Revelation 12: 7-9
(NASB) says happened …
(7) And there was war in heaven, Michael
and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war,
(8) and they did not prevail, and there was no longer a place found for them in
heaven. (9) And the great dragon was
thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives
the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown
down with him.
Was this a real physical conflict or was it symbolic
of a spiritual battle between God and Satan?
There are arguments for both positions.
Let’s pause and look at the different names the enemy
is known as in this passage of Scriptures before we move on, they include ‘the
dragon, serpent of old, the devil and Satan.’
These names give us additional information about our adversary. (Definitions are taken from Nelson’s
Illustrated Bible Dictionary)
‘the dragon’ … a huge, fabulous kind of serpent; the
devil
‘serpent of old’ … a snake; figuratively an artful
malicious person, Satan
‘devil’ … accuser, slanderer, deceiver, a false
witness, malicious accuser, Satan
‘Satan’ … the devil, accuser
It’s also important to notice what else these verses
say about the devil, verse 9 says he ‘deceives the whole world.’
Here’s another one, look at John 8:44. The context of this verse is one of Jesus
reprimanding some Jews for their unbelief, but notice what it says about Satan,
“You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your
father. He was a murderer from the
beginning and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in
him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks
from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
Both of these verses are straightforward and to the
point aren’t they!
What was the war in heaven about? Ezekial 28:11-17 (NASB) alludes to the
devil’s position in heaven as being exalted, possibly the highest-ranking angel
as well as gives a detailed description of him before the fall. It seems he was a creation of beauty. Verse 17 gives the reason behind the devil’s
choice to rebel, which was pride.
(11)
Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, (12) “Son of man, take up
a song of mourning over the king of Tyre and say to him, ‘this is what the Lord
God says: “You had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in
beauty. (13) You were in Eden,
the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: the ruby, the topaz
and the diamond; the beryl, the onyx and the jasper; the lapis lazuli, the
turquoise and the emerald; and the gold, the workmanship of your settings and
sockets, was in you. On the day that you were created they were prepared. (14)
You were the anointed cherub who covers, and I placed you there. You were on
the holy mountain of God; you walked in the midst of the stones of fire. (15) You were blameless in your ways from
the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you. (16) By the abundance of your trade you
were internally filled with violence, and you sinned; therefore I have cast you
as profane from the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, you covering
cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. (17) Your heart was
haughty because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom by reason of your
splendor. I threw you to the ground; I put you before kings, that they may see
you.
Note: The
Tyrian Kings were prideful and the example of what happened to the devil is
being used in these Scriptures as a warning to these proud kings. What we’re focusing on for the purpose of
this study is the insight of ‘what happened to the devil.’ In a nutshell, I believe God is saying to the
King of Tyre, ‘this is what happened to the devil, don’t let it happen to you.
Did the devil’s pride lead to a power struggle, what
we would call today, a coup? Did he make
an attempt at a heavenly take-over? Did
he attempt to usurp God’s authority and position? Here are two more passages that allude to
such a rebellion,
For if God did not spare angels when they
sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved
for judgment (II Peter 2:4) Let’s look at some key
points in this verse: (1) Angels sinned (I believe this is referring back to
the devil’s rebellion in heaven) (2) They were cast into hell and (3) They were
committed to pits of darkness.
And angels who did not keep their own
domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under
darkness for the judgment of the great day (Jude 6) Key
points in this verse are: (1) Angels stepped out of line (Again, I believe this
is referring back to the devil’s rebellion in heaven) and (2) They left their
God appointed job/position/role. It
seems that disobedience, pride and not being content with his role were the
devil’s downfall.
James 1:14 tells us,” But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed
by his own lust.” Evil comes
from giving in to ungodly desires.
Here’s what we can conclude from what we’ve learned so
far …
Satan was created good, but turned evil
Satan was full of himself and let pride rule his heart
Satan tried to usurp God’s position and authority
Satan introduced a rebellion in heaven
Satan was the first sinner
Satan is a slanderer and accuser of God and His people
Satan deceives the whole world
Satan is a liar
And finally, Satan’s choices set in motion the battle
between good and evil that we are all a part of today.
When the devil and his angels were cast out of heaven
down to earth, it set the scene for his future operations. He would continue his battle with God in the
hearts and minds of the very people God loves and created to be His own.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
This series of lessons was researched, written and taught by Patsy Norwood in a ladies' Bible class in 2022.
It is my prayer that it is beneficial to you in your walk with God.
In part 2, we're going to take a look at the ways Satan tempted Eve, I hope you'll check back for that tomorrow. Part 2 can be found HERE!
May God be gloried in all that we do,
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