In order for us to overcome and defeat Satan, we need to know Satan and his identity. We are in the period of Lent, which is all about Jesus Christ, how He came to die for us so we can receive life. Jesus had to come because of the fall of mankind that took place in the Garden of Eden. Sin came in because of Satan, so this battle began in the beginning. The final battle in Revelation is also against this Satan.
Many of us blame everything on Satan. We must come to know who Satan is and what he is doing in our lives so we don’t have to be deceived by him. We can overcome and defeat Satan through the power of Jesus’ blood!
1. Origin / beginning of Satan
i. He is the one who does everything in his authority to prevent God’s work of redemption.
ii. He is the cause of all sin and curse. He accuses and condemns us.
When God created the heavens and the earth in Genesis 1:1 but we see there was already darkness, void and chaos in Genesis 1:2. Satan was a glorious angel in heaven but he fell, and he brought darkness to this world. So the fall of Satan must have taken place before Genesis 1.
In Genesis 1:3 God creates light that casts out darkness, he divides the water and allows land to appear and causes seed to grow. In the end, He creates mankind, which He saw that it was very good.
Genesis 1 is only the beginning of God’s creation and redemption work in this world. God, Himself has existed from eternity. God create in the midst of darkness, void and chaos with a purpose. Satan had already fallen and God created Adam in that same world so that Jesus can work through His people to defeat Satan!
What caused Satan to fall?
(i) Pride to exalt himself above God
Satan’s pride and greed lifted his heart up, and he sought to challenge against God. Satan becomes active when we are in that place of blessing like Eden. In Eden, Adam and Eve were given everything, they walked with the Lord in joy. That is when Satan comes and tempts them!
2. Let us think more about Satan by the names, and titles God uses in the bible to refer to him.
(i) Satan in Hebrew: Satan = it means accuser, the one who accuses
(ii) Devil in Greek (diabolos) = it means slanderous
(iii) The serpent of old – the tempter of this world (Genesis 3:1, Revelation 12:9, 20:2)
(iv) Red dragon (Revelation 12:3)
(v) Prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2)
(vi) God of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4)
(vii) Ruler of this world (John 12:31)
(viii) World forces of darkness (Ephesians 6:12)
(ix) Father of lies (John 8:44)
(x) Lawless one (2 Thessalonians 2:8-10)
(xi) The one who exchanges the truth of God for a lie (Romans 1:25)
(xii) One who has sinned from the beginning (1 John 3:8)
(xiii) Murderer from the beginning (John 8:44)
(xiv) One who deceived the whole world (Revelation 12:9)
(xv) Abaddon (Hebrew), Apollyon (Greek) = means destroyer (Revelation 9:11)
(xvi) Beelzebub (Mark 3:22)
(xvii) Belial (2 Corinthians 6:15)
(xviii) Angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14)
3. Ways of Satan
Satan is the cause of his own fall and the cause of mankind’s fall. Pride and greed were the causes. That selfish greed and sinfulness reveal itself in every generation. Satan is working even harder than us.
One main strategy: Satan works to weaken the authority of God’s Word in us.
We are living in a world where the Word of God is losing its dominion. Satan is carving out the authority of God from people’s heart and lives, little by little.
Satan sounds friendly to Eve, he wants to talk about the Word of God. Eve’s mistake is she should not have answered, but she did and she even added and subtracted from God’s words. She did not understand where God’s emphasis was, what would please God or what is not pleasing to God through the Word. (Genesis 3:1-3)
Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5 NKJ)
Satan took this opportunity to put the seed of animosity between God and them. Up to now, Adam and Eve think that God loves us, but after hearing Satan, they feel different. Satan now becomes their hero and guide. It was supposed to be God’s Word reigning over mankind’s life, but now Satan reigns.
Satan does this by shifting the centre weight of God’s Word to our own self-centeredness. You are going to church, preaching, serving God, it doesn’t matter whether you are a pastor or lay members, Satan works in all of us. Before we know it, the centre becomes oneself. That’s why Jesus warns us in Matthew 7:21-23. The lawless one is Satan. You who practise lawlessness = the followers of Satan.
“Not everyone who says to Me,`Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 “Many will say to Me in that day,`Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them,`I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:21-23 NKJ)
Satan disperses focus on the Word of God to many other Christian / church things.
Satan is very good at saying: Continue on what you are doing for God and at the church. But before you know it, the Word of God is not there. Only the form is left.
4. What is Satan’s end?
May Satan become a footstool for our Lord Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 10:12-13) One secret about Satan is that if you know him and his ways, he cannot attack you! Don’t be afraid of him. If you have Jesus in you and behind you, if you have the Word of God in you protecting you, Satan can never attack you. You can scold Satan and report to God and put him in chains and God is waiting for the day when you drag Satan in that chain to His feet.
May Jesus work through you and I; our family, our church, to put Satan under Jesus’ feet.
AMEN
