Does Satan really exist? A Gallop poll some years ago revealed that as many as 70 percent of Americans believe he does, but half of that number see him as the sum of everything evil, and not as a personal being. So, which is he – a personal being, or just a term used to define the forces of evil in our world?
The Bible certainly portrays Satan as a personal being. Jesus during the wilderness temptations knew him to be a personal being. In that case, one might well ask, “Why would God create someone as devious, as evil, as horrible as Satan?” The answer to that question is that God did create him – but not as an evil being. The Bible says that he was created as a beautiful angelic being – the most beautiful of all the angels. He was called “the anointed cherub” (Ezekiel 28:14).
The Bible only lists the names of three angels – the archangel Michael, the angel Gabriel, and Lucifer, who is later called the devil or Satan. We are not told exactly how the angels ranked in heaven, but we know that Lucifer ranked high among them. Describing him, Ezekiel 28:15 and 17 state, “You were perfect in all your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you . . . Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground……”
The Bible gives us even more insight into this fascinating but completely wicked fallen angel in the Book of Isaiah: “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground. . . For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God . . . I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High’” (Isaiah 14:12-14). God then gives His answer to this strutting, egocentric being: “Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit” (Isaiah 14:15). He gave him the “left foot of dis-fellowship” by kicking him out of heaven.
Satan shows up later in the Garden of Eden where he reveals what his strategy is to be on the earth. A loose translation of what he said to Eve might go something like this: “Eve, are you serious? Did God really tell you not to eat the ‘no-no’ fruit in the center of the garden? That’s terrible! You must feel rejected. God just doesn’t want you to know as much as He knows. He doesn’t want you to be His equal. Go ahead, take a bite! It won’t hurt you! You will be enlightened with a new and higher level of consciousness.”
Following his encounter in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, the devil set up shop in the world, establishing a well-defined set of goals. When we least expect it and are the most vulnerable, he hits us between the eyes with such devious ideas as: (1) God has forsaken you; (2) God doesn’t love you, or you wouldn’t be having such a difficult time; (3) You have committed the unpardonable sin; (4) God is not fair.
The devil knows his time is limited, his opportunities short-lived, and his sentence already settled and sure. Therefore, in these last days the devil has dramatically stepped up his efforts to oppose mankind. In other words, he has pulled out all the stops, and regularly goes for the jugular. His objective is to draw as many people as possible away from Christ. After that, his plan is to cause those who have accepted Christ to stumble and fall. If he cannot cause Christians to fall away from Christ, he hopes at the very least to immobilize or neutralize them so we will not make a positive difference in our world.
Christians need to know that the closer they stay to the Lord the safer they are and will be. That does not mean the devil has no power on earth today. What it means is that he no longer has the upper hand, thanks to what took place on Calvary. The three words Jesus proclaimed while nailed to the cross – “It is finished!” reverberated throughout heaven and hell. Satan and his demon cohorts were from that day forward totally defeated. Christians share in that victory.
Even so, the Christian life is far from one of ease. It is marked by conflict, spiritual warfare, and intense opposition. The Bible not only likens the Christian life to war – it actually calls it a war. Satan is sometimes a dangerous wolf, disguised as a sheep. Sometimes he roars like a lion, but more often he comes like a serpent, in all his depravity and horror. And sometimes he comes as an angel of light. Make no mistake – those who stay committed to Jesus Christ, our Commander-in-Chief, will meet Satan on the field of battle.
If you haven’t met Satan lately, it could be because you are traveling in the same direction he is! In that case, you should go to Calvary’s cross, repent of your sins, turn around, and head in the opposite direction.
The Paper Pulpit 
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