The Bible makes it clear that Satan exists and that he is our enemy (Genesis 3:15). He is known as the accuser of the brethren (Revelation 12:10), and in fact, the name "Satan" means "adversary." Satan was originally the angel named Lucifer, but he was prideful and wanted the glory that was for God only. He rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven along with one third of the angels who sided with him (Isaiah 14:12–17; Ezekiel 28:11–17).
Ever since, Satan has made it his purpose to be in direct opposition to God, deceiving people and leading them to rebellion against God. Paul refers to him as "the god of this world" (2 Corinthians 4:4) and "the prince of the power of the air" (Ephesians 2:2).
Satan's primary tool is deception. He tries to deceive us about who God is, who he is, and who God says we are. It is how he tempted Adam and Eve to commit the original sin in the garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1–6). He attempted to deceive and manipulate Jesus while He was fasting in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–11), and he still attempts to deceive us today: "Satan disguises himself as an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14). In reality, Satan is "the father of lies" and there is no truth in him (John 8:44). This is why we must "be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour" (1 Peter 5:8).
Jesus came to earth to destroy the works of the Devil (1 John 3:8). The earth is still under Satan's power and it will be until Jesus returns again to set up His kingdom on earth and ultimately create a new heavens and new earth (John 12:31). The good news is that we can submit our own individual lives to Jesus and place them under His authority. When we are living for Jesus Christ, we can trust that God living in us is greater than Satan and we need not fear him or succumb to his attacks against us (Luke 10:17–20; 1 John 4:4). As we submit to God, we can resist the Devil and he has to flee (James 4:7).
By reading the Bible, we can learn not only that Satan exists; we can learn how he operates. The power of God will always be greater than the power of Satan, but we have to remain aware that we are in a spiritual battle that will not end until Jesus returns (Ephesians 6:10–18). We can be confident in the fact that Jesus defeated Satan once and for all at the cross, and when the final judgment occurs, Satan's eternal end is guaranteed (Revelation 19:20; 20:7–10).
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