Articles
Forewarned
Every Christian's enemy is the same, and he has the same goal for every one of them: captivity and ultimate destruction. He knows what his eternal destination is (Matt. 25:41), and he wants to bring as many people with him as possible so he doesn't suffer alone. Since he already has the world under his sway (1 John 5:19), his efforts will be mainly focused on those who have put the worldly ways behind them, or with those who are considering leaving the worldly ways. He will do anything he prevent a sinner from hearing or believing the gospel, and anything he can to get one who has already believed and obeyed to go back in the world and abandon the way of righteousness; he will use whatever means he can to prevent one from being saved, and one who is saved to forfeit his salvation.
Despite the fact he is real, and that he is set for our destruction, some still think the devil is either (1) fictional or (2) harmless. Many in the world mock the idea of a devil and hell, and write and sing songs about partying with the devil in hell, or tell those who call sin what it is, "hell will be more fun without" them. But God's word tells us, hell will not be — by any definition — "fun." Jesus described the place of eternal condemnation as “the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth” (Matt. 13:50), “everlasting fire” (Matt. 25:41, and “everlasting punishment” (Matt. 25:46). No, hell is not "fun," and there will be no partying with the devil or anyone else.
When we acknowledge that (1) there is a hell and it is a place of eternal punishment, (2) that we have a spiritual enemy, and (3) our spiritual enemy's main purpose is to lead us away from God and be lost eternally in hell with him, we should then determine to make sure he is not successful in his efforts with us. Let us honestly consider the seriousness of our spiritual enemy's efforts and what he does and has done on this earth, and be forewarned that we better understand the consequences of his actions here on earth, and so we are not caught in his trap and condemned with him eternally.
He Is The Reason For Physical Suffering. (Luke 13:10-16) Once, when Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, he saw a woman there who was bent over and could not raise herself up straight, and had been in this condition for eighteen years. Jesus called her to Him and said, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity,” and laid His hands on her and healed her (vv. 12, 13). Because it was the Sabbath, the ruler of the synagogue complained and said the people should be healed on any other day but the Sabbath. But Jesus pointed out that anyone there would loose his or her animal from the stall to water it, and then said, “So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” (vv. 14-16).
The point we should note for today is that Jesus said this woman had been bound by Satan in this infirmity. I know, and I have heard, some people are quick to blame God for the suffering in this world, and some will ask, "If God is such a loving God, why does He allow suffering?" Please understand that it is not God who is the cause of suffering, but the devil. God will end this suffering one day, and there will be a place where “there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying…no more pain” (Rev. 21:4), but it won't be here on earth. When the devil brought sin into the world, he brought suffering and death with it. Don't blame God for what the devil has done and continues to do!
He Enslaves. (2 Tim. 2:24-26) When Paul told Timothy of the need for all disciples to be able to teach, he went on to note that it was so we might correct those who oppose God and His ways, “so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.” We should not overlook the point Paul made that those still in the world are captive to the devil to do his will.
Those in the world who want to stay in the world and pursue the fleshly lusts think they are the ones who are really free, while those who follow God and Christ are in some sort of life deprived of any pleasure or fun. Quite the opposite is true, however. Jesus noted, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin” (John 8:34), and this right after He said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). This is one of the devil's greatest deceptions, convincing those in the world that they are free when, in reality, they are his slaves! Don't be fooled!
He Hinders Many From Hearing the Words of Salvation. When Paul wrote the brethren in Thessalonica, he told of how “we wanted to come to you—even I, Paul, time and again—but Satan hindered us” (1 Thess. 2:18). We do not know how they were hindered, but Paul knew who was behind it. We should not be surprised at this, because even the devil knows the power of the gospel message (cf. Rom. 1:16). Paul was taking the message of salvation out into the world, and the devil was not going to simply sit back and watch his slaves be taken from him!
To that end, we also see his efforts described by Jesus in the explanation of the Parable of the Sower. In explaining the seed that fell by the wayside, Jesus said, “Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved” (Luke 8:12). Some, when they finally get to hear the words of salvation as found in the gospel message, will not get a chance to believe it because the devil comes along and takes away those words and replaces them with the words of human wisdom, or the words of error. He doesn't want them to believe it! And, again, should we be surprised at this? Since he wants as many as possible to be lost eternally, he knows that he has to prevent some from ever hearing those words, and those who do hear it to not get a chance to think about what they hear.
You can be sure that the devil is just as interested in hindering the spread of the gospel today, and just as interested in making sure some never get a chance to think about what they hear. The gospel's power has not diminished, and he will be trying to destroy souls until Christ comes again.
Be aware of his efforts in your life; don't think he won't try these things on you. If he was willing to try to tempt even Jesus (Matt. 4:1-11), you can be sure he will be coming for you.
—— Steven Harper
