Character Studies - ElectronicGospel

a. he is frequently described as a fallen angel, but there does not seem to be quite enoughscriptural evidence to corroborate thatb. and yet, he surely was created good, but with the same free will that inhabits humanity;because of his power, his choice for evil was magnified and visited upon mankind3. two Old Testament passages that have nothing to do with the devil are often raised as anaccount of his creationa. Isaiah 14 is actually a taunt against the king of Babylon (Isaiah 14:3-4, 12-15)b. Ezekiel 28 is a prophecy against the prince of Tyre, not the devil (Ezekiel 28:11-19)4. in the New Testament, a passage from the gospels and from Revelation are often cited as theorigin of Satan, but both are out of context1. in Luke 10:18, Jesus can be heard to remark that, “I saw Satan fall like lightning fromheaven,” but the devil had already tempted Job and Jesus and was not only then being created2. Revelation 12:9 says that “the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world … was castto the earth, and his angels were cast out with him,” but this was a prophecy made long after Eden and thecrucifixion about the history of the infant church in Asia Minor5. much of the origin of the devil remains a mystery, save that evil will always eventually resultwhen free will is in playD. Doom1. Satan is often imagined to be the current and future prince of a realm called Hell, where he willenjoy an eternity of torturing the very people he deceived and enslaved2. the Bible, however, portrays him as a future prisoner in that place as well3. his doom was sealed in Eden when God promised to bruise his head even as he bruised the heelof the seed of Evea. the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ stripped away much of the devil’s deceptivepower (John 12:27-33)b. the Hebrew writer understood how great this victory over the devil and tomb were(Hebrews 2:14-18)4. the doom of Satan is even described as rather anticlimactic, for he will have no might to resist(First John 3:8, Revelation 20:7-10)II. Some ApplicationsA. Particeps Criminis1. Particeps Criminis is a Latin phrase that means one is an accomplice or is complicit in a crime,in this case, one committed against himself2. this is how the devil works, for there is no irresistible temptation, nor any mandate that wemust sin (Second Corinthians 4:4, 11:3, 14-15)a. with all that working against us, still the devil only possesses the power that we give himby making ourselves weak or ignorant or rebellious (Ephesians 2:1-3)b. some will abandon Christ or reject him out of hand and turn aside after Satan, because he iscapable of enlisting our cooperation in sin by making it appear harmless (see First Timothy 5:15)3. rather than comply with the disguised tempter, we hope to escape his snare (see SecondTimothy 2:26) by refusing his appeals (First John 5:18-20)B. Resist Him1. resistance begins with knowledge “for we are not ignorant of his devices” (Second Corinthians2:11; cf. Ephesians 4:27)a. his tactics in Eden, regarding Job and against Jesus provide case studies in thedeceptiveness of his works and the vulnerability of his plansb. Satan can be defeated by uncovering his motives and thwarting his efforts2. the good Christian soldier is armored against his emotional, physical and spiritual appeals(Ephesians 6:10-13)3. Satan is not a pussy cat (First Peter 5:8-10)C. Victory1. if you resist temptation and seek righteousness and goodness instead, you can be victorious(James 4:7-10)202