People sometimes talk about the devil. Is the devil real or is the devil just pretend? Is Satan some imaginary, fictional, mythical character or is he for real?
If the devil is real, have you ever seen him? What is he like? Is he red with horns on his head and with a pitchfork in his hands? Is he powerful? Is he intelligent? Is he clever? What is he doing in the world today? What is going to happen to him in the future? Should I be afraid of Satan?
The Bible has much to say about the devil. Indeed, it is impossible to have a correct understanding of the devil apart from what God has revealed in His Word. Satan is a very real person. He is just as real as you are. Read what the Lord Jesus said in Luke 10:18. Did Jesus Christ believe that Satan was a real person? _________ In this chapter of notes we want to learn about Satan and what will happen to him in the future!
God did not create the devil. That is, He did not create a wicked, sinful creature. God created a beautiful angel who was righteous and holy and good. He was a special kind of angel known as a CHERUB (Ezekiel 28:14). This angel is sometimes known by the name of L_____________________ (Isaiah 14:12). He was very close to God and he served in the very presence of God. He was one of the most important angels that God created.
God tells us what this angel was like in Ezekiel 28:11-19. Did God create
this angel perfect or imperfect (Ezekiel 28:12,15)? ____________________________
Something terrible happened to this angel! Concerning Lucifer the Bible says, "Thine heart was _______________________________ because of thy beauty" (Ezekiel 28:17). He became PROUD of his beauty and his wisdom and his power. In his heart he said something like this:
| LUCIFER SAID→ |
"How beautiful I am! How wise I am! God is not the only One who is great. I’m great too. Why should all the angels worship God? I want them to worship me. I WILL BE LIKE THE MOST HIGH" (see Isaiah 14:12-14) |
For Lucifer to think this way was sin. Lucifer was once perfect, but he was perfect no more: "Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, until ___________________________ was found in thee" (Ezekiel 28:15).
The word "iniquity" means "SIN, EVIL, CROOKEDNESS." God found evil and sin in the heart of this angel. This angel sinned and became Satan the devil. God did not create Satan. Lucifer became Satan because of sin.
Pastor George F. Parsons created this helpful diagram to show Lucifer’s five haughty "I WILLS":
For another study on the fall of Satan, see
The Origin of Sin--Part
1 (the Fall of Satan).
In the Bible names usually have meaning. For example, the name "JESUS" means "Saviour" (see Matthew 1:21). The devil has several names and each name tells us something about what he is like. In Revelation 12:9 and 20:2 we find four names for this wicked person. What are these four names?
1) ______________________________ 2) _____________________________
3) ______________________________ 4) ______________________________
Let’s learn about these names:
Usually when we think of a dragon we think of a huge, imaginary creature that looks like a dinosaur and breathes fire out of its mouth or nostrils. The devil is no imaginary creature. HE IS FOR REAL! And the devil is a creature who is very deadly. Jesus described this dragon in John 8:44 and said, "He was a M_____________________ from the beginning."
From the very beginning of human history Satan the dragon has been trying to get people to choose his way (THE WAY OF DEATH) instead of God’s way (THE WAY OF LIFE). God told Adam not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because if he ate from this tree he would surely __________ (Genesis 2:17). Did Satan the dragon try to get him to eat this fruit (Genesis 3:1-5)? _______ Was the devil successful (Genesis 3:6)? _______
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Please note: There is evidence that "dragons" may have been real creatures living on earth. Many ancient societies mentioned dragons in their written records or in their legends. Those who are students of history know that throughout man's time on earth there have been stories of dragons. Dragon legends and pictures can be found in Africa, India, Europe, the Middle East, the Orient and other parts of the world. The stories and pictures bear certain similarities. The dragons are described as being very strong, and having massive bodies, long strong necks, and huge, powerful tails. Could it be that the dragon stories and dragon pictures are actually based on fact? Were the ancients familiar with real animals that fit these kind of descriptions? Many have concluded that these dragon legends, though full of exaggerations and fictional elements, have their basis in truth, and that these dragons were actually reptile-like creatures which are known today as dinosaurs (terrible lizards). For two remarkable Biblical descriptions of dinosaurs, see Job chapters 40 and 41 (Behemoth and Leviathan). Evolutionists believe that dinosaurs became extinct long before man evolved, and it is unthinkable to them that men and dinosaurs could have lived on the earth at the same time. However, the Biblical record is very clear. Land dinosaurs were created on the very same day as man, Day 6 of the creation week (Genesis 1). |
When the devil tricked Eve, through what animal did he speak (see
Genesis 3:1-4)? ___________________________________ When the devil is called
"that old serpent" it reminds us of the time when he tricked Eve in the Garden
of Eden. Was the serpent (the devil) trying to help Adam and Eve or harm Adam and Eve? __________________________________ Was this serpent their friend or was he their foe (their enemy)?
_________________________________
The name "DEVIL" means "one who slanders, one who accuses, one who says false things about someone." The devil loves to accuse God and God’s people.
After Lucifer fell into sin, God sentenced him and told him what his punishment would be: EVERLASTING _________________ (Matthew 25:41). When Satan learned this he probably accused God and said something like this:
| THE DEVIL SAID→ | That’s not fair! How can a loving God send His creature into a lake of fire forever and ever? |
He accused God of being unfair. Satan is not the only accuser in the world. Many other people accuse God just like the devil did. They might say something like this: "GOD IS NOT FAIR TO SEND PEOPLE TO HELL JUST BECAUSE THEY DO NOT BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST!" But God is fair and God is righteous, and we know that the Judge of all the earth will do what is R__________________ (Genesis 18:25)!
Satan once accused Job and said something false about him. Read Job 1:8-11:
| THE DEVIL SAID→ | Job does not really love God. He only serves God because of all the blessings God has given to him. If God takes away all of Job’s blessings then Job will curse God. |
Did God let Satan take away Job’s blessings by bringing destruction and death to his possessions and to his family (Job 1:12-19)? _______ Did Job curse God (Job 1:20-22)? _____ Was Satan right or wrong? _____________________
The devil loves to accuse God’s people and speak against them. How often does he do this (Revelation 12:10)? _____________________________________
The name SATAN means "the adversary, THE ENEMY, the foe." Satan is no friend; he is the dreaded foe! He is the enemy of God and he is the enemy of God's people. He hates God and he hates God’s people. Jesus spoke about this ENEMY in Matthew 13:28 and 39. Satan is not for God; he is AGAINST GOD.
Jesus once said, "He that is not with Me is _____________________ Me" (Matthew 12:30). There are only two sides and no one can really sit on the fence. A person is either WITH GOD (on God’s side) or AGAINST GOD (on the devil’s side). Every person is either a child of the D__________________ or a child of _________ (1 John 3:10). How does a person become a son or child of God (John 1:12)? ____________________________________________________________________
Satan wants people to be on his side. He does not want people to become children of God. According to Luke 8:12, what is it that the devil does not want people to do? Satan does not mind if people are religious. Can people go to church and still be unsaved? _________ Can people say prayers and sing hymns and still be unsaved? ________ Can a person be religious and still be on the devil's side? ________ In John 8:44 Jesus was speaking to a group of people who were very religious. He said to them, "Ye are of your father the _________________." Satan wants to blind people and keep them in a state of UNBELIEF (read 2 Corinthians 4:3-4). He is the great enemy of our souls !
Even though Satan is our great enemy, does the Christian need to be afraid of him? The Bible tells us in 1 John 4:4 that "greater is He that is in _______ than he that is in the _________________." The GOD who is in you (if you are a believer) is greater then the DEVIL who is in the world! Satan is much greater than you, but is Satan greater than your God? ________ Do you need to be afraid of the devi1?__________
Matthew 4:3 records another name fo rthe devil, where we learn that the T___________________ came to Jesus. Who was this TEMPTER (Matthew 4:1)? _________________________ The devil loves to tempt people and try to make them sin. In Matthew chapter 4 the devil tempted the Lord Jesus but he was not able to make Jesus sin.
This does not that we should blame everything on the devil and always say,
"THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT!" No, our own sinful heart made us do it (see
James 1:14)! When we fall
into sin we really have no one to blame but ourselves. The devil loves to see people fall
into sin and he will do all he can to lead people into sin, but we must not blame the
devil for the sins which we do. The one who should really be blamed is the person who has
sinned! When Eve sinned in Genesis 3:1-6, did the devil play a part in
it? __________ Did he tempt Eve?________ Who did Eve blame (Genesis
3:13)?________________ Whose fault was it? _______________________
The devil can only be one place at one time. He cannot be everywhere at the same time. He cannot be in India and in California at the same time.
The devil can, however, get to places in a hurry. In Job 1:6-7
we learn that Satan can go from earth to heaven (v. 6) and he can travel all over
the earth (v. 7). Also, the devil has thousands and thousands of demons (wicked
angels) that serve him and carry out his work. So even though Satan cannot be everywhere at once, he has
so many helpers that it almost seems like he is everywhere in the world. Think of Santa
at Christmas time. There are so many people dressed up like Santa in the different stores
throughout the country that it almost seems like Santa is everywhere. There are many
people that look like Santa and that are doing the work of Santa. The same is true with
Satan because of all of his helpers. Of course, Satan is real and Santa is
not. See our study entitled,
The False God of Christmas.
The devil does not know everything. Only God knows everything. In Job
chapter1 Satan thought he knew why Job feared God, but he was wrong. He does not know
everything, but this does not mean that Satan is stupid. He was created "full of
W_________________" (Ezekiel 28:12) and even though he fell into sin he is still very
smart and very clever and very intelligent. He is so smart that he has tricked and fooled
millions of people who have believed his clever lies (John 8:44).
Satan is very powerful but he is not all powerful. Who is greater than Satan in power (1 John 4:4)? ______________________________ In Revelation 12:7-9 we learn that Satan and his army fought against Michael (another angel) and his army. Was Satan powerful enough to win this battle? _____ (Note: Actually this battle has not taken place yet, even though it is described in Revelation 12 as if it already took place. It will take place in the future.) Are Satan’s darts powerful enough to destroy the believer if the believer is wearing God’s armour and holding God’s shield (Ephesians 6:16)? ______
Satan is not all powerful, but he is
much more powerful than we
are. A little boy was asked, "What would you do if Satan were to knock at your
door?" The youngster had the right idea: "I would send the Lord Jesus to the
door!" God can handle the devil! We cannot!
There are two extremes to be avoided in dealing with the devil.
Some people emphasize the devil too much. They think about him all the
time. They see the devil's hand in everything that happens. They
talk about him all the time. They are all wrapped up in Satan.
But the believer in Christ needs to be all wrapped up in God. We need to
have our thoughts centered in the Lord our God. We need to see God's hand in
everything that happens. We don't need to constantly be thinking about the
devil, because the God who lives in us is infinitely greater than Satan (1 John
4:4).
We do need to recognize the reality of the devil and clearly understand all
that the Bible teaches us about this evil fallen angel. We need to know
our enemy and understand his deceptions. We should not be ignorant of
Satan and his devices, but God should always be our main
focus. To learn
how to handle the devil, study Matthew chapter 4,
The Temptation of Christ.
Today Satan is very much alive, and he is very busy! Satan is quite active on planet earth. To see this, do the following MATCHING problem:
| 1._______ | He is deceiving and tricking the nations. | A. 1 Peter 5:8 B. Revelation 20:3 C. John 16:11; John 12:31 D. 2 Cor. 4:3-4; Luke 8:12 |
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| 2._______ | He blinds the minds of unbelievers and tries to keep people from believing the gospel. | ||
| 3._______ | He is like a roaring lion seeking to attack those that he can. | ||
| 4._______ | He is the prince or ruler of this world. He rules in the hearts of unsaved men and carries out his wicked program in the world. |
Today Satan is allowed to have access to heaven, as we learn by reading Job 1:6 and Job 2:1. However, there will come a time when Satan will be forced to leave heaven. We read about this in Revelation 12:7-12. Since the devil can no longer be in heaven, where must he be (Revelation 12:9,12)? ________________________________ Read Revelation 12:12 carefully:
| Those In Heaven Say→ | "Rejoice! Be
glad! Let’s
celebrate! The devil is gone! He has been kicked out of heaven! HURRAY!" |
|
| Those On Earth Say→ | "Woe unto us! This is bad news! The devil has been cast down to earth and he is very angry. He has been causing trouble on earth for thousands of years but he is really going to cause trouble now! HELP!" |
When will this great event happen? The following diagram may help.
We will learn more about the great tribulation in the next chapter; in
Chapter 8 we will learn about the man that Satan will use during this time. This is also
the time that the DRAGON (Satan) will persecute and try to destroy the WOMAN (the nation
Israel). We read about this in Revelation 12:13-17. If the devil cannot fight God directly
then he fights against God’s people (Rev. 12:17).
When Jesus Christ returns to the earth Satan will be put into the
bottomless pit (the abyss) and chained there (Revelation 20:1). This is a special jail that God will
use to keep Satan away from the earth. How long will the devil be bound (Rev.
20:2)?_______________________________ During these years Jesus Christ will be ruling as
King over all the earth. At the end of these 1000 years what will happen to Satan
(Revelation 20:7)? ___________________________________________This will be Satan’s
last opportunity to cause trouble in the earth. We will study this more when we come to
Chapter 11 in these notes.
Where will the devil’s final home be (Revelation 20:10)? ___________________________________________ This is the place God has prepared for him (Matthew 25:41). It is here that Satan will be tormented (punished, tortured) day and night for ____________ and ____________ (Revelation 20:10).
Will other people also be in this lake of fire (Revelation 20:15; 21:8)? ______ Those who are on Satan’s side will spend their eternity in the same terrible lake. Those who are on God’s side will spend their eternity in the place that Christ has prepared for them (John 14:1-3). Where are you going to spend eternity?
Yes, the devil is very real, but God is very real also. Satan wants to curse us; God wants to bless us. Satan wants men to spend eternity with him but God wants men to spend eternity with the Lord Jesus Christ. The devil is our foe; God is our Friend. Whose side are you on? Are you on the winning side or the losing side? Are you on the right side or the wrong side? Are you for God and against Satan or are you against God and for Satan? Who are you serving? Who are you living for? Who are you following? THE CHOICE IS YOURS !
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