The Work of Our Enemy
The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
Revelation 12:9
In the prologue to the book of Job, Satan appears with the angels who are gathering for their council meeting with the Lord. Satan came with the sons of God, but he is not one of them. God says to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him, he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. Does Job fear God for nothing? Satan replied” (Job 1:8-9)?
The question Satan asked is whether Job was serving God with a pure heart or for the fringe benefits of knowing Him. To find out, God allowed Satan to test Job by placing everything Job had in Satan’s hands—though he could not take Job’s life (see 1:12-22; 2:6-8). God has placed limits on what Satan can do. God is not the author of evil, but He will allow it within limits for our testing. Neither did God create Satan. God created Lucifer with a free will to serve Him. Satan is the result of Lucifer’s choice to rebel against God.
Satan described his activity as “roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth in it” (1:7). He is engaged in a relentless global conflict against God and His people. He is the enemy of God and of truth (see Matthew 13:28,39; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12). He works through our weaknesses and limitations and employs the allurements of the world. He works in the realm of moral darkness (see Acts 26:18) as a tempter, enticing us to sin. His purpose is to get the children of God to live independently of their heavenly Father. When we sin, he acts as our accuser.
Jesus describes Satan’s chief characteristic in John 8:44, which is also evident in the sons of the evil one: “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
Deception is Satan’s primary strategy, and he has succeeded in leading the whole world astray (see Revelation 12:9). Satan masquerades as an angel of light, disguising his messengers of falsehood as messengers of truth (see 2 Corinthians 11:13-15). Those who give themselves over to evil, become the agents of Satan. Jesus said to His disciples, “Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!” (John 6:70). Paul said to the Jewish sorcerer, “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery” (Acts 13:10).
Satan is a counterfeiter. He sends false prophets and teachers. He sows counterfeit believers among the “people of the kingdom” (see Matthew 13:38). Satan leads people away by counterfeiting the true gifts of God. Apostate workers engage in religious activities without accepting the power of God’s truth (see 2 Timothy 3:1-9). Satan blinds the minds of unbelievers “so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4).
Some questions to ponder:
How would we know of Satan’s activities if God hadn’t revealed them in Scripture?
If we didn’t know that Satan is the father of lies and the instigator behind many clandestine acts, who would get the blame? How would we explain their actions?
Does Satan work primarily overtly or covertly? Explain.
Do you believe that God could use Satan to accomplish His will? Why or why not?
Neil T. Anderson is the founder of Freedom in Christ Ministries. He began the ministry in 1989 and continues to spread the message of freedom to this day.