014 - The Devil

chapter three, verse eight, The Devil Sinneth. The Bible doctrine concerning the devil, his existence, nature, character, work, and destiny is a fundamental doctrine of the Christian Faith and is of vital importance. The teaching of the Bible on this subject is not a mere matter of theory or dogma. It is a matter of most practical, everyday importance. Experience shows that if men are in error in regard to this subject, they are pretty sure to be an air

on other questions that are fundamental. When men and women begin questioning the existence of a personal devil, it is pretty sure that before long they will be questioning a good many other things regarding which a true child of God should have no questions. Doubt of the existence of a personal devil is widespread today. Many preachers in supposedly orthodox pulpits do not hesitate to say I do not

believe in the existence of a personal devil. Denial of the existence of a personal devil is one of the main points in the system which is so widespread today, and which is doing so much evil that, with considerable reason it has been called the devil's masterpiece Christian science.

A well known and popular pastor in this city some months ago proclaimed to his people that he was going to preach to them a gospel without an atonement of blood, without an infallible Bible, without hell, and without a personal devil. If he does preach to them a system of doctrine without any of these, he will preach some other system of doctrine than that which is contained in the book which our Lord Jesus Christ has endorsed as the Word of God, that is the Bible. The first point to

make clear is that there is a devil. This is plain from our first text, John chapter eight, verse forty four. The devil is The whole verse reads, ye are of your father, the devil and the luss of your father. It is your will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar and the father thereof These are the words of Jesus Christ.

With anyone who has any right to call himself a Christian, the words of Jesus Christ have infinitely more weight than the words of Missus Mary Baker Eddie, or anyone else, were all others together. And Jesus here says the devil is. But this is not the only passage, by any means in which our Lord Jesus asserts in the most emphatic and most unmistakable terms the existence of the devil. Turn to Matthew, chapter thirteen, verse nineteen, and you will read

these words. When anyone hereth the word of God and understandeth it not, then cometh the evil one and snatcheth away that which has been sown in his heart. These words are found in the interpretation of a parable, the Parable of the Sower. It is impossible to say that these words are figurative. In parables, we have figures. In the explanation of the parables, we have the literal facts

that the figures symbolize. And these words are not taken from the parable, but from our Lord's own explanation of the parable. And here we are distinctly told that there is a person who is here called the evil One, whose business it is to snatch away the word of God when it has been sown in hearts that do

not understand and heed it. If evil is only impersonal, and our Lord had only referred to impersonal influence or human influences as taking away the word out of the hearts where it had been sown, these words of his would be utterly without meaning. That Jesus Christ believed that there was a person of whom he here speaks as the evil One, and of whom he elsewhere speaks, as we shall see directly as the devil, admits of no doubt. If we grant that the Lord Jesus was an honest man,

we must. Therefore, if we believe in the Lord Jesus, believe that there is a devil, we can deny his existence only by questioning either the honesty or the intelligence of our Lord. He certainly taught that there was a devil. It would be easy to show from the teachings of Peter first Peter chapter five, verses eight and nine, Acts chapter five, verse three, and from the teachings of John John chapter thirteen, verse two, and from the teachings of

Paul Ephesians chapter six, verses ten to twelve. Also that there is a devil, but that is unnecessary for any one who has any right to call himself a Christian. Or if the Lord says so, that settles it. And the Lord Jesus does say the devil is If there is no devil, then our Lord Jesus was either a fool or a fraud. The question of believing in the personality of the devil involves the honor of our Lord Jesus.

If his teaching is not to be trusted on this point, it is not to be trusted on any other point. And the denial of a personal devil involves the trustworthiness of our Lord as a teacher and a savior at every point. So we see that the question of the existence of the devil is fundamental and of vital importance. Having settled that there is a devil, we now face the question as to the nature of the devil. First of all, the Bible teaches us that the devil is

a person. This comes out in our second text, First John, chapter three, verse eight. The devil sinneth. Only a person can sin. When we say that the devil is a person, we do not mean that necessarily he has a body, certainly not such a body as he is pictured as he in various paintings and engravings that are supposed to represent the devil. A person is any being who knows,

and feels and wills. When we say that the devil is a person, we mean that he is a being who has intelligence, feeling, and will, that he is not a mere principle of evil. The personality of the devil is taught over and over again in the Bible, just a few illustrations in addition to our texts. Turn again to Matthew chapter thirteen, verse nineteen. When anyone heareth the word of God and understandeth it not then cometh the evil one and snatcheth away that which hath been sown

in his heart. The representation of this passage is the representation of a person. He is called the evil one, not merely evil, but the evil one, which of course is the representation of a person. If evil is only impersonal or if it only works through human beings, these words of our Lord Jesus would be without meaning. The personality of the devil comes out again very clearly and

very forcibly in Ephesians chapter six, verses ten to twelve. Finally, brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness

in the heavenly places. Here Paul distinctly tells us that the great reason why we need to be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might, and why we need to put on the whole armor of God, is because there is a being of great cunning, subtlety, and power, a person named the Devil, and that this being has under him a multitude of other personalities of such dignity and power, as to be called by the

titles principalities, powers, world rulers, spiritual hosts of wickedness. Beyond a question, our Lord Jesus and the Apostle Peter, and the Apostle John, and the Apostle Paul believed in and taught the existence of a personal devil. If there is no personal devil, we may as well give up our Bible, for in that case it is a book that is

full of folly and a fraud. If there is not a personal devil, we must give up our belief in the inspired authority of the Apostle Paul, the Apostle Peter, the Apostle John, and we must give up our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. No intelligent student of the Bible can retain his faith in the inspiration and authority of that book or his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ if he gives up belief in the existence of

a personal devil. As intelligent men and women, we must take our choice between believing in the existence of a personal devil or giving up our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and Christianity. Any system of doctrine that denies the existence of a personal devil is radically Unchristian, whatever name it may arrogate to itself. The second thing that the Bible teaches as to the nature of the devil is that the devil is a being of very great power and authority. This comes out in the verses we

have just read Ephesians, chapter six, verses ten and eleven. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. These words make clear that the devil is so mighty that the people of God cannot resist his cunning wiles without having on the whole armor of God. And it is also evident from the tenth verse that we cannot resist his power unless we are strengthened with

the strength of God. And this is not all. In the twelfth verse we read, for our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. These are tremendous words. If they mean anything, they certainly mean that there are beings of great authority and dignity who are under the leadership of the one supreme being of evil, the Devil.

The conflict that we have on on one hand as believers in Christ is terrific. The conflict that the Allies have on one hand with the mighty military forces of the Kaiser is nothing to the battle we have on hand with the Devil and his hosts. We are fools if we underestimate the battle. On the other hand, we

must not overestimate it. While our conflict is with the Devil, And while our wrestling is against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness, Nevertheless, he that is for us is far mightier than they. The devil is mighty, but our Savior is almighty. It is quite possible for one to become morbid over the subject of the devil, and to become utterly discouraged and

even deranged. This is entirely unnecessary and unwarranted. While our conflict is with the Devil in his mighty hosts, God has provided for us strength and in armor, whereby we may be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one, and to withstand in the evil day. And having done all to stand verse thirteen. The third thing that the Bible teaches us as to the nature of the devil is that the devil is a being of great majesty and of dignity of position, turned to

Jude Verses eight and nine. Yet in like manner, these also in their dreamings, defile the flesh, and set at nought dominion and rail at dignities. The little translation of the Greek word rendered dignities is glories. But Michael the Archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, dares not bring against him a railing judgment,

but said the Lord rebuke thee. From these words, it is evident that the position of the devil was so exalted that even Michael the Archangel did not dare to bring a railing judgment against him. The contact seems to imply that the position of the devil was more exalted than that of Michael the Archangel himself. The devil of the Bible is not at all the devil of common thought. He is not a being hideous appearance with hoofs and horns and tail. He is not even the being pictured

by Milton or Bunyan. He is a being of very great original majesty and dignity, a being of great wisdom and power. When people talk lightly and contemptuously about the Devil, they display gross ignorance of what the Bible teaches about him. It is true that he is evil in character, and therefore called the evil one. John chapter five, verse nineteen, revised version. It is true that he is a liar

and a murderer. John chapter eight, verse forty four. It is true that he is full of malignity Sewod Corinthians, chapter four, verse four. But he is a being of great dignity and majesty, so that even Michael, the archangel dures not bring against him a railing accusation. The Bible teaches furthermore, that the devil is the prince of this world. Our Lord Jesus himself taught this. He says in John chapter twelve, verse thirty one. Now is the judgment of

this world. Now shall the prince of this world be cast out? The Greek word translated world in this passage is cosmos. And the thought is of the present world order. And our Lord's teaching is that the devil is the prince of this present world order. We have the same teaching of our Lord in John chapter fourteen, verse thirty, where we read I will no more speak much with you, for the Prince of the world cometh, and he hath

nothing in me. These words of our Lord are found in what many regard as the most precious chapter of the Bible, the fourteenth chapter of John. And if we give up this teaching of our Lord regarding Satan, we must give up not merely the Bible as a whole, but this most precious chapter in the Bible. We find the Lord teaching the same thing again on that same night, the night before his crucifixion, in John chapter sixteen, verse eleven, where he says the prince of this world is judged

the evident reference being to Satan. How the devil came to be the prince of this world? It may be impossible for us to say that he is so, admits of no question. If we are to accept the teaching of Jesus Christ, and any one who will study the ruling principles of commercial life, of political life, of social life, and above all of international relations, to such a one, it will become perfectly evident that the devil is the

one who is master of the present order things. If we ever doubt it before that there was a devil and just such a devil as the Bible pictures, we can scarcely doubt it now when we consider the action of the rulers of the Earth in this present mad world war. How could being so intelligent in matters of science and philosophy and economics as the present rulers of Germany are ever be guilty of plunging the nations of

the Earth into this mad war. There's but one reasonable answer, Because there is a devil who rules the present cosmos or world order, and he controls the Kaisers and the Reichstags of the world and will until the true Prince comes, the Prince of Peace, our Lord Jesus Christ. As to the character of the devil, the Bible teaches us that he is a being absolutely wicked. In Matthew chapter thirteen, verse nineteen, he is called the wicked one, that is to say, he is one who is the personal embodiment

of absolute wickedness. In First John chapter five, verse nineteen revised version, he is also called the wicked one. God is the holy One, that is to say, the one who is the personal embodiment of perfect holiness. The devil is just his opposite, the personal embodiment of consummate wickedness. The devil is to evil what God is to good.

In first John chapter three, verse eight, we read he that doeth sin is of the devil, For the devil sinneth from the beginning to this end was the son of God manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil. This does not mean that the devil sinned from the very origin of all things, and that he was created sinful, for we learned from Ezekiel chapter twenty eight, verse fifteen that the devil was created upright. The verse

does mean, however, that Satan is the original sinner. The expression from the beginning is characteristic of the epistle from which these words are taken, and does not necessarily mean from the origin of things, see for example, verse eleven. In a similar way, we are told in one of our texts, John, chapter eight, verse forty four, that the devil was a murderer from the beginning, and that he is a liar and the father of it. There is absolutely no truth in him. So much for the nature

and character of the devil. We now come to the question of the work of the devil, or how the devil manifests himself, and what he does. In the first place, we are taught that the devil tempts men to sin. We have a most striking illustration of this in his temptation of our Lord. We have in the Bible three accounts of this temptation. We will look at Matthew's account Matthew Chapter four, verses one to nine. Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be

tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he afterward hungered, And the tempter came and said unto him, if thou art the son of God, command that these stones become bred. But he answered, and he said, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out

of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him into the Holy city, and he set him on the pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto him, if thou art the son of God, cast thyself down, for it is written he shall give his angels charge concerning thee, and on their hands they shall bear thee up. Lest haply thou dash thy foot against a stone. And Jesus said unto him again. It is written, thou shalt not

make trial of the Lord thy God. Again the devil taketh him unto an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them. And he said unto him, all these things will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Of course, we have not time this morning to go into the whole question of our Lord's temptation. But this much is certainly plain. That the devil is represented as

the tempter tempting our Lord. If there is no personal devil, as so many would have us believe, or if he is not the tempter, there would be absolutely no reason for bringing him into this account. As the devil tempted our Lord, so he tempts us to day. And it is to be noticed that he does not tempt us merely to gross animal lusts and vile sins, but with subtle spiritual temptations, and above all he tempts us to doubt God's word. It was with this form of temptation

that he first assaulted our Lord. God had just said to the Lord Jesus at his baptism, thou art my beloved son in thee I am well pleased Luke chapter three, verse twenty two. And Satan came insinuating doubt of God's word by beginning his temptation with these words, if thou art the son of God. And again further down in the temptation he repeats the doubt, saying to the Lord

Jesus again, if thou art the son of God. In just the same way, Satan began his assault upon Eve in the Garden of Eden by insinuating a doubt of God's word and of God's goodness. He began by saying, yea hath God said Genesis chapter three, verse two, and further on, when Eve stated exactly what God had said, the devil flatly contradicted and said, ye shall not surely die, literally dying thou shalt not die, when God had said

thou shalt surely die, dying thou shalt die. This is Satan's favorite method of attack to day, he gets us to doubt God's word. Satan's most effective mode of work is by leading men into doubt and into error on

fundamental points. The saloons and the gambling hells and the brothels are not the chief spheres of Satan's activities, but the schools and colleges and theological seminaries, where he is inducing men and women, and callow youth and maidens to doubt the truth of God's word and to reject the fundamental truth of God's word and accept Satan's errors in their place. Satan knows well that if he can get men to doubt God's word, it is easy to lead

them into the vilest sins. False doctrine has been a more prolific source of the vilest sins than even the saloons. But Satan not merely tempts meant to sin by insinuating doubts of God's word. He also has his synagogues and ministers among men to do his work. Turn to Revelation chapter three, verse nine. Behold, I give the Synagogue of Satan of them that say they are Jews and are not, but do lie. Behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I

have loved thee. What I wish you to notice here are the words the Synagogue of Satan. In this case it was a Jewish synagogue, but nowadays it is often a so called Christian Church. In Sewo Corinthians, chapter eleven, verses fourteen fifteen, we have an even more remark arkable passage. For even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel of light, it is no great thing. Therefore, if his ministers also fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be

according to their works. Here we are told that Satan has his ministers. They do not advertise themselves as ministers of Satan. Oftentimes they are not even conscious that they are, but they put themselves forward as ministers of righteousness. They advocate ethical culture, a system of salvation without atoning blood. They are frequently men of very attractive personality and great intellectual brilliance and ability, but they are doing the devil's work.

Satan is never so dangerous as when he fashioneth himself into an angel of light, and no other ministers of his are so dangerous as the men and women of attractive personality and brilliant intellectual gifts who are undermining the faith of God's children, or who are teaching various forms of seductive and alluring error Christian science, new thought, theosophy, occultism, spiritualism, and all that species of cults we have not time to speak here of Satan's works as the author of

sickness Acts chapter ten, verse thirty eight, Luke chapter thirteen, verse sixteen, and as the one who has the power of death Hebrews chapter two, verse fourteen. But we must also speak of another work of the devil. It is set forth in Second Corinthians chapter four, verse three and

four revised version. And even if our Gospel is veiled, it is veiled in them that perish, in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of the unbelieving that the light of the Gospel of the Glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn upon them. We read here that it is the work of Satan to blind the minds of unbelievers, in order that the light of the Gospel of the Glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not

dawn upon them. It is evident then that the devil is the author of false views, especially false views of the person of Christ. He is the author of unitarianism and the denial of the deity of our Lord in all its forms. He so blinds the minds of men who submit to his blinding that the divine glory of Christ, who is the very image of God, is hidden from them. This explains why it is that Unitarianism, in all its various forms, persists even after its folly has been so

often exposed. Satan's work along this line is to culminate at the appearing of the Antichrist, even he whose coming is according to the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all the seat of unrighteousness, for them that perish because they received not the love of the Truth, that they might be saved. Second Thessalonians, Chapter two, verses nine ten, revised version. We now come to the fifth general division of our subject,

the devil's destiny. Turn in the first place to Revelation chapter twenty, verses one to three. And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the keys of the Abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and cast him into the Abyss, and shot it and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more until the thousand years should be finished.

After this he must be loosed for a little time. We are here taught that at the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, Satan shall be bound with a great chain and cast into the Abyss for a thousand years. The abyss, or as it is translated in the authorized version bottomless pit, does not mean hell. Satan, as we shall see further on, shall be cast into hell. Later.

Turn now to revelationshipter twenty verses seven eight, And when the thousand years are finished, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall come forth to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war, the number of whom as the sand of the sea.

We are here taught that at the end of the millennium the thousand years, Satan shall be loose for a little season from the abyss into which he has been cast chained, and that he shall come forth to deceive the nations. But the time of his power then will

be very brief. In Revelation Chapter twenty, verse ten, we find the ultimate destiny of the devil, and the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where are also the beast and the false prophet, And they shall be tormented day and night forever endeavor. Here is one of the points at which the theories of the reconciliation people and the universalists generally break down.

The argument of the reconciliationists and universalists by which they attempt to prove that all men must ultimately be saved carried to its logical issue. If it proved anything, would prove the salvation of Satan also, and this many of them do teach. They say plainly that the devil will ultimately be brought to repent and saved. Indeed, that is what I believed and taught in my early ministry. But this passage which we have just read shows the impossibility

of this being true. The lake of fire was prepared for the devil and his angels. Our Lord himself says in Matthew chapter twenty five, verse forty one, that when he comes back to judge this world, he will say to those on his left hand, depart from me, ye cursed, into the eternal fire, which is prepared for the devil and his angels. Hell was not prepared for men, but for the devil and his angels. If any man goes there, it will be because he has chosen to cast his

lot with the devil rather than with God. Therefore they go where the devil goes. Everyone who rejects Jesus Christ is throwing in his lot with the devil. Now, for just a few moments, let me show you from the word of God how impractical everyday life to get the victory over the devil. There are four things to be borne in mind. Read First James, chapter four, verse seven. Object therefore unto God, but resist the devil, and he

will flee from you. This teaches us that we are first of all to surrender to God, and then to resist the devil, and that if we do resist him, for all his cunning and power, he will flee from us. Although the devil is strong, it is ours, in God's strength to withstand and overcome him. Now turn to First John chapter two, verse fourteen. I have written unto you, fathers,

because ye know Him, which is from the beginning. I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong and the Word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the evil one. This passage teaches us that it is when we feed upon the word of God and store the Word of God in our hearts, thus having it abide in us, that we shall be able to overcome the devil. If we neglect the study of the Bible for a single day, we leave an open

door for the devil to enter. I have been a Christian for forty three years, but I would not dare to neglect the study of God's Word for one single day. Why not, because there is a devil. And if I neglect the study of the Word of God for a single day, I leave open a window for him to enter, and leave myself too weak to cope with him and conquer him. But if we will feed upon the word of God daily and trust God, we can resist the

devil at every point. Though the devil is cunning and strong, God is stronger, and God imparts his strength to us through his written word. Now turn to Ephesians chapter six, verse eleven. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Here we are taught that in order to stand against the wiles of the devil, we must put

on the whole armor of God. What that armor is is found in the verses that immediately follow This armor, This whole armor, this panopy of God, is at our disposal. The fact that there is a devil, that he is a being of such majesty, dignity, cunning, and power, that he is so incessantly plotting our ruin and to undermine in our faith, is no reason for fear or discouragement.

By taking the shield of faith, we shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one, by taking the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and by praying always with all prayers and supplications in the Spirit. It is our privilege to have victory over the devil every day of our lives, every hour of the day, and every minute of the hour. The final step in the way to get victory over Satan is found in

Ephesians chapter six, verse ten. Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. The way to get victory over Satan is to give up all confidence in our own strength and to believe in the almighty strength of Jesus Christ and claim that strength for ourselves. It is in the strength of Jesus Christ's might, that we shall get the victory over the evil one in

the strength of his might. As we have already said, it is our privilege to have victory over the devil every day of our lives, every hour of the day, and every minute in the hour. Allelujah. End of Chapter thirteen.