hell some of his original angelic beauty. He certainly does not appear as some people would have us be lieve with horns, a tail, and three pronged pitch fork. Satan would want you to have such a view of him. In this way you would not be on the alert for attacks he will direct against you. One of his chief aims is to de ceive you. Keep in mind that the devil is not a myth. Look at Ezk. 28:1-9. In fact, seven books of the Old Testament make reference to him (Gen., 1 Chron., Job, Psa., Isa., Ezk., and Zech.). There are 29 references to the devil found in the four gospels. In 25 of these times, Christ was speaking. In the Bible there are 35 times that he is called the devil, and 52 times, Satan. He is also called other names such as dragon, the evil prince of this world, the prince of the air, the god of this age, apollon, belial, and beelzebub. Here in Ezekial we have a picture of the devil and the description of him before he fell to become what he is today. His glory at that time is described in verses 12 and 13. These verses go beyond the historic king of Tyre. Satan is not eternal like God. He was brought into being by God as a perfect angel of heaven. He certainly was not created sinful (vs. 15). There are several questions we will have to wait until glory to under stand. First what was the specific sin of pride that the devil committed, and why did God create him in the first place? Isa. 14:12-15 also refers to more than an earthly king. The primary person is the devil. Notice that five times the devil said in his heart (be fore he became the devil), he wanted to be worshipped as God. Here was active rebellion against the suprem acy of God. As a result the devil was cast down from his exalted position. As in his contempt for God’s author ity, so today the great problem of
is. He created man (vs. 27). There is no better or more reliable explan ation as to how man appeared on the earth. This is not evolution or even theistic evolution. Believing in crea tion and evolution at the same time is absolutely impossible in the light of Biblical teaching. It must be one or the other. The truth of the Bible has never been proven wrong. Man is a personality of emotions, intellect, and will, even as God is (I Thess. 5:23). The Bible teaches that not only was man created by God, but he was also crowned by the Lord (Gen. 1:28-30). Adam was to have dominion over all God’s creation. They were for his enjoyment and pleasure (Heb. 2:5-9). In the lan guage of today’s young people, “Adam had it made.” Yet, he chose to dis obey, and fell into sin. Why would people throw away such priceless opportunities? When a person flirts around with some sin they know to be wrong, they are courting danger. In Gen. 3 we have the account of man’s tragic fall when he was cata pulted into sin. This shows how sin came into the human race, along with its attendant terrible results. The geographical locations of Eden are real. The curse that came upon man and the ground are certainly real. The reason the world is in sugh a mess today is because of greed, sin, and falsehood. Man’s need can only be cured by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the only way to escape God’s judgment. Accept Christ as your Saviour! The Devil Has Plans for Me? What is the devil’s program and plan for man today, both saved and unsaved? Satan is the adversary of God, constantly seeking to thwart His purposes. We are exhorted to be sober and vigilant because the enemy of our souls is a roaring lion who seeks whom he may devour (I Pet. 3:8-9). In Paradise Lost, Milton pictures the devil retaining even in Page 38
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