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THE KING’S BUSINESS
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 hand as believers in Christ is terrific. The con flict that the Allies have on with the mighty military forces of the Kaiser is nothing to the battle that we have on with the Devil and his hosts. We are fools if we under-estimate the battle. On the other hand, we must not over-estimate 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 might'y but our Saviour is almighty. It is quite possible for one to become morbid over this subject of the Devil, and to become utterly discouraged and even deranged. That is unnecessary and entirely unwarranted. While our conflict is 'with the Devil find his mighty hosts, God has provided for us a strength and an armour whereby we shall 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, (v. 13). 2. We learn still more about the majesty and dignity of the Devil and the high posi tion originally occupied by the Devil from Jude 8, 9: “Yet in like manner these also in their dreamings defile the flesh, and set at nought dominion, and rail at dignities (Greek, glories). (9) But Michael the archan gel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst 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 context seems to imply that the posi tion 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 in appearance with hoofs and horns and tail. He is not even the being of 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 ignor ance of what the Bible teaches about him. It is true that he is evil in character and therefore called “the evil one,” (1 John 5:19, R. V.) ; it is true he is a liar and a murderer, (John 8 :44) ; it is true that he is full of malignity, (2 Cor. 4:4), but he is a being of great dignity and majesty so that even Michael the archangel durst not bring against him a railing judgment. 3. The Bible teaches us furthermore that the Devil is “the prince of this world.” Our Lord Jesus Himself taught this. He says in John 12:31: “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 Kosmos, and the thought is of the present world order, and our Lord’s teaching is that the Devil is the prince of the present world order. We have the same teaching of our'Lord in John 14:30 where we read: “I will no more speak much with you, for the prince of the world cometh: and he j hath nothing in me.” These words of our Lord are found in what many regard as the most precious chapter in the Bible, the 14th 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 the same night, the night before His crucifixion, in John 16:11 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, but 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
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