Let us see what, "It is WRITTEN", has to say.
Some people think you should not talk about satan - he likes that. Some people think you
are glorifying satan when you talk about him.
Some people don't even think satan exists - just a Halloween character in a red suit with
horns and a tail.
So, we are going to talk or write about satan - what God says, "IT IS WRITTEN",
concerning satan, lucifer, demons and the devil.
First, let us see what Jesus has to say about satan, the serpent. In Luke, chapter ten and
verses eighteen, Jesus said, "I beheld satan as lightening fall from heaven."
And Isaiah, chapter fourteen, verse twelve through fifteen say, "How art thou fallen
from heaven, O lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which
didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I WILL ascend into heaven, I
WILL exalt my throne above the stars of God: I WILL sit also upon the mount of the
congregation, in the sides of the north: I WILL ascend above the heights of the clouds: I
WILL be like the Most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell."
And in Revelation, chapter twelve, John says in verses three and four, "And there
appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and
ten horns, and seven corners upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars
of heaven, and did cast them to the earth." Verse nine, "And the great dragon
was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil, and satan, which deceiveth the whole
world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."
In second Peter, chapter three, Peter tells us in verses three through six, "Knowing
this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own
lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep,
all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they
willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth
standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being
overflowed with water, perished:"
Genesis, chapter one, verses one and two says, "In the beginning God created the
heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the
face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."
In the eons of God's creation, in eternity past, the earth was without form and void and
covered with water. I believe this was the habitation of satan and the fallen angels that
had followed him when he rebelled against God.
Genesis, chapter three and verse one - satan - lucifer - the devil - first shows up,
disguised (manifesting) as a serpent, which he is - alive and well on planet earth. Some
people don't want to believe this. I heard Derek Prince say that someone accused him of
thinking there was a demon behind every bush and rock. He said, "There's not just
one, but at least a dozen."
So, Genesis, verse one through ten says, "Now the serpent was more subtil than any
beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God
said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent,
We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is
in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch
it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God
doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be
as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food,
and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took
of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did
eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they
sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the
LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid
themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD
God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in
the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself."
God created Adam for fellowship. He created Eve so Adam would have someone to love and
fellowship with, and today, God still desires that intimate fellowship with you and me.
Here entered - shame - fear - guilt - deceit - lying - blaming someone else - the list
just goes on and on. Also, in verse fourteen is where the first curse is pronounced.
"And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed
above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and
dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:"
And in verse seventeen, the ground is cursed. "And unto Adam he said, Because thou
hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I
commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in
sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;"
In Deuteronomy, chapters twenty three, twenty seven and twenty eight, we find many more
curses that can come upon us by disobeying (just as Adam and Eve did) the voice
(commandments and statutes) of the Lord God, Jehovah.
When does satan show up next? Job, chapter one. And it says, "There was a man in the
land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared
God, and eschewed evil. And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. His
substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke
of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great household; so that this man was the
greatest of all the men of the east. And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every
one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them.
And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and
sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according
to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed
God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually." Here, Job is appropriating promises
that are yet to be given.
In John, chapter twenty, verse twenty-three, it says, "Whose soever sins ye remit,
they are remitted unto them;" And remember, Paul and Silas were in prison in Acts,
chapter sixteen, and the keeper of the prison brought them out and said, "Sirs, what
must I do to be saved?" And Paul answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ,
and thou shalt be saved, AND THY HOUSE."
What did we just read that Job said? He arose early in the morning and offered burnt
offerings according to the number of them all. Verse six through twelve, "Now there
was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and satan came
also among them. And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then satan answered the
LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
And the LORD said unto satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like
him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth (reverences and honoreth)
God, and escheweth evil? Then satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear (honor) God
for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that
he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is
increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he
will curse thee to thy face." And the LORD said unto satan, Behold, all that he hath
is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So satan went forth from the
presence of the LORD."
And Peter tells us in verse eight of 1 Peter, chapter five, "Be sober, be vigilant;
because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may
devour:"
So satan is alive and well today, and he shows up next in Zechariah, chapter three and
verse one. "And He shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the
LORD, and satan standing at his right hand to resist him." And he is resisting each
of us in our efforts for the Lord. And we find satan again in Matthew, chapter three,
starting with verse thirteen through seventeen. "Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to
Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be
baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to
be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. And
Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens
were opened unto Him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting
upon Him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased."
Chapter four, verse one through eleven, "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 was afterward an hungered. And when the tempter came to Him, he said, If thou be the
Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But He answered and 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 up into the holy city, and setteth Him on a
pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto Him, If thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down:
for IT IS WRITTEN, He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee: and in their hands
they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time Thou dash Thy foot against a stone. Jesus said
unto him, IT IS WRITTEN again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil
taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the
world, and the glory of them; And saith unto Him, All these things will I give Thee, if
Thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, satan: for
IT IS WRITTEN, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve. Then
the devil leaveth Him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto Him."
In Matthew, chapter four and verses twenty-three and twenty-four, Jesus begins to deal
with the kingdom of satan. Up until now, satan has had little opposition. It says,
"And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the
GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among
the people. And His fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto Him all sick
people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed
with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and He healed
them."
Again, in Matthew chapter eight, verse sixteen, Jesus is upsetting satan's kingdom.
"When the even was come, they brought unto Him many that were possessed with devils:
and He cast out the spirits with His word, and healed all that were sick:"
See other "Notebook"
articles.
Back
to May/June 2005 Voices