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The Amish Voice 11
The devil can, however, get to places in a hurry. In Job 1:6-7,
we learn that Satan can go from earth to heaven (v. 6) and he
can travel all over the earth (v. 7). Also, the devil has
thousands and thousands of demons (wicked angels) that serve
him and carry out his work. So even though Satan cannot be
everywhere at once, he has so many helpers, so that it almost
seems like he is everywhere in the world. Think of Santa at
Christmas time. There are so many people dressed up like
Santa in the different stores throughout the country that it
almost seems like Santa is everywhere. There are many people
who look like Santa and who are doing the work of Santa. The
same is true with Satan because of all of his helpers. Of
course, Satan is real and Santa is not.
2. Satan is not all knowing (OMNISCIENT).
The devil does not know everything. Only God knows
everything. In Job 1, Satan thought he knew why Job feared
God, but he was wrong. He does not know everything, but this
does not mean that Satan is stupid. He was created "full of
w_______________" (Ezekiel 28:12), and even though he fell
into sin, he is still very smart, clever, and intelligent. He is so
smart that he has tricked and fooled millions of people who
have believed his clever lies (John 8:44).
3. Satan is not all powerful (OMNIPOTENT).
Satan is very powerful, but he is not all powerful. Who is
greater than Satan in power (1 John 4:4)? ________________
In Revelation 12:7-9, we learn that Satan and his army fought
against Michael (another angel) and his army. Was Satan
powerful enough to win this battle? _____ (Note: Actually, this
battle has not yet taken place, even though it is described in
Revelation 12 as if it already took place. It will take place in
the future.) Are Satan’s darts powerful enough to destroy the
believer if the believer is wearing God’s armour and holding
God’s shield (Ephesians 6:16)? __________
Satan is not all powerful, but he is much more powerful than
we are. A little boy was asked, "What would you do if Satan
were to knock at your door?" The youngster had the right idea:
"I would send the Lord Jesus to the door!" God can handle the
devil! We cannot!
Two Extremes to Avoid
There are two extremes to be avoided in dealing with the
devil.
1) Over-emphasizing the devil
Some people emphasize the devil too much. They think about
him all the time. They see the devil's hand in everything that
happens. They talk about him all the time. They are all
wrapped up in Satan; but the believer in Christ needs to be all
wrapped up in God. We need to have our thoughts centered in
the Lord our God. We need to see God's hand in everything
that happens. We don't need to constantly be thinking about
the devil, because the God who lives in us is infinitely greater
than Satan (1 John 4:4).
2) Under-emphasizing the devil
We do need to recognize the reality of the devil and clearly
understand all that the Bible teaches us about this evil fallen
angel. We need to know our enemy and understand his
deceptions. We should not be ignorant of Satan and his
devices, but God should always be our main focus.
What Is Satan Doing Today?
Today Satan is very much alive, and he is very busy! Satan is
quite active on planet earth.
1. He is deceiving and tricking the nations (Revelation 20:3).
2. He blinds the minds of unbelievers and tries to keep
people from believing the gospel (2 Cor. 4:3-4, Luke
8:12).
3. He is like a roaring lion seeking to attack those whom he
can (I Peter 5:8).
4. He is the prince or ruler of this world. He rules in the
hearts of unsaved men and carries out his wicked program
in the world (John 16:11, John 12:31).
Satan Expelled From Heaven
Today, it appears that Satan is allowed to have some access to
heaven, as we learn by reading Job 1:6 and Job 2:1. However,
there will come a time when Satan will be forced to lose all
access to heaven. We read about this in Revelation 12:7-12.
Since the devil can no longer be near heaven, where must he
be (Revelation 12:9, 12)? ________________________
Read Revelation 12:12 carefully:
Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them.
Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the
devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because
he knoweth that he hath but a short time.
Those in heaven say
, "Rejoice! Be glad! Let’s celebrate! The
devil is gone! He has been kicked out of heaven! HURRAY!"
Those on earth say,
"Woe unto us! This is bad news! The
devil has been cast down to earth and he is very angry. He has
been causing trouble on earth for thousands of years, but he is
really going to cause trouble now! HELP!"