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Introduction

While taking a ministry meeting in 1997, I said: “I have been twenty years in assemblies, during which I have attended hundreds of ministry meetings, numerous conferences and Bible Studies, but never once have I heard the subject of Satan spoken on.” That is now thirty-five years ago, and in those intervening years (now 2012) I have still never heard an exposition on Satan or the occult and its dangers. That is staggering for it results in an almost total ignorance of the enemy.

In 1966 a manuscript called “The Dark Prince” was given to a publishing house for printing. It was about Satan. The publisher turned it down saying that no one was interested in Satan! How well he had been deceived for this world was in the first stages of the full development of Satanism, witchcraft and the occult in these last days. It was then that the “Age of Aquarius” began, with rock concerts having individuals coming forward or raising their hands for a commitment to Satan. Demonic signs began to appear in multiple forms, but the majority of those who were teachers, pastors, elders, and ministers were vastly unaware of that which was happening all around them.

There is always a danger when an individual does not recognize, or is unaware of, the enemy. We were reminded of this in 9/11 when it was learned that one of those who flew the plane into the towers was taught piloting skills in the USA. No one thought they were terrorists consequently, they deceived all those around them. Satan is far more skillful than any of them were. Another example is Hitler who deceived Chamberlin, pretending to be a friend. On the 30th September 1938 British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlin arrived in London, and waving a piece of paper concerning the Munich Agreement and the Anglo-German Declaration said: “Peace for our time". He did not know the tactics of the enemy, nor see beyond his outward appearances, for scarcely had Chamberlin left Germany when Hitler was heard to say that the agreement meant nothing. Paul wrote: “We are not ignorant of His devices” (2 Cor. 2:11), but the truth is that we can be very ignorant of them due to the fact Satan “blinds our eyes”. It is not to take up space that the Holy Spirit causes Paul to write: “Put on the whole amour of God (Eph. 6:11), and then give the reasons: “Wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one” (Eph. 6:16). Human rationale will not prevail in this warfare: “For we wrestle . . . against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Eph. 6:12).

While the average man in the street is unaware of the dark spirit world, for those who deal with the spirit world of darkness, they know Satan and his demonic beings are real. In the Old Testament there is the narrative concerning Saul who went to the witch of Endor, and she was able to bring up Samuel who was dead (1 Sam. 28:7-20).

Anton LaVey, founder of the church of Satan, in 1966 he said: “Satan signifies our love for the worldly and our rejection of the pallid ineffectual image of Christ on the cross”. In the Satanic Bible he wrote: “I dip my finger in the watery blood of your impotent mad redeemer, and write over his thorn-torn brow: The true prince of evil - the king of the slaves (Chapter 1:5-6). He died October 29th 1997. On a side note, how amazing is God’s love that even if Anton LaVey had repented of his sins, the Lord would have saved him, for there was all sufficiency for him to be cleansed through the blood sacrifice of the One he mocked. If he never was saved then he will languish in the depths of Hell with the one he worshipped, forever under the wrath of God.

Some cults teach that Satan and Jesus are spirit brothers, and others say that God and Satan are one. New Agers teach that Satan is a being consumed by pride and hates anything to do with the work of God through Christ being accomplished. This is not just among the cults for when Dr. Ramsey was archbishop of Canterbury, he said: “I do not draw from the bible the inference that there is an individual monarch of evil”. Marilyn Manson used the bracelet WWJD (what would Jesus do) and had his fans wear it, only changing the message to: “We want Jesus dead”! That is the world we live in. No wonder we are told not to have any fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness (Eph. 5:11).

The Lord spoke of Satan as a real individual, and it was of this one the Lord could say: “The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me” (Jn. 14:30). Concerning his earthly followers the Lord said: “Ye are of your father the devil” (Jn. 8:44).

It is my understanding that the fall of Satan is in stages. He fell morally when he rebelled against God. It is this that our Lord refers to when He said: “I beheld Satan as lightening fall from heaven” (Lk. 10:18). This does not mean that he is permanently outside of that sphere for he still has access to heaven (Job. 1:7) and is the “Prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2). In a future day he will be cast out of Heaven (Rev. 12:7-10) being cast down to earth (Rev. 12:12). From earth he will be cast into the bottomless pit (Rev. 20:3), and then ultimately into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10).

Concerning his moral fall, several writers tell of it. Isaiah speaks of Satan and his fall by the illustration of a man having the same attitude (Isa. 14:12-14). Ezekiel also tells of the fall of Satan (Ezek. 28:14-15), as did our Lord and Paul (Lk. 10:18; 1 Tim. 3:6).

Prior to his rebellion Satan was called “Lucifer” (Son of the morning), and from that which can be gathered from Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28, he was stunning to behold and brilliant in wisdom. Due to his high position he had a great numbers of angelic beings under him. Somehow the spirit of envy got a hold on him, and at a point of time in history he lifted himself up against God, seeking to oust God and take the supreme position. I am aware that it is commonly taught it was due to Satan’s fall the world was brought into chaos (Gen. 1:2). Interestingly man puts the word “chaos” as a translation of “without form and void”, however, fails to point out that Jeremiah uses the same expression in his prophecy (ch. 4:23) when dealing with the devastation of the land due to God’s discipline on Israel (Jer. 4:22). Furthermore, Job makes it clear that the heaven and all its hosts (angelic beings) were created before the earth (Job 38:7). The so called “chaos” (Gen. 1:2) was not the result of Satan’s fall. My understanding is that Satan, seeing man devoted to God and ruling for God, sought God’s place and man’s devotion. This he gained in the garden of Eden (Gen. 3:1-7) having wrested ownership of the earth from God (Matt. 4:9; Lk. 4:6) by having man change loyalties. His fall came after God created man and gave to him supreme power over the earth.

God is never taken by surprise therefore, before Satan ever sinned, God was determined to utterly destroy him and all associated with Him (1 Jn. 3:8), and “destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil” (Heb. 2:14). This will be more fully developed in the last paper of “Satan - Part 5”.

As we shall presently see, God describes Satan by various names, one of them being the “enemy” (Matt. 13:28). Human experience makes us aware that an enemy will do all he can to destroy that which is good and beautiful (Acts 13:10); hinder the purposes of blessing (Matt. 13:25-28); and kill (Ex. 15:9; Est. 7:4; Rev. 12:4). These are facts concerning which there can be no contradiction, and when lifted to the spirit world and Satan, it is manifest:
	1)	His Infernal Majesty:
			a)	Is an enemy
			b)	Will oppose every iota of an expose of himself
			c)	Will use every means, and anyone he can, to deceive others

It is irrelevant whether the enemy is human or diabolic, they must be exposed, which God does when He gives His first description of Satan who He describes as:
	1)	A serpent (Gen. 3:1), and in Revelation it is noted that his character does not change, he is still “the old serpent” (Rev. 12:9; 20:2).
	2)	He is subtle (Gen. 3:1) and deception has been one of his primary tactics. He uses his followers to deceive others (Rev. 13:14) and the foremost characteristic of future days will be that of deception. Four times over the word “deceive” is used (Matt. 24:4, 5, 11, 24).

The Decisions That Must Be Made

The truth is that if one is ever going to overcome an enemy then several factors come into focus. First there must be someone who can be trusted to tell his characteristics and the activities. When that is done, then decisions must be made:
	1)	Will I believe that which is revealed?
	2)	Will I be willing to accept and respond to this unveiling?

The question then becomes “who”, without bias and in truth, can unmask Satan to me? The only one who can be wholly trusted is God, for He cannot lie and knows everything.
	1)	God is truth:
			a)	He is the one who cannot lie. (Titus 1:2)
			b)	He “is not a man that He should lie”. (Num. 23:19)
			c)	He is the One in whom there is “no darkness at all”. (1 Jn. 1:5)
			d)	He the One in whom there is “no variableness, neither shadow of turning”. (Jam. 1:17)

2)	God has all knowledge.
		a)	Being omniscient:
		b)	Before Him “all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him”. (Heb. 4:13)
		c)	The “darkness hideth not from Thee.” (Psa. 139:12)

This is the God who, in kindness, gives to us enlightenment and an understanding of the activities of the enemy and their being, showing them for what they are. He knows every tactic and characteristic of Satan, and we can trust His manifestations in entirety. When our Lord was in the wilderness Mark tells us an intriguing point: “He was with the wild beasts” (Mk. 1:13). One of the purposes of such an observation is to have us question: “Which was the more dangerous, that which could be seen or that which could not be seen?” So with us. The greatest dangers come from what we do not know and who we do not see. Thank God He has given us an unveiling of Satan and what He does. How we decide to His unveiling is our decision. The first fact is there must be an understanding of several opposing forces and persons. The scriptures reveal that there are two opposing kingdoms or governments:
	1)	That of where God is King and
	2)	That where Satan is king.

This will be continued in the next document of “Satan - Part 2”

May God grant us good understanding as He, by His Holy Spirit, deigns to guide us into all truth.
John 16:13