THE
ACTIVITIES OF SATAN
The variety of names that Satan has alerts us
to the fact that he can attack his opponents in a variety of ways. From the
fierceness of a dragon (Rev. 12:3) to the attractiveness of an angel of light
(2 Cor. 11:14), Satan can adapt himself and his tactics to suit the person and
the occasion. Although he may prefer to operate in a certain manner, he will
meet people where they are and use whatever might defeat them in particular
circumstance. Though not all-knowing, Satan has observed many others in situations
in which we may find ourselves, and he can predict with a high degree of
accuracy what will best defeat us.
I. IN RELATION TO CHRIST
The animosity between Satan and Christ was
first predicted after the sin of Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:15). The enmity between
spiritual descendants of Satan and the family of God was predicted here. Also
an individual (Christ) from among the women’s seed would deal a fatal blow to
Satan’s head, while Satan would bruise Christ’s heel (a nonfatal blow, but one
that caused Him greet suffering). This exchange of blow took place at the
cross.
When our Lord did actually appear on this
earth, Satan made concerted attempts to thwart His mission to die for the sins
of the world. Undoubtedly Herod’s killing of the children under two was Satan
inspired (Matt. 2:16). Christ clearly said that Peter aligned himself with
Satan’s plan when Peter wanted to dismiss the idea that Christ would have to
die in Jerusalem (16:21-23). The sharpness of Christ’s rebuke underscores the
fact that his central purpose in coming to earth was to die. When Judas was
about to betray the lord, Satan entered into him (John 13:27).
But the principal and most direct attack of
Satan on our lord was at His temptation (Matt. 4:1-11). The word “test” or
“tempt” includes two ideas; proving and soliciting to evil. Satan’s testing of
Christ involved both facts. In the process of Satan’s soliciting him to commit
evil, God would prove through the test that Christ was sinless. God and Satan
were both involved in His test. The Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness place
in order that He might be tempted by the devil. For forty days Satan tempted
Him with many temptations (Luke 4:2), and during that period our Lord fasted.
This served to sensitize Him against all the tests, but especially against the
three attacks that came at the end of those forty days. These three were the
epitome of the areas in which a person can be tested; the lusts of the flesh,
the lusts of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life (I John 2:16).
These were tests particularly suited to the
God-man. Only he (not we) could turn stones to bread. Only he (not we) could
jump off the pinnacle of the temple and land unharmed in the area below. Only
he (not we) could expect to have all the kingdoms of this world.
The basic purpose of Christ’s temptation was
to prove His plan by offering Him glory without suffering, this, then, would
have made his substitutionary death unnecessary. Specifically, Satan tempted
Christ to independence (Matt. 4:3-4), to indulgence (v5-7), and to idolatry (v.
8-10).
There was no doubt in Satan’s mind that
Christ was promised deliverer. But he wanted the Lord to assert His
independence from the Father by turning the stones into bread. Just as the
manna given to Israel in the wilderness came from God, so Christ’s food should
come in the father by turning the stones to bread. Just as the manna given to Israel
in the wilderness came in the father’s tim and way. To turn stones to bread
would be to assert his independence will of his father. “Thought he was hungry,
and it was right to eat yet he would not eat independently of his father’s
will. Satan had tempted him not away from the spiritual bread but away from the
father and toward literal bread, gained independently of the father’s will”.
Satan still tempts Christ’s followers to take things into their own hands rather
than yielding to the father’s will.
To have cast himself off the pinnacle or wing
or protection of the temple to the valley 450 to 600 feet below and to have
landed unharmed would certainly have been a spectacular sign of messiah but to
have done so would have been to take a shortcut and show a lack of faith,
though Satan still tempts us to indulge in these.
Satan has temporarily been given authority
over this world (cosmos), but ultimately Christ will rule it. Thus Satan had
the right to offer the Lord the kingdoms of this world, but had Christ taken
them He would have shortcut the plan of God and bypassed the atoning work of
his death. Satan still tempts us with the immediate and visible. Since Satan
was unsuccessful in preventing the cross, he attacks the Gospel, the followers
of Christ, and what yet remains of the plan of God for this world.
II. IN RELATION TO GOD
The principal tactic Satan uses to attack God
and his program. This was evident when he originally sinned by wanting to be
like, not unlike, God. The counterfeit was first attempted on mankind when
Satan offered Eve the chance to be like God, knowing good and evil (Gen. 3:5).
The temptation of Christ was also an attempt
at counterfeit. A counterfeit is as like the genuine as possible, only without
some vital feature. Satan’s offer to our Lord was to have the glory due to him
without the essential feature of His death.
Today Satan promotes a form of godliness
while denying its power (2 Tim.3:5). To do this, Satan disguises his servants
as servants of righteousness (2 Cor.11:15). He promotes a doctrinal system
through the demons who in turn use people who advocate a false asceticism or
unbridled license (1 Tim. 4:1-3; Rev. 2:24). The ultimate counterfeit will be
the coming Antichrist, whose activities will be in accord with Satan and who
will pawn off on mankind “The lie” (2 Thess. 2:9-11 NIV).
III. IN RELATION TO NATIONS
His principal activity in this arena is to
deceive the nations (Rev. 20:3). Deceive them how? Apparently into thinking
they can govern righteously and bring peace in the world apart from the
presence and rule of Christ. Again, his tactic is to counterfeit. He apparently
employs demons in carrying out his deception (Dan. 10:13-20, and he uses
governments to hinder the progress of the Gospel (1 Thess. 2:18).
During the coming days of Great Tribulation
Satan will deceive the nations into receiving the antichrist as their savior.
Satan, the dragon, will give Antichrist his power, and the world will give
allegiance to him (Rev. 13:2-4). At the conclusion of the Tribulation Satan and
his demons will influence the armies of the nations to march to their doom at the
war of Armageddon (16:13-16 NIV).
During the millennial kingdom Satan will be
bound, but at the close of that period he will be released and will attempt to
lead the world in a final revolt against Christ’s kingdom. After this
unsuccessful attempt, Satan will be cast forever into the late of fire (Rev.
20:7-10).
IV. IN RELATION TO UNBELIEVERS
In relation to unbelievers Satan blinds their
minds so that they will not accept the Gospel (2 Cor. 4:4). He often does this
by making them think that any way to heaven is as acceptable s the only way.
Again, a counterfeit. This blindness attacks the minds of people, and while
unbelievers may think and reason, a power greater than Satan must remove that
blindness. Human reasoning and convincing arguments have a ministry, but only
the power of God can remove satanic blindness. Sometimes the devil comes and
takes away the Word that people have heard in order to prevent their believing
(Luke 8:12).
In promoting blindness Satan uses counterfeit
religion as detailed in the preceding section. This may include everything from
asceticism to license, from theism (for being theist does not necessarily mean
being saved) to occultism. In other words, Satan will use any aspect of the
world system that he heads in order to keep people from thinking about or doing
that which will bring them into the kingdom of God (Col. 1:13; I John 2:15-17).
V. IN RELATION TO BELIEVERS
A. Satan, the Temper
Just as Satan tried the Lord, he also tries
believers. His aim is to get us to commit evil. God may sometimes use Satan in
testing us to prove us in resisting his tests. Tests can have three beneficial
purposes in the life of the believer: (1) to prove us (I Pet. 1:6-7); (2) to
teach us 4:12-13; see also Heb. 5:8); and (3) to increase our love for God
(James 1:12). But Satan’s only purpose is to tempt the believer to commit evil.
There are at least areas in which Satan
tempts believers. The first is in the area of conforming to the pressures and
structures of society (1 Thess. 3:5). Paul, you remember, had been forced to
leave Thessalonica after probably only one month’s ministry in that city (Acts
17:5-10). Further, Satan had used some governmental ban to keep him from
returning (1 Thess. 2:18). So he sent Timothy, who was not under that ban, back
to Thessalonica to see if they had succumbed to Satan’s temptations. What
temptations? It was too early in the first century for Paul to be referring to
official persecution from the Roman Empire. These temptations must have been
more of an unofficial, societal, personal nature. Perhaps Satan tempted them to
continue to conform to the lifestyles they experienced before they were saved.
Also many of the converts were gentiles, and Satan may have tempted tem with
the pride of intellect.
Second, Satan tempts believers to cover up
selfishness. The story of Ananias and Sapphira serves as the classic
illustrations. This couple wanted to retain some of the money they received
from the sale of their property, while at the same time receiving praises for
their contribution. Peter discerned that it was Satan who had filled their
hearts to lie (Acts 5:1-11). They had the right to own and sell property. They
had no necessary obligation to give all the proceeds to the church. But they
were obliged not to feign generosity and at the same time cater to their
selfishness by keeping part of the money received.
Third, Satan tempts believers to immorality
(1 Cor.7:5). God provided marriage for proper expression of physical needs and
relationships, and He expects husbands and wives to assume their respective and
mutual responsibilities. When this is not done, Satan has opportunity to tempt
believers to illicit or perverted sexual sins.
B. Satan, the Adversary
As adversary, Satan accuses and opposes
believers in various areas of their lives. First, he opposes our witness to the
Gospel. He does this by confusing us when he plants tares among the wheat
(Matt. 13:38-39), by snatching away the Word that has been sown (Mark 4:15), by
aligning governmental authorities against believers (1 Thess. 2:18), or by
imprisoning believers, believing this will keep their testimony from spreading
or make them fearful of witnessing (Rev. 2:10).
Second, Satan spotlights our sins (12:10). He
accuses us before God when we sin, thinking he can cause us to lose our
salvation. But Christ, our Advocate, takes our case and reminds the Father
again and again that He paid for all our sins when he died on the cross (I John
2:1-2).
Third, Satan opposes the believers by
bringing pressure on him that he may not be able to bear. There are two
examples of this in the New Testament. One concerned the man disciplined in 1
Corinthians 5. Apparently the discipline has its desired effect, and he has
confessed his sin of incest. Now the church should have received him back into fellowship.
Seemingly, some wanted to do this and some did not. So Paul urged them to do so
not only to heal any division that might develop but also lest the brother
involved be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. He needed to know the forgiveness
of his brother and sisters (2 Cor. 2:5-11). Not to restore him would give Satan
an advantage.
The second example concerns women who are
widowed at a young age (1) Tim. 5:14-15). Paul urged them to marry again and
bear children and lead useful lives. Some, idle and gossiping, were following
Satan.
In general we may say that Satan the
adversary wants passionately to squelch the believer’s testimony. To accomplish
this prowls the earth like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1 Pet.
5:8). The word “devour” is the same word used to describe the way the Red Sea
swallowed up the Egyptians when they were pursing the Hebrews (Heb. 11:29). It
paints a vivid picture of Satan’s ultimate goal – to completely drown the
believer’s testimony and usefulness.
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