Ezekiel 28:13-19: Satan's Origin
Genesis 3:1-6: Satan's First Temptation
Isaiah 14: Satan's Fall From Heaven
Job 1:6-13: Many Facts About Satan's Limitations
Matthew 4:1-10: Satan Tempts Jesus Christ
Revelation 20:1-3, 10: Satan's Eternal Punishment
Satan's Origin
God created Lucifer, who is now Satan.
Read Ezekiel 28:13-19.
- Satan was created as a perfect Guardian Angel. 28:14
- Lucifer was the highest ranking creature in God's creation.
- He was the one nearest the throne of God. In all his beauty he continually praised God.
2 Corinthians 11:14 - Satan can disguise himself as an Angel of light.
On February 2, 1848, Mexico formally ceded the California territory to the United States. The transaction was part of the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo that ended a war between Mexico and the United Sates. Even though Mexico possessed great riches when it possessed California, the Mexican government had to yield the territory. Mexico was a defeated foe. In much the same way, the angel Lucifer had to surrender his heavenly glory after leading a rebellion in Heaven against the rule of God Himself.
Satan's First Temptation
Garden of Eden: Temptation is Satan's invitation to give in to his kind of life and give up on God's kind of life. Read Genesis 3:1-6.
Temptation comes from evil desire within, not from God. It begins with an evil thought. It becomes sin when we dwell on a thought and allow it to become an action. Like a snowball rolling downhill, sin's destruction grows the more we let sin have its way. The best time to stop a snowball is before it is too big, or moving too fast to control.
Satan used a sincere motive to tempt Eve- "You will become like God!" To become more like God is the highest goal of humanity. It is what we are supposed to do. But Satan misled Eve on the right way to accomplish this goal. He told her that you become more like God by defying God's authority, by taking God's place and deciding for yourself what is best for your life. You become your own "god."
Satan tried to show Eve that sin is "lovely". A knowledge of both good and evil seemed desirable and harmless to Eve. People usually choose wrong things because they have become convinced that those things are good, at least for themselves. Our sins do not always appear ugly to us, and the "lovely" sins are the hardest to avoid. So prepare yourself for the attractive temptations that may come your way. We'll discuss attractive temptations in Matthew.
It's easy to blame others and make excuses for evil thoughts and wrong actions. Excuses include (1) it's the other person's fault; (2) I couldn't help it; (3) everybody's doing; (4) it was just a mistake; (5) nobody's perfect; (6) the devil made me do it; (7) I was pressured into it; (8) I didn't know it was wrong.
A person who makes excuses is trying to shift the blame from himself to something or someone else. A Christian, on the other hand, accepts responsibility for his wrongs, confesses them, and asks God for forgiveness.
Don't feel guilty for almost sinning. The Holy Spirit convicts us to change after we sin. Satan tries to make us feel guilty before we sin and after we are forgiven.
Satan's Fall From Heaven
See Isaiah 14.
Being like God is what we all should be doing. We should emulate God's perfect character. However, we should not crave to be God. God is always on the throne and nothing will ever dethrone Him. Satan didn't realize this.
Satan's sin included the following:
1) He sinned in his heart by coveting God's power. 14:13
2) Planned on being higher than God. 14:13
3) Planned on controlling God's angels and kingdom. 14:13
4) Planned on being God. 14:14
Many Facts About Satan's Limitations
Satan discusses Job with God. See Job 1:6-13
Facts: 1) Satan is accountable to God. 1:6
2) His thoughts are open to God. 1:7
3) Satan can only be at one place at a time. 1:6,7
4) Satan cannot see into our minds or foretell the future. 1:9-11
5) Because Satan can do nothing without God's permission, God's people can overcome his attacks through God's power. 1:12
6) God always puts limits on what Satan can do. 1:12, and 2:6
7) Satan is real and active on earth. 1:7
Many people think that believing in God protects them from trouble, so when calamity comes, they question God's goodness and justice. But the message of Job is that you should not give up on God just because bad things happen. Faith in God does not guarantee personal prosperity, and lack of faith does not guarantee troubles in this life. If this were so, people would believe in God simply to get rich. God is capable of rescuing us from suffering, but He may also allow suffering to come for reasons we cannot understand. Job shows here a perspective broader than his own personal comfort. If we always know why we suffer, our faith would have no room to grow.
1 Peter 5:8-10 -- Satan is our great enemy.
If we see Satan as a comic figure with horns, and a pitchfork, there is apparently little harm he can do. He is real, and he is the enemy.
Satan Tempts Jesus Christ
See Matthew 4:1-10.
Satan's temptations focused on three crucial areas: (1) physical desires, (2) possessions and power, and (3) pride.
- Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired: H.A.L.T.
This time of testing showed that Jesus really was the Son of God, able to overcome Satan and his temptations. A person has not shown true obedience if he has never had an opportunity to be disobedient. Satan used scripture to try to convince Jesus to sin! Sometime friends will present attractive and convincing reasons why you should try something you know is wrong. They may even find Bible verses which seem to support their viewpoint. Study the Bible carefully, especially the broader contexts of specific verses, so that you understand God's principles for living and what He wants for your life. Only if you really understand what the whole Bible says, can you recognize errors of interpretation when people take verses out of context and twist them to say what they want them to say.
Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:16, which says "Don't test God" in His defense against Satan.
- Temptation is often the combination of a real need and a possible doubt that create an inappropriate desire.
Satan's Eternal Punishment
See Matthew 25:41 and Revelation 20:1-3, 10.
In Matthew 25:41, Jesus says, "Then I will turn to those on my left and say, 'Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons'."
Revelation 20:1-3,10
Satan's power is not eternal--he will meet his doom. He began his evil work in mankind at the beginning, in Genesis 3:1-6 it is recorded), and continues it today, but he will be judged when he is thrown into the Lake of Fire. Satan was released from the bottomless pit (20:7), but he will never be released from the Lake of Fire. He will never be a threat to anyone again.
2 Timothy 2:22 says, "Run from anything that gives you the evil thoughts young men often have, but stay close to anything that makes you want to do right. Have faith and love, and enjoy the companionship of those who love the Lord and have pure hearts."
Running away is sometimes considered cowardly. But wise people realize that removing oneself physically from temptation is often prudent. Perhaps you experience a recurring temptation that is difficult to resist. Remove yourself physically from the situation. Knowing when to run is as important in spiritual battle as knowing when and how to fight.
James 1:12 says, "Happy is the man who doesn't give in and do wrong when he is tempted, for afterwards he will get as his reward the crown of life that God has promised those who love Him."
Read Romans 8:38 and 1 Corinthians 10:13.
