Meaning of DEVIL

Greek name that means "adversary", like its corresponding Heb. «Satan« or «Satan». This is how this word is translated when referring to other adversaries. Cp. No. 22:22; 1 Kings 11:14, 23, 25.

He was the devil who initially deceived Eve, for it is clear that the dragon, the ancient serpent, and Satan are all the same evil spirit (Rev. 20:2).

The devil, Satan, was the great adversary of God's people in OT times (1 Chr. 21:1); He was the one who tempted the Lord Jesus, who treated him like Satan; and he is the tempter and adversary of the saints and of all humanity today.

He attempts to neutralize the effect of the gospel; He snatches away the good seed sown in the heart (Mt. 13), and blinds the minds of unbelievers so that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ does not shine on them. His efforts are thwarted by God, or no one would be saved.

Furthermore, to counteract the work of God, Satan raises up heretics to mix with the saints, to corrupt them with bad doctrines, as taught in the metaphor of the tares sown among the wheat.

He goes around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1 Pet. 5:8), but the saints are exhorted to resist him, and he will depart from them (James 4:7).

The power of death, which the devil had, has been annulled by Christ in his death (Heb. 2:14).

He warns the saints against his schemes (2 Cor. 2:11), because he becomes an angel of light, a teacher of morality (2 Cor. 11:14).

God provides a complete armor for his saints, so that they can resist him and his schemes, giving them the sword of the Spirit (the word of God), as a weapon of attack (Eph. 6: 11-18)

The origin of Satan is not stated explicitly, but it seems evident (as the early church believed) that there is a reference to him in Ezek. 28:12-19, under the name of king of Tyre, as "protective cherub with spread wings"; all the precious stones and gold were also his clothing, resplendent with reflected light; he had his place in Eden, the garden of God, and he was in the holy mountain of God. He was perfect in all his ways from the day he was created, until evil was found in him.

This could hardly apply to the prince of Tire (Ez. 28:1-10) as a human being, but the Scriptures attribute it to the king of Tire. The change from prince (Heb.: "nagid", leader) of Tire (Ez. 28:2) to king (Heb.: "melek", king) is very indicative.

Tire, in his worldly wisdom and beauty, is morally regarded as the creation of the king and god of this world, and he will end his race in damnation in the lake of fire.

In the Epistle of Jude the action of the archangel Michael in relation to Satan is given as an example of moderation in speaking of dignities: he did not dare to pronounce a damning judgment against the devil, but said: "The Lord rebuke you."

This implies that Satan had been put in dignity, which, although he had fallen, had to still be respected, in the same way that Saul's life was sacred in the eyes of David because he was God's anointed, although he had fallen.

That Satan has been set in dignity is confirmed by the fact that Christ, on the cross, dispossessed "the principalities and the powers," not just the "powers" (Col. 2:15).

The expressions "the prince" of this world (John 12:31), "the god of this world" (2 Cor. 4:4), and "the prince of the power of the air" (Eph. 2:2) are They evidently refer to the devil.

When the Lord was tempted in the desert, Satan, after showing him "all the kingdoms of the world," offered to give him all the power and glory of them, if he would worship him, adding "for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I want” (Lk. 4:5, 6).

In the book of Job we see that Satan has access to God in heaven (Jb. 1:6, etc.); the Christian struggles with the spiritual powers of evil in the heavenly places (Eph. 6:12); The day will come when Michael and his angels will fight against Satan and his angels, and they will be expelled from heaven (Rev. 12:7).

This seems to indicate that Satan has a place in heaven, just as God originally gave it to him. During the millennium he would be shut up in the abyss, then let loose for a short time, and finally thrown into the lake of fire (Rev. 20:1-10), prepared for the devil and his angels (Matt. . 25:41).

When Jesus was born, Satan tried to destroy him (Mal. 2:16; Rev. 12:1-5). At the end of the Lord's earthly career, Satan was the great instigator of his death.

To achieve this, he entered Judas Iscariot, while in the other cases, as far as it has been revealed to us, the possession was carried out by a demon, and not the devil himself.

When the Lord was arrested, he said to the Jews: “This is your hour, and the power of darkness” (Lk. 22:53). But Christ was the true victor. With his death he defeated the one who had the power of death, the devil (Heb. 2:14); he led captivity captive (Eph. 4:8).

However, Satan continues to work, and when he is cast to the earth he will become the spirit of a trinity of evil. He will give the throne and authority from it to the Beast (Rev. 13:2). He will also be the leader of the nations in the last battle against the camp of the saints (Rev. 20: 7-9).

It is a notable fact that, despite Satan's wickedness, God uses him in the discipline of his saints, as in the case of Job, but only allows the devil to go as far as He wants (cp. Jb. 1: 12).

Paul used his apostolic power to deliver some to Satan for the destruction of the flesh (1 Cor. 5:5; 1 Tim. 1:20).

The thorn that Paul himself had in the flesh was a messenger of Satan who slapped him, so that the sublime of the revelations that he had received in the third heaven would not cause him to be exalted beyond measure (2 Cor. 12: 7).

It must be remembered that Satan is already a morally defeated enemy, because he has already been denounced (Col. 2:15); also that no Christian can be touched by him, except in what God the Father allows and controls for the discipline of his children and for their good.