Satan: His Meaning, Minions, and Methods - Part A

People have regarded the idea of a literal devil as passé as naïve and rather they would prefer to see the devil is just sort of a general idea of evil in the world. Listen one of the first principles in warfare is to know who your enemy is. Most people today don't believe in the devil to them as a symbol or mythical figure today don't connect with Skip Heitzig Skip share surprising facts.

You may not know about the Christians and the devil would begin to tell you about a resource that will encourage as you explore the faith and feelings of prominent women in the Bible stands between you and a more fruitful walk with Jesus health for prominent women in the Bible thinks their struggle to new teaching theories for my height and called Queens of the Bible on the Queen of Sheba hearing is the first step towards spiritual life right now, hearing step toward blessing because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God hear more from Lang. She exploits the faith in the failings of four different queens in Scripture.

The Queens of the Bible collection of teaching is our way of saying thank you when you get $35 or more today to support this Bible teaching ministry. The cost of following Christ is to go wherever healing get your copy of these unique teachings when you call 800 9218 eight or give online securely connectwithskip.com/offer connectwithskip.com/offer chapter 10 today as we get into the teaching. Skip today, we look at a topic that is probably one of our least favorite things to talk about that is the devil would like to talk about the devil.

In fact, I have discovered that most people in the world don't believe there is a double. That is, in a literal sense or the devil is just been portrayed as this weird cartoon caricature of a skinny guy and a red satin set of pajamas with a pitchfork and horns, half man, half beast. All of that nonsense Gallup poll was done that revealed 89% of Americans say they believe in God, whereas 61% of Americans say they believe in the devil and what was disturbing about those who said they believed in the devil have regarded the devil as an actual real person a literal person the others, not literal and bulk of them consider themselves born-again Christians.

So just get better in mind, you born-again Christian say I believe in God.

I follow Jesus, but I do not believe there is a devil is our problem with that, yes, and I been to show you why the devil has been reduced to a fairytale one person told me that stuff. It's something parents made up to scare their kids into obeying them. There are all sorts of songs that have reduced the devil to just humorous cultural caricature. So we have songs like the devil and the deep blue sea or the devil with a red dress on, or the devil went down to Georgia. Judging from the elections that actually may be the case. The devil in her heart run devil run or it is ended up to be in foods like devil's food cake who eats that they needed now devil's food cake or deviled eggs or deviled ham and so people have regarded the idea of a literal devil as passé as naïve and rather they would prefer to see the devil is just sort of a general idea of evil in the world.

Listen one of the first principles in warfare is to know who your enemy is and there is no more powerful anatomy than one who is there, but you don't think is there. If you have an enemy who exist but you don't believe that enemy exists, and yet he does.

He's one so what I like to do today. In this study. By the way, the name of this study is Satan.

His meaning minions and methods is give you some surprising facts about the devil. Essentially, there are three enemies that we face the world the flesh and the devil, the world is the world system of ideas and values that disregards God the flesh is your/your file in nature and those two enemies would not have any kind of a powerful foothold without 1/3 enemy the devil. The devil uses your flesh and uses of the world to get at you and even though the Bible says according to Paul in his epistle.

We are not ignorant of Satan's devices. Unfortunately, I've discovered a lot of Christians who actually are ignorant of his devices. So allow me to go through this and give you starting in architecture in Luke chapter 10, six surprising facts about the devil number one.

He is real. I know that doesn't surprise you but that is a surprise to the average person living today. Satan is real. He's not Halloween costume.

He's an actual real personal being.

Now in Luke chapter 10 and by the way, you may want to turn in advanced to two other passages were going to look at him a little bit one is easy kill chapter 28 and the other one is Isaiah chapter 14 Luke 10 is where we begin, but then Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14 in Luke 10 Jesus sends out his disciples, not 12 of them, but 70 of them to the towns and villages around the area on his way to Jerusalem, he sends them out to buy two. He wants him to go to the village speak about the kingdom of God. See who's open see who is not open and get ready for his coming to those areas later on. So, sort of like an evangelistic team that is set in advance so they go they do it. Jesus tells them do they come back and they are so stoked at what they discovered. Let's pick it up in verse 17 of Luke chapter 10 said then the 70 returned with joy, saying, Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name.

They saw some exercise of spiritual authority as they went, and he said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

It's pretty obvious that those 70 disciples believed in literal demons because they said the demons were subject to us in your name so they believed, it's also pretty obvious. Jesus believed in a literal devil because he named him. I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. So you got 70 and Jesus believing in a real double know what evidence do we have that the devil is real, that he is literal when me give you three lines of reasoning number one philosophical philosophical by simple reason. There has to be an adversary mean just think it's true there's a God he makes a world and yet the world that he made is not in perfect harmony is in disarray and we wonder why is that the case if you have an all-powerful good God you can do anything and he makes his creation. Yet, his creation seems filled with violence and flaws and problems you got this dichotomy, God made it, and yet it's filled with evil. You have a mix of happiness and sorrow, wisdom and stupidity, kindness and cruelty, how do you account for that. The presence of another being another powerful being. When you tell somebody about God. God loves you has a wonderful plan for your life. That person happens to be an unbeliever and shoots back and he says what you mean there's a God who loves me, why is there so much bad stuff in the world. If there's a good God, so just reasoning it through philosophically, it makes sense, but a stronger line of evidence is biblically we know it to be so. The Bible speaks about Satan 54 different times means adversary and enemy, he is your enemy. Another 35 times the Bible speaks of the devil. And when the Bible speaks of the devil. It doesn't say it. It uses personal pronouns. He ham himself. Also Satan the devil is called the evil one.

The wicked one is given the name Avedon and a polygon in the book of Revelation.

One is a Hebrew word, one is a Greek word that means destroyer real names. Formal names speak of a real person with personality and power, and planning and purpose, and the strongest case for the biblical position is the Lord Jesus Christ himself, like here. He named Satan I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning Jesus had conversations with Satan like when he was being tempted. In Matthew chapter 4 and the Lord Jesus rebuked him personally or when Jesus spoke of the devil's work against the gospel.

He said the word is sown. That is the parable of the sower in Matthew 13. The word is sown as soon as possible. Here it.

Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts there. Again he is speaking of a literal real Satan doing the work or how about when Jesus told Peter and near to the crucifixion. He said Peter Ory put it this way. Simon, Simon, Satan has been asking for you. He wants to sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you all.

If I was Peter I wouldn't feel too good about that because Jesus just identified an enemy by name, who is been asking for my soul. Now let's look at verse 18. Again, a little more carefully. He said to them, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. What he means by that is I was there when it happened.

When the fall from heaven happened. I saw it I was there I experienced it.

In fact, the whole reason Jesus was on the earth was to undo all the bad stuff that happened since he fell from heaven. Listen to what is written in first John chapter 3 verse eight. For this purpose, the son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil not the reason I'm I making a deal out of this is that means if you say you believe in Jesus Christ but you don't believe in the devil you are making a mockery out of what Jesus said he came to do if he came to destroy the works of the devil. That's the purpose of the incarnation of him coming there honorably on a devil devil and exist is just it's just an idea.

If Jesus believed in it. The disciples believed in it. James wrote about a John wrote about Paul wrote about a Peter wrote about it and you say you believe it, then you are making a mockery out of the entire New Testament so we know it philosophically.

Moreover, we know it biblically, but third is another line of evidence we know it experientially. I mean who who can live today with all that is going on and deny the existence of the devil. Anybody that does. That is just out of touch back in his day DL Moody said, I believe Satan exists for two reasons. First, because the Bible says so. And second, because I've done business with him and you have as well. You know, by your own experience God's real there is a poem years ago and one of the stanzas, says the devil is voted not to be so of course the devil is gone but simple folks would like to know who carries his business on his somebody's doing it somebody's causing all these problems in all this evil so the devil is real is real. In fact, there are some people that are so convinced he is real.

They worship him openly. The church of Satan has been growing in numbers since it was developed in the 1960s in San Francisco by Anton LeVay thousands, millions of people worldwide say not only do I believe there is a devil I worship him so surprising to a lot of people in the world, but that is the first when he is real. Second one. The second surprising factor this in a surprise some of you not only is he real, but he is magnificent. Now I've got some of your attention by saying that because the last thing you expected in coming to a church service to hear an evangelical pastor say the devil is magnificent but he is wearing the very least, we have to say he was. He was so magnificent that God describes him as the most glorious creature he had ever made.

In fact, he is so beautiful. There's an indication in the Bible that were going to have some capacity in the future to see him. And when we do, were to be surprised when we look at him, probably because of his beauty and magnificence.

Turn with me to the book of Ezekiel, I've had to mark that an advance guard of the book of Ezekiel chapter 28 and up window of time to go through a lot of it but let me just kinda cut to the chase for you to begin in verse 11.

But let me set it out for you in Ezekiel 28 actually in this section of Ezekiel, the prophet is pronouncing God's judgment upon different nations and that there is one nation in particular in this chapter that the kingdom of Tyre which was a city state right up on the upper Mediterranean coast, and in what is today Lebanon and at the time there was a ruler of Tyre called the Prince of Tyre and that is to whom this section is addressed a lamentation against the Prince of Tyre. We know him to be a real historical figure.

His name was Ito, but all the second he was a very ruthless godless, prideful ruler. In fact even claimed that he was God. So judgment is proclaimed against each of all the Prince of Tyre. But then in verse 11 there is a shift that occurs then somebody who who cannot be identified in the earthly sense is talked about. And that is the king of Tyre and from the description that we are about to read. We will understand that the description cannot fit any human being and you'll see why. Let's begin in chapter 28 verse 11. Moreover the word of the Lord came to me saying Son of Man take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, thus says the Lord God, you were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. Watch this you were in Eden, the garden of God.

Now I highly doubt that Ito Ball. The second was in the garden of Eden.

This does not fit any description of any human ruler what the prophet is doing is after addressing the Prince of Tyre. He goes to the very source of evil itself.

The king of Tyre. The real power behind the earthly prints and that shouldn't bother you because the Bible does that a lot.

It kinda shifts from one reality to another that Jesus did this, Jesus was talking to Peter when he announced that he was going to Jerusalem and he would be crucified. And Peter said oh no working to let that happen to you.

And Jesus said to Peter, get behind me Satan.

Satan what you doing. He is addressing the power that gave Peter the thought working to keep you from going to the cross, get behind me Satan. So we see that here, but in in a nano in a bigger kind of a sense so is addressing the king of Tyre and look at the description in verse 12, you were the seal of perfection. In other words you hear the sum of everything I have made. You are the best of the best the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. What a statement if you want to know what God thinks is beautiful. You would need to see this angel. Why is that important because when people today think of the devil, they think of him as one ugly right misshapen but deformed half beast half man that your beautiful magnificent.

In fact, the only angel in Scripture. And this does describe an angel because it talked about the cherub will see that in a minute. The only angel in Scripture.

Given this much detail of beauty is not Gabriel, not Michael, but this one.

This was the most glorious creature, God ever made this as you are in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone was your covering the sardius topaz diamond Darrell onyx Jasper sapphire, turquoise emerald with gold.

I don't quite know what that means is psychedelic kind of beauty that was displayed. The workmanship of your Timberwolves and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created, you were the anointed cherub who covers cherub is an angel. It's the highest of the ranking of the good angels the most powerful surrounding the presence and glory of God. I established you. You were on the holy mountain of God. He walked back and forth in the midst of the fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, until iniquity was found in you. Now goes on to say by the abundance of your trading you became filled with violence and you sinned and you sent back in Luke 10 Jesus said, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. This describes why what happened to him.

We just read it you'll notice in the in verse 15 he says iniquity was found in you. Verse 16 you send and then verse 17 notice your heart was lifted up because of your beauty you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor, I cast you to the ground.

I laid you before kings, that they might gaze at you now go back to verse 13 for just a moment because I want you to notice something. What was it that this cherub was doing in heaven. Two things number one. He was a musician. Notice in verse 13 he talks about your Timberwolves and your pipes.

The workmanship of your Timberwolves and pipes was prepared for you. Timberwolves and pipes are musical instruments. Why is that important. It would seem to mean that this cherub, this being in the Garden of Eden who was there that are one-time in heaven.

He was a worship leader. He was the worship leader. He was the choir director. Now if your musician don't get big headed about that because look what happened in this one, but verse 14 you were the anointed cherub that covers inferring that Satan must've had some position of hovering over the throne of God to protect his holiness and protect his glory.

So he is real he is magnificent. Third fact, he made the stupidest choice ever. It's it's mystifying to me. Still, it's surprising still to me when I when I think of what happened because I think wait a minute you had like the best dig ever. If you're the anointed cherub who covers. If you are the highest of God's creation. If your number 1-1.

You got a good gig. Don't mess that up.

But he did iniquity was found in him, he said in his heart was puffed up with pride that Skip with a message from the series 2022. Skip to share how you can keep these teachings community connecting others to God's truth through Jesus Christ, you have the privilege of being in a relationship with God and the secure promise of a life with him forever. Now you can help share the good news with others through your gift today.

Your generous support ensures these teachings will stand the year so more listeners like you can connect to Jesus. Here's how you can help make that possible today. Visit connectwithskip.com/donate to give today that's connectwithskip.com/donate or call 800-922-1888. Again, that's 800-922-1888 coming up tomorrow Skip Heitzigs of shares about your enemy the devil's agenda and how you can ward off his attacks. Now this freaks most people out to the devil is real, he's got an army and they hate my guts. Well, that's because we focus on the on the long trip third of the angels fell. The company left two thirds. There are number Satan outnumbered 21 and greater is he that is in you that is