I've read your book!

Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32

 

George C. Scott, the American actor, portrayed George Patton in the film biography of the famous World War II general’s career. There is a scene in the movie when Scott as Patton, reflects on the defeat of the German Field Marshall, Erwin Rommel. He says something like, “Rommel, I have read your book.”

Like most military leaders, Patton put a lot of stock in getting to know his enemy. He believed that if he could think like Rommel, he could “get his head around” his strategy, and eventually defeat him.

We have an enemy who is far more devious than any human foe. His sinister tactics and malignant purposes are matched only by his almost universal influence. We are unlikely to overcome him unless we know something about him. 

That enemy is known variously as Satan, Lucifer, the evil one, the devil, the accuser, or the adversary. Revelation refers to him as the age-old serpent, or dragon. More than 80 times he is named in the Bible as Satan, or the Devil. Some refer to him as the tempter, and he was well-known to the ancients as Beelzebub. To a generation of movie goers he was personalized as Darth Vader.

But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebub the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.” Matthew 12:24

Beelzebub was an ancient and malignant personality, who was the god of the Philistines at Ekron. The word means “a masterfly” or the “lord of the flies”. (See 2 Kings 1:2-3 & 2 Kings 6:16)

The enemy of our souls has been known in various cultures by myriad names, for his hatred of humanity is universal. The world-wide and age-long works of Satan can be traced to one singular motive. He hates both God and man and does all that he can to defeat God’s plan of grace and to establish and maintain a kingdom of evil, the singular aim of which is the seduction and ruin of humankind.

Regrettably, Satan has “earned” a reputation that greatly exceeds what the Bible has to say about him. Popular Satanology is full of absurd, implausible stories concerning his appearances, tricks, and supposed power among us. A careful reading of the scriptures that directly relate to him, together with the “prologue” of Job reveal the fact that Satan’s direct influence in the physical world is limited. Sadly most of us prefer to accept as truth the lies that the greatest liar of all has spread about himself. It is perfectly evident that Satan’s power consists principally in his ability to deceive. 

It is interesting and characteristic that according to the Bible, Satan is fundamentally a liar and his kingdom is a kingdom founded upon lies and deceit. 

You belong to your father the devil, and you want to carry out the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning and has never stood for truth, since there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells a lie he speaks in character, because he is a liar and the father of lies. John 8:44 ISV
 

We should never loose sight of the fact that Satan, while super-human, is a created being, and his power is clearly delineated. He is doomed to final destruction as a world-power. His entire career is that of a secondary and dependent being who is permitted (by God) to hold a certain limited scope of power and authority.

And he (Satan) said to him (Jesus), “I will give you all their authority and splendor, for it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.” Luke 4:6

If there is one thing that the Bible tells us about Satan, it is this, much of the current “doctrine” of Satan is mythological in origin, and it can be proven that most of that mythology grew out of the ancient Babylonian religion of Zoroastrianism.   

The Bible is clear: “Satan’s empire had a beginning; it will have a definite and permanent end. Satan is God’s great enemy in the cosmic sphere, but he is God’s creation, exists by divine will, and his power is relatively no more commensurate with God’s than that of men. Satan awaits his doom.” 1.

If only we would “read the book” we would know the nature and limits of our enemy, and thus we would be in a better position to apply the words of scripture.

So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you. James 4:7 Amplified Bible

1. International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia