Speaker 1: Chapter thirteen of the Fundamental Doctrines of the Christian Faith
Speaker 1: by R. A. Tory. This LibriVox recording is in public domain.
Speaker 1: Read by Marianne. Chapter thirteen, The Devil. The Devil is
Speaker 1: John chapter eight, verse forty four. The Devil Sinneth First John,
Speaker 1: Chapter three, verse eight. Our subject in this chapter is
Speaker 1: the devil. I have two texts, John Chapter eight, verse
Speaker 1: forty four, The Devil is. The second text is First John,
Speaker 1: chapter three, verse eight, The Devil Sinneth. The Bible doctrine
Speaker 1: concerning the devil, his existence, nature, character, work, and destiny
Speaker 1: is a fundamental doctrine of the Christian Faith and is
Speaker 1: of vital importance. The teaching of the Bible on this
Speaker 1: subject is not a mere matter of theory or dogma.
Speaker 1: It is a matter of most practical, everyday importance. Experience
Speaker 1: shows that if men are in error in regard to
Speaker 1: this subject, they are pretty sure to be an air
Speaker 1: on other questions that are fundamental. When men and women
Speaker 1: begin questioning the existence of a personal devil, it is
Speaker 1: pretty sure that before long they will be questioning a
Speaker 1: good many other things regarding which a true child of
Speaker 1: God should have no questions. Doubt of the existence of
Speaker 1: a personal devil is widespread today. Many preachers in supposedly
Speaker 1: orthodox pulpits do not hesitate to say I do not
Speaker 1: believe in the existence of a personal devil. Denial of
Speaker 1: the existence of a personal devil is one of the
Speaker 1: main points in the system which is so widespread today,
Speaker 1: and which is doing so much evil that, with considerable
Speaker 1: reason it has been called the devil's masterpiece Christian science.
Speaker 1: A well known and popular pastor in this city some
Speaker 1: months ago proclaimed to his people that he was going
Speaker 1: to preach to them a gospel without an atonement of blood,
Speaker 1: without an infallible Bible, without hell, and without a personal devil.
Speaker 1: If he does preach to them a system of doctrine
Speaker 1: without any of these, he will preach some other system
Speaker 1: of doctrine than that which is contained in the book
Speaker 1: which our Lord Jesus Christ has endorsed as the Word
Speaker 1: of God, that is the Bible. The first point to
Speaker 1: make clear is that there is a devil. This is
Speaker 1: plain from our first text, John chapter eight, verse forty four.
Speaker 1: The devil is The whole verse reads, ye are of
Speaker 1: your father, the devil and the luss of your father.
Speaker 1: It is your will to do. He was a murderer
Speaker 1: from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because
Speaker 1: there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie,
Speaker 1: he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar
Speaker 1: and the father thereof These are the words of Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1: With anyone who has any right to call himself a Christian,
Speaker 1: the words of Jesus Christ have infinitely more weight than
Speaker 1: the words of Missus Mary Baker Eddie, or anyone else,
Speaker 1: were all others together. And Jesus here says the devil is.
Speaker 1: But this is not the only passage, by any means
Speaker 1: in which our Lord Jesus asserts in the most emphatic
Speaker 1: and most unmistakable terms the existence of the devil. Turn
Speaker 1: to Matthew, chapter thirteen, verse nineteen, and you will read
Speaker 1: these words. When anyone hereth the word of God and
Speaker 1: understandeth it not, then cometh the evil one and snatcheth
Speaker 1: away that which has been sown in his heart. These
Speaker 1: words are found in the interpretation of a parable, the
Speaker 1: Parable of the Sower. It is impossible to say that
Speaker 1: these words are figurative. In parables, we have figures. In
Speaker 1: the explanation of the parables, we have the literal facts
Speaker 1: that the figures symbolize. And these words are not taken
Speaker 1: from the parable, but from our Lord's own explanation of
Speaker 1: the parable. And here we are distinctly told that there
Speaker 1: is a person who is here called the evil One,
Speaker 1: whose business it is to snatch away the word of
Speaker 1: God when it has been sown in hearts that do
Speaker 1: not understand and heed it. If evil is only impersonal,
Speaker 1: and our Lord had only referred to impersonal influence or
Speaker 1: human influences as taking away the word out of the
Speaker 1: hearts where it had been sown, these words of his
Speaker 1: would be utterly without meaning. That Jesus Christ believed that
Speaker 1: there was a person of whom he here speaks as
Speaker 1: the evil One, and of whom he elsewhere speaks, as
Speaker 1: we shall see directly as the devil, admits of no doubt.
Speaker 1: If we grant that the Lord Jesus was an honest man,
Speaker 1: we must. Therefore, if we believe in the Lord Jesus,
Speaker 1: believe that there is a devil, we can deny his
Speaker 1: existence only by questioning either the honesty or the intelligence
Speaker 1: of our Lord. He certainly taught that there was a devil.
Speaker 1: It would be easy to show from the teachings of
Speaker 1: Peter first Peter chapter five, verses eight and nine, Acts
Speaker 1: chapter five, verse three, and from the teachings of John
Speaker 1: John chapter thirteen, verse two, and from the teachings of
Speaker 1: Paul Ephesians chapter six, verses ten to twelve. Also that
Speaker 1: there is a devil, but that is unnecessary for any
Speaker 1: one who has any right to call himself a Christian.
Speaker 1: Or if the Lord says so, that settles it. And
Speaker 1: the Lord Jesus does say the devil is If there
Speaker 1: is no devil, then our Lord Jesus was either a
Speaker 1: fool or a fraud. The question of believing in the
Speaker 1: personality of the devil involves the honor of our Lord Jesus.
Speaker 1: If his teaching is not to be trusted on this point,
Speaker 1: it is not to be trusted on any other point.
Speaker 1: And the denial of a personal devil involves the trustworthiness
Speaker 1: of our Lord as a teacher and a savior at
Speaker 1: every point. So we see that the question of the
Speaker 1: existence of the devil is fundamental and of vital importance.
Speaker 1: Having settled that there is a devil, we now face
Speaker 1: the question as to the nature of the devil. First
Speaker 1: of all, the Bible teaches us that the devil is
Speaker 1: a person. This comes out in our second text, First John,
Speaker 1: chapter three, verse eight. The devil sinneth. Only a person
Speaker 1: can sin. When we say that the devil is a person,
Speaker 1: we do not mean that necessarily he has a body,
Speaker 1: certainly not such a body as he is pictured as
Speaker 1: he in various paintings and engravings that are supposed to
Speaker 1: represent the devil. A person is any being who knows,
Speaker 1: and feels and wills. When we say that the devil
Speaker 1: is a person, we mean that he is a being
Speaker 1: who has intelligence, feeling, and will, that he is not
Speaker 1: a mere principle of evil. The personality of the devil
Speaker 1: is taught over and over again in the Bible, just
Speaker 1: a few illustrations in addition to our texts. Turn again
Speaker 1: to Matthew chapter thirteen, verse nineteen. When anyone heareth the
Speaker 1: word of God and understandeth it not then cometh the
Speaker 1: evil one and snatcheth away that which hath been sown
Speaker 1: in his heart. The representation of this passage is the
Speaker 1: representation of a person. He is called the evil one,
Speaker 1: not merely evil, but the evil one, which of course
Speaker 1: is the representation of a person. If evil is only
Speaker 1: impersonal or if it only works through human beings, these
Speaker 1: words of our Lord Jesus would be without meaning. The
Speaker 1: personality of the devil comes out again very clearly and
Speaker 1: very forcibly in Ephesians chapter six, verses ten to twelve. Finally, brethren,
Speaker 1: be strong in the Lord and in the strength of
Speaker 1: His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that
Speaker 1: ye may be able to stand against the wiles of
Speaker 1: the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood,
Speaker 1: but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world
Speaker 1: rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness
Speaker 1: in the heavenly places. Here Paul distinctly tells us that
Speaker 1: the great reason why we need to be strong in
Speaker 1: the Lord and in the strength of His might, and
Speaker 1: why we need to put on the whole armor of God,
Speaker 1: is because there is a being of great cunning, subtlety,
Speaker 1: and power, a person named the Devil, and that this
Speaker 1: being has under him a multitude of other personalities of
Speaker 1: such dignity and power, as to be called by the
Speaker 1: titles principalities, powers, world rulers, spiritual hosts of wickedness. Beyond
Speaker 1: a question, our Lord Jesus and the Apostle Peter, and
Speaker 1: the Apostle John, and the Apostle Paul believed in and
Speaker 1: taught the existence of a personal devil. If there is
Speaker 1: no personal devil, we may as well give up our Bible,
Speaker 1: for in that case it is a book that is
Speaker 1: full of folly and a fraud. If there is not
Speaker 1: a personal devil, we must give up our belief in
Speaker 1: the inspired authority of the Apostle Paul, the Apostle Peter,
Speaker 1: the Apostle John, and we must give up our faith
Speaker 1: in the Lord Jesus Christ. No intelligent student of the
Speaker 1: Bible can retain his faith in the inspiration and authority
Speaker 1: of that book or his faith in the Lord Jesus
Speaker 1: Christ if he gives up belief in the existence of
Speaker 1: a personal devil. As intelligent men and women, we must
Speaker 1: take our choice between believing in the existence of a
Speaker 1: personal devil or giving up our faith in the Lord
Speaker 1: Jesus Christ and Christianity. Any system of doctrine that denies
Speaker 1: the existence of a personal devil is radically Unchristian, whatever
Speaker 1: name it may arrogate to itself. The second thing that
Speaker 1: the Bible teaches as to the nature of the devil
Speaker 1: is that the devil is a being of very great
Speaker 1: power and authority. This comes out in the verses we
Speaker 1: have just read Ephesians, chapter six, verses ten and eleven. Finally,
Speaker 1: be strong in the Lord and in the power of
Speaker 1: His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that
Speaker 1: ye may be able to stand against the wiles of
Speaker 1: the devil. These words make clear that the devil is
Speaker 1: so mighty that the people of God cannot resist his
Speaker 1: cunning wiles without having on the whole armor of God.
Speaker 1: And it is also evident from the tenth verse that
Speaker 1: we cannot resist his power unless we are strengthened with
Speaker 1: the strength of God. And this is not all. In
Speaker 1: the twelfth verse we read, for our wrestling is not
Speaker 1: against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers,
Speaker 1: against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual
Speaker 1: hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. These are tremendous words.
Speaker 1: If they mean anything, they certainly mean that there are
Speaker 1: beings of great authority and dignity who are under the
Speaker 1: leadership of the one supreme being of evil, the Devil.
Speaker 1: The conflict that we have on on one hand as
Speaker 1: believers in Christ is terrific. The conflict that the Allies
Speaker 1: have on one hand with the mighty military forces of
Speaker 1: the Kaiser is nothing to the battle we have on
Speaker 1: hand with the Devil and his hosts. We are fools
Speaker 1: if we underestimate the battle. On the other hand, we
Speaker 1: must not overestimate it. While our conflict is with the Devil,
Speaker 1: And while our wrestling is against the principalities, against the powers,
Speaker 1: against the world rulers, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness, Nevertheless,
Speaker 1: he that is for us is far mightier than they.
Speaker 1: The devil is mighty, but our Savior is almighty. It
Speaker 1: is quite possible for one to become morbid over the
Speaker 1: subject of the devil, and to become utterly discouraged and
Speaker 1: even deranged. This is entirely unnecessary and unwarranted. While our
Speaker 1: conflict is with the Devil in his mighty hosts, God
Speaker 1: has provided for us strength and in armor, whereby we
Speaker 1: may be able to quench all the fiery darts of
Speaker 1: the evil one, and to withstand in the evil day.
Speaker 1: And having done all to stand verse thirteen. The third
Speaker 1: thing that the Bible teaches us as to the nature
Speaker 1: of the devil is that the devil is a being
Speaker 1: of great majesty and of dignity of position, turned to
Speaker 1: Jude Verses eight and nine. Yet in like manner, these
Speaker 1: also in their dreamings, defile the flesh, and set at
Speaker 1: nought dominion and rail at dignities. The little translation of
Speaker 1: the Greek word rendered dignities is glories. But Michael the Archangel,
Speaker 1: when contending with the devil he disputed about the body
Speaker 1: of Moses, dares not bring against him a railing judgment,
Speaker 1: but said the Lord rebuke thee. From these words, it
Speaker 1: is evident that the position of the devil was so
Speaker 1: exalted that even Michael the Archangel did not dare to
Speaker 1: bring a railing judgment against him. The contact seems to
Speaker 1: imply that the position of the devil was more exalted
Speaker 1: than that of Michael the Archangel himself. The devil of
Speaker 1: the Bible is not at all the devil of common thought.
Speaker 1: He is not a being hideous appearance with hoofs and
Speaker 1: horns and tail. He is not even the being pictured
Speaker 1: by Milton or Bunyan. He is a being of very
Speaker 1: great original majesty and dignity, a being of great wisdom
Speaker 1: and power. When people talk lightly and contemptuously about the Devil,
Speaker 1: they display gross ignorance of what the Bible teaches about him.
Speaker 1: It is true that he is evil in character, and
Speaker 1: therefore called the evil one. John chapter five, verse nineteen,
Speaker 1: revised version. It is true that he is a liar
Speaker 1: and a murderer. John chapter eight, verse forty four. It
Speaker 1: is true that he is full of malignity Sewod Corinthians,
Speaker 1: chapter four, verse four. But he is a being of
Speaker 1: great dignity and majesty, so that even Michael, the archangel
Speaker 1: dures not bring against him a railing accusation. The Bible
Speaker 1: teaches furthermore, that the devil is the prince of this world.
Speaker 1: Our Lord Jesus himself taught this. He says in John
Speaker 1: chapter twelve, verse thirty one. Now is the judgment of
Speaker 1: this world. Now shall the prince of this world be
Speaker 1: cast out? The Greek word translated world in this passage
Speaker 1: is cosmos. And the thought is of the present world order.
Speaker 1: And our Lord's teaching is that the devil is the
Speaker 1: prince of this present world order. We have the same
Speaker 1: teaching of our Lord in John chapter fourteen, verse thirty,
Speaker 1: where we read I will no more speak much with you,
Speaker 1: for the Prince of the world cometh, and he hath
Speaker 1: nothing in me. These words of our Lord are found
Speaker 1: in what many regard as the most precious chapter of
Speaker 1: the Bible, the fourteenth chapter of John. And if we
Speaker 1: give up this teaching of our Lord regarding Satan, we
Speaker 1: must give up not merely the Bible as a whole,
Speaker 1: but this most precious chapter in the Bible. We find
Speaker 1: the Lord teaching the same thing again on that same night,
Speaker 1: the night before his crucifixion, in John chapter sixteen, verse eleven,
Speaker 1: where he says the prince of this world is judged
Speaker 1: the evident reference being to Satan. How the devil came
Speaker 1: to be the prince of this world? It may be
Speaker 1: impossible for us to say that he is so, admits
Speaker 1: of no question. If we are to accept the teaching
Speaker 1: of Jesus Christ, and any one who will study the
Speaker 1: ruling principles of commercial life, of political life, of social life,
Speaker 1: and above all of international relations, to such a one,
Speaker 1: it will become perfectly evident that the devil is the
Speaker 1: one who is master of the present order things. If
Speaker 1: we ever doubt it before that there was a devil
Speaker 1: and just such a devil as the Bible pictures, we
Speaker 1: can scarcely doubt it now when we consider the action
Speaker 1: of the rulers of the Earth in this present mad
Speaker 1: world war. How could being so intelligent in matters of
Speaker 1: science and philosophy and economics as the present rulers of
Speaker 1: Germany are ever be guilty of plunging the nations of
Speaker 1: the Earth into this mad war. There's but one reasonable answer,
Speaker 1: Because there is a devil who rules the present cosmos
Speaker 1: or world order, and he controls the Kaisers and the
Speaker 1: Reichstags of the world and will until the true Prince comes,
Speaker 1: the Prince of Peace, our Lord Jesus Christ. As to
Speaker 1: the character of the devil, the Bible teaches us that
Speaker 1: he is a being absolutely wicked. In Matthew chapter thirteen,
Speaker 1: verse nineteen, he is called the wicked one, that is
Speaker 1: to say, he is one who is the personal embodiment
Speaker 1: of absolute wickedness. In First John chapter five, verse nineteen
Speaker 1: revised version, he is also called the wicked one. God
Speaker 1: is the holy One, that is to say, the one
Speaker 1: who is the personal embodiment of perfect holiness. The devil
Speaker 1: is just his opposite, the personal embodiment of consummate wickedness.
Speaker 1: The devil is to evil what God is to good.
Speaker 1: In first John chapter three, verse eight, we read he
Speaker 1: that doeth sin is of the devil, For the devil
Speaker 1: sinneth from the beginning to this end was the son
Speaker 1: of God manifested that he might destroy the works of
Speaker 1: the devil. This does not mean that the devil sinned
Speaker 1: from the very origin of all things, and that he
Speaker 1: was created sinful, for we learned from Ezekiel chapter twenty eight,
Speaker 1: verse fifteen that the devil was created upright. The verse
Speaker 1: does mean, however, that Satan is the original sinner. The
Speaker 1: expression from the beginning is characteristic of the epistle from
Speaker 1: which these words are taken, and does not necessarily mean
Speaker 1: from the origin of things, see for example, verse eleven.
Speaker 1: In a similar way, we are told in one of
Speaker 1: our texts, John, chapter eight, verse forty four, that the
Speaker 1: devil was a murderer from the beginning, and that he
Speaker 1: is a liar and the father of it. There is
Speaker 1: absolutely no truth in him. So much for the nature
Speaker 1: and character of the devil. We now come to the
Speaker 1: question of the work of the devil, or how the
Speaker 1: devil manifests himself, and what he does. In the first place,
Speaker 1: we are taught that the devil tempts men to sin.
Speaker 1: We have a most striking illustration of this in his
Speaker 1: temptation of our Lord. We have in the Bible three
Speaker 1: accounts of this temptation. We will look at Matthew's account
Speaker 1: Matthew Chapter four, verses one to nine. Then was Jesus
Speaker 1: led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be
Speaker 1: tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty
Speaker 1: days and forty nights, he afterward hungered, And the tempter
Speaker 1: came and said unto him, if thou art the son
Speaker 1: of God, command that these stones become bred. But he answered,
Speaker 1: and he said, it is written, man shall not live
Speaker 1: by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out
Speaker 1: of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him
Speaker 1: into the Holy city, and he set him on the
Speaker 1: pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto him, if thou
Speaker 1: art the son of God, cast thyself down, for it
Speaker 1: is written he shall give his angels charge concerning thee,
Speaker 1: and on their hands they shall bear thee up. Lest
Speaker 1: haply thou dash thy foot against a stone. And Jesus
Speaker 1: said unto him again. It is written, thou shalt not
Speaker 1: make trial of the Lord thy God. Again the devil
Speaker 1: taketh him unto an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him
Speaker 1: all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them.
Speaker 1: And he said unto him, all these things will I
Speaker 1: give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
Speaker 1: Of course, we have not time this morning to go
Speaker 1: into the whole question of our Lord's temptation. But this
Speaker 1: much is certainly plain. That the devil is represented as
Speaker 1: the tempter tempting our Lord. If there is no personal devil,
Speaker 1: as so many would have us believe, or if he
Speaker 1: is not the tempter, there would be absolutely no reason
Speaker 1: for bringing him into this account. As the devil tempted
Speaker 1: our Lord, so he tempts us to day. And it
Speaker 1: is to be noticed that he does not tempt us
Speaker 1: merely to gross animal lusts and vile sins, but with
Speaker 1: subtle spiritual temptations, and above all he tempts us to
Speaker 1: doubt God's word. It was with this form of temptation
Speaker 1: that he first assaulted our Lord. God had just said
Speaker 1: to the Lord Jesus at his baptism, thou art my
Speaker 1: beloved son in thee I am well pleased Luke chapter three,
Speaker 1: verse twenty two. And Satan came insinuating doubt of God's
Speaker 1: word by beginning his temptation with these words, if thou
Speaker 1: art the son of God. And again further down in
Speaker 1: the temptation he repeats the doubt, saying to the Lord
Speaker 1: Jesus again, if thou art the son of God. In
Speaker 1: just the same way, Satan began his assault upon Eve
Speaker 1: in the Garden of Eden by insinuating a doubt of
Speaker 1: God's word and of God's goodness. He began by saying,
Speaker 1: yea hath God said Genesis chapter three, verse two, and
Speaker 1: further on, when Eve stated exactly what God had said,
Speaker 1: the devil flatly contradicted and said, ye shall not surely die,
Speaker 1: literally dying thou shalt not die, when God had said
Speaker 1: thou shalt surely die, dying thou shalt die. This is
Speaker 1: Satan's favorite method of attack to day, he gets us
Speaker 1: to doubt God's word. Satan's most effective mode of work
Speaker 1: is by leading men into doubt and into error on
Speaker 1: fundamental points. The saloons and the gambling hells and the
Speaker 1: brothels are not the chief spheres of Satan's activities, but
Speaker 1: the schools and colleges and theological seminaries, where he is
Speaker 1: inducing men and women, and callow youth and maidens to
Speaker 1: doubt the truth of God's word and to reject the
Speaker 1: fundamental truth of God's word and accept Satan's errors in
Speaker 1: their place. Satan knows well that if he can get
Speaker 1: men to doubt God's word, it is easy to lead
Speaker 1: them into the vilest sins. False doctrine has been a
Speaker 1: more prolific source of the vilest sins than even the saloons.
Speaker 1: But Satan not merely tempts meant to sin by insinuating
Speaker 1: doubts of God's word. He also has his synagogues and
Speaker 1: ministers among men to do his work. Turn to Revelation
Speaker 1: chapter three, verse nine. Behold, I give the Synagogue of
Speaker 1: Satan of them that say they are Jews and are not,
Speaker 1: but do lie. Behold, I will make them to come
Speaker 1: and worship before thy feet, and to know that I
Speaker 1: have loved thee. What I wish you to notice here
Speaker 1: are the words the Synagogue of Satan. In this case
Speaker 1: it was a Jewish synagogue, but nowadays it is often
Speaker 1: a so called Christian Church. In Sewo Corinthians, chapter eleven,
Speaker 1: verses fourteen fifteen, we have an even more remark arkable passage.
Speaker 1: For even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel of light,
Speaker 1: it is no great thing. Therefore, if his ministers also
Speaker 1: fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be
Speaker 1: according to their works. Here we are told that Satan
Speaker 1: has his ministers. They do not advertise themselves as ministers
Speaker 1: of Satan. Oftentimes they are not even conscious that they are,
Speaker 1: but they put themselves forward as ministers of righteousness. They
Speaker 1: advocate ethical culture, a system of salvation without atoning blood.
Speaker 1: They are frequently men of very attractive personality and great
Speaker 1: intellectual brilliance and ability, but they are doing the devil's work.
Speaker 1: Satan is never so dangerous as when he fashioneth himself
Speaker 1: into an angel of light, and no other ministers of
Speaker 1: his are so dangerous as the men and women of
Speaker 1: attractive personality and brilliant intellectual gifts who are undermining the
Speaker 1: faith of God's children, or who are teaching various forms
Speaker 1: of seductive and alluring error Christian science, new thought, theosophy, occultism, spiritualism,
Speaker 1: and all that species of cults we have not time
Speaker 1: to speak here of Satan's works as the author of
Speaker 1: sickness Acts chapter ten, verse thirty eight, Luke chapter thirteen,
Speaker 1: verse sixteen, and as the one who has the power
Speaker 1: of death Hebrews chapter two, verse fourteen. But we must
Speaker 1: also speak of another work of the devil. It is
Speaker 1: set forth in Second Corinthians chapter four, verse three and
Speaker 1: four revised version. And even if our Gospel is veiled,
Speaker 1: it is veiled in them that perish, in whom the
Speaker 1: God of this world hath blinded the minds of the
Speaker 1: unbelieving that the light of the Gospel of the Glory
Speaker 1: of Christ, who is the image of God, should not
Speaker 1: dawn upon them. We read here that it is the
Speaker 1: work of Satan to blind the minds of unbelievers, in
Speaker 1: order that the light of the Gospel of the Glory
Speaker 1: of Christ, who is the image of God, should not
Speaker 1: dawn upon them. It is evident then that the devil
Speaker 1: is the author of false views, especially false views of
Speaker 1: the person of Christ. He is the author of unitarianism
Speaker 1: and the denial of the deity of our Lord in
Speaker 1: all its forms. He so blinds the minds of men
Speaker 1: who submit to his blinding that the divine glory of Christ,
Speaker 1: who is the very image of God, is hidden from them.
Speaker 1: This explains why it is that Unitarianism, in all its
Speaker 1: various forms, persists even after its folly has been so
Speaker 1: often exposed. Satan's work along this line is to culminate
Speaker 1: at the appearing of the Antichrist, even he whose coming
Speaker 1: is according to the working of Satan, with all power
Speaker 1: and signs and lying wonders, and with all the seat
Speaker 1: of unrighteousness, for them that perish because they received not
Speaker 1: the love of the Truth, that they might be saved.
Speaker 1: Second Thessalonians, Chapter two, verses nine ten, revised version. We
Speaker 1: now come to the fifth general division of our subject,
Speaker 1: the devil's destiny. Turn in the first place to Revelation
Speaker 1: chapter twenty, verses one to three. And I saw an
Speaker 1: angel coming down out of heaven, having the keys of
Speaker 1: the Abyss and a great chain in his hand. And
Speaker 1: he laid hold of the dragon, the old serpent, which
Speaker 1: is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a
Speaker 1: thousand years, and cast him into the Abyss, and shot
Speaker 1: it and sealed it over him, that he should deceive
Speaker 1: the nations no more until the thousand years should be finished.
Speaker 1: After this he must be loosed for a little time.
Speaker 1: We are here taught that at the second coming of
Speaker 1: our Lord Jesus Christ, Satan shall be bound with a
Speaker 1: great chain and cast into the Abyss for a thousand years.
Speaker 1: The abyss, or as it is translated in the authorized
Speaker 1: version bottomless pit, does not mean hell. Satan, as we
Speaker 1: shall see further on, shall be cast into hell. Later.
Speaker 1: Turn now to revelationshipter twenty verses seven eight, And when
Speaker 1: the thousand years are finished, Satan shall be loosed out
Speaker 1: of his prison, and shall come forth to deceive the
Speaker 1: nations which are in the four corners of the earth,
Speaker 1: Gog and Magog, to gather them together to the war,
Speaker 1: the number of whom as the sand of the sea.
Speaker 1: We are here taught that at the end of the
Speaker 1: millennium the thousand years, Satan shall be loose for a
Speaker 1: little season from the abyss into which he has been
Speaker 1: cast chained, and that he shall come forth to deceive
Speaker 1: the nations. But the time of his power then will
Speaker 1: be very brief. In Revelation Chapter twenty, verse ten, we
Speaker 1: find the ultimate destiny of the devil, and the devil
Speaker 1: that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire
Speaker 1: and brimstone, where are also the beast and the false prophet,
Speaker 1: And they shall be tormented day and night forever endeavor.
Speaker 1: Here is one of the points at which the theories
Speaker 1: of the reconciliation people and the universalists generally break down.
Speaker 1: The argument of the reconciliationists and universalists by which they
Speaker 1: attempt to prove that all men must ultimately be saved
Speaker 1: carried to its logical issue. If it proved anything, would
Speaker 1: prove the salvation of Satan also, and this many of
Speaker 1: them do teach. They say plainly that the devil will
Speaker 1: ultimately be brought to repent and saved. Indeed, that is
Speaker 1: what I believed and taught in my early ministry. But
Speaker 1: this passage which we have just read shows the impossibility
Speaker 1: of this being true. The lake of fire was prepared
Speaker 1: for the devil and his angels. Our Lord himself says
Speaker 1: in Matthew chapter twenty five, verse forty one, that when
Speaker 1: he comes back to judge this world, he will say
Speaker 1: to those on his left hand, depart from me, ye cursed,
Speaker 1: into the eternal fire, which is prepared for the devil
Speaker 1: and his angels. Hell was not prepared for men, but
Speaker 1: for the devil and his angels. If any man goes there,
Speaker 1: it will be because he has chosen to cast his
Speaker 1: lot with the devil rather than with God. Therefore they
Speaker 1: go where the devil goes. Everyone who rejects Jesus Christ
Speaker 1: is throwing in his lot with the devil. Now, for
Speaker 1: just a few moments, let me show you from the
Speaker 1: word of God how impractical everyday life to get the
Speaker 1: victory over the devil. There are four things to be
Speaker 1: borne in mind. Read First James, chapter four, verse seven.
Speaker 1: Object therefore unto God, but resist the devil, and he
Speaker 1: will flee from you. This teaches us that we are
Speaker 1: first of all to surrender to God, and then to
Speaker 1: resist the devil, and that if we do resist him,
Speaker 1: for all his cunning and power, he will flee from us.
Speaker 1: Although the devil is strong, it is ours, in God's
Speaker 1: strength to withstand and overcome him. Now turn to First
Speaker 1: John chapter two, verse fourteen. I have written unto you, fathers,
Speaker 1: because ye know Him, which is from the beginning. I
Speaker 1: have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong
Speaker 1: and the Word of God abideth in you, and ye
Speaker 1: have overcome the evil one. This passage teaches us that
Speaker 1: it is when we feed upon the word of God
Speaker 1: and store the Word of God in our hearts, thus
Speaker 1: having it abide in us, that we shall be able
Speaker 1: to overcome the devil. If we neglect the study of
Speaker 1: the Bible for a single day, we leave an open
Speaker 1: door for the devil to enter. I have been a
Speaker 1: Christian for forty three years, but I would not dare
Speaker 1: to neglect the study of God's Word for one single day.
Speaker 1: Why not, because there is a devil. And if I
Speaker 1: neglect the study of the Word of God for a
Speaker 1: single day, I leave open a window for him to enter,
Speaker 1: and leave myself too weak to cope with him and
Speaker 1: conquer him. But if we will feed upon the word
Speaker 1: of God daily and trust God, we can resist the
Speaker 1: devil at every point. Though the devil is cunning and strong,
Speaker 1: God is stronger, and God imparts his strength to us
Speaker 1: through his written word. Now turn to Ephesians chapter six,
Speaker 1: verse eleven. Put on the whole armor of God, that
Speaker 1: ye may be able to stand against the wiles of
Speaker 1: the devil. Here we are taught that in order to
Speaker 1: stand against the wiles of the devil, we must put
Speaker 1: on the whole armor of God. What that armor is
Speaker 1: is found in the verses that immediately follow This armor,
Speaker 1: This whole armor, this panopy of God, is at our disposal.
Speaker 1: The fact that there is a devil, that he is
Speaker 1: a being of such majesty, dignity, cunning, and power, that
Speaker 1: he is so incessantly plotting our ruin and to undermine
Speaker 1: in our faith, is no reason for fear or discouragement.
Speaker 1: By taking the shield of faith, we shall be able
Speaker 1: to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one,
Speaker 1: by taking the helmet of salvation and the sword of
Speaker 1: the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and by
Speaker 1: praying always with all prayers and supplications in the Spirit.
Speaker 1: It is our privilege to have victory over the devil
Speaker 1: every day of our lives, every hour of the day,
Speaker 1: and every minute of the hour. The final step in
Speaker 1: the way to get victory over Satan is found in
Speaker 1: Ephesians chapter six, verse ten. Finally, be strong in the
Speaker 1: Lord and in the strength of His might. The way
Speaker 1: to get victory over Satan is to give up all
Speaker 1: confidence in our own strength and to believe in the
Speaker 1: almighty strength of Jesus Christ and claim that strength for ourselves.
Speaker 1: It is in the strength of Jesus Christ's might, that
Speaker 1: we shall get the victory over the evil one in
Speaker 1: the strength of his might. As we have already said,
Speaker 1: it is our privilege to have victory over the devil
Speaker 1: every day of our lives, every hour of the day,
Speaker 1: and every minute in the hour. Allelujah. End of Chapter thirteen.