WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.760 --> 00:00:04.200 Chapter thirteen of the Fundamental Doctrines of the Christian Faith 2 00:00:04.240 --> 00:00:08.160 by R. A. Tory. This LibriVox recording is in public domain. 3 00:00:08.640 --> 00:00:14.359 Read by Marianne. Chapter thirteen, The Devil. The Devil is 4 00:00:15.240 --> 00:00:20.120 John chapter eight, verse forty four. The Devil Sinneth First John, 5 00:00:20.359 --> 00:00:25.320 Chapter three, verse eight. Our subject in this chapter is 6 00:00:25.359 --> 00:00:29.160 the devil. I have two texts, John Chapter eight, verse 7 00:00:29.199 --> 00:00:33.359 forty four, The Devil is. The second text is First John, 8 00:00:33.439 --> 00:00:37.719 chapter three, verse eight, The Devil Sinneth. The Bible doctrine 9 00:00:37.719 --> 00:00:42.119 concerning the devil, his existence, nature, character, work, and destiny 10 00:00:42.479 --> 00:00:45.159 is a fundamental doctrine of the Christian Faith and is 11 00:00:45.200 --> 00:00:48.560 of vital importance. The teaching of the Bible on this 12 00:00:48.640 --> 00:00:51.320 subject is not a mere matter of theory or dogma. 13 00:00:51.719 --> 00:00:55.880 It is a matter of most practical, everyday importance. Experience 14 00:00:55.880 --> 00:00:57.920 shows that if men are in error in regard to 15 00:00:57.960 --> 00:00:59.880 this subject, they are pretty sure to be an air 16 00:01:00.320 --> 00:01:03.439 on other questions that are fundamental. When men and women 17 00:01:03.520 --> 00:01:06.400 begin questioning the existence of a personal devil, it is 18 00:01:06.439 --> 00:01:09.200 pretty sure that before long they will be questioning a 19 00:01:09.200 --> 00:01:12.760 good many other things regarding which a true child of 20 00:01:12.760 --> 00:01:16.200 God should have no questions. Doubt of the existence of 21 00:01:16.239 --> 00:01:20.239 a personal devil is widespread today. Many preachers in supposedly 22 00:01:20.359 --> 00:01:23.599 orthodox pulpits do not hesitate to say I do not 23 00:01:23.680 --> 00:01:27.159 believe in the existence of a personal devil. Denial of 24 00:01:27.200 --> 00:01:29.359 the existence of a personal devil is one of the 25 00:01:29.359 --> 00:01:32.400 main points in the system which is so widespread today, 26 00:01:32.959 --> 00:01:35.719 and which is doing so much evil that, with considerable 27 00:01:35.760 --> 00:01:39.840 reason it has been called the devil's masterpiece Christian science. 28 00:01:40.920 --> 00:01:43.439 A well known and popular pastor in this city some 29 00:01:43.599 --> 00:01:46.200 months ago proclaimed to his people that he was going 30 00:01:46.239 --> 00:01:49.280 to preach to them a gospel without an atonement of blood, 31 00:01:49.680 --> 00:01:53.439 without an infallible Bible, without hell, and without a personal devil. 32 00:01:54.519 --> 00:01:57.040 If he does preach to them a system of doctrine 33 00:01:57.120 --> 00:01:59.840 without any of these, he will preach some other system 34 00:01:59.879 --> 00:02:02.680 of doctrine than that which is contained in the book 35 00:02:03.280 --> 00:02:05.840 which our Lord Jesus Christ has endorsed as the Word 36 00:02:05.879 --> 00:02:10.120 of God, that is the Bible. The first point to 37 00:02:10.159 --> 00:02:13.080 make clear is that there is a devil. This is 38 00:02:13.120 --> 00:02:16.599 plain from our first text, John chapter eight, verse forty four. 39 00:02:17.080 --> 00:02:22.520 The devil is The whole verse reads, ye are of 40 00:02:22.599 --> 00:02:25.439 your father, the devil and the luss of your father. 41 00:02:25.840 --> 00:02:29.000 It is your will to do. He was a murderer 42 00:02:29.000 --> 00:02:32.000 from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because 43 00:02:32.039 --> 00:02:35.199 there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, 44 00:02:35.360 --> 00:02:38.159 he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar 45 00:02:38.400 --> 00:02:43.599 and the father thereof These are the words of Jesus Christ. 46 00:02:44.039 --> 00:02:46.840 With anyone who has any right to call himself a Christian, 47 00:02:47.000 --> 00:02:49.759 the words of Jesus Christ have infinitely more weight than 48 00:02:49.759 --> 00:02:52.520 the words of Missus Mary Baker Eddie, or anyone else, 49 00:02:52.919 --> 00:02:56.840 were all others together. And Jesus here says the devil is. 50 00:02:58.120 --> 00:03:00.439 But this is not the only passage, by any means 51 00:03:00.479 --> 00:03:03.360 in which our Lord Jesus asserts in the most emphatic 52 00:03:03.520 --> 00:03:07.439 and most unmistakable terms the existence of the devil. Turn 53 00:03:07.479 --> 00:03:10.039 to Matthew, chapter thirteen, verse nineteen, and you will read 54 00:03:10.080 --> 00:03:13.520 these words. When anyone hereth the word of God and 55 00:03:13.639 --> 00:03:17.879 understandeth it not, then cometh the evil one and snatcheth 56 00:03:17.919 --> 00:03:21.719 away that which has been sown in his heart. These 57 00:03:21.719 --> 00:03:24.680 words are found in the interpretation of a parable, the 58 00:03:24.719 --> 00:03:28.000 Parable of the Sower. It is impossible to say that 59 00:03:28.039 --> 00:03:32.319 these words are figurative. In parables, we have figures. In 60 00:03:32.360 --> 00:03:35.479 the explanation of the parables, we have the literal facts 61 00:03:35.840 --> 00:03:39.280 that the figures symbolize. And these words are not taken 62 00:03:39.319 --> 00:03:42.479 from the parable, but from our Lord's own explanation of 63 00:03:42.520 --> 00:03:45.360 the parable. And here we are distinctly told that there 64 00:03:45.479 --> 00:03:48.120 is a person who is here called the evil One, 65 00:03:48.719 --> 00:03:50.759 whose business it is to snatch away the word of 66 00:03:50.800 --> 00:03:53.039 God when it has been sown in hearts that do 67 00:03:53.080 --> 00:03:57.520 not understand and heed it. If evil is only impersonal, 68 00:03:57.599 --> 00:04:00.639 and our Lord had only referred to impersonal influence or 69 00:04:00.759 --> 00:04:04.319 human influences as taking away the word out of the 70 00:04:04.360 --> 00:04:06.800 hearts where it had been sown, these words of his 71 00:04:06.879 --> 00:04:10.719 would be utterly without meaning. That Jesus Christ believed that 72 00:04:10.759 --> 00:04:13.759 there was a person of whom he here speaks as 73 00:04:13.840 --> 00:04:17.199 the evil One, and of whom he elsewhere speaks, as 74 00:04:17.240 --> 00:04:21.040 we shall see directly as the devil, admits of no doubt. 75 00:04:21.199 --> 00:04:24.920 If we grant that the Lord Jesus was an honest man, 76 00:04:25.240 --> 00:04:28.079 we must. Therefore, if we believe in the Lord Jesus, 77 00:04:28.319 --> 00:04:31.399 believe that there is a devil, we can deny his 78 00:04:31.480 --> 00:04:34.800 existence only by questioning either the honesty or the intelligence 79 00:04:34.839 --> 00:04:38.040 of our Lord. He certainly taught that there was a devil. 80 00:04:38.560 --> 00:04:40.399 It would be easy to show from the teachings of 81 00:04:40.439 --> 00:04:43.759 Peter first Peter chapter five, verses eight and nine, Acts 82 00:04:43.839 --> 00:04:46.639 chapter five, verse three, and from the teachings of John 83 00:04:47.000 --> 00:04:50.040 John chapter thirteen, verse two, and from the teachings of 84 00:04:50.079 --> 00:04:53.879 Paul Ephesians chapter six, verses ten to twelve. Also that 85 00:04:53.920 --> 00:04:57.040 there is a devil, but that is unnecessary for any 86 00:04:57.040 --> 00:04:59.240 one who has any right to call himself a Christian. 87 00:05:00.079 --> 00:05:02.560 Or if the Lord says so, that settles it. And 88 00:05:02.600 --> 00:05:06.680 the Lord Jesus does say the devil is If there 89 00:05:06.800 --> 00:05:09.199 is no devil, then our Lord Jesus was either a 90 00:05:09.240 --> 00:05:12.680 fool or a fraud. The question of believing in the 91 00:05:12.720 --> 00:05:16.000 personality of the devil involves the honor of our Lord Jesus. 92 00:05:17.759 --> 00:05:20.360 If his teaching is not to be trusted on this point, 93 00:05:20.800 --> 00:05:22.720 it is not to be trusted on any other point. 94 00:05:23.120 --> 00:05:26.360 And the denial of a personal devil involves the trustworthiness 95 00:05:26.439 --> 00:05:28.600 of our Lord as a teacher and a savior at 96 00:05:28.680 --> 00:05:31.759 every point. So we see that the question of the 97 00:05:31.800 --> 00:05:35.439 existence of the devil is fundamental and of vital importance. 98 00:05:36.279 --> 00:05:38.839 Having settled that there is a devil, we now face 99 00:05:38.920 --> 00:05:41.959 the question as to the nature of the devil. First 100 00:05:42.000 --> 00:05:43.920 of all, the Bible teaches us that the devil is 101 00:05:43.959 --> 00:05:47.639 a person. This comes out in our second text, First John, 102 00:05:47.680 --> 00:05:51.759 chapter three, verse eight. The devil sinneth. Only a person 103 00:05:51.800 --> 00:05:54.839 can sin. When we say that the devil is a person, 104 00:05:54.879 --> 00:05:57.279 we do not mean that necessarily he has a body, 105 00:05:57.680 --> 00:05:59.800 certainly not such a body as he is pictured as 106 00:05:59.800 --> 00:06:03.160 he in various paintings and engravings that are supposed to 107 00:06:03.199 --> 00:06:06.759 represent the devil. A person is any being who knows, 108 00:06:06.839 --> 00:06:10.000 and feels and wills. When we say that the devil 109 00:06:10.079 --> 00:06:12.160 is a person, we mean that he is a being 110 00:06:12.199 --> 00:06:16.160 who has intelligence, feeling, and will, that he is not 111 00:06:16.279 --> 00:06:19.800 a mere principle of evil. The personality of the devil 112 00:06:19.879 --> 00:06:22.319 is taught over and over again in the Bible, just 113 00:06:22.360 --> 00:06:25.959 a few illustrations in addition to our texts. Turn again 114 00:06:26.000 --> 00:06:29.720 to Matthew chapter thirteen, verse nineteen. When anyone heareth the 115 00:06:29.759 --> 00:06:32.879 word of God and understandeth it not then cometh the 116 00:06:32.959 --> 00:06:36.199 evil one and snatcheth away that which hath been sown 117 00:06:36.279 --> 00:06:40.800 in his heart. The representation of this passage is the 118 00:06:40.839 --> 00:06:43.959 representation of a person. He is called the evil one, 119 00:06:44.279 --> 00:06:48.279 not merely evil, but the evil one, which of course 120 00:06:48.560 --> 00:06:52.199 is the representation of a person. If evil is only 121 00:06:52.240 --> 00:06:56.199 impersonal or if it only works through human beings, these 122 00:06:56.240 --> 00:06:59.240 words of our Lord Jesus would be without meaning. The 123 00:06:59.279 --> 00:07:02.240 personality of the devil comes out again very clearly and 124 00:07:02.360 --> 00:07:07.120 very forcibly in Ephesians chapter six, verses ten to twelve. Finally, brethren, 125 00:07:07.360 --> 00:07:09.639 be strong in the Lord and in the strength of 126 00:07:09.639 --> 00:07:12.160 His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that 127 00:07:12.279 --> 00:07:14.600 ye may be able to stand against the wiles of 128 00:07:14.600 --> 00:07:18.000 the devil. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, 129 00:07:18.160 --> 00:07:22.079 but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world 130 00:07:22.199 --> 00:07:25.879 rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness 131 00:07:25.920 --> 00:07:30.040 in the heavenly places. Here Paul distinctly tells us that 132 00:07:30.079 --> 00:07:32.160 the great reason why we need to be strong in 133 00:07:32.199 --> 00:07:34.600 the Lord and in the strength of His might, and 134 00:07:34.680 --> 00:07:37.000 why we need to put on the whole armor of God, 135 00:07:37.639 --> 00:07:40.079 is because there is a being of great cunning, subtlety, 136 00:07:40.120 --> 00:07:43.439 and power, a person named the Devil, and that this 137 00:07:43.480 --> 00:07:46.519 being has under him a multitude of other personalities of 138 00:07:46.519 --> 00:07:48.920 such dignity and power, as to be called by the 139 00:07:49.000 --> 00:07:56.240 titles principalities, powers, world rulers, spiritual hosts of wickedness. Beyond 140 00:07:56.240 --> 00:07:59.319 a question, our Lord Jesus and the Apostle Peter, and 141 00:07:59.360 --> 00:08:02.639 the Apostle John, and the Apostle Paul believed in and 142 00:08:02.680 --> 00:08:05.759 taught the existence of a personal devil. If there is 143 00:08:05.800 --> 00:08:08.199 no personal devil, we may as well give up our Bible, 144 00:08:08.360 --> 00:08:10.160 for in that case it is a book that is 145 00:08:10.199 --> 00:08:12.839 full of folly and a fraud. If there is not 146 00:08:12.879 --> 00:08:15.279 a personal devil, we must give up our belief in 147 00:08:15.319 --> 00:08:18.439 the inspired authority of the Apostle Paul, the Apostle Peter, 148 00:08:18.680 --> 00:08:21.399 the Apostle John, and we must give up our faith 149 00:08:21.399 --> 00:08:24.519 in the Lord Jesus Christ. No intelligent student of the 150 00:08:24.519 --> 00:08:27.879 Bible can retain his faith in the inspiration and authority 151 00:08:27.920 --> 00:08:30.519 of that book or his faith in the Lord Jesus 152 00:08:30.600 --> 00:08:33.360 Christ if he gives up belief in the existence of 153 00:08:33.399 --> 00:08:37.399 a personal devil. As intelligent men and women, we must 154 00:08:37.519 --> 00:08:40.120 take our choice between believing in the existence of a 155 00:08:40.120 --> 00:08:42.879 personal devil or giving up our faith in the Lord 156 00:08:42.919 --> 00:08:47.360 Jesus Christ and Christianity. Any system of doctrine that denies 157 00:08:47.440 --> 00:08:51.240 the existence of a personal devil is radically Unchristian, whatever 158 00:08:51.399 --> 00:08:57.000 name it may arrogate to itself. The second thing that 159 00:08:57.039 --> 00:08:59.279 the Bible teaches as to the nature of the devil 160 00:08:59.480 --> 00:09:02.279 is that the devil is a being of very great 161 00:09:02.320 --> 00:09:05.559 power and authority. This comes out in the verses we 162 00:09:05.600 --> 00:09:09.720 have just read Ephesians, chapter six, verses ten and eleven. Finally, 163 00:09:09.720 --> 00:09:11.600 be strong in the Lord and in the power of 164 00:09:11.600 --> 00:09:13.840 His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that 165 00:09:13.919 --> 00:09:15.919 ye may be able to stand against the wiles of 166 00:09:15.960 --> 00:09:19.159 the devil. These words make clear that the devil is 167 00:09:19.200 --> 00:09:21.600 so mighty that the people of God cannot resist his 168 00:09:21.639 --> 00:09:24.679 cunning wiles without having on the whole armor of God. 169 00:09:25.320 --> 00:09:27.679 And it is also evident from the tenth verse that 170 00:09:27.720 --> 00:09:30.399 we cannot resist his power unless we are strengthened with 171 00:09:30.480 --> 00:09:33.720 the strength of God. And this is not all. In 172 00:09:33.759 --> 00:09:36.399 the twelfth verse we read, for our wrestling is not 173 00:09:36.440 --> 00:09:40.159 against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, 174 00:09:40.559 --> 00:09:43.919 against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual 175 00:09:43.919 --> 00:09:48.559 hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. These are tremendous words. 176 00:09:49.080 --> 00:09:51.559 If they mean anything, they certainly mean that there are 177 00:09:51.600 --> 00:09:54.039 beings of great authority and dignity who are under the 178 00:09:54.120 --> 00:09:57.399 leadership of the one supreme being of evil, the Devil. 179 00:09:58.399 --> 00:10:00.720 The conflict that we have on on one hand as 180 00:10:00.759 --> 00:10:04.480 believers in Christ is terrific. The conflict that the Allies 181 00:10:04.519 --> 00:10:07.080 have on one hand with the mighty military forces of 182 00:10:07.120 --> 00:10:09.799 the Kaiser is nothing to the battle we have on 183 00:10:09.960 --> 00:10:12.919 hand with the Devil and his hosts. We are fools 184 00:10:12.919 --> 00:10:15.840 if we underestimate the battle. On the other hand, we 185 00:10:15.919 --> 00:10:19.519 must not overestimate it. While our conflict is with the Devil, 186 00:10:19.759 --> 00:10:23.399 And while our wrestling is against the principalities, against the powers, 187 00:10:23.720 --> 00:10:28.399 against the world rulers, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness, Nevertheless, 188 00:10:28.559 --> 00:10:31.039 he that is for us is far mightier than they. 189 00:10:31.960 --> 00:10:35.519 The devil is mighty, but our Savior is almighty. It 190 00:10:35.600 --> 00:10:38.039 is quite possible for one to become morbid over the 191 00:10:38.080 --> 00:10:40.879 subject of the devil, and to become utterly discouraged and 192 00:10:40.879 --> 00:10:47.000 even deranged. This is entirely unnecessary and unwarranted. While our 193 00:10:47.039 --> 00:10:49.679 conflict is with the Devil in his mighty hosts, God 194 00:10:49.720 --> 00:10:52.639 has provided for us strength and in armor, whereby we 195 00:10:52.720 --> 00:10:55.080 may be able to quench all the fiery darts of 196 00:10:55.120 --> 00:10:57.720 the evil one, and to withstand in the evil day. 197 00:10:58.080 --> 00:11:02.840 And having done all to stand verse thirteen. The third 198 00:11:02.919 --> 00:11:04.840 thing that the Bible teaches us as to the nature 199 00:11:04.840 --> 00:11:06.960 of the devil is that the devil is a being 200 00:11:07.000 --> 00:11:10.600 of great majesty and of dignity of position, turned to 201 00:11:10.679 --> 00:11:14.840 Jude Verses eight and nine. Yet in like manner, these 202 00:11:15.000 --> 00:11:18.200 also in their dreamings, defile the flesh, and set at 203 00:11:18.279 --> 00:11:22.639 nought dominion and rail at dignities. The little translation of 204 00:11:22.679 --> 00:11:27.679 the Greek word rendered dignities is glories. But Michael the Archangel, 205 00:11:27.840 --> 00:11:30.519 when contending with the devil he disputed about the body 206 00:11:30.519 --> 00:11:33.919 of Moses, dares not bring against him a railing judgment, 207 00:11:34.279 --> 00:11:39.240 but said the Lord rebuke thee. From these words, it 208 00:11:39.320 --> 00:11:41.360 is evident that the position of the devil was so 209 00:11:41.480 --> 00:11:44.799 exalted that even Michael the Archangel did not dare to 210 00:11:44.840 --> 00:11:48.519 bring a railing judgment against him. The contact seems to 211 00:11:48.559 --> 00:11:51.360 imply that the position of the devil was more exalted 212 00:11:51.519 --> 00:11:54.919 than that of Michael the Archangel himself. The devil of 213 00:11:54.960 --> 00:11:57.559 the Bible is not at all the devil of common thought. 214 00:11:58.399 --> 00:12:01.440 He is not a being hideous appearance with hoofs and 215 00:12:01.559 --> 00:12:04.679 horns and tail. He is not even the being pictured 216 00:12:04.679 --> 00:12:07.559 by Milton or Bunyan. He is a being of very 217 00:12:07.600 --> 00:12:11.360 great original majesty and dignity, a being of great wisdom 218 00:12:11.399 --> 00:12:15.440 and power. When people talk lightly and contemptuously about the Devil, 219 00:12:15.480 --> 00:12:19.159 they display gross ignorance of what the Bible teaches about him. 220 00:12:19.639 --> 00:12:22.039 It is true that he is evil in character, and 221 00:12:22.120 --> 00:12:25.799 therefore called the evil one. John chapter five, verse nineteen, 222 00:12:25.799 --> 00:12:29.080 revised version. It is true that he is a liar 223 00:12:29.200 --> 00:12:33.039 and a murderer. John chapter eight, verse forty four. It 224 00:12:33.120 --> 00:12:36.440 is true that he is full of malignity Sewod Corinthians, 225 00:12:36.480 --> 00:12:39.240 chapter four, verse four. But he is a being of 226 00:12:39.279 --> 00:12:42.720 great dignity and majesty, so that even Michael, the archangel 227 00:12:42.799 --> 00:12:48.240 dures not bring against him a railing accusation. The Bible 228 00:12:48.279 --> 00:12:50.960 teaches furthermore, that the devil is the prince of this world. 229 00:12:51.600 --> 00:12:55.200 Our Lord Jesus himself taught this. He says in John 230 00:12:55.279 --> 00:12:58.320 chapter twelve, verse thirty one. Now is the judgment of 231 00:12:58.360 --> 00:13:00.759 this world. Now shall the prince of this world be 232 00:13:00.840 --> 00:13:04.960 cast out? The Greek word translated world in this passage 233 00:13:05.000 --> 00:13:08.120 is cosmos. And the thought is of the present world order. 234 00:13:08.360 --> 00:13:10.559 And our Lord's teaching is that the devil is the 235 00:13:10.600 --> 00:13:13.720 prince of this present world order. We have the same 236 00:13:13.759 --> 00:13:16.440 teaching of our Lord in John chapter fourteen, verse thirty, 237 00:13:16.519 --> 00:13:19.399 where we read I will no more speak much with you, 238 00:13:19.559 --> 00:13:22.480 for the Prince of the world cometh, and he hath 239 00:13:22.559 --> 00:13:25.960 nothing in me. These words of our Lord are found 240 00:13:26.039 --> 00:13:28.399 in what many regard as the most precious chapter of 241 00:13:28.399 --> 00:13:31.360 the Bible, the fourteenth chapter of John. And if we 242 00:13:31.399 --> 00:13:34.080 give up this teaching of our Lord regarding Satan, we 243 00:13:34.200 --> 00:13:36.600 must give up not merely the Bible as a whole, 244 00:13:37.000 --> 00:13:40.440 but this most precious chapter in the Bible. We find 245 00:13:40.480 --> 00:13:43.600 the Lord teaching the same thing again on that same night, 246 00:13:43.840 --> 00:13:47.240 the night before his crucifixion, in John chapter sixteen, verse eleven, 247 00:13:47.440 --> 00:13:50.519 where he says the prince of this world is judged 248 00:13:51.279 --> 00:13:55.600 the evident reference being to Satan. How the devil came 249 00:13:55.639 --> 00:13:57.879 to be the prince of this world? It may be 250 00:13:57.919 --> 00:14:01.279 impossible for us to say that he is so, admits 251 00:14:01.279 --> 00:14:03.720 of no question. If we are to accept the teaching 252 00:14:03.799 --> 00:14:06.399 of Jesus Christ, and any one who will study the 253 00:14:06.440 --> 00:14:10.360 ruling principles of commercial life, of political life, of social life, 254 00:14:10.799 --> 00:14:14.559 and above all of international relations, to such a one, 255 00:14:14.639 --> 00:14:16.960 it will become perfectly evident that the devil is the 256 00:14:17.000 --> 00:14:20.080 one who is master of the present order things. If 257 00:14:20.120 --> 00:14:22.320 we ever doubt it before that there was a devil 258 00:14:22.720 --> 00:14:25.600 and just such a devil as the Bible pictures, we 259 00:14:25.639 --> 00:14:28.240 can scarcely doubt it now when we consider the action 260 00:14:28.440 --> 00:14:30.759 of the rulers of the Earth in this present mad 261 00:14:30.919 --> 00:14:34.759 world war. How could being so intelligent in matters of 262 00:14:34.759 --> 00:14:38.200 science and philosophy and economics as the present rulers of 263 00:14:38.240 --> 00:14:41.519 Germany are ever be guilty of plunging the nations of 264 00:14:41.559 --> 00:14:45.559 the Earth into this mad war. There's but one reasonable answer, 265 00:14:46.120 --> 00:14:49.000 Because there is a devil who rules the present cosmos 266 00:14:49.440 --> 00:14:52.639 or world order, and he controls the Kaisers and the 267 00:14:52.639 --> 00:14:56.639 Reichstags of the world and will until the true Prince comes, 268 00:14:57.039 --> 00:15:03.039 the Prince of Peace, our Lord Jesus Christ. As to 269 00:15:03.080 --> 00:15:05.679 the character of the devil, the Bible teaches us that 270 00:15:05.759 --> 00:15:09.200 he is a being absolutely wicked. In Matthew chapter thirteen, 271 00:15:09.279 --> 00:15:11.960 verse nineteen, he is called the wicked one, that is 272 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:15.200 to say, he is one who is the personal embodiment 273 00:15:15.240 --> 00:15:18.960 of absolute wickedness. In First John chapter five, verse nineteen 274 00:15:19.000 --> 00:15:22.519 revised version, he is also called the wicked one. God 275 00:15:22.639 --> 00:15:25.120 is the holy One, that is to say, the one 276 00:15:25.120 --> 00:15:28.799 who is the personal embodiment of perfect holiness. The devil 277 00:15:28.840 --> 00:15:32.720 is just his opposite, the personal embodiment of consummate wickedness. 278 00:15:34.120 --> 00:15:36.879 The devil is to evil what God is to good. 279 00:15:37.200 --> 00:15:40.080 In first John chapter three, verse eight, we read he 280 00:15:40.159 --> 00:15:42.799 that doeth sin is of the devil, For the devil 281 00:15:42.840 --> 00:15:45.879 sinneth from the beginning to this end was the son 282 00:15:45.919 --> 00:15:49.000 of God manifested that he might destroy the works of 283 00:15:49.000 --> 00:15:52.240 the devil. This does not mean that the devil sinned 284 00:15:52.240 --> 00:15:54.639 from the very origin of all things, and that he 285 00:15:54.840 --> 00:15:58.360 was created sinful, for we learned from Ezekiel chapter twenty eight, 286 00:15:58.440 --> 00:16:02.159 verse fifteen that the devil was created upright. The verse 287 00:16:02.200 --> 00:16:05.759 does mean, however, that Satan is the original sinner. The 288 00:16:05.799 --> 00:16:09.279 expression from the beginning is characteristic of the epistle from 289 00:16:09.279 --> 00:16:11.960 which these words are taken, and does not necessarily mean 290 00:16:12.000 --> 00:16:14.879 from the origin of things, see for example, verse eleven. 291 00:16:15.840 --> 00:16:17.759 In a similar way, we are told in one of 292 00:16:17.799 --> 00:16:20.879 our texts, John, chapter eight, verse forty four, that the 293 00:16:20.919 --> 00:16:23.480 devil was a murderer from the beginning, and that he 294 00:16:23.679 --> 00:16:26.320 is a liar and the father of it. There is 295 00:16:26.360 --> 00:16:29.840 absolutely no truth in him. So much for the nature 296 00:16:29.840 --> 00:16:33.879 and character of the devil. We now come to the 297 00:16:33.960 --> 00:16:36.000 question of the work of the devil, or how the 298 00:16:36.039 --> 00:16:40.039 devil manifests himself, and what he does. In the first place, 299 00:16:40.039 --> 00:16:42.200 we are taught that the devil tempts men to sin. 300 00:16:43.080 --> 00:16:45.159 We have a most striking illustration of this in his 301 00:16:45.240 --> 00:16:48.320 temptation of our Lord. We have in the Bible three 302 00:16:48.360 --> 00:16:51.919 accounts of this temptation. We will look at Matthew's account 303 00:16:52.320 --> 00:16:56.360 Matthew Chapter four, verses one to nine. Then was Jesus 304 00:16:56.480 --> 00:16:58.480 led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be 305 00:16:58.519 --> 00:17:01.440 tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty 306 00:17:01.519 --> 00:17:05.079 days and forty nights, he afterward hungered, And the tempter 307 00:17:05.160 --> 00:17:07.599 came and said unto him, if thou art the son 308 00:17:07.640 --> 00:17:11.359 of God, command that these stones become bred. But he answered, 309 00:17:11.359 --> 00:17:14.200 and he said, it is written, man shall not live 310 00:17:14.200 --> 00:17:16.720 by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out 311 00:17:16.720 --> 00:17:19.799 of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him 312 00:17:19.960 --> 00:17:22.480 into the Holy city, and he set him on the 313 00:17:22.519 --> 00:17:26.039 pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto him, if thou 314 00:17:26.200 --> 00:17:28.680 art the son of God, cast thyself down, for it 315 00:17:28.799 --> 00:17:31.920 is written he shall give his angels charge concerning thee, 316 00:17:32.200 --> 00:17:35.160 and on their hands they shall bear thee up. Lest 317 00:17:35.160 --> 00:17:39.160 haply thou dash thy foot against a stone. And Jesus 318 00:17:39.160 --> 00:17:42.279 said unto him again. It is written, thou shalt not 319 00:17:42.400 --> 00:17:46.240 make trial of the Lord thy God. Again the devil 320 00:17:46.279 --> 00:17:49.519 taketh him unto an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him 321 00:17:49.559 --> 00:17:51.880 all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them. 322 00:17:52.480 --> 00:17:54.920 And he said unto him, all these things will I 323 00:17:54.960 --> 00:17:57.319 give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 324 00:17:59.680 --> 00:18:01.519 Of course, we have not time this morning to go 325 00:18:01.640 --> 00:18:04.720 into the whole question of our Lord's temptation. But this 326 00:18:04.880 --> 00:18:07.920 much is certainly plain. That the devil is represented as 327 00:18:07.960 --> 00:18:12.279 the tempter tempting our Lord. If there is no personal devil, 328 00:18:12.440 --> 00:18:14.640 as so many would have us believe, or if he 329 00:18:14.720 --> 00:18:17.839 is not the tempter, there would be absolutely no reason 330 00:18:17.960 --> 00:18:21.279 for bringing him into this account. As the devil tempted 331 00:18:21.319 --> 00:18:24.000 our Lord, so he tempts us to day. And it 332 00:18:24.079 --> 00:18:25.880 is to be noticed that he does not tempt us 333 00:18:25.920 --> 00:18:29.920 merely to gross animal lusts and vile sins, but with 334 00:18:30.039 --> 00:18:33.279 subtle spiritual temptations, and above all he tempts us to 335 00:18:33.359 --> 00:18:36.960 doubt God's word. It was with this form of temptation 336 00:18:37.079 --> 00:18:40.319 that he first assaulted our Lord. God had just said 337 00:18:40.319 --> 00:18:43.519 to the Lord Jesus at his baptism, thou art my 338 00:18:43.559 --> 00:18:47.400 beloved son in thee I am well pleased Luke chapter three, 339 00:18:47.480 --> 00:18:51.279 verse twenty two. And Satan came insinuating doubt of God's 340 00:18:51.279 --> 00:18:54.640 word by beginning his temptation with these words, if thou 341 00:18:54.759 --> 00:18:57.720 art the son of God. And again further down in 342 00:18:57.759 --> 00:19:00.440 the temptation he repeats the doubt, saying to the Lord 343 00:19:00.480 --> 00:19:03.720 Jesus again, if thou art the son of God. In 344 00:19:03.880 --> 00:19:06.519 just the same way, Satan began his assault upon Eve 345 00:19:06.559 --> 00:19:09.000 in the Garden of Eden by insinuating a doubt of 346 00:19:09.000 --> 00:19:12.440 God's word and of God's goodness. He began by saying, 347 00:19:12.880 --> 00:19:17.400 yea hath God said Genesis chapter three, verse two, and 348 00:19:17.480 --> 00:19:20.240 further on, when Eve stated exactly what God had said, 349 00:19:20.279 --> 00:19:24.240 the devil flatly contradicted and said, ye shall not surely die, 350 00:19:24.440 --> 00:19:28.799 literally dying thou shalt not die, when God had said 351 00:19:29.319 --> 00:19:33.960 thou shalt surely die, dying thou shalt die. This is 352 00:19:34.000 --> 00:19:37.400 Satan's favorite method of attack to day, he gets us 353 00:19:37.440 --> 00:19:40.920 to doubt God's word. Satan's most effective mode of work 354 00:19:41.559 --> 00:19:43.880 is by leading men into doubt and into error on 355 00:19:43.920 --> 00:19:47.839 fundamental points. The saloons and the gambling hells and the 356 00:19:47.839 --> 00:19:51.720 brothels are not the chief spheres of Satan's activities, but 357 00:19:51.799 --> 00:19:54.880 the schools and colleges and theological seminaries, where he is 358 00:19:54.960 --> 00:19:58.359 inducing men and women, and callow youth and maidens to 359 00:19:58.480 --> 00:20:01.039 doubt the truth of God's word and to reject the 360 00:20:01.079 --> 00:20:04.000 fundamental truth of God's word and accept Satan's errors in 361 00:20:04.039 --> 00:20:07.640 their place. Satan knows well that if he can get 362 00:20:07.640 --> 00:20:10.519 men to doubt God's word, it is easy to lead 363 00:20:10.559 --> 00:20:14.079 them into the vilest sins. False doctrine has been a 364 00:20:14.119 --> 00:20:18.039 more prolific source of the vilest sins than even the saloons. 365 00:20:20.079 --> 00:20:23.000 But Satan not merely tempts meant to sin by insinuating 366 00:20:23.200 --> 00:20:26.759 doubts of God's word. He also has his synagogues and 367 00:20:26.839 --> 00:20:30.200 ministers among men to do his work. Turn to Revelation 368 00:20:30.319 --> 00:20:34.359 chapter three, verse nine. Behold, I give the Synagogue of 369 00:20:34.440 --> 00:20:37.160 Satan of them that say they are Jews and are not, 370 00:20:37.440 --> 00:20:40.720 but do lie. Behold, I will make them to come 371 00:20:40.799 --> 00:20:43.279 and worship before thy feet, and to know that I 372 00:20:43.319 --> 00:20:46.519 have loved thee. What I wish you to notice here 373 00:20:46.599 --> 00:20:50.400 are the words the Synagogue of Satan. In this case 374 00:20:50.440 --> 00:20:53.559 it was a Jewish synagogue, but nowadays it is often 375 00:20:53.599 --> 00:20:57.440 a so called Christian Church. In Sewo Corinthians, chapter eleven, 376 00:20:57.480 --> 00:21:00.960 verses fourteen fifteen, we have an even more remark arkable passage. 377 00:21:01.440 --> 00:21:04.839 For even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel of light, 378 00:21:05.640 --> 00:21:08.160 it is no great thing. Therefore, if his ministers also 379 00:21:08.240 --> 00:21:11.720 fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be 380 00:21:11.759 --> 00:21:14.920 according to their works. Here we are told that Satan 381 00:21:15.000 --> 00:21:18.720 has his ministers. They do not advertise themselves as ministers 382 00:21:18.720 --> 00:21:21.880 of Satan. Oftentimes they are not even conscious that they are, 383 00:21:22.559 --> 00:21:26.000 but they put themselves forward as ministers of righteousness. They 384 00:21:26.039 --> 00:21:30.599 advocate ethical culture, a system of salvation without atoning blood. 385 00:21:30.839 --> 00:21:34.200 They are frequently men of very attractive personality and great 386 00:21:34.240 --> 00:21:37.720 intellectual brilliance and ability, but they are doing the devil's work. 387 00:21:38.240 --> 00:21:41.480 Satan is never so dangerous as when he fashioneth himself 388 00:21:41.519 --> 00:21:44.400 into an angel of light, and no other ministers of 389 00:21:44.440 --> 00:21:46.920 his are so dangerous as the men and women of 390 00:21:46.960 --> 00:21:50.920 attractive personality and brilliant intellectual gifts who are undermining the 391 00:21:50.920 --> 00:21:54.039 faith of God's children, or who are teaching various forms 392 00:21:54.079 --> 00:22:01.160 of seductive and alluring error Christian science, new thought, theosophy, occultism, spiritualism, 393 00:22:01.599 --> 00:22:05.519 and all that species of cults we have not time 394 00:22:05.559 --> 00:22:08.000 to speak here of Satan's works as the author of 395 00:22:08.039 --> 00:22:11.839 sickness Acts chapter ten, verse thirty eight, Luke chapter thirteen, 396 00:22:11.920 --> 00:22:14.599 verse sixteen, and as the one who has the power 397 00:22:14.640 --> 00:22:18.920 of death Hebrews chapter two, verse fourteen. But we must 398 00:22:18.960 --> 00:22:21.400 also speak of another work of the devil. It is 399 00:22:21.440 --> 00:22:24.720 set forth in Second Corinthians chapter four, verse three and 400 00:22:24.799 --> 00:22:29.359 four revised version. And even if our Gospel is veiled, 401 00:22:29.559 --> 00:22:32.400