The god of this World

Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

- II Corinthians 4:4

We live in the physical realm and so it becomes very easy to ignore or minimize the spiritual world. In my opinion, it has become one of the glaring weaknesses of the modern world – the lack of conviction there is a world beyond what we see. Yet, Paul tells us in Ephesians there most certainly is more going on that we can see with our naked eye “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).” He instructs us to put on the whole armor of God to prepare for the battle with the forces of darkness that are fighting against God’s will and wage war on the godly. Who leads the charge of the princes and hosts of wickedness? Paul answers that question is vs. 11 – Satan.

Satan has become a joke in our modern world. The proverbial bad angel on your shoulder convincing you to go our own way and even TV shows are made that turn the Devil into a misunderstood hero. Yet, there is nothing to misunderstand or laugh about when it comes to Satan. The Bible is very clear on who he is and what his goals are. Here is a list of some of the Bible descriptions of the Devil:

• Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. – I Peter 5: 8
• Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. – II Corinthians 11:14
• The devil has been sinning from the beginning – I John 3:8
• He [The Devil] was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. – John 8:44
• He [God] seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan – Revelation 20:2
• In which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— Ephesians 2:2
• From going to and fro on the earth, and roaming it back and forth…”- Job 1:8
• Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel – II Chronicles 21:1
• Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil – Hebrews 2:14
• But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. – II Corinthians 11:3
• Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? – Acts 5:3
• Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made.  – Genesis 3:1

Satan is not described in any positive way throughout the Scriptures. Satan is the adversary of God and God’s people. He is depicted roaming this earth like a hunting lion seeking his next victim. He doesn’t hunt with traditional weapons – you won’t be speared or shot or stabbed by any physical weapons of Satan. He is crafty and cunning. He lies about sin and his temptations. He is the Father of all Lies and the Great Deceiver. One needs to look no further than the Garden to see that Satan mischaracterizes what God has said and even uses partial truth as a form of his lies. He caught Eve and Adam and it cost them everything. A quick scan on the Bible stories show you just have crafty and cunning Satan is when he attempts to entrap the righteous. He starts his attempts to fill your heart not with the “big” sins but with the subtle sins and often uses mundane or innocuous ideas or things to tempt us – to slowly lure us away from God. Like Lot, we are drawn say not by wickedness but by misplaced priorities. Look how that ended for Lot.

A quick look at the temptations of Christ shows us the progression (Matthew 4). Satan begins by trying to use Jesus’ hunger against him with food (like with Eve). It is just bread he says. You’re hungry. What harm could it really do? Once that doesn’t work, he mischaracterizes the Bible and tries to use God’s own words as a form of temptation against Jesus. God says…(like with Even). He tried to use God’s pen promises against the Son of God to plant doubt. Finally, when none of his early strategies work – he offers Jesus the world (something that already belonged to Jesus). I’ll give you everything he says – just choose me over God this one time. The instant gratification on earthly prizes versus the long awaited eternal prizes of God. We can gain two important lessons from this encounter is Satan. First, he uses food and the Scriptures as a baselines for his temptations of Christ – things we would obviously never see as the source of a temptation or sin but he is so cunning and crafty he can use anything to try to gain the advantage. Second, Satan is persistent. He didn’t leave Christ alone – he kept trying. In Luke’s account, he tells us that Satan went away until a more opportune time (Luke 4:13). He just kept waiting and watching for another time to strike out against the Lord. If he did this for Christ, what do you think he is willing to do against you? Against me?

Satan’s appearances in the Bible should frighten us. He destroys Job’s life just to see if he can get Job to blaspheme God (He doesn’t spoiler alert). He gets Peter to betray Jesus by looking through his heart to find weaknesses – “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat (Luke 22:31). He appealed to Ananias and Sapphira’s secret pride and used their own charity to gain access to their hearts. He hunts with fiery arrows to try to pierce your heart and burn you from inside (Ephesians 6:16). He will use innocuous desires or goals (like with Ananias and Sapphira) and turn those into temptations (James 1:8) Satan will even disguise himself as a child of life to trap your soul in his snare by making you believe he is providing you with the Truth. He will even use your own heart. “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it? (Jeremiah 17:9). Satan, the father of all lies, will use our own hearts against us. The heart is deceitful and Satan is the root of all deceit.

Paul tells us that Satan is the god of this world. He has blinded people to truth of God. He uses his craftiness, his lies, and his own allurements of pride, materialism, and lusts. He is the great dragon that seeks to destroy any that stand with the Lord because he stands in stark opposition to God. He has convinced the world that his way doesn’t lead to death. He is lying. The wages of is death (Romans 3:23). Only God offers truth, love and life. “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:32).” “We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. (I John 4:9 -10)” “But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 3:23).

Do not be deceived. Satan is real and he wants to keep you from the Lord. Satan hunts every day for your soul. See the world how it really is. Satan is coming for your soul. He will not stop until we die or the Lord returns. Prepare yourself.