"CHAPTER TWO

The devil has been a subject of interest for thousands of years. He plays an enormous role in God’s Plan. The Bible calls him “the god of this world”—and this world lies in terrible confusion, misery and unhappiness. Since he is the cause, what do you need to know about the devil?

Much has been said about Satan but few know the truth about who and what he is. This booklet strips away the mystery, confusion, ignorance, myth, superstition and misconceptions that shroud the truth about his identity.

The devil has been pictured as a ghost, a bogeyman, a spook and a man in a red suit, with horns and a pitchfork, who is “devilishly” handsome. He is also portrayed as a kind of nebulous “epitome of all evil,” the cause of everything bad that people do (“the devil made me do it”), and through a host of other false ideas. While these are common ideas, they are all wrong. Even when merged together, they greatly minimize the truth about this great fallen spirit! The kidnapper has convinced his captives that they understand who and what the devil is. They have been completely fooled!

Turn on the television. Go to the movies. Visit a bookstore. How often is the subject of the devil, demons, angels or the spirit world in general, spoken or written about? Whole television series are dedicated to these subjects, with more and more appearing all the time.

There are now authors who write almost exclusively about the spirit world, mixing a false understanding of prophecy into the plot line, and legions of fans purchase their every book. Consider the “Harry Potter” phenomenon. Then recognize that Satanism and witchcraft are practiced more openly today than at any time in history.

Millions pay large amounts of money to psychics, palm readers, astrologers, crystal ball gazers, witches, wizards, channelers and a host of other mediums, to ask what the future holds. The devil sells and people are buying as never before! But the arch-kidnapper has fooled all nations.

Complete Deception

The Bible speaks of “Satan, which deceives the whole world” (Rev. 12:9). That’s right—“the whole world.” This is a staggering statement—but there it is in your Bible. How can the devil deceive over six billion people?

This verse concludes, “he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Notice that it says, “HIS angels.” These beings are referred to as demons. They assist Satan in his work of mass deception.

And if Satan has deceived the entire world, it is not God’s world. It must be one or the other! Since the whole world is deceived, it becomes clear why it is cut off from God. Deceived people practice lives filled with sin (Isa. 59:1-2).

It is not fun for people to be told they are deceived. No one enjoys hearing that he is ignorant of God’s purpose. These statements wound human pride, but not as much as remaining in deception wounds correct understanding.

If one cannot accept Revelation 12:9 as coming directly from the mind of God, any hope of breaking free of this terrible deception is lost! Such people have chosen to remain with their captor for the remainder of the age. (The Bible is the most misrepresented, misinterpreted, misunderstood book of all time. Yet, it is the plain word of God! If you doubt this, take the time to prove it to yourself. Read our booklet Bible Authority...Can It Be Proven?)

This World’s God

The Bible speaks of the “god of this world”—and he is not the God of heaven. II Corinthians 4:4records, “In whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel…should shine unto them.”

There is only one being who wants to “blind” this world to the truth of the real gospel—Satan the devil. The true gospel is about the prophesied soon-coming kingdom of God—His world-ruling government. (Our book The Awesome Potential of Man explains how Christ will return with the saints and establish God’s kingdom on earth, thus replacing the devil, who is its present “god.”) No wonder Satan seeks to block people from understanding this marvelous truth. He wants no “light” to shine on it because he knows that it depicts a time when he will be banished from his current position of enormous influence—from being SUPER KIDNAPPER.

Three times in John, Christ refers to Satan as “the prince of this world.” John 12:31, 14:30 and16:11 all reveal that the “prince of this world” will one day be judged. Read these verses. John 12:31parallels the judgment of this world with Satan’s judgment. This is because this world is his! Let’s make this absolutely plain.

Matthew 4:1-24 contains the well-known account of Christ’s confrontation with the devil after fasting for forty days. The devil repeatedly tempts Christ by twisting scripture (one of his favourite devices). At one point, in Mt 4:8 and 9, “the devil took Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And said unto Him, All these things will I give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” This is a stunning account! Why? Notice that Christ rebuked Satan (Mt 4:10) and quoted Deuteronomy 6:13: “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.” At this point, the temptation ended and the devil departed.

Also notice! At no point did Christ say, “These kingdoms are NOT yours to give” or “Who do you think you are, trying to offer Me what is already Mine (God’s)?” Christ said no such thing. Why? Because He knew that the kingdoms (governments) of this world ARE the devil’s. Christ knew that they WERE Satan’s to give. Therefore, He rejected the terms for receiving them from the one (Satan) who did have the authority to offer them.

Understand! This account describes the temptation of Christ. What the devil offered Him was designed to tempt Him. If both Christ and the devil knew that the kingdoms of this world were not the devil’s to give, then where was the temptation? Surely, the devil would have known what Christ knew. Of course, Christ, who was God on earth, would have known that the devil had the power and authority to offer those kingdoms. The temptation would carry no weight—it would be hollow—if they were not the devil’s to offer.

In short, for Christ to overcome the temptation there had to be a temptation! Ultimately, Christ succeeded where Adam had failed. Christ passed a very real test! He overcame the world, the devil and His flesh, in overcoming sin and qualifying to pay the ransom price (His life) for man’s deliverance.

So that there can be absolutely no doubt of the above test, note the exact same account paralleled in Luke 4:6. The devil is speaking directly to Christ. It adds a key phrase that should hit like a sledgehammer: “All this power will I give You, and the glory of them: for that [it] is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.” Did you notice? It was completely within the scope of the devil’s power and authority to either offer or withhold the kingdoms of this world. They were his to give or not to give. God had “delivered” them to him—to his control.

This world’s nations and governments, with “all the glory of them,” are still under the control of the “god of this world”—the “prince of this world”! Has anyone ever told you this before? This is the plain truth from your Bible! And it has a direct bearing on why the world cannot, of itself, break free of captivity. This world, with its ways and systems, is under the control of the devil!

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