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(01 Study) Did God Create the Devil?
Who is Satan? Many believe he’s merely a mythical figure, but the Bible says that he is very real and that he is determined to deceive you and destroy your life. Indeed, this brilliant but cruel mastermind is so much more than what you have been told. He’s entrapping individuals, families, churches, and even entire nations to increase sorrow and pain in this world. Here are the Bible’s amazing facts about this dark prince and how you can overcome him! 1. With whom did sin originate? “The devil has sinned from the beginning†(1 John 3:8). “That serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan†(Revelation 12:9) Answer: Satan, who is also called the devil, is the originator of sin. Without the Bible, the origin of evil would remain unexplained. Satan was living in heaven when he sinned. His name was Lucifer, which means "Day Star." 2. What was Satan's name before he sinned? Where was he living? “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning!†(Isaiah 14:12). “[Jesus] said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven’ †(Luke 10:18). “You were on the holy mountain of God†(Ezekiel 28:14). Answer: Satan’s name was Lucifer, and he was living in heaven. Lucifer is also symbolized by the “king of Babylon†in Isaiah 14 and as the “prince of Tyre†in Ezekiel 28. Lucifer was a heavenly angel created by God. He was perfect in wisdom and beauty and stood next to God's throne. 3. What was Lucifer’s origin? How does the Bible describe him? “You were created†(Ezekiel 28:15). “You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. … Every precious stone was your covering. … The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. … You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you†(Ezekiel 28:12, 13, 15). “You were the anointed cherub who covers … you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones†(Ezekiel 28:14). Answer: Lucifer was created by God, as were all the other angels (Ephesians 3:9). Lucifer was a “covering†cherub, or angel. One covering angel stands on the left side of God’s throne and another on the right (Psalm 99:1). Lucifer was one of these highly exalted angels and was a leader. Lucifer’s beauty was flawless and breathtaking. His wisdom was perfect. His brightness was awe-inspiring. Ezekiel 28:13 seems to indicate that he was specially created to be an outstanding musician. Some scholars believe he led the angelic choir. 4. What happened in Lucifer's life that led him to sin? What sin did he commit? “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor†(Ezekiel 28:17). “You have said in your heart: … ‘I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; … I will be like the Most High’ †(Isaiah 14:13, 14). Answer: Pride, jealousy, and discontent arose in Lucifer’s heart. He soon began to desire to unseat God and to demand that everyone worship him instead. Note: Why is worship such an important thing? It is the key factor in the ongoing conflict between God and Satan. People were created to be happy and fulfilled when we worship only God. Not even the angels of heaven are to be worshiped (Revelation 22:8, 9). Satan selfishly sought this worship due only to God. Centuries later, when he tempted Jesus in the wilderness, worship was still his central desire and a key test (Matthew 4:8–11). Now, in these last days, as God calls upon all people to worship Him (Revelation 14:6, 7), this so infuriates Satan that he will try to force people to worship himself or else be killed (Revelation 13:15). Everybody worships someone or something: power, prestige, food, pleasure, possessions, etc. But God says, “You shall have no other gods before Me†(Exodus 20:3). Like Lucifer, we have a choice about whom we worship. If we choose to worship anyone or anything other than the Creator, He will honor our choice, but we will be counted against Him (Matthew 12:30). If anything or anyone other than God receives first place in our lives, we will end up following in Satan’s footsteps. Does God have first place in your life—or are you serving Satan? It is a sobering question, isn’t it? 5. What happened in heaven as a consequence of Lucifer’s sin? “War broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him†(Revelation 12:7–9). Answer: Lucifer deceived a third of the angels (Revelation 12:3, 4) and caused a rebellion in heaven. God had no choice but to cast out Lucifer and the other fallen angels, because Lucifer’s aim was to usurp God’s throne even if it meant murder (John 8:44). After his expulsion from heaven, Lucifer was called Satan, meaning “adversary,†and the devil, meaning “slanderer.†The angels who followed Satan were called demons. Satan's headquarters is the earth. He hates human beings and aims to hurt God by destroying you. 6. Where is Satan’s present headquarters? How does he feel about people? “The Lord said to Satan, ‘From where do you come?’ So Satan answered the Lord and said, ‘From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it’ †(Job 2:2). “Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time†(Revelation 12:12). “Your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour†(1 Peter 5:8). Answer: Contrary to widespread belief, Satan’s headquarters is the earth, not hell. God gave Adam and Eve dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:26). When they sinned, they lost this dominion to Satan (Romans 6:16), who then became ruler, or prince, of the earth (John 12:31). Satan despises humans, who were created in God’s image. Since he can’t harm God directly, he directs his anger against God’s children on the earth. He’s a hateful murderer whose aim is to destroy you and, thus, hurt God. 7. When God created Adam and Eve, what did He ask them not to do? What did He say would be the result of disobedience? “Of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die†(Genesis 2:17). Answer: Adam and Eve were told not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The penalty for eating the fruit from this tree was to be death. Note: Remember that God created Adam and Eve with His own hands and placed them in a beautiful garden where they could enjoy eating from every kind of tree (Genesis 2:7–9)—except just one. It was God’s gracious way of giving them a fair choice. By trusting God and not eating of the forbidden tree, they would live forever in paradise. By choosing to listen to Satan, they chose to run away from the Source of all life—God—and, naturally, experienced death. 8. How did Satan deceive Eve? What lies did he tell her? “The serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Has God indeed said, “You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?†’ … Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil’ †(Genesis 3:1, 4, 5, emphasis added). Answer: Satan used a serpent—one of the wisest and most beautiful animals God had made—to deceive Eve. Some scholars believe the serpent originally had wings and flew (Isaiah 14:29; 30:6). Remember, it did not crawl until God cursed it (Genesis 3:14). Satan’s lies were: (1) you won’t die, and (2) eating the fruit will make you wise. Satan, who invented lying (John 8:44), mixed truth with the lies he told Eve. Lies that include some truth are the most effective deceptions. It was true they would “know evil†after sinning. In love, God had withheld from them the knowledge of evil, which includes heartache, grief, suffering, pain, and death. Satan made the knowledge of evil appear attractive, telling lies to misrepresent God’s character because he knows that people will be more likely to turn away from a loving God if they misunderstand His character. 9. Why was eating a piece of fruit such a bad thing that Adam and Eve were removed from the garden? “To him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin†(James 4:17). “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness†(1 John 3:4). “Then the Lord God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever’ … He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life†(Genesis 3:22, 24). Answer: Eating the forbidden fruit was a sin because it was a rejection of one of God’s few requirements. It was open rebellion against God’s law and His authority. By rejecting God’s command, Adam and Eve chose to follow Satan and, therefore, brought separation between themselves and God (Isaiah 59:2). Satan likely hoped the couple would continue eating from the tree of life after their sin, and thus become immortal sinners, but God removed them from the garden to prevent this. 10. What does the Bible reveal about Satan’s methods to hurt, deceive, discourage, and destroy people? Answer: The Bible reveals that Satan uses every conceivable approach to deceive and destroy people. His demons can pose as righteous people. And Satan will one day appear as a glorious angel of light with power to call fire down from heaven. He will even impersonate Jesus. But you have been warned, so don’t fall for it. When Jesus comes, every eye will see Him (Revelation 1:7). He will remain in the clouds and will not touch the earth (1 Thessalonians 4:17).