Satan\u2019s purpose <\/em>is to oppose<\/em> God (\u201cSatan\u201d actually means \u201copposer\u201d). He wants to stop God\u2019s work, which is providing salvation to the world, and the way he does that is by trying to stop God\u2019s people from spreading God’s truth and plan. When we look throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, Satan opposes God in every era. But how exactly does he do it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the beginning, after God created the Garden of Eden and put Adam and Eve in charge of it, Satan came to them. Why? Because they were the ones whom God wanted to use to teach the world about Himself. Satan wanted to take what was God\u2019s and make it his, and he did that through deception. <\/p>\n\n\n\n How did he deceive them? It wasn\u2019t with some flashy promise, but by slyly twisting God\u2019s words, and making Adam and Eve doubt what God had told them. Satan lied but he made it so subtle that Adam and Eve fell for it and in the end, they turned their backs on God\u2019s command and disobeyed Him, halting the work God had been doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since then, every time God sent a prophet or pastor to speak to His people, Satan was right there trying to get the people to disobey God and persecuting God\u2019s prophets. He was able to do this because he doesn\u2019t use obvious outsiders, but people who look and sound <\/em>like God\u2019s people \u2013 a wolf in sheep\u2019s clothing. Let\u2019s read a passage in 2 Corinthians:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2 Corinthians 11:13-15<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Would Satan need to deceive the Egyptians, Babylonians or Assyrians? No, they didn\u2019t believe in God and worshiped their own gods. Why would Satan work on getting people who already don’t belong to or follow God? It would be like a king trying to conquer a land he already owns. He gains nothing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n God\u2019s people are the ones Satan wants because they belong to God<\/em>. So he will do everything he can and works from the inside to get them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As mentioned earlier, Satan has opposed God\u2019s work in every era of the Bible. In the beginning, he deceived Adam and Eve into disobeying God and sinning. During the time of the prophets, Satan worked through the leaders and people of Israel as they persecuted and killed the messengers who were sent by God to let the Israelites know of their wrongdoing (Matthew 23:29-31<\/strong>). So what about at the time when Jesus came to earth?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jesus was the Messiah promised through the prophets, to bring salvation to the people of Israel. He was the one whom God was with (Matthew 3, John 10:30<\/strong>). God sent Jesus to preach to the Israelites, telling them to repent and to believe in Jesus to be saved. So if they listened and believed the words of Jesus, they would receive salvation. But as the opposer, Satan wanted to stop that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Satan worked through the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the Jewish people, to obstruct and take people away from Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We see throughout the gospels that the Pharisees came to Jesus and tried to argue with him, to challenge his authority, and eventually, to arrest and kill him. Jesus preached that he was the way to God. He was the truth and the life, and that truth would set the people free. But was Satan going to allow that? Of course not. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As we can see, when Jesus came at the time of the first coming, Satan wasn\u2019t with the gentiles (non-Jewish people), but with the Jewish religious leaders<\/em>, the Pharisees and teachers of the Law. Satan didn\u2019t work outside of God\u2019s chosen people, the Jews, but within them<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n That was 2,000 years ago, but where is Satan working now at our time? Satan always goes to where God and His people are because he is trying to stop God\u2019s work from being done and to stop people from truly knowing God. So who would those people be today? That group of people who believe they belong to God and Jesus? And where is the place they gather?<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God\u2019s temple<\/strong>, proclaiming himself to be God.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2 Thessalonians 2:4<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n According to 2 Thessalonians 2:4, Satan sets himself up inside God\u2019s temple \u2013 and today that would be the Christian church. Why? Because that\u2019s where God\u2019s people, who believe in Christ, are. He wants to deceive Christians and keep them from truly knowing and understanding who God is and what God wants from us as believers. Why is this important to be aware of? <\/p>\n\n\n\n When Jesus came at the time of the first coming, he made a promise to return. He did this through prophecies and figurative language that cannot be understood until he <\/em>makes it known plainly (John 16:25<\/strong>). Until that time, as Christians, we must seek to know those prophecies so that we can keep ourselves from being deceived about them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But what do you think Satan will do in the meantime? Would he want believers to learn Jesus\u2019s words correctly and be aware and alert of how Satan himself works?<\/p>\n\n\n\n What Else Do We Need to Know About How Satan Works?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s revisit that passage from 2 Corinthians:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cFor such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light<\/strong>. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2 Corinthians 11:13-15<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n We saw this deceit happen when Satan used the Pharisees, the Jewish religious leaders, to deceive the Jewish people. He used people who looked and sounded like God\u2019s people so that he could oppose God\u2019s work and keep His people from salvation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For us today, who would Satan look like and who would he try to work through? Wouldn\u2019t it be a similar group of people, those whom we trust and look to for spiritual guidance within the church?<\/p>\n\n\n\n If Satan works through people inside the church, then how can we tell who is God\u2019s worker and who is Satan\u2019s worker? The answer can, of course, be found within Scripture. 1 John 4:1 <\/strong>says,<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBeloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits<\/strong> to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bible tells us to test<\/em> the spirits. Well what do we test them against? What does Satan use to deceive? Words. <\/em>So what is the standard that we need to know in order to make sure we are not being deceived? God\u2019s Word. <\/strong>When we know the Bible, and know what is promised, what it warns of, we can protect and armor ourselves<\/a> against the deception of Satan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In order to not fall into Satan\u2019s trap, we must be spiritually alert.\u00a0 We have to remember that wherever God is working, Satan will be working there too, trying to obstruct and deceive. So we should listen to the words we hear from religious leaders and compare them to what the Bible says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As Jesus said in John 17:17<\/strong>, God\u2019s Word is Truth. Let us armor ourselves with the truth, remain alert, and make sure we know what God has promised to us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Written by Kenny<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why Did God Create Satan…Or Did He?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nSatan Works Through Deception<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Satan Works in Disguise<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Satan Works Against Those Who Believe in God<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Where Was Satan During the Time of Jesus?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Satan Worked Through the Religious Leaders<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Where Is Satan Working Today?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Satan Works in the Christian Church<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Be Alert for Satan’s Deception<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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