Defeated

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”—1 Peter 5:8

In the movie, The Usual Suspects, the main character of the film, Roger “Verbal” Kint, played by Kevin Spacey says, “The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.” Satan, also known as the “great dragon,” “ancient serpent,” “devil,” “the deceiver of the whole world,” and “the accuser of the brothers” (Revelation 12:9-10) is a very real individual. But who is he and why does it matter to us?

Satan is a spirit creature, created as a “guardian cherub of God” (Ezekiel 28:14), who led the angels in praise (Ezekiel 28:16). He was a breathtakingly beautiful creature (Ezekiel 28:12-14) that became proud because of his beauty (Ezekiel 28:17), and believed that he could become God. He uttered a series of “I will” statements that revealed the distorted nature of his heart,

“I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High”—Isaiah 14:13-14.

Satan wanted to become God and because of his pride he was cast down from heaven (Isaiah 14:12; cf. 1 Timothy 3:6) to earth, where he roams back and forth throughout the earth (Job 1:7). He wars against the saints of God (1 Peter 5:8), masquerading as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), using the weapon death in order to instill fear in men’s hearts (Hebrews 2:14). We are to be on guard against him (1 Peter 5:8), arming ourselves in the full armor of God because we are not ignorant of his schemes (Ephesians 6:11). He lies to us (John 8:44), seeking to rob, kill, and destroy anyone in his path (John 10:10).

According to God’s Word, Satan is a defeated foe (Genesis 3:15, Revelation 20:7-11), and we are to continually “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you”—James 4:7. Satan will flee from us. We stand in Christ, hold on to His Word, and refuse to let Satan intimidate us into ineffectiveness. We must remember the words of Martin Luther, “Even the devil is God’s devil.” And as we wait until the day that God takes us home or Christ returns, we war against him, knowing the day will come when his defeat is secure. No matter what he may throw at us, he will not win. The end of the novel is written—God wins and we win with Him. Amen.