No 12

(Satan)

Abaddon, Apollyon, the adversary, the old serpent, the evil one, etc. are all Biblical names for Satan. A few non-Biblical names are Mephistopheles, the archfiend, the god of the underworld; there are others, but who cares how many there are? Satan is a created being and therefore is limited is his power; his is not omnipresent nor is he omniscient nor is he omnipotent. He is a fierce foe and one thing he has going for him is that he has a good memory. He remembers just how to make us uncertain of various situations such as….…you fill in the blank. As Christians, we have power over Satan but he is a deceiver and we fall for his deadly temptations sometimes but “…greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Satan is no match for our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. I would like to talk about something else that Satan cannot do: he cannot tell the future. But you say, Dave I know of situations where a tarot card reader said things that came true or a palm reader told of futuristic events that happened exactly as was predicted. My answer? Satan and his demons can say something today and make it happen just as they want because, don’t kid yourself, they have power. There is a perfect example in God’s word of how Satan cannot see into the future. Job was a man that God considered “perfect and upright” (Job 1:8) and we have read how he lived up to his reputation; here is my point. Do you think for a moment had Satan known the outcome of Job’s experience that he would have boldly said to God’s face “…touch all that he hath and he will curse Thee to Thy face” or “touch his bone and his flesh and he will curse Thee to Thy face” (Job 1:11 & 2:5)? Satan did not know that Job would remain faithful to God and was therefore humiliated and beaten at his own game. We have that same power; all we have to do is grab hold of it.