Description

Description

1/6/16

How do you portray Satan?  Do you even take his life seriously or do you just brush him to the side and not worry about him because god says he is already defeated?  The Bible gives a pretty stark description of this fallen angel and it is important enough to God that He places this definition of our enemy pretty early in the Bible.  Satan’s presence and the powers that he musters must be pretty intense to have them spelled out quite bluntly at the beginning of a book that has the potential to guide our eternal lives.  Yet we have managed to color his face and give him a pointed tail and that is what we are hoping to recognize when he appears with his tricks, I guess that is why our world is in the mess that is in and facing world destruction because of our “red-faced” devil that we have not noticed standing right in front of our noses who actually is dressed totally different.

When it is time for the holy holidays to come around here in the States, we like to put on presentations that demonstrate certain stories within the Bible.  It does not matter which denomination one wishes to attend, several plays and performances of these stories are performed and attended, some of which are even presented outdoors and involve live animals.  However, in many of these depictions, Satan is predicted and portrayed by a person and the part usually has a definitive role in the play.  Until I went to Africa I had no reason to believe that having someone portraying Satan could pose as any type of threat. 

The concept of churches performing similar plays about stories of the Bible in Africa was a given to me but it was their belief that no one should portray Satan because of his manipulative presence and when his presence is “needed” in a performance it is just assumed to be there only.  The African Church does not wish to have any part with Satan for they are acutely aware of his presence and influence and what it does to their people.  Until God showed me this full statement about our enemy in Genesis 3:1, I had no issues with someone portraying Satan, but now I wish that any person who considers themselves to be a Christian to have no part in Satan or his kingdom, period.  Satan’s presence in our world does no one any good and he only brings division and destruction to anyone who dabbles in his realm.

How is it possible to place our enemy in his place if we do not comprehend or even believe in his character, motives, his existence or what his goals are?  I find it quite intriguing that many people in the world, including Christians that do not believe that we have an eternal enemy that has only one goal and that, is to keep us from our Creator eternally.  The Bible is not hesitant about his description nor is it inaccurate in its definition of him.  So, why do we give our eternal enemy the benefit of the doubt when it comes to what he can do to mask his intentions?

When humans meet people it takes us a while to get to know the people that we meet.  There is nothing wrong with this process for it comes as a natural stepping stone when building a relationship is concerned.  There are those that can pretty much tell the personality traits of people right off the bat but for the majority of people in the world, it takes some time for everyone to become acquainted with each other.  It is then ok to adopt a particular idea concerning this person or group of people for it has become clear by their actions of what their motivations may be towards others.  Even with this type of observance, beings can still surprise others with some of the decisions and actions that they take; this process catches us off guard and when presented can come as a “shock” to our systems.

Has anyone ever asked a question about a certain person or group of people to another person trying to get a response or information about them?  Of course, all of us have and this is a common practice when a person is trying to get a job or applying for a credit card or house.  It is an everyday practice for someone to ask about a person no matter what level they wish to inquire.  So, when the personal reviews of a person return with favorable comments with references that support those claims one can generally say that that person would be a good person to consider for a position or relationship.

On the other hand, when a person is asked about another person and the reviews return as questionable or horrible then the person should in like manner take this advice to heart before accepting any other opinions concerning the person in question. Even mixed reviews should trigger thoughts of unwillingness to cooperate and therefore, be taken serious enough to pass on their review.  Not many people with bad reputations have the opportunity to continue to be offered positions in that line of work simply because their productivity, on whatever level, usually results in a disaster for the company, business or relationship.

So, given this information, the question that God poses to us in this article is why do we continue to give our eternal enemy credit and support his causes?  His reputation precedes him in every way possible and there is not one good review that he can give us that would provide him with a stable work ethic for our company; in this case our company being our personal lives both physically and spiritually.  Yet, for some reason billions of us each day turn to his methods and ways and seek his advice concerning life and happiness all the while voluntarily pushing out the one being that can offer us true eternal life and liberty, eve the Bible, right from the beginning states Satan’s character and how he should never be trusted for anything.  This is where many people get into trouble when making their conclusions about our enemy because we keep the same concepts for determining Satan’s character as we do with humans and this allows him to manifest his kingdom into our lives and establish a foothold before we even understand what has occurred.

There is a reason as to why God states very early in His Word the character of our enemy.  Genesis 3:1 states the following: “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field that the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”  Genesis 3:1 is the first mention of our enemy after the creation of humanity.  And I find it amazingly enlightening that the first mention of our enemy contains his definition and status as well.  At the same time, this is where many people lose the authenticity of the Word of God and maintain their human ideology about what is true and real about the one being that wishes our eternal separation from God.  It also defines what his goal is in destroying our dominion that God has given us to upkeep and therefore, advance His Kingdom over the kingdom of Satan.

It is at this point in the Bible that mankind draws their conclusion about how they believe concerning God’s Word.  If anyone who reads this verse, Genesis 3:1, and then has to make a decision on whether or not what they have read is true or not then they have already consciously made a choice to doubt what has been divinely written.  When the first mention of our enemy states that he is more subtle than any other creature created by God that should tell you that one should have nothing to do with him at all.  It also tells a person that they better know exactly the reasons why he is subtle and what it means to follow his subtlety.  It is through the first portion of this verse that he is accurately described and it is through this verse that we should take heed to the truth about who he is.

With this description of our enemy through this verse, it is at this point that we must decide whether or not to take God’s Word seriously or not.  God’s order is intact and complete at every turn, God’s laws are steadfast and thorough at all times and His Word is accurate and authoritative in all things with no exceptions or interpretations necessary.  This is my decree and my belief until I draw my last breath on earth.  Therefore, I agree wholeheartedly with the first portion of Genesis 3:1 when it states that our enemy is more subtle than any other beast that God created; which means that it is my responsibility to know God’s Word as much as possible so that I can withstand any attack that this lying and subtle enemy brings to my life.  God cannot produce a ½ of anything, He can only produce a complete and holy truth.  So, this means that when He states in this verse that our enemy is bad news He means it!

If a person does not believe in what this verse states and does not believe that is the truth, then Satan has already convinced you enough for doubt to inhabit your life.  His kingdom has not been able to penetrate your dominion enough to start dividing your life apart.  The other day I was in a conversation with a person who made the statement that they did not believe that sin began with just one act or just one person.  I did not argue with this person but immediately understood that they had been compromised by the first portion of Genesis 3:1 and anything stated in God’s Word after that would be subject to human interpretation.  I asked them one further question and their answer confirmed that they had no intentions of changing their heart concerning this verse and the remaining portions of this passage.  To make things worse, this person considers themselves a “devout Christian” and one who defends the Bible.  But what foundation does this person have to stand on if they do not believe in the truth about the enemy that is out to destroy them?

The remainder of this passage Genesis 3:2-6 gives us a complete explanation of what occurs when doubt enters into our hearts when it comes to God’s laws and commands.  We have no idea of what eternal separation from God means but it must be pretty ugly and destructive if our enemy immediately begins to subvert Adam and Eve’s attention from God’s command just after the Bible defines his presence.  It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that if someone who is the Creator of all living says that someone is bad or do not do something, then whoever is around should listen to what is being said to them.  But, as each person knows, myself included, we tend to dismiss these truths and try things out for ourselves, not knowing until later the damage that we have done to our lives and the destructive trails that we have left behind.

I also have to admit that I have read this passage many times in my life and did not fully comprehend its meaning, especially when I have previously focused on the question to Eve and not the description of Satan.  While I have always been attentive and open to God’s Word in my life I sometimes “beat” myself up for not noticing these details about God’s Word before now.  I have never shut myself off to what God says in His Word and while I ran from Him a few times in my life, my heart has never shut Him out.  As God shows me more and more about His Word I have come to the understanding of why countless people are struggling with the Bible and what it is saying.  It scares me to no end to have people say that there is nothing good about God’s Word and that they do not believe that it is a divinely inspired word for their lives.  Countless times the Word of God has come to my rescue and even though I did not always follow God, I could never deny what His Word constitutes over my life.

But I can understand how Eve and Adam came under the spells of the serpent for even though I have been around God’s Word all my life I did not always follow the commands and guidelines that God had written for me.  The main difference between my setting and that of the two original people in the Garden of Eden is that I was born into sin and they chose the sinful life from a perfect state.  So if a person, or in this case two people, are born into perfect conditions without any blemishes known to them, the being that persuaded them to leave those conditions must have a marvelous plan attached to his mind, which with the past actions of his before he was cast from heaven probably is the reason that God stated Satan’s description as He did.  Can you now comprehend why God determines it important that we understand the total description of our enemy?  And can you understand why God makes it a point to mention our enemy up front instead of hiding behind the scenery of the Garden of Eden?  Now think about how important it is for us to take God’s description of our enemy seriously and as an accurate accumulation of facts and not just a whimsical perception.

Each letter in the Bible was divinely inspired for a specific reason, just as your individual life was divinely created for a specific reason.  To deny the Word of God and place it as a myth or a book of allegorical circumstances is to place your life in the same lineage.  Both the Bible and your life are unique and written down in history for a reason and when we fully come to grips with this truth our lives will begin to blossom as never before.  God provides us with all information needed to ensure we are not blindsided at every turn and this reckoning also deals with the description of our enemy.  To know a cunning and subtle enemy one must study his paths, but there is a reciprocal truth here that needs to be known as well; if we are to understand our enemy and his paths that means we must also understand God’s paths and whatever God desires will be opposite of what Satan wants; no mixing allowed.

Genesis 3:1-6: I ask you to study this passage and especially Genesis 3:1 read it over and over and allow God to show you more detailed information about our enemy.  Our enemy is alive and kicking hard but we have the tools to dodge those kicks and to push him back with every breath we take.  Keep his slimy and sneaky image in your mind and allow God to show you through your spiritual eyes the ways that he is manipulating your family, your world and even you.  Allow God to restore your dominion that he has invaded so that you can know eternal rest and peace as God originally intended.  Do not doubt the Word of God for any reason for when we do the enemy has gained a hold in our dominion and he then has legal rights to take as much as he wishes.

DLB