The Personage Called Satan
By M. G. Huffman
Is He a Real Being?—Whence Did He Come?—What Will Be His Final Doom? We read the following admonition: “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time: casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walking about, seeking whom he may devour.” 1 Peter 5: 6-8. I am sure the majority even of professed Christians have but a vague idea of this personage called Satan, the devil,—who he once was; the position he occupied; what his name, “Lucifer,” signified; what his character is at the present time; what caused his fall from the place he once held in heaven down to the place he now occupies; and what his final destiny will be. Hence my only reason for writing this article is, to give a description of the great enemy of all righteousness. But in order to do this intelligently, I must appeal to the guidebook, the Bible; for it is the only source whence we can obtain a correct knowledge of the subject under consideration. My text says that Satan is an adversary, and that as a roaring lion, he walks about, “seeking whom he may devour.” In the book of Job we have the following: “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them. And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.” Job 1: 6, 7. From the two scriptures just quoted, we learn that we have in this wicked world a real, living devil, who is doing all he can for the overthrow of God’s children. And this wily foe is vigilant to capture those who are fighting under the banner of King Emmanuel. Hence it behooves each of us to heed the admonition given of God, to be sober and vigilant, and thus avoid being decoyed to everlasting destruction. In creating the universe, God made the whole system of created things good and upright, and imbued all His intelligent creatures with power to serve their Creator from the principle of love, with no tendency to evil; and it was in God’s eternal purpose that all created things should remain perfect to all eternity, as He first made them. But there came a great change, and we do not see things in this world as God made them. Instead of a beautiful world, with pure and holy beings upon it, we see the hideous effects of sin everywhere we look. We see tears flowing freely. We hear sorrowful sighs. We see individuals bewailing the loss of loved ones torn from their embrace by the great enemy death. Where shall we look for the origin of evil? Whence has all this train of misery and woe come into our world? We are often met with this argument: “God made all things. Hence He must have made Satan. Therefore the Lord is indirectly responsible for the present state of things.” But a few Bible facts should suffice to drive such an idea from the mind. Certainly God did not purpose that sin should enter the universe, and death by sin. Evil originated with the rebellion of Lucifer, the light bearer. Sin was brought into heaven when he refused allegiance to the law of God. Hence Satan was the first lawbreaker, and therefore the first sinner. But says one, Could not God have held Satan back, and thus kept him from sinning?—Yes; but if the Lord had done that, Satan would not have been a free moral being, but a mere machine. God created Lucifer, and gave him an exalted position, with power to render allegiance to the law of his Maker. Let us read a few scriptures that bring to view the character of Lucifer before he fell and became a devil. We read in Ezekiel the following description of him: Had Been in the Garden of God
“Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering. . . . Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so; thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned; therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness.” Eze. 28: 13-17. By this scripture, we can readily see that Satan is not the hideous monster he is generally pictured. On the contrary, he was beautiful before his fall; and judging from the high and exalted position he held, he is exceptionally intellectual. Doubtless some may wonder, If there is such a being as here described, how and when did he become a devil, and by what process? A text in the first epistle of John may serve as a starting point in our investigation. “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for105the devil sinneth from the beginning.” 1 John 3: 8. And again we read what Jesus said upon one occasion: “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him.” John 8: 44. Thus we see that there was some special time when Lucifer sinned and became a devil, for sin originated with him. We have already learned that he was perfect from the day that he was created till iniquity was found in him. In Isa. 14: 12 we learn that he was one of the morning stars. And God tells us through Job that Lucifer joined Christ in singing at the birth of this earth, while all the sons of God shouted for joy. Job 38: 1-7. Christ is the bright and morning star. Rev. 22: 16. Thus do we see that Lucifer stood next to the Son of God. But notwithstanding the high and exalted position he occupied, he was not satisfied. He purposed in his heart that he would be a rival of God, and he made the attempt. But, thank the Lord, he failed, and was cast out of heaven into the earth; hence the great controversy that began in heaven has been transferred to this earth, and is still on in this world. We read in Isaiah: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High.” Isa. 14: 12-14. He Seduced Our First Parents
Satan went to our first parents in the garden of Eden, and decoyed them into the transgression of God’s law. Thus sin was introduced into our world, and, as the result of sin, death. But we have the promise of God that the seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent’s head; for we read: “I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Gen. 3: 15. While it is true that Satan has been upon the heels of Christ and His followers ever since the gospel was introduced into our world as a remedy for sin, yet his defeat is certain, and our victory sure. In Paul’s letter to the Hebrews we read: “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same; that through death He might destroy him that had the power of death; that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” Heb. 2: 14, 15. “Never Shalt Thou Be Any More”
Ezekiel says: “Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness. . . . Therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more.” Eze. 28: 17-19. One more text in regard to the destruction of Satan must suffice: “For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.” Mal. 4: 1. Thus we see that the time will come, and that soon, when sin and its author, with all its effects, will have been destroyed, and God will have again a clean universe, in which the loyal of His government shall live to all eternity. We need not bring a railing accusation against Satan, but like Christ, can say, “The Lord rebuke thee.” May Be Rewarded “If You Will”
May God help us each to gird on the armor of light, and go forth to do what we can to rescue perishing souls from the hands of the enemy. You can be saved if you will. You can be ready to meet the Lord at His coming if you will. You can enter in through the pearly gates into the city if you will. You can join in singing the song of Moses and the Lamb if you will. You can eat of the fruit of the tree of life if you will. You can partake of the river of life, and drink to thirst no more, if you will. You can feel the arms of loved ones, torn from your embrace by the great enemy death, entwine around you once more if you will. Whether or not we accept of the plan of salvation, and thus become the subjects of God’s everlasting kingdom, depends upon the right action of the will.