The Devil's Prayer by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, Cal. · Oct 14, 1908

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 35, No. 11.

The Devil's Prayer

By Editor

2630.—The Devil's Prayer.

Will you tell me where in the Bible I can find the devil's prayer? N. E. H.

We do not know of any such thing in the Bible unless our inquirer has reference to what is given in the record of Matt. 8:28-31 and Luke 8:31. Matthew says, "The devils besought Him [Jesus], saying, If Thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine." Luke adds also this thought: "They besought Him that He would not command them to go out into the deep." By "into the deep" is meant the same as "the bottomless pit" in Revelation 20, when the work of Satan and his angels in tempting humanity is over. So in Matthew they say: "What have we to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of God? Art Thou come hither to torment us before the time?" But these were the prayers of the demons, angels of Satan. There are two words used in the Scriptures translated "devil" in our Common Version. One is diabolos, always in the singular, and always referring to Satan. The other is the Greek word daimon, usually in the plural, a demon or supernatural spirit, the angels of the devil. These are much more limited in knowledge and power than Satan, their master. And yet the petition which they offered to Christ can hardly be called a prayer in the same sense in which Christians pray.