Adam and Eve

Therefore rejoice, heavens, and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and to the sea, because the devil has gone down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has but a short time. - Rev 12:12
In the Bible we read that Satan has enormous power and authority in the world. He was able to defeat our first parents, Adam and Eve, when they were in a state of perfection. He deceived them and threw them down into sin and death. He convinced them through lies to rise up against their Creator, and they believed him, even when they were sinless without any wants or evil desires (Gen 3:1-6).

We are not told why Satan was present in the garden at the beginning. ¹ All we know is that he was an angelic being whom God created, and at some point he became evil and rebelled against God. He led a rebellion in heaven amongst the angels and caused a large number of them to be cast out of heaven (Luke 10:18). He in turn enticed Adam and Eve to also rebel against God. Satan has been present in the world, and will continue to be until the very end, when he and his demons will be cast into the lake of fire (Matt 25:41).

He is also called "the dragon," "the old serpent" (Rev 12:9; Rev 20:2); "the prince of this world" (John 12:31; John 14:30); "the prince of the power of the air" (Eph 2:2); "the god of this world" (2Cor 4:4); "the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Eph 2:2). The distinct personality of Satan and his activity among men are thus obviously recognized. He tempted our Lord in the wilderness (Matt 4:1-11). He is "Beelzebub, the prince of the devils" (Matt 12:24). He is "the constant enemy of God, of Christ, of the divine kingdom, of the followers of Christ, and of all truth; full of falsehood and all malice, and exciting and seducing to evil in every possible way." His power is very great in the world. He is a "roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1Pet 5:8). Men are said to be "taken captive by him" (2Tim 2:26). Christians are warned against his "devices" (2Cor 2:11), and called on to "resist" him (Jas 4:7). Christ redeems his people from "him that had the power of death, that is, the devil" (Heb 2:14). Satan has the "power of death," not as lord, but simply as executioner. - (Easton Bible Dictionary)

The suffering of Job

So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD, and struck Job with painful sores from the sole of his foot to his head. - Job 2:7
We read of Satan rising up against Job and sending the most horrific trials upon him. Satan had control over the weather, whole groups of people and could cause painful sores to rise up all over Job's body (Job 1:12-19, Job 2:6-8). Satan was also able to control Job's wife, as she tried her best to entice him to curse God and die (Job 2:9-10).

We are never told why God allowed Satan to test Job in the way he did. When God finally answered Job we are left to conclude that the reasons were beyond his understanding. God answers Job's questions with questions that he is unable to answer (Job 38:1-3, Job 40:1-7). Job comes to see that he is very limited and very small in comparison with God. He comes to see that all his many questions were foolish and he felt ashamed of himself (Job 42:1-6).

The account of Job does show us how terrible life can become if Satan is let loose. It shows that God is holding back evil more than we can ever imagine. It shows that suffering in this world cannot always be linked to some sin we are committing, as Job was a man that feared God and shunned evil (Job 1:8). The conduct of Job's friends teach us that wise and clever men can misjudge a situation and arrive at all the wrong conclusions (Job 42:7-9). We are to be humble before God and not lean on our own understanding (Prov 3:5-6).

Hell is a place and state where evil is not restrained by God. Every horror imaginable and unimaginable is let loose upon the person in hell. Jesus described it as a place where "the worm does not die and the fire is not quenched" (Mark 9:48). If you delight in evil here on earth, God will finally remove his restraining power and give you evil unrestrained in hell. There will be such panic and terror that Jesus described it as "weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matt 8:12, Matt 13:42). It will be a terror beyond anything imaginable, with no hope of escape - blackest darkness with total, utter and complete isolation from any comfort or compassion (Jude 1:13). Your cries of agony will never be heard. No one will ever come to rescue you. It will be a complete and total abandonment that will never end.

Repent and call on the name of the LORD Jesus (Acts 2:21, Rom 10:13). He has made the way of escape through His blood shed on the cross and faith in Him (1John 4:10, Rev 5:9).

Pharaoh's sorcerers and magicians perform miracles

Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers. They also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same thing with their enchantments. - Exod 7:11
Magicians and sorcerers are able to produce miracles with their secret arts. This was the working of Satan's power to deceive Pharaoh, and cause him to become stubborn, and refuse to let God's people go free (Exod 7:11, Exod 7:22, Exod 8:7).

At a later time under the law given to Moses the practice of Sorcery and other occult practices were forbidden (Exod 22:18, Lev 19:31).

In the New Testament the practice of sorcery is shown as a work of the sinful nature (Gal 5:19-21). When people believed in the LORD Jesus they always renounced sorcery and occult practices like that (Acts 19:18-20).

The dispute over the body of Moses

We find Satan disputing with the archangel Michael over the body of Moses. Michael, being of lesser authority and power, needed to invoke the name of the LORD to resist Satan. Jude, in his letter, condemns those in the church who speak arrogantly and abusively against the devil (Jude 1:8-10).

King Saul and the tormenting spirit

Now the LORD’s Spirit departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. - 1Sam 16:14
King Saul was put through tremendous torment by the forceful working of an evil spirit on his body. He was thrown into fits of rage but found some relief through the medication of the day - sweet sounding music (1Sam 16:15-17). From this we can see they also had their "psychiatrists" for treating spiritual disorders. Music therapy was probably the normal treatment of the day for people tormented by evil spirits. We can see from the accounts of David playing his harp that it was highly effective in bringing relief (1Sam 16:23).

If Saul had been living in the 21st century he may have been prescribed anti-psychotic medication to disable his brain and body and control the symptoms of rage, helping him to feel better. If he were to receive a diagnoses it would probably be something like "Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED)". The cause of the disorder would probably be given as "unknown". The suggestion of a demon behind the disorder would be unthinkable by todays standards. If a psychiatrist had to suggest a demon behind the condition they may be in danger of loosing their license to practice. The "truth" is determined by the scientific consensus of the day and not by the actual objective truth. The masses are falsely led to believe that if scientists just try hard enough and for long enough they will arrive at the truth. This sentiment has infected the Christian world like a plague in many areas. Many who name themselves as "Christians" fight against the very Book they claim to love and revere. The Holy Spirit is quenched and God hands us over to the wisdom of man to solve our problems.

With all the talk in the world today about everyone having free-will, we see that Saul did not have it. He was governed by an external power that would come upon him and seize him. The one moment he is making oaths not to put David to death and the next moment he his hurling his spear at him (1Sam 19:6-10). By this time it seems that the music therapy was not having much effect on the situation anymore. When a demon has been exerting force on the body for a long time it does permanent damage to the body making healing far more difficult. The same would be true of drug addiction. The drugs damage the body and brain, making the addiction more ingrained and problematic over time. With this abuse of the body and mind will come demonic infestation. The physical and the spiritual always work hand in hand.

As for King Saul, he finally turned to the practice of sorcery and divination for guidance (1Sam 28:6-9). Saul had abandoned God and His word a long time ago and now God was not listening to his prayers anymore. The practice of consulting the spirit world (demons appearing as angels of light) has run right through human history. Much later on we find apostle Paul needing to deal with a girl who had a spirit of divination, earning money from fortune-telling. She was sharing her "light" with everyone and kept shouting out the same phrase for days on end (Acts 16:16-19). Paul became annoyed, commanded the spirit to come out and ended her career as a fortune-teller. The church is also crowded with false prophets making predictions in the name of the LORD, that seldom, if ever, come true. It also earns them lots of money and fame.

David counting his fighting men

Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to take a census of Israel. - 1Chr 21:1-4
When we get to David we see Satan rising up against Israel and tempting him, with great success, to count his fighting men in rebellion against God. Even after the king was warned not to do it he still persisted. The Israelites were well aware that victory did not come because of the size of their army, but because the LORD was with them. David had turned to thinking about physical might rather than God's might. When Gideon went to war against the Midianites God reduces his army down to 300 fighting men against a Midianite army of around 135000 (Judg 7:2-9, Judg 8:10). ²

When we turn to the same account in second Samuel we read that God was angry with Israel (2Sam 24:1-4). This anger was because of Israel's unfaithfulness to Him. There is no contradiction as God merely used Satan as His rod of discipline or judgment. God is longsuffering, but there comes a point of judgment where He hands people over to sin and all its terrible consequences. Satan in this case was the instrument of God's judgement. When we read the Bible we always need to keep in mind that often many years or decades of rebellion go by before God acts and sends judgment. God prefers to show mercy and compassion and that people turn from their sins (Jas 2:13).

The lying spirit in the false prophets

He said, 'I will go out and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' - 1Kgs 22:20-23
An evil spirit became a lying spirit in the mouths of the false prophets to entice Ahab to go to war and to bring down judgement upon him for all the evil he had done. King Ahab was very evil along with his wife Jezebel. The time was ripe for God to put him to death and an evil spirit was used to bring it about (1Kgs 22:20-40).

The death-penalty for certain types of evil is something that has become very unpopular in the world. People have become so mixed up in their thinking that they imagine putting a serial-killer to death is a terrible thing that amounts to murder. This is another reason why many have turned away from the Bible. They hate the idea that evil is punished and purged with a death sentence. The thing that is forgotten is that the whole of humanity is suffering the death penalty for sin. We are all facing death at some point, that will become the second death in the lake of fire for those who remain stubborn and refuse God's way of escape and free gift of eternal life. Eternal punishment is reserved for those who refuse to lay hold of God's way of salvation in His Son (John 5:40, 2Thess 1:8-10). Due to unbelief there is no "sacrifice of atonement" for your sins, and you will have to face God on your own merits, rather than the merits of Jesus Christ. When your life is matched up against God's perfect standard or law you will see clearly how wicked you are (Rom 2:12-16). There will be terror, weeping and gnashing of teeth as you face the wrath of the LORD of glory. You will hear the words, "depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal file prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matt 25:41).

Is God being harsh for sending you to hell? Not at all! Rather it is you who have been harsh in trampling the blood of Jesus under your feet and treating it as something of no value. In the day of God's mercy and grace you treated the Son of God as garbage, so God in turn will treat you like garbage. God gave His very own Son to save you, but you would not have it. You found no delight or interest in it. You mocked and you scoffed and spat in God's face. You were stubborn, stiff-necked and evil as you continued on in rebellion and refused to have life (John 20:31, 1John 5:12). In the day of God's favour you hardened your heart, blasphemed the Holy Spirit and committed an eternal sin that can never be forgiven (2Cor 6:2).

Someone may be asking, "Where is God's love in all this"? The answer is that God's love is standing right before you (Rom 10:8). It is within your grasp. It is written, "For God so loved the world that He gave is one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16). Reach out and take hold of the Son by faith. Call on His name. Believe in Him and you will receive the gift of eternal life. Your sins will be forgiven you. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is LORD and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead and you will be saved (Rom 10:9-10). You will receive the Holy Spirit, the deposit guaranteeing our inheritance in the kingdom of light (Eph 1:13-14).

Satan accusing Joshua the high priest

He showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the LORD’s angel, and Satan standing at his right hand to be his adversary. - Zech 3:1
Then there was Joshua the High Priest who had Satan standing at his side accusing him.

Jesus tempted by Satan after fasting for 40 days

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. - Matt 4:1
Jesus was subjected to the most intense temptations by Satan in the wilderness (Matt 4:1-11). When his body was hungry and worn out the tempter came to Him with subtle and evil suggestions. At every turn the Son of God resisted Satan and would not surrender His will to the enticements of the devil. Where Adam and Eve failed Jesus overcame. The LORD Jesus Christ alone was able to put an end to sin, bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy (Dan 9:24, 2Cor 1:20).

Jesus was tempted in every way that we are but was without sin (Heb 4:15). God is not like a manager of a company sitting in his office looking at his labourers sweating in the heat of the day. No, no! He took on human flesh, was born of a woman, and was subjected to everything and more of what we go through. More than that. He gave Himself up to death to free us from the power of death (Phil 2:7-8). He suffered in our place (Isa 53:4-5, Matt 20:28). He took the punishment for our sin that we may become the righteousness of God (Rom 1:17, Rom 3:21, Rom 4:5-9, Rom 4:22, Rom 5:18, Rom 9:30, Rom 10:4, 1Cor 1:30, 2Cor 5:21, Gal 3:6). Repent and believe the Good News.

Jesus and His authority over evil spirits

For with authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him! - Mark 1:27-28
Disorders caused by evil spirits were common when Jesus walked on the earth. We know so much about them because many things came out of the "woodwork" when Jesus was nearby - the Light exposed the darkness (Luke 4:33-37). Jesus had power that was able to cure them and some of these healings were written down and recorded in the Gospels. People would bring the sick out of their homes to where Jesus was, so the healings were often on public display (Matt 12:22-23). There was an instance of a mother coming out to Jesus and pleading with Him to cure her little girl, who was "sorely vexed" by a demon back at home (Matt 15:22, Mark 7:25).

The "common" people did not have to ask Jesus for a diagnoses or inquire of Him what was wrong with their loved one. They all knew and understood the symptoms of a demon manifesting in the body. There was no billion dollar pharmaceutical industry putting out propaganda about chemical-imbalances and things like that. Their minds were free to take things at face-value and arrive at logical conclusions. The outward physical observable state of the person determined what spirit was at work. The surprise and wonder to the people was that there was actually someone who could cure these conditions (Mark 1:27-28). The Holy Spirit on the other hand will produce a state in the body of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal 5:22-23).

When the evil spirits were about to be cast out they would normally manifest and take control over the normal functioning of the body. The Bible talks about the demon seizing the person. When the person was in this state they were said to be possessed or demonised. They would often cry out at the top of their voice or be thrown into an epileptic fit on the ground (Mark 1:34, Mark 9:20). Sometimes the poor soul under the power of a devil would become excessively violent and need to be restrained in some way. The person under the power of a devil would sometimes become supernaturally strong (Luke 8:29, Acts 19:15-16). (It would be better to use the word "afflicted" or "tormented" by a demon as the word "possession" implies that the demon owns the whole person in body, soul and spirit on a 24 x 7 basis. Scripture views "possession" as another form of illness that needs healing. Today we might say that "Jesus healed all those suffering from physical and mental illnesses". The two categories are spoken of separately but at the same time lumped together under conditions that afflict people that need healing). (See modern solutions)

In the gospels we see cases of evil spirits causing deformities or infirmities in the body, like making the person bent over or making them blind or mute (Luke 13:10-17). Unclean spirits were able to work on the physical body to mimic or cause actual biological disorders and bring with them great suffering. Jesus was able to heal all these illnesses, normally with a word or command.

In modern times people want to divide things up into neat little boxes. They will talk about a psychological illness as if the body and evil spirits have nothing to do with it. However, they keep on finding that it is a combination of many things working together, bar the working of demons as that is unthinkable to modern man. He sees any ideas of Satan and demons as "dark-ages" thinking that has no place in his great halls of learning. However, we keep finding that his learning, more often than not, arrives at no conclusions. With this "coming of age" level of learning and advancement people tend to ridicule the Bible and its holistic and balanced message. It is a bit like the Pharisees and their attitude towards Jesus. Jesus was never trained in their schools and the Pharisees hated that fact. Jesus did not pay any attention to all their rules and traditions.

The disciples of Jesus given power to heal

For the disciples of Jesus to heal people and cast out demons they needed to have the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 10:17-21). This power and authority was given to them by Jesus (Matt 10:8, Luke 9:1-2). This was not a guarantee of success as we find in Scripture an instance where the disciples were not able to heal (Matt 17:19-21). This was due to the strength of demon and their lack of faith and prayer to deal with evil spirits of this kind (Mark 9:29). The demon had been exerting force on the body for a long time and doing damage to the physical body, making healing more difficult (Mark 9:21). You could say it had become deeply engrained in the physical body making it almost impossible to be healed. Jesus gave them a lesson on faith so that the impossible could become possible through God's power (Matt 17:20).

Due to various reasons the disciples of Jesus found that there was no set formula or ritual that would guarantee them success. Their success was tied up with their relationship and reliance on God. God is able to give and hold back His power as He chooses.

We even find that Jesus was held back from healing people because of their lack of faith (Matt 13:57-58, Mark 6:4-6). This was the case in His hometown where people did not receive Him and believe in Him. God in turn held back His blessing and power. You could say that their spiritual health, or lack of it, in that instance, was affecting their physical health. This was also before the invention of modern medicine, that has tended to elevate itself to a God-status in the world. Science in many ways is the new god of the age and scientists have tended to be the most critical of the Bible. This is to be expected when people's philosophies are waging war against God. They hate God and all the words He has spoken. Pride is a terrible thing. The whole drive to dismiss the Bible and its message is a return back to the worship of man and his own abilities (Rom 1:25). Mankind always wants to be autonomous and solve his own problems. His pride fills the universe as he imagines himself to have the answers. The original sin runs through the whole of human history.

Satan enters into Judas

Satan entered into Judas, who was also called Iscariot, who was counted with the twelve. - Luke 22:3
Then we have the case of Satan entering into Judas to give him the power and confidence that was needed to betray Jesus into the hands of the religious leaders. Satan was the driving force or power behind Judas' sin. Satan works in people and controls them to bring about his evil desires in the world. The world is under the control of the evil one. Judas was never considered as being sick or ill by an evil spirit, but he was still under Satan's control in his thoughts and desires. Sicknesses caused by evil spirits will tend to make the person dysfunctional. Judas was able to function well under the power of evil possessing him. You could say that Judas was overcome with a "functional delusion" in the belief that betraying Christ into the hands of the religious leaders was going to be a good thing for him. ⁴ He functioned very well in his delusion and was able to work at it with skill and precision. A sick person, on the other hand, may become catatonic, agitated, severely depressed, filled with terror or become delusional etc. A "dysfunctional delusion" is a belief or belief system that removes the ability to function normally in society. The sick person may become convinced that he is the centre of a government conspiracy and that the CIA are out to kill him. This may cause him to remain indoors and refuse to leave the house, leading to loss of employment and poverty. None of these things were true of Judas. Satan was using the lust for money that was already in Judas and giving great power to his sin (John 12:6), while blinding him to the consequences of what he was doing.

It may have worked like this for the shooter who recently tried to assassinate Donald Trump (USA). Satanic power was at work to give him the ability to get into the complex with a rifle, then to climbing onto the roof of a building, doing some range finding and reconnaissance, up to the point of taking a few shots. All this happened right under the nose of the most highly trained secret service agency. Power was given to him to make his inner desires become a living reality. The ability for anyone one of us to fall under the power of the devil, should make us fall on our knees pleading with God to deliver us from evil, as the LORD taught us to pray.

Satan sifts Simon Peter

The Lord said, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan asked to have all of you, that he might sift you as wheat "- Luke 22:32
Simon Peter was easily sifted by Satan and he quickly denied knowing Jesus (Matt 26:73-75). It was all Satan's power working on his body and mind and also working through the people around him. Here we have a person who is totally devoted to Jesus, doing the complete opposite of what he wanted to do when Satan came against him. He didn't stand a chance against the power of Satan, but God kept him from falling completely and granted him repentance (Luke 22:32-34, Luke 22:61-64). The temptation at this point is to say, "the devil made me do it". The truth is that the devil took hold of the sin that is already in me and roused it up, putting it into overdrive and casting me down (Jas 1:13-15).

Satan working a powerful delusion

... even he whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders - 2Thess 2:9
We read about a powerful delusion that is let loose on the earth in the last days (2Thess 2:1-12). This delusion is the working of Satan to deceive those who delight in wickedness and bring them to justice and eternal punishment in the lake of fire. God does this because people refuse to love the truth and be saved, so He hands them over to their own evil desires. All the blocks and restraining power that keeps them from running headlong into evil are removed (2Thess 2:7). They revel in their new-found freedom, enjoying and boasting about their lusts, but it is all a delusion. Their consciences are not bothered anymore by the message of the Bible and there is no fear of God, or the punishment of hell. God is only spoken of as a "God of love" and every other attribute of God revealed in Scripture is ridiculed or dismissed. All the God ordained boundaries for marriage, sex and many other things are removed as people are driven along by their evil desires. Pride and confidence in man rises to epidemic proportions. Mankind sees himself as a god where nothing is impossible for him. He looks out at Mars and says he can transform the planet into a planet like earth. He looks to political figures as his saviour. The true God as revealed in the Bible is replaced by the worship of man and his own abilities. During this time the man of lawlessness rises up in the church proclaiming himself to be God (2Thess 2:8). Religious leaders rise up proclaiming themselves to be infallible and on equal terms with Christ. They take on titles that are reserved for God alone, and ones that Christ Jesus forbade them to use (Matt 23:9).

The slippery slope starts with denying God as creator (Rom 1:20). Man then starts to boast about himself (Rom 1:22). It then moves onto the worship of idols and then into sexual immorality with the desire for unnatural relations (Rom 1:23-27). From here it moves on to general evil in all areas of life (Rom 1:28-32).

In the last 150 years we have seen the theory of evolution come in and seek to remove God from His creation. Following in the wake of "removing God" is an introspection and obsession with self, or a love of self (2Tim 3:1-5). With this comes the flood of sexual immorality that begins to pervert the whole of life. We now have a gender identity crisis brewing. This is useful in the hands of evil people to turn the world into a place filled with unnatural desires. The delusion is so great that people are not able to see, like Lot and his family, the impending doom of judgment by fire (Gen 19:14).

Satan tempts Ananias and Sapphira, which led to their death

Satan tempted and overcame Ananias and his wife in the early church. They sold a property and lied about the amount. They kept back part of the money and gave the rest, while pretending to be giving the full amount (Acts 5:1-11).

Satan, or the god of this age, blinds people to the truth

Even if our Good News is veiled, it is veiled in those who are dying, in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving - (2Cor 4:3-4)
Satan actively keeps people from hearing and understanding the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This is done in an almost limitless number of ways.

The apostles heal many

The apostles tended to be the ones who healed people from diseases and torment by evil spirits (Acts 5:16-17, Acts 19:11-12). This function, it seems from Scripture, was later given over to the elders in the churches using the anointing of oil and prayer of faith (Jas 5:14-18). James wrote this instruction to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations - basically to all church congregations everywhere (Jas 1:1). This makes perfect sense as the apostles were not present everywhere and neither were they going to live forever. It was a bit like Moses handing the function of being a judge over to many assistants, as all the people coming to him were too much for him to deal with and it was wearing him out (Exod 18:17-24). Following the method prescribed by Scripture does not automatically determine the outcome. It depends on a lot of things. If the elders praying for you are just going through the motions and don't have the required faith then you probably won't be healed, as the disciples of Jesus found when trying to heal a boy with a demon (Matt 17:15-21).

Some other references to Satan in the New Testament

Jesus was accused by the religious leaders of of driving out demons by Satan's power (Matt 12:25-29, Mark 3:23, Luke 11:18).

Jesus refers to Peter as "Satan" when Peter tried to deter Him from going to the cross (Matt 16:23, Mark 8:33).

Paul's commission to open up people's understanding so that they can turn from Satan to God (Acts 26:17-18).

Paul's rebuke and judgement on Elymas the sorcerer (Acts 13:8-11).

A spirit of divination driven out of a girl (Acts 16:16-19).

Paul's encouragement to people in Rome (Rom 16:20).

A man handed over to Satan for discipline (1Cor 5:4-5).

Avoiding the temptations of Satan in marriage (1Cor 7:5).

A call to avoid extremes so that Satan will not get the upper hand (2Cor 2:8-11).

False teachers in the church working in the same way as Satan does (2Cor 11:13-15).

The apostle Paul was given a thorn in the flesh (or messenger of Satan) to torment him and to keep him from becoming conceited (2Cor 12:7-9).

Satan blocked the apostle Paul from traveling to Thessolonica (1Thess 2:18).

Paul handing over members in the church to Satan to discipline them (1Tim 1:20).

Apostle Paul referring to people in the church who were following Satan (1Tim 5:15).

Leaders in the church must never be recent converts, else the devil will cause them to fall (1Tim 3:6).

Satan holds the power of death (Heb 2:14).

Believers called to submit to God and resist the devil (Jas 4:7).

The devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour (1Pet 5:8).

Children of the devil (1John 3:8).

Conclusion

From the Scripture we see the enormous power that Satan wields in the world. We see he is able to perform miracles, control the natural elements and groups of people. He can afflict people with torment and physical diseases. He is able to posses people to carry out his evil desires. He tempts and entices people. He can make people sick and infirm. He blinds people to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and spreads lies everywhere he goes. He is like a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour.

References and Notes