Up until this past summer, whenever I thought of the devil, I pictured a little, red man with a pointy black mustache and eyebrows. His pitchfork was almost as sharp as the horns on his head. His tail was so scary it must have been ten feet long and prickled with spikes drenched in poison. His smell? A person’s nose would tingle from the sulfur and smoke in the air once the devil was 2 miles away. To me, Satan was merely an evil Disney character.
Until we understand who Satan truly is, we will not be able to recognize evil and sin in all its forms. Therefore, this week we will be discussing Satan and move towards the nature of sin.
For today, let’s get the background on Satan. Stasi Elderidge revolutionized the way that I see Satan in her book Captivating. “You may know that Satan was first named Lucifer, or Son of the Morning. It infers a flory, a brightness or radiance unique to him. In the days of his former glory…many believe he was the captain of the angel armies of God. Satan fell because of his beauty. Now his heart for revenge is to assault beauty.” This excerpt is based off Ezekiel 28: “You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones…Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor” (Ezek. 28:12,14,17).
Woah! If this is your first time to hear some of this, it may be information OVERLOAD. It definitely was for me, so let’s break this down. First of all, Satan’s name is Lucifer, and he “was the model of perfection.” Said simply, Lucifer got cocky and believed that he was at the same level of holiness and power as God. Lucifer’s love for himself made him lose sight of God. What did God do with Satan next? “I [God] threw you to the ground…By sin after sin, by your corrupt ways of doing business, you defiled your holy places of worship. So I set a fire around and within you. It burned you up. I reduced you to ashes” (Ezek. 28: 18).
Here is the background on Satan. If you have even just a minute, read Ezekiel 28:11-19. It’s amazing to actually see Satan, the devil, for who he actually is. If nothing else, you should read this passage because it proves our Father to be one hardcore superhero.
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