Devil (Greek diabolos G1228)

See Satan.

“Accuser of the brethren” see Revelation 12:10-11

1. Overview of the study on Devil, devils

A fallen angel, particularly the chief of them, the Devil or Satan.

The chief difference between “Satan” (adversary) and “devil” (accuser) is the verbal aspect of devil. Why is the verbal aspect so important? It is because God puts a premium on holiness, and this holiness is involved with our testimony or reputation. It is not enough to defeat us, but Satan works to discredit us before God. In Satan’s antagonism against God using Job, Satan wanted God to admit that God’s servant Job was serving God and loyal to God for improper motives (that Job’s spirituality was exclusively for self-benefit, self-economic benefit, and not because he truly “loved God with all his heart”). Satan destroys God’s love for his children but attacking them in such a way as to discredit their relationship with God completely, making it a simple cause and effect. God blesses and protects them, therefore they do what God wants. If the child of God loses his divine blessing, provision, and protection, that person will hate God as much as Satan does. This, according to the accuser of the brethren, is exactly what Satan wants to “prove” to God.

See also Satan

1. Meaning of the Word “Devil”.

Literally the word “devil” comes from the Greek, to throw at, or across the way of someone. In actual use, it means a person (spirit-angel or human) who blasphemes or verbally attacks another. This is very often done unjustly, in that the accusation(s) “thrown” are false statements (having no validity) or incorrect statements (having some validity, but being twisted out of priority, emphasis, etc). In Hebrew the word “Satan” means adversary or opponent, which is very close in concept to devil.

One of the thoughts or elements or character which very tightly associated with the term “devil” is the cruelty and savagery of this person. For example, the “Tasmanian Devil” is an animal which is well known for his cruelty and fierce attacks. 1Pet 5:8 speaks of the Devil as a “roaring lion”, an animal or beast which has neither compassion nor mercy.

See also Satan

2. “THE Devil”.

1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

When the definite article is accompanying the word, it refers to our chief antagonist, the very Satan himself. He is the prince of wickedness in the world, and it is his great goal to oppose all the good that God wishes to do. The Devil works in distracting the souls of men from accepting and dedicating themselves to what God wants them to do. A distraction can be of any way, shape, or form, and this is seen in the entertainment industry which wholly dedicates itself to being man’s distraction.

The work that the Devil chiefly does is to distract men from God’s will, which is 1) to receive Jesus Christ by saving faith, and turn from their sin to their Savior. 2) to fulfill the particular will of God in each person’s life, and 3) to dedicate themselves to the work of God, which is evangelism with the true Gospel, (tell and motivate the unsaved to repent and receive Jesus Christ as their Savior), and the preparation and implementation of said believers in the work of God. Central to the work of God is the concept of the local church which Satan attacks and distracts men from the importance of the church in edification of their own Christian life, and its key place in world evangelism. Satan’s point is to distract people into “other ministries” that do not focus on doing the will of God by using the methods God has laid out.

See also Satan

3. The Character and Activities of the Devil

The devil is portrayed in Scripture as a cruel, malignant, wicked, and evil person which is the original fountain and father of hatred against man equally against God. He works without ceasing to destroy men’s lives and souls (See Abaddon and Apollyon). He is the fountain and father of lies, murder, hatred, and destruction. All the world is put at his disposition, and he works his evil in all the world. His chief opposition is to God, and Christ specifically, but he equally takes delight in opposing God’s children, and he invests his energies against God’s children because God Himself is inaccessible to him, i.e. he has no power over God, and he wins no victories when he directly opposes the person and being of God. Satan’s only victories are in God’s children, and God’s work among mankind.

See also Satan

4. Confrontations and Cures for the Devil

• Jesus rebuked the devil. Mat 17:18
• Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you James 4:7

The solution to the devil is confront him with your faith and love in God. Simply put, if you express your dedication to God (even though it may be weak and feeble), Satan cannot fight against it. Whereas the Devil (the false accuser) will make statements of you infidelity, lack of love, carnal motives, etc. to God, directly at us, and before men, these attacks are countered by your faith. When you remain faithful and dedicated to God, state this as your purpose and show this as the practice of your life, Satan’s attack is defeated.

2Tim 4:6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished [my] course, I have kept the faith:

This resistance is never completed while we walk the earth, and it is never done completely (once and for all) within us, but rather it is an opportunity by opportunity thing, whereby we resist the Accuser every moment of our lives by consistency and faithfulness (high fidelity to God’s person). The victory is won inch by inch, not mile by mile. The little things of our daily life that demonstrate how much God means to us by implementing the moral character of God (holiness, the image of Christ) in our lives is how we actually express our faithfulness to God and His person.

See also Satan

 5. Spiritual Warfare

The correct term for this is spiritual warfare, and it is highly involved with our holiness and piety. Warfare is about conceding to temptation to sin and act outside of God’s will. The battle is not chants, spells, nor well phrased verbal rebukes as the Pentecostals wish to reduce this. Spiritual warfare is letting the Holy Spirit use the Word of God (which you make a constant study in your private life) to effect the character of God (holiness, or the pattern which Christ has shown us in his own life) in our daily life.

• Matthew 13:37-39 “…the enemy… is the devil…”
• 1Sam 17:47 …the battle is the LORD’s…
• 1 John 3:8-9 Christ came to earth to defeat the works of the devil
• Colossians 1:13-14  Christ has delivered us.
• Rom 12:21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
• Jn 10:10 Satan is a thief which comes to steal, kill and destroy.
• Matt 12:30 He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
• Luke 14:31-33 going to war means counting the cost, and to fight in this spiritual warfare, we must forsake all that we have to follow Christ.
• 1Tim 1:18-19 Paul to Timothy “war a good warfare”
• 2Tim 2:1-4 being a good soldier of Jesus Christ, so therefore, no entagle yourself with the affairs of this life. (Note: entangle means to get so involved in something that you are not free to do something else more important.
• 2Cor 10:3-5 the battle is obedience to God’s will
• Awareness, attention (watching), and preparedness are the watchwords of the day 1Th 5:5-8.
• Romans 13:11-14 vigilance is seen as throwing off of one’s self the works of the flesh to do the works of the Spirit.
• 2Cor 6:3-7 our activity is to endure hardship, suffering, and affliction as soldiers of God
• Ephesians 6:10-20 An outline of our spiritualual warfare.
• 1Chr 5:20 the key to winning the battle is trusting God. (Judges 7:20-21)
• Romans 8:37-39 the victory is ours.
• Heb 11:33-34 The old heroes of faith won their battles by their faith in God.
• Matthew 16:18 The battle of God is build the church of Christ.

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus who witnessed the good confession before Pontius Pilate, that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing, which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen. (1 Timothy 6:12-16)

Spiritual Warfare Battle Tracking Matrix” about spiritual warfare.
Diane Dew – Spiritual Warfare.
The Moorings – Spiritual  Warfare.

See also Satan

 6. The End of the Devil

• Hell, the place of eternal punishment, was prepared for the Devil and his angels Mat 25:41.

See also Satan

 7. List of Bible references for Devil

Mat 4:1, 5, 8, 11; 13:39; 25:41; Luke 4:2, 3, 5, 6, 13; 8:12; John 6:70; 8:44; 13:2; Acts 10:38; 13:10; Eph. 4:27; 6:11; 1Ti 3:6-7; 2Ti 2:26; Heb 2:14; James. 4:7; 1Pe. 5:8; 1Jn 3:8, 10; Jude 1:9; Rev 2:10; 12:9; 12:12; 20:2, 10.

See also Satan