In The Curse of Sin, the personality that deceived Eve in the garden of Eden was Satan. He is called by many names, such as the Evil One, the Devil, the Adversary, the Deceiver, the Tempter, the Accuser, the Father of lies and etc. These names reflect his evil nature and work. Here we will look at this invisible enemy so that we are not ignorant of his existence or evil schemes.
Before God created the world some 6000 years ago, he made angels. They were spiritual beings serving him in the Kingdom of Heaven. Among them was a guardian angel called Lucifer (meaning morning star), who was highly ranked and beautiful in appearance. But one day he looked at his own beauty and wisdom and became proud. He wanted to make himself like God, sitting on throne in the highest position and ruling over other angels (stars). So he rebelled against God and so did a third of the angels who followed him.
So God cast Satan and the rebellious angels out of Heaven. These fallen angels serve Satan and they carry out his evil schemes against God and his creation, starting with Adam and Eve. His plot was to cause Adam and Eve to sin so he could destroy mankind and dominate the world through evil.
Now, God had told Adam not to eat from the tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. But Satan succeeded in deceiving Eve to eat from that tree and she gave some to Adam. He ate it and immediately both knew they were in serious trouble. From that day, sin which originated from Satan’s pride and rebellion entered the world. It brought condemnation and completely changed the destiny of men. Satan succeeded in murdering mankind by putting an end to their physical as well as spiritual life (separation from God).
To this day, Satan is seeking to destroy more lives. His goal has always been to steal, kill and destroy the entire human race. Here, we will look at some of his evil works against mankind.
1. Satan lies, deceives and tempts men to sin. He knows very well that any sin committed is a rebellion against God and it will be judged. So he works relentlessly to keep people in sin in order to destroy their lives on earth and eternally. He also takes people captive to do his evil will in order to cause more people to sin. His intention is to destroy men completely, giving them no hope and no life.
2. Satan uses men to hurt other people. Just like Eve in the garden of Eden, he continues to speak and tempt men to commit what is wrong. He does this by speaking to their minds to do what is selfish and harmful to others. His intention is to rob men of peace by creating disharmony, fight, quarrel, strife, murder, divorce and other problems we see today.
3. Satan entices people to love the temporal things of this world. It could be riches, power, pleasures, popularity, sex, gluttony, drinking, drugs, phones and etc. By doing this, he is able to turn their attention to earthly pursuits and self-gratification. This leaves them no space and time to pursue what is permanent and eternal.
4. Satan rules over demons, which are evil spirits. They roam the world to carry out his plans to oppress people by inflicting them with disease, sickness, fear or even death. In some cases, a single demon or multiple demons would totally possess a person. Modern medicine will not help those who are oppressed or possessed by demons. These demons must be cast out for healing to take place.
5. Satan stops people from believing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He blinds their minds so that they could not see the need for repentance and the forgiveness of sins. He deceives men into thinking that they are good people. Even if they do sin, it is not a big sin or there is no consequence. He takes away the truth that could set people free and continues to keep them in darkness through lies and deception.
6. Satan continues to attack people who believe in Jesus Christ. He sows doubts about their salvation, accuses them of wrongs and deceives them through false teachings. He also sends false teachers and prophets among the believers to lead them astray. His wicked intention is to turn believers from their faith. So he constantly looks for opportunities to cripple the Church and to turn Christians back to sin and unbelief again.
These are just some of the wicked works of Satan, our enemy. He will continue to wage war against mankind until he is locked up in a prison, when Jesus Christ returns to rule the earth for a thousand years.
Then he will be released for a short time to deceive the nations again and to gather them for war against Christ. But he will be defeated and thrown into the Lake of Fire (Hell) to suffer torment day and night forever. This will be his final destiny, together with all the fallen angels, demons and those who do not believe and obey the Gospel.
* When men is mentioned, it also refers to women.