In our day the very existence of the devil is denied by many, notwithstanding the warnings given in the Word of God of his ceaseless activity in the earth. Why should men doubt the existence of this malignant spirit when it is so evident in the lives of the fallen children of men that they are under the power of sin and Satan? As we come into this world we are under the power of spiritual death and are slaves of the devil, doing his will in the practice of all manner of sin and evil. From that slavery we cannot set ourselves free. We are yoked into his service and, if it is in Satan’s power, he will see to it that we shall never go free from it. This is his aim. Having brought mankind under his power through deceiving our first parents, he intends to hold them as his bond slaves until they perish.
Satan has a mighty kingdom. It is very extensive, stretching to the uttermost bounds of the earth. Go where you will upon the face of the earth there you will find men and women, young and old, grinding in the prison house of the devil. As he himself is ever active in all manner of wickedness, so he keeps his votaries more and more active in his service. He has blinded the minds of sinners so that they are unaware as to whose service they are in. The unbelieving Jews had to say: “We were never in bondage to any man.” But the Saviour, who knew their true condition, could declare to them: “Ye are of your father the devil, and his works ye do.” Satan’s kingdom is not the kingdom of light, but of darkness, and the darkness in which blinded sinners are held is but a forerunner of the blackness of darkness into which they will be plunged eternally, if they are not delivered from his service. Satan is the enemy of the souls of men, seeking their eternal destruction. Well were it for poor sinners if their eyes were opened to see it, though it is then that they would discover how tied they are to his service. It is when poor needy sinners struggle to set themselves free that they discover how secure are those bands which tie them to the service of sin and Satan. Well might they despair of ever getting free from such bondage were it not for the revelation given in the Word of God of the One “who is stronger than the strong man armed.” It requires omnipotent power, divine power, to rescue a soul, and bring that soul out of darkness into light, and from the power of sin and Satan to God.
As Satan’s activity concerns the maintenance of his kingdom, he will do all in his power to prevent poor sinners from leaving his service. It is certain, therefore, that wherever the glorious gospel is preached, there we may expect Satan to be active. We are told in the Word of God that he, as the god of this world, blinds the minds of them which believe not, “lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ who is the image of God, should shine unto them.” So, too, is he ready, as the parable of the sower shows, to snatch away the Word of God from the heart, lest sinners should believe and be saved. When sinners are stirred up, by the grace of God, to seek an interest in the Lord Jesus Christ, it is then that Satan will put every stumbling-block imaginable in their way. How he labours to assure them that, for them, the day of grace is passed. If this will not succeed he will represent to them that their sins are so great, or so many that they cannot be forgiven. He will strive to discourage them from earnestly seeking salvation, making out to them that there is no need for such earnestness on their part. If this is to no avail, he will tell them that their name is not in the book of life, therefore it is vain for them to think that they will ever find salvation. Yet all the strategems of the devil will not succeed where the Lord has stirred up the soul of a sinner to seek after Him. Rather is the soul stirred up to cry all the more to the Lord for deliverance from the kingdom of darkness, and that cry the Lord will hear in His mercy and in His love and set the soul of the sinner free.
When the Lord delivers a soul by His mighty power from out of the hand of the terrible, is that then the end of Satan’s activity so far as that soul is concerned? Does he say to himself: ‘I have lost that soul from my kingdom and it is vain for me to trouble myself any more about it’? Far from it! The very fact that that soul has been ingrafted to Jesus Christ in his effectual calling and has been made a partaker of His grace, only draws out the enmity and hatred of this implacable foe. His hatred to Christ and to the ways of righteousness is such that he will do all in his power to tempt and try and assault the child of God. If he knows now that they are beyond his power to destroy, yet he knows that they are not beyond his power to harass and attack. The image of God in our first parents drew out the enmity of Satan at the beginning. So, too, the image of Christ in the people of God draws out the enmity of Satan towards them. In so far as the Lord permits it, he will show his utmost venom, being the serpent he is, towards the children of God. They are ever to keep this in remembrance. If he had the audacity to tempt the Saviour while He was in this world, how much more His followers. The people of God are ever to remember that while they are in this world they are never secure from his attacks.
The Apostle Peter, in writing to the strangers scattered throughout the various provinces of Asia Minor, put them in remembrance of their danger from this malignant foe. Writing under divine inspiration he speaks of him in this way: “Your adversary, the devil” and goes on to tell them that “as a roaring lion he walks about seeking whom he may devour.” How many strong ones he has cast down already, but that does not satisfy him for he seeks to cast down many more. If he cannot destroy them utterly, yet he will do his utmost to destroy their usefulness. He rejoices wherever, through his activity, a strong one falls, and reproach is thereby cast upon the Cause of Christ in the world. He knows he will do the most injury to Christ’s Cause if he can make a standard-bearer fall and therefore we can be sure that he reserves his greatest assaults for them. What need there is then that they be upheld by the prayers of the people of God.
The message the Apostle has for those to whom he is writing is this: “Be sober, be vigilant.” If they are to be prepared for this enemy they much be watchful, ever guarding against his approach. He is a subtle foe and knows how best, and when best, to attack the unwary. As the Lord’s people are always to be alert, so are they walk in a way of sobriety, living a godly life, so that they will not give Satan an opportunity to have an advantage over them. Let them be careless and uneven in their life, giving way to carnality and sloth, and the enemy will come in to do his nefarious work. They need to take unto them the whole armour of God. They do not fight against flesh and blood but against principalities and powers. Only in the strength of divine grace can they stand and overcome such a foe. They are to resist him steadfast in the faith, not giving way to unbelief but hold fast to the doctrines of God’s Word because of the strength this gives in resisting the enemy.
What encouragement can believers find in the Word of God to sustain them in their conflicts? One of these is the knowledge that they are not alone in this but that the same afflictions are accomplished in their brethren which are in the world. Satan’s enmity is not merely against one individual but against all who love the Lord Jesus Christ. But believers may also be sustained in the knowledge that their glorified Head, when He was here in this world, conflicted with this adversary and obtained the victory, and obtained that victory at the very time when Satan thought he had obtained the victory, through stirring up the unbelieving Jews to secure the crucifixion of the Lord of life and glory. They are to remember that through Christ they, too, are to obtain victory over this enemy, not only in particular conflicts, but also ultimate full victory at death. They are to remember that Satan is already a defeated foe. Christ has given him the death blow from which he shall never recover, and His people will yet see Satan a defeated foe on the field of battle. Let them not forget that the God of peace shall bruise Satan under their feet shortly.
As the enmity of Satan to the people of God individually is not to result in him being victorious over them, so Satan’s enmity to Christ’s Church in the earth is also to fail to secure the Church’s overthrow. The Zion of God is so securely established that all the ingenuity of the wicked one will never succeed in bringing about its destruction. Though in dark days it may appear as if Satan is to accomplish his will upon her, yet the Lord will see to it that this shall never be so. He is pledged to maintain His Cause. The gates of hell shall never prevail against her. Yet this will never make Satan cease from his attacks upon her. His inveterate hatred to her glorified Head in heaven makes certain that he will do all in his power to weaken her and mar her witness. What success he has had so far as many branches of the visible Church are concerned! By his deceit and cunning he has turned the Church of Rome into a synagogue of the devil. So far as other Churches are concerned he has so infiltrated them by his followers as to practically destroy their witness. What Satan hates is the truth of God’s Word, and wherever that Word is found in a measure of purity, and the Word faithfully preached, there we may expect the assaults of the wicked one, either as a roaring lion, or, if it suits his purpose better, as an angel of light. Because the truth of God yet remains among us as a Church, we may expect the onslaughts of the wicked one again and again, just as his arrows have been aimed at us in the past in his attempts to blunt or destroy our witness. It is vain to think that we can preserve ourselves when these attacks come. We must look to the mighty God of Jacob, who gave deliverance in the past, and who will give deliverance in the future, if we look to Him.