He’s as real as Jesus is, and he is a central figure in the white pages of your Bible.
In Isaiah 14:12, God tells us that his name is Lucifer, but don’t try to find that if you’re packing an NIV, because I guess Old Lucifer didn’t want his name in there for everybody to see, so he managed to have it removed. He’s Satan, and he’s transformational in his own way, with almost magical powers, in relation to which 2 Corinthians 11:14 (KJV) tells us “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.” Must be so, as he got the NIV editors to drop the name Lucifer and insert one of the names of Christ, “Morning Star”! Crazy… but true!
I’ve heard for most of my life, “What’s in a name?” Sometimes a lot and often it’s extremely telling. Satan apparently agrees, but fortunately, God has preserved His word for us in the King James Bible, and there are names of Satan to be found there which will tell you that the social distancing you need to keep from Satan should be expressed in terms of light years. Consider these names or appellations: Devil, Satan (resister), Apollyon and Abaddon (destroyer), Dragon, the prince of the power of the air, and the god of this world. And we’ve just gotten started, for the list also includes the accuser of our brethren, adversary, liar, antichrist, murderer, beast, Beelzebub, Belial, deceiver, son of perdition, enemy,
tempter, thief, serpent, and the wicked one. No doubt I’ve left out a few, but you get the picture. There’s often a whole lot in a name, and in the names of the Devil there’s a whole lot to hate and stay clear of! We’re taught in Ephesians 4:27 to not give him any place in our lives, nor to in any way allow him to gain a foothold “Neither give place to the devil.”
But he’s sneaky. God tells us early on in Genesis that 3:1 that “… the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made.” Then, later in Ephesians 6:11 we are instructed to “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” He’s Wiley Coyote in real life and then some, and we need to be the Road Runner! But the good news is that we are informed with a great truth in James 4:7 “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Well,well,well; we can trade places so that we, as the Road Runner, can make Wiley Coyote run from us! Imagine that!
The names tell you enough to drive home the point, however, evidently some people actually worship the Devil, and supposedly some “respectable” organizations have bought in to Luciferian doctrine. He’s not the LORD’s brother and never was, and he’s a very bad being. But one of his greatest deceptions is leading much of the world to believe that he’s not really real, that he’s just a cute comedy character, or that he is some vague mystical force of evil. Don’t buy it. He’s real, he hates Jesus and he hates all who follow Jesus. He’ll get his due when God removes the apostrophe from the first word in this sentence! But in the meantime, make sure you put on the whole armour of God when you go to bed and when you get up! He’s a very bad being.
I’ve got a better name for you and here it is: “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." It’s a capital idea, and there’s infinitely and eternally more in that Name! He is the LORD Jesus Christ, and He’s all good!
Love and Prayers to you all,
Pastor
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