By David Faust
Do you take the devil seriously? Many people don’t. According to a 2023 Gallup poll, only 58 percent of Americans believe Satan exists (down from 70 percent two decades ago). Maybe they disbelieve in the devil because they think of him in childish, cartoonish terms. The Bible pictures him as a cunning adversary who twists the truth and tries to deceive, divide, and discourage us. Too clever to be obvious, he’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing who “masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).
The book of Revelation takes the devil seriously. A single verse calls him “that ancient serpent,” “the devil,” “Satan,” and the one “who leads the whole world astray” (Revelation 12:9). The next verse calls him “the accuser.” Satan is a hateful, lying smack-talker who denounces Jesus’ followers and “accuses them before our God day and night” (v. 10). The word devil means “slanderer.” Bible commentators call him “the malevolent critic” and “the cynical libeler.”
The Greek word translated “accuser,” kategor (the root of our word “category”), originally meant to “talk down” or “speak against”—to declaim, harangue, or assert in a public place. The New Testament uses the same root word to describe false accusations made at the trials of Jesus (Luke 23:2, 10, 14) and the apostle Paul (Acts 24:2, 8, 13, 19). First-century Christians understood what it was like to be falsely accused, tortured, and killed as martyrs for the faith. According to Dr. Lewis Foster, “The most loathsome person in Roman society was the paid informer who profited by accusing people before the Roman authorities. Satan operates in a similar way for his own advantage and pleasure. He accuses and slanders [us] before God as he did in the case of Job.”
Don’t Heed the Devil’s Words
Today many news commentaries, social media debates, and personal conversations contain half-truths, misinformation, disinformation, and useless information. We must be “as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16) to distinguish between fact and fiction, good and evil. Scripture provides guidance about how to handle legitimate legal or moral concerns. For example, accusations brought against church leaders must be credibly established by the testimony of multiple witnesses (1 Timothy 5:19-20). Rumor spreading, vicious name calling, and groundless accusations are the devil’s game-plan, not the Lord’s.
Don’t Do the Devil’s Work
Gossip and slander are serious sins. “A scoundrel plots evil, and on their lips it is like a scorching fire. A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends” (Proverbs 16:27-28). Malicious liars do the devil’s work.
Don’t Think the Devil Wins
Revelation chapter 12 paints a dramatic picture of Satan’s fury and God’s protection, complete with signs in the heavens and war between good and bad angels. Amid all the drama, twice the chapter describes the devil as being “hurled to the earth” (vv. 9-10).
The devil is real, and his influence is obvious when we view the world realistically and biblically. But Revelation leaves no doubt about another point: The devil is a loser.
Revelation 12:11 says God’s people “triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” How can we overcome the devil? Not by becoming slanderers ourselves, but by relying on, and faithfully testifying about, what Christ has done to redeem us.
Personal Challenge:
Do you participate in malicious talk and pointless quarrels? Do you give credence to false or misleading accusations about others? Commit yourself to obey Ephesians 4:29, which says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”
Author: Christian Standard
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Satan rides on the shoulders of a lot of politicians, red and blue. It never ceases to amaze me how so many people fall down and lick the boots of politicians who are so obviously evil.
What will their excuse be on judgement day.