Right from the time of our childhood and even up to this moment, many people have this picture of a scary looking monster, with horns and tail, sharp fingers and all, as satan. But who really is satan, who does the bible tells us he is right from the creation of the world and down to this present moment? what would be our reaction if Satan is to come face to face to anyone today?
First of all, people don't see the need talking about Satan because, as we all know, everything regarding him is evil and should not be paid attention to. But somthing led me to talk about this topic today.
I was watching a video on Facebook and on this video, i saw a particular church in Nigeria, Africa, where the pastor asked the congregation to bring whips to church and during the church service, they whipped the floor, because the chief pastor told them Satan was below and they need to whip him for all the calamities he has caused. This was just one of many things that happen in the world today, people doing stupid things all in the name of fighting spiritual battle. I feel bad for the people that have no idea of what they are doing, but see it as the right thing to do.
Before you get to fight a particular enemy on the warfront, you need to understand your enemy and you need to find out what are the weak points of any particular enemy.
Satan as we all know, was a cherubim angel according to Isaiah, he was the most beautiful of all angels, and was also a leader among angels, his powers was higher than most angels, he was specially created by God. He was so different that, he led the angelic choir. He saw that he was above almost all the angels in rank and that was one of the things, that made him think he could overthrow God from his throne.
The book of Ezekiel gave us a brief insight about who satan truly is and why he thought he could over throw God.
Ezekiel 28: 12–19
Son of man, araise a lamentation bthe king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord God: You were the signet of, perfection full ofullisdom and dperfect in beauty
You were in eEden, the garden of God every precious stone was your covering, gsardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, 2 femerald, and carbuncle; we and crafted in gold were your settings and your engravings. On the day that you were created theywere prepared
You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you you were on the holy mountain of God in the midst of the stones of fire you walked
You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you
In the abundance of myour trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from kthe mountain of God, and I destroyed you,5 jO guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire
Your heart was proud because of oyour beauty you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground I exposed you before kings, to feast their eyes on you
In the passage above, we see who satan truly was. he was the best out of all angels. Infact when he rebelled against God, the bible said that, because of his sweet talk and his ability to communicate and convince, he was able to take one third of angels in heaven with him.
To show you how powerful the devil was, Most of the time angel Micheal the archangel encounter satan, he dared not to stand against satan, because he knew the power Satan possessed and how strong he was, the only way Micheal was able to defeat satan, was through the power of God, Micheal never faced Satan with his own Power, but always seek the strength and power of the Lord, cause that is the only way he was going to dare face satan.
When the angels of the Lord assembled themselves before the throne of God, satan also showed up, that's to show you how powerful he is to show up in the presence of the Lord, though he was powerless when he was around the presence of the Lord, because the glory and power of our Lord, over shadowed everything and satan can do nothing in his midst.
Now coming down to human trying to battle satan, or trying to cast out evil, there's no way one can actually achieve victory in the process of battle with satan without the help of the God. Even most times when exorcism are performed, we see the power of demons and how intense it could get. Most people who go to perform exorcism, most times don't make it, most times the priest or the pastor dies, because of the power of the devil in the possessed being.
When angel Micheal and Satan had a serious dispute regarding the body of Moses, the bible told us that, Micheal rebuked satan with the name of the Lord, Micheal could not have faced satan, without the divine protection of the Lord, because that is the only way he could battle satan. Micheal knew for a fact that, when satan was still an angel he was higher than him in rank and Micheal understand the powers that was giving to satan as an angel. And also, it would be a good thing to understand that, when Satan was casted out of heaven by the angels of God in battle, God never took away all that he has given him, he was casted out with every power he had in heaven. And No, satan is not in hell yet, Satan is on earth with each and everyone of us. Going around and looking for who to deceive. He was a good deciever that's why he was able to make one third of heavens anegls battle with him and casted out.
Now understand this, i am not trying to praise Satan for who he is or the power he possess or anything of that nature, all am trying to bring to the notice of everyone reading this, is that, we should know what we are up against when dealing with evil. We should know how important it is, to understand who you going into battle with, and how you need the Grace, powers and strength of the Most high God to be able to defeat Satan.
Most times i see people just scream and shout during prayers, binding and casting the devil, you need more than binding and casting to defeat the
satan for who he is. If angel Micheal the archangel can't defeat him without the power of God, then who are you to just imagine yourself defeating him with some random prayers.
Before you get ready to battle evil, you must first of all, put on the armour of God and seek his divine strength and Power to be able to rebuke Satan for who he is.
Furthermore, I'd like to explain that, Satan is not that Scary looking monster we all get to see in pictures or even movies. Satan was never ugly, infact the bible passage above described how beautiful he was, he was the most beautiful angel ever that was made out of every precious stone. His beauty and powers made him had pride and thought he could overthrow God's thrown.
The bible also tells us that Satan always come as everything you ever wished for. everything you prayed for to have, in that manner he is able to decieve who ever he wants to.
Even God had angels that were scary looking according to Ezekiel, The angels in his vision about heaven, were so scary looking that one could mistake them for the devil. They had four faces, one like a man, the other like an eagle, an ox and a Lion. Also had four wings, two civet their body and with two they flew. Their wings was covered fully with eyes and they the hands of man under their wings. Scary right? maybe until you get visited by one.
Finally my brothers and sisters, we should always have in mind who Satan is and what he is made of, when we are about to go into spiritual battle with him. we should always seek the divine help of the Lord during confrontation with Satan or evil as to have a glorious victory for our Lord.
May the good Lord grant us victory im any battle we encounter with evil. Amen