Satan the Deceiver and Accuser
So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.”
Listen to the "Verse by Verse" episode covering this scripture.
The Bible gives us glimpses of the unseen spirit world. It describes a created angel of great beauty and power, Lucifer, who rebelled against God and was cast down to earth long ago ( Isaiah 14:12-14 ; Ezekiel 28:14-16). He became known as Satan the devil, the serpent who deceived Eve, and he is described here as a great dragon.
He has continued his work of deception ever since the time of Adam and Eve, deceiving the whole world. He uses many different tactics, including deceiving people into believing that he doesn’t even exist.
It seems God has allowed Satan access to heaven at times through human history (Job 1:6-11), and Satan has used these times as opportunities to accuse God’s people to God. But in the end time, this passage shows Satan is again cast out of heaven and comes down “having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time” ( Revelation 12:12 ). Later this week we’ll look at what will happen to him when that short time is over.
For more about Satan’s influence in this world today, read “Satan: A Profile” and “Why Does God Allow Evil and Suffering?”
