April 25
Some people, even some Christians, are of the opinion that satan doesn’t exist. They are convinced that he simply represents the concept that there is evil in the world. Perhaps a simpler people in a simpler time accepted the idea of God having an archenemy, but we are too sophisticated to believe that today.
Of course, some of the people who deny the concept of a real devil also diminish the idea of a real God who deserves our worship. They sit in church pews week after week then walk through the church doors into their ‘real lives’ where they comport themselves as though neither satan nor God is a reality.
But Jesus, God incarnate, an historically proven figure, had every reason to believe the reality of God and to believe the existence of satan. Jesus said that anyone who had seen Him had seen the Father, thereby confirming the reality of the first person of the Trinity (John 14:9) and affirming His own Godhood. And Jesus, the wisest, most logical Man who ever walked the earth addressed satan verbally when he offered Him all the kingdoms of the earth.
The Lord said to him, “Get thee behind Me, satan, for it is written, ‘Worship the Lord thy God and serve only HIm.’” Jesus knew the evil one’s desire to be like God, by receiving worship from mankind reserved only for the Holy One. Though satan has the riches of earth to dispense to whom he will, Jesus reminded him he has no right to God’s worship. When the trumpet has sounded, every eye shall behold Jesus and every knee shall bow before only Him (Philippians 2:10).
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