“The devil” tempted Jesus. Satan is a created spirit (Ezekiel 28:14-15), a fallen angel who “masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). Satan is also known as the devil, “Diabolos” in Greek. He is the prince of this world (John 12:31, 14:30). The ancient serpent is the prince of the air (Ephesians 2:2; Revelation 12:9, 20:2) and the prince of devils (Matthew 12:24). He is our enemy. Luke 10:18 records Jesus saying, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven,” when the disciples were sent out to preach the gospel.
The devil is the enemy. People are not the enemy. The people of the world, those who follow the ways of the world, become the devil’s tools. They are not the enemy. Satan, our enemy, wages war against God’s people not by putting ideas in our heads, for we have the Holy Spirit who keeps Satan out of our heads. Rather, the devil puts ideas in the heads of people who reject the Holy Spirit. The beginning of the book of Job and Judas’ decision are examples of how the devil wages war against us. Jesus’ temptations are an example on how to resist the devil’s schemes.
Satan and his demonic followers are our enemy. Also, our sinful nature and death are our enemies. The devil has no power over us, yet he has schemes that are intended to separate us from God and his will for our lives. “The rulers, authorities, powers, and spiritual forces of evil” work amongst the rulers of nations as the book of Daniels states. Apostle Paul wrote, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” (Ephesians 6:12-13)
