The Bible reals that Satan is a person -- not just an evil principle -- for he abode not in the truth, spoke to God, reasoned, etc. -- John 8:44; Job 1:1-22; 2:1-13; 2 Corinthians 2:11; 11:14,15.
God created Adam just, straight, upright (Ecclesiastes 7:29) and told him if he disobeyed he would begin to die, but Satan won control over mankind by his first lie that they would not die. -- Genesis 2:17; 3:4; Ezekiel 18:4,20; Romans 5:12; 6:23.
As a result of sin, God sentenced Adam to the foretold condemnation, "Dying, you shall die" (Genesis 2:17, Green's Litera); "to dust you shall return," but He also offered a covenant promise of reversal of this condemnation when He said that the woman's seed shall bruise Satan's head. -- Genesis 3:14-19; Revelation 12:9; 20:2.
A woman in the Bible often symbolizes a covenant. (Galatians 4:22-26) Thus, the woman of Genesis 3:15 may be seen to be God's covenant "word of promise", a promise of a seed. -- Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14; Romans 9:9; Acts 3:25; Galatians 3:8,16,18,29; 4:28; 2 Timothy 2:8.
Nevertheless, ever since God's sentencing of Adam and Eve, Satan has tried to destroy or ensnare the seed of the woman.
The Bible shows that Satan before the Flood induced some angels to materialize and marry women, thus producing a hybrid offspring and very evil conditions. -- Genesis 6:1-7; Jude 6,7.
God, however, by the Flood destroyed that "world [Greek, kosmos, its social order consisting of both a heavens and an earth -- not the planet earth (Psalm 104:5)] that was" -- saving only Noah and family. -- 2 Peter 2:4,5.
Consequently, Satan with the aid of his fallen angels soon enslaved Noah's progeny through Nimrod, and began various false religions, etc., and thus by usurpation became "the god [mighty one] of this ['present evil'] age." -- Genesis 10:1-32; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Galatians 1:4; John 12:31; 14:30.
And yet Jehovah promised righteous Abraham that through him and his seed all nations would be blessed. -- Genesis 12:1-3; 15:6; 17:19, 21; 22:15-18; 26:4; 28:14; Romans 4:3.
Therefore, Satan made special attacks on Isaac, Esau (causing him to sell his birthright), Jacob, Joseph, Moses, the children of Israel, Saul, David, Solomon, his progeny, the prophets, etc. -- Luke 11:47-51.
Finally, God sent His only begotten Son, the promised seed, to give his life a ransom, so all would be given one full individual trial for eternal life. -- Galatians 3:8,16; Matthew 20:28; 1 Timothy 2:5,6; 1 John 2:2; 4:9,10.
In an effort to thwart God's purposes, Satan tried to ensnare or destroy Jesus and finally succeeded in having him crucified. -- Matthew 4:1-11; 8:24; Luke 4:29; 22:3-6,47,48; 23:33,34.
Despite Satan's efforts, God raised Jesus from the dead and exalted Him to the highest position in the universe, next to Most High. -- Acts 2:33,36; 5:30,31; Philippians 2:9-11; Ephesians 1:3,17-23; 1 Corinthians 15:27; Hebrews 1:4; 1 Peter 3:22.
Due to Jesus' victory of Satan, Satan became desparate, realizing that he was running out of time; thus, Satan, no longer able to attack Jesus personally, has since tried to destroy the Church, Jesus' Body and has sought to hinder its development, for it also is a part of Abraham's Seed that is to bless all mankind. -- Romans 12:5; 4:13-16; Ephesians 1:18-23; Galatians 3:7-9,29; Revelation 12:9-17.
Due to Jesus' victory of Satan, Satan became desparate, realizing that he was running out of time; thus, Satan, no longer able to attack Jesus personally, has since tried to destroy the Church, Jesus' Body and has sought to hinder its development, for it also is a part of Abraham's Seed that is to bless all mankind. -- Romans 12:5; 4:13-16; Ephesians 1:18-23; Galatians 3:7-9,29; Revelation 12:9-17.
Jehovah, in spite of Satan's persecutions, prospered and multiplied the early Church. -- Acts 2:41; 5:14.
Consequently, Satan, failing to destroy the Church by persecutions, perverted it with false doctrines and bad practices {Matthew 13:24-28; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10; 1 John 4:3), so that the true Church became almost unrecognizable, because of so many tares (imitation Christians).
God, however, has kept His promise never to forsake His loyal people, so amid all Satan's errors and the "gross darkness" upon the people, God gave His true saints "a little help" through such faithful servants as Marsiglio, Wyclif, Huss, Savonarola, Luther, Zwingli, Cranmer, Wesley, and many others. -- Hebrews 13:5,6; Matthew 28:20; Isaiah 60:2; Daniel 11:34; Micah 5:5.
Nonetheless, Satan controlled Christendom by "the chained Bible," ignorance, superstition, heathen philosophies and various errors, especially errors such as the Divine right of kings, clergy and aristocracy -- and to support his first lie (Genesis 3:4), he used the false teaching of consciousness of the dead, inherent immortality of the human soul and the blasphemous doctrine of eternal torment, using figurative Bible texts and parables literally and confusing hades and Gehenna so as to deceive.
God's prophecies, however, indicate that since 1799, in "the time of the end," God has greatly increased knowledge. -- Daniel 12:4; Nahum 2:3,4.
Therefore, with the dispelling of his old errors, Satan and his demons ("seducing spirits") have brought forth new "doctrines of devils" (1 Timothy 4:1): Evolution, Theosophy, Christian Science, New Thought, Mormonism, Rosicrucianism, Universalism, Scientology, etc. -- and are multiplying deceptive "signs and wonders" (2 Thessalonians 2:9) -- including witchcraft, black art, fortune-telling, alleged talking with the dead, Satanism, clairvoyance, spirit-rapping, sorcery, crystal-ball gazing, tea-leaf reading, spirit-writing, hypnotism, ESP, astrology, poltergeists, horoscopes, ouija boards, "flying saucers", and much more.
Yet, many Christians do not realize that God forbids His people to have anything to do with such media. -- Exodus 22:18; Leviticus 19:26,31; 20:6, 27; Deuteronomy 18:9-14; 1 Chronicles 10:13,14; 2 Kings 21:6; 2 Chronicles 33:6; Isaiah 8:19,20; 19:3,4; Jeremiah 29:8,9; Zechariah 10:2; Galatians 5:19-21; Revelation 21:8; 22:15.
The Biblical prophecies show that God through Christ victorious in refuting Satan's errors by the truth and in using the "time of trouble" (World War, Revolution and Anarchy) to bind Satan and demolish his empire, preparatory to establishing God's Kingdom on earth, --Revelation 19:11-21; 11:15-18; 20:1-4; 1 Kings 19:11, 12; Psalms 46:8-11; 76:8-10; Daniel 12:1; Matthew 24:21,22; 12:29; 6:10; Micah 4:1-4.
Eventually, the Satan's dominion will be brought to an end, for God "shall bruise Satan under your [the elect Seed's] feet shortly"; for God "will have all men [including the non-elect -- 1 Timothy 4:10; Hebrews 2:9; 1 John 2:2] to be saved [from Adamic condemnation] and to come unto the [exact] knowledge of the truth." -- Romans 16:20; 1 Timothy 2:4-6; Numbers 14:21; Isaiah 11:9.
With Satan out of the way, God will bring forth "the new earth [social order]" in which mankind will have their judgment (trial for life) as they come up the "highway" to human perfection, without the present blinding influence of Satan. -- Acts 17:31; 2 Peter 3:7-13; Isaiah 35:1-10; 65:17-25; Revelation 20:1-4; 21:1-5; 22:17.
However, the prophecies show that Satan, when loosed for mankind's final testing, will soon gain a host of followers, but God will annihilate him and all the wicked. -- Revelation 20:3,7-10; 21:8; Psalms 37:9-11,38; 145:20; Isaiah 43:17; Hebrews 2:14.
Gleefully, the result will be that God will thus have won the contest; for Satan will be no more, "all iniquity shall stop her mouth," and all creatures will praise God and Christ forever. -- Ezekiel 28:19; Psalms 107:42; Revelation 5:12, 13.
