Isaiah writes about Satan falling and being cast down to earth (Isaiah 14:12-15, 2011, New International Version). Satan fell from heaven and is going to hell. Satan wants to take you with him to hell. Jesus wants to save you from the grips of Satan and hell. Jesus is offering an opportunity to go to heaven. Jesus briefly describes our choice of who we want to spend eternity with. Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10, New International Version).
Jesus tells the story of the Prodigal Son, and the boy’s desire to get away from his loving family he thought had too many rules (Luke 16:11-32, New International Version). Just as the devil played mind games with the prodigal son, telling him he deserved his own freedom, the devil plays that same game with everyone. While “Beelzebul” implies pagan association and is thus more amenable to the scribes’ aims, to speak of “Satan” reframes the context in spiritual terms, with Jesus’s power explained in the context of his cosmic battle against God’s enemy.[1] Satan wants to trick you just like he did with the prodigal son. Without experiencing or witnessing the evil and suffering Satan has caused through his hate, one would not be able to describe it. In some ways, this is like attempting to describe an emotion you never experienced.
The Israelites did not appreciate slavery under the Egyptians. Once they were freed from the Pharaoh and Egypt, they understood both slavery and freedom. The Israelites now celebrate the Passover every year. Joshua questions the Israelites, “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you … But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15, New International Version). God is also asking His people the same question, and we need to determine who to follow.
If choosing who to follow and spend eternity with, we first need to understand who they are and what their tendencies are. Patricia Snow writes, “If the devil's best trick is said to be convincing people he doesn't exist, the postconciliar Church collaborated in the deception.”[2] Let us look at the question of the evil Satan has caused in the world a little closer. Satan shows us his evil in attempts to bring people to hell. The amazing part is that the Deceiver then tells people to blame God because of what he, Satan, has done. The sad truth is people then follow Satan because they say they hate the evil of the world that Satan has caused.
Christians also have stories of bondage in addiction to sin. The devil and other sinners introduce them to the bondage of addiction. Once they turn to God and follow God’s instructions, they are freed from the addiction. With the new freedom through God, the new person made whole by God can now share their experience with others. Paul wrote about problems and trials and how it makes God’s people stronger (Romans 5:3-4, New International Version). God can turn Satan's evil into something good. Paul writes, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28, New International Version). You have seen the love which comes from our Almighty God. You have also witnessed pure evil from the devil directly or indirectly. This provides a glimpse of the love of Jesus when He laid His life down for your salvation. And you have seen just a small glimpse of the evil and hate from Satan. Feel blessed that God is giving the world a glimpse of heaven and hell before making a choice. There is much more love from God and much more hate from Satan. It is time to determine where you want to spend eternity.
Chaplain John
Bibliography
Otten, Jeremy D. 2023. "The Devil in the Details: Beelzebul and Social Identity Complexity in Mark 3:20–35" Religions 14, no. 8: 1070. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14081070.
Snow, Patricia. “Satan Unbound: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life,” First Things no. 328 (December 1, 2022).
[1] Jeremy D. Otten, "The Devil in the Details: Beelzebul and Social Identity Complexity in Mark 3:20–35," Religions (Aug 2023), https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14081070.
[2] Patricia Snow, “Satan Unbound: A Monthly Journal of Religion and Public Life,” First Things no. 328 (December 1, 2022), https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/satan-unbound/docview/2737177507/se-2.