"You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it." (John 8: 44 nkjv)
In the last chapter in this series we focused on how the Devil or Satan is the "father" of lies and of all practicing liars. In this chapter we focus on how he is also the father of murders. The above text says that Satan was both a murderer and a liar from the beginning and that all his children lie and murder as does their father. What do we learn will be the eternal destiny of unrepentant liars and murderers? These verses give us that answer:
"But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Rev. 21: 8 nkjv)
"Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." (I John 3: 15 nkjv)
So, how was Satan a murderer in the beginning? Was it not because he murdered Adam, Eve, and the human race by lying and deceiving Eve to disobey God and bring upon them the sentence of death? Satan killed Eve by talking her into suicide, and there is a lot of that going on in our day, especially due to the Internet. Recall that in our first post in this series we cited the words of the apostle John who said that "the Devil has been sinning from the beginning." (I John 3: 8) So, how has he been sinning or murdering "from the beginning"? What murders is he now guilty of? Consider this text first:
"And in her was found the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who were slain on the earth." (Rev. 18: 24 nkjv)
This is said of the whore of Babylon, but may be also said of Satan who inspires her. She rides a beast who is none other than Antichrist, the son of Satan.
Satan is a killer, murderer, assassin, and is one of the reasons why he is called Abaddon and Apollyon (Rev. 9: 11), the former being the Hebrew and the latter being the Greek, and both meaning a destroyer, which would of course include killing or murdering. He is responsible for every human death by his tempting Eve to sin, and Adam doing the same. Though Satan is not the direct cause for each person's death, yet he is the murderer of all for by his killing of Adam and Eve he killed the human race. In World War II Hitler murdered no one directly, except himself, and yet who can deny that he was the murderer of all who died in that great war?
We generally think of Cain as being the first murderer, but that title really belongs to Satan who inspired Eve to kill herself by sinning, and who incited Cain to murder his righteous brother. The apostle John says "Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother," and then asks "And why did he murder him?" He says it was "Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous." (I John 3: 12 nkjv) He also was the chief instigator in the murder of Jesus Christ.
"Then Satan entered Judas, surnamed Iscariot, who was numbered among the twelve. So he went his way and conferred with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray Him to them." (Luke 22: 3-4 nkjv)
"And supper being ended, the devil having already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, to betray Him." (John 13: 2 nkjv)
So, Satan was inspiring Judas and others to murder Christ. So, who can claim to be a greater murderer than Satan? Not only did he murder the human race, but was the ringleader of those who crucified the innocent Jesus.
In the previous post, in speaking of Satan as the "father of lies" we gave as an example his inspiring Annanias and Saphirra to lie to God the Holy Spirit and for this they were killed by the Lord. Of course, God did not murder them, but we may well say that Satan murdered them, or that they killed themselves by Satan's leading them to lie. In an allusion to the Devil the Lord Jesus said: "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy." (John 10: 10 nkjv) Peter says:
"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." (I Peter 5: 8 nkjv)
These verses show that Satan is a murderer who is trying to murder all he can. We know that he was behind the murders of Job's children, for he, by God's permission, moved others to do it. So the text reads:
"12 And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord. 13 Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house; 14 and a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, 15 when the Sabeans raided them and took them away—indeed they have killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!” 16 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants, and consumed them; and I alone have escaped to tell you!” 17 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three bands, raided the camels and took them away, yes, and killed the servants with the edge of the sword; and I alone have escaped to tell you!” 18 While he was still speaking, another also came and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother’s house, 19 and suddenly a great wind came from across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell on the young people, and they are dead; and I alone have escaped to tell you!”" (Job 1: 12-19 nkjv)
All this death came from Satan. He killed by means of the Sabeans and the Chaldeans and by causing fire to fall from the sky and tornadic winds which killed Job's sons and daughters. He "moved" the Sabeans and Chaldeans to murder. He did this even with king David, for it is recorded thusly:
"Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel." (I Chron. 21: 1 nkjv)
This was an act of disobedience to the Lord. Even Joab, David's right hand man, tried to talk him out of taking the census, and even refused to number two of the tribes. So, what was God's reaction to this sin of king David?
"7 And God was displeased with this thing; therefore He struck Israel. 8 So David said to God, “I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing; but now, I pray, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly.” 9 Then the Lord spoke to Gad, David’s seer, saying, 10 “Go and tell David, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: “I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you.” 11 So Gad came to David and said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Choose for yourself, 12 either three years of famine, or three months to be defeated by your foes with the sword of your enemies overtaking you, or else for three days the sword of the Lord—the plague in the land, with the angel of the Lord destroying throughout all the territory of Israel.’ Now consider what answer I should take back to Him who sent me.”
David of course wisely chose the last option, saying “I am in great distress. Please let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are very great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man.” (vs. 13)
Then we see the death that came from the sword of God as a result of the sin of David, a sin that Satan "moved" him to do. The record says:
"14 So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel, and seventy thousand men of Israel fell. 15 And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it. As he was destroying, the Lord looked and relented of the disaster, and said to the angel who was destroying, “It is enough; now restrain your hand.” And the angel of the Lord stood by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite."
Some followers of Satan challenge Christians and Bible believers by asking "Who has killed more? God or Satan?" This is the kind of question you would find a son of the Devil asking. Yes, God kills, but he only kills as capital punishment those who have committed capital crimes. But, that is far different from the killing of Satan, for he kills the innocent. He violates the express will of God as expressed in his commandments, and yet without God's permissive will he could not murder anyone. We see that in the case of Job and in the case of Christ. The people who the government employs to execute those on death row are not murderers. Nor is God for the same reason. Yes, God via the angel killed thousands of people as a punishment for David's sin, but David's sin is the result of Satan's incitement of David. Many question God's justice in killing people for the sins of others, which is what he does here. But, that is beyond the scope of this post and short series. You can read about my answer to this in my long series titled "Divine Justice Issues" which are in the archives of this blog for February through May. Or I have begun moving all my writings in that series in its own blog along with my writings on "Determinism." (See here)
Other examples of the murders of which Satan is guilty is in the history of child or human sacrifices. Of these we read about in the old testament and in conjunction with pagan idolatry. To Jeremiah Yahweh said:
"And they built the high places of Baal which are in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire to Molech, which I did not command them, nor did it come into My mind that they should do this abomination, to cause Judah to sin.’" (Jer. 32: 35 nkjv)
The old testament and history is filled with records of this practice, which is abominable and has Satan promoting it through his demons, his agents who are behind all such pagan practices. He is certainly behind the modern practice of abortion which has killed millions of innocent children in the womb.
We must also remember that anyone who hates another person so as to wish them harm is a murderer. Said the Lord Jesus Christ:
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire." (Matt. 5: 21-22 nkjv)
Satan inspires such hatred and unrighteous anger in the hearts and minds of the lost, those who are "of the devil" as was Cain and others. So Jesus said to those who rejected him - "you are of your father the devil." So, like father, like son. They hate and murder just as he does. In previous chapters in this series we spoke of how those who are "dead in trespasses and sins...walk according to the prince of the power of the air," according to Satan, and while thus walking according to that evil spirit they are "living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another." (Titus 3: 3 nkjv) This malice and hate shows that murder is in the heart of sinners while they are in their fallen depraved condition.
Satan kills through his lies, through sorceries (drugs), false religions, evil rulers, and a host of other ways. He is the greatest "serial killer" of all time. He is behind all, or nearly all, of the wars that have plagued our planet since the apostasy of our race in the beginning, since our parents chose to follow Satan.
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