Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, ”All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, ”Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and Him only shall you serve’” (Matthew 4:8-10).
In the same passage where Jesus speaks of worshiping God alone, we see a great spiritual struggle. There is another person who wants to have the worship that belongs to God. He is called “Satan,” which means “Enemy.” What sort of enemy is this? How does he work? And why does the all-powerful God even let such an enemy continue to fight against Him?
The Father Of Lies
Though the Bible speaks often of this enemy, it does not say much about how he began. Since God created all things, Satan must also have been made by God. However, the Bible clearly shows that God is good (Mark 10:18). All that God makes is good (Genesis 1:31; James 1:17). Therefore, it would seem that Satan, like any other creation, had a good beginning. If so, he turned from good to bad, from truth to lies. Jesus said,
He [the devil] was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies (John 8:44).
The description “father of lies” suggests that Satan was the first to lie. He did not “hold to the truth.”
Satan tries to make himself look like an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). But he is the leader of the angels who rebelled against God (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6). They are part of his “kingdom” (Matthew 12:26). His rebellion can be clearly seen when he tries to take God’s place, seeking worship that belongs to God alone (Matthew 4:9).