When you think about Satan, do you envision him in red tights, horns and a pitchfork? This may be an artistic rendition or Hollywood’s idea of Satan, but I assure you, it is not accurate. The prophet Ezekiel describes him as a beautiful cherub.
You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
You were in Eden, the garden of God;
every precious stone adorned you:
carnelian, chrysolite and emerald, topaz, onyx and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl.
Your settings and mountings were made of gold;
on the day you were created they were prepared.
You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you.
Ezekiel 28:12-13 NIV
According to pastor, teacher and author, Perry Stone, 1“A cherub is a created angel/being with many faces and is assigned as a guardian of the presence of God and His glory.” He has “many faces” and he guards the glory of God’s presence. That’s something to think about. In 2 Corinthians, Paul states “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” He does that because at one time he guarded the presence of God’s light and he knows what it looks like.
“In Isaiah 14, God tells Isaiah to “take up this taunt against the king of Babylon: “How the oppressor has come to an end! How his fury has ended!” Most theologians agree that the king of Babylon in this chapter is actually a description of Satan, aka Lucifer. In verse 12, God calls him by name. “How art thou fallen from heaven, Lucifer, son of the morning!” This is the only place in the Bible that the name Lucifer is found. It is translated from the Hebrew word heylel and actually refers to brightness. For ages the name Lucifer has been understood to be a personal name, however, in reality it is a meaning. The name Lucifer actually means “light-bringing” or “bringer of light”. As you can see, the scripture gives details about this name, giving it more description, “son of morning” implying that this son was among the first heavenly lights.”
Evil will never show up in red tights, horns and a pitch fork. He will show up looking innocent, beautiful, like light, looking like friends and family. We need to be wise and connected to the Holy Spirit in order to recognize him in others, and to protect ourselves and our loved ones. In Matthew 10:16, Jesus says “Now, remember, it is I who sends you out, even though you feel vulnerable as lambs going into a pack of wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes yet as harmless as doves.” (TPT) He goes on to say: “Be on your guard! For there will be those who will betray you before their religious councils and brutally beat you with whips in their public gatherings.18 And because you follow me, they will take you to stand trial in front of rulers and even kings as an opportunity to testify of me before them and the unbelievers.
Very few of us will ever go before kings, however we do need to be wise and prepared to be mistreated and accused by anyone. Let’s face it. Narcissism, and power-hungry people are on the rise. From the government houses to our own homes, we need to be as gentle as doves, yet as wise as the serpents. That means we need to learn all we can about our greatest adversary, Satan, Lucifer, the devil, whatever you want to call him. The truth is people rarely wake up and decide “I want to be just like Satan when I grow up.” They just don’t. It’s usually a slow fade, or they get hurt by someone who looked and sounded good, like friends or family. If people come at us looking like snakes, we would automatically know to protect ourselves, but they rarely do that. Satan looks like light and comes in the form of people who look like light. We must be wise. So how do we do that? We educate ourselves! There are many ways to do that. First, I suggest the Word of God. The Word of God gives us everything we need to prepare for these battles. There are many books and references available to aid us. For more information on protecting yourself with the Word of God, check out my book, Dressing for the Battle, Armed to Win, The Breastplate of Righteousness.
I also suggest the following books:
Exposing Satan’s Playbook, The Secrets and Strategies Satan Hopes You Never Discover by Perry Stone.
Breaking Strongholds by Rebecca Greenwood
Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud
The Armor of God by Priscilla Shrier
Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Myers
Secular books on personality disorders: Emotional Vampires by Dr. Albert J. Bernstein
Novels that describe how the demonic works in our lives: This Present Darknessand Piercing the Darkness by Frank E. Peretti
Footnotes:
1Perry Stone, Exposing Satan’s Playbook, The Secrets and Strategies Satan Hopes You Never Discover, Charisma House, 2012
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