The devil uses his power to seduce man to sin ; he tempts Ananias to lie to the Holy Ghost (Ac 5^) ; he deceives the whole world (Rev 12^ 20^- "*) ; he is pre-eminently 'the tempter' (1 Th 3^ 1 Co 7") ; he tempts with wiles and devices and snares (Eph 611, 2 Co 2", 1 Ti 3^ 2 Ti 226) ; he uses evil men as his instruments or ministers, who ' fashion them- selves as ministers of righteousness' even as he ' fashioned himself into an angel of light ' (2 Co ll"f-)- A passage in the Pastoral Epistles (1 Ti 3^) suggests that the fundamental temptation with which Satan seduces men is pride. The Christian iirla-KOTTos must not be puffed up with pride lest he fall into the condemnation {Kpl/j.a) into which the devil fell (i.e. when cast out of heaven ; this seems to be the most probable interpretation, not ' the judgment wrought by the devil ' ; cf. Jn le'' ' the prince of this world hath been judged,' KiKpiTai). Satan is far from being omnipotent ; man can re- sist him, and he will flee (Ja 4'') ; man must not 'giv-e place to' him, i.e. not give him scoidb to work (Eph 4"). Not that man can resist by his own strength, but only by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, who helps his infirmity (Ro 8^^ 1 Co 3'6, and in St. Paul's Epistles passim ; cf. Mt 12^^) ; the Holy Spirit is man's Helper or Para- clete against tlie Evil Spirit.
The devil is described as instigating opposition to Christian work * and persecution ; whether by blinding the minds (lit. thoughts) of the unbeliev- ing (2 Co 4*), or directly by suggesting opposition, as when he ' hindered ' St. Paul's return to Thessa- lonica(l Th 2'8), perhaps (as Ramsay thinks [St. Paul, 1895, p. 230 f.]) by putting into the minds of the politarchs the idea of exacting security for the leading Christians of that city (Ac 17^). Similarly in Rev 2'^" the devil is said to be about to cast some of the Smyrnaean Christians into prison ; and Per- gamum, the centre of the Emperor-worship which led to the persecution described in the Apocalypse, is called Satan's throne (2'*). No phrase marks more clearly than this the difference of attitude towards the Roman official world between the Seer on the one hand and St. Paul and St. Luke on the other, or (as it seems to the present writer) the interval between the dates of writing. The Seer looks on the Emperor and his officials as closely allied with Satan, while St. Paul and St. Luke look upon them as Christ's instruments (Ro 13'*, etc. ; and note the statements about Roman officials in Acts). In close connexion with the above passages, the persecuting Jews are called a ' synagogue of Satan ' (Rev 2^ 3*).
3. The conflict with Satan.— Michael and his
good angels are represented as at war in heaven
with the devil and his angels (Rev 12') as a direct
result of the spiritual travail of the Christian
* In this sense Peter is called ' Satan ' in Mt 1623.
Church (vv.2"^). Satan is cast down to the earth and persecutes the Church (v.^^). But he is bound by the angel for a thousand years, i.e. for a long period, and cast into the abyss that he may no longer deceive (20-'-). This period of binding synchronizes with Christ's reign of a thousand years (see v.''), when the triumph is shared by the martyrs (vv.'*-^) ; this is the ' first resurrection,' and is best interpreted as taking place in the pre- sent life, and as referring to the cessation of the persecution, which was to last for a comparatively short time— 3i days (11»- '') as compared with 1000 years (20-- ■*), and to the establishment of a domin- ant Christianity. But the reign of Christ is not said to be ' on earth.' The reign of the martyrs was not to be an earthly one ; they ' would live and reign with Christ as kings and priests in the hearts of all succeeding generations of Christians, while their work bore fruit in the subjection of the civilized world to the obedience of the faith. . . . The age of the martyrs, hoAvever long it might last, would be followed by a far longer period of Christian supremacy ' (Swete, extending and adapting Augustine, de Civ. Dei, xx. 7 fi". ). In other words, Satan's power for evil now is not to be compared with his power at the beginning of our era. This conception of an anticipatory victory over Satan may be compared with Ro 16'-^, 1 Jn 38 5^8.
After the thousand years the devil will be re- leased (Rev 20^) ; there will be a great activity of all the powers of evil before the Last Day ; but he will be finally overthrown (v.i"), and Christ's triumph will be complete. This is the great mes- sage of the Apocalypse. The struggle between the Church and the World will end in Satan being vanquished for ever.
i, Satan dwelling in men. — This subject is con- sidered in art. DEMON ; but certain NT phrases may be noticed here.
(a) Wicked men are called 'children of the devil ' (Ac 13i», Elymas ; 1 Jn 3i») ; and in Rev 2^4 the ' mysteries ' of the false teachers at Thyatira are called ' the deep things of Satan, as they say,' as opposed to the ' deep things of God ' of which St. Paul speaks (1 Co 2i0; cf. Ro ll^^, Eph Z^^); i.e. ' the deep things as they call them, but they are the deep things of Satan.' In these wicked men and teachers Satan is conceived as dwelling ; but pre-eminently he dwells in the man who is his re- presentative, and who is endowed with his attri- butes, ' the lawless one ' (Antichrist) who works false miracles and has his Parousia even as Christ has (2 Th 2^ where see Milligan's note).