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The word devil is mentioned at least 35 times in the New Testament portion of the Holy Bible. It comes from the Greek word diabolos which means "one who slanders." The devil is known by at least 22 other names and titles – the most common name being Satan. The word Satan is repeated 52 times in the Bible. It comes from a Hebrew word which means adversary. In the different parts of the Bible, the devil is also called the old serpent, the great dragon, a roaring lion, the evil one, the tempter, the accuser, the god of this world, Beelzebub, father of lies, angel of light, power of darkness, prince of the world, prince of the power of the air, king of death, god of this age, the wicked one, and the master deceiver.

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Satan is a creation of God. Before sin entered Satan, he was an angel full of wisdom, perfect in beauty, and mighty in power. He was then known as Lucifer (meaning the shining one) and was greater than the special angels Gabriel and Michael. Then Lucifer led one-third of the angels in a rebellion against God. When Lucifer and the angels who joined him fell in defeat, they lost their beauty and were banished from heaven. Lucifer became known as Satan and the fallen angels are now known as demons. Today, the angelic and demonic forces are still waging a spiritual battle. They are contending for the souls of men.

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What are the limitations of Satan? Like the other angels, Satan is not self-existent as he is a mere creature of God; he is not sovereign, hence, he can create his evil activities only within the bounds that God allows him; he is not omnipotent, and hence he is not all-powerful like God; he is not omniscient, as Satan does not know everything and cannot read our thoughts; and finally Satan is not omnipresent, hence, he cannot be everywhere at the same time but only limited to one place at a time. The legions of demons of Satan do his evil activities. One thing satan can certainly do – he can tempt men to do evil.

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Lucifer’s fall is described in Isaiah 14:12-14. His sins of pride are revealed in his five fatal "I will" namely: "I will ascend the heaven; I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will sit also upon the mount of congregation in the sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; and I will be like the most High."

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Does Satan still have access to heaven? The Bible says he does. In Job 1:6-12, the following is recorded: "One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them. The Lord said to Satan: "Where have you come from?" Satan answered the Lord: "From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it. After a short talk between God and Satan about Job, the Bible records: "Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord."

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There are people today who believe that all Miraculous manifestations are from God. This is not true because Satan can also perform miracles to deceive the minds of those who attribute all miraculous effects to God. The Bible says: "Do not believe every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they are from God…" Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light." (1 John 4:1 and 2: Corinthians 11:14).

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Even Jesus was tempted by the devil. This happened in the desert after Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights. The three attempts of the devil all failed. The Bible says that "In one instance, the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All of this I will give You" the devil said, "If you bow down and worship me." Jesus said to him: "Get away from Me, Satan!" For it is written, "Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only." (Matthew 4:8-10) Amazingly, Jesus quoted three times from the Book of Deuteronomy of the Old Testament to refute the devil.

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Many people are not aware that the devil can quote from the Holy Bible. Mind you, he can even memorize biblical passages! When the devil was tempting Jesus in the desert, the devil quoted to Jesus Psalm 91:11-12 word for word.

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One of the greatest deceptions of Satan is to make people feel content with their worldly lives. The Bible says that everything in this world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust in his eyes, and the boasting of what he has and does – comes not from the father but from the world. How can we fight Satan? In Ephesians 6:10, we find the answer. Thus, "be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take stand against the devil’s schemes."

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Finally, I would like to say that I am not giving importance to Satan by writing this article. My intention is simply to EXPOSE Satan and not to exalt him. The more we know about his existence, his character and his strategies, the more we are prepared to fight satan and to ward off his attacks in our daily lives.

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This column continues to give out copies of the Holy Bible for free to those who cannot afford to buy their own copies. If interested, please send your letter-request to Ms. Nelly Favis Villafuerte, 5th Floor, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Roxas Blvd., City of Manila. Kindly mention if it is the Tagalog, English, Cebuano, or Ilocano version that is preferred.

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This column is also giving out for free a 42-page 3x5 inch booklet that briefly explains the said doctrine of salvation presented in the Holy Bible. To those who are struggling as to what the Holy Bible really says on how souls can be saved from eternal damnation, please do not hesitate to write me and ask for a copy of this booklet. Let us not forget the biblical verse that says "What profits a man if he gains the whole world and losses his soul?" Have a joyful day!