How can we know whether such a spirit person really exists?

The Bible is the chief source of evidence. There he is repeatedly referred to by name (Satan 52 times, Devil 33 times). Eyewitness testimony as to Satan’s existence is also recorded there. Who was the eyewitness? Jesus Christ, who lived in heaven before coming to earth, repeatedly spoke of that wicked one by name.—Luke 22:31; 10:18; Matt. 25:41.

What the Bible says about Satan the Devil makes sense. The evil that mankind experiences is far out of proportion to the malice of the humans involved. The Bible’s explanation of Satan’s origin and his activities makes clear why, despite the desire of the majority to live in peace, mankind has been plagued with hatred, violence, and war for thousands of years and why this has reached such a level that it now threatens to destroy all mankind.

If there really were no Devil, accepting what the Bible says about him would not bring lasting benefits to a person. In many instances, however, persons who formerly dabbled in the occult or who belonged to groups practicing spiritism report that they were at that time greatly distressed because of hearing “voices” from unseen sources, being “possessed” by superhuman beings, etc. Genuine relief was gained when they learned what the Bible says about Satan and his demons, applied the Bible’s counsel to shun spiritistic practices, and sought Jehovah’s help in prayer

Believing that Satan exists does not mean accepting the idea that he has horns, a pointed tail, and a pitchfork and that he roasts people in a fiery hell. The Bible gives no such description of Satan. That is the product of the minds of medieval artists who were influenced by representations of the mythological Greek god Pan and by the Inferno written by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri. Instead of teaching a fiery hell, the Bible clearly says that “the dead . . . are conscious of nothing at all.”—Eccl. 9:5.

Is Satan perhaps only the evil within people?

Job 1:6-12 and 2:1-7 tell about conversations between Jehovah God and Satan. If Satan were the evil in a person, the evil in this case would have to be in Jehovah. But that is in complete disagreement with what the Bible tells us about Jehovah as being One “in whom there is no unrighteousness.” (Ps. 92:15; Rev. 4:8) It is noteworthy that the Hebrew text uses the expression has·Sa·tan′ (the Satan) in the accounts in Job, showing that reference is being made to the one who is outstandingly the resister of God

Luke 4:1-13 reports that the Devil endeavored to tempt Jesus to do his bidding. The account relates statements made by the Devil and answers given by Jesus. Was Jesus there being tempted by evil within himself? Such a view does not harmonize with the Bible’s description of Jesus as being sinless. (Heb. 7:26; 1 Pet. 2:22) Although at John 6:70 the Greek word di·a′bo·los′ is used to describe a bad quality that had developed in Judas Iscariot, in Luke 4:3 the expression ho di·a′bo·los (the Devil) is used, thus designating a particular person.

Is blaming the Devil just a device used in an effort to escape from responsibility for bad conditions?

Some people blame the Devil for what they themselves do. In contrast, the Bible shows that humans often bear much of the blame for the badness they experience, whether at the hands of other humans or as a result of their own conduct. (Eccl. 8:9; Gal. 6:7) Yet, the Bible does not leave us ignorant of the existence and devices of the superhuman foe who has brought so much grief to mankind. It shows how we can get out from under his control.

From where did Satan come?

All of Jehovah’s works are perfect; he is not the author of unrighteousness; so he did not create anyone wicked. (Deut. 32:4; Ps. 5:4) The one who became Satan was originally a perfect spirit son of God. When saying that the Devil “did not stand fast in the truth,” Jesus indicated that at one time that one was “in the truth.” (John 8:44) But, as is true of all of God’s intelligent creatures, this spirit son was endowed with free will. He abused his freedom of choice, allowed feelings of self-importance to develop in his heart, began to crave worship that belonged only to God, and so enticed Adam and Eve to listen to him rather than obey God. Thus by his course of action he made himself Satan, which means “adversary.”—Jas. 1:14, 15

Why did not God destroy Satan promptly after he rebelled?

Serious issues were raised by Satan: (1) The righteousness and rightfulness of Jehovah’s sovereignty. Was Jehovah withholding from mankind freedom that would contribute to their happiness? Were mankind’s ability to govern their affairs successfully and their continued life truly dependent on their obedience to God? Had Jehovah been dishonest in giving a law that stated that disobedience would lead to their death? (Gen. 2:16, 17; 3:3-5) So, did Jehovah really have the right to rule? (2) The integrity of intelligent creatures toward Jehovah. By the deflection of Adam and Eve the question was raised: Did Jehovah’s servants really obey him out of love or might all of them abandon God and follow the lead being given by Satan? This latter issue was further developed by Satan in the days of Job. (Gen. 3:6; Job 1:8-11; 2:3-5; see also Luke 22:31.) These issues could not be settled by merely executing the rebels.

Not that God needed to prove anything to himself. But so that these issues would never again disrupt the peace and well-being of the universe, Jehovah has allowed ample time for them to be settled beyond all doubt. That Adam and Eve died following disobedience to God became evident in due time. (Gen. 5:5) But more was at issue. So, God has permitted both Satan and humans to try every form of government of their own making. None have brought lasting happiness. God has let mankind go to the limit in pursuing ways of life that ignore His righteous standards. The fruitage speaks for itself. As the Bible truthfully says: “It does not belong to man who is walking even to direct his step.” (Jer. 10:23) At the same time God has given his servants opportunity to prove their loyalty to him by their acts of loving obedience, and this in the face of enticements and persecution instigated by Satan. Jehovah exhorts his servants, saying: “Be wise, my son, and make my heart rejoice, that I may make a reply to him that is taunting me.” (Prov. 27:11) Those proving faithful reap great benefits now and have the prospect of eternal life in perfection. They will use such life in doing the will of Jehovah, whose personality and ways they truly love.

How powerful a figure is Satan in today’s world?

Jesus Christ referred to him as being “the ruler of the world,” the one whom mankind in general obeys by heeding his urgings to ignore God’s requirements. (John 14:30; Eph. 2:2) The Bible also calls him “the god of this system of things,” who is honored by the religious practices of people who adhere to this system of things.—2 Cor. 4:4; 1 Cor. 10:20.

When endeavoring to tempt Jesus Christ, the Devil “brought him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the inhabited earth in an instant of time; and the Devil said to him: ‘I will give you all this authority and the glory of them, because it has been delivered to me, and to whomever I wish I give it. You, therefore, if you do an act of worship before me, it will all be yours.’” (Luke 4:5-7) Revelation 13:1, 2 reveals that Satan gives ‘power, throne and great authority’ to the global political system of rulership. Daniel 10:13, 20 discloses that Satan has had demonic princes over principal kingdoms of the earth. Ephesians 6:12 refers to these as constituting ‘governments, authorities, world rulers of this darkness, wicked spirit forces in heavenly places.’

No wonder that 1 John 5:19 says: “The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” But his power is only for a limited period of time and is only by the toleration of Jehovah, who is God Almighty.

Hello sherlock and welcome.

You make some powerful points and I agree. The devil is real and if we deny it, we are simply allowing him to hide and snipe at us without us resisting at all. God would not advise us to do something without that something being real.
He said "resist the devil..." If there is no real devil to resist, then that would make God's words hollow and of no account.

Praise God for the truth!

Phil Barnes
...The Apostle Paul did not keep sun-day.

Satan—Myth or Sinister Reality?

THE origin of evil has intrigued thinkers from earliest times. A Dictionary of the Bible, by James Hastings, states: "At the dawn of human consciousness man found himself confronted by forces which he was unable to control, and which exercised a baleful or destructive influence." The same reference work also says: "Early mankind instinctively sought for causes, and interpreted the forces and other manifestations of nature as personal."

According to historians, belief in demon gods and evil spirits can be traced back to the earliest history of Mesopotamia. The ancient Babylonians believed that the underworld, or "land of no return," was presided over by Nergal, a violent divinity known as "the one who burns." They also feared demons, whom they tried to appease by means of magic incantations. In Egyptian mythology, Set was the god of evil, "represented as having the features of a fantastic beast with a thin, curved snout, straight, square-cut ears and a stiff forked tail."— Larousse Encyclopedia of Mythology.

Although the Greeks and the Romans had benevolent and malevolent divinities, they had no predominant evil god. Their philosophers taught the existence of two opposing principles. For Empedocles, they were Love and Discord. For Plato, the world had two "Souls," one causing good and the other evil. As Georges Minois states in his book Le Diable (The Devil), "classical [Greco-Roman] pagan religion knew of no Devil."

In Iran, Zoroastrianism taught that the supreme divinity Ahura Mazda, or Ormazd, created Angra Mainyu, or Ahriman, who chose to do evil and thus became the Destructive Spirit, or Destroyer.

In Judaism, there was a simple presentation of Satan as God's Adversary who brought about sin. But after many centuries, that became tainted with pagan ideas. The Encyclopaedia Judaica states: "A great change had taken place . . . by the last centuries B.C.E. In this period the [Jewish] religion . . . took on many traits of a dualistic system in which God and the forces of good and truth were opposed in heaven and on earth by powerful forces of evil and deceit. This seems to have been under the influence of Persian religion." The Concise Jewish Encyclopedia declares: "Protection against d[emons] was afforded by observance of the commandments and by the use of amulets."

The Babylonians believed in Nergal (far left), a violent divinity; Plato (left) believed in the existence of two opposing "Souls"
Apostate Christian TheologyEven as Judaism adopted non-Biblical concepts concerning Satan and the demons, apostate Christians elaborated on unscriptural ideas. The Anchor Bible Dictionary states: "One of the more extreme of ancient theological ideas is that God redeemed his people by paying Satan for their release." This idea was propounded by Irenaeus (second century C.E.). It was further developed by Origen (third century C.E.), who claimed that "the devil had acquired a legal claim on men" and who regarded "the death of Christ . . . as a ransom paid to the devil."— History of Dogma, by Adolf Harnack.

To quote The Catholic Encyclopedia, "for about a thousand years [the idea that the ransom was paid to the Devil] played a conspicuous part in the history of theology," and it remained a part of church belief. Other Church Fathers, including Augustine (fourth-fifth centuries C.E.), adopted the idea that the ransom was paid to Satan. Finally, by the 12th century C.E., Catholic theologians Anselm and Abelard came to the conclusion that Christ's sacrifice was offered not to Satan but to God.

Irenaeus, Origen, and Augustine taught that the ransom was paid
to the Devil

Medieval SuperstitionsAlthough most of the Catholic Church councils remained remarkably silent on the subject of Satan, in 1215 C.E., the Fourth Lateran Council presented what the New Catholic Encyclopedia terms a "solemn profession of faith." Canon 1 states: "The devil and the other demons were created good by nature, by God, but of their own doing they became evil." It adds that they busy themselves trying to tempt mankind. This latter thought obsessed many people during the Middle Ages. Satan was behind anything that seemed unusual, such as unexplained illness, sudden death, or bad crops. In 1233 C.E., Pope Gregory IX issued several bulls against heretics, including one against Luciferians, supposed Devil worshipers.

Belief that people could be possessed by the Devil or his demons soon gave rise to a collective paranoia—a hysterical fear of sorcery and witchcraft. From the 13th to the 17th century, fear of witches swept across Europe and reached North America with the European colonists. Even the Protestant reformers Martin Luther and John Calvin approved of witch-hunts. In Europe witch trials based on mere rumor or malicious denunciations were conducted by both the Inquisition and secular courts. Torture was commonly used to extort confessions of "guilt."

Those found guilty could be sentenced to death either by burning or, in England and Scotland, by hanging. As to the number of victims, The World Book Encyclopedia states: "From 1484 to 1782, according to some historians, the Christian church put to death about 300,000 women for witchcraft." If Satan was behind this medieval tragedy, who were his instruments—the victims or their fanatic religious persecutors?

Fear of witches led to the execution of hundreds of thousands Current Belief or DisbeliefThe 18th century witnessed the blossoming of rationalistic thought, known as the Enlightenment. The Encyclopædia Britannica states: "The philosophy and theology of the Enlightenment endeavoured to push the figure of the devil out of Christian consciousness as being a product of the mythological fantasy of the Middle Ages." The Roman Catholic Church reacted to this and reaffirmed its belief in Satan the Devil at the First Vatican Council (1869-70), reiterating this rather timidly at the Second Vatican Council (1962-65).

Officially, as the New Catholic Encyclopedia concedes, "the Church is committed to a belief in angels and demons." However, Théo, a French dictionary of Catholicism, admits that "many Christians today refuse to attribute evil in the world to the devil." In recent years Catholic theologians have been walking a tightrope, precariously balanced between official Catholic doctrine and modern-day thinking. "Liberal Christian theology," says the Encyclopædia Britannica, "tends to treat the biblical language about Satan as 'picture thinking' not to be taken literally—as a mythological attempt to express the reality and extent of evil in the universe." Regarding Protestants, the same reference work states: "Modern liberal Protestantism tends to deny the necessity of belief in a personal devil." But should true Christians consider what the Bible says about Satan as mere "picture thinking"?

What the Scriptures TeachHuman philosophy and theology have not offered a better explanation of the origin of evil than that given in the Bible. What the Scriptures say about Satan is fundamental to understanding the origin of evil and of human suffering, as well as why the worst imaginable violence gets worse each year.

Some may ask: 'If God is the good and loving Creator, how could he create a wicked spirit creature like Satan?' The Bible lays down the principle that all of Jehovah God's works are perfect and that all of his intelligent creatures are endowed with free will. (Deuteronomy 30:19; 32:4; Joshua 24:15; 1 Kings 18:21) The spirit person who became Satan must, therefore, have been created perfect and must have deviated from the way of truth and righteousness by deliberate choice.—John 8:44; James 1:14, 15.

In many ways, Satan's rebellious course parallels that of "the king of Tyre," who was described poetically as "perfect in beauty" and 'faultless in his ways from the day of his being created until unrighteousness was found in him.' (Ezekiel 28:11-19) Satan did not contest Jehovah's supremacy or his Creatorship. How could he, since he had been created by God? Satan did, however, challenge the way Jehovah was exercising his sovereignty. In the garden of Eden, Satan insinuated that God was depriving the first human couple of something to which they had a right and upon which their well-being depended. (Genesis 3:1-5) He succeeded in causing Adam and Eve to rebel against Jehovah's righteous sovereignty, bringing sin and death upon them and their descendants. (Genesis 3:6-19; Romans 5:12) Thus the Bible shows that Satan is the root cause of human suffering.

Sometime before the Flood, other angels joined Satan in his rebellion. They materialized in human bodies to satisfy their cravings for sexual pleasures with the daughters of men. (Genesis 6:1-4) At the Flood, these renegade angels returned to the spirit realm but not to their "original position" with God in heaven. (Jude 6) They were abased to a condition of dense spiritual darkness. (1 Peter 3:19, 20; 2 Peter 2:4) They became demons, no longer serving under Jehovah's sovereignty but living in subjection to Satan. While apparently unable to materialize again, the demons can still exercise great power over the minds and lives of humans, and they are doubtless responsible for much of the violence we are witnessing today.—Matthew 12:43-45; Luke 8:27-33.

The End of Satan's Rule Is NearIt is clear that evil forces are at work in the world today. The apostle John wrote: "The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one."—1 John 5:19.

Fulfilled Bible prophecy, however, shows that the Devil is intensifying earth's woes because he knows that he has only "a short period of time" left to wreak havoc before being confined. (Revelation 12:7-12; 20:1-3) The end of Satan's rule will usher in a righteous new world, where tears, death, and pain "will be no more." Then, God's will shall "be done on earth as it is in heaven."—Revelation 21:1-4; Matthew 6:10, New International Version.

THE Scriptures portray the Devil as a real person. He is invisible to humans for the same reason that God is invisible to human eyes. “God is a Spirit,” says the Bible. (John 4:24) The Devil is a spirit creature. Unlike the Creator, however, the Devil had a beginning.

Long before Jehovah God created humans, he made a multitude of spirit creatures. (Job 38:4, 7) In the Bible these spirits are called angels. (Hebrews 1:13, 14) God created all of them perfect—not a single one was a devil or had any evil trait. How, then, did the Devil come to be? The word “devil” means “slanderer” and thus refers to someone who tells malicious lies about others. “Satan” means “Resister,” or opposer. Just as a formerly honest man makes himself a thief by stealing, one of the perfect spirit sons of God acted upon an improper desire and made himself Satan the Devil. The Bible explains the process of self-corruption this way: “Each one is tried by being drawn out and enticed by his own desire. Then the desire, when it has become fertile, gives birth to sin; in turn, sin, when it has been accomplished, brings forth death.”—James 1:14, 15.

This is apparently what happened. When Jehovah God created the first human pair, Adam and Eve, the angel who was about to rebel against God took note. He knew that Jehovah commanded Adam and Eve to fill the earth with righteous people, who would worship the Creator. (Genesis 1:28) This angel saw that there was a possibility that he could gain honor and importance. Motivated by greed, he coveted what rightly belongs only to the Creator—worship from humans. Instead of rejecting such an improper desire, this spirit son of God nurtured it until it gave birth to a lie and then to rebellion. Consider what he did.

The rebellious angel used a serpent to speak to the first woman, Eve. “Is it really so that God said you must not eat from every tree of the garden?” the serpent asked Eve. When Eve cited God’s command and the penalty for disobeying it, the serpent declared: “You positively will not die. For God knows that in the very day of your eating from [the tree that is in the middle of the garden] your eyes are bound to be opened and you are bound to be like God, knowing good and bad.” (Genesis 3:1-5) The assertion was that God had not told Adam and Eve the truth. By eating the fruit of that tree, Eve would supposedly become like God, having the authority to decide what was good and what was bad. That was the first lie ever spoken. Telling it made that angel a slanderer. He also became an opposer of God. The Bible thus identifies this enemy of God as “the original serpent, the one called Devil and Satan.”—Revelation 12:9.

“Be Watchful”
The lie that the Devil told Eve worked just as he had planned. The Bible says: “Consequently the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was something to be longed for to the eyes, yes, the tree was desirable to look upon. So she began taking of its fruit and eating it. Afterward she gave some also to her husband when with her and he began eating it.” (Genesis 3:6) Eve believed Satan and disobeyed God. She was able to get Adam to break God’s law too. The Devil thus succeeded in setting the first human couple on a course of rebellion against God. Ever since then, Satan has exercised unseen influence over human affairs. His goal? To turn people away from worshipping the true God and gain their worship for himself. (Matthew 4:8, 9) With good reason, then, the Scriptures warn: “Keep your senses, be watchful. Your adversary, the Devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking to devour someone.”—1 Peter 5:8.

How clearly the Bible portrays the Devil as a real spirit person—an angel that became corrupt and dangerous! The first essential step in our keeping watchful is to recognize that he really exists. But keeping our senses and remaining watchful involves more. It is also important not to be ignorant of Satan’s “designs” and of his methods of misleading people. (2 Corinthians 2:11) What are his schemes? And how can we stand firm against them?

The Devil Exploits Man’s Inherent Need
The Devil has observed humans since the creation of mankind. He knows man’s makeup—his needs, his interests, and his desires. Satan is well-aware that man was created with a spiritual need, and the Devil has cleverly exploited this need. How? By feeding mankind religious untruths. (John 8:44) Many religious teachings about God are contradictory and confusing. Whose purpose do you think this serves? Contradictory teachings cannot all be true. Is it not possible, then, that many religious teachings are expressly designed and used by Satan to misguide people? In fact, the Bible refers to him as “the god of this system of things,” who has blinded people’s minds.—2 Corinthians 4:4.

Divine truth provides protection against religious deceptions. The Bible likens the truth of God’s Word to the girdle that a soldier of ancient times wore to help protect his loins. (Ephesians 6:14) If you take in knowledge of the Bible and keep its message close to you, as if you were girded with it, God’s Word will safeguard you from being misled by religious lies and errors.

Man’s spiritual inclination has led him to explore the unknown. This has exposed him to another of Satan’s deceptive devices. Exploiting man’s curiosity about what is strange and mysterious, Satan has used spiritism to bring many under his control. As a hunter uses bait to attract his prey, Satan employs such devices as fortune-telling, astrology, hypnotism, witchcraft, palmistry, and magic to attract and entrap people around the world.—Leviticus 19:31; Psalm 119:110.

How can you protect yourself from being ensnared by spiritism? Deuteronomy 18:10-12 states: “There should not be found in you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, anyone who employs divination, a practicer of magic or anyone who looks for omens or a sorcerer, or one who binds others with a spell or anyone who consults a spirit medium or a professional foreteller of events or anyone who inquires of the dead. For everybody doing these things is something detestable to Jehovah, and on account of these detestable things Jehovah your God is driving them away from before you.”

Those who became Christians burned their books on spiritism
The Scriptural advice is direct: Have nothing to do with spiritism. What if you have been sharing in some practice of spiritism and now want to break free? You can follow the example of early Christians in the city of Ephesus. When they accepted “the word of Jehovah,” the Bible says, “quite a number of those who practiced magical arts brought their books together and burned them up before everybody.” Those books were costly. They were worth 50,000 pieces of silver. (Acts 19:19, 20) Yet, Christians in Ephesus did not hesitate to destroy them.

Satan Preys on Human Weaknesses
A perfect angel became Satan the Devil because he gave in to the desire for self-exaltation. He also awakened in Eve a proud, selfish longing to be like God. Today, Satan keeps many in his grip by arousing in them the feeling of pride. For example, some feel that their race, ethnic group, or nationality is better than that of others. How contrary this is to what the Bible teaches! (Acts 10:34, 35) The Bible clearly states: “[God] made out of one man every nation of men.”—Acts 17:26.

An effective defense against Satan’s appeal to pride is humility. The Bible admonishes us “not to think more of [ourselves] than it is necessary to think.” (Romans 12:3) “God opposes the haughty ones,” it states, “but he gives undeserved kindness to the humble ones.” (James 4:6) One sure way to resist Satan’s efforts is to manifest in your personal life humility and other qualities approved by God.

The Devil is also eager to exploit the human weakness of yielding to improper sensual desires. Jehovah God intended for humans to enjoy life. When desires are fulfilled within the limits of God’s will, the result is genuine happiness. But Satan tempts humans to satisfy their cravings in immoral ways. (1 Corinthians 6:9, 10) It is much better to keep the mind focused on things that are chaste and virtuous. (Philippians 4:8) This will help you to exercise firm control over your thoughts and emotions.

Keep Resisting the Devil
Can you succeed in resisting the Devil? Yes, you can. The Bible assures us: “Oppose the Devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7) Even if you oppose Satan, he will not give up immediately and refrain from causing you any further trouble as you take in knowledge of God. No, the Devil will try again at “another convenient time.” (Luke 4:13) However, you need not be afraid of the Devil. If you continue to resist him, he will not be able to turn you away from the true God.

Resisting the Devil, however, requires knowledge of who he is and how he misleads people as well as of the protective measures you can take against his schemes. There is only one accurate source of that knowledge—God’s Word, the Bible. So be firm in your determination to study the inspired Scriptures, and apply in your life what you learn from them. Jehovah’s Witnesses in your area will be happy to assist you free of charge with such a study at a time convenient to you. Please do not hesitate to contact them or to write the publishers of this magazine.

As you undertake a study of the Bible, you need to realize that Satan may use opposition or persecution to get you to stop learning the truth from God’s Word. Some of your loved ones may become angry with you because you study the Bible. This may happen because they do not know the wonderful truths found in it. Others may make fun of you. But would succumbing to such pressures really please God? The Devil wants to discourage you so that you will stop learning about the true God. Why should you let Satan win? (Matthew 10:34-39) You owe him nothing. You owe Jehovah your very life. So, then, be determined to resist the Devil and ‘make Jehovah’s heart rejoice.’—Proverbs 27:11.