The Prince of Darkness

Before the twenty-first century, very few people actually believed in a real devil. Now, we have millions of people worshiping him from coast to coast. America has made Satan the object of worship and the new superstar of this generation. The devil is the master of deception, and he denies his very own existence. The greatest deception the devil has ever used on mankind is to make the world believe he does not exist. The two things Satan hates: being exposed and being expelled.

The devil's portrait is sketched as a red-horned monster with a tail and pitchfork, a medieval time character who has become the object of laughter and comedy. The devil is not an idea or an evil concept. He is not a Hollywood actor, a sinister comic-book character; he's not an evil imagination or a conspiracy theory; he is very real. The Lord's Prayer, "Deliver us from the evil one," is proof that there is a very real devil. Behind every temptation is a tempter. Behind every lie is the father of lies. Behind every murder is the devil, the murderer from the beginning.

You can't believe in God without believing in the devil. Why? Because the same Bible that teaches there is a very real God teaches that there is a very real devil. It's amazing to me how many people who go to church and call themselves Christians believe in God but do not believe in a real devil. They believe in the Holy Spirit but not a demon spirit, especially not in their church.

When asking the average person, "Why did Jesus go to the cross?" They will say, "To save me!" That is true, but that is very elementary. Jesus went to the cross to defeat Satan! How can you believe in the cross and not believe in the devil? Jesus beat the devil with a simple, crude, and bloodstained cross. This battle has already been won at the cross, and Jesus defeated the devil in the flesh.

The point is, you cannot believe in the redemption of the cross and not believe in the purpose of the cross; and the purpose of the cross was to destroy a very real devil. It was the precious Seed of a virgin who crushed the devil's head to gunpowder. "And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross" (Colossians 2:15 NIV).