Dear Friend,

When God created the world, He made everything beautiful and good. But now many things are not beautiful or good. There is pain, sorrow, selfishness, pride, hatred, fighting, sickness, disease and death. To find out what happened, let us answer these important questions:

• What is the most terrible thing in the universe?
• What are the two rebellions against God?
• How does Satan deceive people?

What is the most terrible thing in the universe?

The most terrible thing in the universe is SIN! Sin ruined God's beautiful creation. Sin is rebellion against God, followed by disobedience. The Bible tells us about two rebellions in God's universe.

The first rebellion was in Heaven.

The first rebellion began in Heaven, in the heart of an angel named Lucifer. When he was created, Lucifer was the wisest, most beautiful, most powerful angel ever created by God. His name means "Light-bearer." Apparently, Lucifer was over all the other angels.

For a time Lucifer loved God and obeyed Him, but pride entered his heart. The Bible says, "You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, till iniquity [sin] was found in you" (Ezekiel 28:15).

Pride in Lucifer's heart was the beginning of sin in the universe. The Bible says,

"For you have said in your heart, I will ascend into heaven. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God… I will be like the most High [God]" (Isaiah 14:13-14).

God saw what was in Lucifer's heart. He changed Lucifer's name to "Satan," which means "enemy." Satan is God's enemy and he is our enemy also.

Satan was the first angel to rebel against God. One-third of the angels in Heaven followed Satan in his rebellion. These angels are called "fallen angels," while those who remained true to God are called "holy angels." Satan and his fallen angels were cast out of Heaven.

Satan and his fallen angels set up a kingdom opposed to God. Since that time, there has been continual warfare between Satan and his kingdom of darkness, and God and His kingdom of light. Some day Satan and his fallen angels and all people who follow him will be forever separated from God in the lake of fire. But for now Satan and his followers are doing all they can to oppose God and His people.

The second rebellion was on the earth.

Because Satan hates God, he wanted to get Adam and Eve to rebel against God just as he had done. But how could Satan get Adam and Eve to disobey their loving Creator? He would do it by deceiving Eve.

Satan is the great deceiver! He deceives people by his lies; he gets people to believe what is not true. He tricks people into disobeying God. This is what he did in the Garden of Eden.

Satan came to Eve in the form of a serpent. He said, "Did God say that you could eat of every tree in the Garden?"

Eve knew that God had told them not to eat of "the tree of knowledge of good and evil." God said, "…for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die" (Genesis 2:17b). Eve told Satan this, but she changed God's words slightly. She quoted God as saying, "You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die."

Satan then deceived Eve by telling her a lie. He said, "You shall not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as gods knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:4-5).

Satan deceived Eve into thinking that she and her husband would be "as gods" if they ate of the forbidden tree. Eve took the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some of the fruit to Adam and he ate it. Adam was not deceived. He chose to disobey God.

Adam and Eve were now sinners. Instead of having God in their hearts, they now had sin in their hearts. When God came down in the evening to walk and talk with Adam and Eve, they hid from Him. They were afraid of God. They knew that they had disobeyed Him.

Satan was pleased that the first man and woman had rebelled against God. But it was a sad day for God. And it was a sad day for Adam and Eve. They could no longer live with God. Because of their disobedience, Adam and Eve had to leave the beautiful Garden of Eden.

How did sin come into the world? It came in by the disobedience of the first man, Adam. Adam's disobedience brought sin and death into the world and into the whole human race. The Bible says, "For as by one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." (Romans 5:12)

Adam produced a family of sinners.

Adam was now a sinner. He now had a sinful nature. Because Adam was the head of the whole human race, he passed his sinful nature on to his children and to the whole human family. Adam produced a race of sinners like himself. The Bible says, "For as by one man's [Adam's] disobedience many were made sinners…" (Romans 5:19).

How Satan deceives people.

Satan is the great Deceiver. All lies come from Satan. Ever since the Garden of Eden, Satan has been deceiving people with his lies. Jesus said of Satan,

"… He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it" (John 8:44).

Satan deceives people about the Bible.

Satan hates the Bible because it tells us the truth about God, the truth about sin and Satan, the truth about ourselves, and the truth about how we can become children of God.

Satan wants people to think that the Bible is just another book, written by men, and containing many errors.

Satan uses false teachers to spread his lies. God warns us against teachers and preachers who claim to be ministers of Christ, and yet deny the great truths of the Bible. Matthew 7:15 tells us:

"Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves." (NET Bible)

(See also 2 Corinthians 11:13-15.) These false teachers can be religious, attractive, and eloquent speakers; but the Bible says that they are "ministers of Satan."

One of the lies used by Satan to deceive people is that Jesus Christ was a good man and a great teacher, but He was not the Son of God. If Jesus was not who He said He was, then He was a liar, and not a good man.

Another of Satan's lies is that we are all the children of God, and no one needs to be "born again" into the family of God. The Lord Jesus said, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God " (John 3:3).

Satan tells us that all religions are good and that there are many ways by which we can go to God. But the Lord Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no one comes unto the Father but by Me" (John 14:6).

Satan deceives people about God.

Satan puts wrong ideas about God into the minds of people. Some people have lived very sinful lives. Satan deceives these people into thinking that God hates them and that they can never be saved.

The truth is that God hates sin, but He loves sinners. He loves them so much that He gave His son, the Lord Jesus, to die on the cross for their sins. The Bible says that God "…is not willing that any should perish [be lost forever], but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).

No matter what a person has done, he can be saved in a moment by taking Christ as Savior. Jesus said, "… him [anyone] that comes to Me I will in no wise [by no means] cast out" (John 6:37).

Satan deceives people about salvation. Some people are nice moral people who are respected in their communities. Satan deceives these people into thinking that they do not need Jesus as Savior because they are nice enough to go to Heaven as they are. The truth is that we are all sinners, and no one will ever get into Heaven without taking Jesus as their Savior.

Satan deceives many people into thinking that being religious and doing good works will get them into Heaven. But the Bible says, "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9).

What is Satan's "Big Lie"?

Satan's Big Lie is this: Sin will make you happy, and there are no bad consequences. In the movies and on television, we see beautiful people doing sinful things, but we do not see any bad consequences. This is not reality. This is Satan promoting his Big Lie.

The truth is that sin will not make you happy, and there are always bad consequences that come with disobeying God.

Satan deceives children and teens into rebelling against their parents and teachers. Satan deceives people into using drugs, alcohol and tobacco by making them think that these things will help them make friends and enjoy life.

Satan is a terrible enemy, and he has countless evil spirits serving him. Some people mistakenly believe that all supernatural occurrences come from God. This is not true! Satan and his evil spirits have power to do miraculous things.

How can we keep from being deceived by Satan?

There is only one way we can keep from being deceived by Satan: We must know and obey what God says in the Bible. Jesus said,

"…if you continue in My word [obey My word], then are you My disciples indeed; And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31-32).

If you want to have a happy life, obey the Lord! Jesus said, "If you know these things, happy are you if you do them" (John 13:17). When you are in doubt about something, ask yourself, "Would Jesus like to see me do this?" If He would not like to see you do it, don't do it!

Satan's evil spirits are real! Have nothing to do with books, card-trading games, movies, and TV shows about witches, wizards, and spirit-beings. Satan uses these things to bring people into contact with his evil spirits. This has serious consequences. In His Word, God tells us to have nothing to do with "the unfruitful works of darkness."

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Abraham's Great Test

"By faith Abraham, when he was tried [tested], offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son." Hebrews 11:17

God fulfilled His promise to Abraham and Sarah. The Bible says, "The Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as He had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him."

Abraham named his son Isaac, as God had directed him. Isaac was especially loved by his father, but as Isaac grew older, a time came when God tested Abraham's faith. God said to him,

"Take now your son, your only son Isaac [God did not count Ishmael], whom you love, and get into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell you of" (Genesis 22:2).

This meant that God was telling Abraham to kill his son Isaac and to burn his body as an offering to the Lord. How this must have shocked Abraham! He could not understand why God would tell him to do such a thing. Nevertheless, he rose up early in the morning to obey God.

On the long trip to Mount Moriah, Abraham pondered the matter. God had promised him that his descendants would be as the stars of the skies. Isaac had to live in order for this promise to be fulfilled. Abraham came to the conclusion that, though he killed Isaac, God would raise him from the dead.

When Abraham reached the place that God had appointed, he built an altar, placed wood on it, bound his son Isaac, and placed him on the altar in obedience to God. As he raised his knife to kill Isaac, the Angel of the Lord called out to him and said, "Lay not your hand upon the lad, neither do any thing unto him: for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son from Me" (Genesis 22:12).

When Abraham took Isaac off the altar and held him in his arms, it was like receiving him from the dead. Abraham looked and there was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. Abraham took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son.

God was so pleased with Abraham's devotion and faith that He said, "…because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son: That in blessing, I will bless you…and in your seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because you have obeyed My voice" (Genesis 22:16-18).

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