We know that anyone born of God does not continue to sin; the one who was born of God keeps him safe, and the evil one cannot harm him. We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one. We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. (1 John 5:18-20 NIV).

The Scripture often talks about the power of the devil. Paul wrote about the evil powers of darkness against which we struggle (Ephesians 6:12). And it is in the darkness that we are easily attacked and deceived. Therefore, Paul said in 2 Corinthians 2:11, "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices." Ignorance is not bliss, especially when it comes to knowing our enemy! The first principle that is essential to claiming and experiencing the victory Christ has made available to us is to know our enemy. The better we know what we are up against, the more likely we are to recognize how and when the enemy attacks and the more likely we will be able to resist the rush of attack from Satan in the strength of the Lord. When Christians learn to rest in the finished work of Christ, they can discover that Satan is a defeated foe! So, let’s get to know him. Today we’ll look at some of the descriptive names of Satan in the Scripture. By doing this we can also understand his nature, activity, and mission. It should be noted that there are thirty different names used in the Scripture. For our purposes I have chosen three:

1.    The first name is the Adversary (1 Peter 5:8-9). Pretty simple and straight-forward with this name; the dictionary defines an adversary as a person, group, or force that opposes or attacks; opponent; enemy; foe. No matter how “friendly” or “helpful” he may appear, he is not a friend. He is our enemy and seeks our defeat and destruction.

2.    The second name is the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). The phrase “god of this world” indicates that Satan is the major influence on the mind-set expressed by the ideals, opinions, goals, hopes and views of the majority of people. His areas of influence also encompass the world’s philosophies, education, and commerce. The thoughts, ideas, speculations and false religions of the world are under his control and have sprung from his lies and deceptions. This is not to say that he rules the world completely; only God does this. But it does mean that God has allowed Satan to operate in this world (within the boundaries God has set for him) and has allowed Satan to operate with an agenda. That agenda is our destruction!

3.    The third name is the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:1-3). This reference declares that Satan is a member of the spirit world. As such he operates on earth in the spiritual realm. He is a ruler in this realm, a “prince.” No wonder Paul would later go on to say that our battle is not against “flesh and blood,” but “principalities and powers of the air.” This will become very important to us as we look at our weapons in the war against our enemy. Make no mistake - Satan has a vast army at his disposal!