The Children of the Devil

 While writing a recent post about Satan the devil, I was struck by a realization of how much his human followers behave like him. It’s no wonder, then, that God’s Word sometimes speaks of Satan’s followers as his sons, children, or ministers.

Jesus Christ told those conspiring against Him, “You are of your father the devil” (John 8:44). The apostle Paul denounced a sorcerer to his face with these words: “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness” (Acts 13:10). He also warned the Corinthians about Satan’s ministers (2 Cor. 11:13-15). The apostle John contrasted the children of God with the children of the devil (1 John 3:10).

The Old Testament often describes vile persons as sons of Belial, children of Belial, or men of Belial. In Hebrew, this word “Belial” (Strong’s # H1100) means such things as “without benefit, worthless, wicked, fruitless, destruction.” In 2 Cor. 6:15, Paul uses this name as an apparent reference to Satan.

And how do we know who Satan’s children are? Their behavior reveals them. They manifest and imitate his behavior. So let’s take a look at some of their hallmarks.

Hatred and Malice

Satan hates God’s people because he hates God. He hates anyone who seeks to serve the Most High. He’s “the accuser of our brethren” who accuses “them day and night before our God” (Rev. 12:10).

By deceiving Eve in the garden of Eden, Satan tried to bring destruction upon all mankind. He attacked Job with all his might and tried to instigate him into blaspheming the Creator. The Book of Revelation tells us that when Satan is finally banished from heaven, he will be “enraged” and go “to make war with the rest of [God’s people], who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Rev. 12:17).

Satan’s children likewise hate anyone who seeks to serve God Most High. Throughout the ages, God’s people have been persecuted and murdered, not for harming anyone else, but merely for obeying their Creator.

Today, persecution generally takes a far milder form, but that same hatred and animosity still lurks within the hearts of the wicked. Hating the innocent is akin to murder. “Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (1 John 3:15).

You don’t even have to speak out against the wicked to incur their wrath. You don’t have to say a word. Merely by obeying your Creator, you have already condemned the wicked through your actions, and they will hate you for it.

Yeshua/Jesus told us, “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed” (John 3:19-20).

Of Cain, the first murderer, we read that he “was of the wicked one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous. Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you” (1 John 3:12-13).

To those who hated Him and plotted to kill Him, Yeshua said, “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44).

Many, many other Scriptures speak of how the wicked hate the righteous. The children of Satan hate the children of God.

Have you ever been ridiculed for serving your Creator? Called names such as “Pharisee,” “legalistic,” “self-righteous,” or even accused of denying Jesus Christ for trying to keep His commandments? Do the ungodly continually try to turn you from God’s way of life, to convince you that God’s way isn’t worth it, and to tempt you to sin?

You will encounter hostility, mockery, resentment, and even hatred for keeping the Sabbath holy; for abstaining from profanity and dirty jokes; for refusing to engage in extramarital sex; for shunning parties and drunkenness. In fact, even folks who sit in your church congregation and claim to be your brethren may hate you for these things! Why? Because they feel guilty. They feel condemned by your obedience to your Creator.

Both within the church and without, you will encounter people who resent you for your obedience to God. These same people will try to turn you from God’s path and encourage you to disobey your Creator. They love darkness rather than light, and they don’t want your light to shine on them.

Whether they profess godliness or not, the people who do these things — who trample God’s Word underfoot and hate those who serve the Most High — are the seed of Satan. They manifest the spirit of their father.

Delighting in Wickedness

Why do Satan’s children hate and persecute God’s children instead of simply repenting? Why did Cain murder his brother instead of accepting God’s correction? “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be” (Rom. 8:7).

We all have a rebellious nature, a nature contrary to God’s way of life. We, too, before being called and converted, were followers of the devil, for he “deceives the whole world” (Rev. 12:9).

God’s way is difficult. Satan’s way is easy. “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me’” (Mat. 16:24).

Nearly every couch potato on earth wants to have a slender, healthy body, but most will never work hard enough or sacrifice enough. They don’t like the pain or discomfort of strenuous exercise. They’d rather gorge on potato chips, candy bars, and soda pops. They won’t deny themselves.

So it is for most of the world on a spiritual level. It’s hard for a carnal human being to keep the Sabbath holy and sacrifice his or her own pleasures for a day, so most people refuse. It’s hard to put God first, before all else in this life, so most people don’t. It’s hard to abstain from sexual immorality, filthy language, greed, covetousness, drunkenness, and envy, so most people indulge.

These are “the passing pleasures of sin” (Heb. 11:25). The carnal human nature that we all have delights in these things. The carnal mind delights in wickedness.

Over and over again, God’s Word tells us that Satan’s followers delight in wickedness. They take “pleasure in unrighteousness” (2 Thes. 2:12). They have “loved darkness rather than light” (John 3:19). Among those burned up in the lake of fire will be “whoever loves and practices a lie” (Rev. 22:15). As King Solomon wrote, “To do evil is like sport to a fool” (Prov. 10:23).

1 John 3:8 tells us, “He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning.” Verse 10 adds, “In this the children of God and the children of the devil are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother.”

Satan hates his Creator and has chosen the passing pleasures of sin rather than eternal life with God. He delights in wickedness and so do his children.

Selfish Ambition

Satan’s original sin was pride and selfish ambition. Before all else, He grew discontent with God’s purpose and role for him. His heart was lifted up because of his beauty (Ezek. 28:17), and he thought he deserved more than God gave him.

Isa. 14:13 reveals his thoughts: “For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’”

This selfish ambition extends from Satan to all his followers. It’s a hallmark of the carnal mind. As Jesus reminded His disciples, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant” (Mat. 20:25-26).

The apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself” (Phil. 2:3). But this is Satan’s world and it’s driven by selfish ambition. In politics, in business, in social clubs, and in churches alike, you’ll see folks trampling on one another and backbiting one another in a quest for power and recognition.

You see this selfish ambition and self-promotion throughout society. Pastors and churches, including self-proclaimed “Churches of God,” will tell you that the path to salvation runs through them and not through Jesus Christ alone.

Many people nowadays strive to be “influencers.” To get attention, praise, and fame on social media. And for what purpose? To contribute something worthwhile to society? No, they seek fame simply for its own sake. They want to feel important.

The feminist movement is populated with women who are discontent with how God created them or the roles that He designed for them. They think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. They think they deserve something other than what God gave them, that they deserve to have the same roles as men. As the Book of Isaiah foretold, “As for My people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O My people! Those who lead you cause you to err, and destroy the way of your paths” (Isa. 3:12).

We could go on and look at many more examples, but you get the picture. Satan’s children, like their father, are driven by selfish ambition. “Being puffed up with pride,” they are in danger of falling “into the same condemnation as the devil” (1 Tim. 3:6). They are “lovers of themselves” (2 Tim. 3:2), or, in modern language, narcissists.

Deceit

Returning to John 8:44, let’s take another look at our Savior’s words to His enemies: “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”

Earlier, we looked at the murder and hatred aspect of this. Now, let’s look at the aspect of lying and deceiving.

Like their father, Satan’s children are liars. Lying comes in many forms: fraud, swindling, cheating, gaslighting, and bearing false witness, among others.

Naturally, you hear lying, deceit, and fraud throughout modern society. Politics, news media, sports, entertainment, the pharmaceutical industry, the legal system, the medical industry — all these and more overflow with lies and deceit. As God said long ago in the Book of Hosea, “Ephraim has encircled Me with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit” (Hos. 11:12).

As we’ve seen before, most people — sometimes even we ourselves — want to be deceived. People want to be lied to. They don’t want to hear the truth because the truth is uncomfortable. “This is a rebellious people, lying children, children who will not hear the law of the LORD; who say to the seers, ‘Do not see,’ and to the prophets, ‘Do not prophesy to us right things; speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits. Get out of the way, turn aside from the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us’” (Isa. 30:9-11).

But it’s not enough for Satan’s children to follow the way of deceit. As we saw above, they want you to follow it, too. If you don’t go along with them, if you walk in God’s way instead of Satan’s way, then you are shining a light on their evil deeds. They feel condemned, not by your words, but by your actions. And so, whether out of ignorance or out of purposeful wickedness, they will try to deceive you and turn you from the right path.

In the Book of Acts, we read of such a man who resisted the apostles: “But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith” (Acts 13:8). The following verses relate,

9 Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him

10 and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?

11 “And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.” And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.

12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.

Elymas the sorcerer was just one of many sons of the devil. Throughout history, Satan’s agents, spokesmen, and ministers have prowled and slithered about, seeking to deceive God’s people and turn them from the truth.

A man warned Nehemiah about a plot on his life, telling him to hide in the temple and save his life. But Nehemiah refused, explaining, “Then I perceived that God had not sent him at all, but that he pronounced this prophecy against me because Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him. For this reason he was hired, that I should be afraid and act that way and sin, so that they might have cause for an evil report, that they might reproach me” (Neh. 6:12-13).

Posing as servants of God, these men will tell you to disobey His Word. They’ll speak the devil’s words and claim to be inspired by the Holy Spirit. They’ll tell you that as long as you love Jesus, you don’t have to obey Him. They’ll tell you that God’s law is abolished, or that you’re being self-righteous if you try to live by it. They’ll water down God’s Sabbath and tell you it’s okay to do whatever you want as long as you don’t work your regular job on that day.

The apostle Paul warned, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works” (2 Cor. 11:13-15).

Again, some of these people do so out of ignorance, while others do so out of conscious and full-knowing wickedness. Either way, they spread Satan’s lies. They have fallen into “the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will” (2 Tim. 2:26).

Accusing and Sowing Discord

Satan’s lying and deceit go hand-in-hand with his role as an accuser. He’s “the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night” (Rev. 12:10). He accused Job before God (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-6). He stood by to accuse Joshua the high priest (Zech. 3:1).

His offspring copy his example. When Jezebel sought to murder the innocent Naboth and steal his vineyard, who did she turn to for help? She sought false accusers, sons of the devil. She commanded, “And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness against him” (1 Kings 21:10; KJV).

Satan’s offspring are accusers, nitpickers, and slanderers. They bear false witness and spread lies. They scrutinize others with a magnifying glass, looking for some real or imagined fault to harp on, but pay no heed to their own sins.

Yeshua/Jesus said, “And why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye'; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.” (Mat. 7:3-5).

Projection is one of the calling cards of Satan’s children. They often accuse others of the very things that they themselves are doing. If they’re trying to manipulate or control someone, for example, they might accuse that person of being controlling and manipulative. If they’re lying about you, they’ll probably accuse you of lying when you defend yourself.

Again, the resemblance between Satan’s servants and their master is uncanny. Satan is harsh, cruel, and angry, yet he tricks many people into viewing God that way. Satan spreads suffering and destruction throughout the earth, yet inspires men to blame God for it.

Satan’s offspring backstab and sow discord. King Solomon wrote, “A worthless person [lit., “man of Belial”], a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth; he winks with his eyes, he shuffles his feet, he points with his fingers; perversity is in his heart, he devises evil continually, he sows discord. Therefore his calamity shall come suddenly; suddenly he shall be broken without remedy (Prov. 6:12-15).

The following verses continue, “These six things the LORD hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren” (Prov. 6:16-19).

Lying is divisive. Bearing false witness and spreading slander cause discord. Teaching false doctrines causes division from God and His way of life. And yet, if you speak the truth, they will often accuse YOU of being divisive!

Lying in Wait

Satan is a stalker, as we’ve observed previously. It was this fact which first made me take notice of how much his children are like him.

If you’re following Jesus Christ, then Satan is constantly watching you, stalking you, circling about, lying in wait, looking for some opportunity to attack you. He continually sets snares for you. As the apostle Peter warned, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8).

When one scheme fails, he simply tries another. He keeps watching and waiting. After Yeshua/Jesus foiled all his temptations, Satan didn’t give up. He simply “departed from Him until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13).

Many of Satan’s children are no different. They, too, are constantly watching you, lying in wait, and setting snares. They continually search for opportunities to harm you, scam you, cheat you, and take advantage of you.

They will twist your words and try to entangle you in them. King David cried out to God because of his persecutors, saying, “All day they twist my words; all their thoughts are against me for evil. They gather together, they hide, they mark my steps, when they lie in wait for my life” (Psa. 56:5).

During Jesus Christ’s ministry, His enemies lay in wait for Him, set snares for Him, twisted His words, and searched for opportunities to destroy Him. As Mat. 22:15 records, “Then the Pharisees went and plotted how they might entangle Him in His talk.”

Over and over again, in many more verses than we have time to cover today, God’s Word describes the wicked lying in wait and setting snares for the innocent. We find many of these examples in the Psalms among David’s prayers for deliverance.

For example, in Psalm 59, David prayed, “Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloodthirsty men. For look, they lie in wait for my life; the mighty gather against me, not for my transgression nor for my sin, O LORD” (Psa. 59:2-3).

Again, in Psalm 64, David said, “They encourage themselves in an evil matter; they talk of laying snares secretly; they say, ‘Who will see them?’ They devise iniquities: ‘We have perfected a shrewd scheme.’ Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep” (Psa. 64:5-6).

Here’s Psa. 141:9-10: “Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, and from the traps of the workers of iniquity. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I escape safely.”

King Solomon described a wicked, manipulative woman thusly: “And I find more bitter than death the woman whose heart is snares and nets, whose hands are fetters. He who pleases God shall escape from her, but the sinner shall be trapped by her” (Eccl. 7:26).

Satan’s children are snakes and vipers, just like he is. They are sneaky, cunning, and malicious, searching for opportunities to cause harm. No wonder Jesus Christ so often described His enemies as snakes and vipers!

Flattery and Bribery

Satan’s children often disguise themselves. It’s yet another form of deceit. As we’ve already seen, Satan disguises himself as an angel of light and his servants as servants of God. A son of the devil will often try to befriend you while also stabbing you in the back.

Some of the means by which they seek to gain your trust include flattery and bribery. While first getting to know you, they might praise you often and shower you with gifts. For this reason, God’s Word warns about these tactics.

King Solomon warned young men to avoid “the seductress who flatters with her words” (Prov. 2:16; 7:5). Again, he wrote, “The king establishes the land by justice, but he who receives bribes overthrows it. A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet” (Prov. 29:4-5).

One of God’s earliest commands to ancient Israel was this: “And you shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the discerning and perverts the words of the righteous” (Ex. 23:8).

The apostle Paul warned the congregation of Rome about false teachers (Satan’s spokesmen), saying, “For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple” (Rom. 16:18).

And in the Book of Jude, we read of these sons of the devil: “These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage” (Jude 1:16).

This Is a Spiritual War

In our walk with God, we will often encounter Satan’s children, agents, and spokesmen. Many of them will be outsiders — worldly people who hate and mock our God and His way of life. Some of them will profess to be our brethren. Some will claim to be shepherds of God’s flock. These “insiders” are the tares among the wheat that Yeshua/Jesus warned us about (Mat. 13:25-30; 36-40).

Remember, we will know the wicked by their fruits (Mat. 7:16, 20). People who wantonly sin against God, trample on His Word, and teach others to do likewise aren’t God’s people, even if they claim to be. They are the seed of Satan.

We must distance ourselves from such people. As the apostle Paul admonished the Corinthians, “But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner — not even to eat with such a person” (1 Cor. 5:11).

However, those who hate us and persecute us, who speak lies and accuse us, who flatter and backstab, who lie in wait and set snares for us are not our greatest enemies. They are pawns in a bigger war, a spiritual war. They are some of Satan’s tools by which he hopes to turn us from God’s way of life.

And just as we need not fear Satan himself, so we need not fear his children, either. We need to be aware of them and their tactics, but we don’t need to be afraid of them. Our God is far stronger than they!

Whatever evil Satan’s children say about us and do to us, God will use it for good. “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28). “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory” (2 Cor. 4:17).

As Joseph told his brothers, “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive” (Gen. 50:20).

Remember Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who, given one final chance to bow down and worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold image, told the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up” (Dan. 3:16-18).

Should we hold fast to God and to His Word, our persecutors will one day see the error of their ways. Yeshua/Jesus tells us, “Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie — indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you” (Rev. 3:9).

We must also pray for their repentance and be prepared to forgive them if they do, just as Joseph forgave his brothers. Though our Savior rightfully denounced His enemies as vipers and snakes, yet, at the moment of His death on the cross, He prayed that they would repent and be forgiven: “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).