"The Unseen Enemy" Part II  (The Enemy’s Goals) Last week in Part I of  “Knowing the Enemy,” we revealed through scripture the devil’s origin, downfall, and nature.  It was also established that the devil and his demons have been judged and that there remains no redemption for them.  Although possessing some supernatural power, the devil is no match for God and as a fallen, created being, he is limited and finite in his understanding and power.  Today’s article will expose the devil’s goals since his expulsion from heaven to the earth. Stripped of his splendor and authority, Lucifer, now called Satan (adversary), roamed the earth in defeated rage.  The Bible does not specify how much time passed after he and the other fallen angels were cast down to the earth until the day that Adam was created.  Malevolent eyes watched as Adam and Eve walked and talked with God in the Garden of Eden.  Fury and jealousy burned within him as he heard God give Adam and Eve dominion over the earth and every living thing in paradise, a microcosm of God’s reign in heaven and the universe.  His plan was sinister in its simplicity: tempt them with the same sin that damned him—pride.  “Has God indeed said…?  You shall not die…For God knows that the day you eat it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God…” (Genesis 3: 1-5).  The devil put a question in Eve’s mind about God’s word, calling God a liar and accusing Him of “holding out” on Adam and Eve.  Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning words, but Adam blatantly disobeyed God’s command.  Fallen man took on the nature of the accuser, hiding from God, Adam blaming God and Eve for his sin.  Adam and Eve were cast out of paradise, the same way a now gloating devil was cast out of Heaven.  The difference here was that God had made provision for Adam and Eve’s redemption by the “Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13: 8).  Adam and Eve abdicated their delegated authority to a ruthless enemy who stole it through deceit.  The temporary “prince of this world” would battle heaven and earth to fulfill his goal: deceiving and taking as many souls to hell with him as he could. Jesus succinctly described the devil’s mission: “The thief comes not but to steal, and to kill and to destroy” (John 10:10).  Peter testified of Satan’s insatiable appetite for souls: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8).  John the Revelator warns mankind of the devil’s hellish ambition: “Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea!  For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time” (Revelation 12:12).  John also states that the devil “deceives the whole world,” accuses the brethren, and that “the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one” (Revelation 12: 9-10, 1 John 5: 19).  The goal of the devil is to discredit God, thwarting God’s purposes, making God out to be a liar.  When Moses was born to be a great deliverer of the Israelites, Satan incited Pharaoh to kill all of the male children of Israel.  When Jesus, the greatest Deliverer of mankind, was born, again Satan entered Herod to decree that all male children two years old and younger be put to death.  The devil tries to abort the promises of God by killing the seed of the promise in its infancy.  Satan still incites men to kill their babies, the hope of the future: it is legally happening all over the world today.  Of course, all of God’s promises are yea and amen, and the devil cannot stop Him.  God’s chosen people, the Jews, shall remain until the coming of the Lord, despite their genocide throughout the centuries.  The devil also failed dismally at trying to tempt Jesus in the wilderness: and in crucifying the Lord of glory, He sealed his own defeat as Jesus took back the keys to hell and death (Revelation 1: 18).  The atoning death of Jesus won an eternal victory for all who will put their trust in Him. If someone really wants to hurt a parent, he seeks to harm the parent’s children.  The devil knows that he cannot touch God, but he can deceive God’s offspring into the hell that was created for him and his demons.  God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked; He knows their eternal destiny.  Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints, for they will live with Him in everlasting joy.  The devil has veiled the gospel of Jesus Christ from men so that they can remain in darkness and die separated from God in their sins (2 Corinthians 4: 3-4).  Misery truly loves company, and the devil wants to drag down as many souls into the abyss as possible.  This is his other goal.  In Part III, the strategies and schemes of the devil will be exposed.  Finally, Part IV will teach us how to overcome the wicked one and obtain what he lost: eternity in the Father’s presence, forever basking in His love and majesty and glory. “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8: 38-39).