The Prince of Darkness

We love to hear fairytales about beautiful girls who are saved by handsome princes. The handsome prince rides through the forest on his white horse and saves the entire kingdom by kissing the sleeping beauty. Most of the time when we think of princes, we picture them as good, brave, and willing to help others.

However, the Bible tells a true story about an evil prince. This evil prince does not ride on a white horse or bravely rescue damsels in dis­ tress. On the contrary, this prince is wicked. He lies, steals, and even murders. His name is Satan. The Bible says that Satan walks around on this Earth, looking for people whom he can devour (1Peter 5:8). Satan is so very powerful that he is able to deceive most all the people in the world. In fact, Jesus said that only a few people will escape this powerful Prince of Darkness (Matthew 7:13-14).

When we think about Satan, we sometimes picture a tall, red demon with a pitchfork in his hand, horns growing out of his head, and a long, pointed tail. But that is not how the Bible de­ scribes Satan. Actually, the Bible says that Satan can look just like an angel of light. He can turn himself into something that looks very good, even though underneath he is very bad.

Satan is powerful. In fact, in some ways, he is much more powerful than any human being alive. He would love to use that power to murder every soul in the world, but he can't. The reason the devil cannot annihilate all humans is because Jesus came and destroyed his works (1 John 3:8). Even though the devil still lives and continues to try to trap humans, he cannot force them to commit any sin.

Many people are tricked and trapped by Satan. Millions of people decide to follow this wicked Prince. But some people decide to follow God. And Satan cannot harm the souls of those people who decide to follow God, because God is much more powerful than the devil (1 John 4:4).

Whose side will you decide to join? Will you decide to serve in God's army and overcome the devil, or will you join Satan's army and be defeated by Almighty God? The choice is up to you.

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