Scripture uses 22 different names for Satan. His diabolical intentions are recorded for us all over our Bibles. And we're even assured that he is still present and active in this world, and in each of our lives. But when, and how, and where? Those are great questions from a listener named Josh.

Hello, Pastor John. To what extent, and by what means specifically, does Satan influence the world? Where do you see his works most clearly today? The word Satan is a transliteration of the Hebrew "Satan," and basically means "opponent" or "adversary." The Greek translation of that Hebrew Old Testament always translates "Satan" with "diabolos" in Greek, which means "devil." We always translate "diabolos" in English in the New Testament "devil." And "diabolos" puts a more specific focus on the meaning of the "opponent" or "adversary," because "diabolos" basically means "slander" or "accuse." It's used not to refer to the devil.

Several times in the pastoral epistles of Paul, to just refer to people who are slandering others, speaking evil of them, being false about them. So even though this supernatural being, this fallen angel, an arch-enemy of God, has a remarkable power in the material or physical realm—like, he can make people sick, he can throw them in prison, he can even kill them—nevertheless, his main way of opposing God and destroying God's people is not in the physical or material realm, but in the mental or intellectual or moral realm.

In other words, the best way to think about his power is not in terms of physical strength, but moral deception. So let me try to illustrate this from the Bible. Here's the passage that piles up more designations of Satan than any other passage in the Bible. You need one or two verses to put the identity and work of Satan before you.

It would be Revelation 12, 9 and 10. Here it says, "And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent"—and remember what the Bible said in Genesis 3 about him, he's subtler, he's subtler than every beast, so it's his subtlety that's being focused on in his serpent-like reality—"who is called the devil, diabolo, slanderer, liar, cheat, and Satan, adversary, the deceiver of the whole world." I don't think you can say anything more sweeping or more basic than the end of Revelation 12, 9, "He is the deceiver of the whole world." Verse 10, "The accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before God." So at the center of Satan's purpose is to deceive on earth and to accuse in heaven.

If he can deceive you about God and Christ, you will perish. If he can successfully accuse you of unforgiven sin in heaven, you will perish. And Jesus calls him a murderer from the beginning, John 8, 44. So the deception and the accusation and the eternal death that results from unforgiven sin is a way of destroying people and opposing God.

So Josh asks me, "To what extent and by what means specifically does Satan influence the world?" My answer, therefore, is the extent is worldwide, and the means is deception. We can see this in another text. Here's Revelation 28-10. He comes out to deceive the nations, but he will be defeated.

"And the devil who had deceived them." So there's the focus again on his major strategy of destroying the world. Deceive them, and he will be thrown into the lake of fire. So my basic answer to Josh's question is that the extent of Satan's influence is global, covers all nations, and the primary means of his influence is deception.

He destroys, not mainly by the sword or disease or killing, but mainly by lying. Jesus calls him the father of lies, John 8, 44. Specifically, he lies mainly about God, about Jesus, about the gospel, about sin, and oh, how wonderful it is that he has been dealt a decisive blow.

You can see his deception about the gospel in 2 Corinthians 4, 4. In the case of the God of this world, he has blinded the minds of unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. So Josh's second question is, where do you see his works most clearly?

And my answer is, therefore, wherever saving truth is hated and resisted and distorted and muted, so that people are kept from being saved by the truth of the gospel, that's where I see his works most clearly. 2 Thessalonians 2, 9, Satan comes with wicked deception for those who are perishing because they refuse to love the truth and so be saved.

Satan hates the truth of the gospel. And the truth of the cross more than any other truth. You remember when Jesus was on earth, Satan tried to keep him away from the cross? Matthew 16, 23, when Peter says, "No, no, this isn't going to happen to you." Jesus says, "Get behind me, Satan.

That's what Satan wants. He doesn't want me to die for the sins of the world." Even though at the end, Satan gave up on that strategy and filled Judas to get Jesus betrayed, nevertheless, at the end, he's trying to make it as horrible as possible. But his first design was, "I'm not going to let him get to the cross, no way." And now, Satan is mainly bent on preventing the message of the cross from being spread, from being understood, from being believed.

And he does everything in his power to distort and silence the saving message of the cross. Remember how Jesus said he snatches the word. He snatches it. Just as soon as you preach the cross, as soon as you preach the saving word of the kingdom, boy, Satan will, if he can, snatch the word right out of the mind, just like birds snatching seed off of a path.

Now, why is he so opposed to this central truth? Because the gospel is the truth that Christ has paid the price for sins of everyone who believes, and that means Satan cannot successfully accuse us in heaven. He cannot make a case against the elect because our sins have been covered, and that's the only means he has to destroy us, which means, of course, he can oppress us, he can distress us, he can tempt us, he can make us sick, he can kill us, and he cannot damn us ever.

They are eternally safe. We, the elect, are eternally safe in God's sovereign grace. And so he rages against the people of God, and he rages against the gospel that snatches people out of the damning hands of his own greedy self. You can see this in Colossians 2.13. God has forgiven us all our trespasses by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with his legal demands.

He has set aside those sins, nailing them to the cross, and here's what follows. "Thus he disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to an open shame by triumphing over them in him." When our sins are forgiven, nailed to the cross, the satanic rulers and authorities are decisively defeated.

They are undone, meaning their one condemning, damning weapon has been taken out of their hands, namely, unforgiven sin. If our sins are not forgiven, Satan can rightly accuse us before God, and we will be sentenced to hell. But if our sins are forgiven, Satan cannot successfully accuse us before God.

And so Paul soars in exultation over the great gospel of deliverance in Romans 8. If God is for us, who can be against us? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? That is in Satan's face. Who shall bring any charge? It is God who justifies, Mr. Satan. Who is to condemn?

It is Christ Jesus who died, Mr. Satan. You couldn't stop it more than that who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us, Mr. Accuser. So I am sure that neither death nor life nor angels nor rulers—yeah, nor rulers nor Satan nor anything else in all creation—can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.

So our weapon against Satan in this world is truth, especially the truth of the gospel of the cross of Christ. And our great mission is the deliverance of the world. Tell them the truth. Spread the truth. Defend the truth. Live the truth, for you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free, free from sin, free from Satan.

The words of Jesus to the apostle Paul before he sent him out was, "I am sending you to open their eyes to the truth of Christ so that they may turn from the power of Satan to God," Acts 26, 18. That's our great liberating mission in the world, to open the eyes of the blind by the power of the Holy Spirit, by the great instrument of truth, because Paul said God will grant them repentance, leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they will become free and escape from the snare of the devil, having been captured by him to do his will.

May God make us valiant spokesmen and spreaders of liberating truth. 05 Amen. Thank you, Pastor John. Nothing less is called for in the face of this diabolical deception than what you just called for, Pastor John. Thank you. Thank you for listening to the Ask Pastor John podcast, and thank you to all of you who support our labors through your regular prayers on our behalf and through the generous financial giving that makes DesiringGod.org possible.

We are, in fact, engaged in spiritual war in this work of proclaiming the supremacy of Christ over every power and principality. So thank you for your partnership. Thank you for joining us. Well, self-consciousness is a very troubling thing. It can be a paralyzing thing for some people. So how do we break free from a preoccupation with our own self-consciousness?

It's a really important discussion, and it's the topic on the table Wednesday when we return. I'm your host, Tony Reinke. We'll see you then. you