Home Topics Index Download
Transcript 341C — Does Satan Know Who Belongs to God?
HC: Good evening. Welcome to Open Forum.
CALLER: Good evening. Does Satan know who belongs to God? I'd like to have some answers from Scripture, and I'd like to hang up and listen.
HC: Thank you for calling. The question is: Does Satan know who belongs to God? Well, we certainly know this, that Satan knew that Job belonged to God, didn't he? God said, "Have you considered My servant Job?"
We certainly know that Satan knew that the disciples belonged to God, that is, except for Judas. And he knew that Judas didn't belong to God because he came into Judas. He knew that he was one man that he could use as his slave, to accomplish the betrayal of Jesus.
On the other hand, he came to Jesus, when Jesus was ready to go into the Garden of Gethsemane, and he said, "I want your disciples. They're going to be mine. I'm going to sift them as wheat." You'll recall Jesus' statement. So he certainly knew that the disciples belonged to Jesus.
More than that, an unsaved person is a slave of Satan. When we belong to Jesus, we have been taken out of Satan's dominion and transferred into the Kingdom of His dear Son (Colossians 1:13). And I'm quite convinced that Satan and his fellow fallen angels keep pretty close tabs on those who are his and now have been taken out of his dominion. I don't think for a moment that Satan lets go of these slaves of his gladly. I'm sure that there is a tremendous struggle on his part.
Really, I believe, based on what I said about the activity of Satan over against the disciples, the activity of Satan over against Job (and there may be other passages), Satan certainly knows who belongs to him and who belongs to God.
It's interesting to know the insight that Satan has. Remember when Jesus cast out the demons. They would frequently say to Him, "Have you come to torment us before our time?" You remember when they would say to Jesus, "We know who you are. You are the Holy One of Israel," or "the Holy One of God." Satan has a lot of insights. The Bible says that he knows that his time is short, and he trembles. I really do believe that Satan knows who are the true children of God and who are not.
Now this of course gives Satan vast encouragement, I would think. You see, in any congregation that holds forth the true Gospel, there are many who are unsaved. If the whole congregation was born again, so there were no unsaved persons in that congregation, Satan would not have any real interest in that congregation, because he knows He's never been able to snatch anyone away from Christ, once they belonged to Christ.
But because the congregation is made up of many who are unsaved, Satan will continue to plague that congregation with other gospels, particularly, and with persecution or whatever, in order to snatch those who have not yet become born again out of the environment of the congregation. As long as they're in the congregation, hearing the Gospel every Sunday, studying the Bible, the potential for salvation is very great. At any time they can be saved. But if he can snatch them away, and get them into a false gospel, then they're safe under his control. They're not going to be under the hearing of the true Gospel any longer.
If he can drive them out into the pursuit of pleasure, out into the cares of this world, again they're going to be outside of the hearing of the Gospel. They're going to be safe in his clutches. Now the Bible teaches that Satan goes about as an angel of light (II Corinthians 11). The Bible teaches that he is like a wolf in sheep's clothing, coming after the flock.
And I really believe, although I'm not absolutely certain about this, that the burden of the evidence is that Satan knows who belongs to Christ. And he also knows who belongs to himself.