IS THERE A SUPERNATURAL PERSONAL DEVIL?

Christadelphians and some members of the Church of God of the Abrahamic Faith do not accept the commonly accepted belief in the biblical devil. There are good scriptural reasons for them to reexamine their lack of belief. A careful reading of the Bible will show that it certainly does teach that there is an invisible enemy of God and man who goes by the names or titles of Satan, Devil, Dragon, Serpent and others. The no-devil theory among Christians is an invention by men, specifically John Epps and John Thomas.

Some people make the similar claim that God is not a person or that he does not exist. Should we believe them, or should we believe the Bible? It is also appropriate to ask, Should we believe Christadelphians and others, or should we believe the Bible?

The Bible plainly shows the devil is a person

Persons can be bound and the devil can be bound. (Ge 22:9; Mt 12:29; Lu 13:16; Re 20:2)
Good and bad persons can present themselves before the Lord, and the devil presented himself before the Lord. (Lev 14:11; Nu 8:10, 11; 16:16; 1 Sa 10:19; Job 1:6; 2:1)
A person can receive a rebuke from God, and Satan can too. (De 28:20; Zec 3:2)
Persons can be "laid hold of" and the devil can be "laid hold of." (Jg 19:29; Re 20:2)
Just as the spirit of Elijah was in Elisha and John the Baptist, the spirit of the devil entered into Judas. (2 Ki 2:9, 15; Lu 1:17; 22:3; Joh 13:2, 27)
Persons can be released from prison and the devil will be released from prison. (2 Ki 25:27; Lu 23:25; Re 20:3, 7)
"The sons of God came" before the Lord, and the devil "came among them." (Job 1:6; 2:1)
We have been warned about "the man who carries out wicked schemes" and "to stand firm against the schemes of the devil." (Ps 37:7; 2 Co 2:11; Eph 6:11)
Persons sin from infancy, and "the devil has sinned from the beginning." (Ps 51:5; 58:3; Eph 3:8; 1 Jo 3:8)
Godly persons have truth in their innermost being, but the devil has "no truth in him." (Ps 51:6; Joh 8:44)
Persons are called serpents and the devil is called "the serpent of old." (Ps 58:4; Isa 27:1; Mt 23:33; Ge 3:1-15; 49:17; 2 Co 11:3; Re 20:2)
Persons flee, and the devil flees. (Ps 68:12; Jas 4:7)
A human accuser can stand beside another person just as the devil stood at the right hand of high priest Joshua. (Ps 109:6; Zec 3:1)
We can escape the snares set by people and the snares set by the devil. (Eccl 7:26; 1 Ti 3:7; 2 Ti 2:26)
Persons are called dragons and the devil is called a dragon. (Isa 27:1; 51:9; Eze 29:3, 4; 32:2; Re 20:2)
Persons can speak lies, and the devil speaks lies. (Jer 9:5; Dan 11:27; Joh 8:44)
Michael the archangel will stand up for God's people, but Satan the devil stood up against God's people. (Dan 12:1; 1 Chr 21:1)
Angels "came" to Jesus and the devil "came" to Jesus. (Mt 4:3, 11)
People can be delivered into the hands of men or handed over to Satan. (Mt 17:22; Ac 28:17; 1 Ti 1:20)
Wicked persons will "be cast into eternal fire," and so will "the devil and his angels." (Mt 18:8; 25:41; Jude 7)
Persons can be thrown into a prison and the devil will be thrown into a prison. (Mt 18:30; Ac 16:23, 24; Re 20:3)
Persons can be "cast out," and the devil will be "cast out." (Joh 6:37; 12:31)
Abraham is a father of symbolic children, and the devil is correspondingly a father of symbolic children. (Joh 8:38-40, 44)
Some persons have "been judged already," and the devil "has been judged." (Joh 3:18; 16:11)
Persons dispute among themselves and argue, and the devil engages in disputes and arguments. (Ac 28:29; Jude 9)
People can be conceited, and the devil is conceited. (Ro 11:20; 1 Ti 3:6)
Persons can deceive and the devil deceives. (Ro 16:18; Ge 3:13; 2 Co 11:3; Re 20:3, 8, 10)
Deceitful persons employ craftiness, and the devil employs craftiness. (Eph 4:14; 1 Co 3:19; 2 Co 4:2; 11:3)
Wicked persons can hinder Christians, and the devil can hinder Christians. (1 Th 2:15, 16, 18)
People have incurred condemnation, and the devil has incurred condemnation. (1 Ti 3:6; 5:12)
Godly persons are "walking in the truth" but the devil did "not stand fast in the truth." (3 Jo 4; Joh 8:44)

The Bible plainly shows the devil is a person who mimics God

God tests his servants but the devil tries to tempt them. (Ge 22:1; Heb 11:17; Lu 4:2; 1 Co 7:5)
God has several names and the devil has several names. (Ex 6:3; Mt 1:24; Mr 3:22; Lu 11:15, 18; 2 Co 6:15)
God touches men's hearts, and the devil can touch people. (1 Sa 10:26; 1 Jo 5:18)
God devours and the devil devours. (2 Sa 22:9; 1 Pe 5:8)
God and his agents are adversaries to the wicked, and the devil is an adversary to the righteous. (1 Ki 11:14, 23; 1 Pe 5:8)
God performs deeds, and the devil performs deeds. (Ps 9:11; Joh 8:41)
God has desires and the devil has desires. (Ps 68:16; Lu 22:31; 1 Co 12:18; Joh 8:44)
God will crush the devil just as he crushed the adversaries of David. (Ps 89:20, 23; Ro 16:20)
God engages in activity, and the devil engages in activity. (Eccl 11:5; 2 Th 2:9)
God is "like a man of war," and the devil is like "a strong man, fully armed." (Isa 42:13; Mt 12:29; Lu 11:21, 22)
God and Christ have ministers, and the devil has ministers. (Isa 61:6; Ac 13:2; 26:16; Ro 15:16; 2 Co 11:15)
God is an enemy to the wicked and the devil is an enemy to the righteous. (Lam 2:5; Jer 30:14; Mt 13:39)
God is a ruler, and the devil is a ruler. (Da 5:21; Joh 12:31; 14:30; 16:11)
God promised Christ all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and the devil promised Christ all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. (Da 7:14; Mt 4:8, 9)
"The Highest One" is God "for all ages to come," and the devil is "the god of this world [age]." (Da 7:18; Eph 2:7; 2 Co 4:4)
God led Jesus physically on occasion and the devil led Jesus physically on occasion. (Mt 4:1; Lu 4:1, 5, 9)
God is a father and the devil is a father. (Mt 6:10; Joh 8:44)
God is the ruler of glorious angels and the devil is the ruler of demonic angels. (Mt 12:24; 16:27; 25:41; Mr 3:22; Lu 11:15; Re 12:7)
The children of God are "the sons of the kingdom," and the children of the devil are "the sons of the evil one." (Mt 13:38; 1 Jo 3:10; Joh 8:44; Ac 13:10)
God spoke to Jesus and the devil spoke to Jesus. (Mr 1:11; Lu 4:3)
God called Jesus his Son but the devil tried to plant doubts that Jesus is God's Son. (Mr 1:11; Lu 4:3)
God and Christ have a kingdom, and the devil has a kingdom. (Mr 3:24-26)
God is a life giver and the devil is a life taker. (Joh 3:16; 5:21; 6:33; 8:44)
God and his agents are accusers of the wicked and the devil is an accuser of the righteous. (Joh 5:45; Re 12:10)
God in heaven was seen by Jesus, and the devil in heaven was seen by Jesus. (Joh 8:38; Lu 10:18)
God is the source of truth and the devil is the source of lies. (Joh 17:17; 8:44)
We can wrongly resist God, and we can rightly resist the devil. (Ac 7:51; Ro 13:2; Jas 4:7; 1 Pe 5:8, 9)
First century Christians believed in God and they believed in the devil. (Ac 10:38; Eph 6:11; Jas 4:7; 1 Jo 3:8, 10
God rules the dominion of light, and the devil rules the dominion of darkness. (Ac 26:18; 1 Pe 2:9; 1 Jo 1:5; Re 22:5; 2 Co 4:4; Lu 22:53)
God's spirit reveals "even the depths of God," and the devil's false teaching reveals "the deep things of Satan." (1 Co 2:10; Rev 2:24)
God has a "nature," and the devil has "his own nature." (Heb 1:3; Joh 8:44)
God imparts the power of an indestructible life, but the devil has the power of death. (Heb 2:14; 7:16)
God does not tempt with evil but the devil does tempt with evil. (Jas 1:13; Mt 4:1; 1 Th 3:5)
God is located in a glorious paradise and the devil is located in a barren wilderness. (Re 2:7; Mt 4:1; 12:43; Lu 4:2; Rev 3:13)
God and Christ have thrones, and the devil has a throne. (Re 2:13; 3:21)

The Bible plainly shows that the devil is a person who mimics Christ

Christ is a prince, and the devil is a prince. (Isa 9:6; Eph 2:2)
Christ and the saints will be rulers in "the ages to come," but the devil is "the ruler of this world." (Dan 7:18; Eph 2:7; Joh 12:31)
Christ took others to various places and the devil took Christ to various places. (Mt 4:5, 8; 9:25; 17:1; 20:17; 26:37)
We can follow Christ or follow the devil. (Mt 4:19; 1 Ti 5:15)
All things have been "handed over" to Christ, but the devil claims they have been "handed over" to him. (Mt 11:27; Lu 4:6)
Christ sows "the word of the kingdom" in a person's heart, but the devil "snatches away what has been sown in his heart." (Mt 13:19)
Christ sows good seed and the devil sows weeds. (Mt 13:24, 31, 37-39)
Christ quoted Scripture to the devil and the devil quoted Scripture to Christ. (Lu 4:4, 8, 10-12)
Christ "is coming," and he said the devil "is coming." (Lu 12:40; Joh 14:30)
Christ opened the minds of believers, and the devil blinds the minds of unbelievers. (Lu 24:45; 2 Co 4:4)
Christ and his disciples are the light of the world, but the devil rules a domain of darkness. (Joh 8:12; 9:5; Mt 5:14-16; 17:2; Ac 26:18; Eph 6:12; Col 1:13)
Christ speaks the truth, and the devil speaks lies. (Joh 8:44, 45)
Christ "filled" the hearts of the apostles with sorrow, and the devil "filled" the heart of Ananias with lies. (Joh 16:6; Ac 5:3)
Christ has partnership with believers and the devil has partnership with unbelievers. (2 Co 6:14, 15)
Christ is a lion and the devil is a lion. (Re 5:5; 1 Pe 5:8)
Jesus has good angels as companions and the devil has demon angels as companions. (Re 14:10; Mt 12:24)

Abrahamic Christian Fellowship