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Are Jesus and the Devil Equals?

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Jesus and the devil are not equals and they are not brothers.

Jesus is the Son of God. He is omniscient (all-knowing), omnipotent (all powerful), and omnipresent (present everywhere). The devil is a created being. He disobeyed God and fell from heaven. He is not omniscient, omnipotent, nor omnipresent for he is not God. The devil has authority on this earth for a time but one day he will be judged and punished.

The devil is referenced as Lucifer or Satan. He is not the equal of Jesus. Some believe that the power of the devil is equal to the power of Jesus. This is not true and it is not taught in the Bible. Jesus is God. The devil is an angel who was thrown from heaven because of his sin. As an angelic being, he has power on earth but only for a time allotted by God.

Some believe that the sacrifice that Jesus paid for the sins of humanity was paid to Satan and not to God the Father. This is truth as it is not taught in the Bible. The payment that Jesus Christ paid for us was for our debt that we have to God the Father. God is holy. Our disobedience was a sin against God. The payment of our sins was made by Jesus and was given to God.

In the book of Matthew chapter four we read of the true account of Jesus being tempted by Satan in the wilderness. Jesus fasted for forty days and forty night and then the devil appeared to him. The devil waited until Jesus was at his weakest in body. The devil tempted Jesus with the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life. Jesus resisted the temptation by quoting the Truth of God’s Word. The devil was rendered powerless and left Jesus. The angels came and attended to Jesus.

The story of the temptation of Jesus by the devil shows us that Jesus has power over the devil. When we follow the example of Jesus then we can overcome the devil. We fix our heart on Jesus, stand on the Truth of God’s Word, and we resist the devil. He will then flee.