Many hundreds of requests have come from readers of The PLAIN TRUTH asking this intriguing question.
Read here the startling TRUTH from God's own WORD about Satan's FALSE RELIGION!
HAVE you ever heard of a church called, "The Devil's Congregation"? Have you ever seen a sign labeling a building, "Satan's Synagogue"? Have you ever heard a radio program called, "The Devil's Endeavor"?
OF COURSE — NOT!
The god of this present evil world who holds sway over the darkened minds of poor deceived mankind is not so ignorant as to label his churches with their true names!
But does the Devil have a religion? Does he have churches? And if he does not call them by his name, how can you tell where they are? What would the doctrines of these churches be — what does the Devil believe — or at least what does he try to palm off on others for them to believe?
Does the Bible have anything to say about the Devil's religion?
What the Bible Says
The only real source of truth to which we can go to find the answers to these questions is God's own Word! (John 17:17) Many people today consider the concept of a Devil as ignorant and mythological. They consider Satan to be a mere concept held by primitive people to explain away the presence of evil in the world.
But then these same people also believe God is a mere concept — a myth to explain away the presence of creation and good! If you would like to understand more fully, and prove to yourself beyond any shadow of doubt that there is both a real God and a real Devil, then write immediately for the booklet Does God Exist? and see this article Did God Create a Devil? Both are completely free of charge or obligation and we will be glad to send them to you.
Surprisingly enough there is a great deal of information concerning Satan the Devil, his religion, his way of thinking, his way of doing — and also the sure prophecy of God of what will BECOME of his efforts. And there is more information concerning this very real Devil in the last book of the Bible than there is in the first!
Jesus Describes TRUE Church
Just before Jesus Christ was crucified, referring to Satan the Devil, He said, "Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me" (John 14:30). Jesus went on to explain to His disciples that if the world persecuted Him (which it certainly had), it would persecute them also (John 15: 19-21). He explained to His disciples that they and all those after them would be rejected by the churches of this world: "yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service" (John 16:2).
Jesus explained to His followers that they would be a little flock, disparaged and despised by the majority of the peoples of the world, downtrodden and persecuted right up until the time of His return as King of kings and Lord of lords! But He also encouraged them by letting them know that they were not to fear this persecution because it was God's will to give these persecuted few His Kingdom! "Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32).
Christ Gives Prophetic Warning About FALSE Churches
When His disciples asked Him concerning future events and what would happen between their time and the coming of the end of the world, Jesus' first and CONTINUED warning was about individuals who would come claiming to be His representatives, using His NAME, but deceiving the world and actually being the servants of Satan the Devil! "And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For MANY SHALL COME in my NAME [using the name of Christ, calling themselves Christian], saying I am Christ; and shall deceive MANY" (Mat. 24:4-5). And again He repeated His warning concerning false prophets saying, "And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many" (Mat. 24:11).
Jesus Christ continued His warning, showing that because of this great false religious system which would claim His name but really belong to Satan the Devil — that because of this deception the whole world will be thrown into such chaotic confusion and war that "except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved" (Mat. 24:22). Jesus Christ predicted what all of us in today's world fear — the threat of COSMOCIDE, the suicide of the entire human race!
Not satisfied with having pointed out two times that the cause of this chaotic tribulation was the great religious deception, Jesus Christ again firmly stated, "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not" (Mat. 24:24-26).
Yes, Jesus Christ's warning to His disciples of all times was that His Church — the Church of God — would always be a little flock, a despised congregation — a persecuted church — not the generally accepted organizations of the masses which merely appropriated His name, calling themselves Christian!
Satan's Job
Satan the Devil, originally called Lucifer, was given charge of this earth along with a number of other angels (Jude 6) — but he was not satisfied with the earth as his domain. He rebelled against God's way of doing things and tried to take over the throne of God in Heaven by violence — but did not succeed! "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven [notice that it is Satan's idea to get to heaven], I will exalt my throne above the stars of God . . . I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High" (Isa. 14:12-14).
This being, who had been given charge by God to take care of the earth, sinned against his Creator! "Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, TILL INIQUITY was found in THEE" (Ezek. 28:15). By this action of rebellion against the Kingdom of God, Satan the Devil became the "father" of all those who are guilty of sin — he was the original sinner! (John 8:44) Jesus Christ gives a personal, eyewitness account of this particular time of Satan's rebellion when He tells us, "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven" (Luke 10:18). You will notice that by Biblical definition it was Satan who "fell."
Despite the fact that Satan had rebelled against God's Kingdom, His government and authority, he nevertheless still held the office of responsibility over this earth given to him by God in the first place. In the temptation on the mount Jesus Christ qualified to take over this rule from Satan the Devil. By His victory over death He is able to take over the rulership of this world at any time. But there is a plan being worked out here below, and as yet the God of heaven has NOT intervened to strip Satan's authority from him — Satan is still the god of this world — "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them" (II Cor. 4:4).
Satan does not appear to this world in the clothing that he has deceived this world into thinking the Devil would appear in — he does not appear with a pitchfork and horns and an evil look on his face.
Appears as Angel of Light!
Just as Jesus Christ prophesied in Matthew 24, Satan claims his converts are spiritual Jews — Christians — but Christ in a whole series of personal letters to His Church in all of its eras warns about these congregations — "and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews [claim to be spiritual Jews, or Christians], AND ARE NOT, but are the synagogue of Satan" (Rev. 2:9). And again ". . . the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but DO LIE!" (Rev. 3:9)
Satan looks like a light bringer to the deceived eyes of a deceived world. His ministers look like and sound like what deceived people think the ministers of Christ should look and sound like — THAT'S THE VERY MEANING OF THE WORD DECEPTION! "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if HIS MINISTERS [Satan the Devil does have ministers] also be transformed [apparently changed from what they really are] as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works [even though these ministers preach that there are no works, they are going to be judged by the Creator according to their works]" (II Cor. 11:13-15).
Whole World Deceived
Satan has done his job well — "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, WHICH DECEIVETH THE WHOLE WORLD!" (Rev. 12:9) This great false deceiver has sent out his messengers with soft and oily words to soothe the troubled people on earth into thinking that they can do what they want to and escape God's punishment for sin — death. Jesus Christ warned about this — "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat . . . Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are RAVENING WOLVES" (Mat. 7:13, 15).
In order to deceive the WHOLE WORLD, Satan has used every means available to him. There are many areas on this earth where deceived and ignorant human beings openly worship the Devil. Other hundreds of millions ignorantly worship pieces of rock and wood — big-bellied Buddhas in the Oriental East and dead men's bones in deepest Africa!
Other individuals who are perhaps a little more educated, Satan has deceived by the millions, getting them to believe that there is no God at all and that one of his own (Satan's) political systems — Communism — is the answer to mankind's problems! These great numbers of the peoples of the earth are easy for Satan to keep in subjection because of such long-standing ignorance and the fact that Jesus Christ and His Gospel have not been preached to them — His name has not even so much as been mentioned to many millions of these poor, degenerate human beings.
But in the areas of the world where the name of Christ has been mentioned, where even the Word of God, the Bible, is circulated, and where from time to time people even read that Bible, Satan is very hard pressed and has to be very subtle and clever — to use the name of Christ, even to use the Bible, but still to DECEIVE people!
Since Satan feels that he has been unjustly judged by God, he wants the people of this world to feel that they are unjustly judged by God. So he has his ministers tell them that they do not need to obey God — that the harsh, cruel God of the Old Testament has now been superseded by the new, loving and kind God of the New Testament. Yet God's Word says, "While they [Satan's ministers] promise them [their converts] liberty, they themselves are the slaves of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought into bondage" (II Peter 2:19, RSV). Satan deceives mankind into thinking that he can continue to do as he pleases and get away with it!
Satan's Doctrines
The Devil believes in God! "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: THE DEVILS ALSO BELIEVE, and tremble" (James 2:19). Isn't that amazing — the Devil himself is not even as deceived as some of those whom he has blinded into thinking that there is no God — poor foolish atheists who like to ponder the thought of themselves being the descendants of warm ocean slime!
We can plainly see from this scripture that believing in God is not enough! Satan himself believes in God! Using the name of Christ is not enough either, because Jesus Himself prophesied that many would use His name, but that those many would be false prophets — servants of the Devil!
Using the name of Jesus Christ is a very dangerous thing — you must be sure that you are using it the way Christ would use it Himself! (Col. 3:17) One historic record God preserves for us is almost humorous if it did not carry the sober realization that the name of Jesus Christ can only be used with extreme caution and according to the will of God.
"Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know trio evil spirit is ignorant of the fact that Jesus Christ was and is the Son of God), and Paul I know; but WHO ARE YE? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded!" (Acts 19:13-16)
The Devil has many doctrines (I Tim. 4:1-4) but his chief doctrine is that of REBELLION — disobedience to the laws of God — because he Is a rebel! His is a system of confusion and he has caused this so-called Christian world to be so confused that there are over 400 different interpretations of what Christianity is. This cannot be God's Christianity!