TV Program

Current Episode

The Birth of Evil

SERIES: Anatomy of Sin #1 of 8

2009-05-03

PRODUCTION #: 1071

SPEAKER: Shawn Boonstra

During the 1980s there was a lot of talk about Satanists and mysterious occult rituals taking place on Main Street USA, and of course some of it was absolutely true. But as horrible as it was, the bigger question is this: Is there really such a thing as the devil? And if there is, why in the world did God create such a being?

The people of Los Angeles couldn't have been more terrified during the summer of 1985. Somebody was breaking into homes and savagely mutilating innocent people right in their bedrooms. The newspapers called him the Night Stalker and before his reign of terror was over, he had claimed at least 16 lives and had assaulted countless others. Finally, on August 31 of that same year, authorities arrested Richard Ramirez after a group of men mobbed him as he was trying to steal a car. The terrifying rampage was over and today Ramirez sits on death row waiting for execution.

Now, this wasn't the first serial killer to hit the city of Los Angeles by any stretch. In the summer of 1983, no fewer than five serial killers were working independently of each other throughout the city, but there was something about Richard Ramirez that really scared everybody. Not only was his death toll exceptionally high, but he also said a few things during legal proceedings that set him apart from your run-of-the-mill criminal. During a preliminary court appearance, Ramirez waved at reporters and yelled, "Hail Satan!" And there was a pentagram etched on the palm of his hand.

Now there's nothing inherently sinister or evil about a pentagram because it's basically just a star inside a circle. And that symbol's been around for thousands of years. At different times it was used by different people to mean different things. But in recent centuries, particularly since the Spanish Inquisition, the pentagram has easily become one of the most recognized symbols of the occult. The upside down star is said to represent the head of a goat and the implication is clear. It's a satanic symbol.

There are a number of groups today that use the pentagram in other ways, but in the case of Richard Ramirez there was no mistaking what he meant when he etched that symbol in the palm of his hand. It was clearly meant to identify him with the devil.

After he had been sentenced to death, he addressed the court and said, "I am beyond good and evil. I will be avenged. Lucifer dwells in us all."

It's pretty bone chilling stuff and during the 1980s when paranoia about satanic cults was at an all-time high in the news, it served to confirm something everyone had feared: There really is such a thing as someone who worships the devil.

In the early 1980s, as many of you will remember, there was a lot of talk about secret satanic covens that met all over the world engaging in nefarious acts that defied the imagination. Suddenly, people started noticing occult overtones in everything around them, from role-playing games like Dungeons and Dragons to the heavy metal rock bands that blatantly used satanic themes in their lyrics and artwork.

In 1980, a book written by Lawrence Pazder and Michelle Smith told the unbelievably awful tale of a young girl who had been abused in the 1950s by a satanic cult near Victoria, British Columbia. That book took the marketplace by storm and brought backroom occultism into the mainstream spotlight. It also came on the heels of the 1960s and 1970s when a lot of overt satanic groups like the Church of Satan and the Temple of Set made headlines around the world by publicly declaring their allegiance to the Prince of Darkness. Add to that a string of popular Hollywood films that prominently featured demonic activity like "Rosemary's Baby" and "The Exorcist," and you had an American public on edge.

Rumors of dark satanic covens operating covertly in average American neighborhoods started to spread. Some people started to see evidence of devil worship in just about everything from backmasking in their kids, music to Procter and Gamble's corporate logo. The lines between fact and fiction began to blur heavily.

A lot of stories from that period turned out to be completely false, like the persistent rumors that Liz Claiborne and Ray Croc were members of the Church of Satan. But other stories couldn't be denied, like the capture and conviction of the Night Stalker.

Frankly, there's no evidence that Ramirez ever did anything but work alone. He didn't have a satanic coven, or belong to a strange religious group, but the fact remains that he was a bona fide devil worshipper. And I don't know about you, but the thought that there are people who will kill for the devil is a little more than unsettling. It means that there are people out there who don't want to play by the same rules of civilization that you and I live by. They are not interested in the greater good of everybody. It matters more to them that they can take what they want when they want it, no matter what it might cost the rest of us.

In most of the world, nobody's shocked by the suggestion that there are those among us who worship the devil. Spiritualism and devil worship are a part of everyday life in some countries, and Christians who have traveled to these places can tell you horrific stories that would make your hair stand on end. In most of the world, devil worship is still very real. It's just that in North America we've become so secular minded that we no longer seriously believe in a spiritual realm.

When we hear about someone committing atrocities in the name of the devil, we are absolutely shocked, because we don't really believe in an actual devil anymore. Even though we might go to church every week, we hardly ever hear about him from the pulpit except when some sensationalistic sideshow exorcist happens to wheel through town. And the end result is to kind of just stop believing in the devil altogether.

So, let me ask you, is there really such a thing as the devil? I've heard some modern theologians suggest that Satan is just a good piece of fiction invented by the church to help explain why bad things happen. In other words, he's just the personification of evil, but doesn't really exist. Now, that would be a pretty good theory except for one little problem. Jesus himself wouldn't have believed it. It says in the Gospel according to Luke that the larger group of Christ's disciples, which is sometimes referred to as "the seventy," had firsthand experience with devils.

Listen to this story from Luke 10:17-18 as they come back to Jesus after being sent out into the cities to minister to people (Luke 10:17-18):

"And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven."

Now the question I have is this: If Satan is nothing more than a man made personification of evil, then what did Jesus witness when he saw Satan falling from heaven? Is it possible that what we've always been told is true? That there's an evil spiritual realm and a fallen angel by the name of Satan who makes life miserable for us?

Well, not only is it true, but the Bible tells a spectacular story that beats anything that Hollywood could dream up. In the Book of Revelation there's a remarkable passage about Satan's fall from the courts of heaven, found in Revelation 12:7-9:

"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."

Now there are a couple of things I want to point out in this passage. First of all, it says point blank that the devil really exists and that he deceives the whole world. That means it's more than just the Richard Ramirezes of this world who get sucked in by him. The stuff you hear in the evening news is just the tip of the iceberg, because he's busy deceiving the whole world, and that means that he's not just working on devil worshippers, he's working on you, too.

But, furthermore, I want you to notice that the Bible says that Satan was once in heaven. In fact it says that war broke out in heaven and the devil was cast out because of it. Which raises one of the most important questions of all time. If the devil was once in heaven, then does that mean God actually created the devil? And if God created the devil, doesn't that make him at least somewhat responsible for the things that the devil does?

These are all good questions and the Bible has some amazing answers. There's this passage in the Old Testament Book of Isaiah that tells us something about the issues that caused that war in heaven. It's found in Isaiah 14:12-14 (Isaiah 14:12-14):

"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, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High."

You know, there's an old joke that says Lucifer's biggest problem was that he had "I" trouble and if you read this passage in Isaiah carefully, you'll notice that Lucifer says "I" five times.

The real problem with Lucifer was that in spite of living in the presence of God, his attention completely shifted onto himself. Somehow he came to the conclusion that if he only held the very highest position in heaven, that of God himself, then he would be happier.

According to the Bible, Lucifer was a remarkably beautiful and gifted angel and some passages seem to indicate that he occupied one of the most important positions anywhere in heaven, right next to the throne of God. The problem started when Lucifer noticed just how beautiful he was. Listen to this amazing passage found in Ezekiel 28:13-15 (Ezekiel 28:13-15):

"Thou hast been in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald and the carbuncle and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire."

Now let me pause there for just a moment. I mentioned earlier that Lucifer originally held one of the highest positions in heaven. The reason I said that is because the Bible refers to him as the covering cherub. This is a position right next to the throne of God. Some of you might remember that the ark of the covenant, that special piece of furniture that the Israelites carried through the desert, had a golden lid on it with two angels that were called "covering cherubs." When the ark of the covenant was put into the tabernacle, the presence of God would rest right above it, making the ark a symbol of God's throne in heaven.

In the Book of Revelation, and in other passages of the Bible, we have clear indications that the ark on earth was a copy of something in heaven, and when we discover that Lucifer was a covering cherub, we have a pretty good idea what that means. Now let's keep reading (Ezekiel 28:15):

"You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you."

Now that's one of the most important statements found anywhere in the Bible. When the devil was originally created, he wasn't a devil. The Bible says that he was created perfect, but then something happened. At some point, God discovered iniquity, or sin, in his heart. In fact, the word "iniquity" literally means "lawlessness." Something happened to make Lucifer rebel against the law of God, and in verse 17, the Bible tells us exactly what it was. "Thine heart," it says, "was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness."

Essentially, the problem was that Lucifer fell in love with himself. One day, or at least as I imagine it, he was walking past the River of Life and caught a glimpse of his own reflection, and that was more than he could handle.

One thought led to the next and over the course of time, Lucifer came to esteem himself much more highly than he should have. In fact, he began to question whether or not God should be on the throne, as we read just a moment ago.

The only problem was that there weren't many positions above Lucifer's, and the only thing he didn't already seem to have was godhood itself. So he set his sights on the throne of God and of course that led to some very serious problems. The Bible says that, quite literally, Lucifer became the very first outlaw in the universe. His heart was filled with iniquity, or lawlessness, and that's a point we shouldn't be too quick to overlook.

You know, the Israelites used to keep a copy of the Ten Commandments inside the ark of the covenant, that special symbol of God's throne with two angels on top. It was a permanent reminder, etched in stone, that God's government is fair and just and that it's based on a solid foundation of perfect laws. When Lucifer fell in love with himself, however, and began to imagine he was sitting on God's throne, he was really questioning the very government of God. The Bible says that he became unjust or lawless. He began to spread the suggestion around heaven that God could not really be trusted and that his laws were somehow flawed.

And the implication, of course, was that he would do a better job should he be elected to sit on God's throne. Well, for that Lucifer was evicted from heaven and today we know him as Satan, or the deceiver. And the sad picture we get in the book of Revelation is that he managed to take about one-third of heaven's angels with him. Now think about it, that's a remarkable number, given the fact that the Bible speaks about millions and possibly billions of angels.

But the question remains: Why in the world did God allow it to happen in the first place? If God is really all-knowing and all-powerful and all-loving, then why did He create Lucifer? Couldn't He have put a stop to it? Well, in the first place, I'm not sure we are in any position to question God. It would kind of be like my daughter's pet turtles questioning where I choose to put the furniture in my house. But because God knows we are going to ask these questions, and because He cares about us, He gives us some important clues.

First of all, we are told that Lucifer was created perfect. God did not create a devil. He created a perfect angel, someone who would bring glory and joy to the courts of heaven. Secondly, we know that Lucifer chose to become a fallen angel. It was something he did all by himself. God no more created a devil than Richard Ramirez's great-great-grandfather created a serial killer.

So why in the world didn't God make it impossible for an angel to choose against Him? Well, think about it for a minute. Ask any little boy if he wants a puppy and he'll likely say yes. Then try to offer him a wind-up puppy instead, and explain that the wind-up puppy will never chew on the furniture, or have an accident on the carpet.

Now, which puppy do you think most boys would want? Well, you know the answer. Most of them are going to pick the real puppy, even though there's a real chance the real puppy is going to cause some trouble. And the reason they want the real one is because you can't have a relationship with a wind-up puppy. It just can't love you back.

When God first created this world, He didn't make a bunch of wind-up puppies. He wanted creatures who could actually have a relationship with Him. People who could actually love Him back. And in order for that to happen, you have to create creatures that have the freedom to choose.

Because unless you are free to choose against God, you are not really free to choose for Him either. And what kind of a relationship do you have when somebody has no choice? So angels were created with the ability to serve God out of their own free will, or for that matter to choose against Him. And even though Lucifer was created perfect, he chose to turn against his creator.

Now, of course that raises a lot of questions that we would have never had time for in a short program like this, but since we'll be spending more time on this subject in the coming weeks, I invite you to keep tuning in so that we can dig a little deeper into what the Bible has to say about it.

But for today, I want to establish just one thing. According to the Bible, there really is such a thing as the devil. There really is a spirit world to contend with, and it's a lot more dangerous than some people think.

Richard Ramirez gives us a pretty good idea of where you could end up if you just turn the reins of your life over to a fallen angel called Satan. He paints a vivid picture of the kind of devastation the devil would love to wreak on the human race if he only had the chance. But for most of us, he works a lot more insidiously. If he could just get us to assume that he doesn't even exist, that legions of evil angels the Bible talks about aren't real at all, well then he could sell us just about any idea he wants to.

For most of us, satanic cults and ritual abuse aren't a personal issue, but the existence of the devil certainly is. In 1 Peter 5:8 we are given this striking warning (1 Peter 5:8):

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour."

During the 1980s we spent a lot of time obsessing about satanic cults and influences and I think a lot of those concerns were very real. There really is such a thing as devil worshippers. But it's important to never lose sight of the fact that the devil deceives the whole world and given a chance, he'd love to pull you down, too.

And you might not fall prey to the occult, but maybe your weakness is an appetite for power or money, maybe your weakness is sexual temptation or an overblown sense of self-importance. Whatever it is, there's one thing I know for sure, the devil is going to take advantage of it if you just give him a chance.

So what can you do? Well, there's some really good news found in Colossians 2:15. Speaking of the victory of Christ on the Cross of Calvary, Paul writes these words (Colossians 2:15):

"And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it."

Now what exactly does that mean? The phrase "principalities and powers" is sometimes used to speak of the fallen angels and the tight grip they seem to have over this fallen planet of ours. The Bible says that Christ has already defeated them and if you place your trust in him, you'll find yourself in a position of victory over fallen angels, too. Resist the devil, the Bible says in the book of James, and he will flee from you.

Listen, the devil is such a fascinating subject that it's really easy to get caught up in it and lose sight of what really matters. What really matters is Jesus. The Book of Revelation says that through His shed blood the devil has nothing over us. Listen to this from Revelation 12:10, 11:

"Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death."

The battle between good and evil might still be raging, but the outcome has already been determined. Jesus wins. The only thing to do out of your own free will is to choose Jesus and given the devil's track record of heartbreak and destruction, I can't think of a single good reason not to choose Christ, can you?

Maybe you've recognized the devil working on your life. You've recognized the things that he preys on, trying to get you to turn your attention away from God. I'd like to pray with you right now about that very thing. Lets pray together.

PRAYER:
Father in heaven, Lord, how thankful we are for Jesus Christ and for the blood that He shed at the cross, the blood that has already conquered the devil. Lord, give us the strength to resist the devil. You promised that he will flee if we do. Give us the strength to keep our eyes on Jesus and to walk with Him, and above all, today we choose Jesus. We choose to be on your side, for we long to be a member of the kingdom of heaven. We give you praise and glory for the way that you give us courage, and strength, and forgiveness, and we pray these things in Jesus' name, Amen.

Scriptures Used in “The Birth of Evil”

"And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven."
—Luke 10: 17-18

"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."
—Revelation 12:7-9

"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, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High."
—Isaiah 14:12-14

"Thou hast been in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald and the carbuncle and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire."
—Ezekiel 28:13-15

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about, seeking whom he may devour."
—1 Peter 5:8

"Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death."
—Revelation 12:10, 11