Satan goes about as a roaring lion seeking to devour those whom he will, but he is not

omnipotent. Satan, however powerful, however sly, however crafty he may be, he is still a creature.

The New Testament speaks of Satan as one who manifests himself as we say in philosophy,

sob, species, bony, under the auspices of the good, that the Scriptures warn us that Satan

manifests himself as an angel of light. He is the Prince of Darkness in reality, but he has this

ability of metamorphosis, this ability of disguise, of traveling incognito, and disguising himself as an angel of light.

He doesn't pop up like he would to Dr. Faustus and say, let me have your soul. I am Satan. I am the bad guy now.

He is much too crafty for that. He will come to us under the cloaks of goodness. He will appear as a minister

as a priest, as a religious leader. All the outward appearances seem to be good. This is his MO,

and that's why we're called to be warned against this one who comes disguised as an angel of light.

That's one metaphor that the New Testament uses. Another one is that drawn from the animal kingdom.

Satan goes about as a roaring lion seeking to devour those whom he will.

Now, to the Jew, the image of the lion is the image of supreme strength. The lion is the king of the beasts.

He is the one who is most powerful, and it seems when we hear that image that Satan is going around this world,

as a roaring lion seeking to devour whom he will, we have to feel like, what chance do we have against him? He is so powerful.

And yet we are also told by the New Testament, resist Satan, and he will flee from you.

I have this mixed image of Satan in my head on the one hand of the clear and present danger of this voracious lion who's on the prow.

And then I see this lion turning and running down the street, yelping with its tail between its legs like a smitten dog.

Jesus also comforts us, and the New Testament comforts us by saying,

greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world.

One of the things that I've rejoiced about in the Christian faith is that we aren't dualists.

We don't believe that there are two equal and opposite powers at work fighting to a Mexican standoff and eternity in the universe.

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