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BIBLE DICTIONARY
Devil
The English word devil in the KJV is used to represent several different words in Greek, i.e., slanderer, demon, and adversary, and Hebrew, i.e., spoiler. The devil is the enemy of righteousness and of those who seek to do the will of God. Literally a spirit son of God, he was at one time “an angel” in authority in the presence of God; however, he rebelled in the premortal life, at which time he persuaded a third of the spirit children of the Father to rebel with him, in opposition to the plan of salvation championed by Jehovah (Jesus Christ). “Thus came the devil and his angels” ( D&C 29: 37). They were cast out of heaven, and were denied the experience of mortal bodies and earth life ( Isa. 14: 12-15; Rev. 12: 4-9; 2 Ne. 2: 17; 2 Ne. 9: 8; D&C 29: 36-38; D&C 76: 25-26; D&C 93: 25; Moses 4: 1-4; Abr. 3: 27-28).
Latter-day revelation confirms the biblical teaching that the devil is a reality and that he does strive to lead men and women from the work of God. One of the major techniques of the devil is to cause human beings to think they are following God’s ways, when in reality they are deceived by the devil to follow other paths.
He is miserable in his situation, and “stirreth up the children of men unto secret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness” ( 2 Ne. 9: 9). He tries to imitate the work of God by transforming himself nigh unto an angel of light ( 2 Cor. 11: 12-15; 2 Ne. 9: 9; D&C 128: 20). He is also a worker of miracles, by which he deceives many upon the earth ( Rev. 13: 1-15). In fact, the scripture says he deceives the whole world ( Rev. 12: 9). He can cite scripture to make his point seem plausible ( Matt. 4: 1-11). All of this is his scheme to make man miserable like himself. Protection against the influence of the devil is found by obedience to the commandments and laws of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The message of all the prophets and apostles is that truth, righteousness, and peace shall in the end prevail over error, sin, and war; the faithful shall triumph over all their afflictions and enemies, and shall triumph over the devil. There shall be a complete and lasting victory of righteousness over wickedness on this earth, which will be done by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ.
References
12
How art thou afallen from bheaven, O cLucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the dnations!
13
For thou hast said in thine aheart, bI will ascend into heaven, I will cexalt my dthrone above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the enorth:
14
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the amost High.
15
Yet thou shalt be brought down to ahell, to the sides of the pit.
1
Then was Jesus aled up of the Spirit into the wilderness bto be ctempted of the devil.
2
And when he had afasted bforty days and forty nights, che was afterward an hungred.
3
And when the atempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bbread.
4
But he answered and said, It is written, aMan shall not blive by cbread alone, but by every dword that proceedeth out of the emouth of God.
5
aThen the devil taketh him up into the bholy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
6
aAnd saith unto him, bIf thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7
Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not atempt the Lord thy God.
8
aAgain, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the bkingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9
aAnd saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10
Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, aSatan: for it is written, Thou shalt bworship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
11
Then the devil leaveth him, aand, behold, bangels came and ministered unto him.
32
¶ As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a adevil.
1
And when he had acalled unto him his btwelve disciples, he gave them cpower against dunclean spirits, to cast them out, and to eheal all manner of fsickness and all manner of disease.
22
¶ Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.
38
The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the atares are the children of the wicked one;
39
The enemy that sowed them is the devil; athe bharvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.
24
Saying, Let us alone; awhat have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the bHoly One of God.
22
¶ And the scribes which came down from Jerusalem said, He hath Beelzebub, and by the prince of the devils casteth he out devils.
7
And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I aadjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.
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30
And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, aLegion: because many devils were entered into him.
17
¶ And the aseventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
44
Ye are of your father the adevil, and the blusts of your father ye will do. He was a cmurderer from the beginning, and abode not in the dtruth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a elie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a fliar, and the father of it.
31
Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the aprince of this world be cast out.
30
Hereafter I will not talk much with you: afor the bprince of this cworld cometh, and hath nothing in me.
11
Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
16
There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were ahealed every one.
15
And the aevil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?
12
But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they aglory, they may be found even as we.
13
For such are afalse apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
14
And no marvel; for aSatan himself is transformed into an bangel of light.
15
Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose aend shall be according to their works.
2
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this aworld, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of bdisobedience:
3
Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the alusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by bnature the children of wrath, even as others.
8
Be asober, be bvigilant; because your adversary the cdevil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
4
And his tail drew the athird part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
5
And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a arod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
6
And the awoman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.
7
And there was awar in heaven: bMichael and his cangels fought against the dragon; and the ddragon fought and his angels,
8
And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in aheaven.
9
And the great dragon was acast out, that old serpent, called the bDevil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10
And I heard a loud avoice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and bstrength, and the kingdom of our God, and the cpower of his Christ: for the daccuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
1
aAnd I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the bsea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
2
And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his apower, and his seat, and great authority.
3
And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.
4
And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the abeast: and they bworshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
5
And there was given unto him a amouth speaking great things and bblasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
6
And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his aname, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.
7
And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and apower was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.
8
And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the abook of life of the bLamb slain from the cfoundation of the world.
9
If any man have an ear, let him hear.
10
He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that akilleth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the bpatience and the faith of the csaints.
11
And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
12
And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
13
And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
14
And adeceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those bmiracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
15
And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
17
And I, Lehi, according to the things which I have read, must needs suppose that an aangel of God, according to that which is written, had bfallen from heaven; wherefore, he became a cdevil, having sought that which was evil before God.
8
O the awisdom of God, his bmercy and cgrace! For behold, if the dflesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who efell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the fdevil, to rise no more.
9
And our spirits must have become alike unto him, and we become devils, bangels to a cdevil, to be dshut out from the presence of our God, and to remain with the father of elies, in misery, like unto himself; yea, to that being who fbeguiled our first parents, who gtransformeth himself nigh unto an hangel of light, and istirreth up the children of men unto jsecret combinations of murder and all manner of secret works of darkness.
6
And he shall cast out adevils, or the bevil spirits which dwell in the hearts of the children of men.
36
And it came to pass that Adam, being tempted of the adevil—for, behold, the bdevil was before Adam, for he crebelled against me, saying, Give me thine dhonor, which is my epower; and also a fthird part of the ghosts of heaven turned he away from me because of their hagency;
37
And they were thrust down, and thus came the adevil and his bangels;
38
And, behold, there is a place aprepared for them from the beginning, which place is bhell.
25
And this we saw also, and bear record, that an aangel of God who was in authority in the presence of God, who brebelled against the Only Begotten cSon whom the Father dloved and who was in the bosom of the Father, was thrust down from the presence of God and the Son,
27
And we beheld, and lo, he is afallen! is fallen, even a son of the morning!
28
And while we were yet in the Spirit, the Lord commanded us that we should write the vision; for we beheld Satan, that old aserpent, even the bdevil, who rebelled against God, and sought to take the kingdom of our cGod and his Christ—
67
In my aname they shall cast out devils;
25
And whatsoever is amore or less than this is the spirit of that wicked one who was a bliar from the beginning.
20
And again, what do we hear? Glad tidings from aCumorah! bMoroni, an angel from heaven, declaring the fulfilment of the prophets—the cbook to be revealed. A voice of the Lord in the wilderness of Fayette, Seneca county, declaring the three witnesses to dbear record of the book! The voice of eMichael on the banks of the Susquehanna, detecting the fdevil when he appeared as an angel of glight! The voice of hPeter, James, and John in the wilderness between Harmony, Susquehanna county, and Colesville, Broome county, on the Susquehanna river, declaring themselves as possessing the ikeys of the kingdom, and of the dispensation of the fulness of times!
1
And I, the aLord God, spake unto Moses, saying: That bSatan, whom thou hast commanded in the name of mine Only Begotten, is the same which was from the cbeginning, and he came before me, saying—Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will dredeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely eI will do it; wherefore fgive me thine honor.
2
But, behold, my Beloved aSon, which was my Beloved and bChosen from the beginning, said unto me— cFather, thy dwill be done, and the eglory be thine forever.
3
Wherefore, because that aSatan brebelled against me, and sought to destroy the cagency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him, and also, that I should give unto him mine own power; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that he should be dcast down;
4
And he became aSatan, yea, even the bdevil, the father of all clies, to ddeceive and to blind men, and to lead them ecaptive at his will, even as many as would not fhearken unto my voice.
27
And the aLord said: Whom shall I bsend? And one answered like unto the Son of Man: Here am I, send me. And canother answered and said: Here am I, send me. And the Lord said: I will dsend the first.
28
And the asecond was angry, and kept not his first bestate; and, at that day, many followed after him.
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