February 2, 2014
Update: February 4, 2015
Temple, TX
USA
With the new evagelistic fervor of the Pope of the Catholic Church reminding us all that the Devil is real I have found myself answering questions from people who are a little confused about this. They have been taught to more or less deny that the Devil is still around or at least if he is then he has no power to do anything because Jesus defeated him when he rose from the dead. Of couse there are others who just don't believe in God or the Devil but that's a different discussion.
This is true as far as the defeat of the devil, to hold death as a club over the heads of people, but, unfortunately for us mortals who still live in our flesh and blood bodies, the Devil is still around and able to 'steal, kill and destroy'. In other words now we know we will rise again and be in paradise with our Lord after our death, so we don't fear death but the Devil is real, still.
The young men and women who die long before their time due to drugs, suicide, war or any other evil in this world die because of the influence of the Devil. Some die not knowing the cause or knowing that the influence of evil has cut their lives short. That influence is wielded by men and women who have been fooled by that Devil to believe as they do to promote such evil. Some are well aware that such evil is in cohorts with the Devil, and as demonstrated by suicide, people can be victims of that evil.
We must know that the Devil is around and is ever at work to 'kill, steal and destroy' and that includes the killing of people. The Devil hates God and hates mankind because we are made in his image. That's why even those who have sold out completely to him may still die very unpleasant deaths. He wants to see them dead too and if he can kill them in a most horrendous fashion all the better for him.
Now, the Devil is not the exact opposite of God. God is Almighty, Father, Creator, Lord, and Savior of all. The Devil is a creation of God that rebelled against God and sought to promote himself to higher eternal purpose. He has lost his most powerful weapons as God demonstrated love's poweful reality by dying for our sins and raising himself from the dead. The Devil cannot and would not, even if he could, do that.
The fact is, the Devil is not a friend of mankind. He is our enemy. Total and complete anti-love, anti-peace, anti-goodness, anti-patience, anti-kindness, Anti-Christ, etc.; you get the idea.