The book of Job, in the Old Testament, is interesting because it exposes the reader to a rare view of the supernatural realm, by offering detailed conversations between God and Satan. Since the Bible is an instruction manual for life, these discussions are unknown to Job, yet have significant consequences on his life and those of his family. For us, it offers a perspective on the question, does Satan know our name as well?
The Book of Job
The book begins by offering the character of Job as, “blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil” (Job 1:1). The next group of passages (Job 1:6 and following) takes place in the supernatural realm. God directly asks Satan what he thinks of Job. Satan responds that Job is only good and righteous because the Lord is protecting and prospering him (Job 1:10). So, an all-knowing, all-powerful God tells Satan that He will remove His protection from Job and allow Satan to do whatever he wishes, as long as he does not kill Job. The remainder of the book details how Satan removed all his wealth and did tremendous harm to his family, all to attempt to destroy Job’s love for God. After all that effort, Job remained faithful to the Lord who subsequently more than restored his wealth and prosperity, as well as added to his family (Job 42:10).
Satan may or may not have known who Job was before God allowed Satan to try to destroy his faith, but the evil one sure knew Job’s name from that day forward.
Billy Graham and Charles Templeton
Graham and Templeton were close friends and contemporary street preachers in the 1940s. At that time, it was thought that Templeton was destined to be the greatest evangelist the world had ever known, being far more eloquent than Graham. Sadly, it was not to be. Within a few years, Templeton, unable to reconcile certain unanswered theological questions, disavowed his faith, eventually becoming an obscure atheist for the rest of his life. Graham’s humble acceptance of God and His truths, regardless of an inability to answer all the questions offered by an omniscient God, became the world-renowned evangelist we know of today. In his lifetime, Graham preached at 417 crusades in 185 countries, reaching 84 million people face-to-face plus 215 million through satellite programs.
It is highly likely Satan knew the name, Billy Graham, very well. It is also likely that the evil one had no time or interest in Mr. Templeton once he was no longer a Christian influencer.
Does Satan know your name?
Are you one who is impacting the world, your country, your workplace, your family, friends, and neighbors for Christ? Or are you hiding your Christian faith under a basket (Matt. 5:15-16)?
Are you humbly sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with a lost and dying world, or have you destroyed your testimony because of your vitriol over political elections, abortion, homosexuality, and your calling out of a myriad of other sins while hiding your own (Matt. 7:3)?
Have you decided to deconstruct your faith by rejecting the Christian church, the Bible, and, finally, God Himself, as Charles Templeton did?
Conclusion
We live in a world that is drifting toward the abyss. Many of us are lemmings, totally unaware and unaccepting of the reality of our condition (2 Peter 3:3-4). So many folks these days are like the frog in the pot, unwilling or unable to see the moral decay that is undermining our nation (1 Thes. 5:3-4). As Biblical Christians, we need to be salt and light (Matt. 5:13-16). Satan does need to know our name and we need to have the courage and conviction to accept the reality of what that may mean (2 Tim. 3:12, Matt. 5:10, 1 Peter4:12-14, John 15:18, 2 Cor. 12:10, Luke 6:22).
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Jeff Hilles | BCWorldveiw.org, a 501(c)3 Nonprofit
