Devil

Concept

Devil (Greek diabolos, slanderer or accuser) is the name given in the New Testament to the supreme adversary of God and humanity, identified with Satan (adversary in Hebrew). He is portrayed as a personal being of great power and intelligence who fell through pride (1 Timothy 3:6; Isaiah 14:12–15), who tempted Adam and Eve in Eden (Genesis 3; Revelation 12:9), who appears as an accuser of the brethren before God (Job 1:6–12; Zechariah 3:1–2; Revelation 12:10), and who tempted Jesus directly in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1–11). He is called the ruler of this world (John 12:31; 14:30), the god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4), the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2), and a murderer and liar from the beginning (John 8:44). Christ's mission was to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8; Hebrews 2:14), accomplished definitively in the cross and resurrection, with his final defeat at the last judgment (Revelation 20:10).