In our lives whenever we strive in faithfulness and obedience to God to be good, the devil is there to deceive and destroy.

We know that from the beginning, as seen above in Genesis 3, that the devil has been behind all evil. The devil permits what God prohibits and prohibits what God permits. He hates God and all people and wishes to destroy them. He himself is destroyed:

Revelation 5.5-6

“Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.” Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the centre of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.”

At this point it is important to remember history – history leading to what is discussed in Jeremiah 24 below. Firstly, look at how the evil caused problems with Abram, Hagar and Sarai. God had promised Abram:

Genesis 15.5-6

“He took him outside and said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars-if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” Abram believed the Lord , and he credited it to him as righteousness.”

However, we see Sarai’s impatience:

Genesis 16.1-10

“Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said. So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.” “Your servant is in your hands,” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her. The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered. Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel added, “I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count.”

Ishmael was not God’s choice:

Genesis 17.1-7

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty ; walk before me and be blameless.  I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.” Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram ; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you. I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you.”

Genesis 17.15-19

“God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!” Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.”

This truth from God is defined in the diagram “Origins of the Modern Christians, Jews and Arabs” following.”

Let us remember what God said when He made man and woman:

Genesis 1.26-30

“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground everything that has the breath of life in it, I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.”

God had made man Viceroy over His creation, however, man as a result of The Fall took God’s Crown and placed it on his own head. The devil was behind this from the beginning, remember for emphasis:

Genesis 3.1-15

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say: ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ” “You will not surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The man said, “The woman you put here with me-she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.

The devil is the destroyer from the beginning and still is! We see this rejection of God in man’s request for an earthly king:

1 Samuel 8.1-9

When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as

judges for Israel. The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. But his sons did not walk in his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice. So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.” But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. And the

LORD told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do.”

God wanted Samuel to warn the people about the policies and burdens demanded by a King, especially remembering the devil would be behind the detail. This truth at the end times is critical to the antichrist revealed at the conclusion of this Book.

The truth of Job is dated c900BC and covers the eternal struggle of good/evil – all instigated by the devil.

Job 1.1-4

“In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. He had seven sons and three daughters, and he owned seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen and five hundred donkeys, and had a large number of servants. He was the greatest man among all the people of the East. His sons used to take turns holding feasts in their homes, and they would invite their three sisters to eat and drink with them.”

Job 1.6-22.

“One day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord , and Satan also came with them. The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord , “From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.” Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.” “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied. “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land. But stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.” The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the Lord . One day when Job’s sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, a messenger came to Job and said, “The oxen were ploughing and the donkeys were grazing nearby, and the Sabeans attacked and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The fire of God fell from the sky and burned up the sheep and the servants, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” While he was still speaking, another messenger came and said, “The Chaldeans formed three raiding parties and swept down on your camels and carried them off. They put the servants to the sword, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” While he was still speaking, yet another messenger came and said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting and drinking wine at the oldest brother’s house, when suddenly a mighty wind swept in from the desert and struck the four corners of the house. It collapsed on them and they are dead, and I am the only one who has escaped to tell you!” At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.”

Job has lost his wealth and family except for his wife; yet without sinning. Satan attacks him again.

Job 2.1-10

“On another day the angels came to present themselves before the Lord , and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. And the Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the Lord , “From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.” Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity, though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.”

Stop for a moment! Notice Satan is blaming, that is, tempting Almighty God! WOW!

Continuing:

“Skin for skin!” Satan replied. “A man will give all he has for his own life. But stretch out your hand and strike his flesh and bones, and he will surely curse you to your face.” The Lord said to Satan, “Very well, then, he is in your hands; but you must spare his life.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and afflicted Job with painful sores from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. Then Job took a piece of broken pottery and scraped himself with it as he sat among the ashes. His wife said to him, “Are you still holding on to your integrity? Curse God and die!” He replied, “You are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.”

The devil is totally evil – he hates his own and leads them to eternal destruction with him.  The truth about Job above needed to be mentioned fully. We need to constantly read Holy Scripture. The references were long but absolutely necessary for study.

Job 3.11-13

Job is now visited by three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar who: “…sympathize with him and comfort him. When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was.”

To summarize, they confronted him judging him and accusing him that all thathappened was as a result of his sinning against Almighty God. Eliphaz tries to reason with Job that his situation is as a result of a sin which God will forgive if he repents. Eliphaz says:

Job 5.17-18

“Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so, do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For He wounds, but He also binds up; He injures, but His hands also heal.”

Bildad now confronts Job:

Job 8.2-4

“Your words are a blustering wind. Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right? When your children sinned against him, he gave them over to the penalty of their sin.”

Job 8.13

“Such is the destiny of all who forget God; so, perishes the hope of the godless.”

Job 8.20

“Surely God does not reject a blameless man or strengthen the hands of evildoers.”

Zophar then judges Job:

Job 11.5-6

“Oh, how I wish that God would speak, that he would open his lips against you and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides. Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin.”

Zophar was a proud, healthy and prosperous man – the proof of his ‘goodness’? All three ‘Counsellors’ have judged the fate of a wicked man. Job shows his true blameless character when he says of God:

Job 28.28

“And he said to man, ‘The fear of the Lord – that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.'”

Elihu also comments saying Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar had not listened to Job. Further Job says:

Job 30.25-26

“Have I not wept for those in trouble? Has not my soul grieved for the poor? Yet when I hoped for good, evil came; when I looked for light, then came darkness.”

Job 33.26

and: “He prays to God and finds favour with Him; he sees God’s face and shouts for joy; he is restored by God to his righteous state.”

The Lord answers Job:

Job 38.1

“Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said…”

Job 38.4-6

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone…” “Who endowed the heart with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind?”

“Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?

Again stop for a moment. The one contending with God is the devil! He hates his own – they with him will go to eternal death without God!

We continue:

Job 40.2-8

Let him who accuses God answer him!” Then Job answered the Lord : “I am unworthy – how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer twice, but I will say no more.” Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm: “Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. “Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself?”

Job 42.1-3

 “Then Job replied to the Lord: “I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.”

This reminds me; when we remember what Almighty God revealed to the Apostle Paul around 1,000 years in Job’s future, we understand Job’s comment above:

1 Corinthians 2.6-13

“We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him” – but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. We have not received the spirit of the world but the Spirit who is from God, that we may understand what God has freely given us. This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.”

The Lord loved Job, a blameless man, as the Lord said at the beginning. The Lord was angry with Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar as they had not spoken of and about the Lord what was right (Job 42:7),

Job 42.10-11

“After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before. All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought upon him…”

Job 42.12-13

“The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters.”

Job 42.16-17

“After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. And so he died, old and full of years.”

The devil’s scheme to test the Lord and Job totally failed. The devil hates his own, and he and them face eternal destruction. He is still deceiving.

From the truths on ‘Origins’ discussed in the diagram above, the unfaithfulness, disobedience and evil attitudes and actions of God’s people – the Northern Kingdom of Israel was taken into captivity in Assyria 722BC and the Southern Kingdom of Judah was about to go into captivity in Babylon in 586BC. The Holy Scripture below was recorded by Jeremiah c597BC:

Jeremiah 24.1-10

“After Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and the officials, the craftsmen and the artisans of Judah were carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, the Lord showed me two baskets of figs placed in front of the temple of the Lord . One basket had very good figs, like those that ripen early; the other basket had very poor figs, so bad they could not be eaten. Then the Lord asked me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” “Figs,” I answered. “The good ones are very good, but the poor ones are so bad they cannot be eaten.” Then the word of the Lord came to me: “This is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says: ‘Like these good figs, I regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I sent away from this place to the land of the Babylonians. My eyes will watch over them for their good, and I will bring them back to this land. I will build them up and not tear them down; I will plant them and not uproot them. I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord . They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart. “ ‘But like the poor figs, which are so bad they cannot be eaten,’ says the Lord , ‘so will I deal with Zedekiah king of Judah, his officials and the survivors from Jerusalem, whether they remain in this land or live in Egypt. I will make them abhorrent and an offense to all the kingdoms of the earth, a reproach and a byword, an object of ridicule and cursing, wherever I banish them. I will send the sword, famine and plague against them until they are destroyed from the land I gave to them and their fathers.'”

The ‘good figs’ would be the faithful remnant through Jehoichin – the remnant saved by the Messiah, the Anointed One to come – Jesus.