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What Does the Devil Look Like?
Hope Bolinger / Author January 30, 2023
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Fotovika
Every year, on October 31, we have some sort of notion of what we think the devil looks like. After all, children and adults dress up in bright red costumes completed with a speared tail and a pitchfork prop.
But does the devil actually look this ridiculous?
And if he decided to wear red felt all the time, how could anyone ever take him seriously as the deceiver of the world?
In this article, we’ll dive into who the devil is, what Scripture has to say about him, and some misconceptions about his physical appearance we’ve witnessed throughout history (in particular, during the Middle Ages).
We’ll finish the discussion about whether we, as Christians, should fear the Father of Lies, or if we can have confidence in our personal relationship with the Lord.
Who Is the Devil?
One of the first characters we encounter in Scripture, and in Sunday school lessons, is the devil. We first meet him in Genesis 3 in the form of a serpent, but his story takes place long before then (more on this in a moment).
First, before we identify him, we have to settle the question: is he real? If so, how do we know?
In fact 40 percent of Christians believe the devil is a symbol and not a real being, explains Eddie Lowen of West Side Christian Church.
After all, if he doesn’t exist in the first place, apart from what Scripture says, why do we need to know anything about him at all?
We know that he does exist. Dr. Hal Cauthron explains that the existence of evil itself points to an originator or perpetrator of evil. We can also point to instances where people have been possessed by demons, servants of the devil. People will brush this off or claim the person has a mental illness, but we have to analyze what Scripture says about Satan.
If people do not believe in the existence of the devil, and ignore empirical evidence (demon possession, demonic oppression, etc.), then Satan can happily do as he pleases.
As someone who has personally witnessed a demonic possession on three separate occasions, I admit with the trembling a fellow Christian and I experienced as we prayed the evil spirit out of her. After the response of the spirit to the name of Jesus (they hate the name Jesus, by the way), the attempts of the spirit to dissuade our prayers and our recitations of Scripture, and the purging of the spirit out of our friend— if after all of that I walked away from that moment with a belief the devil does not exist, I would be foolish at best and entering dangerous territory at worst.
I cannot deny the trembling I felt. I had a fellow Christian witness this alongside me, who can back up the claims, and everything I’d read about Satan and his demons rang true during this event.
So if the devil exists, what can and does he do, aside from possessing people or sending demons to possess people?
We know he deceives. He attempts to deter anyone away from the path of righteousness and away from true knowledge and relationship with God. He ultimately knows he will suffer in a fiery fate at the end of time, and wants to drag as many people with him as possible.
But let’s dive into what Scripture explicitly says about the devil, also known as satan.
Where Does the Bible Talk about the Devil and Satan?
Scripture has a multitude of passages and verses about the devil. We’ll highlight a select few from the Old and New Testament.
1 Peter 5:8 - “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
Satan, the name for the devil, actively tries to destroy us. He prowls. He stalks. If given the opportunity, he would take every single one of us down, no questions.
2 Corinthians 11:14 - “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”
The devil disguises himself. He wants to appear as a good thing, a half-truth, something to appease our temptations. That way, we trust him, and make ourselves vulnerable to him.
Isaiah 14:12-15 - “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ But you are brought down to Sheol, to the far reaches of the pit.”
This Isaiah passage discusses Satan’s fall from heaven. Satan used to be an angel in heaven, but pride consumed him. He wanted the worship the Lord received, and convinced one-third of the angels to follow him and be cast out of heaven.
Revelation 19:20 - “And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.”
As stated in this passage, the devil will meet a fiery end. He knows this. He fears this. And he will do anything in his power to prevent this.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/Cas Photography
What Does the Devil Look Like?
Now that we know a little about the devil, do we know what he looks like? Does he resemble the Halloween costumes we see, or something else entirely?
Scripture paints several different pictures of satan. In the garden, he takes on the form of a serpent. The Bible also says he disguises himself as an angel of light, something we would imagine to look pleasing to the eye.
When Satan tempts Jesus in the desert in Matthew 4, like other angels, he can take on the form of a man.
With all of these images in mind, we can surmise that Satan can shift to suit a form that will appeal most to one’s temptations, or won’t necessarily send alarm bells off in one’s head. If he appears as an angel of light, and stalks like a lion, he will disguise himself.
Most of us, if not all of us, may not have encountered his true form – if he has a true form. Because he’s a deceiver, he will take on different appearances.
What Are Some Misconceptions about Satan's Appearance?
No doubt, it seems silly that he would ever parade with a pitchfork or red horns, as that would immediately alert everyone in the vicinity to the fact that, “Hey, I’m the devil. You probably shouldn’t listen to anything I say.”
But where did this misconception even come from?
We can point to a number of medieval texts that perpetuate the evil-looking image of the devil. The Codex Gigas, one of the most famous of these, shows the devil with red horns, a green face, red talons, sharp teeth, and two tongues. Myth surrounding this book included the idea that the monk who copied this translation made a deal with the devil in exchange for the supernatural ability to finish the project in an extraordinary amount of time. In exchange, the devil supposedly enshrined his image in this document.
We can see multiple depictions throughout history, especially in the Middle Ages (most images on this article are not disturbing, but read at your own discretion), that often depict him as grotesque, scary, or disturbing. When looking at these, we can forget that Satan most likely beautifies himself.
He wants to appear as something good and pleasant. That way, he can deceive us all the more.
Should Christians Worry about the Devil?
The idea that Satan and his armies roam the earth and lay siege to souls can frighten Christians. But we do need to bear in mind that if we have the Holy Spirit residing inside of us, that Satan and his demons cannot possess us.
Because the Holy Spirit lives within us, we have incredible power to cast out demons and resist temptation, whilst relying on the Lord.
We should “worry” about him in the sense that if we deny or downplay his existence, then we run the risk of allowing him to do as he pleases within the world. But we know ahead of time of how he will meet his end, and his reign on earth will be cut short.
So no, Satan does not carry around a pitch fork or have red horns (at least, in most instances, we won’t find this to be the case). He likes to operate undercover. The devil disguises himself as an angel of light and will attempt to devour any and all people before he meets his fate during the End Days.
As Christians, we possess incredible power because the Holy Spirit lives within us. Although we do not need to fear the devil or his demons, we do need to know how they operate in the world. -
What Are Apostolic Prayers?
Jessica Brodie / Contributing Writer January 27, 2023
Photo credit: ©SparrowStock
Scattered throughout the New Testament are some of the simplest yet most profound gifts for any Christian believer: a collection of dozens of short prayers known as “apostolic prayers.”
What are apostolic prayers? Apostolic prayers are prayers of the apostles — that is, Jesus and his core group of followers on a mission to spread the Gospel and grow God’s church across the world so all with ears to hear may be transformed.
But it’s important to know these prayers aren’t only for the apostles who lived back then. They’re for all of us today, for all who follow Christ are considered to be “apostles.”
Let’s explore who prayed these prayers, where they can be found in Scripture, and why they are so powerful in our personal prayer lives.
What Are Apostolic Prayers?
Apostolic prayers are found throughout the New Testament. The most famous of these is also known as the Lord’s Prayer, which Jesus prayed after his disciples asked him how they should pray to the Lord.
As Jesus said, don’t be like the hypocrites, all showy and insincere. Rather, pray in private and in earnest. Like this, he said: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:9-13).
God knows our hearts and our needs, Jesus is saying all we need do is ask.
The word “apostle” comes from the Greek word apóstolos, which means “one who is sent out,” or “messenger.”
Apostles, when it comes to Jesus, are Christ’s representatives on earth. Filled with the power of the Holy Spirit, apostles are emissaries or ambassadors of Christ, who go out into the world to draw others into the faith and spread God’s Word.
We know that apostles are the ones who founded God’s church.
Led by Peter, the rock upon which Jesus founded his church (Matt 16:18), the apostles included all of Jesus’s original 12 apostles, his inner circle — all except Judas, the apostle who betrayed him and later took his own life in anguish.
After Jesus’ resurrection, the apostles added one more to their number, Matthias (Acts 1:23-26). Later, on the Day of Pentecost, they were all praying together when the Holy Spirit fell upon them, igniting them with God’s power and enabling them to grow and transform the church. That day, we know, 3,000 were added to their number (Acts 2:41), and the church has grown today to more than 2 billion souls worldwide.
These apostles — including Paul, who wrote the majority of the New Testament, as well as Peter, John, and James — prayed these prayers, roughly 40 in total, and we can read their prayers within Scripture. The prayers were written for the people, whether to use them or said on the people’s behalf.
Inspired by the Spirit, they focus on God and center on cultivating goodness and blessings among God’s people.
Examples of Apostolic Prayers
Apostolic prayers are found throughout the New Testament. At least nine are attributed to Jesus and are found throughout the Gospel accounts. For instance, Jesus asks for harvest workers (Matthew 9:37-38) and for strength in the midst of temptation (Matthew 26:40-41), for faith and strength of his chosen ones (Luke 22:31-32), and for the sanctification and protection of these chosen ones when he is gone (John 17:11-26).
Another strong example of an apostolic prayer appears in the Book of Acts, after Peter and John were released from the Sanhedrin. Upon their return, all the believers prayed for boldness, signs, and wonders, a request granted mightily by the Lord (Acts 4:24-31).
The apostle Paul includes a host of apostolic prayers in his epistles. In his letter to the Romans, there are at least three—a prayer that the Israelites are saved (Romans 10:1), a prayer for unity, specifically one mind and one voice (Romans 15:5-6), and a prayer that the believers experience joy and hope as they trust in the Lord (Romans 15:13).
Others appear in his letter to the Colossians, Philippians, Ephesians, and Philemon, as well as letters to the Corinthians, Thessalonians, and to Timothy.
One favorite apostolic prayer of many comes in Ephesians 3:16-19, when Paul writes, “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge — that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”
Another is found in Colossians 1:9-11, when Paul writes, “For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience.”
But even though his writings comprise the majority of the epistles, Paul’s apostolic prayers are not the only that bear consideration.
For example, in 1 Peter 5:10-11, Peter writes, “And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.”
And in James 1:5-6, James writes, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”
Why Are These Prayers So Powerful?
We know that the Bible is the Word from God. As we’re told in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Jesus knew Scripture and used it to counter the devil during his temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11).
These prayers are not included in the Bible as an extra, a simple encouragement for those reading, but because they were important to God. God told his people what he wanted in his holy word, and we can trust that what we find in Scripture is intended by God for our good and his glory.
Therefore, because these are important to God, we can trust that when we earnestly pray these apostolic prayers ourselves — not simple recitation but with our full hearts — they are powerful words spoken into the universe, catapulting God’s word and these blessings once again.
They are also powerful when we consider their intent: the apostles themselves said these prayers for us. When we, who are also apostles, are sent to deliver God’s message worldwide and pray these same prayers, their impact is magnified across centuries and beyond.
How Can Apostolic Prayers Guide Our Prayer Life?
God put these prayers in the hearts and minds of those who wrote the Bible, and we can use them in our own prayer lives today. Not only reading but actually praying these prayers ourselves is a great way to help our own hearts and minds align with the corporate body of Christ, his church. They also help us focus on what is important to God — and God’s apostles — by giving us a direction. They help us understand what God cares about: unity, strength, boldness, faith, and wisdom, among other things.
Many people pray the psalms, as well as sing them. They help us give voice to emotions we sometimes struggle to express on our own. Similarly, praying the apostolic prayers can do the same.
Also, what’s important about these prayers is they are not meant to be individual but rather for the group. While you might be praying an apostolic prayer alone in your private home, perhaps a great number of other believers throughout the globe are joining you in that prayer.
As Scripture tells us, we increase the power of prayer when we pray together.
As Jesus told us in Matthew 18:19-20, “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
Given all this, perhaps we all should consider adding apostolic prayers to our own prayer life if we have not done so already. After all, what is important to God should be important to us all. -