What Satan hates we ought to love, and whatsoever things he loves, we Christians ought to hate with perfect hatred. He who has no power to hate has none to love; these feelings are in antithesis to each other, and men know them chiefly by contrast.
God is the great lover, and therefore also the great hater. We read that He hates some things, six things particularly, yea, seven (Prov. 6:16). So, also, there are certain things and beings that incur the devil’s very special animosity-three Beings in particular.
It goes without saying that he hates the Father, God; and he would gladly drag Him from His lofty throne and banish Him from the universe. But from of old he knows full well how futile is the effort. That has been tried in vain. Zinovieff of Communism may shout, “There is no God; let there be no God. But if there be a God, we will grapple with him in his highest heaven.” Yes Satan knows, the whole world knows, Zinovieff himself knows, they are but blasphemous, high-sounding, empty words, for an effect upon the people. Though sun and moon and stars may fall, that throne shall stand forever.
Therefore, the second person of the God-head, the Savior-son, must be the special object of the devil’s ire. In that flash-back of the holy birth which crosses our vision briefly in Rev. 12:4, he stands as the great red dragon before the twelve-starred, sun clad woman (Israel), of whom came Christ as concerning the flesh (Rom. 9:5) to devour the wondrous man-child, even he who is to rule the nations with a rod of iron. Herod was the dragon’s agent then, though but a puny type of Ant-Christ who at length will seek to destroy not only Christ, but His church, which is His body-the whole full-grown He-man, yea, and her also (Israel) that gave Him birth (Eph. 4:23).
But it would not be strange if Satan were to hate the Holy Spirit more than all. For He is, in a manner, the devil’s very opposite; they are antipodal. He is that other spirit-being Christ’s other self, that wondrous One who can be here and there and everywhere at once, to do us good, to help in all our infirmity, and to strengthen us with might in the inner man. How tragic, that even Christians have been known to “grieve” Him, “quench” Him, “do despite” to Him; yea, some have no doubt gone so far as to commit against Him that sin that hath never forgiveness, neither in this world nor the next—the awful sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (Matt. 12:32).
What is this shocking thing that we hear—of certain preachers that have dared to say to the people: “you can go to the ten-cent store and buy the Holy Spirit for a dime.” One can, or could, indeed buy a copy of the New Testament for a dime. But who is still so “darkened in their understanding-because of the ignorance that is in them” (Eph. 4:18) as to confuse the soldier with his sword 9Eph. 6:17), or to forget that all the powers of personality are ascribed in the Holy Scriptures to the living Holy Spirit-the third person of the eternal God-head!
Yes, Satan hates the Holy Spirit, and he fights him at the antipodes, and as his deadly rival (Gal. 5:16,17). He knows the Holy Spirit’s help is our only hope of victorious and influential living. “The flesh lusteth against the Spirit”—how well we know it! “and the Spirit against the flesh.” Take care that no one—no false teacher or other influence—rob you of the blessed Holy Spirit’s help!
-E. L. Jorgenson, in the Word and Work, Volume LI, No. 4, April 1957, P. 90) Bro. Jorgenson was co-editor of the Word and Work with J. R. Clark (1956-1962)