There is an analogy, we believe, between earthly and heavenly warfare, and if the

Lord will open our eyes to see, we too shall be able to perceive this most instructive

parallel. Before, however, we can appreciate this analogy and draw useful lessons from

the conditions imposed upon us by the present conflict, it will be necessary to become

acquainted with the teaching of Scripture regarding the spiritual warfare that is going on

continuously, whether the conditions at the time are those of "peace" or "war". This,

then, must be our first concern. After we have surveyed the conflict of the ages, and

perceived something of its character, we can then make our comparisons profitably. For

the moment, the analogy must wait while we acquaint ourselves with the teaching of

Scripture. It is clear from Scripture that man was not the originator of the enmity and

strife that have invaded his domain, and our first quest must be to discover who are the

chief antagonists in that vast conflict in which he is involved.

Let these opening word, then, suffice as an introduction to this great theme, and as an

indication of the line of study we shall hope to pursue. We sincerely trust that, as a result

of becoming more intimately acquainted with the nature, conditions, and end of this great

spiritual conflict, the reader will be the better fitted "to stand in the evil day", and will be

comforted and helped during the days of darkness that have descended upon the warring

We meet references to an "enemy" in one form or another in thirty out of the

thirty-nine books of the English Old Testament, and in thirteen of the twenty-seven books

of the New Testament. If we were to widen the scope to include all references to enmity,

strife, contentions, war, battle, arms and armour, we should have to include a still larger

proportion of the books of both Testament.

There is one enemy however who stands out above all others, and who antedates them

all: "The enemy . . . . . is the devil" (Matt. 13: 39). He is called: "That old (or ancient)

serpent, called the Devil, and Satan" (Rev. 12: 9 and 20: 2).  The "Devil" of the

New Testament is the "Satan" of the Old Testament, and both are titles of one who is

known as "The ancient Serpent". Now the "serpent" is the one that beguiled Eve in the

garden of Eden (II Cor. 11: 3), and consequently must have come into the present

creation, and have originally belonged to the earlier creation, which, we shall discover,

had passed away before the advent of that creation which had been pronounced

"very good".

We learn from the testimony of the Lord Himself, that the devil was "a murderer"

from the beginning and that he "abode not in the truth" (John 8: 44). "He is a liar and

the father of it" (John 8: 44). Deceit, wiles, craftiness, the subtlety of the serpent,