In one of my favorite movies, was centered around the 1930's during Prohibition. Featuring in it was the notorious gangland kingpin Al Capone, who supplied illegal liquor and controlled nearly all of Chicago. Bureau of Prohibition agent Eliot Ness had been tasked with halting Capone's activities, but his first attempt at a liquor raid failed due to corrupt policemen alerting Capone. He then encounters veteran officer Jimmy Malone, who opposed the corruption and offered Ness some help by suggesting they find a man from the police academy who had not been under Capone's influence and still believed in law enforcement. Because of George Stone's superior marksmanship and integrity, they recruited him. Oscar Wallace was an accountant from Washington, D.C., he was also assigned to Ness. They successfully raided Capone liquor warehouse and started to gain some positive publicity, the press dubbed them as, "The Untouchables." Al Capone became the team's "Arch Enemy #1."
The Untouchables, with its star Eliot Ness, was about how hard Ness had to fight and to defeat one of his most fiercest enemies, Al Capone. You know what got me about Capone, was that he didn't just killed innocent people, but he also killed the very ones who was suppose to be loyal to him. He was ruthless and he did not love or care about anyone at all.
Now when I thought about this movie, I couldn't help but think about another Capone that we have to deal with on a daily basis. This person doesn't wear a tailored made suit and smoke expensive cigars, even though he will occasionally show up in a suit or sometimes a dress. This person has been around for centuries. This person that we have to deal with doesn't just operate and live in a fictional world, but this person will show up all over the world. This person is so slick that he may show up in your home to cause trouble in your marriage, trouble with your children, and trouble in your family.
Oh no, he just doesn't stop there. He will show up on your job causing you all kinds of trouble, misery and grief. He will even try to get you fired and make sure that you become unemployed. He may even show up at your family reunion where he will cause family members to hate one another.
You want to know what is absolutely crazy, he will even show up at church on Sunday mornings where he will try to distract you from listening to God's message, distract you from worshipping the Lord, distract you from going to Sunday School, distract you from attending Bible Study, distract you from coming to Church, or most importantly, he will try to distract you from having a relationship with Jesus.
In real life, our "Arch Enemy #1" doesn't have to be a person, appearing as a man, a woman, a boy, or a girl. No! Our enemy can use all kinds of things to come against us, such as drugs, alcohol, unclean magazines, movies, or books. He may show up in a song or any other device that will negatively influence you to do the wrong things.
Our "Arch Enemy #1" is very deceiving, very conniving, very crafty, very heartless, and very evil. This person that I am talking about is Satan himself. Scripture tells us, "Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion; walketh about seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8).
In the Bible Satan is known by many different names:
In John 14:30, he is known as the prince of this world.
In Matthew 13:19, he is known as the wicked one.
In John 8:44, he is known as the murderer and the father of lies.
In 2 Corinthians 6:15, he is known as Belial.
In Revelation 9:11, he is known as the angel of the bottomless pit Abaddon (Hebrew),
and Apollyon (Greek).
In Ephesians 6:12, he is known as the Ruler of darkness.
In Matthew 12:43, he is known as the unclean spirit.
In 2 Corinthians 4:4, he is known as the god of this world.
In Revelation 12:10, he is known as the accuser.
In 1 Peter 5:8, he is known as the adversary and roaring lion.
In Matthew 12:24, he is known as Beelzebub the prince of the devils.
In Matthew 4:1, he is known as the devil.
In Ephesians 2:2, he is known as the prince of the power of the air.
In Revelation 12:9, he is known as the deceiver of the whole world, great dragon, old
serpent, Devil, and Satan.
Satan, our "Arch Enemy #1" desires to destroy us. We must "resist him" through our Christian faith, and this can only be done as we regularly "submit to God" by studying His Word daily, by being obedient to Him, and by living in His will. It is through the shelter of God that we can have safety from our "Arch Enemy #1." When are trapped into worldly thinking and the concerns of this world, that's when our enemy takes advantage of us. But Christians who are filled with the Spirit of God and walks in the light through Scripture cannot fail, although Satan continues to throw his fiery darts at us, and great satanic storms still comes against us.
Yes, we are Christians who are living in our Arch Enemy's world, but victory is surely ours as believers in Jesus Christ, who lives in God's will, and through our Christian walk. Guess what? I have some good news for you. Our "Arch Enemy #1" has already been defeated. Jesus won the victory over him through the cross and the resurrection. The ultimate defeat of Satan is when he will be condemned to the lake of fire forever.