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Consequently, Satan is an important tool for God’s work. Had he
not been of use, God would not have allowed him in the Garden of
Eden. Paul shows in the following verse that the devil has a snare
for those who would do right. It is his business to cause people to
sin. Furthermore, people can fall captive to his will.

2 Timothy 2:26 And [that] they may recover themselves out of the snare of the
devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.

Paul shows further that the devil has the power of death over us and
the Messiah has destroyed that grip of evil power, by His own
death. Remember that the wages of sin is death: And it is through
His death that the Messiah takes away our sins. This shows clearly
that the root <cause> of sin is Satan. The devil has the power of
death over us because of sin – the wages of sin is death. We need a
reversal of this curse and we receive that possible mission through
the receipt of the holy spirit the new nature in the converted man.

Hebrews 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and
blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he
might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

One must not escape the fact that man has his part in this process
otherwise the human existence would be futile. The converted man
does not drift with the inclinations of the carnal mind – rather, he
exercises the mind of God within him, which cannot sin.

John is even plainer. He tells us that one who commits sin is of the
devil. The devil committed the first sin. In addition, the devil’s work
is to cause people to sin. This is the reason that the Messiah came
into the world to destroy the works of the devil.

1 John 3:8 He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the
beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might
destroy the works of the devil.

Satan’s work is to deceive the whole world. This deception is to
cause people to sin. For Satan knows that if he can cause us to sin
we will reap eternal death. Of course, the Messiah has come as our
remedy for sin and thwarted Satan’s plan.

Revelation 20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set
a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand
years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

Satan deceived Eve into believing that the fruit was something good
for her to eat. Therefore, Satan caused Eve to sin. He continues to
deceive the whole world by means of his evil spirit. Sin entered into
the world through Adam, for Adam got, as a gift from Satan, a bonus
for eating the fruit. Not only did Adam sin, causing God to throw him
out of the Garden, but he also got the spirit of Satan and it was by
this means that sin entered into the world!

Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the
Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the
earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Therefore, Satan is the deceiver. However, sometimes he deceives us
through other men. He has the whole world blinded and they must
receive the light through the Messiah if they are to escape the
deception of the devil.

Matthew 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man
deceive you.

Matthew 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

This does not excuse man for allowing himself to be deceived to do
sin. We are each responsible for our own sins. However, by resisting
Satan, we become stronger against sin.

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee
from you.

Satan is our adversary. Yet, in what way is he that adversary? He
seeks to cause us to sin! That is the way that he devours us.
Everyone in the world who has the holy spirit must constantly be
vigilant against the effects of Satan’s influence to cause them to sin.

1Pe 5:8 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring
lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are
accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

It is true that we many times sin because we make the wrong choice.
However, what is it that is in our minds confusing us and influencing us
to make the wrong choice? Our adversary the devil bombards us
daily, for it is his business to cause us to stumble and fall, if he can
possibly make us do so.

Whatever the meaning of the two goats, we should be able to
understand from the above information that Satan is the root cause of
sin. The Messiah takes away our sin. Furthermore, it is our sin
because we are the ones responsible for making the decision to sin,
regardless of who or what is the cause.

Sin entered into the world through Adam by means of the spirit of
Satan, which God allowed Satan to use in order to influence humanity
to sin, after Adam ate of the forbidden fruit. Sin does not pass from
generation to generation by the genetic code. Rather, what does pass
on is the license for Satan to broadcast his evil spirit into the minds of
all who are born into the world. Satan got that license because Adam
ate of the tree that gave God the knowledge whether Adam would go
the good way or the evil way. Therefore, sin passed into the world
through Adam. Adam made the decision for the whole world when he
ate of the forbidden fruit. However, the author of sin is Satan. Satan
is the source of sin. Moreover, Satan is the one who keeps sin alive
from generation to generation.

Now let us look at some of the Scriptures that tell us about the two kid
goats chosen for the Day of Atonement pageantry.

Leviticus 16:5 And he shall take of the congregation of the children of Israel
two kids of the goats for a sin offering, and one ram for a burnt offering.

Lev 16:7 And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at
the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.
8 And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the
other lot for the scapegoat.
9 And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD'S lot fell, and offer him
for a sin offering.
10 But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented
alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with (over) him, and to let him
go for a scapegoat into the wilderness.

Leviticus 16:26 And he that let go the goat for the scapegoat shall wash his
clothes, and bathe his flesh in water, and afterward come into the camp.

Proverbs 16:33 The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing thereof [is]
of the LORD.

The following verse shows that the Messiah was <chosen> of God.
This word chosen means to elect or pick out. In other words, in order
to choose there must have been more than one from which to choose!

1 Peter 2:4 To whom coming, [as unto] a living stone, disallowed indeed of
men, but chosen of God, [and] precious,

As we saw earlier, Satan is the god of this world. God could have
chosen him to continue to rule over the earth. However, instead, God
chose the Word of God – another name or title for the Son of God.

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1588 eklektov eklektos ek-lek-tos'

from 1586; TDNT-4:181,505; adj

AV-elect 16, chosen 7; 23

1) picked out, chosen
1a) chosen by God,
1a1) to obtain salvation through Christ
1a1a) Christians are called "chosen or elect" of God
1a2) the Messiah in called "elect", as appointed by God to the most exalted
office conceivable
1a3) choice, select, i.e. the best of its kind or class, excellence preeminent:
applied to certain individual Christians

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The Day of Atonement pictures the process of putting humans, made
in the image of God, back <at one> with God. Adam and Eve were at
one with God until Satan entered the scene in the Garden and did his
dirty work. Therefore, it is obvious that until God removes Satan
from the scene, there will be no harmony between God and man.

The picture on the Day of Atonement is that God chose from two
goats, which would be the sacrifice for humanity. Because of His
death, the goat chosen for sacrifice clearly represents the Messiah.
However, once the goat chosen for sacrifice is dead, the High Priest
becomes the representation of the resurrected Messiah. The High
Priest enters the most holy place with the blood of the slain goat. This
is representative of the entrance into heaven of the Messiah, as our
High Priest, after He was slain and then resurrected. When the priest
returns from the most holy place, he represents the second return of
the Messiah from heaven. At that time – figuratively – the Messiah is
the one who placed the sins of the people on the live goat.

Obviously, the Messiah did not place the sins of the people on
Himself. What happened to the live goat after the priest placed the
sins of the people on him? A fit-man (a ready champion) led him into
the wilderness. Once the Messiah returns from heaven, He does not
go into a wilderness. The bible does not describe heaven as a
wilderness. The analogy all breaks down if we try to say that the live
goat is the Messiah. Nevertheless, when the Messiah returns, what
happens to Satan? An angel (a fit-man) casts Satan into the
bottomless pit until the thousand years are complete.

Rev 20:1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the
bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and
Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon
him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should
be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

At this point, the restoration of the earth begins; the earth comes into
harmony with God. The whole earth becomes a Garden of Eden – as
it was before Satan got to Adam and Eve! God achieves atonement in
His called-out ones through the blood of the sacrifice of the Messiah.
However, the cause of the disharmony disappears when God has
Satan “taken away”. In other words, God accomplishes the
atonement of peace with Satan’s removal.

However, what happens the moment that God allows Satan to come,
once again, into the Garden? He begins his deception of the nations
all over again. After he has done his work of deception, God finally
destroys Satan in the lake of fire.

Rev 20:7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of
his prison,
8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the
earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom
is as the sand of the sea.
9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the
saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven,
and devoured them.
10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and
brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are (were cast), and shall be
tormented day and night for ever and ever.