At the top of Lookout Mountain near Chattanooga, Tennessee, is a tourist attraction called Rock City. During the Civil War, a nurse that was living on Lookout Mountain said, “From this point, on a clear day with a good glass, I think you can see seven states” (lookoutmountain.com).

Lookout Mountain is located in both Georgia and Tennessee. They, along with Alabama, are approximately 25 miles away. North Carolina is 50 miles away; Kentucky and Virginia are 120 miles away.  South Carolina is 80 miles away.

With the high-powered binoculars provided at the highest point at Rock City, you are supposed to be able to see the 7 states named above.

The Grand Canyon has 278 viewpoints, the highest of which is 8,934 feet. You can see various things from these viewpoints: mountains, the Colorado River, layers of rocks, wildlife, beautiful sunrises and sunsets, and amazing views of stars and planets.

Imagine standing on the top of Lookout Mountain or a viewpoint at the Grand Canyon and being offered everything you can see. You are told that everything within your view will be yours. We are all smart enough to know that such an offer is not possible.

Matthew 4 relates such an offer to Jesus from Satan. One of the ways in which Satan tempted Jesus was to take Him to “an exceeding high mountain.” He showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, and he said he would give all of them to Jesus if He would just fall down and worship him. Jesus wasn’t hesitant to tell Satan that God is the only one to be worshiped. The offer was a lie. Satan didn’t own the kingdoms of the world, and he was not one to be worshiped.

When we read about the ways Satan tempted Jesus, we see that He was tempted through lust of the flesh, lust of the eye, and the pride of life. This is the same way he has tempted everyone who ever lived. His resources are limitless. He is not ignorant. He knows what works!

Do you realize that the devil fell because of his lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life? John says that he sinned from the beginning (First John 3:8). He has nothing to do with truth (John 8:44). He wants us to follow in his footsteps, but he is not all powerful. We have the ability to stand against his lies.

It is amazing that we read about the temptations which have led man away from God, yet we fall for the same temptations. Here are just a few:

• Eve believed that she wouldn’t die. We live as though we are going to live forever, and we postpone “living right” because of that attitude.
• Cain believed he could get away with murder. There are those who do that today when they take the lives of innocent babies.
• King David believed he could take another man’s wife. Just think about the people you know that are divorced, living together but not married, or are involved in other immoral sexual relationships.
• King Ahab wanted another man’s property. Many think what belongs to someone else is theirs for the taking. They riot and destroy property, steal, and cheat people out of everything from property to cash.
• The Jews wanted to worship God and idols. Today, man worships possessions, power, and fame.
• Judas sold out his friend for 30 pieces of silver. Some today will do anything for money.
• Ananias and Sapphira wanted to look important to the other Christians. There are those today who want to be recognized for every good deed they do.
• Simon wanted to buy the apostles’ gift so he would look important. Some today teach one can buy his way into heaven through good deeds or by contributing to a cause.

These are only a few, but you can see these sins all fit into one of the three catagories—lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life. They all prove that the devil is the adversary of mankind. He is destroying our homes through immorality. He is destroying the minds of our children with teachings that are contrary to God’s Word. He is destroying our nation with left-wing ideas. He is trying to destroy the church with the introduction of modernistic views regarding worship and entrance into the kingdom.

We can know the truth. All we have to do is read God’s Word and obey it. When we do that, we can stand on the top of any mountain and look out at the beauty of God’s creation. We don’t have to bow down and worship the devil to have all the kingdoms of the world. The only kingdom that we need to possess is heaven.

Sandra Oliver