Before the devil fell, he was an arch angel. He does not have the power or abilities of God, even though he wanted to be exalted to the position of God. In Genesis 1, we see that God has the ability to create. The devil does not have creative power. All he can do is take something that already exists and pervert it or twist it. He introduces a counterfeit of the real thing that God has created.

The Bible says that God is light. It also says that the enemy comes as an angel of light. This means that satan will do things to make sin look appealing, to make it look good. Whatever God does is good because He is good. Whatever counterfeit the devil produces is evil and is intended to destroy us.

One clear example of the devil counterfeiting the things of God is the high people get from drugs and alcohol. It is a counterfeit, or a twisted replacement, for the true high- the experience of being in the presence of God. Another counterfeit is astrology; people looking to the stars to find out the future. Jesus told us that when the Holy Spirit comes, He would show us the things to come. The God Who created the stars knows the future. Why not ask Him directly instead of consulting stars that have no knowledge or ability to interact with us?

The highest form of music is music that worships and glorifies God. The devil has twisted music into a worldly version that promotes everything God hates and draws the hearer away from the Lord. The Lord has a godly spouse for you, but the devil tries to lure you into a destructive relationship through lust. Don’t settle for the wrong one because you feel lonely.

For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. Exodus 7:12 (English Standard Version, ESV)

God’s power is greater than the devil’s power. When Moses came before Pharaoh, he threw down Aaron’s staff and it turned into a snake. Pharaoh’s magicians copied him and their staffs all turned into snakes. However, the snake that came from Aaron actually ate up all the copies produced by the magicians. God’s original is always better and more powerful than the devil’s conterfeit. The enemy cannot outdo God, so he tries to copy God to deceive people.

The ultimate counterfeit of the devil will be the false Christ (antichrist) he will produce to deceive people into accepting the mark of the beast. God is a holy Trinity- Three in One- Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The devil will form an unholy trinity with himself, the antichrist, and the false prophet, attempting to duplicate the triune nature of God. The devil and his evil counterparts will be stopped, judged and condemned to the lake of fire.

For everything God has that is true, the devil has a counterfeit. That is why the Bible tells us to try the spirits to see if they are of God. We do this based on God’s Word. If it lines up with the Word, it is good. If it doesn’t, reject it. In these last days there are many counterfeits, some very subtle.

But the [Holy] Spirit explicitly and unmistakably declares that in later times some will turn away from the faith, paying attention instead to deceitful and seductive spirits and doctrines of demons, I Timothy 4:1 (Amplified Bible, AMP)

We must be vigilant and remain aware so we are not deceived and led astray. Don’t be taken in by the counterfeiter.