[MississippiMan]

He knows it, but he doesn't understand it.

See, that's the part that's always puzzled me. We know he's a pretty sharp old codger. And unlike lost people who are smart enough to understand but yet fail to believe, there's surely no doubt in his mind as to the existence and divinity of God, and all the biblical history thereof. Which makes me think he understands, but thinks he can change the outcome, thinks he can in the end actually defeat God.

MM

[zencycler]

He (Satan) knows it, but he doesn't understand it.

See, that's the part that's always puzzled me. We know he's a pretty sharp old codger...

Intelligence ("sharp old codger") is vastly different than wisdom, which leads to understanding. Intelligence is a measurement of how much you have built up yourself (in the area of one specific skill set), whereas wisdom is measured by how much you have given yourself over to some universally true virtue, as ordained by God. The fact, therefore, that Satan is intelligent, can be more of an impediment to his understanding of scripture, because it becomes one more aspect in which he glorifies himself over God.