TThe path connecting Tiphareth and Hod (Christ’s sacrifice and His coming glory) is associated with the Devil tarot card. The Devil tarot card depicts Adam and Eve in their fallen state. Eve is drawn with a tale that has fruit on the end, and she seems to still be trying to sneak some of the forbidden fruit without anyone noticing. Adam appears to be gesturing towards his wife, as if still being reluctant to take blame for his actions, and is casting the blame on his wife – as he did in the Garden of Eden.

Genesis 3:2 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

The depiction of the Satan on the Devil tarot card has a striking resemblance to the Goat of Mendes – also known as Baphomet. Baphomet is the product of folklore, and was draw by Eliphas Levi in 1854. This fictional character was for a time claimed to be a pagan god and is now commonly associated with Satanism. The Latin words ‘Solve’ and ‘Coagula’ (on the character’s arms) represent dissolution and thickening processes in alchemy. One hand points up and the other down – representing the magical concept, ‘as above so below.’ The black and white moons represent opposites, and the Staff of Hermes is on the goats lap.

The goat has become a symbol of Satanism, because it is a contrast to Jesus Christ being referred to as the Lamb of God. During Christ’s ministry He spoke of Judgment Day and compared the process of separating the righteous from the evildoers to a shepherd separating the sheep from the goats.

Matthew 25:31-41 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.

Christ is portrayed in the New Testament as being the Good Shepherd and the sheep are His followers. In the above verses, Goats represent the evildoers that were not accepted into the kingdom. They will share the same fate as the Devil and his angels. An important element in the separation of the sheep from the goats was the behavior of the people involved, which is one of the key lessons of this path of the Qabalah. Christ has already defeated the Devil, and the only power Satan has over people now is the control they willingly give to him.

The portrayal of Satan on the Devil tarot card differs from Eliphas Levi’s drawing of the Goat of Mendas in significant ways. On the Devil tarot card, the Devil’s right hand is raised with his fingers extended. The Life Line, Head Line, and Heart Line in Palmistry are clearly visible on the Devils hand – implying that he is able to provide his own means of guidance. Witchcraft, Magic, and Fortune Telling has long been associated with harlotry/adultery against God. People seek out soothsayers for guidance when they really should be turning to and relying on God in those circumstances.

In the Major Arcana of the tarot there are three characters with their right hands extended to Heaven. The Magician tarot card represents a servant of God; he wears a white robe with a red covering (representative of the robe dipped in and purified by Christ’s blood). The Magician card has would hand towards Heaven and the other pointing to the earth; he is God’s conduit and does God’s will on earth – evidenced by the growth at the bottom of the card. The Hierophant represents the false church or a false prophet; he has his had extended as if to bless, but instead of providing a conduit of God’s power, the Hierophant hordes his power and appoints himself to a position of authority over the others on the card. The Devil card does not even claim to be a conduit of God, but through divination he claims to offer an alternative to the guidance provided by God. The Devil’s other hand is holding a torch, which is pointed towards the ground – symbolizing that the Devil is trying to prevent people from letting their lights shine on earth.

Luke 8:12-17 Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience. No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light. For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.

Matthew 5:14-17 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Philippians 2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

Christians are to be lights to the world. They are to do good works and bring glory to God; the Devil seeks to prevent them from doing so. The Devil seeks to pervert the gospel and lead people away from God. He was to prevent them from doing good works, so that on the Day of Judgment, they will be counted as goats, and will be subjected to the same judgment as the Devil and his angels.

The man and the woman are chained to an alter – representing the bondage of sin. However, Christ has already overcome sin, and freed them from that bondage they are subjecting themselves to (Galatians 5:1). The chains are draped loosely around their necks. They can escape at anytime. The bondage of sin that confines them is of their own choosing, and is a product of their own freewill. On the Devil tarot card Adam and Eve are willingly subjecting themselves to the Devil’s control. They can escape from their chains at anytime, but they are choosing to stay there – they are wearing the Devil’s horns and mimicking his traits.

There are four cards in the Major Arcana of the tarot that portray Adam and Eve. The first is the Lovers card, which shows them in the Garden of Eden before the fall. The Tower card portrays their fall from God’s grace, and the Devil card shows them after the fall – while still living in sin. There isn’t another card in the Major Arcana that shows Adam and Eve progressing in their journey together, but a man, woman, and child are depicted on the Judgment tarot card; illustrating the completion of their journey and showing a family celebrating their salvation on Judgment Day.

The Devil tarot card represents sin, and the need for people to overcome it and not permit themselves to willfully be enslaved by it. This is the path were you choose between good and evil, and the life that you want to lead. You must become cognizant of the schemes of the Devil, and prevent yourself from being misled or falling prey to him.

Revelation 12:7-9 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

Revelations 12:12 Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”

Isaiah 14:11-13 'Your pomp and the music of your harps
have been brought down to Sheol; Maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you and worms are your covering.’” How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations! "But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north.

The Devil and his angels fought a war in Heaven, which they lost. They were subsequently thrown down to earth, and now threaten those who dwell on the earth with great fury. The Devil had hoped to exalt himself above the stars of God, but he was cast down in shame. He now seeks to weaken the nations and mislead those who dwell on the earth.

Genesis 3:1-5 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

The Devil first appeared in the Bible as a serpent in the Garden of Eden, who misled Eve and convinced her to eat the forbidden fruit. The Devil lied to Eve by providing her with a half truth. It was true that eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil would grant her the knowledge of good and evil, but because of this sin, death and sin were brought into the world. Evil entered the world, and mankind would now face death.

John 8:43-45 Why do you not understand My speech? Because you are not able to listen to My word. You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe Me.

Acts 13:9-11 Then Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked straight at Elymas and said, “You are a child of the devil and an enemy of everything that is right! You are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery. Will you never stop perverting the right ways of the Lord? Now the hand of the Lord is against you...

Those who follow the Devil by behaving like him and mimicking his traits are considered Children of the Devil. The Devil is the father of lies, because he was the first liar. The Devil seeks to mislead mankind and to pervert sound doctrine. If you are not wary of the Devil, then he can deafen your ears to the truth and lead you astray.

1 John 3:7-11 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God. This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not God’s child, nor is anyone who does not love their brother and sister.
Hebrews 2:14 Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, so that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil.

The sheep and the goats can be distinguished by their behavior. Those who sin and willfully subject themselves to the bondage of sin are the Children of the Devil, and those who resist sin and live righteously are the Children of God. Jesus came to the earth for the purpose of destroying the Devil’s work (represented on the Qabalah at the sphere of Tiphareth), and Christ has already rendered the Devil powerless. The only control the Devil can have over anyone is the power they willingly give to him.

1 Peter 5:8-9 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

James 4:7-8 Submit therefore to God, Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double minded.

Ephesians 6:11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil.

2 Corinthians 2:11 in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.

Christians are instructed to resist the Devil and to draw near to God. Stand firm in your faith and the Devil will flee from you. Christians should possess an awareness of the schemes of the Devil (and other evildoers) in order to safeguard themselves against their evil ploys. We are to be as wise as serpents, yet as gentle as doves (Matthew 10:16).

Ephesians 4:26-28 “In your anger do not sin” Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

In order to overcome the Devil (and sin) Christians are to live righteous lives. They are to draw near to God and not allow the Devil to get a foothold on them. In order to become a Child of God, you must modify your previous sinful behaviors and follow Christ. The Devil can have no power over you other than what you permit him to have. The Devil and his angels have already lost the war in Heaven, Christ has destroyed the Devil’s work on earth, and the final outcome of the Devil and his children has been foreordained.

Revelation 20:9-10 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.