His deception began in Paradise with his deceitful words about God as recorded in Genesis 3:1–5. His deception was so cunning that sinless people fell for his deceit. That fact alone points up that in the present dispensation every human heart, corrupt as each is (Romans 3:10–18), can never stand up against the liar from the beginning (John 8:44). The truth God had revealed to Adam and Eve was passed down the generations but repeatedly twisted to make it less offensive to sinners. Think only of how widespread among the civilizations and peoples and tribes of the world the creation account, the Flood account, and even the Tower of Babel account are—yet repeatedly with emphases far from the truth as recounted in Holy Scripture. In the days of Israel’s existence as a nation no other tribe or people walked with the Lord anymore; all had been led astray from the heritage once received via Noah. See Acts 14:16; Acts 17:30. Even Israel repeatedly fell for Satan’s deceit as it came to God’s people through false prophets, etc.
3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while.