2:14 the devil. The devil has “the power of death” in the sense that through his primeval lie (continuing today in many forms of humanism and anti-theism), he tempted Adam to bring sin into the world, and therefore death into the world (Romans 5:12). Though he would seek to impose physical death on the whole human race if he could, he can only bring about a particular death when God allows it, for some greater purpose (note Job 2:4-6; I Corinthians 5:5).