I. Introduction.
A. Satan is the openly declared archenemy of God.
B. Both the OT and NT assume his existence.
C. His most common title as Satan is explicitly referenced 18x in the OT and 36x in the NT. 1Chr.21:1; Job 1:6,7(2x),8,9,12(2x); 2:1,2(2x),3,4,6,7; Zec.3:2(2x); Mat.4:10; 12:26(2x); 16:23; Mar.1:13; 3:23(2x),26; 4:15; 8:33; Luk.10:18; 11:18; 13:16; 22:3,31; Joh.13:27; Act.5:3; 26:18; Rom.16:20; 1Cor.5:5; 7:5; 2Cor.2:11; 11:14; 12:7; 1The.2:18; 2The.2:9; 1Tim.1:20; 5:15; Rev.2:9,13,24; 3:9; 12:9; 20:2,7
D. He is the primary source of evil to both fallen angels and mankind.
1. Fallen angels are described as “his” angels sharing his evil nature. Mat.25:41
2. He is the tempter behind the fall of Adam and Eve that became his progeny via the STA. Gen.3 cp.Joh.8:44; 1Joh.3:10
E. He is a real personality of angelic creation (Cherub class) that operates behind the scenes of human history manipulating the entire cosmic system bent on destroying mankind. 1Joh.5:19; Eph.2:2; 1Pet.5:8; Rev.12:9; 20:3
F. Christ acknowledged his existence and had a personal and real confrontation with him. Luk.10:18; 22:31 cf.Mat.4:1-11; Luk.4:1-13; Joh.8:44
G. Judaism assumed his existence. Mat.12:24; Mar.3:22
H. The Apostles assumed his existence. Act.5:3; Rom.16:20; 1Cor.5:5; 7:5, etc.
I. Myths vs. reality:
1. Myth: He is merely the invention of the mind of man.
2. Reality: As noted above, the Bible totally refutes this.
3. Myth: His appearance is of a red, horned and pointed-tailed and/or other form of grotesque creature.
4. Reality: His appearance is of extreme beauty. Eze.28:12b,17a
5. Myth: He resides in hell.
6. Reality: He is free roaming planet earth and currently has access to heaven. Job 1:7; 2:2; 1Pet.5:8; Rev.12:10
7. Myth: He ultimately will rule in hell.
8.
Reality:
He will be assigned the lowest and most abased position in the
9. Myth: God created Satan and therefore is the author of evil.
10. Reality: God created Satan sinless and Satan of his own volition chose to become evil. Eze.28:15-17 cp. Isa.14:13-14
11. Myth: Satan makes individuals sin.
12. Reality: While he promotes and rules over sin, the true source of sin in the individual’s life comes from the source of their own –V and STA. Rom.7:19-23 cf.Joh.16:8-9
13. Myth: Satan’s role of deception is limited only to individuals.
14. Realty: Satan seeks to control history through deceiving of nations. Rev.20:3,7-8
15. Myth: Satan is necessary for balance of the universe i.e., yin and yang.
16. Reality: His absence and demise from the scene is the cause of blessing upon the universe. Rev.20:2-6 (Millennium),10 cf. chapter 21
II. Vocabulary, names and titles.
A. The Bible provides a slew of names, descriptive titles and alias’s for Satan designed to give insight to the reputation of his character.
B. His names are recognized as conforming to his pre-fall and post-fall states.
C. Pre-fall:
1.
Lucifer: Heb.; lleyhe – heylel; means “the shining one” pointing to
his glory and splendor as God’s created.
Isa.14:12
2.
Son of
the morning: Heb.; rx;v; !Be
– ben shachar; indicates his glory is
as a result of his relationship to God and BD.
Isa.14:12 cf.Eze.28:12
3.
The anointed cherub who covers: Heb.;
%K;F' bWrK. xv;memi –
mimeshach kerub sakak; indicates his exalted position in the class of cherub
angels. Eze.28:14
D. Post-fall:
1. Satan: Heb.; !j'f' – satan/Grk.; Satana/j – Satanas; means adversary; denotes his openly proclaimed role as an enemy of God and man. Job 1:6; et al; Mat.4:10; et al
2. Devil: Grk.; Dia,boloj – Diabolos; used 34x; means a slanderer, false-accuser; with the d.a. points to his person as the premier accuser (Mat.4:1; Rev.12:12 cf.vs.10); without the d.a. looks to his person in the class of all fallen angels or demons (Cf.Joh.6:70; Act.13:10 cp. Rev.12:9; 20:2 used in title for Satan).
3. The evil one: Grk.; o` ponhro,j – ho poneros; emphasizes he is the primary source and promoter of all evil; phrase used 10x. Mat.13:19,38; Joh.17:15; Eph.6:16; 2The.3:3; 1Joh.2:13,14; 3:12; 5:18,19
4.
The
Serpent: Heb.; vx'n"
- nachash/Grk.; o;fij
– ophis; emphasizes his deceptiveness of practice and primary cause of cursing
upon the world (Gen.3:14); he is further described as the serpent of old pointing to the antiquity of his practice back
to the creation of man (Rev.12:9; 20:2)
5.
The
Dragon: Heb.; !yNIJ;
- tannin/Grk.; dra,kwn – drakon;
he is the dangerous but seldom seen monster dwelling in the sea of
humanity ultimately to be slain (Isa.27:1; 51:9; Rev.12:3,4,7(2x),9,13,16,17;
13:2,4,11; 16:3; 20:2). Under this
personification he is a.k.a.:
a. Leviathin: Heb.; !t'y"w>li – Liwayathan; a.k.a. “the fleeing and twisted serpent”. Job 3:8; 41:1; Psa.74:14; Isa.27:1
b.
Rahab:
Heb.; bh;r; - rahab; means sea
monster and storm or tumultuous waters.
Isa.51:9; Job.9:13; 26:12; Psa.89:10; Isa.30:7
6. Roaring lion. 1Pet.5:8
7. The enemy or adversary: Grk.; o` evnti,dikoj – ho antidikos. 1Pet.5:8
8. Belial: Grk.; Belia,r – Beliar; means worthless. 2Cor.6:15
9. Angel of light. Indicates he is behind perverted and counterfeit religion. 2Cor.11:14
10. Beelzebul: Grk.; Beelzebou,l – Beelzeboul; means lord of the flies or dung and indicates he rules over all filth and that despicable in evil. Mat.10:25; 12:24,27; Mar.3:22; Luk.11:15,18,19
11. Prince/ruler of this world. Joh.12:31; 16:11
12. The god of this world. 2Cor.4:4
13. Prince of the power of the air. Eph.2:2
14. Father of all lies. Joh.8:44
15. The Deceiver: Grk.; o` planw/n – ho planon. Rev.12:9
16. The Tempter: Grk.; o` peira,zomai – ho peirazomai. Mat.4:3; 1The.3:5
17. Prince of
18. Spirit now working in the sons of disobedience. This indicates unbelievers assume the spiritual disposition of Satan. Eph.2:2
19. The Accuser:
Grk.; o` kath,gwr – ho
kategor. Rev.12:10
III. The creation of Satan.
A. The time of his creation.
1. Satan, like all other angels, was created by God in eternity past prior to the creation of the universe. Eze.28:13
2. He, along with the other angels, was a worshiping spectator who observed the creation of the heavens and the earth. Job 38:4-7
3. Since he was created before the earth, it is obvious that this was prior to the creation of man.
B. The nature of his creation.
1. He was created with volition. Isa.14:13-14
2. He was created perfectly righteous, without a sin nature. Eze.28:15
3. He was the most beautiful, intelligent, and impressive of the angelic host. Eze.28:12,13
4. God appointed him to a position of highest honor and privilege; he was the anointed cherub that guarded access to the throne room of God. Eze.28:14
5. He lived in regal splendor clothed in glamour. Eze.28:13,14
6. He was capable of making great music. Isa.14:11
C. His personality.
1. Satan is not merely the personification of evil, or an evil force that somehow came into being.
2. He is real and personal, manifesting characteristics of higher intelligence:
a. Volition. Isa.14:12-14
b. Intelligence. Eze.28:12
c. Speech. Mat.4:3,6,9
d. Emotion. Rev.12:12,17
e. Travel. Job.1:6-7; 1Pet.5:8
f. He has a plan (schemes/strategies). Eph.6:11
D. His limitations.
1. Although he has a long history, he is not eternal.
2. He is not omnipresent; however, his army of demons enables him to rapidly gather information from around the globe.
3. Although he has accumulated a great amount of knowledge over the centuries, and can monitor current developments world-wide via his demon army, he is not omniscient.
4. While he does possess great power, he is not omnipotent.
5. He is, in every way, inferior to God, against whom he has chosen to revolt.
6. The Word of God clearly indicates that Satan and the kingdom of negative volition over which he rules, have a beginning and an end.
7. His operation of evil is consistently viewed as existing for only a time under the permissive will of God.
IV. The resume of Satan’s falls.
A. While most speak of a single fall of Satan, the Bible indicates a series of at least 4 falls beginning with his original fall.
B. While he was created without a sin nature and was perfect in every way, Satan possessed volition. Isa.14:13-14
C. For an unspecified period of time, Satan remained obedient and sinless, serving God. Eze.28:15
D. His original sin was the mental attitude sin of pride in his great beauty. Eze.28:17
E. When Satan became impressed with himself, he lost his doctrinal perspective corrupting his wisdom. Eze.28:17.
F. Pride or arrogance is the opposite of humility and grace orientation. Cp. Prov.8:13; 11:2; 16:18; 29:23; Dan.4:37
G. Rather than maintaining proper orientation with respect to his beauty and recognizing that all he possessed came from the grace of God, Satan came to believe that because of his beauty he was somehow superior.
H. Sin resulted in his demotion from his position as the anointed cherub that guards, being cast to the earth. Eze.28:16 cp.Isa.14:12
I. Immediately following his original fall, Satan adopted the manifesto of revolt as revealed in his 5 “I wills” of Isa.14:12-17:
1. Self-exaltation in competition with God to rule in the 3rd heaven. Vs.13a “I will ascend to heaven…”
2. Rulership over the angelic hosts. Vs.13b “I will raise my throne above the stars of God…”
3. Establishment of his throne on the earth. Vs.13c “I will set on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north.”
4.
Rulership over planet earth. Vs.14a “I
will ascend above the heights of the clouds…”
5. Finally, to make himself like God. Vs.14b “I will make myself like the Most High.”
J. The time of his original fall was sometime after the creation of the universe but prior to the creation of man.
K. His original fall was being cast out of heaven demoted from his original position as the anointed cherub (some count this as 2 falls). Eze.28:16
L. His 5 “I wills” are a subsequent result of his original sin.
M. They most naturally look to a propaganda campaign of future determinations through which he will re-exalt himself.
N. These 5 “I wills” are retaliation to his original fall from holiness and subsequent demotion.
O. They in turn correspond to 3 more falls Satan experiences:
1. Fall two occurs in conjunction with seal six of Rev.6:13-14 (~3rd year, 1st month of the tribulation) when all access to the 3rd heaven is withdrawn and Satan is confined to planet earth in operation star-wars. Rev.12:7-12
2. This fall disproves any validity to him ruling in the 3rd heaven and over the angels in his 1st two “I wills”.
3. Fall three will occur at the 2nd Advent when he is confined to the abyss for a thousand years. Rev.20:1-3
4. This fall disproves his claim of ruling North of Israel over the world in his 3rd and 4th “I wills”. Rev.20:1-3
5. Fall four will occur at the end of the Millennium (thousand years) when he is confined to the lake of fire for eternity. Rev.20:7-10
6. We can assume this fall vanquishes his 5th “I will” disproving beyond a shadow of doubt that he will ever reach his ultimate goal of reigning as the “Most High” of creation.
P. His 3 subsequent falls indicate the process of a total resolution to the Angelic conflict judging all 5 “I wills” as fraudulent and empty.
V. Satan's current status.
A. After Satan's open revolt against God, one-third of the angels accepted Satan's viewpoint and joined him. Rev.12:4
B. Their base of operations for their revolt (or following the actual revolt) became planet earth.
C. They were judged by the Eternal Judge and their base of operations was turned into a frozen uninhabitable wasteland. Gen.1:1,2
D. They were condemned for their unrighteousness and sentenced to the lake of fire. Mat.25:41
E. However, it is evident from the Bible that the sentencing has not yet been carried out. Job 1:6,7; 1Pet.5:8
F. When all the evidence is evaluated, it is clear that Satan and his fallen angels have appealed the sentence.
G. It is obvious that the crux of his appeal centers on God’s Sovereignty (will) and essence vs. Satan’s as implied through his 5 “I wills” and hence, volition.
H. Any further implications are at present speculation.
I. However, it is a fairly safe bet that Satan did not believe that God could resolve the issue of conflict of –V manifested in His creation and maintain His integrity of essence and Person.
J. Satan's fall resulted in judgment on creation and the earth was packed in ice.
1. The surface of the earth was covered with water.
2. There was total darkness.
3. This means ice.
K. Following restoration of the earth, man was placed here as part of the resolution of the appeal. Gen.1:1-2:25
L. Satan immediately attacked the new ruler of planet earth, using deception on the woman in order to engineer the fall of the man and gain dominion over the kingdoms of negative volition. Gen.3:1-7; Luk.4:5,6
M. He is the current ruler over his kingdom of demons and over negative, unregenerate humanity. Rev.12:7-9; Joh.8:44; 2Cor.4:3,4; 1Joh.5:19
VI. Satan's modus operandi.
A. Toward believers and the Church.
1. In heaven:
a. Satan accuses believers before God. Zec.3:1; Rev.12:10
b. He seeks permission to afflict men. Job 1:6-11; Luk.22:31-33 cf.1Cor.5:5
2. On earth, Satan:
a. Seeks to persecute the Church and annihilate it. Rev.2:8,11
b. Sows tares among wheat as infiltration of false teachers among believers. Mat.13:24-30
c. Creates a counterfeit super-church. Rev.17
d. He promotes a system of false doctrine to neutralize sound doctrine. 2Cor.11:14; 1Tim.4:1-3
e. He has an army of evangelists, preachers, teachers, apostles, healers and prophets made up of reversionistic believers and unbelievers. Gal.1:6-9; 2Cor.11:3,4; Rev.2:2; 2Pet.2:1; 1Joh.2:18; 4:1; Mar.13:22; Mat.7:15
f. This includes false-christs.
g. His attack in this regard will be unprecedented in the last days with many departing from the faith. 1Joh.2:18,22; 1Tim.4:1; 2Tim.3:6-9; 4:3,4
h. He frustrates GAP and MPR by persecution or by selling the believer on worry and/or the pursuit of riches or pleasures of the cosmos. Mar.4:16-19
i. Seeks to plant the “root of bitterness”, by working on believers to retain anger and malice and refuse to forgive others. 2Cor.2:10-11; Eph.4:26-27; 1Joh.2:9; 3:10
j. To administer SUD on occasion. 1Cor.5:5; 1Tim.1:20
k. Seeks to trap believers through their own arrogance. 1Tim.3:6
l. Promotes improper conduct to trip up the witness of the life to those outside the church. 1Tim.3:7
m. Tempts them to contradict sound doctrine they are taught. 2Tim.2:24-26
n. Promotes sexual impropriety to destroy relationships. 1Cor.7:5
B. Toward unbelievers.
1. He seeks to blind men to the realities of the gospel. Mar.4:15; 2Cor.4:3-4
2. He seeks to control them via demon possession and/or oppression. Mat.12:43-45; Luk.22:3; Act.10:38
C. Toward both believers and unbelievers.
1. The Word of God likens the cosmos (the devil's world system) to a casino with a variety of rigged games that Satan operates to deceive men and take advantage of them through his system of deception; every person who lacks Bible doctrine is like a ship without a rudder, carried about by winds of false doctrine and tossed by various waves. Eph.4:14
2. Satan is the master schemer of the universe in this regards. Eph.6:11
3. He is constantly on the lookout for someone to destroy. 1Pet.5:8
D. Toward the nations.
1. Satan has advanced a plan for internationalism of the nations over history via the Babylonian system of a one-world/one-religious order. Gen.11:1-9 cp. Rev.13:1-8; 17:9-13 cf. Psa.2:1-2
2. This scheme is to institute a counterfeit Millennium.
3. His strategy is to weaken them leading to their destruction. Isa.14:12; Rev.19:19-21
4.
He promotes anti-Semitism. Ex.
5. Advances socialism (redistribution of wealth). Ecc.6:1,2
6. Encourages military aggression. Dan.7:17-25; 11:36-45; Rev.13:1-4; 20:7-9
7. Manipulates them through the Babylonian apostate religious system of the great whore. Rev.17:1-5,18
E.
Towards
1. He attempts to frustrate fulfillment of covenants by wiping out the Jews. Psa.83
2. He seeks to keep them from their land.
3. He ensnares them in the depraved religions of their gentile neighbors.
4. He seeks to frustrate their prophesied returns from dispersion.
5. He distorts the Mosaic Law into a system of legalism bringing about the rise of Pharisaism during inter-testament times.
6. He blinds them with respect to their Messiah.
F. Towards Christ:
1. Satan sought to prevent the appearance of the Messiah in human history by attacking the promised seed of the woman. Gen.3:15
a. The murder of righteous Abel the believer. Gen.4:1-8 cp.1Joh.3:12
b. The attempted destruction of true humanity via demonic infiltration. Gen.6:1-8; 2Pet.2:4; Jud.1:6
c. The Egyptian bondage and genocide. Exo.1:8-22
d. Haman's conspiracy. Est.3:1-15
e. The slaughter of the infants by Herod. Mat.2:16-18 cf.Rev.12:4
2. At the first advent Satan personally tempted Christ seeking to break the kenosis by getting Christ to sin. Mat.4:1-11.
3. Satan attempted to kill Christ through negative Jews during His ministry before He went to the cross. Luk.4:28-30; Joh.11:8
4. During the tribulation Satan will continue to oppose Christ and to fight against Him through the antichrist. Rev.19:19
5. At the end of the Millennium, Satan will sponsor one final revolt against the Son of God, by instigating another international revolt. Rev.20:7-9
VII. Satan’s primary weapon of choice and counterfeits.
A. While Satan has a vast arsenal of weapons of choice, they are all designed to deceive his victims.
B. His deception for the individual is to falsify doctrine in order to trap, seduce and take captive under the STA. 2Cor.11:3; 1Tim.3:7; 2Tim.2:25-26 cf.2Cor.11:14
C. His deception towards nations is the need to throw off the Divine restraints of nationalism and internationally unify in order to bring about world peace. Psa.2:1-3; Rev.18:23 cp.1The.5:3
D. His deception comes in the form of counterfeits to BD:
1. He has a regular system of false communicators (false apostles and teachers). 2Cor.11:13-15; 2Pet.2:1
2. These communicators preach another gospel and another system of doctrine. 2Cor.4:3-4 cp.11:4
3. His system of false doctrine is called the doctrine of demons. 1Tim.4:1-3
4. He has a communion table illustrating idolatry in all forms. 1Cor.10:19-21
5. He has counterfeit righteousness: self-righteousness or “godly crust” as seen in the human viewpoint of religion. Mat.23:27-28 cf.2Tim.3:5
6. He actively counterfeits various spiritual gifts, signs and miracles in order to deceive. Ex. Modern tongues movement; 2The.2:8-12; Rev.13:11-14; 16:13-14; 19:20; 20:10
7. He promotes counterfeit Christ’s. Mar.13:21-22
8. He has a counterfeit Millennium (Satanic politics). Cf.Rev.20:3
9. A purpose for his incarceration for 1000 years is to squelch his deceiving of the nations in this regards. Rev.20:3 cp.vs.8
E. The pursuit of BD is the believer’s protection to avoid the deception of Satan’s lies. Eph.4:14; Col.2:6-8
F. The believer is to avoid empty cosmic discussion with those holding to false doctrine. 1Tim.6:20-21
VIII. The future of Satan.
A. The plan and policy of evil, which Satan has promoted in the past and continues to propagate in the present, will continue to gain momentum among negative volition on planet earth.
B. We are entering the most intensified stage of the Church Age, a time when all aspects of evil and brutality are on the increase. 2Tim.3:1-5
C. It is the time just prior to Christ’s return; it is a time when scoffers are prevalent. 2Pet.3:3-7
D. Our age will end with the rapture of all believers; this event is immediately followed by the appearance of the antichrist, the man of sin that will take apostasy to new heights. 2The.2:1-2
E. At ~3rd year 1st month of the tribulation, Satan is barred from the third heaven, and he and his army of demons are confined to planet earth. Rev.12:7-12
F.
He will personally enter and possess the
Antichrist, embarking on a campaign of anti-Semitism designed to eliminate true
G. Through the Antichrist, Satan will receive the worship of mankind he so desperately seeks. Dan.12:8-13; Mat.24:15-22; 2The.2:3-4; Rev.13:4-8,15
H. At the 2nd Advent, Satan leaves the Antichrist just prior to his (antichrist's) destruction. Rev.19:20 cp.20:2
I. He is apprehended and incarcerated for 1000 years in the abyss. Rev.20:1-3
J. He is released following the 1000 years and immediately demonstrates that he is incorrigible by instigating a final world-wide rebellion against the perfect rulership of Christ. Rev.20:7-8
K. The rebellion is crushed by God, and Satan is cast into the lake of fire already prepared for him, joining the antichrist and false prophet already suffering there. Rev.20:10
L. He will there be tormented day and night forever and ever. Rev.20:10
IX. Conclusions.
A. Satan was a creature created by God with incredible assets and placed in a unique position of authority and splendor.
B. He forfeited his position through negative volition, rejecting God opting for his own arrogance and self-will.
C. As such, he introduced sin and the existence of a sin nature into the world of God’s created.
D. He has been tried and sentenced to the lake of fire; however he is free on appeal.
E. Human history is the extension and resolution of the angelic conflict; during this period, Satan's appeal will be resolved and God's sentence will be proved to be righteous, fair, and just.
F. God allows Satan to continue to operate, for a time, in order to give a demonstration of the bankruptcy of Satan's thinking and the depravity of Satan's actions.
G. Satan is a ruler.
H. Satan is, however, finite and his kingdom is limited to those who are negative.
I. The entire negative world is in his trap, held captive (by means of their own negative volition) to do his will. 1Joh.5:19
J. While Satan is the source of all overt temptations and evil in the world, he can only rule through the individual’s own negative volition and the STA.
K. Christ’s work on the cross tactically neutralized Satan’s rulership for those that are +V. Joh.12:31-33; 16:11
L. Failure for the believer to separate from friendship with Satan’s domain, aid and abets this most notorious enemy of God. Jam.4:4
M. The prescription given for dealing with Satan is summarized succinctly in Jam.4:7:
“Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”