Who is…
Satan and what is his significance

Hebrew: שָׂטָן —transliteration: satan —meaning: adversary; accuser

also known as: The Devil and…

His Origin and Fall

The angel that came to be called Satan was created by God, as were all the angels and the first man Adam. Sin apparently began in Heaven with the rebellion of this prominent and proud supernatural spirit being, and this evil spread to many other angelic beings. They are all eternal beings, but due to their rebellion will ultimately suffer eternity cut off from God in the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:10-15), rather than the pleasure of eternal life in the New Heavens and New Earth.

It is deduced that Satan’s rebellion happened soon after the Creation of Earth, our universe, and Adam, and before the conception of Cain and his younger brother Abel.

As a result, Satan and his rebels were cast out of Heaven to Earth. The Son of God (Jesus Christ) watched “Satan fall from heaven like lightning” (Luke 10:18 NASB).

Satan and these other evil supernatural beings that followed him are treacherous, hate-filled opponents of all goodness and righteousness—relentless adversaries of God and mankind.

Satan’s temptation and deception of Eve, led to the sin of Adam. This Great Fall from innocence to evil set consequences in motion that man and all creation groan under to this day (Romans 8:22)—human depravity, God’s curse, death and corruption. Adam immediately died spiritually, and his body began to inevitably die physically, although relatively slowly compared)—and upon his physical death he was doomed to eternal death, unless God provided a way of salvation.

Because God is omniscient and omnipotent, He could have blocked these events from ever taking place. However, His permitting them in no way makes God the author of sin. It is unknown to us why God allowed these events, however, believers trust (by faith) in His supreme wisdom and His love, that this specific course was necessary and serves an eternally good and important purpose that brings great glory to God.

The Father of Lies

Jesus Christ warned about Satan.

You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. —John 8:44

…Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. —2 Corinthians 11:14 excerpt

In reality, Satan is the opposite, a bringer of spiritual darkness, not light.

Satan’s names, his distinct personality and his activity

When used as a proper name, the Hebrew word translated as “Satan” has the article “the adversary” (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7). In the New Testament it is used as interchangeably with the Greek name Diabolos, or the devil, and is so used more than 30 times.

He is also called…

Personality and Power

Satan has extreme hate for God and the human race. He uses every possible deception to eternally destroy people. He tries every means to keep people from following Jesus Christ and gaining eternal life. He encourages extreme selfishness, pride, hedonism (the belief that personal pleasure and happiness is the highest good), lust, greed, hatred, false religion, false philosophies about life and truth, etc.

The above names of Satan recognize his distinct personality and his activity among men. He is “Beelzebub, the prince of the devils” (Matthew 12:24). He is “the constant enemy of God, of Christ, of the divine kingdom, of the followers of Christ, and of all truth; full of falsehood and all malice, and exciting and seducing to evil in every possible way.”

His power is very great in the world, but its extent is limited by God. For example, Satan has the “power of death,” not as lord, but simply as executioner. Christ redeems his people from “him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Hebrews 2:14).

One of his many powerful weapons is creating fear. He knows that that fear is a very powerful motivator to move people in wrong directions, encouraging lack faith and trust in God and to cause the fearful to take foolish actions and believe foolish things that that they think will help or save them but will actually cause them (and others) great harm.

Filled with hate, Satan is like a “roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8 KJV). Men are said to be “taken captive by him” (2 Timothy 2:26 KJV).

Christians are warned against his “devices” (schemes) (2 Corinthians 2:11 KJV), and called on to “resist” him (James 4:7 KJV).

Satan even boldly tempted our Lord in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11 LSB).

Satan’s ultimate destiny

The Son of God was manifested for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. —1 John 3:8

Satan and his demons will be chained during the most of the Millennial period (1,000 year physical kingdom of God on this Earth), and then loosed for a little while (Revelation 20:2-3). God’s Word tells us that, at the proper time (the end of the coming Millennium), Satan and all evil will ultimately be defeated forever.

The Devil and his demons, and all humans that die in their sins—having remained an enemy of God and having rejected Jesus Christ to the end—will ultimately be cast into the “lake of fire,” “the bottomless pit” of Hell, where they will be eternally trapped—forever separated from the unimaginably great blessing of eternal life with God in Paradise.

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Article Version: September 18, 2024