Christians are in a battle against our sinful passions, but also against our adversary the devil (1 Pt. 2:11, 5:8-9). We are keenly aware of our wrestling with personal temptation, but often less aware of the spiritual enemy who seeks to devour, dominate, and take captive (2 Tim. 2:26; Jn. 10:10). If we are to fight well, it is important to know something of our enemy, especially his tactics, “so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs,” (2 Cor. 2:11). This two-part blog will explore his nature and his designs to better equip us to recognize and resist his attacks.
1. His Existence
In Christian theology, Satan is not an idea or a metaphor – he is real. In Scripture there are times when an idea is personified (such as wisdom or death) but it is clear that this is a literary device. This is not so with the Devil. Satan is always referred to as a real being who speaks, thinks, interacts with others, has a will, a degree of authority and power, and an end. Furthermore, he appears in every major type of Biblical literature: historical, prophetic, wisdom, Gospels, epistles, and apocalyptic.
2. His Names
‘Satan’ is the most common name given to this creature, coming from a Hebrew word which means ‘Adversary’. This indicates that he is the head of the spiritual forces opposing God and his image bearers. He is also called ‘the devil’ (Mt. 4: 1-11, Eph 6:11, Heb. 2:14), ‘Beelzebulb’ (Mt. 10:25; 12:24, 27), ‘the prince of the power of the air’ (Eph. 2:2), ‘the evil one’ (Mt. 13:19; 1 Jn. 2:13), and ‘the great dragon’ and ‘that ancient serpent’ and ‘the deceiver of the whole world’ (Rev. 12:9).
3. His Origin
In God’s wisdom, we know very little of Satan’s origin. Christians must be aware of his existence, know his schemes, and rejoice that Christ is victorious over him. Greater detail than that is largely withheld from us and we can only speculate. This may be for the best, so that we don’t become unnecessarily fascinated with him. What we can say for sure is this: He is a created being under the authority of God. Only God is self-existent and has no beginning. Everything and everyone else is part of God’s creation, and under his authority (Col. 1:16), Satan included. He was created good, and along with other spiritual beings fell away into rebellion. This is necessarily true, as God did not create evil and does not delight in it (Ps. 5:4; 1 Jn. 1:5), but God does manage and direct it for his ends (Gen. 50:20). Concerning the timing of Satan’s fall, it must precede the fall of mankind in Genesis 3, because the serpent who deceives Eve (later identified as Satan in Rev. 12:9) is already present as an evil being and antagonizer. In the Old Testament, two prophetic texts may shed some light–perhaps by analogy–of Satan’s fall, but this is uncertain (Isa. 14:12-15; Ezk. 28:11-19). In the New Testament, Satan’s original rebellion and expulsion from heaven may be described in Jude 6 and Revelation 12:1-4; the latter reference depends on how one interprets the book of Revelation in general.
4. His Nature
The devil is an evil, spiritual being. As stated above, he was created good and became evil. He is not only the chief representative of wickedness, but also the one from whom all sin finds its origin, since he was likely the first to sin of all God’s creations. The New Testament says that Satan is the ‘father of lies,’ that he has been ‘sinning from the beginning,’ and was a ‘murderer from the beginning’ (Jn. 8:44; 1 Jn. 3:8). With that in mind, it is not correct to say that Satan is pure evil. He is not the equal opposite of God, rather he is corrupted by evil and a sinner in a similar way that human beings are, but to a greater degree.
5. His Power & Authority
In the popular imagination, many think that Satan lives in hell. Scripture tells us he is actually roaming the earth (1 Pt. 5:8-9)… at least for now. Moreover, he has some degree of power on earth, his own kingdom (Col. 1:13). Sin is always a power grab. It is an attempt to unseat God from his throne and install yourself upon it. We might say that Satan is the chief rebel in this. He has been working to establish his own kingdom on earth, enslaving men, families, and even whole peoples, nations, and kingdoms (Mt. 4:8-9) under his reign of darkness. Sadly, he has great success in this. He is sometimes referred to as the ruler of this world (Jn. 12:31, 16:11; Eph. 2:2). Unbelievers are unwittingly blinded by his efforts (Mt. 13:19; 2 Cor. 4:3, 4), living in a world affected by his tyranny. All who are not living under the dominion of Christ are living under the despotism of Satan.
However, God is the true ruler of heaven and earth and only allows Satan to have a degree of authority, just as he allows sinful human rulers to wield power for a time. When Christ the King came to earth, he established the kingdom of God (Mk. 1:15; Lk. 4:17-21, 11:20). This kingdom will be victorious. Christ’s life, death, resurrection, and ascension to the throne in heaven dealt a decisive blow to Satan’s kingdom and authority on earth. The kingdom of God is an invading and victorious force, unseating Satan and ending his tyrannical rule. Consider the following:
“Now is the judgment of this world; now will the ruler of this world be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” | Jn. 12:31-32
“He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them.” | Col. 2:15
“Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery.” | Heb. 2:14-15
“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” | 1 Jn. 3:8
In this age Christ’s kingdom grows as the church spreads the gospel, driving out the darkness wherever it takes root (Mt. 13:1-52, 16:18; Mk. 3:27; Lk 11:14-23). Captives are set free, strongholds destroyed, lives are redeemed, and light shines in the darkness. These kingdoms are in conflict, but we rejoice that Satan, though he remains in this age and gains some victories here and there, will ultimately fail and be destroyed at the return of the true King of heaven and earth. But more on that next time.
“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” | Romans 16:19
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