The following excerpt is taken from What Every Christian Should Know About Satan. Order your copy in print, Kindle, or Audible versions here.

---

Let’s close this part of our study on Satan with a short summary of his diabolical activities and his ultimate destiny as recorded in the New Testament. Specifically, note seven key contrasts between what Satan does and what eventually becomes of him.

First, Satan binds, then he is bound. After Jesus heals a woman that an evil spirit has disabled, he explains to the synagogue leader who objects to the Sabbath-day miracle, “Satan has bound this woman, a daughter of Abraham, for eighteen years – shouldn’t she be untied from this bondage on the Sabbath day?” (Luke 13:16). Other Scriptures speak of those in bondage to sin (John 8:34; Acts 8:23) or taken captive by Satan to do his will (2 Tim. 2:26). 

Ultimately, however, the evil one finds himself bound in the abyss. Revelation 20 records an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key to the abyss and a great chain in his hand. He seizes “the dragon, that ancient serpent who is the devil and Satan,” and binds him for a thousand years (vv. 1-2). Then, Satan is “released from his prison” for a time, only to be cast into the lake of fire forever (vv. 7, 10).

Second, Satan deceives, and he is duped. The apostle John describes war in heaven between Michael the archangel and Satan, “the great dragon … who deceives the whole world” (Rev. 12:9). The devil is cast down to earth, only to be imprisoned later in the abyss. After a short release, he goes out to “deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth” (Rev. 20:8).

Although a master of deception, the evil one himself is duped in a case of divine misdirection. In Matthew 16, Jesus goads Satan and his demons into seeking his death. The Messiah has taken his disciples to Caesarea Philippi at the base of Mount Hermon – a place historically tied to paganism and considered the very gates of hades. There, Jesus confirms his identity as the Son of God. Then, he declares that on “this rock” – perhaps a reference to Mount Hermon, a place the underworld claims for itself – “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it” (vv. 16, 18). 

Six days later he brings Peter, James, and John to a “high mountain” – likely Mount Hermon once again – and is transfigured before them (Matt. 17:1-7). Jesus then sets his sights on Jerusalem and the cross. He has come into the world to die, and Satan is a willing, but unknowing, party to the divine plan. As Michael Heiser summarizes:

The Devil and those aligned with him are lots of things, but they aren’t morons. They were duped into killing Jesus, just as God had planned. They launched the series of events that would lead to their own demise. It was divinely designed misdirection.

Michael Heiser, Supernatural

This is precisely what the apostle Paul says in his first letter to the Corinthians:

We do, however, speak a wisdom among the mature, but not a wisdom of this age, or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. On the contrary, we speak God’s hidden wisdom in a mystery, a wisdom God predestined before the ages for our glory. None of the rulers of this age knew this wisdom, because if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory (emphasis added).

(1 Corinthians 2:6-8)

By “rulers,” Paul acknowledges human authorities like Pontius Pilate and the religious leaders of Israel. But he also has in mind demonic powers (cf. Eph. 2:2). In other words, the Lord kept his enemies – human and spirit beings – in the dark until the death and resurrection of Christ were accomplished works. Satan is deceptive, but he’s not omniscient. He falls for a divine ruse that leads to his defeat and our victory in Jesus.

Third, Satan forages, and he flees. Peter describes Satan as a stalking predator: “Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). The evil one excels in tracking his prey, but Jesus shows us how to escape. 

Through forty days in the desert, Satan throws his best at Jesus, whom fasting has physically weakened. With each temptation, Jesus plies Scripture to fend off the evil one’s attacks. At last, Jesus says, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.” Matthew records, “Then the devil left him, and angels came and began to serve him” (Matt. 4:10-11). Luke writes, “After the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time” (Luke 4:13).

James instructs Christians to follow the example of Jesus: “Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (Jas. 4:7). And Paul urges us to remember that for every temptation, the Lord provides a way out (1 Cor. 10:13). That way is Scripture – reading it, meditating on it, quoting it to the tempter, and applying its truths to every circumstance.

Fourth, Satan enters, and finally he is evicted. While demon possession is mentioned often in the New Testament, it’s rare when the evil one himself enters a human being. Judas Iscariot is a notable exception. Just before hatching a plot with the chief priests and temple police to betray Jesus, Judas is Satan-possessed. 

Luke notes, “Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, who was numbered among the Twelve” (Luke 22:3). And John records at the last supper, “After Judas ate the piece of bread [that Jesus offered him], Satan entered him. So Jesus told him, ‘What you’re doing, do quickly’” (John 13:27). 

But just as Jesus and the apostles cast demons out of people, God’s servants evict Satan from the throne room of heaven, and then from the heavenly realm, and finally from the earth itself. Revelation 12 records the eviction of Satan from the heavenlies at the hands of Michael the archangel (vv. 7, 12). Ultimately, the evil one is imprisoned in the abyss for a time (Rev. 20:1-3), then finally banished to hell (Rev. 20:10).

Fifth, Satan conquers, and then he is crushed. The evil one is a bloodthirsty tyrant. He aims to rule the world. He moves with the speed of Alexander the Great, dominates with the ruthlessness of Joseph Stalin, and exterminates with the seething bigotry of Adolf Hitler. In his sermon at the house of Cornelius, Peter summarizes Jesus’ earthly ministry:

You know the events that took place throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how he went about doing good and healing all who were under the tyranny of the devil, because God was with him (emphasis added). 

Acts 10:37-38

Satan’s days as a vicious despot are drawing to a close. As Paul writes in his concluding remarks to the Romans, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet” (Rom. 16:20).

Sixth, Satan is crowned, and then he is cast out. The evil one directs a slandering, counterfeit body of believers in Smyrna – “a synagogue of Satan” (Rev. 2:9). He rules in Pergamum, “where Satan’s throne is” (Rev. 2:13). He guards the “so-called secrets of Satan” in Thyatira (Rev. 2:24). And he enslaves the world in false worship after giving the beast power, a throne, and authority (Rev. 13:1-8). 

But his reign is short-lived. After seventy disciples report miraculous results from their mission to fan out and proclaim the coming kingdom, Jesus tells them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like lightning” (Luke 10:18). The Messiah has come to invade the strong man’s house, tie him up, and plunder his goods (cf. Matt. 12:28-29). 

From the moment rebellion rose in his heart, Satan has been a fugitive. He finds himself in an ever-shrinking field of freedom, with the hound of heaven in hot pursuit. Unable to return to the scene of the crime, he battles God’s agents in the heavenlies and carries out a scorched-earth policy in the physical realm. Justice is closing in. Time is short. So the evil one rages against the inevitable day of his demise. 

Seventh, Satan torments, and finally he is tormented. Christians are not immune from the evil one’s physical, spiritual, and emotional attacks. In some cases, the Lord even uses Satan’s weapons to set boundaries for his most-gifted servants. After sharing a brief account of his visit to heaven – but no details – Paul reports: 

But I will spare you, so that no one can credit me with something beyond what he sees in me or hears from me, especially because of the extraordinary revelations. Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so that I would not exalt myself. Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it would leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness” (emphasis added).

(2 Corinthians 12:6-9)

Bible commentators hold a variety of views as to who, or what, this “messenger of Satan” might be. Popular theories include severe temptation, a chronic eye problem, malaria, migraine headaches, epilepsy, and a speech impediment. Some even suggest Paul’s thorn is a person, such as Alexander the coppersmith, who does Paul a great deal of harm (2 Tim. 4:14). In any case, the “thorn in the flesh” originates with the evil one, and the affliction drives Paul to his knees, seeking relief.

But Satan’s torments return to him one day. Jesus ends his Olivet Discourse with the sobering truth of everlasting punishment for the wicked. He tells his listeners of an eternal fire to which the lost are banished, a place “prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt. 25:41). This is a place of “eternal punishment” (v. 46). While unbelievers suffer in hell, the lake of fire was originally intended for Satan and his minions. Those who reject Christ share in Satan’s judgment (cf. John 16:7-11).

We see that day coming with certainty, as John records: “The devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev. 20:10). Today, Satan may sow tares in Christ’s wheat fields (cf. Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43), but one day he reaps a fruitless harvest in the fires of hell. 

There is even better news for us. After the great white throne judgment, death and hades are cast into the lake of fire; there is no more physical death, and no more need for heaven to wait. God creates new heavens and a new earth – and inhabits them. And just as Jesus “tabernacles” with humans in the Incarnation (John 1:14), God dwells with the redeemed on a regenerated earth:

Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away (Rev. 21:3-4).

Summary

Key takeaways about Satan / the devil:

(1) Satan and the devil essentially mean the same thing: adversary, accuser, or slanderer. The Hebrew satanmeans “adversary.” The Greek diabolos means “slanderer,” “accuser,” or “disrupter.”

(2) In Scripture, we find three types of satans: human, angelic, and divine. King David, Abishai, and Judas Iscariot are all accused of being satans or devils (adversaries / accusers). The books of Job and Zechariah record encounters between an angelic accuser (the satan) and the Lord, and in 1 Chronicles, Satan incites King David to take a census of Israel. Last, there is one Old Testament instance of a divine satan, when the angel of the LORD opposes the corrupt prophet-for-hire, Balaam.

(3) In Satan’s attack on Job, we learn several biblical truths: (a) Satan roams the earth in search of plunder; (b) Satan has a particular appetite for God’s faithful ones; (c) Satan attacks God’s people only with God’s permission and under God’s sovereignty; and (d) Satan cannot see the future, for he is not omniscient.

(4) Satan justly accuses the high priest Joshua and the Israelites he represents of gross sin. Yet the angel of the LORD, who is the Lord himself, steps in to rebuke the accuser and to forgive Joshua’s sins. 

(5) Satan’s battle with Michael the archangel takes place in the unseen spiritual realm and results in the further shrinking of the evil one’s domain (Rev. 12:7-12). Thrown down to earth – and confined here – the accuser of our brothers and sisters prowls angrily like a newly caged lion.

(6) Note seven key contrasts between what Satan does and what eventually becomes of him: (a) Satan binds, and then he is bound; (b) Satan deceives, and he is duped; (c) Satan forages, and he flees; (d) Satan enters, and finally he is evicted; (e) Satan conquers, and then he is crushed; (f) Satan is crowned, and then he is cast out; and (g) Satan torments, and finally he is tormented.

(7)  After the great white throne judgment, death and hades are cast into the lake of fire; there is no more physical death, and no more need for heaven to wait. God creates new heavens and a new earth – and inhabits them. And just as Jesus “tabernacles” with humans in the Incarnation (John 1:14), God dwells with the redeemed on a regenerated earth.

Next: Satan: Father of Lies