This is the fifth in a brief series of posts on angels.

There is ample evidence in Scripture that a supernatural creature called Satan actually exists. He is a created being, not merely a symbol of evil, a figure of speech, or a mysterious dark force. 

He is an angelic being of superior intelligence and power; a roaming lion with a ravenous appetite for evil; a master of disguise who often appears as an angel of light; a pathological liar who shades his words with half-truths and misquoted Scripture; a once-anointed cherub who reflected the glory of God before becoming the great dragon who may have led as many as one-third of the angelic host to rise up in rebellion against their Creator.

He is a prince over a dark and unseen domain; the god of this present world system; the accuser of believers; the one who blinds unbelievers from a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ and binds them as slaves to sin.

He is an arrogant creature who aspires to take the place of Almighty God; a fallen angel who nevertheless has retained great power and position so that even Michael the archangel dares not rebuke him; and a creature for whom there is no redemption, only the waiting fires of hell created for him and his fallen companions.

Satan’s existence and nature

The Old Testament assumes the existence of Satan, just as it does the existence of God. There is no formal effort to prove the existence of either one or to fully explain them. Yet their stories unfold and their reality and nature are revealed from Genesis to Revelation.

Consider some of the biblical evidence for the existence of Satan:

• The basic facts of the creation and fall lay the foundation for the battle between good and evil and for the redemptive plan of God.

• The sufferings and triumphs of Job hinge on the personal challenges between God and Satan.

• The judgment upon Israel, in which 70,000 men die, is linked to Satan, who moves David to number his troops.

• It is difficult, if not impossible, to explain the superhuman powers behind the king of Babylon in Isaiah 14 and the king of Tyre in Ezekiel 28 apart from recognition of a personal Satan.

• Satan’s existence is recognized by every writer of the New Testament; 19 of the 27 books mention Satan by one of his names.

• In the Gospels, there are 29 references to Satan. In 25 of these, Jesus speaks of Satan as actually existing.

• Jesus personally encounters Satan during His 40 days in the wilderness – an account that could only have come from the lips of Jesus Himself.

The Bible makes clear certain truths about the nature of Satan:

• He is a creature. God creates Satan perfect, holy, and blameless, not in his present corrupt form (Ezek. 28:15; Col. 1:16).

• He is a spirit being. Like other angels, he is finite, limited, and invisible, although he may appear in visible form.

• He was first in rank among all creatures. The terms “anointed cherub” and “covering cherub” describe his initial position and authority, which make his rebellion all the more diabolical.

The names of Satan

The Bible calls Satan by many names that tell us about who he is and what he does. A sampling:

The ruler/prince of this world (John 12:31, 16:11). Satan rules a world (Gr., cosmos, ordered system) that includes men and angels separated from God. This world is Satan’s counterpart to God’s rule and kingdom; it will be judged and ultimately destroyed by God.

The god of this age (2 Cor. 4:4). Satan promotes a philosophy that is creature-centered and, for now, offers mankind a counterfeit religion.

The ruler/prince of demons (Matt. 12:24; Luke 11:15). Beelzebul was a title given to one of the gods of the Philistines and had been brought over into Judaism as a title for Satan.

Lucifer/morning star (Isa. 14:12). This title refers to his original state as a “shining one” (Heb., Helel). The New American Standard renders the name, “Star of the morning.” This title may connect Satan with other angels, sometimes called “stars” in Scripture.

Satan (Zech. 3:1; Rev. 12:9). This common title is used 52 times in Scripture. From the Hebrew word satan, it means adversary or opposer. Satan is the rival of God and man, and he opposes them both. However, Christ, our Savior and Advocate, has invaded Satan’s kingdom, defeated his works, and will banish him to hell one day.

Devil (Luke 4:2, 13; Rev. 12:9). Used 35 times in the Bible, this name, from the Greek word diabolos, means slanderer, or one who trips up.

The old serpent (Rev. 12:9). Recalling the first reference to Satan in the Bible (Gen. 3:1), this name indicates he’s been around a long time but hasn’t changed in his craftiness and deception.

The great dragon (Rev. 12:3, 7, 9). Satan is a terrifying, destructive beast who seeks the devastation of God’s people. He also is called the “great fiery red dragon” and “dragon.”

The evil one (John 17:15; 1 John 5:18). The Greek term ho poneros limits the name to one specific person – one intrinsically wicked creature who actively seeks to corrupt others.

The tempter (Matt. 4:3; 1 Thess. 3:5). Satan entices people, appealing to the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). But he can’t be blamed for our sins; we alone are responsible (1 Cor. 10:13; James 1:14-15).

The accuser (Rev. 12:10). Satan accuses Job, as well as Joshua and Israel, before God, just as he accuses believers before God today. But God never takes Satan’s side against the believer.

The deceiver (Rev. 12:9, 20:3). Three factors make him a master of trickery: his superiority as a cherub; his extensive knowledge and experience; and his ability to disguise himself.

Satan’s original state and fall

All angels, including Satan, were created by God in a perfect and sinless state. Satan fell from his holy state when he rebelled against God and enticed perhaps one-third of the angelic host to rebel with him (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 12:4). 

Many Bible commentators believe two key passages describe Satan’s original state and fall:

Isa. 14:12-17 and Eze. 28:12-19. While keeping in mind that these passages focus primarily on earthly leaders, we may note how the text describes them in ways that indicate a supernatural being whose character they emulate. Some observations:

• Before the fall, Satan seems to have had greater privileges than any other creature. He belonged to the cherub class of angelic beings, was an anointed leader, stood in the very presence of God, was perfect in beauty and blameless in conduct.

• Somehow “iniquity was found” in Satan. Enthralled with his own beauty, he became lifted up with pride (Eze. 28:17, 1 Tim. 3:6) and sought to ascend to the throne of God (Is. 14:12-17). He perverted other angels, leading them to rebel against God, and defiled his own habitat.

• His sin was especially evil because: He was the first creature to sin; he was the greatest of God’s creatures; his intelligence, beauty, and position gave him the greatest potential for service to God.

• As a result of Satan’s sin, he lost his privileges and position; his character was corrupted (once the “star of morning,” he has now become the oppressor of all that God is and does); his power is perverted; he is destined for hell; for now, he retains some of his great dignity, for even Michael the archangel does not bring a “railing accusation” against him. 

When did Satan fall?

There is no clear statement in Scripture as to when Satan fell. But the following observations may prove helpful:

• If we assume angels were part of the creation described in Genesis 1, then Satan’s fall and the angelic rebellion followed that point.

• Since all the angels were present when God “laid the foundations of the earth” and “set its measurements” (Job 38:4-5), then Satan and his angels fell sometime after the original creation of the heavens and earth.

• It seems certain that Satan fell before Genesis 3, when he comes to tempt Adam and Eve. But whether he fell before or after man’s creation is not known.

• In summary, it appears Satan fell sometime after the creation of the universe, but before the fall of man.

Why would God allow Satan to fall?

Satan’s fall introduced sin into the universe, affected countless angels, prompted the creation of hell, and impacted mankind and the physical world. Why would a good and powerful God allow such a thing?

It may be helpful to keep in mind the following:

• God is holy. He does not tempt anyone to sin, nor does he provide the occasion to sin (James 1:13, 17).

• God is sovereign. Nothing happens outside of his attention or beyond his control.

• God is free to choose. For whatever reason, God allowed evil to come into existence, and he’s not obligated to explain that decision to us.

• Angels were free to choose. God created angels with a free will, which means they experience the consequences of their choices – in this case, eternal damnation.

• God judged sin in his own Son at Calvary. He provides forgiveness to sinful man (not fallen angels) by grace through faith. Those who reject the person and work of Christ will be punished forever by God in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10-15, 21:4-5).

What is Satan doing now?

Hal Lindsey’s popular book, Satan is Alive and Well on Planet Earth, is a grim and sometimes frightening reminder of the awesome power, deceit, and unabated evil retained by the “god of this age.” As Lindsey makes clear, while Satan already has been judged, he has not yet been sentenced to hell. His ongoing appeal before the court in heaven is an apparent effort to discredit God’s justice, largely by accusing and attacking the saints. That’s why all of us should be on guard, for the evil one continues his scorched-earth campaign against God and His people. 

As we study Satan’s present power, we look specifically at what Satan is doing in relation to God, to nations, to unbelievers, and to believers.

Satan opposes God 

Satan’s activities today – as from the beginning – should be seen as the supernatural outgrowth of his desire to take God’s place.

Once reflecting the radiant glory of God, he became the prince of darkness who now masquerades as an angel of light.

Once affirming the truth of God’s person and program, he chose to become the father of lies.

Once leading the angelic host in praising God, he now leads a sinister, demonic army into battle against the Creator.

While Satan is the opposite of God in character and conduct, he actively opposes God by counterfeiting the things of God and thus becomes all the more effective and fearful. 

Satan’s power and work are directed primarily against God – even when he opposes man –  for it is God he desires to discredit and dethrone.

According to C. Fred Dickason in Angels, Elect & Evil, Satan opposes God’s program in many ways, among them:

• He counterfeits God’s system of truth, subtly replacing it with what might be called “the lie” (Eph. 2:2; 2 Thess. 2:8-12). For example, he substitutes evolution for creation; human progress for salvation; religion for a relationship with the true and living God. In so doing, he provides false ministers, false doctrines, false Christs, and false followers.

• He counteracts God’s sovereign rule. While he cannot step outside God’s sovereign control, Satan works fiercely and effectively within it to oppose God and His people. He turned Adam and Eve against God, Israel to false gods, Judas against the Messiah, and one day he will indwell the Antichrist in the most spectacular campaign of ungodliness the world will ever see.

Satan deceives the nations

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,” the psalmist writes. Paul adds that all rulers hold their authority by the divine will and good pleasure of God, and are ultimately responsible to Him. God desires for nations – like individuals, families, and all other entities – to faithfully follow him. Satan actively opposes this program because he wants to take God’s place and have sovereign control over creation.

It’s important to note that Satan is “the god of this world,” which includes men and angels outside the family of believers. His control over the present world system in which we live is powerful and, outside of God, absolute. Satan even offered the kingdoms of the world to Jesus in the temptation in the wilderness, and Jesus did not deny Satan’s power to give them.

How does Satan seek to wrest the nations out of God’s sovereign hand?

He deceives the nations, leading them to embrace philosophies, religions, politics, and social programs that feed man’s independent nature. He wants nations to believe that they, like men and women, can live independently of God.

Satan also uses his demons to influence the affairs of nations, particularly in their opposition to God’s program with Israel and the church (Dan. 10:13, 20; Eph. 6:12).

Today, he uses political leaders to hinder the spread of the gospel at home and abroad. Many nations are closed to the gospel and to Christian beliefs. 

Satan blinds and binds the unbeliever

The state of unbelievers is perilous, due in great measure to the work of Satan, who:

• Snatches away the gospel from many who hear (Luke 8:12)

• Appeals to “the natural man,” causing him to live by his flesh and his wits rather than by the Holy Spirit who indwells believers (1 Cor. 2:14) 

• Blinds minds to the gospel (2 Cor. 4:3-4)

• Lies and deceives (John 8:44; 2 Cor. 11:14-15)

• Makes the gospel sound foolish (1 Cor. 1:18)

• Promotes false religion (1 Tim. 4:1-3) and a false lifestyle (1 John 2:15-17)

• Ensnares those who oppose the faith, taking them captive to do his will (2 Tim. 2:26)

• Produces spiritual death (Eph. 2:1-2)

In fact, Satan’s work in unbelievers’ lives is so effective that it is impossible for a lost person to be saved unless the Holy Spirit convicts him or her of the sin of unbelief; the righteousness of Christ; and the judgment that will befall the one who persists in unbelief (John16:7-11).

Satan wages warfare against God’s people

Satan seeks to defeat believers with a view toward discrediting God and destroying His kingdom. His tactics, according to C. Fred Dickason in Angels Elect & Evil, and God’s antidotes include:

Spiritual warfare. The evil one, who cannot inhabit our spirits (for the Holy Spirit dwells there), bombards our minds and tantalizes our flesh so that we choose to live independently of our Savior. God’s antidote: the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:10-18). 

Accusing and slandering. Satan still has access to heaven, where he prosecutes us for our shortcomings before God’s holy bench. To our defense comes Jesus, seated at the Father’s right hand, interceding and mediating on our behalf. His death at Calvary satisfied once and for all God’s justice and mercy, and is sufficient for our everlasting acquittal (1 John 2:1-2).

Planting doubt. Satan wants to prevent our spiritual growth by causing us to doubt God and his promises and, therefore, to doubt our right standing with him (Gen. 3:1-5). God’s reply is his unchanging nature (Mal. 3:6; Heb. 13:8).

Tempting to sin. The tempter leads us to lie (Acts 5:3-4); to commit sexual sins (1 Cor. 7:5); to embrace this sinful and fallen world (1 John 2:15-17; 5:19); to rely upon human wisdom and strength (2 Chron. 21:1-6; Matt. 16:21-23; 1 Cor. 1:18-25; 2 Cor. 4:1-7); to be proud in spiritual matters (1 Tim. 3:6); and to become discouraged (1 Peter 5:6-10). God’s answer: his limitation of Satan’s ability to tempt us beyond our ability to resist (1 Cor. 10:13), and his power over the tempter when we submit to God and resist Satan (James 4:7).

Inciting persecution. Israel and the church traditionally have been Satan’s favorite targets (Rev. 12:13; 13:7). The antidote: The commendation of Christ who also suffered unjustly (1 Peter 2:21).

Preventing service. Satan may thwart us as he did Paul, who was kept from coming to the Thessalonians (1 Thess. 2:18) – perhaps through a physical malady (2 Cor. 12:7) or some human agency (2 Cor. 11:22-27). God’s response may be to enable others to serve or to raise up new servants; he never leaves himself without testimony.

Infiltrating the church. Satan may introduce false doctrines and bring about conflict through false teachers (2 Cor. 11:13-15; 2 Peter 2:1-19) or false disciples (Matt. 13:38-39). God protects the church through gifted men and women with the spiritual gifts of prophecy, teaching, pastoring, and discernment (1 Corinthians 12).

Promoting division. Harboring anger, for example, may give Satan a foothold in a church (Eph. 4:26-27). The antidote: Confession and cleansing for the believer (1 John 1:9).

Satan’s world: The “cosmos”

Satan is called both the god of this age (aion, 2 Cor. 4:4, NIV) and the prince of this world (cosmos, John 12:31, NIV). The word “cosmos” is used 185 times in the New Testament and can describe the created heavens and earth (Acts 17:24), the inhabited earth (Rom. 1:8), and the people who live on the earth (John 3:16). But usually the New Testament depicts the cosmos as an orderly system that functions apart from God.

Charles Ryrie, in Basic Theology, writes, “There must be three facets to any definition of the world; the idea of an ordered system, the relation of Satan to it, and the concept of its hostility to God. Here is a suggested definition: The cosmos world is that system organized by Satan, headed by Satan, and run by Satan, which leaves God out, and is a rival to Him.” 

Satan’s authority in the cosmos. Satan has supreme authority over the cosmos, but within God’s sovereignty and by his permission. Jesus recognized this when he called Satan the ruler of the world (John 12:31; 16:11), and when he did not dispute Satan’s power to offer him the kingdoms of the world in the temptation in the wilderness (Matt. 4:8-9). John the apostle affirmed this when he wrote that the whole cosmos lies in the power of the evil one (1 John 5:19).

Satan’s aim in the cosmos. Satan’s aim is to create and rule over a system that rivals God’s kingdom, leaving him entirely out. This system may contain elements that are good in human terms – good deeds, knowledge, and technological advancements, for example. Yet the cosmos is inherently evil because it is independent of God. Satan makes the values of his godless system attractive – even to believers – so that the focus of people’s thoughts, words, and deeds is self, and their vision is temporal rather than eternal.

Believers and the cosmos. Christians are “in” the world but are not to be “of” it. That is, believers must live their earthly lives in the midst of a world order that is hostile to and alienated from God. Yet we are to keep ourselves “unstained” from the cosmos (James 1:27). How is this possible? Charles Ryrie: “The believer’s separation from the cosmos means Christlikeness in this cosmos. This includes having His perspectives, His standards, His goal (to do the will of the Father), His activities while living here. It means being able to say that we always do those things which are pleasing to the Father (John 8:29). This is true biblical separation.”

God’s plan for the cosmos. The Lord already has announced he will judge the cosmos and destroy it by fire, replacing it with new heavens and a new earth (2 Peter 3:10-13; 1 John 2:17; Rev. 21-22). Meanwhile, God permits Satan’s rebellion – and man’s – to continue, but under his divine sovereignty. His long-suffering enables many to come to faith in him (Rom. 2:4; 2 Peter 3:8-9).

Next: The power and limitations of demons