CHAPTER 7: THE STUDY OF SATAN
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We know that God created everything for His glory. He created some beings with free will. Both angels and men can choose to do what is right or wrong. Some of these free beings abuse their privileges and disobey their Creator. We can be sure that God did not create them that way. Jesus called "Satan is a murderer from the beginningˇ¨ (John 8:44). He means the beginning of Satan's rebellion against God, not from the time God first created Satan.
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1. ORIGIN OF SATAN
Satan was a fallen archangel. He was the Anointed Cherub (Ezekiel 28:11-18). He was called Lucifer ("light-bearer") which translates a word meaning: "The Morning Star" (Isaiah 14:12). He had a high position of trust and was filled with beauty and wisdom (Ezekiel 28:12-15) (Note: not with 2 hornes, black colour body, an ugly face and a tail as described in some novels.). Lucifer was given charge of part of the universe. Sin entered God's creation for the first time when pride filled Lucifer's heart. He said, "I will ascend, will exalt, will sit, will be like the most High, like God Himself" (Isaiah 14:13, 14).
Many angels, perhaps a third of them (Revelation 12:4), sided with Satan, shared in his sin and fell with him. They were instantly cast from the immediate presence of God, who cannot tolerate sin for a moment. Their final judgment is still future, but absolutely certain (Isaiah 14:12, 15; Revelation 12:4, 9).
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2. SATAN'S WORK, CHARACTER AND PERSONALITY
Satan's work, character and personality may be learned by noting his various names in Scripture. In Isaiah 14:12, before his fall, Satan is called Lucifer, the "son of the morning." The true Morning Star is our Lord Jesus Christ Himself (Revelation 22:16).
He is called Satan. This is a Hebrew word meaning "adversary" as in Zechariah 3:1. Satan is always opposed to God and His people. Sometimes this opposition is open, as when Satan goes around like a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8). Sometimes he is disguised as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). Satan's consistent purpose throughout his history appears to be to oppose God in His purpose for the universe, especially regarding man.
He is called the Wicked One and as such snatches away the good seed of the Gospel (Matthew 13:19) and sows tares (Matthew 13:28, 39). He hurls fiery darts at the saints, but these can be quenched by faith (Ephesians 6:16). Even new converts can overcome him and keep themselves so that he cannot touch them (1 John 2:13; 5:18). The Wicked One is seen as being totally opposed to God in every way.
He is called the Serpent. In Genesis 3:1-3 the serpent lied to Eve. In Genesis 4, Cain who was "of that wicked oneˇ¨ (1 John 3:12) murdered his brother. Jesus Christ said the devil is "murderer from the beginning and the father of liesˇ¨ (John 8:44). In the Serpent we see subtlety and venomous hate. More violent in meaning is the term "dragonˇ¨ (Revelation 12:3, 7; 20:2).
One of his chief names is the Devil. This word comes from Greek and means "accuser" and is used of men in 2 Timothy 3:3 (Greek). It is used of Satan in four different ways.
He accuses men to God. For instance, he said that Job did not serve God for nothing (Job 1:9). He accuses the brethen before God day and night (Revelation 12:10).
He accuses God before the angels of Heaven (Job 1:9) by casting aspersions on God's character. He is saying that God showed favoritism to Job. That this is an attack on the righteous government of God may be seen by considering the background. God had cast Satan and many other angels out of heaven because of the sin of rebellion. Satan implies that this is unrighteous and that God is unfair because He does not judge man's sins at once. One of the great purposes of the creation and redemption of man is that God may put to silence forever Satan's false accusations of unrighteousness.
The devil also accuses God to man (Genesis 3:5). He says that God is jealous and selfish in not wanting man to know good and evil. The devil wants us to doubt God's love. Men criticize God for allowing people to suffer and for many other things. In this they are sharing in the work of the devil.
The devil accuses us to each other. For instance, he knew he would gain an advantage over Paul and the Corinthians if he could bring in some disagreement or misunderstanding (2 Corinthians 2:11). Paul was not ignorant of his methods. Division among the Lord's people has greatly hindered the outreach of the Gospel.
He is called the Tempter. Satan succeeded only too well in tempting Adam and Eve. He appealed to the lust of the flesh (good for food), the lust of the eyes (pleasant to the eye), and the pride of life (to be desired to make one wise) (Genesis 3:6). These three things are definitely "not of the Father" (1 John 2:16).
Adam and Eve failed the test and fell into sin. Thousands of years later the tempter tried these same tactics on the last Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ. He said to Jesus, "command this stone that it be made bread" (lust of the flesh). He followed this with "all this power will I give thee, and the glory of themˇ¨ (lust of the eyes). Finally, he said, "if thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down" (pride of life). The tempter's greatest effort resulted in his greatest failure. Christ would not and could not sin. The complete story is recorded in Luke 4:1-13. See also Matthew 4:1-11 and Mark 1:12, 13.
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3. SATAN'S ROLE IN DOWNGRADING THE CHURCH
A number of other names of Satan may be grouped together: Beelzebub, the prince of the demons (Matthew 12:24); the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2; 6:12); the prince of this world (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11); and the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). These descriptions suggest Satan's greatest activity among men, ruling and deceiving this world, especially through the establishment and promotion of false religion. Every false religion in the world, as well as every cult and error in Christendom, may be considered a part of Satan's concentrated effort to substitute something other than Christ as the object of love and devotion of man's heart.
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4. HISTORICAL RECORD OF THE CONFLICT BETWEEN GOD & SATAN
The first recorded conflict occurred in heavenly places when Lucifer rebelled against the authority of God in the heavens (Isaiah 14:12-14).
The first attack on the God's people came in the Garden of Eden when the Serpent planted the seeds of doubt and unbelief in the heart of Eve, which led to the fall of man (Genesis 3). At this point God announced the conflict, the enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent (Genesis 3:15). Though Satan no doubt thought he had won a victory, God turned it around in the wonderful prophecy of the seed of the woman (the Lord Jesus Christ), who would crush the head of the Serpent, that is, defeat the Serpent. In the process the "seedˇ¨ was to be wounded (referring to the sufferings of the Lord at Calvary as in Genesis 3:15).
There comes one attack after another from Satan, to prevent the fulfillment of this two-fold prophecy concerning the coming Redeemer of sinful man and the Destroyer of Satan. From the murder of Abel, inspired no doubt by Satan who thought he might be the coming Seed, to the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, the trail of the serpent is clearly seen. Down through the ages he sought to frustrate God's purposes and to prevent the coming of the Saviour. Consider a few ways in which he tried to do this. He introduced the demoralizing influences that corrupted the world before the flood. He filled the hearts of men with pride to try and frustrate God's design at the tower of Babel. He inspired the degradation from monothesim to polytheism when men became worshippers of idols (Romans 1:21-26). He influenced Abraham and Sarah to try human means to produce the promised son. Pharaoh's attempt to destroy all the male babies was inspired by the Devil, as were all the other murderous attempts to destroy the seed. Consider the attempt of Haman in Esther chapter 3. Saul's desire to kill David, and David's temptation just after the Davidic covenant had been announced all had the same source.
The several attempts of Satan during the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus to wreck the plan of redemption are well-known. Herod's killing of the young boy babies, the temptation in the wilderness, the suggestions of Peter to avoid the cross, the attacks of the enemies to stone Him before the time, all illustrate the growing intensity of the battle as the crucifixion drew near. Perhaps the climax of it was in the cries of the religious leaders, "away with him, crucify him." In triumph Satan thought he had accomplished his purposel. Little did he know the judgment due to him was sealed through the death on the cross (Hebrews 2:14).
Having been defeated at Calvary, and humiliated in the resurrection, Satan did not give up the battle. He fully knows that judgment hangs over him, and his work for the past two thousand years has been to wreak as much havoc as possible in the advance of the Gospel and the formation of the church, the body of Christ. Satan inspires man to improve his civilization without God, which always ends in disaster. Satan has a counterfeit for everything that is right and true, through which he opposes God's truth and God's people. Satanically inspired persecution has hampered the witness of God's people. False doctrine has threatened to corrupt the truth in regard to the Lord Jesus and salvation. He tempts the believers to do evil and thus lose their credibility. The organism of the church itself was cleverly transformed into a monstrous deception that hastened men toward hell. Reformation came, but it was not long before it too was infected with Satan-inspired influences that have left Europe and USA today as darkest places on earth. All this is simply to show that Satan has been constantly at work in history to frustrate the purposes of God. "Sound of battle is in the landˇ¨(Jeremiah 50:22).
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5. CHRISTIANS' ATTITUDE REGARDING THE SATAN
Satan is a personal, powerful being with cunning intelligence, personal feelings and a will of his own. The modern notion that the devil is merely a "personification of evil" is wholly untenable in light of the facts. Indeed, one of the best proofs of his personal satanic activity in this modern world is that he has hoodwinked the masses into disbelieving in his existence and ridiculing those who accept the Bible's testimony (i.e. Bible Prophecy).
"Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against ˇK the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places"(Ephesians 6:10-12).
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6. BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR FURTHER STUDY
Gaebelein, A.C.-The Angels of God (New York: Our Hope).
Unger, Merrill F.-Biblical Demonology (Wheaton, Illinois: Scripture Press).
Harlow-Basic Bible Doctrines (Emmaus Bible College).
Kenneth C. Fleming-None Dare Say No-An Introduction to Missions (Emmaus Bible College).
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