SATAN
On this web page the
writer will be discussing
the believer's arch enemy, Satan. Peter exhorts, "Be sober, be
vigilant;
because your ADVERSARY the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh
about,
seeking whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5:8--bold caps are for emphasis).
Satan does not like such a page because it reveals what he is.
Besides discussion of Satan himself, the
writer
will also briefly discuss demons. It
must needs
to be remember that there are many demons, but only one devil.
The
term angels is applied to unholy and well as holy ones as
evidenced
by Revelation 12:7. Generally, the term demons is used
of the
unholy angels. The world's view of Satan as a being in red
tights
with horns and forked tail is a caricature; rather, he
appears
as "an angel of light " (2 Corinthians 11:14).
Three objections have been raised to the
doctrine
of Satan: its origin is mythological; it partakes of
the
dualism of Zoroastrianism; and it is said to destroy the unity of
God.
As to the first, only unbelief makes a mythological origin, and
the
Bible does not systematize this doctrine any more than any other.
As
to the second, it is not dualism of any kind, for evil had a
definite
beginning and has a definite end. God is "all in all" and
the
Creator of all; every being is accountable to Him. Thus, Satan is
NOT an eternal being, but a created one subject to the Godhead.
Thus, it done not destroy the unity of the Godhead.
1) His origin. As is generally the
case, the full picture is
not given all at once. However, there are certain key passages on
the
origin of Satan. Though several passages set forth facts
about
Satan (such as 1 Chronicles 21:1; Psalm 109:6; Zechariah 3:1, 2), two
in
particular set forth his origin.
a. Ezekiel 28:11-19. This key passage
sets
forth the origin of Satan under the person of the king of
Tyrus. The context deals with the judgment of
Israel's
enemies. In chapter 28, Tyrus is particularly in view.
Beginning
with verse 11 Satan's origin is cited. Some object to this
analysis
of this passage, for Satan is not specifically mentioned; several
phrases,
however, clearly show that an angelic being, not a mere human being, is
in
view. The passage is not going to be covered this word for
word,
but examine pertinent phrases.
"Thou sealest up the sum, full of
wisdom, and perfect in beauty" (verse 12). Such a phrase
goes
beyond a mere fallen man. Such a phrase would befit the "angel of
light", Lucifer, before his fall. "Thou has been in Eden the
garden
of God" (verse 13a). There is only one Eden known in the Bible,
and
therefore, (in spite of some who try to make it otherwise) must
refer
to the garden in Genesis. Such could not be the case of the king
of
Tyrus.
The next phrase describes his beauty
(verse
13b). He was a very beautiful, created being. The
Hebrew word
rendered "serpent" means "the shining one." Even to this day,
many
snakes are beautiful to behold. His perfection is further
described
in verse 15.
"Thou art the anointed cherub that
covereth",
etc (verse 14) clearly shows that no mere human is in view. He
was
in the very presence of God as set forth in the phrase "the holy
mountain
of God." His position was one of glorifying God
continually
in praise and as a sort of honor guard. "Till iniquity was
found
in thee" (verse 15b). Our text here does not state what that
iniquity
was. We shall see more of that shortly; however, it is
suggested
in verses 16 and 17. Verse 16 speaks of his merchandising,
that
is, trading or trafficking. The word has the meaning of
"going
about" suggesting possibly his contacting of other angels to
rebel
with him. Verse 17 suggests the basic cause of his sin
which
is expanded in Isaiah 14.
Verses 16-19 speaks of his
judgment.
It speaks of his immediate judgment, his future judgment,
and
his final judgment. These will be discussed later. His
character
is described here as well as his exalted estate. There is
absolute
no way that this entire passage could apply to a mere man no
matter
how prominent. It must be an angelic being and top angel.
This
could only apply to Satan as only he is described as a dragon, the old
serpent,
and devil as well as Satan.
b. Isaiah 14:12-17. This second
major
passage which deals with Satan has to do with his specific sin.
In
verse 12 we are given the initial title of Satan, "Lucifer, son
of
the morning." The title Lucifer literally means
"day star"
or "shining one" closely associated with the word rendered "serpent."
In
this verse is also the downfall of this angel. Then we have
stated
in very plain language the sin of Lucifer. There are five
"I
wills" in these verses that express his sin.
"I will ascend into heaven" (verse
13).
This phrase suggests that Lucifer's abode was not heaven--the
third,
the abode of God--as such but that heaven was only his sphere of
work. This may be suggested by Job 1 and 2 where Satan
appears
before God with the rest of the sons of God (angels).
Thus,
he want to be in God's place.
"I will exalt my throne above the
stars
of God" (verse 13). The phrase stars of God
probably
refer to angels (Job 38:7; Revelation 12:4). This passage shows
that
Lucifer wanted to have his own throne and rule the angelic hosts.
There
are other passages that indicate that Satan wanted and now has a
throne.
"I will also sit on the mount of
the
congregation on the farthest sides of the north" (verse 13).
The
word mount speaks of the earthly seat of divine
government.
The term congregation has reference not to the church but
Israel.
That the seat of government during Messiah's rule here on
earth
will be Jerusalem (cf. Psalm 48:1-3) shows that Satan wanted that rule,
or
at the very least share in it. Interestingly, the phrase "sides
of
the north" is also spoken of in Psalm 48:2 in regards to
the
Messianic rule; of further interest is the fact that it was on
that
north side that Jesus was crucified.
"I will ascend above the
heights
of the clouds" (verse 14). Clouds are frequently associated
in
the Bible with the presence and glory of God. We need not
give
those references, but remind you that this was the case both
at
the baptism of Jesus Christ and also His transfiguration.
By
this statement Satan showed he wanted to have the glory that belongs to
God
alone.
"I will be like the most High"
(verse
14). As if the other wants of Lucifer were not
enough,
he then resorted to the ultimate blasphemy, "I will be like God."
Interestingly, this is exactly what the serpent--Satan--proposed
to
Eve in the Garden of Eden (Cf. Genesis 3:5 where the word gods
is actually the word elohim--the word used in the context for
God).
Here Satan reveals the true nature of his willfulness; he
wanted
to take the place of God as the "most High"--the possessor of
heaven
and earth. The ultimate goal of Satan is described in 2
Thessalonians
2:4.
Verses 15-17 show Lucifer's end.
He
will be brought down to the pit, even the lowest depths. This
shows
that Satan will never, never rule hell, but will be in the lowest
position
therein. Therefore, his plan of action will fail, for he
was
judged at the cross (cf. John 16:11).
c. Other passages. We learn in 1
Chronicles
21:1 that Satan influenced David to number Israel which was against
God's
expressed command. Psalm 109:6 uses the word accuser, but
it
is the same word as that for Satan. Zechariah 3:1-3 shows him
standing
by to resist God's will on the behalf of Joshua the high priest.
Job
1, 2 shows Satan coming before God to accuse Job before God. When
we
come to the New Testament we find the repeated activity of Satan
and
his hosts. Christ was tested by Satan in the wilderness, and the
Lord
defeated him by the Word of God. 2 Corinthians 4:4 declares
Satan
to be the god of this world. 1 Peter 5:8 sets forth the
devil
as a roaring lion. We could present others as well to show
the
Biblical evidence of this evil person.
2) His character. That Satan's
character is essentially evil
goes without question. It must be understood that the nature of
his
evil is not along the same lines as human evil; although,
it
can be shown that all human evil boils down to the two that are
characteristic
of Satan.
a. The wickedness of Satan. The
wickedness
of Satan is basically twofold. We have already touched on
his
primary wickedness, namely, pride. 1 Timothy 3:6
states in regard to the choice of elders (or bishops), "Not
a
novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same
condemnation
as the devil." The condemnation here is, of course, that of
Satan himself by God and not by Satan of the novice.
We have already considered Ezekiel
28:17,
"Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast
corrupted
thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness." Lucifer had an
exalted
position of service, then became proud of that position,
and
thus fell.
Isaiah 14:12-14 also has been
considered.
Five times in this passage Satan said, "I will." He topped
it
with "I will be like the most High." In the process his mind
became
befuddled, so that the pride became a vicious circle feeding on itself
to
complete deception. The same can happen to any person even,
unfortunately,
believers when they become puffed up with pride.
The second aspect of Satan's
wickedness
is his untruthfulness. Jesus clearly declared concerning Satan,
"When
he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own, for he is a liar, and
the
father of it" (John 8:44). This lying is evident in Genesis
3
when Satan told a lie to Eve. Other passages indicate this
characteristic
of Satan either directly or implicitly. We have just
touched
on a few.
This wickedness can well be
summarized,
"untruth is the substitution of self for God and the assumption
of
a self-designed plan of life for that purposed by the
Creator.
This is the lie." (Chafer, Systematic Theology,
II:67;
italics are his.) The last manifestation of this lie is the
man
of sin set forth in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12. We will deal
with
this matter more on the web page dealing with last
things. Suffice it to say here that this "son of
perdition",
this "lawless one" comes on the scene with all damnable words and
force.
At this present time, however, that coming of
the
lawless one is restrained by the Holy Spirit until the Restrainer is
removed
at the rapture.
Finally, this son of perdition
will
be destroyed by the brightness of the coming of the Son of
God. As humans we partake of this lie any time we
want
and try to do our will over against the will of God as clearly
revealed
in His holy Word.
b. The sinfulness of Satan. The
sinfulness
of the devil stems from his wickedness.
Numerous passages set forth this
sinfulness.
These range from Genesis 3:1-5 to Revelation 20:2, 7, 8.
Again,
the major passages of Isaiah 14:12ff. and Ezekiel 28:11-19 are
clear
on this issue. Likewise, numerous New Testament passages speak of
his sin such as 1 John 3:8 that tells us that he sinned from the
beginning,
or 2 Corinthians 4:3, 4 which tells us that he blinds the minds of
those
who are lost.
In spite of his wickedness and
sinfulness, we need to keep constantly in mind that Satan and his hosts
are
not all powerful, but very limited. Luther was right when he
said,
"one little word [from God's Word, of course] shall fell him"
(Martin
Luther, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God").
3) His motive. The motive of
Satan is set forth in Scriptures.
People have questioned why God allowed Satan to proceed. That He
could
have stopped Satan goes without saying. Satan loves to cast doubt
and
propose to the mind various theories. In the final judgment
"Every
mouth will be stopped, and all the world [cosmos] may become
guilty
before God." (Romans 3:19) His motive (as well as his method)
will
become evident in the man of sin. (Cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:4)
We have already considered the major passage
dealing
with Satan's motive, Isaiah 14:12-14. His willfulness is clearly
set
forth there, "I will be like the Most High."
His motive is further shown in his declaration to
Eve
(and through her to Adam), "Ye shall be as gods [Elohim]." (Genesis
3:5)
In his confrontation with the Lord Jesus Christ in the
wilderness,
he did not make that statement, but simply told Him to worship him
(Matthew
4:9).
His motive is finally set forth (as we already
stated)
in the man of sin, "Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all
that
is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the
temple
of God, shewing himself that he is God." (2 Thessalonians 2:4)
There are other passages in both the Old and New
Testament
presenting this matter in various ways. These passages clearly
set
forth his motive.
4) His method. The first method of
Satan is to try to
discredit God's Word. This is evident in Genesis 3:1, "Hath God
said
. . . ?" That method is the same today as then.
a. The method that he uses today (though it has
been
prevelant down through church history) is to downplay the literal
method
of interpretation. Satan loves the allegorical method, for
he
can by mythologization and symbolization cause people to make the Word
of
God to mean what it does not mean.
Another modern method is the abundant so-called
translations
of the Bible. Anyone with an ounce of sense can see
that
the various translations differ widely even in key passages.
This,
in spite of what some say, leads to confusion. Words do
mean
something and the substitution of one word for another can
radically
change the meaning of the sentence. A corollary to this is the
adding
to the Word of God by so-called dreams, visions, etc.
b. The second method of Satan is to deceive
humans
of himself. He has "transformed into an angel of
light."
(2 Corinthians 11:14) He loves to be pictured as a person going
around
in a red tights with horns, pitch fork, and flowing
robe--all
in red, of course. You may laugh, but that is exactly what
he
wants people to do--to make light of him. As believers we
are
to resist the devil. We do this in the power of the Lord Jesus
Christ
by the use of the Word of God. Thus, he attacks the
believer
particularly at the point of his service for the Lord.
c. The third method of Satan stems from the
other
two. He coats his lie with a coating of Biblical truth.
That
is why it is important we know the Word of God. You might
want
to read at this point 2 Corinthians 11:13-15, part of which we
quoted.
False teachers are one means of
his
accomplishing this. This is one of the dangers of
those
who purport to have a continuing revelation from God through dreams,
visions,
etc. Satan will talk through his agents about redemption through
Christ
and then slip in some work or series of works needed to be saved.
This work of his is aptly set forth in 2 Timothy 4:3,
4.
d. Another trick of his is to get us wrapped
up
in secondary issues which may in themselves be good. Satan likes
religion
as long as that religion steers clear from the faith which shows we are
saved
by grace alone apart from our works.
This writer has touched only lightly on the doctrine of Satan. Much more can be said about him. His various names have not been examined, but most of those are very descriptive of him. This writer has not considered this present wicked world which is his domain at the present.
The study of demons inevitably involves much of what has already been discussed in regard to Satan. The best work this writer knows on this subject is Unger's, Demonology. It should be consulted for a complete understanding of demons. That demons are fallen angels can be shown from several Scriptures. Matthew 25:41 states that Satan has his angels as does Revelation 12:9. Mark 5:9, 15 show that Satan rules demons.
1. The sons of God. The
discussion of this phrase
may be important here. This phrase occurs in Genesis 6:1-4;
Job
1:6, 2:1, 38:7. That these "sons of God" in Job are angelic
beings
seems to evident. Not so obvious is whether the "sons of God" in
Genesis
6 are angels.
There are two separate arguments. The one is
that
the sons of God in Genesis 6 is the godly line of Seth who
fell
in marrying the "daughters of men", the line of Cain.
Although
this writer has held that position, he is not sure.
The first idea (that they are angels) has the
support
of the passages in Job. The second does not really have any
other
Scriptural support. There is no evidence that the line of
Seth
lived a separated life from the line of Cain. Yet, many
godly
men hold this position.
If it were angelic beings, this would account
for
the "mighty men" (or giants) in verse 4. However, David killed
Goliath,
a giant; thus, this argument has less force. Giantism is a result
of
genes or of growth going awry. The view that they
were
angels was held unto the 4th century A. D. and not revived until the
18th
century. Though this writer has not fully decided which is
correct,
he is more and more inclined toward the first view.
2. The activity of demons.
Demons have been active since
the beginning of human history. It is a question as to when
Satan
fell and took a third of the angels with him. Some say it
occurred
between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. This is part of the gap theory
which
is really an accommodation to evolution. Others say that it was
after
the creation of man, but the time is not established.
Remember,
there is no time indication as to how soon after being created, Eve was
tempted
by Satan.
The activity of demons in the Old Testament
is
rarely seen. In Daniel 10:19ff. we read about angel being
withstood
by the "prince of the kingdom of Persia." That this
"prince"
is not a human should be obvious; only another angel could
withstand
another angel. That angel could only be a fallen angel, for
only
Michael (who is called a "chief prince") could aid the angel who
was
being withstood.
Demons were active also through those with
"familiar
spirits." Spiritism in whatever form is everywhere condemned
in the
Bible. The matter of the witch of Endor does NOT in any way
countenance witchcraft or any other form of spiritism. First
of
all, Saul went to her after the Spirit of God had left him.
Second, even the witch was actually in terror when Samuel really
appeared.
Demonic activity greatly increased while our
Lord
was here on earth. Matthew 8:28ff. shows this activity; so does
Matthew
9:32ff. There are other such passages in the four gospels.
This
activity continued in the early church as evidenced by Acts 8:6, 7.
Some
of these same passages show what constitutes demon possession.
This
is to be distinguished from demonic influence. In the former
case,
the demons actually enter into a body; in the latter, demons influence
the
thinking of a person. We have just touched on demons
here.
In any event, the Bible is clear on their existence and their
activity.