Who is Satan? People today do not even ask the question because they do not believe that he exists. Even those who say that they believe in God, discount that the devil exists. The Bible is God’s Word, and He teaches us much about Satan, so to not believe in Satan is to not believe God. If you don’t believe that Satan is real, then you won’t understand why Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil. You will have no solution for a destroyer who is at work behind the scenes who uses people that don’t even believe in him. You may even be those who join with others to mock or laugh at the very idea of a personal devil. Satan, whose name means “adversary” and “accuser,” is the source of all human misery. When something is true and therefore real, it does not matter whether anyone believes it or not for it to be deadly!
Satan is the chief of the fallen spirits called demons. Satan is called many names. He is often called the devil, or slanderer, who is an evil, wicked spirit and he is also called a serpent, or dragon. A dragon is a dangerous monster, and a serpent implies poisonous qualities. These definitions tell you something about the character of Satan. Unlike God, Satan is a created being.
The War in Heaven
Did you know that the very first war began in heaven? The war of good and evil still rages on earth today. This war began with a rebellion against God. Every heart begins life in rebellion against his/her Creator. Any rebellion against God is called sin.
And there was a war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down, that ancient serpent, called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth and his angels with him. Revelation 12:7-9
Satan is Behind All Temptation
Satan has tried to defeat God’s plan for the good of mankind from the beginning.
Man first meets Satan in the Garden of Eden after God had removed him from heaven. Satan tempted Adam and Eve to disobey God while they lived in a relationship with Him in a perfect environment called the Garden of Eden.
Now the serpent was craftier than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. The woman told God, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals. Genesis 3:1, 13-14
Eve believed Satan’s lies and followed Satan rather than obeying God and Adam chose to follow Eve and not the Word of the Lord. All disobedience to God’s Word is called sin. Satan still tempts mankind today to live independently from God and he will continue to do so in every generation until Jesus Christ returns. God cursed Satan, but he continues to successfully tempt people to follow him rather than God.
The Lord is Almighty God, the supreme authority in the universe. He is the Creator of everything and everyone and nothing he created will ever be superior to Him, and surely not Satan! God cursed Satan in the Garden of Eden and His plan for man’s redemption from sin also began here as God predicts Satan’s defeat through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Satan tempted Jesus to follow him and not God. Jesus defeated the devil by knowing and using the Word of God.
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.” Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. Matthew 4:1, 10-11
Satan Tempts You
Giving in to Temptation Gives Life to Sin
Satan tempts you to question God’s Word and His goodness. He tempts you to look at your problems rather than God’s sufficiency. Satan tempts you to find His will more attractive than following God. He tempts you to be too busy for spiritual things. Satan tempts you to believe His lies. Believer, trust God alone and stand firm in the truth of God’s Word.
Know this, beloved of God, Jesus is merciful. He came to seek and to save what was lost. Jesus sympathizes with our weaknesses because He was tempted in every way, just as we are, yet was without sin.
Because He Himself suffered when he was tempted, Jesus is able to help those who are being tempted. Hebrews 2:18
God provided a Savior, Jesus Christ, whom most of the people in the world have rejected, choosing instead to be conformed to this world. We mortals cannot fight sin with human strength; only in Christ Jesus can Satan be defeated.
Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. Acts 4:12
God knows that Satan is an extremely dangerous enemy. Only in God’s Son, Jesus Christ, are we protected from the evil one. A spiritual battle is being waged for our hearts and minds every day and each one of us is a target. Individual lives and families are devastated because someone believed in Satan’s lies and yielded to temptation. Unfortunately, the walking wounded will continue searching for human solutions instead of seeking God, the source of all wisdom and knowledge. If you don’t believe that Satan exists as God exists and that He is a supernatural being, you surely will never explain why evil exists.
You Have a Choice
Every person born must decide whom they will serve. There are only two choices.
“Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness… But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:14-15
Do you seek God? Satan is delighted, and he is victorious when you are too busy with the things of this world to take time for God. If you are honest, you know that you make time for everything and everyone but Him. God is just not a priority!
People believe Satan’s lies because they do not know God or the power of God’s Word. The “father of lies” is successful when people give lip service to God while planning and living their lives completely separated from Him. The sad irony is that they believe that they are “good people” who are going to Heaven while living as “practical atheists.” They are deceived because they don’t know what the Bible teaches about God or what it teaches about the existence of Satan and a real place called Hell!
Do you show contempt for the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance? The Lord is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. Romans 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9
Inaction is a choice. It is a choice not to believe. There is no middle ground! People either belong to God and obey Him, or they live unknowingly under Satan’s control. Choose life! Choose to follow Jesus.
Jesus prayed: “My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.” John 17:15
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Bible study for “Who is Satan?”
Week 1: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-19; Job 1:6-12; Proverbs 6:16-19; 16:5; Isaiah 14:9-20; Ezekiel 28:11-19
Week 2: Matthew 4:1-11; 6:9, 13; 10:28; 25:31-33, 41-46; Luke 4:31-37; 10:17-20; 16:19-31;22:3-6, 31; John 3:16-21; 8:42-47; 12:30-33; 13:21-27; 17:15-17
Week 3: 2 Corinthians 4:4; 11:3, 13-15; Ephesians 2:1-2; 6:10-18; 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12; 3:1-3; James 3:6-7, 14-16; 4-7
Week 4: 1 Peter 5:8-9; 2 Peter 2:4-10; 1 John 1:9; 3:7-10; 4:4-6; 5:18-21; Revelation 12:7-17; 13:4-8; 16:13-16; 20:1-3, 7-15
Thank u very much for yr enlighteningly written article and I am looking forward to reading “Part II” !
GOD BLESS YR MINISTRY AS WELL AS YOU PERSONALLY!
Eleni, I so appreciate your encouragement as well as your prayers. This is a ministry that God has called me to so He definitely inspires what I write, including the Bible study on this website!