Who Is Satan?

📖  UNDERSTAND THE BIBLE

Who Is Jesus?

How to Read the Bible

How to pray

Start with God

Who is the Holy Spirit?

🌍  THE END TIMES

End Times Timeline

The Great Tribulation

The Antichrist

The Mark of the Beast (666)

Armageddon

The Second Coming of Jesus

Revelation Explained

✝️  THE RAPTURE

What Is the Rapture?

Who Will Be Taken?

When Will the Rapture Happen?

Can You Miss the Rapture?

What Happens After the Rapture?

📖  Ezekiel 28:12-17

12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.

16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.

17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.

In this passage, Ezekiel addresses a lamentation to the king of Tyre, but the description goes far beyond that of an ordinary human ruler. The references to Eden, the anointed cherub, the mountain of God, and a being created in perfection point to a deeper description of Satan behind this figure.

Satan is presented as a being created with great beauty, remarkable wisdom, and an exalted position in God's presence. Yet iniquity was found in him. His beauty and brightness led to pride, corrupting his wisdom and ultimately leading him to rebel against God.

This passage therefore shows that Satan's rebellion did not result from a flaw in his creation, but from his choice to exalt himself against God. His pride led to his downfall and removal from the position he had been given.

This description also helps us understand the spiritual opposition behind the prophetic events. Satan seeks to exalt himself against God and turn humanity away from Him, but his rebellion will have a definite end. His final judgment will come when he is ultimately cast into the lake of fire, as described in Revelation 20:10.

📖  Genesis 3

1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.

21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

In this chapter, the Bible describes the entrance of sin into the world through the disobedience of Adam and Eve. The serpent appears as the instrument of temptation and seeks to make Eve question God's word. He then presents disobedience as a way to obtain knowledge and a position that belong to God.

The serpent is not simply presented as a cunning animal in the account: later biblical revelation identifies him as Satan, the enemy of God. His purpose is to deceive humanity and turn people away from their Creator. The Fall therefore shows that Satan's rebellion against God also manifests itself through his desire to lead humanity away from God.

Verse 15 is particularly important in biblical prophecy. God announces hostility between the serpent and the woman, and between their offspring. The promise that the offspring of the woman would bruise the serpent's head points forward to Jesus' victory over Satan. The wound to the heel points to the suffering Jesus would endure, while the crushing of the head points to Satan's ultimate defeat.

Adam and Eve's disobedience then brings profound consequences: sin enters humanity, death appears, their relationship with God is broken, and humanity is expelled from the Garden of Eden. Yet from the very beginning of the account of the Fall, God also reveals that He has a plan to defeat Satan and restore what was lost.

📖  Revelation 20:1-10

1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.

3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.

4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.

6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

7 And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison,

8 And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

9 And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

In this passage, John focuses primarily on the final destiny of Satan. After the Glorious Return of Jesus, Satan will be seized, bound, and confined in the bottomless pit for one thousand years. He will no longer be able to deceive the nations or exercise his influence over humanity during the Millennial Kingdom.

At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be temporarily released. He will immediately resume his work of deception and make one final attempt to lead the nations into rebellion against God. He will gather them for battle, but this final rebellion will be quickly destroyed: fire will come down from heaven and devour them.

This temporary release shows that even after one thousand years without the ability to deceive the nations, Satan will still choose to rebel against God as soon as he is given the opportunity. His rebellious nature will not change, and he will make one final attempt to oppose God's rule.

But this time, Satan will not simply be imprisoned again. His final judgment will take place immediately after this last rebellion. He will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet already are.

Verse 10 reveals the eternal and irreversible nature of his punishment: “they shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” Satan will therefore never be released from the lake of fire. His rebellion, which began in heaven, continued in the Garden of Eden, and persisted throughout human history, will finally come to an absolute end.

Satan's destiny therefore follows a clear progression:

fall → deception → judgment → imprisonment for one thousand years → final rebellion → final defeat → the lake of fire forever.

📖  Revelation 12

1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:

2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.

3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.

5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.

9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.

13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.

14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.

16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

18 And I stood upon the sand of the sea.

In this chapter, John reveals a major stage in the history and destiny of Satan. The dragon is clearly identified in verse 9 as “the great dragon, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan”. He is presented as the enemy of God, the one who deceives the whole world and continually seeks to oppose God's purposes.

The vision also shows Satan's opposition to Jesus. The dragon stands before the woman in order to devour her child, but the child is caught up to God and to His throne. This scene reflects Satan's continuing opposition to God's plan concerning Jesus and His rule over the nations.

The central event concerning Satan takes place during the second half of the Tribulation, the Great Tribulation. A war breaks out in heaven between Michael and his angels and the dragon and his angels. Satan is defeated and no longer has a place in heaven. He is cast down to the earth together with his angels.

This defeat causes Satan to react with intense anger. He knows that he has only a short time remaining and comes down to the earth with great wrath. He then intensifies his persecution of God's people and seeks to destroy those who remain faithful to Jesus.

The woman is protected by God for 1,260 days, or three and a half years. Satan then turns his hostility toward “the remnant of her seed,” those who keep God's commandments and have the testimony of Jesus. This period corresponds to the Great Tribulation, when Satan will exercise his influence with particular intensity.

Revelation 12 therefore shows an important progression in Satan's destiny: he opposes God, is cast out of heaven, is thrown down to the earth, persecutes God's people during the Great Tribulation, and knows that his time is limited. His defeat in heaven comes before his final judgment: after his activity on earth, he will eventually be bound for one thousand years, released for one final rebellion, and then cast permanently into the lake of fire.