Satan, The Enemy of Your Soul
There is an enemy roaming around seeking to destroy you. He hates not just you but everything godly you stand for.
We know that this enemy’s name is Satan but who is he? Where does he come from? What is his purpose? Can he read our thoughts? Can he determine our future? Why does he hate us so much? What are we supposed to do about him?
Sadly, many of us have built Satan up in our minds to be this unstoppable, menacing, all-powerful being that can read our minds and knows our every move. Some are so fearful of drawing his attention that they won’t speak of him by name. Others think he is an imaginary being used to control and manipulate us.
In Hosea 4:6, God says His people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. God tells us about Satan and his wicked deeds from Genesis to Revelation.
It seems to me that Scriptural knowledge of Satan is what we need to put our fear into proper perspective. So with the Bible as our standard of truth, I will dive deeper into the subject of Satan so that we can better understand who he is and why he shouldn’t be feared or ignored.
Who Is Satan?
When you are getting to know someone, you start with their name. So let’s look at a few of the names Satan has gone by: Serpent (Genesis 3), Satan, Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12), Devil, the great dragon (Revelation 12:9), the prince of demons (Matt 12:24), the king of Tyre (Ezekiel 28:14), and the father of lies (John 8:44).
As you can see, he has been given many names over thousands of years. Usually, I just call him exactly what he is: the enemy of my soul.
But let’s look closer at a few of his names.
SERPENT: H5175, nāḥāš (naw-khawsh’); a snake. From #5172 meaning to hiss, to whisper. We first learn about Satan in Genesis chapter 3. In the garden, he was called the serpent.
SATAN: H7854, śāṭān (saw-tawn’); a noun, an adversary as in war, an enemy. First Chronicles 21:1 is the first we hear him called Satan.
LUCIFER: H1966, hêlēl (hay-lale’); son of the morning, light-bearer, shining one, morning star. Helel also describes the king of Babylon. There is only one time in the Bible that he is given the name Lucifer. It is found in Isaiah 14:12.
DEVIL: H1228, diabolos (dee-ab'-ol-os). An adjective meaning prone to slander, slanderous, accusing falsely. Interestingly enough, the name Devil is only used in the New Testament.
TO SLANDER: (English definition) To make false and damaging statements about someone
So his name is Satan. The name Devil describes what he does.
Where Did Satan Come From?
The origin of Satan is a huge question that quickly causes heated arguments in Christian circles. I’m not going to tip-toe around it so let’s get right to it: God created Satan. Seriously. He did.
Remember what God said in Genesis 1:31?
“And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.”
Look at that verse again, friend. God saw that everything He had made was very good. That includes Satan and the other fallen angels because they, like us, are created beings. Satan and the fallen angels didn’t magically appear and they didn’t create themselves.
Nor did God create them the way they are now (corrupt and evil). That happened through the choices they made.
I know that is hard to wrap your head around but keep in mind that we have no clue how much time elapsed between Genesis 1 (creation) and Genesis 3 (the garden, the curse, and the punishment). Maybe it was the timeframe between Genesis 1 and Genesis 3 that Satan was cast out of heaven. We don’t know. But by the time the serpent came to Eve in the garden, things had definitely changed for him.
Let’s examine two more Scriptures that shed a great deal of light on Satan.
Scripture #1: Satan’s Beauty, Perfection, and Fall
“(12)Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. (13)You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering; the sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold.
The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. (14)You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you. You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
(15)You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. (16)By the abundance of your trading, you became filled with violence within, and you sinned. Therefore I cast you as a profane thing out of the mountain of God. And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones.
(17)Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty. You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings that they might gaze at you.”
Pulling from the above Scripture, we see that:
Satan was full of perfect wisdom and beauty (v12). He is a spiritual being that looks nothing like the caricature Hollywood has given us.
Satan was in the garden of Eden (v13)
Satan was fully equipped by God with what he needed to fulfill his purpose (v13)
Satan was created (v13 &15)
Satan was an anointed, covering cherubim angel (v14 & 16)
Satan was established by God (v14)
Satan walked before the curse (v14)
Satan was perfect in all his ways (v15)
Satan became sinful (v15 & 16)
Satan was cast out of God’s presence and onto the ground (earth) (v16 &17)
Satan will be destroyed by God (this might very well be prophetic and what Revelation talks about) (v16)
Due to the choices he made, Satan’s sin corrupted his wisdom and beauty (v17)
Scripture #2: God’s Confrontation and Judgment of Satan
Ezekiel 28 tells us about Satan’s beginning. Who he was, what he was created for, and how he was anointed. That was before his fall, which we learned about beginning in verse 15. Now let’s look at God’s confrontation and judgment of Satan.
“(12)How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations!
(13)For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; (14)I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’
(15)Yet, you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit.
(16)Those who see you will gaze at you, and consider you saying, ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, (17)who made the world as a wilderness and destroyed its cities, who did not open the house of his prisoners?’”
Cast Down From Heaven
What does it mean that Lucifer was cast down (v12) from heaven? It means that Lucifer lost his position in heaven and the anointing he was given to fulfill his purpose.
Some think Satan can no longer be around God because Satan is evil. But that can’t be true. God is everywhere. So Lucifer was not completely removed from God’s presence, or he wouldn’t have been able to have a conversation with God in the book of Job. Besides, if God can’t be around evil then He can’t be everywhere, and the Scripture that says He is everywhere would be a lie. Right?
I always thought God’s judgment is for humans. But now I am wondering if God is showing us that He reserves judgment for all created beings.
Cross References:
Job 1:1-12, Jeremiah 23:23-33, Luke 10:18, Revelation 12:4
Iniquity Was Found In Lucifer
Lately, I have been thinking about something. Have you ever noticed that little boys love to try to walk in their daddy’s footsteps? As they reach their teen years, their admiration and respect for their father tend to turn a bit negative. They begin to think they are smarter and more capable than their father. Sometimes, as the son continues through life, that negativity towards their father continues downward as the admiration of their own self-worth rises. Although they might acknowledge the good person their father is, they begin to think his time has passed and it is now their time to take over the authority and headship of their family line. Have you seen this happen? I sure have.
I believe that is probably what happened with Lucifer. He was created by this amazing, great God. He didn’t deny who God was. But somewhere along the line, Lucifer began to think he was better, smarter, with more to offer than Father God, the Great I Am. He thought it was time for God to step aside and let him take over.
Isaiah shows us that over time Lucifer’s thinking changed. He began to think, “I will. I deserve.”
Instead of turning to God for direction and guidance, he thought he no longer needed God’s permission. He assumed he should be allowed to make his own decisions such as when to come and go. Lucifer convinced himself he deserved to be the ruler over the saints (congregation) instead of God. In his heart, he had superseded God’s power and authority and deserved to sit in authority (the judgment seat). He thought he was so amazing that every living thing would worship and praise him instead of God.
Scripture says Lucifer determined these things in his heart, not out loud. Pride, anger, and self-deception had hardened Lucifer’s heart against God as well as against the purpose for which he was created (vs 12-14). He thought he was created for bigger and better things and he set his sights on the headship of creation.
Because of these things, God had to cast judgment (vs 15-17).
Some of what God spoke over Lucifer was prophetic and would not happen until an undisclosed time in the future (Revelation). Both Ezekiel 28:12-17 and Isaiah 14:12 tell us what happened to Satan and why it happened, but God doesn’t tell us when it happened.
Cross Reference:
We learned in our Genesis chapter 3 study that cherubim were powerful angels who are depicted throughout Scripture as surrounding God’s glory. Exodus 34:14.
Spiritual Warfare
We have seen the origin of Satan as well as his final outcome. But what is his purpose? What is Satan up to while he awaits the end? The short answer is intense spiritual warfare.
What Is Spiritual Warfare?
When Lucifer fell from his position in heaven, he was joined by one-third of the angels. Just as his name was changed from Lucifer to Satan, it appears the fallen angels became known as demons. These demons do the bidding of their new master (Satan) to accomplish the purpose of drawing us away from God.
To do this, they kill, steal, and destroy. This will look different for each person. No two battles are the same but in every case, Satan strives to steal our hopes and dreams, kill our relationships, and destroy our faith through issues with anxiety, health, marriage trouble, job loss, addictions, etc. These battles are designed to wear us down and ultimately cause us to doubt and pull away from God.
We see the evidence of spiritual warfare in the physical, but the real battle is happening in the spiritual realm. Ephesians 6:12 says we fight against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.
Friend, it is called warfare because it is serious business, not a game. This war is made up of many, many small skirmishes between Satan with his evil forces and us, God’s people. God is our leader and King. As you continue reading Ephesians 6 you can see our battle manual laid out.
Some fear that Satan is an expert at spiritual warfare because he can read our minds. I have found zero biblical evidence to support this theory. Satan is engulfed in sin. For countless years he has lived it and breathed it. Keeping us consumed with self-gratification through sin is what he lives for. Ephesians says that when we were sinners, we were Satan’s heirs. He knew us because he knew his children. He knows where sin leads, so he knows the next step he can tempt us to take. Satan is trying to get us to follow in his ways. But his ways always lead us away from God.
Cross References:
John 8:44-45, Romans 8:31-39, Ephesians 2:1
For Additional Reading: The Relationship Between Fasting and Spiritual Warfare
For Additional Reading: Spiritual Warfare And The Battle For Your Mind
Where Does Satan Get His Power?
As Satan learned, God is in control. Satan’s power is limited as he tries to influence and tempt the fleshly desires of all who obey God’s commandments and confess that they belong to Jesus. Satan tempts. He cannot force. Again, it is critical to remember that Satan cannot do anything to you without first getting God’s permission. As such, he has no power to decide our future. That power belongs to our creator.
Cross Reference:
Job 2:1-7, Luke 22:31, James 1:14
Was Satan In Charge of Music?
Was Satan’s job in Heaven to be a minister of music? For as long as I can remember, others have used Ezekiel 28:13 as evidence that Satan was in charge of praise and worship music in Heaven. Many times I have heard that he was created with musical instruments as part of his body. The Bible doesn’t say either of those things, so I believe this to be untrue.
As I was digging into this, I learned that there are always singing and musical instruments in God’s presence. It appears to me that ALL of creation worship the Lord Almighty. But nowhere do I find that Satan was in charge of the music.
Cross References:
Revelation 4:8-9, “the four creatures/beasts gave glory, honor, and thanks to Him who sits on the throne and wholes forever and ever”. (It says they said it, not sang it.)
Revelation 5:8-9, “Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song…”
Revelation 14:2-3, “And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne…”
Revelation 15:2-4, “They held harps given them by God and sang the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb…”.
Why Does Satan Hate Us So Much?
Satan hates us so much because God loves us so much. He is jealous of the attention God pays us instead of him. He holds a grudge that we can repent and be forgiven. Satan is resentful of the future we have with our Lord when his time is short. He hates that God was willing to give so much for us who deserve so little.
Cross Reference:
Revelation 12:12
What Are We Supposed To Do About Satan?
So what are we supposed to do about Satan? 1 Peter 5:8 says it best; be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom he may devour.
Be sober and vigilant because Satan is real. It is in his “new” nature to attack you. But as much as he wants to, he cannot touch your soul. Satan is driven by ungodly emotions, the chief of which is hate. We can’t appease him, and we shouldn’t even try.
Because we can’t defeat Satan on our own, we take our example from Christ Jesus. Scripture is our truth. It is our plumbline keeping us centered on our Lord.
The enemy of our soul isn’t to be our chief concern. God is our focus, and our relationship with Him is our purpose.
Friend, I don’t share any of this with you to cause fear. Nor should you become fixated on our enemy. God doesn’t want that for you, and neither do I.
So instead of obsessing or cowering in fear, invest your time and energy into knowing Jesus through the Bible. Focus on being a blessing to those around you, especially those who share your faith. Concentrate on growing more Christ-like in your character. Be a blessing by sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with others. Be strong in the Lord and His mighty power.
Cross Reference:
Matthew 4:1-11, Matthew 10:28, Romans 8:12-15
