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Chapter 5: A Profile of Satan

Scripture has much to say about Satan. Created as a guardian cherub angel (Ezek 28:14), he grew overly prideful to the point where he desired to be worshipped (Isa 14:13). This staggering pride blinded him. Believing he could force his wishes on God (cf. Matt 4:9) as well as every other angel in heaven, Satan’s actions eventually led to an angelic civil war that resulted in God expelling a third of all angels to the earth (Rev 12:4, 9; Job 4:18; 15:15). These rebellious angels became the demons that Satan now commands (Matt 25:41). He is the ruler of demons (Matt 12:24–28)—although God is the ultimate authority in charge of what Satan and his demonic angels can and cannot do.1 Unlike the Lord, however, Satan is no deity:

  • He is not omnipresent. Satan roams throughout the earth and cannot be everywhere at once (Job 1:7).
  • He is not omnipotent. Satan is a created being (Ezek 28:13), and as a created being, he is no match for God.
  • He is not omniscient. Satan is demonstrably fallible, completely misreading how Job would respond to extreme adversity twice (Job 1:11; 2:5). Furthermore, this ruler of demons does not know when God will carry out His final judgment, exiling every demon—including Satan—to the lake of fire (Matt 24:36).

Therefore, while Satan rebels against God as a way of life, setting his own desires and values above the Lord’s whenever he can get away with it, this kind of behavior never ends well. “Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord; / Be assured, he will not go unpunished” (Prov 16:5 NASB). Satan is a liar and murderer through and through (John 8:44) who spends enough time accusing people of wrongdoing before God to merit several mentions in Scripture for his bad behavior (Zech 3:1; Rev 12:10). But he also actively opposes the kingdom of heaven here on earth, filling his time with any number of harmful activities in his ongoing war against God and the people of God. This evil cherub is not like the diapered, flying babies commonly depicted in popular illustrations. He is twisted and evil—so evil, in fact, that God has reserved the harshest punishment imaginable for this prince of demons. There are many aspects of Satan’s nature observable through Scripture, but examining his various names is perhaps the most succinct way to see what he is truly like. These names get to the heart of how Satan chooses to interact with humanity.

Is Satan Really His Name?​

Satan is not a personal name—think of it as an alias. We do not know the original name God gave this fallen angel, but we do know that Satan has been roaming the earth for a very long time where he has accumulated a variety of different names. Each name sheds new light on his wicked character. Take the name Satan, for example. It appears throughout Scripture. The original Hebrew word is a masculine noun that translates as opponent or adversary.2 Satan appears as a personal adversary for both Job and King David (Job 1:11–12; 2:6–7; 1 Chr 21:1), while elsewhere in Scripture, he appears as Israel’s judicial adversary (Zech 3:1–2). The name Satan contains both connotations, illustrating the enmity between this fallen angel and the people of God. Satan is against us as individuals, and he is also against us collectively as Christians.

Devil is a name for Satan found exclusively in the New Testament. The original Greek word (diábolos) is the root of the English word devil, an adjective meaning slanderous or accusing falsely. New Testament authors often use this word as a noun to describe Satan, “the Slanderer (par excellence).”3 It adds a new layer of semantic meaning that adversary does not quite capture. Whereas the Hebrew word Satan connotes one who opposes (or accuses), the Greek word translated as devil implies that Satan’s constant accusations are not necessarily true. In other words, our adversary is a consummate liar, which is exactly what Jesus teaches (John 8:44). Devil evokes the image of a shifty individual, one who lies under oath before God while proceeding to mix partial truths and outright fabrications in pursuit of wrongfully condemning the accused.

In the Gospels, some of the Pharisees and teachers of law called Satan by another name, Beelzebul4 (Matt 10:25; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15). This name pertains to a Philistine deity, “Baal-Zebul (‘Baal, the prince’), chief god of the Philistine city of Ekron,” who “the Israelites disdainfully referred to… as Baal-Zebub (‘Lord of Flies’)”5 (cf. 2 Kgs 1:2–3, 6, 16). The name “may have been the sarcastic Israelite parody of Baal-Zebul, meaning ‘prince Baal’, or ‘exalted lord,’ a common title for Baal in extrabiblical Canaanite texts.”6 All other “gods” are either pseudonyms for Satan or other demons under his command because there is no other god but the Lord (Deut 32:39; Isa 45:5; cf. 1 Cor 10:19–20). Using alternative deity names as an alias for Satan was a clever way to highlight this fundamental biblical truth. The Lord proved the same point at the expense of Dagon, who was a different Philistine god—and probably a different demon—worshipped in Ekron (1 Sam 5).

Paul refers to Satan as Belial in his discourse on avoiding spiritual partnerships with unbelievers (2 Cor 6:15). This is a Hebrew noun that does not always refer to Satan when used elsewhere in the Bible. It translates as worthlessness—meaning the quality of being useless or good for nothing—and carries a connotation of wickedness.7 Those whom this word describes are ungodly people who produce no righteousness whatsoever. As an example, the Lord uses this word to describe people who entice others to worship false gods (Deut 13:13). Paul uses Belial as a personification of Satan, contrasting his character with that of Christ. They are so radically different they have nothing in common. By extension, believers and unbelievers have such radically different spiritual fathers that they can never reconcile their spiritual beliefs. This is not to say Christians should avoid unbelievers—our responsibility is to be present in this world (Matt 28:19–20)—but close partnerships with unbelievers means inviting an association that is often, from a spiritual perspective, problematic.

Satan also has more names. Some people refer to him as Lucifer (or morning star) based on Isaiah 14:12, though scholars disagree whether this verse specifically refers to Satan or the king of Babylon. Others call Satan the prince of darkness based on his association with the kingdom of darkness (Luke 22:53; Acts 26:18; Eph 6:12; Col 1:13). He is also the lying snake (Gen 3:1), the ravenous lion (1 Pet 5:8), and the cruel dragon who deceives the whole world (Rev 12:9). Jesus calls him by a few other names—the evil one (Matt 6:13 NASB), the enemy (Luke 10:19 NASB), the father of lies (John 8:44 NASB), and the ruler of this world (John 12:31 NASB). While the Lord is always the ultimate authority, fully in control of everything that happens, Paul colorfully refers to Satan as the god of this world (2 Cor 4:4 NASB) to underline Satan’s grip on our unbelieving neighbors. Paul alternatively calls Satan the prince of the power of the air (Eph 2:2 NASB), partly to illustrate Satan’s command over all other evil angels—Satan is prince over demons whereas God is king with absolute sovereignty.

The many different names ancient authors use for Satan throughout the Bible point to different corrupted aspects of his character as well as specific features of his rebellion against God. Taken in aggregate, these names for Satan show him to be a lying adversary who props up belief in false gods, invites harmful personal associations, commands evil supernatural beings, and is always looking to destroy Christians whenever he can. As his many names demonstrate, Satan is not only evil but also incredibly motivated to wreak his evil schemes throughout the entire world.

Where Satan Roams​

Roughly two thousand years ago, Jesus said the ancient Greek city Pergamum was “where Satan’s throne is” (Rev 2:13 NASB). This city was a thriving political center during the first century. It had “three temples dedicated to the worship of the Roman emperor, another for the goddess Athena, and the Great Altar of Zeus,” which some scholars believe to be the “throne of Satan” because the architecture resembles an ancient throne.8 Jesus may have used figurative language here to portray a city with values very much at odds with Christian beliefs. However, Jesus may have also intended a more literal interpretation instead of an oblique reference to the Altar of Zeus.

With widespread cultic worship, a major healing center honoring the Greek god Asclepius, and a culture eager to persecute Christians (Rev 12:13), Satan would surely have felt at home in Pergamum. Tradition says the martyr Antipas, whom Jesus mentions in Revelation, had “cast out so many devils that the demons had been complaining to pagans.”9 The pagan priests, in turn, complained to the Roman governor who eventually had Antipas sacrificed at the Altar of Zeus by cooking him alive inside a bronze bull.10 The city was so filled with demons and the worship of demons (cf. 1 Cor 10:19–20; 2 Chr 32:19) that it would be unsurprising if Satan did actually operate out of Pergamum in those days. Should a literal interpretation of this verse in Revelation be correct, Satan undoubtedly has a different city where he resides today since Pergamum is now an ancient ruin.

But wherever Satan chooses to call home, he perpetrates his evil schemes throughout the entire world. There are no geographic boundaries to restrict him. Satan roams throughout the earth watching everything that people do (Job 1:7), and if he wanted to travel off planet to chase after astronauts or hopeful colonists, no doubt he could. There are no cultures nor any people who are exempt from his satanic adversity. It does not matter where they are physically located. It does not even matter if they are sitting inside a church sanctuary. A common trope seen in fictional stories is that neither Satan nor his demons can enter a church, but this is biblically inaccurate.

Just as Satan can roam throughout the entire world, buildings used to worship God do not deter him. The same fallen angel who can stand in the very presence of God in heaven stood with Jesus on the highest point of the Jerusalem temple (Matt 4:5 par.), a building more than six stories tall,11 where holiness could actually harm Jews who entered into restricted areas (Exod 28:33–35; Lev 16:2; cf. Ezek 43:12; 44:19; 46:20). This was the center of Jewish worship in ancient Israel, the holiest building in the entire world at that time, and Satan chose to take Jesus there while tempting Him. Furthermore, Satan’s demons also have no problems roaming throughout the world and entering modern churches. A demonized man worshipped in the Capernaum synagogue (Luke 4:31–33 par.); a demonized woman worshipped in a different synagogue, presumably for many years (Luke 13:10–11). Simply walking through the synagogue doors was not enough to expel the demons afflicting these Jews—it took a direct word from Jesus. Neither Satan nor his demons are limited from traveling to any place or entering any building they please so long as God permits them to do so (cf. Jer 7:1–15).

Satan roams and observes. That is one way he fills his time, and as a “roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet 5:8 NASB), he prowls the earth looking for those he can destroy, tempt, persecute, or discourage. He loves to stir up conflict if for no other reason than God detests it (Pr 6:19). “Satan sows discord, accuses God to men, men to God, and men to men. He will do what he can to drag the Christian out of fellowship with Christ and out of Christian service.”12 His attack plan is multifaceted, carefully tuned to cause us to doubt God in every aspect of our lives or, at the very least, divert us away from doing what we should do toward our own earthly desires. No one is exempt from his attempts. Not even Christians.

A Thoroughly Depraved Personality​

Satan stood in the presence of God on two separate occasions, eager to discuss all the ways Job could be made to lose his faith in God (Job 1:10–12; 2:4–7). And this was just to try and win an argument! It takes a thoroughly depraved individual to enthusiastically advocate extreme physical, emotional, and spiritual harm against an innocent person, even more so when it appears there is no other reason for it than a senseless attempt to prove God wrong. Jesus calls Satan “the evil one” for a very good reason. God gave Satan His permission to test Job—whom God later restored—and Satan wasted no time abusing this poor man. There was no righteous motive for Satan to hurt Job because he was blameless before the Lord (Job 1:8; 2:3). But Satan wanted to see firsthand if he could push Job away from God. It was an experiment in murder, theft, and crippling disease, as if Job were no better than an insect. Satan is cruel. His behavior toward Job points to both a cavalier disregard for human life and ruthless hostility to match it.

In addition to violence and hostility, Satan’s persuasive techniques have proven so effective in turning living beings away from their Creator that we see the evidence throughout Scripture. He caused a third of all angels to rebel against God (Rev 12:4, 9; Job 4:18; Matt 25:41), caused Adam and Eve to fall into disobedience (Gen 3:1–5), silently incited Cain to murder Abel (Gen 4:8; cf. Eph 4:26–27), and played a role in corrupting the entire earth by the time Noah began to build his ark (Gen 6:5). But it did not stop there.

Our adversary appears so consumed by his work to divide people from God that he did everything within his power to derail God’s salvation plan for humanity. Satan attempted to kill Jesus as an infant (Matt 2:13–18; Rev 12:4). He later attempted to lure Jesus into selfishly flaunting His divine authority instead of submitting to the Father (Luke 4:1–13 par.). When Satan failed at both of these plans, he slunk into the background once again to incite mob violence against Jesus during a divisive moment in His public ministry (Luke 4:28–29 par.; cf. Eph 4:26–27). That happened more than once! However, none of these murder attempts were successful, so Satan persuaded Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus in the hope that it would finally put a stop to God’s salvation plan for humanity (John 13:27). It did not—Satan quickly discovered that it was Jesus’s plan all along to die on the cross. This powerful demon must have been furious to see his efforts against God fail once again, yet Satan was far from finished (cf. Rev 12:17).

It was now too late to stop Jesus from establishing the new covenant between God and humanity, so he turned his attention toward preventing the gospel message from spreading. A covenant with God would mean very little if nobody knew about it. So, working in the background through violent people who had rejected Jesus, Satan attempted to kill the leaders of the early church and therefore stop their missionary efforts. He began by inciting a mob to murder Stephen (Acts 7:57–59). That, however, did not stop Christianity from spreading, so he influenced many other tragedies, which included persecuting Christians living in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1–3), murdering the apostle John’s brother (Acts 12:1–2), imprisoning Peter (Acts 12:3–4), attempting to murder Paul and Barnabas (Acts 14:5), and encouraging sharp disagreements among the early missionaries (Acts 15:37—40) in a relentless attempt to squash all faith in Jesus. Satan’s persecution was brutal. In fact, it still is today. All the schemes and evil plans seen in Scripture are just a tiny portion of the wickedness Satan has brought into this world either by himself or through the demons he commands. His hatred of God and the people of God has been a mainstay throughout human history.

One plausible explanation for why Satan is so bent on dividing humanity from God is that he thoroughly detests both God and everyone who loves Him. Attempted murder proves this point. For example, God commended Job as righteous, so Satan murdered Job’s first family (Job 1:8, 18–19). Jesus was a tangible expression of God’s love toward humanity, so Satan attempted to murder Him many times over before finally succeeding. The apostles spent their lives pointing the way to a relationship with God; tradition says most were martyred. Jesus even told Peter in advance that he could expect to die as a martyr (John 21:18–19; 2 Pet 1:14–15). For Satan to freely murder so many people—and animals (Job 1:16)—suggests that he views life as disposable. This intense hatred that Satan exhibits toward God is so all-consuming that it seems living creatures are largely worthless in Satan’s eyes. People appear to only serve a purpose for him if he can either use them as tools to hurt God or to glorify himself in a twisted parody of the worship he so enviously desires. Because Satan cannot injure God directly, what better way to cause God emotional pain than by hurting or confusing His adopted children (cf. Hos 11:7–8; 1 John 3:1)?

As one of the cherubim, Satan is far more powerful than any human, a fact he proudly flaunts throughout Scripture. But while Satan has supernatural strength well beyond the abilities God has given humanity, strength alone is not what makes him so effective at leading the whole world astray. His insidious efficiency is partly due to his sharp intelligence and partly due to his intimate understanding of God’s creation. For example, Satan knew the correct wind strength and exact angles needed to flatten a house belonging to Job’s family, even determining the precise timing necessary to maximize human casualties (Job 1:18–19). He also has a very good understanding of how people think. Satan accurately judged what it would take to tempt nomadic tribes to pillage Job’s property (Job 1:15, 17) just as he predicted what it would take for Judas to betray Jesus (Matt 26:15). At the end of this age, Satan will be responsible for deceiving all nations to march into battle against God, and many people across the entire world will be deceived (Rev 20:8). It takes a cold and calculating intelligence to put these evil schemes into practice.

Jesus describes Satan as “a murderer from the beginning” who “does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44 NASB). It is not that Satan is incapable of telling the truth whenever it serves his evil purposes; it is more like a foreign language to him. After all, Satan knows Scripture and quoted it to Jesus in the wilderness (Matt 4:6; Luke 4:10–11). He was correct in that the Bible contains the verses he cited; the lie was the meaning he implied by his use of Scripture. Everything Satan says has some false aspect to it, and every assertion he makes is wrong in some important way. The error may be an outright lie. It may be a lie of omission. It may be a half-lie buried within a truthful statement. Sometimes, when Satan lies, it might even be a delusional pronouncement so completely out of sync with reality as to be immediately obvious. Other times, his error is far more subtle. These are all different kinds of lies, and each one is effortlessly natural for Satan. His nature is entirely devoid of all truth, all love, and all godliness. There is nothing in Scripture pointing to any redeeming quality within him. He is the very textbook definition of evil, so incorrigible and depraved, so entirely unrepentant that even future imprisonment within the abyss13 will not be enough to change his degenerate ways (Rev 20:1–3, 7–9).

Time and again, the writers of the New Testament warn us to be on guard against Satan because we are engaged in a spiritual struggle against a supernaturally strong and very clever fallen angel who wants to destroy us (Eph 2:2–3; 1 Pet 5:8; 2 Pet 3:17; 1 John 2:14). While the Lord restricts what Satan can do, Christians are wise not to underestimate him or directly confront him on their own. Not even the archangel Michael dared to “pronounce against him an abusive judgment” but left that up to the Lord (Jude 1:9 NASB). Our adversary is a dangerous murderer and a consummate liar. Those who deliberately seek contact with Satan will spiritually deteriorate until they, too, are defined by the same characteristics defining their master: pride, hate, anger, dishonesty, and murder. Satan is not some “cool rebel” who stands up to abusive authority and does whatever he wants. On the contrary, his actions and attitudes paint the picture of an obsessive, egotistical despot who will harm anyone without a second thought if it might accomplish his own selfish ambitions. There is no love in him. There is no truth in him.

Corrupting the World​

When Paul writes that Satan is the “god of this world” (2 Cor 4:4 NASB), he does not mean Satan is an actual god because there is only one God (Isa 45:5–7; Deut 32:39; Ps 96:5; 1 Tim 2:5). But Satan is an important figure in how the world operates today. The world in this verse is best described as the “current world mind-set expressed by the ideals, opinions, goals, hopes, and views of the majority of people. It encompasses the world’s philosophies, education, and commerce.”14

What we experience as culture is frequently tainted with values and ideas that run counter to the truth presented in Scripture. This is no accident. Satan is the driving influence behind much of what the world values. Those who reject God are easily influenced by Satan. They are often the very same people who create popular entertainment, run influential businesses, and dream up novel spiritual philosophies. Parsing this moral ambiguity to understand what is spiritually acceptable to God can be difficult, especially when the Bible does not directly address every modern issue by name.15 Christians must regularly practice discernment when evaluating earthly ideas so as not to become ensnared by ungodly practices or harmful beliefs. The abundance of caution required for righteous living is a strong indication that Satan is involved in our world.

This present world system does not inherently support the best interests of anyone. Its siren song of money, materialism, power, control, prestige, and pleasure always leads to destruction one way or another. Satan “blinds the minds” of those who reject God so they will remain defiled by their own personal sins (2 Cor 4:3–4). By our very nature, we follow destructive passions, and though we may have some correct ideas about right and wrong (Rom 2:14–15), we are under the sway of Satan until Christ sets us free (Eph 2:1–3). “The unredeemed person is completely at the mercy of the tyrannical self and its lustful impulses”16 because the world simply does not provide the godly examples we need to live free of it. Every worldly example we see only points back to the same corrupted system in an endlessly circular reference. And why would it not? Satan has an outsized influence on the world, and his goal is to lead people away from God. He has been doing that ever since his time in Eden. The unfortunate outcome is twofold: unbelievers are blind to the underlying reality of this world, and believers are constantly under pressure to conform to the debased morality this world celebrates.

Part of the appeal for many people to the current world order is that, through it, Satan offers us what we think we want. Yet we must be aware this is always in exchange for betraying God in some way. Satan retains whatever power and authority the Lord permits him to use as the temporary “ruler of this world” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11), and part of what he does with his power is lead people onto destructive paths. Everything Satan offers is really a sin in disguise. For some, he insidiously dangles a temptation to rebel against God in a way that seems insignificant, like Christians failing to support the local church—God may view as robbing Him depending on the context (Mal 3:8–9). Tithing ten percent of income is an Old Testament rule with a specific purpose (Lev 27:32; Num 18:26–32) which New Testament believers are not bound to follow; however, supporting Christian causes is still a New Testament concept (Luke 21:4; 1 Cor 9:3–15; 2 Cor 8–9; 1 Tim 5:17–18). Believing and acting contrary to that notion is the sin; “[f]or the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Tim 6:10 NASB).

For others, Satan’s invitation to sin can be more direct and more tangible than invisible temptations. After all, Satan approached Jesus and directly offered him the kingdoms of the world if only Jesus would bow down and worship him (Matt 4:9). The temptation for Jesus “was to take the world as a political ruler right then, without carrying out his plan to save the world from sin. Satan was trying to distort Jesus’ perspective by making him focus on worldly power and not on God’s plans.”17 There is nothing in Scripture preventing Satan from making a similar deal to one of us when the Lord permits a trial of that nature. But “what does it benefit a person to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?” (Mark 8:36 NASB). Satanic offers, whether they are subtle temptations to rebel against God or more direct offers of prestige and power, will always have strings attached and lead us into serious problems. The evil one has even persuaded angels to sin because he is very skilled at what he does.

Yet it seems that Satan is far more inclined to work indirectly against humanity through influence and enticement rather than direct verbal debate. He does not hold direct, recorded conversations with any human beings in the Bible except for Eve and Jesus. He may have had a few words with Judas Iscariot, and perhaps he will speak to the Antichrist, but the Bible does not say for certain. Satan often operates from the shadows, influencing desires and inflaming passions to move human pieces on a diabolical chessboard. This may be because God restricts Satan from a more hands-on approach as a general rule, or there could be some other reason, such as a prideful aloofness deterring Satan from interacting more directly with human beings. Satan is a demonic prince over a demonic army, and leaders of powerful nations do not normally take time to speak to people they perceive as inconsequential. That, however, is just supposition because the Bible does not overtly address this question. Whatever the case, Satan is not just some mythological figure used by religious leaders to scare people into righteous living. Jesus spoke to Satan and of Satan in concrete terms, which indicates he is quite real.

Tempting Us to Sin​

Satan insinuated in Eden that God was wrong to keep Adam and Eve from eating a particular fruit (Gen 3:4–5). He spun his web of lies to convince Eve that her right to decide the course of her own life trumped anything God might say. In the same way, Satan tries to convince the world that we are our own gods and, consequently, following the Christian God is either overly restrictive or incredibly naive. Jesus likens Satan to a bird that comes and snatches away understanding of the gospel message—and therefore salvation—from unbelievers (Matt 13:4, 19 par.). Our adversary does whatever is necessary to prevent those who are not saved from becoming saved. In other words, Satan blinds unbelievers to the truth, and to add insult to injury, he has often used believers to do his dirty work for him.

Those who are outside the church have witnessed Scripture wielded as a blunt instrument. This happens often enough that Christians do not always enjoy a positive image in the public view. Such unloving attacks by avowed Christian zealots do nothing to change the popular perception that following Christ must be a joyless experience. Christian arrogance and hostility only serve to convince others that spiritual blindness is a good thing, the exact inverse of the actual truth that saves lives. Satan’s fingerprints are all over an outcome like this. Zeal for Christ is good, but zeal combined with love and empathy is what Christ requires of us (1 Cor 13:3; Jas 1:19–20; Jude 1:22–23). While wayward Christians are far from the only method Satan will use to keep unbelievers in bondage, it is a striking example of his clever schemes. That anyone can be rescued at all from the grip of this world is a testimony to the grace of our loving God (Eph 2:4–10).

What makes Satan’s destructive campaign so effective is that he recognizes timing is everything. He waits for those moments when we are most vulnerable to tempt or attack us. We need only look in the mirror to see the evidence. “Whenever you are hungry, angry, lonely or tired (H. A. L. T.), be very careful because you are especially vulnerable to sin and disheartenment.”18 These are all vulnerable moments when satanic temptations readily occur. Experiencing temptation in a weak moment was certainly the case for Jesus. He fasted forty days and nights alone in the wilderness, and though He must have been supernaturally sustained in some way to endure a fast of that length, He was still human and was undoubtedly very hungry, lonely, and physically exhausted toward the end of His fast (Matt 4:2). It was only then when Satan came to Jesus and tempted Him to “command that these stones become bread” (Matt 4:3 NASB). That choice would have caused Jesus to rely on His own divine power instead of the Father’s provision. The timing was not a coincidence. Satan carefully considers when he attacks in order to have the strongest impact and best chance of causing us to stumble.

The temptation to turn stones into bread also shows that Satan will try to use our strengths against us. Temptations are not always about weaknesses. Jesus could have easily commanded the stones to become bread, and that was His divine right, well within His supernatural ability as God in human form. In fact, later in His ministry, Jesus caused bread to multiply itself so that it would feed thousands of people (Mark 6:41–44; 8:6–8 par.). The problem was not Jesus’s divine power but the temptation to abuse it. This is more of a problem than we might think because we are often tempted through our strengths, not our weaknesses. Giving in to that temptation leads to proud self-reliance, and when we begin to trust in our own power above all else, “we feel little need of God. To avoid this trap, we must realize that all our strengths are God’s gifts to us”19 and use them appropriately within the parameters of our Christian faith.

Moreover, why we do something and when we do something can be just as important to the Lord as what we do. After tempting Jesus to turn stones into bread, Satan tempted Jesus to recklessly test a scriptural interpretation by gambling with His life (Matt 4:6–7 par.). There is nothing wrong with relying on God to strengthen and correct our understanding of Scripture, but had Jesus risked His own life to try and force the Father to perform a miracle to rescue Jesus, He would have demonstrated faith far too weak to successfully complete His divine mission.

When Satan tempted Jesus to worship him in exchange for the nations of the world (Matt 4:8–9 par.), Jesus refused once again. Christians everywhere yearn for the day when Jesus will rule the world. Yet ruling the world sooner than planned at the cost of deifying Satan would have been a serious mistake with serious repercussions. That choice would have had Jesus abandon His redemptive mission, betray the Father, and accelerate God’s timetable for remaking the world. This would have been an empty victory for Jesus because the nations ultimately belong to Him anyway (Ps 2:8).

Sometimes, the snares we must avoid are wrapped around actions that might otherwise be what we should do given different circumstances. What Jesus’s temptations demonstrate is that Satan may encourage us to take the right action for the wrong reasons, test the Lord’s patience through our reckless behavior, or run ahead of God’s timing. Satan tries many different strategies in his ongoing efforts to have us sin against God.

Satan Presents Disobedience as an Attractive Option​

Deception is one of Satan’s weapons of choice. Underlying every falsehood that he tries to pass off as truth is the idea that obeying God is merely a suggestion, not a matter of life and death. Studying a few of the satanic lies found in Scripture is instructive to understand how Satan operates. Back in the Garden of Eden, he preyed on Eve’s incomplete understanding of what God had said, perhaps also leveraging a latent desire in Eve to appear strong and knowledgeable. If Eve harbored a prideful desire to set herself above Adam by making an important decision alone on their behalf (cf. Gen 3:16), Satan would have picked up on that, too, and used it against her.

Whatever the case, Satan based his insidious lie on a studied observation of Eve. It was tailored to her way of thinking. Moreover, it exploited her curiosity (“Hey! A talking snake!”) at a time when she seemed to be vulnerable. Satan leveraged her ignorance—and possibly her pride—while mixing just enough truth for his lie to sound convincing. And he did all that by presenting himself as a wise arbiter of truth. Doubt and misdirection were his weapons. There were no threats of violence here, only the subtle manipulation of facts and outcomes. This was a false narrative calculated to cause disobedience, and it worked like this:

  1. Satan began with an incorrect premise intended to check Eve’s understanding of what God said (Gen 3:1).
  2. Satan observed that Eve did not really know what God did or did not say (Gen 2:16–17; 3:3).
  3. Satan used this opportunity to correct Eve while, at the same time, inserting his own lie (Gen 3:4).
  4. Satan promised a tangible benefit to ignoring what God commanded (Genesis 3:5).
  5. The lie became more convincing when the facts appeared to contradict God (Gen 3:6). Eve equated touching the fruit with physical death for her and Adam, so when she touched the fruit and did not die, it must have seemed to her that Satan was telling the truth. Yet God never said that Adam and Eve could not touch the fruit, only that they could not eat it. This distinction made all the difference.

Satan strongly implied that the prohibitions God put in place were entirely unnecessary for Adam and Eve to follow. This is where his temptation would either succeed or fail, all based on what Eve decided to do next. She had several options: She could have asked God or Adam to clarify the command. She could have also ignored the talking snake altogether. And it would not have been wrong for her to simply run away from the temptation. Sadly, Eve chose to believe Satan’s lie, and that meant she knowingly disobeyed God. This, in turn, set a chain of events in motion leading to tragic consequences for humanity far beyond her own personal rebellion. But that is what sin does—it destroys lives, sometimes many lives. Still, we should not be unfairly hard on Eve because we are no different than her.

We fall prey to the same satanic temptations and regularly make the same mistakes for the same reasons. Today, this pattern of deception is part of the very fabric of our current world system. Ideas like “Christians can safely ignore the Old Testament” (cf. Matt 5:17–20; Luke 16:16–17), “some of what Scripture teaches no longer applies in the modern age”20 (cf. Jude 1:4; 2 Tim 3:16–17), and “Christianity is just one belief system among many others that can please God” (cf. John 3:18–19; 14:6) are all extensions of the same deception Eve encountered—that obeying God is merely a suggestion.

These ideas exist because Satan continually manufactures false beliefs to lead the world into fatal disobedience. Satan was able to convince Eve that she would not die if she ignored what God told her, but this ran counter to what God actually said by twisting His words and using Eve’s confusion against her. Once she began to doubt God, it was very easy for her to adopt this false belief, and from there, it was a trivial matter for her to eat the forbidden fruit. So confident was she in her disobedience that she even shared the fruit with Adam (who also did not question what they were doing). Eve may not have realized in that moment she had internalized a satanic lie, but by that point, the damage was done.

Disobedience corrupted both her and her husband, resulting in a life of pain and toil as a consequence for their immorality. While they were certainly responsible for their own actions, Satan worked hard to ensnare them with his own evil worldview. We must know God’s commandments and continually evaluate what we hear against them or else we ourselves become easy prey for every manufactured belief Satan whispers in our ears. Satan knows the Bible and will use it against us. We are at a distinct disadvantage if we do not also understand what the Bible does and does not teach. Touching the “fruit” in our own lives may not destroy us, but eating it always will.

Our adversary is highly intelligent and well aware of how God operates. Satan has had all of human history to know and understand Scripture because he witnessed the events himself. How many of us can say the same thing? It is a trivial matter for him to abuse his understanding to try and snare whomever he can. The story of Jesus’s temptations shows that Satan can quote Scripture, knows the meaning of it well enough to pick an incorrect or out of context interpretation, and will use it as a weapon to cause harm. Jesus needed a correct understanding of Scripture in order to respond to these wilderness temptations in the way He did (cf. Eph 6:17). Believers should be on guard against our enemy because he is an expert at making disobedience to God appear attractive.

Desires and Emotions as Satanic Weapons​

Deception is not the only tool Satan uses to urge us into rebellion. He can also leverage our desires and emotions against us—like greed. Judas Iscariot loved money more than he loved righteousness, as evidenced by embezzling the money entrusted to him (John 12:4–6), and Satan fanned the flames of his greed and disillusionment with the Messiah to a fever pitch. Judas reached the point where he found himself betraying Jesus for thirty coins (Matt 26:14–15; John 13:2), a righteous man he knew to be innocent of any wrongdoing (Matt 27:4). This was blood money. It was the same amount a slave was worth in ancient Israel (Exod 21:32). Whatever combination of direct control or strong suggestion Satan employed against Judas had the effect of influencing him for great evil. “We may learn, also, that when Satan ‘tempts’ people, he commonly does it by exciting and raising to the highest pitch their native passions. He does not make them act contrary to their nature, but leads them on to ‘act out’ their proper disposition.”21

Anger is another emotional weapon Satan uses against us. While anger is a natural human response, it can be incredibly destructive when mishandled. King David warns us not to let our anger control us (Ps 4:4), and Paul takes that a step further by saying if we carry around our anger and never properly deal with it, we are giving Satan an opportunity to cause harm to ourselves and anyone unfortunate enough to be in the vicinity (Eph 4:26–27). Satan can use intense anger to embitter an individual, cause injury, destroy relationships, and create a wedge between believers. This is all avoidable. Anger that lingers and festers into negative attitudes and actions is unhealthy for everyone. It quickly turns into bitterness, which we must uproot so as not to poison ourselves or those who interact with us (Eph 4:31; Heb 12:15). Human anger never produces the righteousness God desires (Jas 1:20). There is nothing wrong with becoming angry, but staying angry or harming others in a moment of anger is exactly what Satan desires we do—and exactly what Christians should strive to avoid.

Unforgiveness is closely related to anger. It can be unforgiveness toward others or even toward ourselves. This toxic resentment “not only keeps us in bondage, but, like acid, it burns deeper into our hearts. The longer we harbor feelings against another, the more devastating it becomes because it hinders the Spirit’s work in us.”22 Failing to forgive provides an opportunity for Satan to destroy lives (2 Cor 2:10–11). Like anger, it can destroy relationships and divide churches. It is yet another incredibly unhealthy emotional state. Satan desires that we become consistently angry and desires that we harbor unforgiveness precisely because these emotions are so destructive. Although getting rid of unforgiveness can be a difficult process, unforgiveness is a sin that we absolutely must address.23

Lust is another snare Satan will use against us. It is a consuming fire, and Satan loves to pervert and twist even good and natural things into destructive temptations. “Sexual temptations are difficult to withstand because they appeal to the normal and natural desires that God has given us. Marriage provides God’s way to satisfy these natural sexual desires and to strengthen the partners against temptation.”24 Paul admonishes married couples not to abstain from intimacy for longer than necessary because it opens the door for Satan to tempt each married partner with a lack of self-control (1 Cor 7:5). There is no blessing from God that Satan cannot pervert and defile when we are willing participants.

Attacking the Church​

Although many of Satan’s schemes are targeted toward the destruction of individuals, he also attacks the church and “was said to be present at the churches of Jerusalem (Acts 5:1–10), Smyrna (Rev. 2:9, 10), Pergamum (Rev. 2:13), Thyatira (Rev. 2:24), Philadelphia (Rev. 3:9), Ephesus (1 Tim. 3:6, 7), and Corinth (2 Cor. 2:1–11).”25 Destroying a church congregation delights him as this is a direct assault against the “bride of Christ” (2 Cor 11:2; Rev 19:7). This destruction can sometimes be a literal destruction achieved through incited violence—and there are many examples in the world today of violent persecution against Christians—yet in more stable parts of the world, Satan often takes a subtler approach.

He looks for ways to divide churches and denominations, dissolving Christian unity where possible because it destroys the witness of believers. Loving unity testifies to the truth of Jesus Christ wherever it exists (John 17:20–21). In sharp contrast, bitter strife greatly diminishes Christian testimony. Church leadership has an important responsibility to remain humble and loving while also exercising appropriate internal discipline so that Satan will not gain any advantage over Christian believers gathered together for worship and service (2 Cor 2:10–11). The ideas and attitudes a local church adopts for itself can easily destroy it from within, and this is just as true today as it was during the early church. Satan is a master at enticing people to sin—even first century Christians like Ananias and Sapphira.

They were members of the early church in Jerusalem. This couple sold the property they owned and brought only a portion of the proceeds back to the church while claiming they were giving it all. Donating just some of their proceeds instead of the full amount would have been acceptable to the Lord. Where Satan enticed them to sin was lying to the apostles and the Holy Spirit about how much they were giving. Perhaps they wanted recognition for their generosity, but they were attempting to deceive their fellow Christians for selfish purposes. Peter (and the Holy Spirit) knew Satan had influenced their deception, so Peter asked, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back some of the proceeds of the land? While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men, but to God” (Acts 5:3–4 NASB; cf. Acts 5:7–10). Peter made it abundantly clear that Satan was behind the scenes enticing this couple to lie. God ended their lives over the gravity of their sin because it was completely unacceptable given the historical context. The early Christians were actively figuring out what it meant to be the church, and God powerfully demonstrated that sin was not to be tolerated among His people.

Satan used Ananias’s and Sapphira’s fallen natures against them. God did not tempt them. Instead, their own desires and lusts bubbled up, took root in their minds, and grew into wicked actions that carried a heavy penalty (cf. Jas 1:13–15). Satan knows how this process works. He has been tempting humanity into rebellion against God for a very long time. He might try to adversely influence our thoughts and actions; he might also encourage us to sin by what we say. In this case, Satan fanned the flames of desire for money and accolades, then “set their tongues on fire” (cf. Jas 3:6) to tell the lies necessary to support their deception. Satan is eager to divide the people of God from God and will use whatever attracts us in his attempts to snare us. We all have a fallen nature; therefore, we must all be vigilant and dedicated to living a righteous life in Christ if we are to resist Satan. This is just as true individually as it is for the broader church. Our dedication to God is put to the test whenever Satan fans the flames of our own temptation or stirs up someone else against us. That is especially true for those who are doing the work of the Lord; Satan loves hindering them. The apostle Paul is a good example of this.

Paul experienced tremendous difficulties during his missionary journeys (2 Cor 11:23–27). When he and his companions tried to preach in Thessalonica, some of the Jews opposed them by forming a mob and starting a riot in the city (Acts 17:5). This forced Paul and Silas to flee under cover of night to avoid the violence Satan planned for them (Acts 17:10). Later, Paul longed to return to Thessalonica so he could check on the new believers but was unable to do so—Satan blocked Paul from returning (1 Thess 2:17–18). While the Bible does not explain the situation further, one of the Thessalonian believers, Jason, may have pledged to the city leaders that Paul would not return. This might have been necessary to protect the other Thessalonian believers from a violent Jewish mob (Acts 17:6–9), effectively blocking Paul from continuing to preach in Thessalonica. One way Satan actively opposes God’s will is by inciting unbelievers to impede the Lord’s work.

Similarly, Satan and his demons also impede holy angels who are attempting to do the Lord’s work. The prince of Persia hindered an angelic messenger from delivering an answer to Daniel’s prayers for twenty-one days (Dan 10:13). Earlier in biblical history, Satan attempted to block the archangel Michael from burying Moses (Jude 1:9). Christians must endure in faith, knowing that God is a master planner who always achieves what He sets out to accomplish. All the powers of hell can neither stop God nor annihilate His kingdom (Matt 16:18).

Petitioning God against Humanity​

Not content merely to entice humans and angels to sin, however, Satan also pursues an indirect approach by petitioning the Lord to work against us. Our adversary sees nothing wrong with inviting us to disobey God while also accusing us before God of the very same spiritual crimes he encourages us to commit (Zech 3:1; Rev 12:10). This is vulgar hypocrisy at its worst. One who habitually breaks laws has no room to harshly condemn others of breaking those same laws (Rom 2:1–3; Matt 7:1–5 par.). Yet despite these spiritual transgressions, Satan accuses every person and every nation in the world of misconduct. He constantly argues that we are all sinful, self-serving, and unworthy of God (Job 1:9–11; 2:4–5). The Lord takes holiness very seriously (Lev 11:45), and God must judge sinful behavior (Rom 1:32; 2:6), so Satan surely argues that God must condemn everyone in the world. Unfortunately, Satan has a point: we are all guilty of rebellion against God. There can be no relationship with Him unless He chooses to pardon our many sins (Zech 3:3–5; Eph 2:4–10). Mercifully, that is why Jesus Christ died on the cross—to wipe away the sins of anyone who looks to Jesus for salvation and accepts Him as Lord and Savior.

Jesus is why Satan’s argument falls flat against Christians. God loves us despite our problems (John 3:16) and rejects Satan’s accusations against us (Zech 3:2). The Lord will never abandon us and is patient with humanity because, unlike Satan, He does not want anyone to be destroyed (2 Pet 3:9). Mercy and compassion are very important to the Lord (Matt 12:7). While it is true that we are made unworthy of God by our sins (Rom 6:23), God loves us so much that He makes us worthy once we place our faith in Jesus (Rom 3:22). Satan’s accusations are fundamentally flawed in that respect. Perhaps he does not fully understand the loving nature of God, but given everything else Scripture says about Satan, it is far more likely that he levels his accusations against us because they burden the unwary with unnecessary guilt. Satanic guilt is merely a cruel distortion of the truth, just one more lie in our adversary’s bag of tricks.

Deceiving Unexpected People​

We simply cannot fathom either the depth and breadth of the evil that so fills Satan’s heart or the multitude of ways in which he can entice us. Christians must not only guard their every thought (2 Cor 10:5) but also remain vigilant around other people who are just as vulnerable to satanic temptation. Healthy Christian communities of any size can help keep each other on the right track. Discernment is sometimes easier when we have another Christian available who can discuss our problems and questions with us, yet that should not stop us from also practicing discernment on our own. This is a very important skill since Satan is able to present his ideas in a good light when it furthers his evil intentions. He can even go so far as to disguise himself as a messenger of truth rather than the liar and murderer that he actually is (2 Cor 11:14).

Satan and those who represent him—either by conscious decision or default choice through rejecting God—are not always easy to identify at first glance. As the old adage goes, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar, and Satan is in the business of catching flies. He did not use force, coercion, or threats against Eve. He simply confused and deceived her, presenting himself as a friend because deception is far more convincing when it comes from someone we trust. Evil does not always come labeled; those who advocate evil are not always who we expect. Satan can work through a sinister looking man who wears all black and twirls his handlebar moustache just as easily as the “girl next door” who sweetly invites her friends over for a tarot reading. While Satan is not above using violence, it is far from the only strategy he employs.

Paul is quite clear that we should not be surprised when people who appear spiritual or kind or highly religious turn out to be satanic proxies (2 Cor 11:15). His conflict in the Corinthian church was with false apostles claiming to be Christian, who even appeared to have impressive credentials (2 Cor 10:7, 12, 18), but who preached a message entirely at odds with sound doctrine (2 Cor 11:4, 13). Those who advocate evil can be highly charismatic or appear moral at a glance. They might use verses straight from Scripture to justify actions completely contrary to Scripture. They might talk about Jesus in a way that seems convincing but has nothing to do with what the Gospels really teach. Perhaps the most deceptive of all are those who appear trustworthy, believing they are doing good work endorsed by a divine mandate, but who teach a message that weakens the Christian faith of other people. Such teachers are very far from God. Those who set out fully intending to teach a message that runs counter to Scripture—and then attempt to pass it off as if it were a Christian teaching—can expect God to be working against them in every way imaginable (Gal 1:8–9). This includes Satan, his demons, and the people they influence to do their evil work.

Yet our impressions alone are not an accurate indication of who is or is not a genuine follower of Jesus Christ. Those who heard Paul preach in the Corinthian church thought he was an unskilled and unimpressive speaker (2 Cor 10:10; 11:6). Communication ability, charisma, attractiveness, and religious sounding words are not the measures we should use to evaluate the messages we hear.26 Nevertheless, the kingdom of darkness will not give up until the very end, nor will it stop trying to subvert the truth until then. Christians must be on guard against its deception because it will only grow worse and more convincing as we get closer to the time when Jesus returns (Matt 24:24 par.).

Exerting His Angelic Power​

God occasionally permits Satan to use his angelic power in direct and tangible ways against humanity. There are relatively few times in Scripture where Satan does that, but this is no reason to conclude that Satan is any less powerful than any other angel. Cherubim are incredibly powerful (Gen 3:24; 2 Kgs 19:15; Ps 18:10). When God does permit Satan to flex his supernatural muscles, the results are noteworthy. Several of those instances indicate that he even has supernatural control over nature.

Satan destroyed people and animals with the “fire of God” that “fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants [of Job] and consumed them” (Job 1:16 NASB). Many scholars believe this is a poetic description of lightning, and something like it will occur again in the future when the Antichrist’s priest chooses to perform his demonic miracles (Rev 13:13). Satan also caused a powerful windstorm to destroy an occupied house (Job 1:19). These incidents demonstrate his proficiency with natural forces, which may also extend to any number of other destructive weather events. Yet we should not assume that Satan causes every ruinous act of nature. Scripture only shows it to be a possible explanation, not the only explanation.

Additionally, Satan’s control over the natural world extends to diseases—he afflicted Job with painful boils from head to toe (Job 2:7). This disease was not infectious, nor did it kill Job despite the intense pain he experienced. It was a personalized illness meant to inflict maximum despair without causing death or becoming a plague. While there is no other mention in Scripture of a demon causing illness from outside a person, Scripture indicates that God’s holy angels also have the ability to cause diseases (Acts 12:23; 2 Sam 24:15–16). However, God never allows supernatural diseases to occur on the whim of the afflicting angel, including Satan. Each biblical account where this occurs includes express permission from the Lord, and His permission is not arbitrary. The two illnesses caused by holy angels in Scripture only occurred in response to the very public sins of influential kings.

It is important to emphasize that not every illness has an angelic origin. There are likely to be far more cases where illness and disease is simply a consequence of living in a fallen world rather than the consequence of demonic oppression. Satan, demons, and holy angels can all cause illnesses, yet the Bible suggests that God rarely allows them to use this power and only when He has a strong reason for granting His permission. Furthermore, while we do not know why the Lord permitted Satan to test Job, we can say this: there is a book in the Bible that would not exist without Job’s story. One of the points we learn from Job is that we do not always know why we suffer; nevertheless, we do know God’s character. He always has our best interests in mind. Whatever the reason why the Lord permitted Satan to harm Job, one of His reasons was surely that people for thousands of years might learn and grow in their faith from reading Job’s story.

Limited control of human beings is another direct expression of Satan’s supernatural power. Angels are spirits (Heb 1:14) who do not naturally have physical bodies like humans do. They can enter into a human being and travel along inside a person where they cause problems (though Scripture never suggests that holy angels do this). Satan has that same capability. He entered into Judas Iscariot shortly before Judas betrayed Jesus to the chief priests (Luke 22:3), and he entered into Judas again during the Last Supper (John 13:27). Some scholars believe this is figurative language intended to show that Satan influenced Judas to betray Jesus but never actually entered into his body. Other scholars take a more literal interpretation and assume that Satan directly controlled Judas, forcing him to betray Christ.

Given all the accounts in the Gospels of demons who forced individuals to behave in a certain way, it is no stretch of the imagination to believe Satan entered into Judas and forced him to do certain things. How far that went and exactly how much Satan forced Judas to do is unknown. The Bible does not directly comment on those questions. We only know that Satan entered into Judas on two occasions, that Jesus foreknew Judas was headed for destruction (John 17:12), and that Judas later recognized the sin in his actions if not the divine nature of Christ (Matt 27:3–4). Many people believe that Satan will also indwell the Antichrist (Rev 13:1–10) because, like Judas Iscariot, he is doomed to destruction (2 Thess 2:3–4).

These are the only recorded instances in Scripture where Satan indwells (or might indwell) a human being. Judas Iscariot was Satan’s chosen instrument to kill Jesus, and the Antichrist will be Satan’s chosen instrument to defy God on the world stage like no other time in history. These were and will be high stakes operations for the kingdom of darkness. There is no biblical indication the Lord has ever or will ever permit Satan to indwell anyone else. Demons, yes, but Satan might be a special case. In fact, Satan may not even want to regularly engage in such behavior given his other responsibilities.

Satan spends a considerable amount of time accusing believers before God. He also has a demonic constituency to rule. Because Satan is neither all-powerful nor all-knowing nor present everywhere at once, he has enough responsibilities and enough ways to spend his time as it is; entering ordinary people as a regular part of his activities seems highly unlikely. He did not even do this to Job whom he tormented mercilessly. Satan can assign demons for that particular activity, freeing him to focus on broader evil. After all, he has an entire world to corrupt. Doing otherwise would be like the leader of a powerful nation filling out his own tax forms. While this could happen, that leader is far more likely to have accountants who will do the work instead.

God Will Strengthen and Protect Us against Satan​

Paul, who repeatedly experienced satanic persecution in very real ways, knew firsthand that Satan is a real spiritual threat capable of tremendous harm. Satan was the driving force behind many of the difficult events that befell Paul during his missionary journeys. He also actively impeded Paul’s work forming churches and preaching the gospel message (1 Thess 2:18). Yet despite his hardships, Paul knew Scripture intimately and saw how the Lord had worked in his life. His spiritual maturity enabled him to confidently assure believers that the Lord will strengthen and protect us against Satan (2 Thess 3:2–3).

Our strength comes from the help God gives us. This strength enables us to endure the trials we will experience here on earth (Jas 1:2–4). Moreover, our protection against Satan is a combination of assured salvation for those who trust in God (John 10:28–29) and divine limits to the wickedness Satan can cause in our lives. We are guaranteed to experience trouble in this life (John 16:33), and ultimately, one way or another, Satan is behind our troubles. But God does not forget His children; He works all things together for the good of those who love Him (Rom 8:28). Jesus Himself teaches us to ask God to “deliver us from evil [or, the evil one]” (Matt 6:13 NASB). We may never know how much of Satan’s hostility the Lord has deflected from our lives, but based on what we know about Satan and what we know about God, we can be certain that God has protected each of His children from spiritual evil time and again.

Satan has been tormenting humanity and hindering those who seek God for a very long time. He was there in the beginning to lead humanity into sin (Gen 3:4–5), and he will be there at the end to keep people from worshiping God (Rev 13:6–8). Satan is the ruler of demons as well as the driving force behind everything evil in this world. He has never been nor ever will be just a symbol. Our relentless adversary, a highly intelligent fallen angel, is very powerful. Yet Christians do not need to be afraid of him because God is sovereign over everything, both seen and unseen. Satan cannot be everywhere at once, and though he has an army of demons at his disposal, the Lord commands a much larger army of holy angels. God permits satanic temptation and demonic adversity for now, but this is only temporary. We must do our best to live according to the Word of God so that we will be well-equipped to resist evil and stand firm when evil comes knocking (Eph 6:13). Sooner or later, it will.

  1. See Chapter 4 to read more about how God limits Satan and his demons.↩
  2. “Strong’s Hebrew: 7854. שָׂטָן (Satan) – Adversary, Also the Name of the Superhuman Adversary of God” (Bible Hub, n.d.), https://biblehub.com/hebrew/7854.htm.↩
  3. “Strong’s Greek: 1228. Διάβολος (Diabolos) – Slanderous, Accusing Falsely” (Bible Hub, n.d.), https://biblehub.com/greek/1228.htm.↩
  4. Other translations and biblical manuscripts use variants including Beelzebub, Beelzeboul, and Beezeboul.↩
  5. John MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2005), 1300.↩
  6. MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary, 430.↩
  7. “Strong’s Hebrew: 1100. בְּלִיַּ֫עַל (Beliyyaal) – Worthlessness” (Bible Hub, n.d.), https://biblehub.com/hebrew/1100.htm.↩
  8. Gordon Robertson, “The Seat of Satan: Ancient Pergamum” (The Seat of Satan: Ancient Pergamum | CBN.com, 21 July 2011), https://www1.cbn.com/700club/seat-satan-ancient-pergamum.↩
  9. Robertson, “The Seat of Satan.”↩
  10. Robertson, “The Seat of Satan.”↩
  11. T. Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, “Western Wall” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 16 September 2020), https://www.britannica.com/topic/Western-Wall.↩
  12. MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary, 1922.↩
  13. See Chapter 4 for an explanation of the abyss.↩
  14. MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary, 1625.↩
  15. See Chapter 14 for a discussion of evaluating moral ambiguity in our daily lives.↩
  16. E. Ray Clendenen and Jeremy Royal Howard, eds., Holman Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2015), 1281.↩
  17. Ronald A. Beers et al., eds., Life Application Study Bible: New International Version (Wheaton, IL; Grand Rapids: Tyndale House; Zondervan, 1997), 1649.↩
  18. Charles F. Stanley, ed., The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible: New International Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2017), 493.↩
  19. Beers et al., Life Application Study Bible, 1799.↩
  20. This is not to say that we should interpret literally everything we read in Scripture. Nor is this to say that we are obligated to follow Mosaic Law. Some of the Law still applies in that it illustrates what God finds good or evil, but other prohibitions were covenantal restrictions that Jesus fulfilled on our behalf. The point is that we must never set aside Scripture just because we do not like what it teaches (John 10:35).↩
  21. Albert Barnes, Notes on the Bible (Santa Cruz, CA: Internet Sacred Text Archive, (1834) n.d.), https://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/cmt/barnes/index.htm §Luke 22:3.↩
  22. Stanley, The Charles F. Stanley Life Principles Bible, 1670.↩
  23. See Chapter 13 for more on dealing with unforgiveness.↩
  24. Beers et al., Life Application Study Bible, 2071.↩
  25. MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary, 1753.↩
  26. See Chapter 11 to learn how to evaluate spiritual teaching.↩