Agents of Satan (2)

Satan works through people

Satan’s human agents pursue his evil desires

Jn 8:44 Jesus Christ speaking of the relationship of some unbelieving Jews to Satan.

See also 1 Jn 3:12; Ac 13:10; 1 Jn 3:8–10

Satan works through people to oppose God’s purposes

Ac 5:1–9 Ananias and Sapphira; Mt 16:23 Simon Peter

Judas Iscariot:

Lk 22:3; Jn 6:70; Jn 13:2; Jn 13:27

Ac 13:8–10 Elymas, the sorcerer

Examples of people doing Satan’s work

False prophets

Dt 13:5; Je 23:26–27; Je 28:15; Je 29:21; Eze 13:6–9; Mt 7:15; Mt 24:24; 2 Pe 2:1–3

Others who lead people away from God

Dt 13:13; 2 Ki 21:9–26 Manasseh and his son, Amon; Pr 7:21 the adulteress; Is 3:12; Je 50:6; 2 Pe 2:18–19

Satan works through his spiritual agents

Satan’s angels

Matthew 25:41 LEB

Then he will also say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed ones, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels!

See also 2 Pe 2:4; Re 12:7 “angel” and “messenger” are the same word in Greek

Satan’s demons

Luke 13:11–16 LEB

And behold, a woman was there who had a spirit that had disabled her for eighteen years, and she was bent over and not able to straighten herself up completely. And when he saw her, Jesus summoned her and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability!” And he placed his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, answered and said to the crowd, “There are six days on which it is necessary to work. Therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the day of the Sabbath!” But the Lord answered and said to him, “Hypocrites! Does not each one of you untie his ox or his donkey from the feeding trough on the Sabbath and lead it away to water it? And this woman, who is a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan bound eighteen long years—is it not necessary that she be released from this bond on the day of the Sabbath?”

See also Mt 12:22; Lk 11:14–15

Satan’s agents are identified by various images and titles

The little horn

Da 8:9–12 This probably represents Antiochus Epiphanes.

The prince of Persia

Da 10:13 probably representing a demon with influence over the Persian kingdom

The king of the North

Da 11:28 probably representing Antiochus Epiphanes

The antichrist

1 Jn 4:1–4; 2 Jn 7

The man of lawlessness

2 Thessalonians 2:3–10 LEB

Do not let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and who exalts himself over every so-called god or object of worship, so that he sits down in the temple of God, proclaiming that he himself is God. Do you not remember that while we were still with you, we were saying these things to you? And you know that which restrains him now, so that he will be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is at work already; only the one who now restrains will do so until he is out of the way, and then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of his mouth, and wipe out by the appearance of his coming, whose coming is in accordance with the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with every unrighteous deception against those who are perishing, in place of which they did not accept the love of the truth, so that they would be saved.

The beast

Re 11:7; Re 13:1–8; Re 13:11–18; Re 14:9–11; Re 16:13; Re 17:8; Re 19:20; Re 20:10

The false prophet

Re 16:13; Re 19:20

The prostitute or Babylon the Great

Re 14:8; Re 16:19; Re 17:1–18; Re 18:1–10; Re 18:18; Re 19:2