Agents of Satan

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 Ac 13:10; 1 Jn 3:8–10; 1 Jn 3:12

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 ESV

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire 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 ESV

And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?”

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 ESV

Let no one 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 exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so 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