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 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 NASB95PARA

“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which 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 NASB95PARA

And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.” And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God. But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, “There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead him away to water him? And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released 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 NASB95PARA

Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. Do you not remember that while I was still with you, I was telling you these things? And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming; that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness for those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to 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