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INTRODUCTION
Is Satan an actual living, personal being?
Atheists and their near kinsmen, infidel theologians, say “No.”
Some have said Satan is nothing more than the personification of one’s self-accusing conscience.
But to those who have confidence in the integrity and inspiration of the Scriptures - there is no doubt that the devil is a personal being.
He is constantly represented in the Bible as a personal entity.
Personal names and personal pronouns as well as personal acts are so frequently attributed to him that it is impossible to view Satan as the mere personification of evil.
Any one who denies the existence of Satan is either ignorant or dishonest
This great enemy of God, and mankind, is most commonly referred to in the Bible as “the devil” or “Satan.”
He is termed the “devil” 33 times in the New Testament and called “Satan” 36 times.
But he is also designated by many other titles.
He is:
A-bad-don, A-pol-ly-on, the great dragon, the old serpent, the deceiver of the whole world
The adversary
The accuser of our brethren
Beelzebub
Belial
An enemy (Mt.
13:28)
The wicked one
The father of lies, a liar, a murderer
The god of this world
The prince of this world
The prince of the power of the air
The tempter (Mt.
4:3)
One definition of Satan is as follows:
“A created but superhuman, personal, evil, world-power, represented in Scripture as the adversary both of God and man.”
DISCUSSION
SATAN IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
The Hebrew term “Satan” etymologically denoted “adversary,” being related to a verb suggesting the idea of “lying in wait.”
The word was frequently used in a very general sense of adversary.
In Numbers 22:22 it is even applied to the messenger of Lord who opposed Balaam.
The general usage is usually indicated by the absence of the definite article.
When the article is used, e.g., “the adversary,” it becomes a proper name and thus denotes the personal devil.
Satan in the Garden
Our first knowledge of Satan is derived from the temptation account in Genesis 3.
Numerous attempts to refute the historicity of this narrative have been attempted.
That there was a real serpent, a real devil, in this biblical account cannot be doubted any more than we can doubt the real history throughout Genesis.
Here are the facts…
The real serpent is contrasted with the other animals (v. 1).
In the New Testament allusion is made to a real serpent in referring to the Genesis account... ....
That Satan himself made use of the serpent is plain from his being referred to as “the Old Serpent, called the Devil and Satan” (Rev.
12:9) and “a murderer from the beginning” (Jn.
8:44).
In the Old Testament we also see that...
Satan Tempts David
The divine record of Chronicles declares: “And Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel” (1 Chr.
21:1).
Here again Satan is seen in his role as a tempter and enemy of God’s people.
Some have claimed a contradiction between this passage and 2 Samuel 24:1 where it is stated that Jehovah moved David to number Israel.
There is no discrepancy, however, for a combining of the verses simply shows how God used Satan as the agent to punish His people for their sins.
Furthermore, in the Old Testament we see that...
Satan Afflicts Job
Satan is given more prominence in the book of Job than in any other Old Testament book.
No less than 14 times he is mentioned in the first two chapters...
Again, modernism has attempted to explain away these historical incidents.
Such a view totally ignores the facts and reads prejudicial opinion into the sacred text.
For Satan was behind all of Job’s misfortunes
Again, in the Old Testament Satan is seen as the...
Adversary of Joshua
Satan appears as an adversary of Joshua the high priest...
Joshua clothed with filthy garments symbolized the sins of the whole nation (of which he was the representative) - and Joshua stood before the messenger of Jehovah.
Satan was at his right hand to be his adversary.
The accuser was not allowed to speak though, rather, “the Lord said unto Satan, the Lord rebuke thee, O Satan...”
The central message of this vision (1-10) was to show that Jehovah’s people, conditioned upon a true reformation, could again enjoy prosperity.
But…
Satan was ready to challenge the Lord’s forgiveness of sin, to deny the right of God to pardon the sinful Israel is they would repent.
Satan is always seeking to overthrow the Throne of Grace and to turn it into a seat of condemnation.
Certainly the complete story of the devil’s horrible character is not presented in the Old Testament.
Enough is given though to warrant the conviction that he is truly a malicious being.
The New Testament brings into full focus his anti-godly designs.
SATAN IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
Satan Tempted Christ
As the serpent seduced Eve (Gen.
3:6) through the manifold channels of lust...
So in like manner he sought to tempt Jesus to sin
Notice the word “tempter” (v.
3), it comes from the Greek term is peirazon, and is a present tense participle and can literally be expanded as, “the always tempting me,” which suggests his characteristic activity.
Had the devil succeeded in causing Christ to sin, the Lord could not have served as the spotless sin offering the entire human race would have been forever lost!
But...
Satan’s Affliction on Mankind
Disease, infirmity and death are ultimately the responsibility of Satan.
How?
By his introduction of sin into the world, he brought about such woes and hence, he is really the murderer of the human family
This is why it is said that a certain Jewish woman, who had been afflicted with an infirmity for eighteen years, was bound of Satan (Lk.
13:16), and Peter declared that Jesus went about doing good “healing all that were oppressed of the devil” (Acts 10:38).
Satan: Enemy of the Apostles
The New Testament represents the devil as a deadly foe of the apostles of Christ, who through their saving message, opposed the devil’s work.
The Lord informed Peter: “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan asked to have you, that he might sift you as wheat” (Lk.
22:31).
Many have over-looked the fact that the pronoun “you” (humas) is plural, revealing that Jesus was issuing a warning regarding all the apostles.
Yet, recognizing the special weakness of Peter, the Master adds: “but I made supplication for thee (sou, singular) that thy faith fail not”
Moreover, Paul’s thorn in the flesh was a “messenger of Satan”
And when the apostle would have visited the Thessalonian brethren, Satan hindered him
It must ever be remembered, though, that the devil can only do what he is permitted to do by God.
We will speak of this more in a moment.
Satanic Influences Christ’s Disciples
Consider Judas and the darkest deed in of all history...
So captivated by the Deceiver was Judas, that Jesus once plainly called the wayward apostle a “devil” (Jn.
6:70).
Judas, however, did not consider himself a mere passive pawn at the disposal of Satan, for he unmistakably acknowledged: “I have sinned in that I betrayed innocent blood” (Mt.
27:4).
Also, when Ananias lied and misrepresented the amount of his gift to the early church, Peter inquired:
“Ananias, why hath Satan filled thy heart to lie to the Holy Spirit” (Acts 5:3).
And yet the apostle further asks: “How is it that thou hast conceived this thing in thy heart?” (vs.
4).
But remember, Satan cannot overpower us...
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