Satan Nature & Origin

Introduction If asked about the nature and origin of Satan, many people might respond...  Satan is the embodiment of eternal evil  Satan is a fallen angel of light  Satan is a god opposed to Jehovah  Satan was created evil to test man's free will Are any of those beliefs true? What does the Bible tells us about the nature and origin of Satan?

Nature of Satan Job 1:6-12  He came among the “sons of God” These, in this context, are the spiritual beings created by God The implication is that Satan is such a being  But his being noted separately might show he is no longer 'one of them' (i.e., he is not serving God)  God asks where Satan had been Satan says he had been going “to and fro on the earth and from walking up and down on it” Satan is not omnipresent (all-present)  Satan is a finite being who can only be in one place at a time and must move from place to place

Nature of Satan Job 1:6-12  God asks Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job... ? Satan is not omniscient (all-knowing)  If Satan knows everything, the question is meaningless  Satan must acquire knowledge and “consider” what it means  Satan asks God to set His hand against Job Satan is not omnipotent (all-powerful)  Satan cannot act against Job without permission  Satan must abide within whatever restrictions are set by God

Nature of Satan So Satan is a created being Satan is not omnipresent Satan is not omniscient Satan is not omnipotent Therefore, Satan is not eternal and he is not a god  He is called a “god of this world”, not because he is a god, but because this world worships and follows him as if he were a god

Origin of Satan Gen 1:31  Everything God made was very good  Since Satan was a created being, then he must have once been very good  So what happened? We will have to piece together the answer

Origin of Satan Luke 10:17-20  The 72 returned to Jesus full of excitement about the power they now have  Jesus immediately throws 'cold water' on them by saying He saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven He follows up by telling them not to rejoice in the power, but to rejoice in salvation What do we learn of the origin of Satan?  He once was in heaven and fell suddenly and irrevocably (“like lightning”)  Since it is used as a warning against pride in one's power, it may be implying that that was the cause of Satan's fall

Origin of Satan 1 Tim 3:6  “ not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil”  In a list of qualifications for elders A warning against placing recent converts into the position of authority lest they be filled with pride  If they are filled with pride, they would fall into the same condemnation as the devil Therefore, the devil was condemned for his pride  (agrees with Luke 10:17-20)  May also imply either Satan was “novice” (a relatively recent creation) or had authority or both when he fell because of pride

Origin of Satan Two possible OT passages that may tell us something Isa 14:12  Many feel this is a reference to Satan They compare with Lk 10:18 and see the “fall from heaven” and link the two Assume “Lucifer” is the name of Satan But read the context Isa 14:3-17  The king of Babylon is the subject  The speakers in v12 are the dead kings in hell  “Lucifer” has no place in the text, it is the English transliteration of the Latin translation of the Hebrew word heylel (shining one)  The comparison seems to be to Gen 11:3-4, another case of pride lifting people against God

Origin of Satan The other passage is Ezekiel 28:11ff  Again, this is a passage about a king (of Tyre) But the allusion will be to Gen 3, Eden Ezk 28:11-19  The specific sins of Tyre had to do with violence and trade practices  But to whom is he comparing the king in the allusion to Eden? A cherub who was in the garden and who sinned The only actors in Eden were Adam, Eve, the serpent (identified as Satan in Rev 12), and God My belief is that God is comparing the king of Tyre to Satan

Origin of Satan If my belief is correct, the only difficulty is separating what God says about Tyre from what is said of Satan  Satan (Ezk 28:12b-15) A cherub (not an angel)  Beautiful, wise, blameless, righteous, perfect  Probably a description of ALL cherubim at the point of creation  Continued until Satan sinned  [Tyre had also enjoyed a good life as a nation until they chose to sin, v16a Tyre's sins] Satan's initial sin (Ezk 28:16b-17a)  Pride (agrees with Lk 10:18 and 1 Tim 3:6)  Consequence for Satan … cast out, down Consequence for Tyre (Ezk 28:17b-19)

Conclusion Is Satan eternal? No, he was created Is Satan a god? Not divine, though worshipped and followed as a god by some in the world Was he created evil? No, evil is a choice to not do good Was he a fallen angel of light? No, though it seems he may be a fallen cherub Is there a lesson to be learned from the fall of Satan? Yes, be on guard against pride in self (beauty, authority, power, position)  But rejoice in the salvation God has provided (Lk 10:20)