Theology Lesson #20 - The Nature and Work of Satan and the Demons
In Genesis 3, a mysterious and menacing character suddenly appears on the scene. It is unclear at first glance exactly who this tempter is, because he doesn’t (visibly) appear in Genesis or the rest of the Torah. The only clear Old Testament references to him outside of Genesis 3 are in 1 Chronicles 21 (where he is shown to be a secondary cause of God), Job 1 and 2 (where he is clearly subject to God’s sovereignty), and Zechariah 3 (where he is an adversary to be rebuked). Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 should probably be added to the list, though they are disputed (see discussion below). There is another possibility if the King James translation is correct in Psalm 109:6 (Appoint a wicked man over him, And let an accuser (or Satan) stand at his right hand).
The Names of Satan
1. Satan – שָטָן (satan), σατανας (satanos)
1 Chron 21:1; Job 1:6-12;
2:1-7; Psalm 109:6; Zech 3:1-2; Matt 4:10; 12:26; 16:23; Mark 1:13; 3:23, 26;
4:15; 8:33; Luke 10:18; 11:18; 13:16; 22:3, 31; John 13:27; Acts 5:3; 26:18;
Rom 16:20; 1 Cor 5:5; 7:5; 2 Cor 2:11; 11:14; 12:7; 1 Thess 2:18; 2 Thess 2:9;
1 Tim 1:20; 5:15; Rev 2:9, 13, 24; 3:9; 12:9; 20:2, 7
2. The Devil – διαβολος (diabolos)
Matt 4:1-11; 13:39; 25:41;
Luke 4:2-6, 13; 8:12; John 8:44; 13:2; Acts 10:38; 13:10; Eph 4:27; 6:11; 1 Tim
3:6-7; 2 Tim 2:26; Heb 2:14; Jas 4:7; 1 Pet 5:8; 1 John 3:8, 10; Jude 9; Rev
2:10; 12:9, 12; 20:2, 10
3. The Evil One – ο πονηρος (ho poneros)
John 17:15; 2 Thess 3:3; 1
John 5:18-19; possibly Matt 6:13
4. The Tempter – ο πειραζων (ho peiradzon)
Matt 4:3; 1 Thess 3:5
5. The Accuser – κατηγορος (kategoros)
Rev 12:10
6. The Ruler of This World
John 12:31; 16:11; 1 John
5:19
7. The God of This Age
2 Cor 4:4
8. The Prince of the Power of
the Air
Eph 2:2; 6:11-12
9. The Great Dragon – ο δρακων ο μεγας (o drakon o megas)
Rev 12:3-4, 9, 17
10. The Adversary – αντιδικος (antidikos)
1 Pet 5:8
11. The Destroyer – αβαδδον (abaddon)/απολλυων (apolluon) – Abaddon is a Greek transliteration
of a Hebrew word, and Apollyon is a Greek translation of the same Hebrew
word. Both mean “Destroyer.”[4]
Rev 9:11
The Nature of
Satan
1. Created
Ezek 28:15; Col 1:16
2. Crafty
Gen 3:1; 2 Cor 2:11; 11:3;
Eph 6:11
3. Deceitful
2 Cor 11:3; Rev 12:9
4. Spirit
Eph 2:2; Col 1:16
5. Liar
John 8:44
6. Murderer
John 8:44
The
Origin and Fall of Satan
1.
Revelation 12:3-4 - Then another
sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and
ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. And his tail swept away a third
of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before
the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might
devour her child.
2.
Difficult Passage: Does Isaiah
14:12-14 reveal the original state and fall of Satan? OR does the passage
depict a human ruler?
a. The context: Isaiah 13:1-14:23 is a compressed,
telescoped prophecy of the future judgment of Babylon. 14:3-21 is specifically
a taunt uttered by Israel concerning the King of Babylon after being freed by
the warfare of the Day of the Lord in 13:1-22.
b. The passage: “How you
have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning [הֵילֵל,
Latin Vulgate: lucifer], son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the
earth, You who have weakened the nations! “But you said in your heart, [These
are often called the ‘5 I Wills of Satan’ by those who hold this passage to be
about Satan.] ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my
throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly
In the recesses of the north. ‘I will ascend above the heights of the
clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’”
c. Observation from another
passage: The angel tells Daniel, “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia
was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief
princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia” (Dan 10:13). The angel was hindered
from delivering the message to Daniel for 3 weeks by the prince of Persia. This
must be a spiritual influence (the Devil or a demon) who withstood the angel.
The angel had to wait for the angelic prince, Michael, to help him. Could
this passage be speaking to the influence of Babylon?
3.
Difficult Passage: What about Ezekiel
28:11-19?
a. The context: Ezekiel 26-28 describe judgments on
Tyre. Chapter 26 predicts judgment. Chapter 27 is a funeral lamentation over
Tyre. Chapter 28:1-10 predicts judgment on the Prince of Tyre. Chapter 28:11-19
is a funeral lament for the King of Tyre.
b.
The passage: Again the word of the Lord came
to me saying, “Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre and say
to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “You had the seal of perfection, Full of
wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every
precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz and the diamond; The
beryl, the onyx and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the
emerald; And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, Was in
you. On the day that you were created They were prepared. You were the anointed
cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of
God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. You were blameless in your
ways From the day you were created Until unrighteousness was found in you. By
the abundance of your trade You were internally filled with violence, And you
sinned; Therefore I have cast you as profane From the mountain of God. And I
have destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the stones of fire.
Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by
reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, That
they may see you. By the multitude of your iniquities, In the unrighteousness
of your trade You profaned your sanctuaries. Therefore I have brought fire from
the midst of you; It has consumed you, And I have turned you to ashes on the
earth In the eyes of all who see you. All who know you among the peoples Are
appalled at you; You have become terrified And you will cease to be forever.”’”
c. OBSERVATION from another
passage:
Genesis 3:14-15 - The
Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, Cursed are you more
than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will
go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life; And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise
you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel.”
The prevailing view among conservative commentators is that God first
speaks to the serpent. The serpent would be cursed more than all the cattle and
beasts of the field, going about on its stomach and getting mouthfuls of dust
all its life.
The next verse could arguably only refer to serpents—and many commentators
argue it does. However, most throughout history have seen a subtle shift to the
being “behind” the serpent. Could the same be happening in the two passages
above? Is it really doing justice to the text to suggest that it is only
talking about the human king? At the end of the day, there are good men and
women on both sides of this question. As Dr. Keith Essex says, “These two
passages aren’t necessary for us to know all we need to know about the devil.”
But most (even those who don’t hold the position) see from the statement “You
were in Eden, the garden of God” as difficult to explain in regard to a man.[5]
4.
IF we accept all of these passages as
speaking about Satan, we can make the following observations about Satan’s
origin and fall.
a. Satan was originally
perfect (Ezek 28:12, 15; cf. Gen 1:31).
b. Satan was wise and
beautiful (cf. 28:12-13; cf. Gen 3:1; 2 Cor 2:11).
c. Satan was an angel of
light (Isa 14:12)
d. Satan was an anointed
covering (or guarding) cherub (Ezek 28:14, 16).
e. Satan was on the holy,
fiery mountain of God in Eden (Ezek 28:14).
f. Suddenly, unrighteousness
was found in him (Ezek 28:15).
i. He was internally filled
with violence (Ezek 28:16).
ii. His heart was lifted up
because of his beauty (Ezek 28:17)
iii. He corrupted his wisdom
because of his splendor (Ezek 28:17).
1. “I will ascend to heaven”
(Isa 14:13)
2. “I will raise my throne
above the stars of God” (Isa 14:13).
3. “I will sit on the mount
of the assembly in the recesses of the north” (Isa 14:13).
4. “I will ascend above the
heights of the clouds” (Isa 14:14).
5. “I will make myself like
the Most High” (Isa 14:14).
iv. He sinned (Ezek 28:16).
v. He was cast out from the
mountain of God (Ezek 28:16-17).
g. Satan caused a third of
the angels to fall and become demons (Rev 12:4).
h. Satan tempted the man and
the woman to have the same prideful uprising against God (Gen 2).
i. Satan was cursed for his
temptation of the man and woman (Gen 3:15).
j. Satan influences the kings
of the earth (Dan 10:10 cf. Eph 2:2).
k. Satan will be judged (Ezek
28:18-19).
The Demons
According to the Bible, Satan has an
army of fallen angels at his charge. Revelation 12:7-8 refers to Satan’s army
of angels. These beings show up every once in a while in the text, however,
like Satan, they prefer to be unseen and undetected. In the Old Testament, evil
spirits are mentioned occasionally (Judg 9:23; 1 Sam 16:14-23; 18:10; 19:9).
These evil spirits are obviously demons in Acts 19:15-16. When Jesus appears on
the scene, demonic activity was all over Judea and the surrounding regions.
Paul identifies demons as the source and power behind many (if not all) false
religions (1 Cor 10:20; cf. Deut 32:17; Psa 106:37).
The Nature of
Demons
1. Personhood – Intellect
Mark 5:6-7; 8:29; Luke 4:34; Acts 16:16 [some knowledge of the future]
2. Personhood – Conversing
Luke 8:30
3. Personhood – Emotion
Luke 8:28; Jas 2:19
4. Personhood – Will
Luke 8:32
5. Personhood – Names
Mark 5:9
6. Spirit
Mark 5:9; 8:16; Luke 10:17-20; Col 1:16
7. Can Manifest
2 Cor 11:13-15
8. Unclean
Matt 1:23; Mark 1:26-27; 5:8; Luke 11:24
9. Wicked
Matt 12:45; Luke 7:21
10. Deceptive
1 Kings 22:19-23; 1 Tim 4:1
The Facts
about Demons
1. At least a third of the
angels joined with Satan to usurp God.
Rev 12:4
2. The demons are called
Satan’s “angels.”
Matt 12:26; 25:41; Rev 12:7
3. Satan is “ruler” of the
demons
Matt 12:24-28
4. Demons are behind false
religion and sacrifices
Lev 17:7; Deut 32:17; 1 Cor 10:20; 12:2; Rev 9:20
5. Demons pervert Christian
Doctrine
Gal 1:6-8 [cf. 2:21-3:1] Col 2:18-23; 1 Tim 4:1-3; 2 Pet 2:19; 1 John 4:1-4
6. Demons cause physical
affliction[6]
Matt 9:32-33; 12:22; Mark 9:20; Luke 9:39; 13:11 [cf. v.16]; Rev 9:10
7. Demons can cause emotional
affliction
Mark 5:5; 9:22; Luke 8:27, 35
8. Demons can deceive with
signs and wonders
Rev 16:13-14
9. Demons can incite schism
in the churches
Jas 3:13-16
10. Satan leads the demons in
battle
Rev 12:7; 12:9
11. Demons can oppose angels
Dan 10:13
12. Satan and all the demons
will be thrown into the Lake of Fire
Rev 20:10
13. Some sinned in a special
way that resulted in them being chained in darkness in ταρταρος (tartaros), which is not clearly
defined (2 Pet 2:4; Jude 6). Some understand these to be fallen angels who are
called “sons of God” in Genesis 6, who reproduced with women prior to the
Flood, rendering at least some of humanity a mixed breed, the Nephilim (and
thereby unsavable).[7]
14. During the Great
Tribulation some demons will released from the abyss to torment people (Rev
9:1-11).
Satan and the
Demons Have a Small Bag of Tricks
1. Disguise falsehood as
truth
Matt 4:6
2. Appear as angels of light
2 Cor 11:14
3. Palnt doubt about God’s
Word
Gen 3:1
4. Contradict God’s Word
Gen 3:4
5. Deny God’s severity
Gen 3:4
6. Hit you in a time of
weakness
Matt 4:2
7. Plant doubt about God’s
goodness
Gen 3:5
8. Tempt you to achieve the
will of God through sinful means
Matt 4:8-9
9. Appeal to pride
Matt 4:3, 6, 8
10. Take advantage of us when
we don’t forgive others
2 Cor 2:10-11; Eph 4:26-27
11. Tempt a husband and wife
to be unfaithful to each other during a season where there is a lack of
physical intimacy.
1 Cor 7:5
12. Tempt to immorality
1 Tim 5:14-15
Demon
Possession
1.
Terms
a.
Δαιμονιζομαι (daimonizomai) – possessed by a demon
Matt
4:24; 8:16, 28, 33; 9:32; 12:22; 15:22; Mark 1:32; 5:15, 16, 18; Luke 8:36;
John 10:21
b.
“In an unclean spirit”
Mark
1:23; 5:2
c.
“Having…”
i. “a
mute spirit”
Mark
9:17
ii. “unclean
spirits”
Acts
8:7
iii. “a
spirit of divination”
Acts
16:16
iv. “a
spirit of infirmity”
Luke
13:11
d.
“Tormented by unclean spirits”
Luke
16:17-18; Acts 5:15-16
2.
Characteristics[8]
a.
Superhuman strength
Mark
5:3-4
b.
Uncontrollable rage
Mark
5:4
c.
Resistance to restraint
Mark
5:4
d.
Clairvoyance
Mark
1:24; 5:7; Luke 4:34; Acts 16:16-17
e.
Fear of Christ
Mark
1:24; 5:6-7
f.
Isolation
Mark
5:2, 5
g.
Self-injury
Mark
5:5
h.
Loud crying out
Mark
1:23, 26; 5:5, 7
i.
Lack of vocal control
Mark
5:9
j.
Nudity
Mark
5:15
k.
Convulsive seizures
Matt
17:15; Mark 9:18, 20
3.
Note that there is no discussion of
demon possession in the Epistles.
4.
Casting out demons in the Gospels and
Acts was always a validating sign of the Gospel.
5.
Can a Christian be Demon-Possessed?
a.
Arguments in Favor - The argument that
Christians can be demon-possessed is based on experience.[9] These
experiences can be interpreted in different ways.
b.
Arguments Against –
i. Christians
are possessed and indwelt by the Trinity
John 14:23; Rom 8:9; 1 Cor 6:19-20; Eph 1:14; Col 1:1:7
ii. Christians
CAN be influenced by demons through false teaching
Acts 5:3; 2 Cor 11:3; 1 Tim 4:1-3; 1 John 4:1-3
iii. No
Scripture speaks of the demon-possession of a Christian
iv. If
Christians COULD be demon-possessed, why did the apostles not give instructions
on exorcism. Why are there no commands to do so?
While Satan and the
demons are often shrouded in mystery, their ultimate doom is not. In Revelation
20, an angel binds Satan and removes his influence from the world by throwing
him into the abyss and locking it for the thousand years of Christ’s Kingdom
reign. Isaiah 24:21-22 (an end-times chapter) also describes this:
So it will happen in
that day,
That the Lord will punish the host of heaven on high,
And the kings of the earth on earth.
They will be gathered together
Like prisoners in the dungeon,
And will be confined in prison;
And after many days they will be punished.
Revelation 20 tells
us that the ‘many days’ are 1,000 years (seven times in the text).
At the end of the
1,000 years, Satan must be released (Rev 20:3, 7).[10] He
and his demons will then go out and deceive the nations again. They will gather
an innumerable army for war to march against Jerusalem. If there was ever any
question about human depravity, this answers it. Even with Christ ruling in
Jerusalem and Satan and the demons locked in the abyss, there will still be
those who reject Christ (cf. Isa 65:20) and eagerly follow the devil when he
released. However, before the army can attack the city, God destroys them with
fire from heaven. “And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the
lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and
they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”
IN CONCLUSION, God has shown us
that we have an enemy who works behind the scenes as the god of this world to
sow deception, confusion, and corruption. The world lies in
the power of the evil one (1 John 5:19), but whoever is born of God is
kept by Jesus Christ and the evil one does not touch him (1 John
5:17). We need to stand on our guard against his temptations (Eph 6:16), for we
know the wiles of Satan (Eph 6:11). And we are assured that “the God of
peace will soon crush Satan under [our] feet.”
[1]
There are other options. These are the most popular. I opt for the last view.
[2]
The text makes a play on words that is lost in translation. The man and woman
were naked (אָרוֹם, arom) but the serpent was crafty (אָרוּם, arum). The
wordplay draws attention to the innocent and undiscerning character of the man
and woman versus the crafty, shrewd, subtle, prudent (all acceptable
translations) serpent.
[3]
A.W. Pink and several older commentators wonder if the serpent claimed to have
eaten the fruit, and that’s how he had the ability to speak and the apparent
knowledge of the effects of the fruit. Pink, Gleanings From the Scriptures: Man’s
Total Depravity, 30.
[4]
Some commentators think this is not Satan but another fallen angel.
[5]
There is a most thought-provoking book by Michael Morales, building on the
thoughts of Gregory Beale called “Who shall Ascend the Mountain of the
Lord?: A Biblical Theology of the Book of Leviticus. It is a dense
read, but it is helpful in connecting The Garden of Eden with Mount Sinai and
the giving of the Law and with Mount Zion and the New Covenant. I don’t agree
with everything Morales concludes, but the book is extraordinary.
[6]
Not ALL physical affliction.
[7]
There are several other views of what is happening in Genesis 6. I loosely hold
to the fallen angel view, because I see too many problems with the other views.
But it’s impossible to be dogmatic. The fallen angel view seems to track well
with the “Seed” emphasis of Genesis.
[8]
Just because somebody has any of these “symptoms” does not mean they are
demon-possessed. Cf. Matt 4:24; 8:16; 10:1, 8; Mark 1:34; Luke 6:17-18; Acts
5:15-16; 8:7; 19:11-12. The behavior of demon-possessed people in the New
Testament was so extremely bizarre that it was readily apparent that they had a
demon.
[9]
See for instance, Dickason, Angels: Elect and Evil, 207-209.
[10]
This is the dispensational premillennial view of this text. Other views will be
covered in the Eschatology section of this class.
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