SATAN—THE DEVIL,
AND DEMONS—
THE FALLEN ANGELS

What the Bible Teaches:  SATAN

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ASTRONOMY PHOTOS AND EVANGELISM COMBINED

"Who is Satan?  Who is Lucifer?  Who is Beelzebub?"

In many cultures, including ancient Middle Eastern cultures, people were not given names such as "Bob" or "Harry", they were given names that had a meaning.  For instance, Abraham means "father of a multitude"; Isaac means "He laughed"; Sarah means "Princess."  It was common to change a person's "descriptive" name at various times in his life.  For instance, Sarah's earlier name was Sarai, which means "mockery"—because it was considered extremely embarrassing for a woman to be barren.

"Lucifer" comes from the Latin word luciferos, which means "light bearer", i.e., someone who carries a light.  "Satan" means "the Accuser."  These and Beelzebub are some of the names for the Devil.

"Who or what is the Devil?"

Lucifer, the Devil, was the model of perfection (Ezekiel 28:12):

• most perfect
• most wise
• most intelligent
• most powerful
• most knowledgeable

being ever created. (Ezekiel 28:15)—PERIOD!
 

Ezekiel 28:12-15 [12] "Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: " `You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. [13] You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. [14] You were anointed [specially selected] as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. [15] You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you.

Ezekiel 28:16-19 [16] Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. [17] Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings. [18] By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made a fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. [19] All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more.' "
 

It is important to understand that Satan will never cease to exist.

Ezekiel 28:19 "you have come to a horrible end and will be no more" seems to say that God will cause Satan to cease to exist.  Many people take solace in this to justify their own refusal to accept Christ: "See, the Bible says that God will destroy sinners.  Since I won't exist anymore, why should I care?"  This is clearly not the case.  "you ... will be no more" means Satan will not have influence.  He will not have power. His ultimate fate is that he will spend eternity being punished in Hell.
 

Matthew 25:41 "Then he [Jesus] will say to those on his left, `Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels."

It is important to notice that in this passage Jesus will be speaking to those humans who did not accept Him, not to Satan—but the fire is eternal and it was prepared for Satan.
 

"Can Satan or demons perform miracles?"

Yes!  Satan and demons are supernatural beings.  All supernatural beings are not bound by the laws of nature (hence, the term supernatural).

Here's an interesting proof from Robbins, Rossel Hope. The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and Demonology:  (Kids, don't try this at home!)

Exodus 7:8-12 [8] The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, [9] "When Pharaoh says to you, `Perform a miracle,' then say to Aaron, `Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,' and it will become a snake." [10] So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. [11] Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: [12] Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs.

Usually, when this story is told the emphasis is on the fact that Aaron's staff won. How did the sorcerers ("magicians") transform their staffs???  Did they pray to the God of their slaves?  Hardly likely!  They weren't even impressed!  They had to already be hooked into some serious power  to know they would be able to do miracles !  There are only two sources of that kind of power: (1) God and His angels and (2) Satan and his demons.

Let's be clear that when the text says "magicians" it is not talking about illusionists like David Copperfield. It is talking about sorcerers, i.e., people who tie in to occult demonic forces. Technically, there is a difference between "magic", such as card tricks, sawing a woman in half, etc., which involve misdirection, sleight of hand, trick props, etc., and magick, which means getting involved with the occult, i.e., "secret arts".

God generally prohibits Satan from performing miracles.

Usually, God will not allow Satan to perform miracles, for four reasons:

1. If Satan routinely performed miracles, too many people would not try to resist his ways because they would be looking for the benefits of miracles.

2. God performs miracles on the basis of faith.  Most people can't get God to perform a miracle because they don't have enough faith.  If Satan routinely performed miracles, most people would have faith that miracles can occur.

3. If Satan routinely performed miracles, many people who sincerely want to follow God would be misled.

4. God generally has used miracles as a 'seal of approval' to show that a prophet, pastor, etc., has God's approval.  It would be very confusing if evil people could frequently do the same things.
   

"Does Satan know the future?"

Isaiah 44:6-7 [6] "This is what the LORD says-- Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. [7] Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come-- yes, let him foretell what will come.
 

Isaiah 48:3,5 [3] I foretold the former things long ago, my mouth announced them and I made them known; then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass. [5] Therefore I told you these things long ago; before they happened I announced them to you so that you could not say, `My idols did them; my wooden image and metal god ordained them.'
 

Satan knows the Bible—including the prophecies.

Satan does know the Bible; he quoted Scripture to Jesus in Luke Chapter 4 and Matthew Chapter 4.  Therefore, he knows those future things which God has revealed through His prophets.
 

Satan also can predict the future from past trends, just like lawyers, accountants, financial analysts, etc.

Satan can predict the future.  However, predicting the future does not require supernatural knowledge or powers.  On a regular basis, people ask lawyers, accountants, and many other experts to predict the future:
 

• "The jury is going to find you guilty.  They're likely to give you somewhere between eight and twelve years."

• "Sales in the next quarter will be about $100,000."

• "This stock will pay about $5 per share."

• "Your medical treatment will cost about $4,700."

• "In your [medical] condition you have about a year to live."

• "We'll strike oil at about 18,000 feet."

• "This stock is overvalued; it's selling for a lot more than it's worth.  The price has got to fall pretty soon."

• "The Fed has increased the prime rate.  Interest rates are going to increase and credit will tighten."

• "Your mother, your aunt, both your grandmothers, and your older sister have had breast cancer.  You probably will get breast cancer."

All these types of predictions are based on historical trends.  Satan is smart, knowledgeable about history (he was there when it happened), and wise.  He knows how to 'read' people, i.e., interpret body language, recognize fear, lust, etc.  If humans can recognize historical trends, so can Satan and his demons.
 

Satan has access to 'insider information' which sometimes enables him to predict events in the near future.

Because Satan and his demons are non-corporeal spirits without physical bodies, they can go places and see things that the average person can't.

For instance, let's say Smith wants to buy some stock.  He goes to a 'psychic' and asks what he should buy.  The psychic goes into a trance and contacts the spirit world and asks a 'spirit guide' what stock Smith should buy.  Other spirits hang around some lawfirms, investment banking firms, accounting firms, etc., where greed, arrogance, pride, jealousy, office politics, divisiveness, etc., are common.  In the course of hanging around such places, the second group of spirits learns 'insider information', such as upcoming corporate mergers, etc.  The first spirit contacts the second group of spirits, who provide the information.  The first spirit then furnishes the information to the 'psychic', who passes it on to Smith.  Smith uses this information about the future, and makes a substantial amount of money.

Acts 16:16-19 [16] Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. [17] This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." [18] She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her. [19] When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities.

 
Obviously, going to a psychic with that type of connections sounds like an easy way to make a quick buck!  It is important to understand that this type of conduct can have horrible, eternal consequences:

Deuteronomy 18:10-12,14   [10] Let no one be found among you ... who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, [11] or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. [12] Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. [14] The nations you will dispossess listen to those who practice sorcery or divination. But as for you, the LORD your God has not permitted you to do so.
 

Galatians 5:19-21 [19] The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; [20] idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions [21] and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
 

Mark 8:36 What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?
 

We cannot initiate direct contact with good spirits.

Many people get "sucked into" occult practices by saying "I will only contact good spirits."

God has prohibited us from initiating contact with the spirit world.  Therefore, good angels will obey His laws and not respond to attempts by us to make direct contact.  If we attempt to make any contact with the spirit world, evil spirits will take advantage of this sin and contact us, claiming to be good.

God does send angels to us in response to our prayers, but they normally do not make direct visible contact, like demon spirits.

Jesus created Satan.

John 1:1-3 [1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was with God in the beginning. [3] Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

It is clear that "the Word" is another name of Jesus:

John 1:14a The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
 

"If God is supposed to know everything, how could He have been so wrong about Lucifer?"

Matthew 26:21-25 [21] And while they were eating, he said, "I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me." [22] They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, "Surely not I, Lord?" [23] Jesus replied, "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. [24] The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born." [25] Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, "Surely not I, Rabbi?" Jesus answered, "Yes, it is you."

God wasn't wrong about Lucifer.  God knew up front exactly what Lucifer would eventually do, just as He knew what Judas Iscariot would do.
 

The devil and demons are angels who rebelled against God.

Revelation 12:7-9 [7] And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. [8] But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. [9] The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
 

These fallen angels have chosen to do evil, and they seek to ruin the lives of humans.

1 Peter 5:8 Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

John 10:7-10 [7] Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. [8] All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. [9] I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. [10] The thief [i.e., the Devil] comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Note: There is only one Devil—Satan.  However, there are many demons.
 

Satan must ask God's permission to tempt someone.

Luke 22:31 "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat."
 

God sets limits on what Satan can do.

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
 

Mankind is caught in the midst of a spiritual war with the holy God and His loyal angels on one side and the evil Satan and his demons on the other.

Ephesians 6:11-12  [11] Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. [12] For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Revelation 12:7-8 [7] And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. [8] But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. [9] The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
 

If we resist the Devil, he will flee.

James 4: [7b] Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
 

We do not have the power to resist the Devil on our own.

Jude 9 But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"
 

To resist the Devil we must put on the "full armor of God."

Ephesians 6:11-18 [11] Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. [12] For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. [13] Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. [14] Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, [15] and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. [16] In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. [17] Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. [18] And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.
 

Although God allows Satan to tempt us, He always provides a way out.

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
 

Satan knows the Scriptures and will try to misuse them to suit his own plans. 

As described in Matthew 4:3-10 and Luke 4:3-12, during the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, Satan quoted Him Scripture several times.  Jesus replied each time with additional Scriptures refuting Satan's attempts to take things out of context or only use part of  a section.
 

Satan tries to stop people from studying the Bible.

Satan tries to stop people from studying the Bible.  You should develop a plan of study, e.g., 20 minutes a day starting at 7:00 a.m.

There are spirits that can induce sleepiness—they normally will do this when you first start a study program.  If you talk to people who are new to Bible study, they will routinely say "I try to study, but I keep falling asleep."  This is one reason that it is better to start studying in the morning than in the evening.

Satan will raise all sorts of distractions, e.g., telephone calls, things you need to catch up on, etc.  This is another of his tactics. When someone first starts studying the Bible, all sorts of little distractions suddenly start to show up.  Many of them are legitimate, just not terribly important.  This is another reason why early-morning Bible study is recommended.
 

Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil and his fallen angels so men may eternally have the best life possible.

John 10:10 The thief [i.e., the Devil] comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

John 3:16-17 [16] "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

1 John 3:8 He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work.

It is important not to misinterpret passages such as 1 John 3:8a.  It does not mean that a person who sins from time to time will be condemned.  It means those who make a regular practice of sinning, those for whom sinning is a way of life, will be condemned.
 

The outcome of the spiritual war is already determined.  Jesus conquered Satan and his demons and death and sin for all eternity by His sacrifice on the Cross.  He proved it by coming back from the dead.

Revelation 1:17-18 [17] When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. [18] I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades."
 

'Hell', 'Hades' and 'the Lake of Fire'—a word about terminology.

It is important to draw a technical distinction in terminology.

On the word "Hades"

• Strong's Greek Concordance Number: 86

• Romanized spelling: haides

• Pronounciation: HAH-dace

• Meaning: 'Hades' or the place (state) of departed souls:—(the) grave, hell

Some English versions of the Bible translate the Greek word haides as "Hell" and others translate it as "Hades".  Theologians and translators who consider the temporary holding place of the damned to be "Hades" consider the term "Lake of Fire" to be synonymous with "Hell". Theologians and translators who consider the temporary prison to be "Hell" call the Lake of Fire the Lake of Fire. And, of course, there is some overlap in use of these terms!

Examples:

Revelation 1:18b [NIV] "And I hold the keys of death and Hades."

Revelation 1:18 [KJV] I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.

Revelation 1:18c [NKJV] "And I have the keys of Hades and of Death."

Revelation 1:17-18 [LVB] When I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead; but he laid his right hand on me and said, ``Don't be afraid! Though I am the First and Last, the Living One who died, who is now alive forevermore, who has the keys of hell and death--don't be afraid!
 

Ultimately, the devil and his demons will be punished in the Lake of Fire for all eternity.

Matthew 25:41 "Then he [Jesus] will say to those on his left, `Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." 

Jude 6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home--these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.

2 Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment
 

Satan won't be the boss of Lake of Fire.

Many people, including most Christians, believe that even after the White Throne Judgment of Revelation, Satan will be the "boss" of Lake of Fire.  There is no basis for this in the Bible.  Satan will be just one more spirit being punished forever.

Also see:
Major Christian Doctrines
The Relationship Between God and Man
Reincarnation -- Satan's Second-Biggest Lie

RECOMMENDED READING

1. Alnor, William Ph.D. UFO's in the New Age; Extraterrestrial Messages and the Truth of Scripture. (c) 1992 Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, Michigan

   This is an extremely well-researched, well-written and objective Christian Research Institute book by a former investigative reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper and professor in the Department of Communication at California State Univeristy—East Bay.  Alnor substantiates the strong ties between the activities of "space aliens" and activities historically attributed to demons.

2. Lewis, C.S. The Screwtape Letters. (c)  Collier Books, Macmillan Publishing Books, Riverside, New Jersey

   Lewis is considered the most original Christian theologian of the twentieth century.  This fictional work gives a clear insight into the tactics demons use to tempt and deceive men and destroy lives.  This work particularly shows how most demonic attacks are not direct assaults, but rather, 'side' attacks.

Studying about Satan and demons can become very intriguing.  It commonly starts with general curiosity and an attitude of "I don't have to worry, since this stuff obviously is baloney."  It then leads to "Hey, I'll try a few of these things.  I know nothing will happen."  Demonic spirits need this type of activity in order to interact with humans.  A number of people have reported that when they began occult activities such as Ouija boards, Tarot cards, etc., nothing happened, but over time spirits started contacting them.**  These spirits start out pretending to be benevolent but over time they gradually start exerting control over the "experimenter."  Many people fool themselves with things like "I'll only contact good spirits." As pointed out above, good spirits will not violate God's law by participating in human-initiated contact with the spirit world.

As far as trying to exert influence over people's lives is concerned, demon spirits will not wait for a person to attempt contact.  Even general activities such as extensive studying about demonic activity, or investigation of "the paranormal", etc., will lead to demonic attempts to influence and control the person doing the studying or investigation.

For the most part, in this web site I urge you to check out my answers against the Bible, against well-regarded biblical reference books, etc.  However, when it comes to information about Satan, demonism, the occult, etc., please don't check it out thoroughly yourself.  If you want to check it out, please check out the few references I have provided and leave it at that.

When you do study specifically about Satan and his tactics, you should be "prayed up" and "put on the whole armor of God".