Who is Satan?

The Hebrew word for Satan means "adversary." In the Christian faith, he is real and he is opposed to God and all good. Jesus called him "the father of lies." He epitomizes evil and he desires to destroy all who have or will place their faith in Jesus Christ.

The two challenges that Christians face with regard to Satan are to treat him too lightly or to give him too much credit. A delicate balance between the two is prudent.

Biblically-speaking, Satan (or the devil) is referred to numerous times, either by name or by description, or both. He is the serpent in Genesis and the dragon in Revelation. He is Lucifer in Isaiah and the guardian cherub in Ezekiel. He is the accuser in Zechariah and the tempter in Matthew. He tortured Job and tormented Paul.

Sadly, many believe that Satan is caged up in hell and not active in the world today. They cite Jude 9, where it says that "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 judment on the great Day."

But we all know that you cannot build a doctrine on one verse. The whole counsel of Scripture must work together to put forth truth. First of all, the verse does not specifically mention Satan. Second, the context would indicate that this is a part of the fallen angels and not all of them, since Sodom and Gomorrah are used as an example of two cities among many that suffer immediate judgment. Third, there are numerous other passages that depict Satan as free and allowed to move throughout the world (Job 1-2; Zech. 3; Matt. 4; 2 Cor. 11; 1 Pet. 5; Rev. 12). Finally, he is described by Christ and Paul as the "prince of this world" (John 12:31) and the ruler of the kingdom of the air." (Eph. 2:2)

We will learn more this Sunday as we answer question #6, "Who is Satan?"

Until then, "resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

Pastor Randy