SATAN-HIS ORIGIN, WORK, AND
DESTINY
T.P. Simmons
No believer in the plenary inspiration of the Scriptures can doubt
the existence of a personal devil. The reality of such a being is stamped
indelibly on the pages of Holy Writ. "We cannot deny the personality of
Satan, except upon principles which would compel us to deny
the existence of angels, the personality of the Holy Spirit, and the
personality of God the Father" (Strong, Systematic Theology, p. 223).
Even if the Bible said nothing of the existence of such a being,
perhaps we should be compelled to believe in his existence
as an adequate explanation of the subtle and enslaving power of sin.
I. THE ORIGIN OF SATAN
The existence of a wicked being such as Satan
is, in view of our belief in God as being infinitely holy and yet the creator
of all other things, presents this inescapable question: How are we to account
for his existence?
Skeptics have imagined that the question, Who made the devil?
offers an unanswerable objection to the Christian doctrine
of God. But the Bible answers this question clearly and reasonably.
1. SATAN A FALLEN ANGEL.
We affirm this for the three following reasons:
(1) He is of the Same Nature as Angels.
The works ascribed to the devil make it impossible for us to
conceive of him as being other than incorporeal. If he were material he would be limited by space; and therefore, could not carry
on the universal works of wickedness ascribed to him in the Bible.
(2) He is the Leader of Certain Angels.
In Matt. 25:41 Christ uses the expression,
"the devil and his angels."
(3) A Common Destiny Awaits Satan and These Angels.
In the passage just referred to Christ tells us that hell was
prepared for both the devil and his angels.
We conclude that these angels of which Satan is the leader and
whose punishment he shall share are the fallen angels mentioned by Peter and
Jude. It seems clear, then, that Satan himself is a fallen angel.
The statement in John 3:44 to the effect that the devil "was a
murderer from the beginning" need not be taken as standing in necessary
conflict with the foregoing. The expression "from the beginning" need
not be taken as referring to the beginning of the devil's existence. It may,
and we think does, refer to the beginning of human history.
2. ACCOUNTS OF SATAN'S FALL.
We believe we have in the Scripture two fragmentary accounts of
Satan's fall. We refer to Ezek. 28:12-18 and Isa. 14:12-17.
The first of these passages was addressed to the King of Tyre. The
second one was addressed to the King of Babylon. In both of them, but more
especially in the first, some of the language is too strong to apply to any
man. We believe that these passages, like much other prophecy, have a double
reference. This is true of some of the prophecies concerning the regathering of
Israel. Their immediate reference is to the return of Israel
after the seventy years of captivity in Babylon. But they have also a clear
ultimate reference to the final regathering of dispersed Israel at the end of
this age. In Matt. 24:4-51 we have a double reference marvelously wrought
together. The reason for this double reference is that the destruction of
Jerusalem in 70 A. D. was a type of the final siege of Jerusalem just preceding
the second advent of Christ to the earth to judge the world and set
up His millennial reign. And, no doubt, the reason for the double reference in
the passages we are considering from Ezekiel and Isaiah is that the kings of
Tyre and Babylon were taken as types of "the man of sin" (2 Thess
2:3,4), the "beast" of Revelation (Rev. 13 and 17), who will be but a
tool in the hands of Satan. Therefore the words of the prophets look beyond
these kings to the dominating power back of them; thus addressing Satan through his representatives. We have other instances where Satan is
thus addressed. In Gen. 3:15 Satan is addressed through the serpent, his tool.
And in Matt. 16:22, 23 Satan is addressed through Peter in whom Christ sensed
the spirit of Satan.
(1) References to Satan in His Unfallen Condition.
"Thou sealest up the sum (or measure), full of wisdom and
perfect in beauty. Thou wast in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone
was thy covering, the sardius, the topaz, and the diamond, the beryl the onyx,
and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the
workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was in thee: in the day that thou
wast created they were prepared. Thou wast the anointed
cherub that covereth: and I set thee so, so that thou wast upon the holy
mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of
fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till
unrighteousness was found in thee" (Ezek. 28-12-15).
(2) References to the Fall of Satan.
"By the abundance of thy traffic they filled the midst of
thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore have I cast thee as profane
out of the mountain of God; and I have destroyed thee, 0 covering cherub, from
the midst of stones of fire. Thy heart was lifted up because of thy beauty;
thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness:
I have cast thee to the ground; I have laid thee before kings, that they may
behold thee. By the multitude of thine iniquities, in the unrighteousness of
thy traffic, thou hast profaned thy sanctuaries; therefore have I brought forth
a fire from the midst of thee; it hath devoured thee, and I have turned thee to
ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee." (Ezek
28:16-18).
"How art thou fallen from heaven, 0 Day-star, son of the
morning! How are thou cut down to the ground, that didst lay low the nations!
And thou saidst in thy heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne
above the stars of God; and I will sit upon the mount of the congregation, in
the uttermost parts of the North; I will ascend above the
heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. Yet thou shalt be
brought down to Sheol, to the uttermost parts of the pit. They that see thee
shall gaze at thee, they shall consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made
the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; that made the world a
wilderness, and overthrew the cities thereof; then let not loose his prisoners
to their home" (Isa. 14-12-17).
From these two accounts it seems clear that Satan fell through
pride. This is also in harmony with the following Scriptures:
"Pride goeth before destruction. And a
haughty spirit before a fall" (Prov. 16:18).
"The bishop therefore must be without reproach . . . not a
novice, lest being puffed up he fall into the condemnation of the devil"
(1 Tim. 3:2,6).
From Ezekiel we understand that Satan held a
very high place among the angels in his unfallen state. "Thou wast the
anointed cherub that covereth: and I have set thee so; thou wast upon the holy
mountain of God." Notice that he was not "an anointed cherub,"
but "the anointed cherub." "Anointed" means set apart as a
priest to the service of God. "The anointed cherub that covereth"
probably alludes to the cherubim that covered the mercy seat in the temple with
their wings (Ex. 37:9). This seems to indicate that the
devil was the leader of angelic worship. He probably occupied the place which
is now occupied by Michael, the archangel
II. THE WORK OF SATAN
1. ORIGINATED SIN IN THE UNIVERSE.
The foregoing Scriptures, which give a veiled account of Satan's
fall, point us to the earliest account of sin that we have in the Bible. We
know that Satan fell before man did, for Satan solicited man to sin. "Sin
was not a creation but an origination. It came into
existence by the aid of that which had prior existence, namely, personality and
the power of free choice. God created this being not as the Devil, but as a
holy angel, who originated sin through disobedience and transformed himself
into the wicked devil which he is today" (Bancroft, Elemental Theology).
2. INTRODUCED SIN INTO THE HUMAN FAMILY.
Gen. 3:1-16. There is a close connection between what we have
noted from Isaiah concerning the devil and his method of seducing Eve. Satan
was cast out of Heaven because he said, "I will make myself like the Most
High." He deceived Eve by telling her that instead of
dying as result of eating the forbidden fruit, she would become "as God,
knowing good and evil"
3. POSSESSES AND CONTROLS THE WORLD.
Job 9:24; Matt. 4:8,9; John 12:31; 14:80;
16:11; 2 Cor. 4:8,4; Eph. 6:12. God owns the world (Psa. 24:1), but, as we read
in Job 9:24, the world has been "given into the hand" of Satan
temporarily; and Satan dominates it, subject to such limitations as God is
pleased to impose. See Psa. 76:10.
"Job 1:6,9; 2:3-5; Rev. 12:9,10. "Devil" means
"accuser" or "slanderer."
5. ALSO TESTS, HINDERS, RESISTS, AND BUFFETS THEM.
Luke 22:31; 1 Thess. 2:18; Zech. 3:1; 2 Cor. 12:7.
6. SEEKS TO OPPOSE AND HINDER THE WORK OF GOD.
Matt. 13:39; Mark 4:15; 2 Cor. 11:14,15; 2
Thess. 2:9,10; Rev. 2:10; 3:9.
7. TEMPTS, ENSNARES, AND LEADS MEN INTO EVIL.
1 Chron. 21:1; Matt. 4:1-9; John 13:2,27; Acts 5:3.
8. CONTROLS AND BLINDS THE LOST.
John 8:44; 12:37-40; Acts 26:18; 2 Cor. 4:4; 2 Tim. 2:26. The
blinding in 2 Cor. 4:4 and that in John 12:37-40 are the same. Its immediate
cause is the depravity of the carnal nature. The devil is said to be the author
of this blindness because he is the author of sin. In the
latter passage it is ascribed to God because it is by God's permissive will
that the devil was allowed to bring sin into the world. For a further
discussion of this blinding see chapter on the free agency of man.
Luke 13:16; Acts 10:38.
10. HAS THE POWER OF DEATH.
Heb. 2:14.
But, thanks be unto God, all the work of Satan is overruled by the
omnipotence and omniscience of God and made to work ultimately for God's glory
and the good of the saints. See Psa. 76:10; Rom. 15:31; 2 Cor. 12:7; Eph. 1:11.
In Peter's fall we have an excellent example of how God is glorified
and the saints benefited even through the temptations of the devil that
actually produce sin in the lives of saints. Peter's experience in denying
Christ made a different man out of him. At the trial of Jesus he cowered before
a little maiden. But on Pentecost he faced the multitude of
the crucifiers of Christ with burning words of condemnation. Peter's fall took
away his self-confidence. Thus, Satan, seeking the complete downfall of Peter,
as he had that of Job, but sifted out the chaff and left the wheat. We can see
also that Satan's afflictions brought greater blessings to Job in the end.
III. THE DESTINY OF SATAN
The common notion that Satan is now in hell is not correct. The
same is true of the idea that Satan shall ever be in hell as the one who
inflicts torment on others. He will be cast into hell to be tormented. He now
inhabits the heavenlies (Eph. 6:11,12), has access to God
(Job 1:6), and is active upon the earth (Job 1:7; 1 Pet. 5:8). But finally
Satan will be cast into hell.
We have already noted that hell has been prepared for the devil
and his angels. In the following Scripture we have the account of how he will
be cast into hell:
"And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of
fire and brimstone, where are also the beast and the false prophet; and they
shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever" (Rev. 20:10).
This is to take place at the end of the
"little season" during which Satan is to be loosed again after the
millennium. The beast and the false prophet are to be cast into the lake of
fire preceding the millennium (Rev. 19:20).