[The Invisible War Series]
WHO IS SATAN? Or KNOW YOUR ENEMY
EZEKIEL 28:12-17 / ISAIAH 14:12-15 [-21]
You and I are engaged in a battle, one of cosmic proportions. We know we are facing a real opponent because this world bears the bloody, painful scars of this conflict: wars among nations, genocide, hate, shattered lives, broken homes, suicide, rape, abuse, addictions, and immorality of every kind.
John Milton, in his great works Paradise Lost and Paradise Regained speaks about the great cosmic combat that takes place in the twelfth chapter of the book of Revelation. In describing that chilling chapter of Revelation Milton says that the forces of heaven and hell are the central focus and earth is the battle ground in which the cosmic combat takes place. That is a good description of the spiritual battle that takes place within our world.
With all the talk about war going on in our own society and around the world, Christians often forget that we are in a war of our own, a spiritual war. This battle is between heaven and hell and the place where the battle is often fought is here on earth.
The church often loses sight of this truth, the truth of spiritual struggle, especially the church in America. Christians in America have become so comfortable in their Christianity that the thought of spiritual warfare rarely even crosses their minds. But it is paramount that we understand as the church and as Christians that we are truly a part of spiritual battle, a cosmic conflict, and the Lord has called His people to fight the battle, to wage war against the forces that oppose Gods righteousness and rule.
The supreme leader of this rebellion and war against God, Gods angels, Gods church and true Christians is the Devil. Satan is a created being, but he wanted to be worshiped and served like the Creator. It was this attitude that led him to rebel against God and seek to establish his own kingdom. [ You will be like God is a gigantic lie that he has used to control civilization since he used it to bring about the fall of mankind.]
The obvious evil in the world has caused societies both historical and present to acknowledge the existence of one who births, provokes, and foments it. Although the pictures of the devil in widely diverse civilizations are remarkably similar, they dont tell us very much about his identity, origin, or activities. To gain specific information concerning his character and purpose we must look into the Bible. Even in the Bible we dont find answers to every question that comes to mind. Still, the Scriptures reveal all we need to know to take him seriously and to frustrate his efforts to destroy us.
As you systematically read and studied the Word of God as it relates to our enemies it will teach you about our ancient enemy. The Bible gives you insight into how Satan operates, where he came from, and who he is which provides wisdom and strong equipment for our spiritual warfare. The believer intent on claiming all of his victory in the Lord Jesus Christ should familiarize himself with basic biblical information about his enemy.
This message will give help you better familiarize yourself with the enemy of our soul by providing you with extensive Bible quotations about Satan.
I. SATANS ORIGIN OR HIS ORIGINAL STATE.
II. SATANS REBELLION AND FALL.
III. SATANS TITLES AND NAMES.
IV. SATANS TREACHEROUS POWER.
1st SATANS ORIGIN OR HIS ORIGINAL STATE.
Satan has not always existed. He and all the other angels were created (Ps. 148:2,5; Col. 1:16) by God back before time began. In Ezekiel 28:12-17 we find a description of Satan before he sinned. Although speaking to the king of Tyre, there are definite indications in the passage that he was described a king in terms that could not apply to a mere man. The passage on the Tyrian king symbolizes Satan for the prophet was speaking beyond the king to Satan himself and provides us with insight into Satans state as originally created by God.
In verse 12 of Ezekiel 28 we discover that Satan or Lucifer was created perfect in wisdom and beauty. "Thus says the Lord GOD. You had the seal of perfection. In all of creation there has never been another being created as perfect as Lucifer. The last part of verse 12 states he was, Full of wisdom" (NASB). Throughout all Gods wondrous works no creature could be found to match the marvelous wisdom of Lucifer. He was the wisest of all created beings.
The third understanding were given in verse 12 is he was also perfect in beauty. Lucifers possessed the most dazzling beauty in all the universe.
The fourth detail about Lucifer found in verse 13 states he dwelled in "Eden, the Garden of God. His privileged residence was in Gods paradise. This Eden was prior to the Garden of Eden, which was possibly named after the former Eden in which Lucifer had lived.
Fifth (v.13), "Every precious stone was your covering... Precious stones are named to exemplify the brilliance, the unsurpassed privileged portion afforded to Lucifer. His position was so high and so lofty it could only be described by priceless jewels.
In verse 14 we hear God commenting on Lucifer and his exalted position. "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]. He was created by God as the anointed cherub who covers (v. 14a).
God designed the ark of the covenant with two angels-one on each side, spreading their wings over the mercy seat. These angels were called covering cherubs, or cherubim. They represented the angels associated with Gods holiness, covering the place where atonement was made between God and man by the sprinkling of blood on the horns of the mercy seat. The cherubim are the highest order among the angels of God. Again, Lucifer was the "anointed cherub. Cherub is singular. The covering cherubs were subservient to this magnificent angel, "the anointed cherub. In other words, he was the highest of the highest, the highest angelic creature in the presence of Gods full glory and holiness. He was the chief cherub. He was over all the other angels of God.
Verse 14 also tells us Lucifer was given a place on Gods holy mountain. Lucifer had even "walked in the midst of the stones of fire. The terminology, "stones of fire, probably speaks of the holiness of God. Lucifer was so awesomely created he could dwell in the very presence of the holiness of God. What greater testimony could be given this created being, his position, and his perfection than Gods commendation,
This highest angel was blameless from the day of his creation. He was created a holy and righteous being as verse 15 states. You were blameless in your ways From the day you were created (NASB). The day came, however, when unrighteousness was found in him (v. 15). What unrighteousness was specifically found in him? His spirit of rebellion against God. Verse 17 announces, Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty revealing that this archangel allowed his perfection to be the cause of his corruption. Pride in his heart was the beginning of his fall That sin was not an inherent part of the being God created, but later issued from within him because of his pride.
(v. 17). "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. (NASB). Satan had a special place of prominence in his service to God, yet it was not enough.
I would rather be a humble door keeper in the house of God than reign with Satan in hell. How about you? Are you content with your position before God?
II. SATANS REBELLION AND FALL.
Referring to Satan, Ezekiel 28:15 states, "You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. Ezekiel then added in v. 17, "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted. your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. I cast you to the ground.
Verse 18 was Gods response to his sin: "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." God cast this angel out of heaven to be eventually destroyed.
Isaiah (14:12) records this event. How you have fallen from heaven, 0 star of the morning ["Lucifer," KJV], son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations!
Satans sin originated in pride, grew into self-deception, and ended in rebellion. Lucifer sought to exalt himself to the position of Jehovah or YAHWEH. In Isaiah 14: 13-14 we read, "You have said in your heart: I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will make myself like the Most High (NASB). Pride began in his heart, and that pride produced discontentment. He wasnt satisfied with being top angel anymore; he wanted to be like God Himself. Satans pride so deluded him that he claimed equality with God.
In his vanity he declared in verse 14, "I will be like God." It was this act of his will in rebellion that caused him to fall and become the devil and Satan.
When Satan fell, he did not fall alone. His pride led him to spark a rebellion in which he induced a large number of angels to join him. In Revelation 12:4, John said he swept away a third of the stars of heaven. In verse 9, John identified the stars as fallen angels or demons allied with Satan. Although Satan is a tremendously powerful creature and influences many governments and nations, he is not omnipresent like God. His lying, deceitful work is augmented by one-third of the angelic host.
How many is one-third? We dont know. We do know that angels neither procreate nor die (Mt. 22:30). There are as many angels today as in the day of their creation. Theres no diminishing or adding to their ranks. Scripture describes the number of holy angels as being "myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands" (Rev. 5:11). The Greek word for "myriad" means "ten thousand" and was the largest number the Greek language could express. Perhaps there are too many angels to count.
[Some of the fallen angels are bound in everlasting chains (Jude 6). I believe they were the angels who sinned at the time of the Flood as described in Genesis 6:1-7. Because these "sons of God" cohabited with humanity, producing a mixed race, God drowned their offspring in the Flood and bound the angels with chains. Perhaps God has put more and more demons into that pit throughout redemptive history. In Luke 8:31, the demons at Gadara "were entreating [Christ] not to command them to depart into the abyss." Other demons are bound temporarily. According to Revelation 9:2, some demons will be released during the Tribulation.]
III. SATANS TITLES AND NAMES.
Satan is not an impersonal evil force. He possesses the traits of personality, intellect (2 Cor. 11 :3), emotion (Rev. 12: 17), and will (2 Tim. 2:26). Furthermore, personal pronouns are used to describe him and his actions in both the Old and New Testament (Job 1:6-12; 2:1-2; Mt. 4:1-12).
We can learn a great deal about who Satan is by looking at the different names, titles, and representations of him throughout Scripture. His many names describe his activity, showing him to be a devious enemy.
1. Satan comes from the Hebrew word meaning" adversary" or "opposer. (Used 52 times- Zech. 3:1; Mt. 4: 10; Rev. 12:9; 20:2). He is a constant relentless opponent. 1 Peter 5:8 states, Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
2. He is the accuser. "Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down" (Rev 12:10). Satans desire is to cause us to condemn ourselves. He wants to cause a believer to have a vagueness about what he has done wrong and seeks to keep him from knowing what to do about his sin. This is opposite to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit convicts us of definite sins and shows us that through the shed blood of Christ there is cleansing and forgiveness.
3. Lucifer means "son of the morning, shining one, or light bearer" (Is 14:12). Though this describes him before his fall, Satan currently "transforms himself into an angel of light" to deceive the world (2 Cor. 11: 14), even the very elect (Mt. ).
4. He is called the dragon. This pictures his fierce nature and power to destroy. Rev 12:7, And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. [Rev. 12:.3,7, 9]
5. Devil (Mt. 4:1; 13:39; Eph. 4:27; 1 Pe 5:8; Rev. 12:9; 20:2), used 35 times, comes from the Greek word diabolos meaning "slanderer, accuser." Satan likes nothing better than to defame and slander Gods own before others.
6. He is called a murderer and a liar. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your fathers desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth,. for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies" Jn 8:44). Satan wants to murder believers and seeks to deceive us by lies.
7. He is the deceiver. "And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur" (Rev 20:10). In all ways he can, Satan wants to lead us to believe that which is not true.
8. Satan is the Ruler of this world (Jn. 12:.31; 14:.30; 16:11). This title refers to his power over the evil world-system of men and demons. Jn 12:31, Now is the time for judgement on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. Satan operates as a powerful manipulator in the affairs of the world.
9. He is the Prince of the power of the air, which describes his pervasive spiritual influence. "You followed the ways of this world and of the ruler [prince] of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient" (Ephesians 2:2). This would indicate that Satans realm of movement is in the atmosphere surrounding the earth. Christ ascended through Satans very realm to display openly His victory.
10. He is called the destroyer. The Greek and Hebrew words in Revelation 9:11 mean destroyer. "They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon." Satan attempts to destroy all that is holy and precious to God.
11. He is the tempter. "The tempter came to him and said, If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread" (Mt 4:3). (1 Th. 3:5).
12. Satan is the Evil one (Mt. 1.3:19,.38; Jn. 17:15; Eph. 6:16; 1 Jn. 5:18-19) which describes him as the personification of evil.. "The weeds are the sons of the evil one" (Mt 13:38).
13. He is the god of this age which references his power to blind the minds of the world to the gospel. "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God" (2 Co 4:4).
14. Anointed cherub (Ezek. 28: 14) indicates that he had one of the highest (if not the highest) ranking of all the angels.
15. Serpent of Old (Gen. .3:1; 2 Cor. 11:3; Rev. 12:9; 20:2) portrays his deceit and craftiness.
16. Beelzebub, ruler of the demons (Mt. 10:25; 12:24,27; Mk. .3:22; Lk. 11:15), literally
translated means "lord of the flies."
17. Belial (2 Cor. 6: 15) means without profit, worthless or wicked.
18. Roaring lion (1 Pet. 5:8) describes him as hungry and on the prowl to devour Christians.
[Mark Bubeck, The Adversary, Moody Press, 1975, 58-59]
IV. SATANS TREACHEROUS POWER.
Not even a saved believer can defeat Satans power apart from Gods provided victory. "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devils schemes. 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" (Eph 6:11-12).
He is the absolute sovereign over the realm of demons. "Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been dumb spoke, and the crowd was amazed. But some of them said, By Beelzebub, the prince of demons, he is driving out demons. Others tested him by asking for a sign from heaven. Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, Any kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and a house divided against itself will fall. If Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom stand?" (Lk 11:14-18).
1. He has a throne. "I know where you live-where Satan has his throne" (Rev 2:13).
2. He rules a kingdom. "If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand?" (Mt 12:26).
3. He subtly masquerades as an angel of light. "And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve" (2 Co 11:14-15).
4. He has meeting places. "I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan" (Rev 2:9).
Third, He has power to oppose the mightiest of angels. "But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, The Lord rebuke you! " (Jude 9; see also Dan 10:5, 12-13).
Fourthh, He maneuvers and holds in bondage the realm of lost man. "We know that we are the children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one" (1 Jn 5:19).
Satans power though is limited only by the will of Almighty God. "Hast Thou not made a hedge about him and his house and all that he has, on every side? Thou hast blessed the work of his hands and his possessions have increased in the land. But put forth Thy hand now and touch all that he has; he will surely curse Thee to Thy face. Then the LORD said to Satan, Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not put forth your hand on him. So Satan departed from the presence of the LORD" (Job 1:10-12, NASB).
CONCLUSION
Lucifer, the star of the morning, became so self-focused that he could no longer think beyond elevating his pride and personal desires. He wanted more that being second to the Lord God of the Universe. His God give place and privilege were not enough.
Here is the fountainhead of sin, the well-spring of evil. Satan was not longer satisfied with his position so he defied the one who placed him there. So he rebelled against the authority of God. Thus Lucifer became the devil, the serpent of old. He outwardly rebelled against the authority of God because inwardly he became self-centered.
He will try and get you to doubt Gods Word and follow him into rebellion also. Read Genesis 3:5.
