The image of Satan presented in this text may seem somewhat unfamiliar to some readers. Typically, when discussing Satan (the devil) or evil spirits, people often focus on Satan’s origin or status. However, I have intentionally excluded such content because the Bible does not clearly describe Satan’s origin, and speculating on it could lead to statements that contradict Scripture.
The word “Satan” in Hebrew means “adversary” or “opponent.” In the Bible, it is used both as a proper noun and a common noun.
The Bible presents the following images of Satan and the devil:
The evil one (Matthew 13:19 WEB)
A murderer, and there is no truth in him (John 8:44 WEB)
The ruler of this world, possessing all its authority (Luke 4:6 WEB; John 12:31 WEB, 16:11 WEB; 1 John 5:19 WEB)
The god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4 WEB)
The ruler of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2 WEB)
Holding the power of death (Hebrews 2:14 WEB)
The great dragon, the ancient serpent (Revelation 12:9 WEB, 20:2 WEB)
Satan performs the following actions in the Bible:
He incites people (1 Chronicles 21:1 WEB)
He roams the earth (Job 1:7 WEB, 2:2 WEB)
He accuses people before God (Job 1:9 WEB; Zechariah 3:1 WEB; Revelation 12:10 WEB)
He causes sickness and disease (Job 2:7 WEB; Luke 13:6 WEB)
He tempts (Matthew 4:1 WEB; Luke 4:13 WEB; 1 Thessalonians 3:5 WEB; Revelation 2:10 WEB)
He sows tares (Matthew 13:39 WEB)
He takes away the word (Mark 4:15 WEB; Luke 8:12 WEB)
He demands to sift the saints (Luke 22:31 WEB)
He causes people to speak lies (John 8:44 WEB; Acts 5:3 WEB)
He puts thoughts into people’s minds to betray Jesus (John 13:2 WEB)
He disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14 WEB)
He disguises himself as a servant of righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:15 WEB)
He hinders evangelism (1 Thessalonians 2:18 WEB)
He deceives (1 Timothy 4:1 WEB; 2 Corinthians 2:11 WEB)
He opposes God (2 Timothy 2:19–26 WEB)
He prowls like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8 WEB)
He stirs up envy and rivalry (James 3:14–15 WEB)
He causes people to sin (1 John 3:8 WEB)
He does not practice righteousness (1 John 3:10 WEB)
He argues (Jude 1:9 WEB)
He sends false prophets (Revelation 2:20, 24, 3:9 WEB)
Satan’s end is predetermined as follows:
He becomes enraged when he knows his time is short (Revelation 12:12 WEB)
He will be thrown into eternal fire (Matthew 25:41 WEB; Revelation 20:10 WEB)
In this text, I have reconstructed my own image of Satan by combining biblical content with the actions attributed to him in Scripture. As I always say, you do not have to accept my words as definitive. It is enough to understand that this is how Satan is portrayed in the Bible.
Due to the focus on explaining Satan, I have not yet addressed the divinity and humanity of Jesus, which I intended to discuss. I will cover this topic in the next section.
